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Sunday, February 14, 2021

AO.7 - They Got the Beat, Mate

It doesn't get much better than the lineup for Day 7 in Melbourne. While Wimbledon's all-Round-of-16 day is often touted as the "best" slam day of the year, the St. Valentine's Day magnificence that the bottom half of the women's draw produced on Sunday had more than the goods to compete and ultimately prevail in the court of public opinion.

It may have been the most decorated set of women's 4th Round matches in a major, well, ever.

The careers of the women who were in action today have produced a total of 51 slam titles (31 singles, 18 doubles, 2 mixed) spread out over seven of the eight participants. They've spent over 450 weeks at singles and/or doubles #1 (5 players), reached 70 total slam finals (all 8) and won a combined 183 WTA singles and doubles titles (8). Two of the four matches pitted former slam singles winners, with two of the high profile match-ups featuring first-time meetings on the court, and another pitting a pair of one-time #1's.

In the end, the group lived up to expections, too. All three matches scheduled on Laver Arena went the full three sets, with one seeing a winner save a pair of MP, and two include rallies from a set down to emerge with a win (one gaining a measure of slam stage revenge against a next generation phenom who'd throttled her en route to her main major title last year). From big hitters to crafty technicians, all styles were on display. Even the one match relegated to MCA on Sunday had its own storyline corner covered, as one of the tour's ultimate characters -- who's been pulling off Li Na-style post-match moments all week long -- experienced her greatest career moment in singles with her first slam QF berth at age 35.

Yes, by all accounts, this lineup most definitely *did* have the beat.




=DAY 7 NOTES=
...the opening match on Laver, featuring #3 Naomi Osaka and #14 Garbine Muguruza, was a first-time meeting between former #1 players who've combined to win all four majors (Osaka AO/US, Muguruza RG/WI).

Osaka, the reigning U.S. Open champ, arrived on the day having not lost a match in over a year (Fed Cup vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo last February), a span that has seen her put together a 17-match unbeaten streak. Muguruza, a 2020 AO finalist, had dropped just ten games through the first three rounds in Melbourne this year (after reaching the Yarra Valley final last week).

Throughout the day, while Muguruza often *looked* the part of a player ready to win another major, by the end of the match it was Osaka who shined the brightest when it mattered most.



Osaka struck first in the opening set, breaking the Spaniard's serve (just her second loss of serve in the tournament) to take a 2-0 lead. But Muguruza immediately broke back, thanks to two Osaka errors and a DF, and settled what had been some early restlessness in her game. Muguruza broke Osaka again in game #9 and served for the set at 5-4, reaching double SP with a wide second serve that elicited a long backhand return from Osaka. A netted forehand gave Muguruza the set, Osaka's first lost set at this slam.

Osaka then immediately opened the 2nd by falling down love/40 in game #1. A cool and collected Muguruza broke with a return shot off the net cord and lob winner combo. She then held at love for 2-0. Muguruza grabbed a 30/love lead two games later, but chose that moment to lose her concentration just a tad. It turned out to be just enough to wake up Osaka's prospects. A few Muguruza errors and a DF led to her dropping serve and her Japanese opponent knotting the score at 2-2. Osaka held for 3-2, then fired her seventh ace of the day to go up 5-4. Serving to stay in the set, Muguruza threw in an unforced error to open her serve in game #10. She leveled things with an ace a point later, but the pattern of the Spaniard chasing Osaka on the scoreboard in the crucial game was established. After falling behind 15/40, Muguruza got things to deuce, but a netted forehand gave Osaka a third BP/SP. Osake fired a big return a point later to take the 2nd at 6-4.



Mid-way through the 3rd set, Muguruza saw opportunity drop into her lap. An Osaka DF handed the Spaniard a break lead at 3-2. After failing to put away a GP in the next game, Muguruza edged toward the net behind a deep shot and cut off Osaka's backhand passing attempt, putting away a volley winner to get another GP chance. This time she got the hold for a 4-2 edge.



Both players gutted out holds the next two games, Osaka with an ace and forehand winner from 30/30, then Muguruza after saving a BP and putting in big serves (an ace and service winner) as she handled the Osaka power from the baseline and held for 5-3 with a backhand down the line. Muguruza reached double MP on Osaka's serve in game #9. But the world #3 saved both, firing off two aces (on BP #1, then her own GP) to hold for 5-4 and shift the pressure to Muguruza.

Unfortunately it was then that the Spaniard's forehand inconsistency proven to be her final undoing.

Serving for the match, Muguruza fell behind 15/30 in game #10 with a pair of forehand errors. She saved a pair of BP from 15/40, but Osaka put away her third opportunity to draw even at 5-5. After about ten minutes earlier having held two MP, Muguruza soon found herself needing to hold in game #12 to stay in the match after Osaka held for 6-5. Rather than reclimb the mountain, though, Mugu slid back down it. Down love/30, back-to-back forehand errors ended the game and the match as Osaka got the love break to take the set, winning 4-6/6-4/7-5 in a snug 1:55.



While Muguruza played well overall, her demise more than anything else fell on her inability to lift her game on the biggest points. In fact, it receded in those moments, while Osaka lifted her own. Osaka won the final four games, and ten of the last twelve points after Muguruza was twice a single point from the victory.



...the one Round of 16 match that was played on MCA rather than Laver, and simultaneously with one of the other women's matches (still better than Roland Garros' tactic last year of seemingly playing *every* important women's match at the same time as *at least* one other, even into the second week), was still a worthy headline grabber.

Unseeded Hsieh Su-wei, the world #1 in doubles and three-time slam WD champ, has finally "broken through" at this AO to the "casual fan" set, it seems, with her gloriously disarming post-match interviews and press conferences. Today the 35-year old (shhhh, don't tell anyone about that) faced #19-seeded Marketa Vondrousova, finally making inroads again of later after a troubled eighteen months since her '19 RG final run that has included wrist surgery and few opportunities in '20 to regain her form due to the shutdown and spotty WTA Restart schedule during the heart of the pandemic.

The Czech opened her '21 season in Abu Dhabi with a 3rd set TB loss to Hsieh, but didn't even have *that* much success today against the spin-slice-and-frying-pan-filled, unorthodox game of the Taiwanese veteran. Though no stranger to employing her own barrage of slices and spins, Vondrousova was often at her wits end against Hsieh. Playing with both legs taped, the Czech often seemed physically in trouble after long rallies, as well. Hsieh grabbed early advantages in both sets, and never game them up, winning 6-4/6-2 to advance to her first career slam *singles* QF in her 38th MD appearance in a major.



Next up for her is Osaka, who staged a comeback from a frustrating 7-5/4-1 deficit against Hsieh in the 2019 AO 3rd Round en route to what was her second major title. Afterward, Osaka pretty much admitted that she'd prefer to never have to play against the likes of her again. Now she'll *have* to, though.



...later, "Boom-Shaka-Serena" finally happened, and Aryna Sabalenka left her second career slam Round of 16 match with a familiar feeling. Namely, one of lost opportunity and (maybe) a nagging voice in her head that she could very well have (once again) come up just short in a slam 4th Round against a player who *could* go on to take the title. Such a thing happened when she gave Osaka her toughest match at the '18 U.S. Open, and with the way the very fit Williams -- in her FloJo-inspired, "superhero"-like, one-legged tights outfit -- is moving around the court we could very well be talking "24" around this time a week from now.



While Sabalenka has tasted slam success (1 WD title), it hasn't yet been in singles. The #7 seed has yet to reach a slam QF in her career, and with one more title (#10) will become just the third player in tour history (Anna Smashnova and Anabel Medina-Garrigues) with as many wins without a Final 8 run in a major. Still, the Belarusian has continued to make strides toward that goal (and greater ones), including put together a 15-match (18-1 mark heading into Day 7) winning streak that began last fall and saw her run off three straight singles titles, as she's secured her spot in the Top 10 (last year at Serena's expense in the final '20 rankings) and grown more and more confident in her "Warrior Princess" approach since elevating Anton Dubrov to full-time coach late last season.

But Williams has won 23 majors, and just about everything else -- at some point -- over the last two decades. Even at 39, the aura is still there, as is the skill. Over the past two seasons, nerves during her pressurized quest to set yet another standard against yet another generation of players has sometimes led to Williams appearing to maybe not still being up to pulling off a full *seven* wins to claim the record-tying 24th major of her career.

But while Williams has often had to play her way into form in the season's first major, she's not had to pull off such a task at *this* AO. Her slow-starting 1st set against Anastasia Potapova in the 3rd Round aside, Williams has been more than just dressed for success. With this slam starting several weeks later than usual, and with Serena herself stating that the reality of the pandemic has changed her outlook and taken away much of the pressure she's placed upon her shoulders since returning from her pregnancy leave, Williams looks as fit in Melbourne as she has since her true prime. Yes, the suit helps, but she's wearing it well, even seeming to surprise herself with her on-court speed and ability to chase down balls from side to side in the backcourt.

It was a skill that served her well today in her first ever tangle with Sabalenka's power, as it made up for Williams' struggles on serve and put her in position to allow her overwhelming experience in situations just like this (her 63rd career slam Round of 16 vs. Sabalenka's second) to flourish.

Sabalenka had an early opportunity to put a big stamp on this match against a legend who made her slam debut (in 1998) shortly before the Belarusian was born. She reached BP on Williams' serve at 3-3 in the 1st set, only to see the #10 seed save it with an ace (seen that before), then stave off another with a big serve down the T (ditto) en route to a crucial hold. Serving down 5-4, Sabalenka had yet to face a BP or have a DF. But after Williams made a series (4 or 5, at least) of remarkable defensive saves to extend a rally, then Sabalenka netted a smash from the baseline, the score stood at love/30. Sabalenka's first DF (at 30/30) gave Williams her first BP (and SP) chance. Sabelenka saved it with a big second serve, but a loose backhand error on GP preceded a second BP/SP. A big-hitting rally ended when Sabalenka netted a forehand off a deep Williams ball, giving Serena the set advantage with a 6-4 win.

Sabalenka took advantage of her opportunities in the 2nd set, as Williams' game (especially on serve: 36% first serve pct., combined with just a 24% win pct. on her second) experienced a large dip. A Williams backhand error handed Sabalenka a break in game #1, then the Belarusian saved a BP and held for 2-0. Her lead grew to 3-0 before she gave back one of the breaks in a careless game. At 3-1, Williams caught the toe of her shoe on the court while racing across the backcourt, causing her to hit the deck, but doing so in as graceful a way as possible, avoiding rolling her ankle and never really hitting the court hard. Still, Serena, up 40/30 at the time, ultimately dropped serve when she shot a backhand long on BP #3 to fall behind 4-1. Again, Sabalenka played a loose game in the moment, squandering several GP, but getting away with it because of Williams' own downturned stats. An ace finally got Sabalenka the hold for 5-1. Serving at 5-2, she DF'd to fall behind 15/30, but still held on to take the 2nd at 6-2.



In the 3rd, it was Sabalenka's errors that turned the tide to Williams. After a DF had gotten her into trouble in game #2, a huge serve up the T that knocked a lunging Serena off balance helped Sabalenka hold for 1-1. Two games later, though, an error off a Williams return put Sabalenka down 15/40 and she was broken to slip behind 3-1. A game later, Williams served her way out of a 15/40 hole to reach 4-1. Sensing a huge moment having passed her by, and ending the game by reaching for (and spraying) a high Williams ball at the net that was likely heading out, Sabalenka spiked her racket in a fashion that would have fit in quite nicely at last week's Super Bowl.

Surprisingly, though, Sabalenka *did* get back into the set. In fact, she closed the gap and tied the score at 4-4 as she flashed the form that had made her the hottest player on tour heading into 2021. But when serving at 4-5 to stay in the match, Sabalenka's inconsistency reared its head at the most inopportune time. Rather than hold to extend her newfound momentum, a DF put Sabalenka behind 15/30, then a netted forehand gave Williams double MP. After a long forehand off the Belarusian's racket, it was all quite suddenly over, with Serena winning 6-4/2-6/6-4 to reach her 54th major quarterfinal, and 13th in her last seventeen appearances in Melbourne.



While Williams continues to look to add to her slam resume, Sabalenka seems to have now settled into the role as the latest high-profile, high-ranking player seeking her slam breakthrough moment. At one time that part was played by Simona Halep, until it was no longer necessary. With Karolina Pliskova's legitimate quest for a slam crown (maybe) now having officially passed its sell-by date, and Elina Svitolina resting somewhere in the margins of the current "will-she-ever?" discussion (clearly close to her slam moment, but still one giving no reason to fully sit on the edge of their seat during her repeated attempts), it might be Sabalenka who inherits the old question-mark-covered bodysuit and dark-cloud/feeling-of-anticipation storyline heading into every major of the season. Until the nervous finger-tapping is no longer necessary.

Needless to say, this topic feels like it'll only grow as 2021 (but not 2022... hopefully) wears on.



...in the final women's Round of 16 match on Sunday, #2 Simona Halep and #15 Iga Swiatek (three combined slam titles) met on the major stage for the third straight year (they split RG matches in 2019 and '20). The 19-year old Pole arrived on a dominant 10-match slam winning streak during which she'd barely been challenged in any set, while Halep in many respects was lucky to still be alive in this AO after having survived a 5-2 3rd set deficit against Ajla Tomljanovic just two rounds earlier.

In the 1st set, with Halep serving well and Swiatek having an advantage in rallies, the two were knotted at 3-3 when the first key moment of the match occurred.

Halep carved out a pair of BP opporturnities, but failed to play aggressively when she finally had Swiatek backed into a corner. The Pole saved both BP and held for 4-3. Worse, in the immediate aftermath, Halep began to rush through her own next service game, and in the blink of an eye found herself down love/30. She overshot a reply to a Swiatek drop shot (one of more than half a dozen she'd try in the set) and went down triple BP, dropping serve at love and giving Swiatek a chance to serve out the set. Up 30/love, Swiatek had run off eight straight points since having staved off Halep's BP chances two games earlier. A pair of forehand errors from Halep finished off the sudden slide as the 6-3 score saw Swiatek collect her 21st consecutive set in slam competition.

In the 2nd, Halep righted her Romanian ship as Swiatek experienced how "the other half" lives on the grand slam stage for the first time in a while (last year's U.S. Open, to be exact). Halep got another double BP shot on Swiatek's serve at 40/15 in game #2. The teenager controlled a rally to win the first point, then handcuffed Halep with a wide and deep serve to get to deuce (the Romanian's errant shot hit the ball girl crouched at the net). On a third BP, though, Swiatek missed a forehand to give Halep a 2-0 lead. A quick hold and another break (ended by another Swiatek UE, perhaps leading to what appeared to be a request of the umpire to have new rackets with a different string tension sent to the court), then another routine hold gave Halep the set at 6-1, ending Swiatek's long slam streak as the third women's match on Laver on the day was sent into a 3rd set.



In the decider, Swiatek's troubles continued as her forehand remained unreliable, and her frustration was visible as Halep again grabbed an early edge with a break of serve in game #1, as well as a hold after being BP down a game later. Oddly enough, Halep was showing frustration, too, even as things were clearly going her way... but, well, sometimes Halep's old habits *do* make such cameo appearances.

As she has since "new Simona" won out in her career-long (until recently) internal battle, though, Halep brushed off such negativity and moved forward. After Swiatek had an in-match beverage delivery (coffee?), the skip in the Pole's step returned for a bit, breaking Halep's serve to knot the set at 2-2. But it was an altered reality that didn't persist, as the unforced errors soon returned to Swiatek's game. She was broken at love in game #5, then saw Halep hold at 15 to take a 4-2 lead.

Shortly afterward, Swiatek seemed to attempt to manufacture in-point aggression rather than have it come naturally, rushing the net throughout Halep's service game at 4-3. The tactic helped her get to 30/30 and hold onto hope of getting back into the thick of the final set, but her added (needless?) risk didn't pay off. Halep passed Swiatek at the net to reach GP, then the Pole's second serve return error off her forehand side gave the Romanian a 5-3 lead.

Halep served for her 15th career slam QF two games later, and did so handily. Holding at love, with Swiatek's final return error, Halep claimed the 3-6/6-1/6-4 victory to erase at least a small percentage of any remaining bother about having been dominated by the teenager last fall in Paris. It's Halep's 100th career slam match win.



Halep will next face Serena, with the winner advancing to the semifinals and being just one win away from claiming this AO's loaded bottom half of the draw and having the opportunity to add yet another major chapter to their slam legacy.

...Sabalenka returned to the court after her loss to Williams, joining with Elise Mertens (#2 seeds) to defeat #16-seeded Laura Siegemund & Vera Zvonareva in three sets to reach the quarterfinals. In mixed doubles, Bannerette Hayley Carter & Belgian Sander Gille upset top-seeded Barbora Stycova & Nikola Mektic in the opening round.

...AO wheelchair action began on Sunday, with the higher ranked players all advancing into the semifinals.

#1 Diede de Groot had the most difficult foe, countrywoman Aniek Van Koot. So it was not shock that, despite having taken the 1st set at love, de Groot was forced to a 3rd. She ultimately won 6-0/3-6/6-4 against her doubles partner in what was the only three-setter of the day. In the other WC matches, Momoko Ohtani (def. Lucy Shuker 6-2/6-2), KJ Montjane (def. Angelica Bernal 6-1/6-2) and #2 Yui Kamiji (def. Macarena Cabrillana 6-0/6-1) all won in dominating fashion.

De Groot and Kamiji seem set to face off in a third 2021 singles final (they split the Victorian and Melbourne Open titles heading into this slam), but de Groot was upset by Ohtani at last year's Roland Garros, so a second straight all-Japanese slam final can't be ruled out.

...2020 AO champ Sofia Kenin's troubles Down Under this season continued in her opening match (2nd Rd.) in the Phillip Island event on the grounds at Melbourne Park. She fell 2-6/7-6(4)/6-4 to 18-year old Aussie wild card Olivia Gadecki, who'd never before posted a *Top 100* victory. Kenin actually outpointed Gadecki 119-118 for the match.



...in the ITF challenger finals contested on Sunday:

At Monastir, Tunisia, 15-year old Czech Linda Fruhvirtova swept the singles and doubles titles at a $15K event held on site for a second straight week, defeating Ines Ibbou in singles and joining forces with Weronika Falkowska in doubles.

In Antalya, Turkey, Russian Polina Kudermetova -- 17-year old little sister of AO #32 seed Veronika (3rd Rd.) -- claimed her second career pro singles title in the $15K event.

In Shymkent, Kazakhstan, Anastasia Tikhonova (RUS) defeated Yuliya Hatouka (BLR) in their second straight face off for a $15K title in the city. Last weekend, Hatouka won the match-up in straight sets.

In Grenoble, France, it'll be Viktorija Golubic (SUI) vs. Maryna Zanevska (BEL) for the $25K crown later on Sunday.





...OH, YEAH. ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT *THIS* MESS TO CLEAN UP... ON DAY 7:



...RADKA LEITMERITZ STRIKES AGAIN ON DAY 7:



...THE COMPANY YOU KEEP ON DAY 7:



...DID ANYONE WHO ACTUALLY *DOESN'T* IRRATIONALLY HATE CATS EVER PERCEIVE THIS AS A DEROGATORY OR CONDESCENDING ACT?... ON DAY 7:



...DOUBLING DOWN ON DUMB IDEAS ON DAY 7:

So, this Draft Kings thing with Tennis Channel has apparently been growing (festering?) for a while now (today they were too busy shilling to actually cover the match, as the "Draft Kings Desk" was still giving odds between the 1st and 2nd sets of Osaka/Muguruza to get to the game before Osaka was down love/40 on serve in the opening game).

2019...



2020...



2021...



This trend is definitely going in the wrong direction. I'd put money on it getting significantly worse, too.

..."RUSSIAN CAT NEVER BREAKS" ON DAY 7:







Amy Winehouse died ten years ago this summer. The Brit rose into the spotlight at a time when I wasn't listening to a lot of music, but when I did hear her it was clear that no one else sounded quite like her, and her voice lingered in your head long after having seen her perform (I *did* always watch the Grammys, and I can specifically remember her remote performance on the show -- seen below -- that had just that sort of effect on me at the time).

Winehouse's combination of soul, rhythm & blues and jazz, along with the underlying reality of her personal turmoil and addictions, even more so in the aftermath of her short life (she lived to be just 27, with the cause of death being alcohol poisoning, adding her name to that fabled list of lengendary singers who died at that age), can give her music an additional weight and hint of sadness with the knowledge of what her future would eventually hold, even as her tragic end wasn't exactly a shock when it came.

This line from her Wikipedia bio is an endorsement all on its own: In The Guardian, Caroline Sullivan later wrote that "her idolisation of Dinah Washington and the Ronettes distinguished her from almost all newly minted pop singers of the early 2000s; her exceptionally-susceptible-to-heartbreak voice did the rest".

A few years ago, songwriter Bob Dylan said he was enjoying listening to Back to Black, her last album, and called her "the last real individualist around."

Here's Winehouse's performance of "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab" from those aforementioned 2008 Grammys, shot live in the U.K. because she'd been denied a visa to travel to L.A. soon after the scandal of the release of a video of her supposedly smoking crack, and then a rehab stint. She dominated those awards, ultimately winning five Grammys that night, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Female Pop Vocal (Back in Black was also nominated for Album of the Year).

Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good & Rehab Live Grammys 2008 from Luis Rodriguez on Vimeo.



"Back to Black" from the Isle of Wight Festival in 2007...



Here's "Valerie." First a really nice acoustic version, then a performance in Glastonbury, both from 2007.



Here's a "Take the Box/In My Bed" combination, which I conclude with mostly because of Winehouse's appearance. This is early in her career, with her hair down, just with a guitar, and sans the (admittedly, always fabulously energetic) dancers. Smiling, and looking so healthy. Ironically, and unfortunately, it serves to make this performance sort of sad because it serves to show what she'd once been rather than what she became again.

Maybe if things had gone differently, we'd still be seeing some version of *this* her now, only a bit older, wiser and thankful for having survived her own demons. (Today she'd be two years younger than Serena, just to place her on the timeline.) Imagine the songs *that* Amy Winehouse might have sung.



And, finally, here's a short clip with the Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood, on his first meeting with Winehouse...



Obviously, he knew the signs, largely from personal experience. Too bad the people around her couldn't have helped her -- and she accepted it -- to find a way to avoid her fate.







=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Ash Barty/AUS vs. Shelby Rogers/USA
#18 Elise Mertens/BEL vs. #25 Karolina Muchova/CZE
#28 Donna Vekic/CRO vs. #22 Jennifer Brady/USA
Jessica Pegula/USA vs. #5 Elina Svitolina/UKR
Hsieh Su-wei/TPE def. #19 Marketa Vondrousova/CZE
#3 Naomi Osaka/JPN def. #14 Garbine Muguruza/ESP
#10 Serena Williams/USA def. #7 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
#2 Simona Halep/ROU def. #15 Iga Swiatek/POL

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
Jurak/Stoyanovic (CRO/SRB) def. Bolsova/Paolini (ESP/ITA)
(PR) Krunic/Trevisan (SRB/ITA) def. Kalinskaya/Kuzmova (RUS/SVK)
#3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) vs. Pera/van der Hoek (USA/NED)
Fernandez/Watson (CAN/GBR) vs. Fichman/Olmos (CAN/MEX)
Gauff/McNally (USA/USA) vs. #9 Guarachi/Krawczyk (CHI/USA)
#13 L.Kichenok/Ostapenko (UKR/LAT) vs. #4 Melichar/Schuurs (USA/NED)
#7 Aoyama/Shibahara (JPN/JPN) def. #12 Carter/Stefani (USA/BRA)
#2 Mertens/Sabalenka (BEL/BLR) def. #16 Siegemund/Zvonareva (GER/USA)

=MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
(Alt.) Carter/Gille (USA/BEL) vs. Swiatek/Kubot (POL/POL)
(WC) Stosur/Ebden (AUS/AUS) vs. #8 Stefani/Soares (BRA/BRA)
Krawczyk/Salisbury (USA/GBR) vs. x/x
Klepac/Skupski (SLO/GBR) vs. Hradecka/Polasek (CZE/SVK)
#6 Krejcikova/R.Ram (CZE/USA) vs. Shibahara/McLachlan (JPN/JPN)
Mattek-Sands/J.Murray (USA/GBR) vs. #3 Dabrowski/Pavic (CAN/CRO)
(WC) Sanders/Polmans (AUS/AUS) vs. (WC) Perez/Harris (AUS/AUS)
(WC) Ar.Rodionova/Purcell (AUS/AUS) vs. #2 Melichar/Farah (USA/COL)

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES SF=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. Momoko Ohtani/JPN
KJ Montjane/RSA vs. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES SF=
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) vs. Kamiji/Ohtani (JPN/JPN)
Bernal/Cabrillana (COL/CHI) vs. #2 Montjane/Shuker (RSA/GBR)














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*WTA "CAREER QF SLAM" - active*
[with slam at which completed]
Victoria Azarenka - 2012 US (28th)
Kim Clijsters - 2002 AO (11th)
Simona Halep - 2015 US (22nd)
Angelique Kerber - 2016 AO (33rd)
Madison Keys - 2018 RG (23rd)
Johanna Konta - 2019 US (24th)
Svetlana Kuznetsova - 2006 RG (16th)
Petra Kvitova - 2015 US (30th)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - 2017 AO (37th)
Sloane Stephens - 2018 RG (25th)
Elina Svitolina - 2019 US (29th)
Serena Williams - 2001 RG (12th)
Venus Williams - 1998 WI (6th)
Vera Zvonareva - 2010 US (31st)

*RECENT BEST U.S. WOMEN'S AO RESULTS*
2010 Serena Williams (W)
2011 Venus Williams (3rd)
2012 Serena Williams (4th)
2013 Sloane Stephens (SF)
2014 Sloane Stephens & Serena Williams (4th)
2015 Serena Williams (W)
2016 Serena Williams (RU)
2017 Serena Williams (W)
2018 Madison Keys (QF)
2019 Danielle Collins (SF)
2020 Sofia Kenin (W)
-
NOTE 1: S.Williams in QF
NOTE 2: Rogers, Brady and Pegula to play 4th Rd.

*UNSEEDED/WC/Q in AO QF IN 32-SEED DRAW - began in 2002*
2002 Adriana Serra-Zanetti/ITA
2003 Meghann Shaughnessy/USA, Virginia Ruano-Pascual/ESP
2006 Martina Hingis/SUI (wc)
2007 Serena Williams/USA, Lucie Safarova/CZE
2009 Jelena Dokic/AUS (wc), Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
2010 Zheng Jie/CHN, Maria Kirilenko/RUS, Justine Henin/BEL (wc)
2012 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS, Sara Errani/ITA
2013 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
2015 Madison Keys/USA
2016 Johanna Konta/GBR, Zhang Shuai (q)
2017 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni/CRO, CoCo Vandeweghe/USA
2018 Elise Mertens/BEL, Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
2019 Danielle Collins/USA, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
2020 Ons Jabeur/TUN, Garbine Muguruza/ESP
2021 Hsieh Su-wei/TPE
--
[W]=won title; [RU]=reached final --
NOTE: unseeded Shelby Rogers and Jessica Pegula to play 4r

*AO "KIMIKO CUP FOR VETERAN ACHIEVEMENT" WINNERS*
2015 Venus Williams/USA & Martina Hingis/SUI
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Venus Williams/USA & Serena Williams/USA
2018 Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
2019 Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai, AUS/CHN
2020 Jordanne Whiley, GBR (WC)
2021 Hsieh Su-wei, TPE



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TOP QUALIFIER: Francesca Jones/GBR
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #3 Naomi Osaka/JPN
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: Whitney Osuigwe/USA def. #22 Mihaela Buzarnescu/ROU 2-6/7-6(1)/6-2 (trailed 6-2/5-2)
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): #2 Simona Halep/ROU def. Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS 4-6/6-4/7-5; 2:34; trailed 5-2 in 3rd, Tomlj. for match; won last 5 games
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): Nominee: 4r-#3 Osaka d. #14 Muguruza
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Naomi Osaka/JPN (def. Pavlyuchenkova/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #23 Angelique Kerber/GER (1st Rd.-Pera/USA)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Olga Danilovic/SRB, Mayar Sherif/EGY, Liudmila Samsonova/RUS, Nina Stojanovic/SRB
UPSET QUEENS: United States
REVELATION LADIES: Estonia
NATION OF POOR SOULS: China (1-5, 2 seeds out 1r & all 3 Top 50; Wang Xiyu w/d with COVID)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Sara Errani/ITA, Kaja Juvan/SLO (both 3rd Rd.) + (LL: Schmiedlova-2r)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Dasha Gavrilova/AUS, Samantha Stosur/AUS (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Ash Barty (in 4th Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Nominee: WS finalist from top half of draw
IT (Egyptian): Mayar Sherif/EGY (1st Eqyptian slam MD win)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Rebecca Marino/CAN (first GS win in 10 yrs.; battled depression)
CRASH & BURN: Sofia Kenin/USA (2nd Rd. to Kanepi; earliest AO DC exit since 2003)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Simona Halep/ROU (2nd Rd.- down 5-2 in 3rd vs. Tomljanovic, sweeps final 5 games)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Hsieh Su-wei/TPE (first career WS slam QF at age 35) (Nominee: S.Williams)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: Barty, Halep
"G'DAY/GOOD ON YA, MATE" AWARD: nominees: Barty's post-shutdown return to slam stage; Osaka & the butterfly; Day 7 bottom half Rd. of 16: combined 51 slam titles (7 players), 460 weeks at #1 (5 players), 70 slam finals (all 8 players), 183 combined WTA s/d titles (all 8)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: [jr. event to be held later in '21]





All for Day 7. More tomorrow.
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