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Thursday, July 14, 2022

2022 Grass Court Awards: Match Compendium

Shining a light on the best of the grass court season...



NOTE: this meets the unofficial requirement that the Wimbledon champion be acknowledged in this post








1. Berlin SF - Belinda Bencic def. Maria Sakkari
...6-7(6)/6-4/6-4. Bencic prevails in a tight, tough match in which there was often very little separating her and Sakkari, often with an odd bounce being the deciding factor.



Bencic held a SP at 6-5 in the opening set TB, only to see Sakkari ultimately end the 1:12 set with a net cord winner. Bencic rebounded in the 2nd, taking a final lead at 5-4 with a love hold with three winners and an ace. She then converted on her fifth BP of game #10 to knot the match. Neither player gave up a service break through the first nine games of the 3rd before Bencic got a match-ending break in game #10, converting on her third MP with a backhand and put-away winner, then falling to the ground in celebration at the foot of the net at the end of the 3:07 battle.



While Bencic advanced to her second straight Berlin final, Sakkari (in her maiden grass semi) fell to 5-16 in career SF (though an improved 2-2 in '22), and 6-20 in SF/F combined in her career (2-4 '22).
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2. Wimbledon QF - Tatjana Maria def. Jule Niemeier
...4-6/6-2/7-5. The all-German QF face-off for a maiden slam SF berth, with players ranked within three spots of #100 (#97 Niemeier, #103 Maria), began with the question of whether Maria's tactic of using an array of defensive slices could thwart her younger countrywoman's power and produce the sort of error totals off her racket that it had while enabling Alona Ostapenko to give up her lead (and 2 MP) in the veteran's Round of 16 match two days earlier.

Things didn't quite go the same hold-on-for-your-very-life way as they had during Maria's Tilt-a-Penko experience last time out, but the end result was the same.



The opening set saw Niemeier control both the baseline with her power and the net with aggression. The 22-year old German jumped out to an early break lead in game #1 and never gave up her edge, calmly going about her business even while Maria tried to employ the slice-heavy tactics she had against Ostapenko. But while that gameplan occasionally worked for Maria in the 1st set, Niemeier's forward movement, good net play and tactically smart drop shots kept her out in front. Still, there were *signs* of what was to come, as Niemeier's back-to-back DF in game #8 foreshadowed a part of her game that would soon serve to open several doors for Maria over what remainded of the match. Niemeier managed to hold for 5-3 in that two-DF game, though, then served out a 6-4 set without having faced a BP.

Things didn't play out the same way in the 2nd, as Niemeier's increasing number of DF grooved a path for nearly every chance that Maria had (or nearly had) to get back into the match. Maria then used those opportunities to seize the advantage that the younger German had given up .

As Maria began hitting her forehand with more flatness than slice, Niemeier simultaneously began to press, pulling back on her power as ill-timed errors replaced the aggressive winners that had helped her edge ahead and stay out in front in the 1st. After finding herself in a losing battle in the opener, Maria now found her way into the net rather than be content to play defense the majority of the time, grabbing the 2nd set lead despite dropping serve in the opening game.

After taking a 1-0 lead, Niemeier's DF put her down love/30 moments later. She climbed back to 30-all, but Maria earned her first BP of the match via a drop shot. Niemeier saved it with a big serve, but another DF (already #8) gave Maria another BP, which she converted with a reflex volley while reaching behind her and falling to her knees. The ball's backspin took it out of reach of Niemeier and tied the score at 1-1. Two games later, another Niemeier DF put her BP down. Maria's deep shot produced an error and gave her a 3-1 lead. Serving to stay in the set in game #8, Niemeier led 40/15, but threw in yet another DF and soon found the game at deuce. Maria ultimately got the set-closing break to send things to the 3rd.

Through the first half of the final set, Niemeier seemed to have figured things out again. She was back to solidly hitting her shots rather than trying to be too fine (or sometimes matching a Maria slice with one of her own). She missed on a volley attempt at 40/15 in game #2, but fired off an ace to knot the score at 1-1 a point later. Niemeier took a break lead at 3-2, and held for a 4-2 edge.

Come game #8, Maria had reverted back to throwing multiple slices at Niemeier and was being rewarded with errors. Niemeier quickly fell behind love/40 and a gave back her break lead. In the moment, it felt like Niemeier's poor game had just irretrievably turned the match in Maria's favor. Right on cue, the veteran took a 40/love lead a game later and got the easy hold to lead 5-4. Niemeier didn't crumble, though. She missed an overhead in the second point of the following game, and then netted a smash attempt of a ball she allowed to bounce, but righted her path in time to get the hold, then waved around her arms (Alona-like, from the Latvian's match vs. Maria) to try to stir the crowd.

Niemeier was presented with a small window to assert herself and maybe *take* the match at 15/30 on Maria's serve in game #11, but she again wasn't aggressive enough to force the issue. Maria eventually reached GP, but it was saved by a Niemeier drop shot, and the younger German reached BP when she forcefully came in behind a deep shot, seemingly catching Maria's eye and producing an error off her racket. But Niemeier overhit a second serve return and the opportunity was lost. Maria reached GP again at the end of a wild point that included a Maria lob, scrambling Niemeier defense and then a point-closing dive, with Niemeier's racket flying, at the net that completed the veteran's hold of serve for a 6-5 lead.



Serving to stay in the match and force a TB, Niemeier netted an approach shot and fell behind 15/30, then sailed a backhand to give Maria her first MP. Niemeier's serve-and-volley rush attempt failed when she netted the second part of the equation, giving Maria the win that made her, at 34, the oldest first-time slam semifinalist in the Open era.

The countrywomen had a long embrace at the net at the conclusion of the point, as the likeable Maria seemed to dispense a bit of her "inner mom" (she has as many children -- 2 -- as there are slam MD in which Niemeier's name has appeared) to assure her younger foe that she had nothing to feel bad about. The good feelings extended into the immediate aftermath, as Niemeier patted Maria on the back and offered a wide smile as she passed her by in the changeover area after having retrieved her towel in the back of the court.



As women's tennis produced yet another story to remember in that of Maria's sudden and unforeseen success, it also may have simultaneously introduced the start of another with the impressive Wimbledon debut performance of Niemeier during the fortnight. She will be back, and likely even better.


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3. Bad Homburg SF - Caroline Garcia def. Alize Cornet
...7-6(9)/3-6/7-5. Rather than LOL, it was more like WOW.

In a match that included just five breaks of serve in 33 games, neither Pastry faced a BP in the 1st, won by Garcia on her fourth SP after having saved two SP.



Cornet ran off five straight games to take the 2nd, then claimed four of five after falling behind 3-1 to her fellow Pastry in the 3rd. Up 5-4, Cornet held a MP, but Garcia saved it and then pulled off the break-and-hold combo to end the 2:45 battle.



For the match, Garcia fired 70 winners (39 UE) to Cornet's 59 (18 UE), while Cornet ultimately held a slim edge in total points (112-110).
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4. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Alize Cornet def. Iga Swiatek
...6-4/6-2. Wimbledon was always thought to be a tough(er) ask for #1 Swiatek, who despite her long winning streak didn't have much experience on the surface, and was uncomfortable in her movement (sliding into shots is different and sometimes dangerous) and in picking up the low, skidding balls off the surface with her groundstrokes. After dropping a set in the 2nd Round to lucky loser Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, perhaps the worst sort of opponent was waiting for her in the 3rd in Cornet, a veteran player with a history of success on grass, and one less likely to be able to handle the big stage than others the Pole might face while she struggled with her game but found a way to win anyway.

It was eight years ago that Cornet upset then-#1 Serena Williams in the Wimbledon 3rd Round in a Court 1 match on Day 6, particulars that had an eerie similarity to those of her Day 6 match this year against #1 Swiatek on the same court, in the same round. It turned out, that sense of deja vu would be complete by match's end.

Cornet jumped on the uncomforable Pole early, taking a double-break lead at 3-0 in the 1st. Swiatek got one break back, but couldn't get any closer. The Pastry didn't blink, serving out the set at 6-4 as the world #1 lost a set in consecutive matches for the first time since her trio of three-setters to open her title run at Indian Wells in March, after which she then proceeded to complete the "Sunshine Double" and win 28 straight sets.

That didn't happen this time, though. Swiatek managed a tough hold to open the 2nd, and broke Cornet to lead 2-0. But Cornet then got the break back after falling behind 40/15, with the key moment coming with an "unintentional" drop shot (she stuck her racket out and caught the ball at mid-court) off a nice-looking Iga sliding backhand passing attempt. The fates going against her seemed to begin to turn the Pole's remaining confidence inside out.

A Cornet return on BP caught the baseline to secure the break (afterward the French woman took an MTO to have her inner thigh wrapped, but never seemed hampered). At 2-2, a missed volley and netted forehand put Swiatek down love/40, and Cornet's forehand winner put her a break up. Cornet held for a 4-2 lead. In game #7, Swiatek fired an overhead directly back to Cornet near the back wall of the court. She blocked back her shot, sending the ball high in the air. Swiatek had an easy smash put-away, but flew the shot and nearly hit Cornet, who jumped out of the way and took a 15/30 lead.



BP down moments later, Swiatek's backhand sailed long and Cornet led 5-2. Rather than fight back one more time, Swiatek surprisingly folded as Cornet held at love to record her first #1 win (fourth overall) since defeating Williams in 2014, ending Iga's 37-match winning streak. It's the first loss suffered by the WTA #1 (Barty or Swiatek) since the Aussie fell in the U.S. Open 3rd Round to Shelby Rogers last summer.



The win continues Cornet's good vibes (well, except for those French so-called fans) '22 slam campaign, which has included her epic win over Simona Halep at the Australian Open en route to her maiden QF at a major (in her 63rd slam MD, the longest wait in tour history), her nighttime win over Alona Ostapenko at Roland Garros, her record-tying 62nd consecutive slam MD at this Wimbledon, and this win to secure another second week run at a major.
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5. Birmingham SF - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Simona Halep
...6-3/2-6/6-4. It was a busy Sunday for Haddad, who outdueled Halep in the 3rd set to reach her second straight final, twice overcoming a break deficit by immediately breaking back, then breaking the former Wimbledon champ for 5-4 and serving out the win, converting on MP #2 after DF'ing on her first attempt. The loss was Halep's first on grass since the Eastbourne QF in 2019.



Haddad then picked up the title later in the day while only having to play nine additional games, as Zhang Shuai -- who'd also played her SF on Sunday, defeating Halep's fellow Romanian Sorana Cirstea -- retired in the final.
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6. Wimbledon MX Doubles 2nd Rd. - (WC) Olivia Barnett/Jonny O'Mara (GBR/GBR) def. (WC) Venus Williams/Jamie Murray (USA/GBR) 3-6/6-4/7-6(18-16)
...42-year old (and still fierce) Venus Williams' late entry into the Wimbledon MX field arguably produced more drama than Serena's singles stint. The journey only lasted two matches, but was extremely memorable and came to an end in one of the matches of the tournament against the all-Brit duo of Barnett & O'Mara.

Williams/Murray led the match by a set and 4-2, 30/15, but the Brits rallied and forced a deciding 10-point TB. It turned out to be a brilliant 34-point affair which saw Williams/Murray hold five MP before the Brits won on their own fifth MP, taking the breaker at 18-16.


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7. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Coco Gauff def. Gabriela Ruse
...2-6/6-3/7-5. It's been three years since Gauff made her Wimbledon debut at age 15, defeating Venus Williams en route to a Round of 16 result. This year, at 18, she arrived as the #11 seed, just off an appearance in her first slam singles final at Roland Garros, and was one of the pre-tournament favorites. But when Ruse showed up on the other side of the net in the opening round, Gauff barely escaped Day 2 with her Wimbledon life intact.

The Romanian, while still winless in three MD appearances at SW19, has surely made her mark there in recent years. Ruse qualified in both 2018 and '19, pushed Aga Radwanska in a dramatic three-setter in her tournament debut four years ago, and here showed amazing obstinance in continually pushing back Gauff challenges until she blinked (once) and the floodgates opened and overwhelmed her in the closing minutes of the match.



Gauff was a bit "off" from the start, and often tentative. Ruse took the 1st set, but Gauff forced a 3rd and led by an early break. Ruse got the set back on serve, and led 4-3. At 4-4, Gauff continually threatened to get the break that would give her a chance to serve for the match. But Ruse saved five BP from 15/40 down in game #9, then five more from 15/40 again in game #11. At that point, Ruse had saved 20 of 23 BP in the match and 10 of 11 in the 3rd set alone. Finally, on BP #6 of the 5-5 game, Ruse double-faulted.

The spell was broken, and it was over quickly from there. Gauff held at love to close out the win, but would see her own Wimbledon end two rounds later at the hands of Amanda Anisimova


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8. Berlin 1st Rd. - Veronika Kudermetova def. Aryna Sabalenka 2-6/7-5/6-4
Berlin 2nd Rd. - Veronika Kudermetova def. Liudmila Samsonova 6-3/6-7(5)/6-1
...Kudermetova's Berlin run ended in the QF against Belinda Bencic, but only after a pair of impressive wins in which she battled from both behind and ahead to get victories.

In a battle of Ekaterina Alexandrova's final two opponents en route to a title a week earlier at Rosmalen, Kudermetova trailed Sabalenka 6-2/4-1 before rallying to get the win. Against Berlin DC Samsonova, Kudermetova was the one squandering a lead, having led 6-3/4-0 and served at 5-4 before being forced to a 3rd set. In the decider, she grabbed an early 3-0 lead and carried the momentum through until the end.


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HM- Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Wang Qiang def. Belinda Bencic
...6-4/5-7/6-2. Wang had led 6-4/5-1 before Bencic rallied and pushed the match to a second day as play was suspended due to darkness.

But #14-seeded Bencic's reign as this Wimbledon's "Zombie Queen of London" turned out to be only a temporary, overnight honor. Once play resumed, Wang once again raced to another 5-1 lead in the 3rd. This time Bencic didn't recover, exiting Wimbledon in the opening round for second straight year..
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*A FINAL (SINGLES) FLIP OF THE COIN*

Eastbourne Q2 - Kirsten Flipkens def. Viktoriya Tomova 4-6/6-2/7-6(4)
Eastbourne 3rd Rd. - Viktoriya Tomova (LL) def. Kirsten Flipkens 3-6/6-3/6-4
...before sending Flipper off into the singles sunset, the Tennis Gods just *had* to throw one of these scenarios at her in her final non-slam singles competition.



At SW19, the Belgian had a more conventional send off.

Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Simona Halep def. Kirsten Flipkens 7-5/6-4
...over the years, Kirsten Flipkens has had some of her greatest career moments at Wimbledon. In 2003, she was the junior champ.



She reached the 3rd Round at a major for the first time there (2009), too, as well as her only singles semifinal (in 2013, defeating Petra Kvitova in the QF in one of the two seasons between her '11 and '14 title runs). It was in *that* year that Flipkens, eventual champ Marion Bartoli, runner-up Sabine Lisicki and Age Radwanska (a finalist a year later, but with the famous post-loss, "look-away handshake" with the German in this case) emerged from the decimated draw to form an unexpected final four.



This year at the All-England Club, the Belgian played the final singles match of her career, falling to #16 Halep in straight sets, but having the chance to take *both* before forcing the former champ to stage comebacks in the 1st and 2nd sets to extend her Wimbledon winning streak to nine.



Flipkens led 5-2 in the 1st, but Halep took the set 7-5. In the 2nd, a 4-1 Flipkens lead turned into a 6-4 win for the Romanian. Afterward, though the 36-year old will continue to play doubles on tour, it was all about saying goodbye to "Flipper."




*SERENA & ONS (or "Ons & Serena?")*

Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Ons Jabeur/Serena Williams def. Sara Sorribes Tormo/Marie Bouzkova 2-6/6-3 [13-11]
...I don't know if you heard, but Serena was apparently back on the court for the first time in a year this grass season. Before her SW19 cameo, she teamed in Eastbourne with Berlin champ Jabeur in doubles, and quite a lot looked familiar.



On the same day that the duo got this win, Paula Badosa lost in singles to assure Jabeur of moving up to yet another career high (#2) in the next rankings.



Eastbourne QF - Ons Jabeur/Serena Williams def. Shuko Aoyama/Chan Hao-ching 6-2/6-4
...the two got another win, complete with the sort of feel-good competition that makes you *hope* that either Serena or Venus (or both) will continue to find a way to play some doubles on tour even if they soon taken an officially permanent step back from singles competition. Their mere presence makes every match an *event*, and brings out the best in everyone. Remember, Original Martina was playing doubles on tour until she was literally days away from her 50th birthday.



This was Jabeur/Williams' final match, as Jabeur withdrew from the semifinals with a lingering knee injury, which proved to be a good move as she roared into Wimbledon and reached her maiden slam singles final (as opposed to overplaying heading into Roland Garros and then exiting early in Paris).


*WHEN SEQUELS DISAPPOINT*

Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Alona Ostapenko def. Alja Tomljanovic 6-2/6-4
...every other Ostapenko match comes with accompanying footnotes and/or attached video, and here is this grass season's offering for what was the first meeting between the Latvian and Aussie Tomljanovic since their near throwdown at the close of their 3rd Round encounter at last year's Wimbledon.

Here's how this match (anticlimatically) concluded...



But the additional context comes in the reminder that last year's Wimbledon dust-up included Tomljanovic being angry that Ostapenko had been allowed to take a MTO down 4-0 in the 3rd, with the Aussie set to serve. Tomljanovic in no way bought that she was injured, and let everyone know about it, arguing with the chair umpire and tournament supervisor while Ostapenko had an extended break off court.

Tomljanovic eventually won the match, and while she took her time celebrating, Ostapenko set her racket down and then waited at the net. The two did clasp hands, and Ostapenko suggested the Aussie ask the physio whether she was faking or not. "I hope you feel better," Tomljanovic said with little sincerity, leading Ostapenko to fire back as her opponent walked away, calling Tomljanovic's behavior "terrible" and said that she showed "zero respect."



Of course, prior to the next Alona/Ajla match-up it'll once again be time to pull out all these same dog-earned notes.







1. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Elise Mertens def. Panna Udvardy
...3-6/7-6/7-5. In this 2nd Round match, #24-seeded Mertens teetered on the edge of oblivion late on a Wednesday evening, as Udvardy served at 6-3/6-5 and held two MP at 40/15. Mertens won a pair of back-to-back baseline rallies, though, getting the break and then winning a TB to extend the match to a 3rd set which was to be finished on Thursday.

The next day, Mertens opened the set with a break of serve, but the Hungarian got things back to even and was serving at 4-4 a short time later. In game #9, Mertens had nine BP chances (one saved via a net cord) but Udvardy held for 5-4. Rather than turn the tables on the Belgian in the closing moments, through, Udvardy didn't win another game. Two games later, Mertens got the break she'd just missed out on and had the chance to serve for the match -- and her 18th straight slam 3rd Round -- at 6-5.

At 15/15 in game #12, Udvardy had Mertens at the net, but rather than lob over her and make the Waffle chase down the ball she *twice* tried to power through the world WD #1. Both times Mertens expertly volleyed the shots back and took a 30/15 lead. Udvardy won the next point, but rather than be at BP it was only 30/30. Mertens held her first MP a point later, some 13 hours after she'd faced down two. Udvardy saved it with an overhead put-away, but then sprayed a backhand on Mertens' second MP two points later as the Belgian got the win, kept her 3rd Round streak alive and ulimately reached the Round of 16.

Wimbledon wasn't all bad for the Udvardy clan, as Panna's little sister Luca reached the girls' singles final.
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2. Wimbledon 4th Rd. - Tatjana Maria def. Alona Ostapenko
...5-7/7-5/7-5. This one started with a long stretch that resembled so many previous Ostapenko matches, as the Latvian rallied from a 1-3, 15/40 1st set deficit to then make Maria a simple passenger on the usual Tilt-a-Penko amusement park ride. In the blink of an eye, Ostapenko suddenly led 7-5/4-1. But it was somewhere around there that the passenger started to become the driver in the match, or at least the person who held onto the safety bar and made sure that *she* wasn't going to fly off the tracks.

As Maria began to pull back on her slice shots, putting a little more power behind and flattening out her groundstrokes, while serving better and better, errors began to creep into the Latvian's game. The shots that Ostapenko had previously been firing past Maria, or which she was barely able to touch, started to be gotten back with lunging defensive stretches that often floated deep into the court and forced the Latvian to make another shot. Then another. And sometimes another. Maria closed the gap on the scoreboard.

Ostapenko scraped together enough of her former momentum to grab back the lead, holding a pair of MP on Maria's serve at 5-4. But she didn't attack the points as she had in the 1st set, and the chances went away. Maria held for 5-5 with an ace, then carried over her surge to break Ostapenko a game later. Fully leaning into the proceedings, Maria held at love to swipe the 7-5 2nd set (and near straight-sets win) from Ostapenko's grasp.

Ostapenko opened the 3rd by reasserting herself again, breaking to lead 2-0. But the Latvian's own errors cost her game #3 as the set went back on serve, and immediately starting talking to herself and yelling in the direction of her team in the stands between points. As Maria remained steady, and quickly rallied from slow starts in games, the match settled more into the German's wheelhouse. In the ninth game, Ostapenko's UE on GP a game later set up a series of moments in which she'd take a lead on a big shot, then give it back with an error a point later. This trend continued as she squandered three GP before Maria got a BP. Maria then played remarkable defense until Ostapenko finally fired a ball just long to give the German a 5-4 lead. Maria closed her eyes around the most dangerous turn of the Tilt-a-Penko ride, though, DF'ing to open game #10 and dropping serve at love when Ostapenko fired a return winner as the 3rd set, just like the 1st and 2nd had been, was knotted at 5-5.

Serving to reclaim the lead, Ostapenko went up 30/love, but a nervous DF preceded an UE that brought Maria back. Floating back defensive slices until Ostapenko missed a shot, the German reached BP and reclaimed her own lead after Ostapenko missed on a shot she fired across the far side doubles alley after chasing down a Maria shot that had just caught the sideline (she gestured -- as she's wont to do -- that Maria's ball had missed, but had no challenges left in the set even if there had been a chance that she was right).

Serving for the match for a second time, Maria didn't make the same mistake she had moments earlier by giving points away to Ostapenko. The Latvian missed on a lob attempt on the opening point, then cracked her racket in anger. A long Ostapenko return put Maria up 30/love, and the German's overhead winner gave her triple MP. Ostapenko's final error, on another return, closed out the rollercoaster match, sending Maria into her first career slam quarterfinal and a frustred Ostapenko out, leaving a symbolically knocked-over chair in her wake.



While Maria found a way to nearly ride the Tilt-a-Penko on a straight line that gently sloped upward and allowed her to reach the end without incident, Ostapenko's track more resembled an EKG readout as she continually traveled off and on and ultimately off the tracks. Her 52 winners were slightly nixed by her 57 UE, just enough to make a difference in a match that she twice seemed to have a firm grip on and in which she held double MP. As she left the court, Ostapenko slammed down her water bottle, upsetting her chair and leaving behind a near-perfect lasting image of what it's like to end this particular sort of ride by dangling off those very same tracks that Maria, who won 78% of her first serve points and had 9 aces, steadfastly refused to jump.
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3. Wimbledon Girls' 3rd Rd. - Liv Hovde d. Kayla Cross
...4-6/7-5/6-4. Top-seeded and eventual girls' champ Hovde escapes after using up one of her Wimbledon nine lives against the #13 seeded London native (as in London, Ontario) Cross.

Cross led 6-4/4-2 and served for the match at 5-4. She held a MP at 40/30, and thought she'd won the match when a Hovde shot was called out at the baseline. But after Cross had started to celebrate, Hovde challenged the call and Hawkeye showed that her shot was *in*, so the point was replayed. On the *second* first MP, a Hovde drop shot denied the Canadian again, then Cross DF'd on the next point. A wide forehand from Cross gave Hovde the service break and she'd ultimately sweep the final four games of the 2nd and then take a 5-1 lead in the 3rd.

Hovde twice failed to serve it out before finally breaking Cross at love to end the match.
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4. Bad Homburg Final - Caroline Garcia def. Bianca Andreescu
...6-7(5)/6-4/6-4. The second of Garcia's back-to-back battles to secure the Bad Homburg title. Andreescu led 7-6/4-2, only to see Garcia run off four straight games to force a 3rd set. Up 2-0 in the decider, Andreescu again saw Garcia win four in a row and hold her advantage to take the crown.


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5. Contrexeville 125 Final - Sara Errani def. Dalma Galfi
...6-4/1-6/7-6(4). Errani has put on a mini-"Back to the Future" show since her elbow surgery earlier this season. She reached a grass final -- the first of her career -- in the Gaiba 125 event, then during the second week of Wimbledon saved three MP on clay against Galfi to claim her biggest title since 2018.


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6. Valencia 125 1st Rd. - Mirjam Bjorklund def. Aliona Bolsova 3-6/6-3/7-5
Valencia 125 2nd Rd. - Mirjam Bjorklund def. Kristina Kucova 1-6/6-4/7-5
Valencia 125 QF - Mirjam Bjorklund def. Arantxa Rus 3-6/7-6(4)/6-2
...on clay in Valencia, Bjorklund's SF run saw her stage back-to-back-to-back comebacks, rallying from 5-4 in the 3rd in the 1st Round, 5-2 in the 3rd in the 2nd Round, and 4-2 down in the decider in the QF.
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7. Rosmalen WD Final - Ellen Perez/Tamara Zidansek def. Veronika Kudermetova/Elise Mertens
...6-3/5-7 [12-10]. It wasn't a great day for Kudermetova, who also lost in the singles semis on the day, as she and Mertens fell to 1-3 in WD finals this season (even while being #1 and #2 in the rankings). They staged a comeback vs. Perez/Zidansek, and held a MP at 10-9 in the MTB. Perez saved it with a clean return winner off a Kudermetova serve.


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8. Birmingham 2nd Rd. - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Magdelena Frech 6-1/5-7/7-6(3)
Birmingham 2nd Rd. - Zhang Shuai def. Gabriela Ruse 6-2/2-6/7-5
...both Birmingham finalists had to rally to escape the early rounds. Haddad trailed Frech 4-2 in the 3rd when play was suspended, while Zheng had to come from 3-1 back in the final set vs. Ruse to get the win.



Both also were tasked with playing the semifinals *and* final on Sunday due to Saturday's rain out, resulting in Zhang retiring after just nine games (and then pulling out of the WD final, where she and Haddad were partners, handing the title to L.Kichenok/Ostapenko)
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9. Wimbledon Q1 - Jaimee Fourlis def. Dea Herdzelas 5-7/7-6(4)/6-4
...the only qualifier to save MP and reach the Wimbledon MD, Fourlis trailed 7-5/5-3 to the Bosnian, who held double MP when serving at 5-3.
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10. Bad Homburg 1st Rd. - Amanda Anisimova def. Alison Van Uytvanck
...3-6/6-3/7-6(4). Van Uytvanck led 4-2 in the 3rd, only to see Anisimova force a TB. Down 4-2 in the deciding TB, the Bannerette swept the final five points, including a nifty get on MP.


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*LISICKI, BACK ON THE LAWNS*



Injuries have been Sabine Lisicki's "dark passenger" for much of her career, with her knees especially proving to be the catalyst for a continual stop-and-start-another-comeback pattern for the last decade-plus. Still, the German has managed to win four tour titles (in 9 finals, the last coming in 2014), rank as high as #12 a decade ago and produce a serious string of stunning results at Wimbledon early in her career. From 2009-14, Lisicki went 23-5 at SW19 while reaching 3 QF, a SF and her lone slam singles final in 2013.

Due to far too many injury breaks to count, while Lisicki spent time in the Top 25 in every season from 2009-15, her last six season-ending rankings have looked like this: 92-268-229-335-622. Her most recent knee surgery in '20 caused her to miss eighteen months, including the entire '21 season (after playing just six matches in '20), until she finally returned to action this spring.

During the brief grass campaign, Lisicki's return to her most beloved surfce saw her latest comeback gain some traction. She qualified at the Surbition $100K and reached the tour-level Berlin doubles semis alongside Bianca Andreescu. In Bad Homburg, the 32-year old took a wild card on home soil and recorded her first WTA MD win since 2018 with a victory over Tamara Korpatsch, then followed up with a three-set triumph over Greet Minnen to reach her first tour-level QF in four years (and her first in Germany since '13). She fell to eventual champ Caroline Garcia, but climbed from #804 to back inside the Top 500 immediately afterward.








1. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Harmony Tan def. Serena Williams
...7-5/1-6/7-6(10-7). Serena Williams returned for her first singles match since retiring with an injury just six games into a 1st Round match at last year's Wimbledon. But rather than a sense of deja vu that brought back memories of her championship years, the harsh reality of a 40-year old who hadn't played in a year resulted in something else.



24-year old Harmony Tan made her Wimbledon MD debut one for the history of the mind, where all the details about Williams' circumstances will only be footnotes down the road. She'll always have taken down possibly the game's greatest champion on arguably its grandest stage. Serena will always be Serena, after all.

The Pastry broke Williams' serve to open the match, but soon found herself down 4-2 to the veteran. She got back on serve at 4-3, then broke for 6-5 and held to take the set.

After the Centre Court roof was closed for the evening, Williams knotted the match with a 6-1 win. The set's high point came all the way back in game #2, a nearly 20-minute, 30-point, 12-deuce game which saw Williams convert on her seventh BP after what was essentially a moonball caused Tan to frame her reply and shoot the ball off the umpire's chair.



Williams had her chances in the 3rd to get the win and advance. She held an early break edge, and took a 5-4 lead and served for the match after Tan dumped a backhand volley into the net. But Williams wasn't able to serve things out and the match went back on shuffle. Down 6-5, Williams saved a MP at the net and ultimately sent the contest to a deciding 10-point TB. Williams led 4-0, but was clearly tired some three hours into her comeback match. She saw Tan win five straight points. Williams leveled things at 6-6, but the French woman took an extended lead at 8-6 and finally won 10-7.



Tan wasn't a one-match wonder, either, following up with wins over #32 Sara Sorribes Tormo and British wild card Katie Boulter to advance all the way to the Round of 16 for the first time in her slam career.
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2. Bad Homburg 1st Rd. - Katie Swan def. Sloane Stephens
...2-6/6-4/6-2. The Brits often bring their best during the grass season, and several sparked this summer. Swan notched her first MD tour win this year with an upset of Stephens.

So, what's this loss good for when it comes to Sloane? Round of 16 at Wimbledon?

Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Katie Boulter def. Karolina Pliskova
...1-6/6-4/6-4. The Brit did anything but back into SW19, recording her first career Top 10 win against the '21 Wimbledon finalist.



Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Katie Boulter def. Karolina Pliskova
...3–6, 7–6(4), 6–4. Boulter then backed up her previous win with another over the Czech a week later, perhaps hastening the end of Pliskova's mostly-successful (despite a pair of slow starts in 2021-22) teaming with coach Sascha Bajin days after the end of Wimbledon.



Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Jodie Burrage def. Petra Martic 3-6/7-5/6-3
Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Jodie Burrage def. Paula Badosa 6-4/6-3
...Burrage had success in pairs, as well, opening her week in Eastbourne with a comeback win over Martic after trailing 6-3/5-3, then the world #169 followed up with a career-best win over #4 Badosa.



Nottingham 1st Rd. - Harriet Dart def. Donna Vekic 6-4/6-3
Nottingham 2nd Rd. - Harriet Dart def. Camila Giorgi 5-7/6-4/7-6(3)
...before reaching the 2nd Round at Wimbledon, Dart was burning up the pre-SW19 courts. After her win over Vekic, in a match vs. Giorgi that had been suspended after two sets due to rain the day before, Dart saved three MP from 4-5, love/40 down in the 3rd -- via three UE from the Italian -- to reach her maiden WTA QF.



Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Harriet Dart def. Jil Teichmann 7-6(7)/4-6/6-3
Eastbourne 3rd Rd. - Harriet Dart def. Marta Kostyuk 6-4/2-6/6-4
...Harriet's big day.

After her 2nd Round match was pushed back a day, Dart used the opportunity to post *two* of the biggest wins of her career in a matter of a few hours. In the opener, Dart took the 1st after trailing 5-3, followed by Teichmann rallying from 4-2 down in the 2nd to knot the match. Going one better, Dart then climbed back from 3-1 back in the 3rd to get the win.

The final set with Kostyuk proved to be a push-and-full affair, with Dart taking a 2-0 lead, Kostyuk tying the score at 2-2, then the pattern repeating itself to get to 4-4. Dart then started the cycle over again with back-to-back games, but Kostyuk ran out of time to keep the whole thing going.



Meanwhile, though her upsets may not have risen to the level of inclusion here, new Brit Lily Miyazaki posted grass wins over the likes of Astra Sharma, Magdalena Frech (who'd reach WI 3r), Kristina Mladenovic and Dasha Saville this summer. Also, Eden Silva posted a 1st Round win in Birmingham over Katarzyna Kawa, who'd go on to qualify at Wimbledon and record her first career slam MD win.
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3. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Kaja Juvan def. Beatriz Haddad Maia
...6-4/4-6/6-2. One of few "big trees" to fall early at SW19 was #23-seeded Haddad Maia, who'd been *the* form player coming into Wimbledon, having won 12 straight grass court matches (the longest grass winning streak on the surface since Serena won 20 over a multi-season stretch from 2015-18) and two titles (the first to do that since 1991). Of course, Juvan has been known to post such results, especially in majors. She upset #9-seeded Belinda Bencic in the 1st Round at SW19 last year en route to the 3rd Round (where she lost to Coco Gauff). This time around, Juvan fell short of the second week again, falling to Heather Watson in the 3rd Round.
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4. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Greet Minnen def. Garbine Muguruza
...6-4/6-0. Maybe falling *harder* -- but in less of a suprise because of her ongoing poor '22 form -- was #9 seed Muguruza. The match was suspended for the day with Minnen up a set, but rather than come back stronger and correct her wayward course, Muguruza could barely keep a ball inside the lines on day #2, dropping the 2nd at love while wiping away tears in the changeover area before having to go out and serve down 0-5. The early loss is just Muguruza's second 1st Round exit at SW19 since reaching the final in 2015 (she won the title two years later), and makes her current three-slam stretch in '22 (1-3) the worst of her career as she fell with this defeat to just 8-12 on the season, her worst start to a season ever.

And it comes in the season *after* the Spaniard won the WTA Finals crown, set career-best marks with three titles and five finals, recorded seven Top 10 wins (her most since '17) and saw coach Conchita Martinez garner tour award honors for directing it all.


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5. Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Anhelina Kalinina def. Maria Sakkari
...3-6/7-5/6-4. Kalinina's second Top 10 win this season = as many as countrywoman Elina Svitolina has had since 2020.
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