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Tuesday, June 7, 2022

2022 Clay Court Awards: Match Compendium


Swiatek, Samsonova and, of course, Angie, baby.











1. Stuttgart SF - Iga Swiatek def. Liudmila Samsonova
...6-7(4)/6-4/7-5. A rare, full-match tug-of-war for Swiatek, who saw the Hordette seize upon squandered 1st set leads of 3-0 and 4-1 as Samsonova stole the stanza and ended Swiatek's 28-set winning streak, the longest on tour since Serena in 2012-13. The Russian had the Pole's back against the wall at 4-4 in the 2nd, only to see Iga call upon her inner champion's reserve and get the late break and serve out the set to send things to a 3rd.

There, Swiatek again took the early lead at 3-1, only to see Samsonova erase a pair of break advantages and play deep on serve into the final set, even leading 5-4 at one stage. But, again, Swiatek rose up and finished with a break-and-hold combo that put away the match for her 22nd straight win. She wouldn't be so challenged again over her next thirteen matches, dropping just one more set through Roland Garros.



The 3:03 battle remains (so far) the longest match of Swiatek's pro career.
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2. Strasbourg Final - Angelique Kerber def. Kaja Juvan
...7-6(5)/6-7(0)/7-6(5). In what will still rank come the fall as one of the matches of the season, Kerber picked up career title #14, denying Juvan her first in her maiden WTA final. It took 3:16 and a series of comebacks and fantastic points to do it, though.



Juvan served for the 1st set at 5-3, but soon found herself having to break *Kerber* at 5-6 just to get into the TB. The Slovenian rallied from 4-1 down to get to 4-4. But with the score knotted at 5-5, Kerber swept the final two points to grab the set. Juvan dominated a 7-0 TB in the 2nd to force a 3rd set, where Kerber took an early break lead. Juvan got things back on serve on her first opportunity and led, on serve, at 3-2. Another TB would follow, with Kerber again pulling away in a tight one to get her first clay title since 2016.


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3. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Angelique Kerber def. Magdalena Frech
...2-6/6-3/7-5. Strasbourg champ Kerber arrived in Paris having just won her first clay title in six years, winning an epic three-setter in the final against Kaja Juvan. So, naturally, the German then proceeded to win another (even more?) epic three-setter in the 1st Round of Roland Garros, notching her first victory (and winning her first set, actually) in the event since her 2018 QF run. The German had exited RG in the 1st Round in five of the last six editions of the tournament, even being the First Seed Out in both 2019 and '21.

She very nearly lost in her opening match again, but instead took Frech on a gruelling ride that'll have 'em talking for years.



The #21-seeded Kerber found herself battling for her Paris life in the 3rd, but seemingly loving every minute of it, just like the delirious crowd that showed their love and respect for the three-time slam champion by chanting her name. Down 2-0, 4-2 and with Frech serving at 5-4, Kerber carved out double BP at 15/40 only to see the Pole win three straight points to reach MP. Kerber saved it, then another MP, getting the break on BP #3 to tie the score. Kerber, after facing her near certain demise (again) in this event, would ultimately sweep the final four games of the match, winning on her second MP, celebrating in ways that even her past exuberantly celebrating self rarely (if ever) has.


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4. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Emma Raducanu def. Linda Noskova
...6-7(4)/7-5/6-1. In an all-teenager match-up that pitted #12-seeded, 19-year old U.S. Open champ Raducanu with a 17-year old, the youngest qualifier in Paris in 13 years, trying to be a bigger hitting version of the Emma (who was also a qualifier) from last summer in New York, Czech Linda Noskova -- the '21 RG girls' champ -- very nearly added her name to the list of players who shocked a big star in their slam MD debut.

Noskova, the first of the new crush of Czechs to enter the slam fray (she was the youngest Czech to play a slam MD match since 2006), claimed the 1st set TB from the Brit in what was also the RG MD debut of Raducanu (she's now finally played at all four majors).



Noskova, with the match seemingly on her racket, pushed Raducanu's back against the wall in the 2nd, breaking to lead 4-3 and causing everyone to start scrambling to look up who might have defeated a player ranked any higher than Raducanu's standing of #12 in their tour-level debut. But Raducanu's oft-overlooked fight (and big stage experience, something she *does* have even though she's played so little thus far at tour-level) helped to drag her back into the battle. The Brit got the break back, and soon Noskova was serving down 6-5 to stay in the set. The Czech saved three Raducanu SP and held a GP to force a TB, but Raducanu did just enough to eke out the break to get into a 3rd set.

Once there, the errors from Noskova started to become more prevalent, while Raducanu remained firm. The Brit got the early break in the set, saved a BP (barely, as Noskova just missed on a tough -- perhaps too risky -- down the line forehand attempt at a clean winner from a difficult angle) and took a commanding 4-1 lead. Raducanu pulled away from there, maintaining her (thus far) perfect 1st Round record (4-0) in majors.


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5. Roland Garros 3rd Rd. - Jil Teichmann def. Victoria Azarenka
...4-6/7-5/7-6(5). In her first career slam 3rd Round match, #23 Teichmann's RG epitaph seemed ready to be written. As #15 Azarenka edged closer to victory (and then when she did again), the receipts were being collected on the 24-year old Swiss' successful clay court season and how the confidence and momentum she'd gained during this swing of the tour schedule might finally propel her toward a more consistent run this summer in the sort of events in which she's often flashed but maybe couldn't sustain elite-level heroics in the weeks that followed. It was an encouraging reality, but she was going to have to learn from her not-quite-good enough efforts of this day. But Teichmann wasn't ready to go just yet.



Teichman grabbed the lead early in the match against the Belarusian veteran, assuming an early break advantage and leading 3-0. Serving up 3-1 and 40/15, the Swiss held four GP (she DF'd on one) before Azarenka got the break on her first BP opportunity in the game. With things getting late in the set, Azarenka broke for 5-4 and then held to take the 1st.

Azarenka seemed set to pull away in the 2nd set, going up 3-1 and holding her lead at 4-3, within reach of the match finish line. She held a pair of GP in game #8 to get within a single game of her second straight 4th Round in Paris, one year after reaching her first second week at RG since 2013. But Teichmann's break on her third BP chance turned the tide of the entire production. Azarenka had barely escaped the 1st Round after losing multiple leads in a match, and now two rounds later the scenario was threatening to breathe life into her opponent's chances once again.

On serve late in the set, Teichmann opened game #11 with a DF but held for 6-5. With Azarenka needing to hold to force a potentially match-ending TB, she donated four UE in the game and the Swiss took the set 7-5.

After saving two BP in the opening game of the 3rd, Teichmann broke Azarenka for a 2-0 lead. Azarenka immediately broke back, and eventually another late break of serve gave the Belarusian the chance to serve out the match at 5-4. But this time she couldn't hold Teichmann back. The Swiss broke her at 15 to stay alive, then held at love. Down 5-6, Azarenka got the hold of serve she needed to survive, helped along by a missed overhead by Teichmann at 15/30 that might have set her up with double MP.

With the match coming down to a 10-point TB, Azarenka's framed reflex block at the baseline suddenly became a line-touching lob winner that prevented Teichmann from taking an early mini-break lead. The Swiss got that edge a point later, then extended it to 4-1, a big enough cushion to allow her to never relinquish her grip on the breaker. Another win of an Azarenka serve pushed Teichmann's lead to a commanding 8-3, and she then rode her increasing wave of momentum to a 10-5 TB win that rewarded her with her maiden appearance in the second week of a major.


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6. Rome SF - Ons Jabeur def. Dasha Kasatkina
...6-4/1-6/7-5. Jabeur led 4-2 in the 3rd, but Kasatkina surged back and found herself serving at 5-4 and holding a MP. Jabeur saved it with a down the line winner, then broke for 5-5 with what has become her signature...



Two games later, Jabeur ended the match with a drop shot...



...naturally.


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7. Madrid 3rd Rd. - Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Marie Bouzkova
...6-7(4)/6-0/7-5. Alexandrova loses a 4-2 1st set lead to drop the opener, then nearly squanders a 5-3 edge in the 3rd, missing on four MP before Bouzkova knots the score at 5-5 with a break. Still, in a 3:04 battle filled with long, deuce-filled games, the tiring Hordette finds a way to pull through into her first career 1000+ QF (and SF).


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8. Stuttgart 2nd Rd. - Anett Kontaveit def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...2-6/6-3/7-6(5). Kontaveit, like Swiatek in Stuttgart, had to battle to keep her streak alive. After leading 5-3 in the 3rd, and serving at 5-4, the Estonian was forced to a deciding TB by Alexandrova, which Kontaveit won to extend her indoor streak to 22 matches. The run ended a round later vs. Aryna Sabalenka.


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9. Charleston Final - Belinda Bencic def. Ons Jabeur
...6-1/5-7/6-4. After two years either without an event (2020) or without fans (2021), Charleston's 50th anniversary event brought the tournament back with a vengeance, complete with a new court (named for Althea Gibson), a collection of returning former champions and Bencic winning her first pro title on clay in a back-and-forth three-set final (doubling as a master class in brilliant drop shots, dramatic winners, and a well-placed tweener for a touch of flair) against the shotmaking Tunisian.



Bencic dominated on serve in the 1st set, not facing a BP. As the two conducted an I-can-top-that shot-making competition, Jabeur closed out the set with a hold-and-break to level the match. In the 3rd, Bencic's broke for 4-3 and held MP on Jabeur's serve a game later. The Tunisian extended the match, but the Swiss put it away with a solid hold.
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10. Roland Garros 3rd Rd. - Leylah Fernandez def. Belinda Bencic
...7-5/3-6/7-5. After Fernandez had taken a 3-0 lead in the opening set, Bencic rallied and served for the 1st at 5-4, leading 40/15. But, in a move with more than a few shades of her hard-nosed and exhilarating Flushing Meadows performances, Fernandez got the break, held and then broke the Swiss yet again to snatch the set from her clutches.

Bencic won the 2nd, and led 2-0 in the 3rd, with triple GP for more, only to see Fernandez sweep the final five points (one via a Bencic DF on her final GP) and get the set back on serve. Fernandez saved a BP in both the fourth and sixth games of the set, then followed up by racing to a love/40 lead on Bencic's serve, breaking for a 4-3 edge with a Bencic DF providing the final point. After opening another game with a 40/love lead and holding for 5-3, Fernandez served for the match at 5-4, only to see her 30/15 edge dissolve and Bencic get the set back on serve.

But the Swiss momentum didn't last long. The Canadian got the break back a game later, then authored a love hold to close out the win en route to the QF.


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11. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Simona Halep def. Nastasja Schunk
...6-4/1-6/6-1. The former RG champ struggled mightily to keep the proverbial train on the tracks against the debuting 18-year old LL. With the German youngster playing well, Halep fell behind 3-0 in the opening set before turning things around. After failing to convert break points in game #3, the Romanian won 6 of 7 games to take the 1st at 6-4. Schunk again raced to a big lead (4-0) in the 2nd, but this time Halep couldn't reel her back in, losing 6-1. After seeing Schunk hold BP for an immediate lead in the opening game of the 3rd, Halep held and finally settled in. She led 5-0, winning to get her eighth straight opening round victory in Paris.


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12. Paris 125 1st Rd. - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Dasha Saville
...7-5/6-7(3)/7-6(4). Saville may have rallied from 7-5/5-2 down to push Haddad into a 3rd set, only to lose in 3:16 while the Brazilian played all the way into the final, but the Aussie was soon after granted Tennis Australia's reciprocal WC into the Roland Garros MD. Saville, making her first appearance in the event in two years, reached the 3rd Round, her best slam finish since 2018.
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13. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Victoria Azarenka def. Ana Bogdan
...6-7(7)/7-6(1)/6-2. Azarenka seemed to be actively searching for leads to lose against Bogdan. She held a double-break edge on the Romanian at 4-1 in the 1st, and served for the set at 5-4 and 6-5 only to be broken both times. In the 1st set TB, she served two at triple SP at 6-3, only to see Bogdan take the breaker 9-7 on her own second SP.

Again, Azarenka took an early 3-1 lead in the 2nd, but Bogdan again battled back to get things on serve. Play was suspended with the score 3-3. When play resumed, Bogdan broke to take a 6-5 lead and served for the match. Azarenka stayed alive with a break of serve, then dominated a 7-1 TB. Up an early break again in the 3rd, this time Vika didn't let it slip, winning the decider 6-2.


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14. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Jessie Pegula def. Wang Qiang 6-2/6-4
Roland Garros 2nd Rd. - Jessie Pegula def. Anhelina Kalinina 6-1/5-7/6-4
...apparently, Pegula just loves Paris. So much so that she was willing to stay out on the court for as long as possible, even when she was just a single point from ending her match. She just kept coming back for more. After leading Wang Qiang 6-2/5-1 in the 1st Round, Pegula needed ten MP to finally get the win. Her next match wasn't much different.

Pegula led Anhelina Kalinina 6-1/4-0, then 5-1 in the 2nd. She had three MP at 5-2, only to see Kalinina reel off six straight games to get to the 3rd. Once there, again Pegula took a break lead at 3-1, then broke for 4-1 on her seventh BP of a 14-minute game #5. Serving for the match at 5-4, Pegula staved off a three BP, and had her fourth MP. And fifth. And sixth. And seventh. Finally, after chasing balls from corner to corner deep in the backcourt, Pegula converted on MP #8 (and #18 in two matches)... with a volley at the net.



Pegula's two hard-fought wins (and finishes) were steps to her second straight slam QF, and a debut Top 10 ranking after RG. She also reached the doubles final with Coco Gauff, so I guess Jessie has pretty good reasons to love Paris.
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15. Roland Garros 3rd Rd. - Amanda Anisimova def. Karolina Muchova
...6-7(7)/6-2/3-0 ret. What could have been.

A fine opening set, layered with back-and-forth swings of excellence, ensued between the two women in their 3rd Round encounter in Paris. Muchova and Anisimova exchanged breaks mid-set, then the Bannerette saved a BP to hold for 5-4. Anisimova held a SP on the Czech's serve a game later (she missed on a backhand return). After a battle of chip shots at the net, a Muchova lob gave her a BP chance in game #11. As Anisimova waited for the cheering crowd to calm, the chair umpire needlessly issued a time violation warning just seconds before the start of an important point. Anisimova managed to avoid distraction and get into the rally that would soon come, but then saw a forehand fly to give Muchova the break and a 6-5 lead.

Anisimova saved a SP on Muchova's serve, then broke her on her second BP to force a TB. Anisimova played a great breaker... until she didn't. The 2019 RG semifinalist led 5-1, but then narrowly missed on a pair of shots near the line, then DF'd to put the TB back on serve at 5-4. A long Anisimova return knotted the score, and was followed by a Muchova down the line forehand to give the Czech a SP at 6-5. Moments later, Anisimova held a SP at 7-6, only to miss a shot at the net when she didn't let the ball bounce and then shot a drive volley forehand long. On Muchova's third SP, Anisimova's missed drop shot gave the Czech a 9-7 win.



A great match seemed possible, but it wasn't meant to be.

Between sets, Muchova had her left thigh (groin) wrapped, then struggled with the tightness of the bandages and dropped serve to open the 2nd set. Anisimova held for 2-0, and Muchova tore off much of the covering tape on her thigh. Anisimova gave back the break with a sloppy game (3 UE + 1 DF). But soon after Muchova caught her foot on the terre battue and rolled her ankle in game #5, falling to the clay. After an MTO, she quickly dropped serve. The Czech managed a BP a game later (Anisimova got the hold), but it was clear that Muchova's movement was hindered and that she was going to have to make a decision soon about her fate in the match. Anisimova took the set 6-2.



Severely limited, Muchova dropped serve to open the 3rd. Wiping away tears in her next service game, she was broken again and it was clear that her RG was over. She retired three games into the set, once again seeing her path blocked by something other than an opponent who couldn't be beaten.



Then, a few days later...


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kosova-font



*IGA'S SIGNATURE MOMENT (SPRING 2022)*

Rome Final - Iga Swiatek def. Ons Jabeur
...6-2/6-2. Jabeur only put four games on the scoreboard, but she briefly reversed the momentum of the 2nd set, turning a 4-0 deficit into an opportunity to get back on serve with a second straight break of Swiatek's serve. Jabeur led love/40 on return in game #7, only to see Swiatek lift her game, saving four BP (the last on a brilliant defensive/offensive rally from the world #1, who ended things with a picture perfect volley winner) before getting the hold to lead 5-2.




*THE JOURNEY OF ALONA (EXPERIENCED BY EKATERINA)*

Madrid 1st Rd. - Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Alona Ostapenko
...6-2/4-6/6-4. Alexandrova led by a set and double break at 3-0, then eventually found herself down a double break in the 3rd as Ostapenko won 9 of 11 games to lead 3-1. Alexandrova then won 5 of 6 games to get the win, completing an entire turn in "The Journey of Alona" game and making it to her next adventure.




*THE END OF A ROAD WELL-TRAVELED*

Charleston 2nd Rd. - Anna Danilina/Aliaksandra Sasnovich def. Tereza Mihalikova/Kveta Peschke
...6-3/6-3. After three decades in the sport, 46-year old Kveta Peschke plays her final match.




*HOME OF THE NEVERENDING TIE-BREAK*

BJK Cup Qualifing Match #1 - Alison Riske/USA def. Dayana Yastremska/UKR
...7-6(16)/7-5. Riske's win, her first for Team USA in five years, included a 34-point 1st set TB that was the second-longest ever in Cup play, behind only a 2004 doubles match involving India (w/ Sania Mirza) and Uzbekistan.




*THE "TENNIS GODS NETFLIX SPECIAL"*

Rome 1st Rd. - Nuria Parrizas Diaz def. Sara Sorribes Tormo
...1-6/3-4 ret. Parrizas Diaz, who'd lost in qualifying after leading Kaja Juvan 6-1/5-3, had entered the MD as a lucky loser when Naomi Osaka, who lost in Madrid to Sorribes Tormo, pulled out with an injured Achilles. Then, in surely some weird Tennis Gods-related game of hot potato, *Sorribes* ends up retiring while leading her countrywoman on the scoreboard.


*A PROMISING OPENER*

Rome QF - Iga Swiatek def. Bianca Andreescu
...7-6(2)/6-0. In their first meeting as pros, both managed to show their best sides before the (at least for the moment) inevitable conclusion to *any* Swiatek match these days.

Andreescu rallied from 5-3 down in the 1st, breaking Swiatek and holding at love to level the set. At 5-5, the Canadian erased Iga's 40/15 lead and held a BP before Swiatek got the hold on her fourth GP. In the TB, the chair umpire's incorrect change of an out call of a Swiatek baseline shot (and refusal to re-play the point, despite replays showing that the line call hadn't been "late" as she claimed) erased what would have been a 2-1 on-serve lead for Andreescu, instead making it a 2-1 mini-break advantage for Swiatek.

From there, with Andreescu momentarily distracted, Swiatek seized the moment and ran away with the remainder of the match, winning five of the next six TB points, then all six games in the 3rd.



So, when do we get Part 2?


*THE DAY OF DAYS*

In probably the craziest day of any single tie during this April's BJK Cup week, Brazil and Argentina -- Americas I Pool A members who'd both ultimately win PP ties to advance to the Playoff Round in November -- engaged in a fascinating three-match tussle that lasted 8:16, included four tie-breaks and a deciding doubles contest that, naturally, went the distance, as well.

BJK Cup Zone Play Match #1 - Solana Sierra/ARG def. Laura Pigossi/BRA 7-6(1)/4-6/7-6(14)
...in a *huge* win for the 2021 U.S. Open and Eddie Herr semifinalist (and eventual RG girls runner-up), Sierra battled Pigossi for 3:05, saving five MP in a 30-point 3rd set TB.



BJK Cup Zone Play Match #2 - Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA def. Maria Carle/ARG 6-7(10)/6-3/7-6(5)
...no to be outdone by the 17-year old Sierra, Haddad leveled the tie at 1-1 with a 3:13 win over Carle, rallying from a set down to win a 7-5 3rd set TB to push the tie to the deciding doubles.

BJK Cup Zone Play Match #3 [dd] - Carolina Alves/Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) def. Jazmin Ortenzi/Julia Riera (ARG) 6-3/3-6/6-1
...this one lasted just 1:58, but pushed Haddad Maia's day's work to over five hours (in back-to-back matches!). Thankfully, Haddad Maia was given the day off on the final day of rr play, then returned on Saturday to provide the clinching PP point vs. Chile.




*THE ROMANIAN WHO SHOULDN'T HAVE...*

Simona Halep was bounced from the RG draw in the 2nd Round, but a Romanian *did* reach the Round of 16. But Irina-Camelia Begu shouldn't have gotten anywhere near the second week in Paris.

Roland Garros 2nd Rd. - Irina-Camelia Begu def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...6-7(3)/6-3/6-4. First, the match particulars, as Alexandrova rallied from 5-3 down in the 1st to win a TB, then Begu staged a comeback from 4-2 back in the 3rd. The Hordette knotted the set at 4-4, but the Romanian broke in game #9 and held to win 6-4 in the 3rd, reaching the 3rd Round in Paris for a fourth time since 2015. Now the rest.

Down 2-0 in the 3rd, Begu bounced her racket in mild frustration in the changeover area, only to see it take a wild bounce into the stands, hitting a young boy. After consultations between chair umpire Anis Ressaissi and a tournament supervisor, which apparently included the parents of the child, Begu wasn't DQ'd and was allowed to play on.



While what happened was clearly accidental, Begu *should* have been disqualified and Alexandrova advanced to the next round. It wasn't a case of the racket slipping out of Begu's hand, or a ball flying off the frame mid-point. The racket was bounced as a result of some level of pique, so the standing rules should apply. It would have been a tough break for Begu, but what's the point of having player match behavior rules if they're going to be so inconsisently enforced? It's this sort of this, when an official (aka Carlos Ramos regarding Serena, plus whoever the umpire was in the Djokovic incident at the Open) someone actually does their job they can get accused of favoritism, prejudice, racism, sexism or whatever other charges might be thrown their way.

Again, as usual, tennis gets in the way of tennis.





1. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Sloane Stephens def. Jule Niemeier 5-7/6-4/6-2
...Stephens' run to an improbable-but-probably-logical QF run in Paris began with a pair of comebacks that easily could have continued her spring spiral had a few things gone differently.

For most of their match, Niemeier looked like the player who'd ultimately prove to be the winner. In her slam debut, the German served out the set (on her second try) at 7-5, raising her arms and calling on the crowd to cheer as she walked to the changeover area. Stephens led 2-0 in the 2nd, but Niemeier battled back to get the set back on serve and then held from love/40 down for 3-3. At 4-4, Stephens trailed love/15 when her forehand bounced high off the net, producing a sitter shot for Niemeier to get within two points of serving for the match. But Niemeier's forehand shot flew out of bounds. Stephens soon got the hold, then broke to knot the match.

Niemeier went off court for a medical time out between sets, and after returning with a wrap on her leg was never quite the same. Many more errors flowed off her racket, and Stephens quickly built a big lead on the scoreboard. Maybe it was the pressure of the moment, or the injury, or Stephens finally finding her renowned comfort zone and flowing like few on tour can (from the pool of individuals not named Iga, at least). Or maybe it was a perfect storm that featured a significant percentage of all three. Either way, Stephens soon led 5-0, and after back to back love games had won 21 of 22 points.

Naturally, Sloane being Sloane, Stephens was soon broken at love herself, then saw Nieimeier take a 30/love lead on serve at 5-2, opening the door for all sorts of doomsday scenarios to drift through the mind of a seasoned Stephens Watcher. The German held a GP to force Stephens to attempt to serve out the win for a second time, but let the moment slip away. In the blink of an eye, Stephens found herself at match point. She got the break to put a wrap on the almost two and a half hour production.



Roland Garros 2nd Rd. - Sloane Stephens def. Sorana Cirstea 3-6/6-2/6-0
...the Romanian led 6-3/2-0, but once Cirstea, up 2-0 in the 2nd, failed to convert a GP for 3-0, then a BP to get back on serve in game #7 a short time later, a caped Future Sloane swooped in and flew off with any remaining dreams Cirstea had of reaching the second week in Paris. Stephens took the spoils of victory and made the notion her own.
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2. Rabat 2nd Rd. - Martina Trevisan def. Garbine Muguruza 2-6/6-4/6-1
Rabat Final - Martina Trevisan def. Claire Liu 6-2/6-2
...Muguruza led 6-2/3-1, but eventual Rabat champ Trevisan rallied to record her second career Top 10 win. She rode the momentum to her maiden title and a ten-match winning streak that saw her reach the semifinals at Roland Garros.


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3. Charleston 1st Rd. - Belinda Bencic def. Wang Xiyu
...4-6/7-6(5)/6-3. Bencic's title run began with a furious comeback against young Chinese player Wang, who'd led 6-4/5-3 and served two points up 5-2 in the 2nd set TB. It seemed a fait accompli. And I guess it was... that Bencic would find a way to get the win. Five straight points claimed the set, and the seeming fates of both women were thereby reversed.

Charleston QF - Belinda Bencic def. Paula Badosa
...2-6/7-6(2)/6-4. What a difference a year can make. In the 2021 Charleston event, Badosa got her first career Top 20 win with an upset of Bencic in their first meeting. Flash forward twelve months and Badosa was the #3-ranked player in the world, holding a 3-0 head-to-head edge over the #21-ranked Swiss.

Badosa led 6-2/4-2 here, but Bencic's recent penchant for comebacks in Charleston saw the Spaniard become her next victim in 2:45.


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4. Rome QF - Ons Jabeur def. Maria Sakkari
...1-6/7-5/6-1. Sakkari led 6-1/5-2, but nothing this side of Iga would prove to be a legitimate obstacle for Jabeur during the Madrid/Rome 1000 swing this spring, as the Tunisian followed up her Madrid title run by reaching the Rome final.


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5. Rome 1st Rd. - Yulia Putintseva def. Kaja Juvan 7-5/4-6/7-5
Rome 2nd Rd. - Yulia Putintseva def. Garbine Muguruza 3-6/7-6(4)/6-1
...in a rare (for her) turnaround, it was Putintseva who wrestled victory from the jaws of defeat rather than then other way around. First, she saved two MP in a 3:06 comeback win over Juvan, then she followed up with a rally from 6-3/5-3 down against Muguruza, with the Spaniard serving a 5-4 and coming within two points of victory.


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6. Madrid 1st Rd. - Jessie Pegula def. Camila Giorgi
...7-5/2-6/7-5. After Giorgi had taken 10 of 13 games from the start of the 2nd set, Pegula rallied from 4-1 down in the 3rd, saving a MP on her way to the win.


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7. Rabat 2nd Rd. - Claire Liu def. Mayar Sherif
...4-6/7-6(5)/6-1. In a match-up featuring both of prior week's WTA 125 champions, Sherif twice served for the match, at 5-4 and 6-5 in the 2nd, and held a MP. She then served two up 5-4 in the TB. But Liu prevailed and played her way into her first career WTA singles final.


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8. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Bianca Andreescu def. Ysaline Bonaventure
...3-6/7-5/6-0. Against qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure, Andreescu took a quick 2-0 lead, then had to fight for her RG life. Bonaventure broke and soon claimed the opening set. The Belgian led 2-0 in the 2nd, having won eight of nine games, and held a GP for 3-0. Four straight mid-set games were lost by the server before the Canadian saved a BP and held for 3-3 and belatedly began to take control. A break for 6-5 was followed by a hold to even the match. Andreescu broke serve again to open the 3rd, and led 3-0 when play was interrupted. When she returned, the Canadian rolled over Bonaventure, taking the set at love to get her first win in Paris since 2019.


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9. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Olga Danilovic def. Dalma Galfi
...3-6/7-6(4)/6-2. 21-year old Serbian qualifier Danilovic was a comeback machine in Paris, rallying in three of her qualifying matches to reach her first RG MD. She trailed Rebeka Masaova 3-1 in the 3rd in the opener, was down a break in the final set vs. Simona Waltert in her second match, then defeated Viktoriya Tomova from a break down in the 3rd in the final round, as well. She was at it again on on Day 1 of MD play. Galfi led Danilovic by a set and a break (twice), with the Hungarian serving for the match at 6-5 and holding double MP. Danilovic got the break, won a tie-break and then ran off to a 4-1 lead in the 3rd. Serving at 5-2, it took her a few MP to get the job done, but she posted her first win in Paris.
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10. Karlsruhe 125 1st Rd. - Dalma Galfi def. Aleksandra Krunic 3-6/7-5/6-1
Karlsruhe 125 2nd Rd. - Dalma Galfi def. Zhu Lin 6-7(5)/7-5/6-1
...slow starts and strong finishes characterized Galifi's week in Karlsruhe. She trailed Krunic 6-3/5-1, only to save four MP and win eleven consecutive games en route to the win, avenging her loss to the Serb in BJK Cup play in April.

A round later, Zhu led Galfi 7-6/4-2, serving for the match at 5-4, before the Hungarian won 11 of the final 13 games.
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11. Rome Q2 - Kaja Juvan def. Nuria Parrizas Diaz
...1-6/7-6(2)/6-4. Parrizas Diaz led 6-1/5-3 and was two points from victory on serve at deuce in game #9, but Juvan battled back to return to the Rome MD for the first time since her successful qualifying run in 2020.
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12. 125 Saint-Malo QF - Anna Blinkova def. Bernarda Pera
...6-2/3-6/7-5. En route to another non-tour level '22 final (her fourth), Blinkova rallies from 5-2 down in the 3rd, saving two MP as she edges closer to a Top 100 return.


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13. Rabat 1st Rd. - Kristina Mladenovic def. Tessah Andrianjafitrimo
...6-3/3-6/7-6(7). Days after the confidence boost of a WTA 125 doubles title, Mladenovic shows some of her old fight in singles. Trailing 4-2 in the 3rd against countrywoman Andrianjafitrimo, Mladenovic held back-to-back MP at 6-4 in the deciding TB. She didn't put away either, and then had to save a MP at 7-6 before finally winning 9-7 on MP #3. It was the Pastry's first tour-level MD singles win since September.


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14. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Kaja Juvan def. Oksana Selekhmeteva
...7-5/7-6(4). Soon after battling Angelique Kerber for three (all TB) sets in the Strasbourg final, then seeing Kerber put on another classic performance in a three-set triumph in the 1st Round in Paris against Magdalena Frech, Juvan got her chance to show what *she* had left for RG.

At the very least, she knows how to come from behind. Facing qualifier Oksana Selekhmeteva (in the Hordette's slam debut), Juvan found herself serving down 5-4, behind love/40 in the 1st before rallying to win the set 7-5. Then, Selekhmeteva led 5-0 (!!) in the 2nd, only to see Juvan again surge back, taking the set to a TB and winning it 7-4. If only she'd saved that one for Strasbourg, she was likely thinking.
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15. Charleston 2nd Rd. - Karolina Pliskova def. Maryna Zavatska
...5-7/7-5/6-4. The road back has to begin somewhere, and this is where Pliskova's return from her offseason hand injury finally recorded its first 2022 victory. #215-ranked Ukrainian Zavatska led by a set and 5-3, but the Czech climbed back in the 2:48 match that covered two days due to Charleston's rain suspensions.


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*PUT A LITTLE ITALIAN IN IT*

BJK Cup Qualifying Match #1 - Jasmine Paolini/ITA def. Alize Cornet/FRA 2-6/6-2/7-6(2)
...the tone-setter for the tie landed like a giant water balloon on the head of the French team's chances. Cornet added one last indignity to a long, undistinguished career in an otherwise super-successful blue-and-white era of Cup play. The Pastry, firing drop shots at every opportunity, held two MP at 6-5 in the 3rd. Paolini got to Cornet's short ball to save MP #1, then was soon forced to change her worn out shoelaces (after so many forward dashes to race to a ball at the net) before MP #2, on which Cornet missed on her latest drop attempt. The Italian took the deciding TB 7-2 to end her 0-for-2 head-to-head vs. Cornet and give Team Italia a lead it never relinquished.




*NEW MAMA DOES GOOD*

...in just her third week back since having a baby (as well as having an encouraging Tennis Channel commentating stint) during a 20-month absence from competitive action, Taylor Townsend jumped back into the winner's circle, picking up a $100K title in Charleston.



Granted a wild card into the MD, the former event champ (2019) matched her biggest career crown with wins over Françoise Abanda, Louisa Chirico (a $60K champ a week earlier), Katie Volynets (a recent $100K winnner, and who led Townsend 6-1/4-0 in the QF in Charleston), Whitney Osuigwe (who she defeated to win the final three years ago) and Wang Xiyu (who fell vs. Volynets in that $100K final this spring) in a 6-3/6-2 final.

Soon after Taylor went to Paris as the doubles teammate of Madison Keys and the pair played into the semifinals, Townsend's second straight slam WD semi result (the other was at the '20 U.S. in her final event before her maternity leave).



1. Strasbourg 1st Rd. - Nefisa Berberovic def. Sloane Stephens
...2-6/6-4/6-1. Stephens prepared for Roland Garros by falling to 1-6 since her Guadalajara title run, dropping a fifth straight match by losing to the #309-ranked Bosnian, a lucky loser who recorded her first career WTA MD win.

Berberovic had fallen to #594 Angelina Gabueva (after recent losses to #701, #388, #1231, #429, #451, #711 and #528) in the *opening* round of qualifying, not the final round... so I guess her later inclusion in the MD was as something of a "super lucky loser."



Naturally, Stephens took this great momentum to Paris... and reached the QF.
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2. Roland Garros 2nd Rd. - Leolia Jeanjean def. Karolina Pliskova
...6-2/6-2. Another former college player making headlines on tour, 26-year French wild card Jeanjean (#227), who saw a much-hyped tennis future as a junior corrupted by a knee injury, followed up her tour-level debut of a win over #45 Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the 1st Round by taking out #8 Pliskova, becoming the third-lowest ranked player to defeat a Top 10 opponent in '22.


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3. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Diane Parry def. Barbora Krejcikova
...1-6/6-2/6-3. 19-year old #97-ranked Pastry Parry, a former junior #1, and her one-handed backhand KO'd the defending champ and #2-seeded Krejcikova, just back from an arm injury that had kept her out since February. The win was Parry's first over a Top 10 player, and became a reality despite dropping the 1st set at 6-1, seeing the Czech win fourteen consecutive points in one stretch, and lead 2-0 in the 2nd.



Krejcikova's loss adds her name to the short list of defending RG champs to exit in the 1st round, joining the recent likes of Anastasia Myskina (2005) and Alona Ostapenko (2018).
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4. Bogota QF - Laura Pigossi def. Dayana Yastremska 6-2/4-6/7-6(3)
Bogota SF - Laura Pigossi def. Camila Osorio 7-5/7-6(2)
...Pigossi's week included several "biggest" moment celebrations, for reaching her first tour semifinal...



as well as for earning her way into her first tour final, made extra special by getting there via a takedown of the top-seeded, defending champ in her home event.

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5. Charleston 1st Rd. - Zheng Qinwen def. Sloane Stephens 6-3/4-6/6-0
...19-year old Zheng, who opened '22 by going 14-2 -- going from qualifier-to-finalist in Melbourne before qualifying for the AO and recording her first career slam MD victory, then winning a $60K title -- had gone just 2-4 this season in tour-level events in North American before this win, her first over a Top 50 player.



Roland Garros 2nd Rd. - Zheng Qinwen def. Simona Halep 2-6/6-2/6-1
...come Roland Garros, #19 Halep led Zheng 6-2/2-1, after having defeated the teenager 3 & 2 back in January in the middle of her super-hot start. Halep held three GP for a 3-1 lead in what turned out to be a five-deuce game that ended with the #74-ranked Zheng converting on her third BP. As the Romanian suffered what she later called a "panic attack," Zheng ran the streak to eight games into the 3rd and pulled away for the win.



Later reaching her first slam Round of 16, Zheng was the only player to take a set off eventual champ Iga Swiatek in Paris.
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HM- Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Magda Linette def. Ons Jabeur
...3-6/7-6(4)/7-5. Hopes were high in Paris for Jabeur after the Tunisian won in Madrid and reached the final in Rome this spring. The other three women who'd reached both finals -- Safina, S.Williams and Halep -- had at least reached the RG final, as well. But with soaring expectations in a major for the first time, Jabeur was the first seed to be sent packing.

Jabeur found herself down 4-2 in the 3rd, with Linette holding game points for a 5-2 bulge. Jabeur battled back to knot the set at 4-all, but two games later saw the Pole get within a single point of MP three times before the #6 seed again held. Serving at 5-6 to reach a deciding TB, Jabeur took a 40/love lead, only to then see her '22 Roland Garros experience crumble beneath her feet. She never won another point, badly shanking an overhead and dropping five straight points as Linette completed her first career Top 10 win over the same player who'd defeated *her* in the 3rd Round last year in Paris while dropping just one game in the final two sets of a three-set affair.


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*IN THE HEART OF NORTH CAROLINA*

BJK Cup Qualifying Match #4 - Katarina Zavatska/UKR def. Shelby Rogers/USA
...6-3/6-4. In Asheville (NC), on a roster without either Elina Svitolina or Marta Kostyuk, 22-year old world #201 Zavatska was pretty much Ukraine's only singles back-up to Dayana Yastremska. After getting just three games on Friday vs. Jessie Pegula, little was expected on Saturday when she was called upon to keep the team's hopes alive vs. Rogers, who'd recently recorded hard court wins over Alona Ostapenko (2) and Amanda Anisimova during the I.W./Miami Sunshine swing. As it turned out, as we have so recently seen, never underestimate a seemingly outmatched Ukrainian's bite.

Zavatska took down Rogers in straights to get her first career Cup win in singles and her first career victory over a Top 50 foe, forcing the tie into the deciding doubles, which the Bannerettes finally won. Zavatska's efforts helped lead to the Ukrainian team being Heart Award nominated for its resilience on the court while the early days of the ungoing war were taking place back home.









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