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Monday, January 23, 2023

AO.8 - Sabalenka is 2.0 Good

So far, Sabalenka 2.0 is an upgrade that is proving to be worth the trail and error that was necessary to develop it.



While a handful of the former slam winners are busy contesting for a spot in this Australian Open's singles final in the top half of the women's draw, Aryna Sabalenka has been more than content trying to emerge from the bottom half and earn the chance to belatedly add her name to the list of women on tour with major title runs on their career resume.

Not that Sabalenka's competition in the bottom is without merit. Amongst the other seven contenders in Day 8's four 4th Round contests was a former #1 and slam finalist, last year's WTAF champion, a slam semifinalist, two past major quarterfinalists and the youngest player ranked in the Top 100 (and nearly Top 50).

The #5-seeded Belarusian's opponent in the first match up on Laver on Monday was #12 Belinda Bencic. Both women came into the Round of 16 having already picked up a singles title in '23 (both in Adelaide) and having not yet lost a set through three rounds in Melbourne. While both are former slam semifinalists (Aryna has three in the last five majors), neither has reached a major final nor posted a quarterfinal result at the Australian Open. Sabalenka lost at precisely this stage in the event the last two years.

Another shared experience between the two is Dmitry Tursunov, Sabalenka's former coach (and always rumored to be more) during her initial big rise up the tour rankings in 2018-20. He's been working in a coaching capacity (to the Swiss' high praise) within the Bencic inner circle since last fall, and was in her players box for today's match.

Sabalenka has always been a big-hitting, emotional presence on court, her oversized slam title potential sometimes almost visibly perculating just beneath the surface as an attainable goal as long as she could manage to control her own oversized serve and groundstrokes, making them work *for* her without also sometimes serving as momentum-slowing anchors simply because she can't bear the thought of playing in a style that is simply "big" (and smart) rather than unceasingly big, BOLD and BOMBASTIC, as well.

Since opening '22 by racking up double-fault numbers in the 20s per match, Sabalenka, with coach Anton Dubrov, has gradually recognized the importance of maybe not trying to fire aces on EVERY serve, of sometimes picking her moments to rev up the power, keeping the ball deep and inside the lines with boom but also intent without feeling the need to turn the ball inside out before it hits on the other side of the net (aka "to Ostapenko"). She combined these attempted tweaks, which included work with a biomechanic specialist to fix her service issues, with better training to produce a player who recovered from the sort of poor/dangerous start a year ago that might have broken the game of more than a few players. With a sturdier serve and mindset, Sabalenka nearly stole the show at last year's WTA Finals as, though she didn't win the title, she became one of just four women in tour history to defeat the world #1, #2 and #3 ranked players in the world in a single event.

Against Bencic, Sabalenka used all of her new apps to their greatest advantage, putting Bencic on the defensive and never giving up her controlling interest in the match.

After a slow start that saw her throw in a few early DF and her first serve be less effective than she'd like, Sabalenka put together one of her best, most disciplined and effective performances ever on a big stage. By the end of the match, with the pressure of the Sabalenka power pushing her against the wall, it was Bencic who found her first serve failing her and offering up DF at precisely the wrong time as she tried to overplay and beat the Belarusian to the punch.

As Sabalenka was finding her footing, Bencic grabbed the first advantage in the opening set, breaking for a 2-1 lead. She held her edge through the first seven games, until a big forehand return from the Belarusian produced a Bencic error to hand Sabalenka her first BP chance. A Bencic backhand error put the set back on serve at 4-4.

Sabalenka DF'd early in game 9, but her big forehand shots pulled the game back and secured a hold. Two games later, she fired an ace to close out another service game and take a 6-5 lead. With Bencic's game starting to slip in the face of her opponent's gradual lifting of hers, Sabalenka blasted a clean forehand return winner down the line to go up 15/40 and reach SP. Bencic's ill-timed DF handed Sabalenka the set at 7-5.

In the 2nd, Sabalenka's big hitting continued to dictate the flow of the match. A backhand winner down the line gave her a BP chance in game 4, and Bencic promptly DF'd again to give Sabalenka a 3-1 lead. A frustrated Bencic immediately yelled something about "freakin' excrement" (except she used a harsher synonym, garnering a code violation warning from the chair umpire).

Down 4-1 after Sabalenka's quick hold, Bencic found herself in a must-hold situation, only to DF for the 8th time and find game 6 at deuce as her First Serves In numbers stood below 50% and the pressure of Sabalenka's big return game continually caused the Swiss to overhit and simply make her worsening situation grow worse just a little bit faster. Still, she managed to hold for 4-2.

Sabalenka pulled out of a love/30 hole to move to 5-2, then struck in Bencic's following service game. A backhand return winner down the line gave her doubles MP at 15/40, and on her second chance Sabalenka place a final forehand winner into the corner to close out the match, winning 7-5/6-2 and reach her maiden AO quarterfinal.



Now a winner of 8 straight matches and 16 consecutive sets in her '23 follow up to her 1-2-3 WTAF run, Sabalenka finds herself in a bottom half of the draw now pared down to herself, two unseeded quarterfinalists and a #30-seeded former #1 still trying to claim her own elusive maiden slam crown before her career window of opportunity can close on her without *at least* one more big slam run.

In contrast, Sabalenka's "window" is still wide open, and she very well could be staring at the start of the "prime" stretch of her career.

But before Sabalenka can *build* upon her first big win she has to first *get* it. Such a feat is never an "easy" proposition, but it's possible that no major has ever played out in a way quite as favorable for her as this AO has. So far, at least.




=DAY 8 NOTES=
...in a great feat (fit?) of scheduling, Tennis Australia managed to have all three of the other women's Round of 16 matches on Monday being contested simultaneously. Because... why not?

Probably the biggest headline to come from those three other matches involved Caroline Garcia. As in, hold up, maybe this "new era" isn't totally a lock for the Pastry, after all.



Against Magda Linette, the #4 seed took an early lead in the 1st at 3-0, and served for the set at 5-4. But it was then that all the progress and acts of stepping up in '22 rather than stepping back as she had so often in big moments the previous few seasons (i.e. why she should have been Comeback Player of the Year... but the tour ridiculously says players have to have been injured, ill or pregnant to be considered) seemed to have been lost to Garcia. She dropped serve, firing a backhand long to knot the score at 5-5. The set went to a tie-break, where a Garcia DF put her behind the veteran Pole 4-2, and she ultimately dropped the breaker by a 7-3 score.

The two were tied at 3-3 in the 2nd, and Garcia saved three BP to hold in game 7. But her fight to stay a step ahead of Linette on serve shortcircuited soon afterward. Garcia pulled a forehand to drop serve and fall behind 5-4, then saw Linette serve out a straight sets win to reach her maiden slam QF in her 30th career MD appearance in a major.

Didn't really see that one coming (even w/ Linette's previous wins over #16 Kontaveit and #19 Alexandrova)... and likely Garcia didn't, either. The 29-year old French woman had put together a 42-10 run since the middle of last grass season, winning four titles, reaching a slam semi (US) and claiming the tour Finals crown in the stretch.



...a year ago, Karolina Pliskova wasn't in Melbourne, missing her first slam in a decade after breaking a bone in her wrist/arm during a training accident. Once she returned, after a slow start, the Czech eventually reached a Toronto SF and U.S. Open QF before the end of the season, but only after she'd jettisoned coach Sascha Bajin along the way after an 18-month partnership that had produced a slam final and two 1000 RU, but no singles titles.

Pliskova and Bajin came back together during the offseason and they're teaming up again in '23. So far, so good. Today, #30 Pliskova burst into her 11th slam QF and second straight in Melbourne with a 6-0/6-4 win over #23 Zhang Shuai (hmmm, that 1st set makes me wonder just how long the hangover lasts when you lose a doubles match that you and your partner led 5-0, 40/love in the 3rd, which Zhang did yesterday).

Zhang got things together in the 2nd, leading 4-2 before Pliskova turned the set around. Pliskova has won 31 of 34 service games in Melbourne, and is set to return to the Top 20.



...meanwhile, in a match that ended at virtually the same instant as Garcia/Linette (the final serve-it-out games were taking place in near-lock step, with the game scores exactly the same until the final moments), Donna Vekic, now with Pam Shriver in her coaching corner, continued her comeback from knee surgery by finding a slam QF pot of gold (her second ever, along with the '19 U.S.) at the end of her two-season-struggle.



Taking out 17-year old Linda Fruhvirtova was hardly easy, and Vekic often appeared worn down from the effort in the final set. After the Croat had claimed the 1st set 6-2, only to see the Czech surge and claim the 2nd at 6-1, the two went back-and-forth in the decider.

The teenager broke for 2-1, but Vekic broke back a game later. Vekic held to lead 3-2, then took a 15/30 lead on Fruhvirtova's serve in the next game. But the Czech got the hold. Up 4-3, Vekic finally once more applied the pressure to Fruhvirtova, and the kid finally blinked. Facing a BP, Fruhvirtova DF'd (she had 11 in the match) and Vekic moved to within a game of win. She served it out, winning 6-2/1-6/6-3.



...in MX doubles, Alona Ostapenko and David Vega Hernandez upset top-seeded Giuliana Olmos & Marcelo Arevalo to reach the QF.

...in ITF action, Belgian Marie Benoit denied Bannerette Emma Navarro a second challenger title in two weeks, winning in the $60K Vero Beach, Florida event final.

In Tallinn (EST), Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez defeated Viktoria Kuzmova in a three-set $40K final, with the 20-year old picking up her fourth career title.







...TENNIS AUSTRALIA DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF HIDING ZHU'S MATCHES THIS WEEK (from me, at least), SO I'LL HAVE TO TAKE VIKA'S WORD ON HER...ON DAY 8:




...ON A (HALF, sort of) OFF-SHOOT FROM THAT...ON DAY 8:



Truth: I've been enjoying this slam more than most, and I think it's because ESPN's (non-)scheduling of network coverage has pushed me to see 95% or more of what I've viewed via ESPN+. So, better announcers (and, sometimes, *none* at all! Yay!) and a total (well, mostly) avoidance of the many voices (with only a few exceptions on the ESPN roster) that have have become triggers for my anger about poor tennis coverage in the U.S..


...I HEARD THAT DISCUSSION DURING THE MATCH TODAY, and I totally understood...ON DAY 8:



For those of us who learned how to spell "Buyukakcay," and now pat themselves on the back when (for example) "Janicijevic" comes up.


...THIS SENTIMENT HAS BEEN EVERGREEN IN THIS SPACE FOR YEARS, AS WELL...ON DAY 8:



But, you know... tennis.

Speaking of, did you hear the rumor that the sport, in an era when the playing opportunities afforded *every* player in the sport was essentially determined by their standing in the rankings, once held a grand slam event where it was agreed that no rankings points would be awarded (i.e. the champion would get the same points as a player who lost in the 1st Round... zero).

I mean... hahahaha.

That story *has* to be a myth. When you think about it, nobody could be that stupid, right? Let alone several groups *agreeing* to be that stupid *together.*


...SHNAIDER UPDATE...ON DAY 8:




...?????????...ON DAY 8:




...I THINK IT'S TIME FOR THE "OLD" CARL TO RETURN...ON DAY 8:










=WOMEN'S SINGLES QF=
#22 Elena Rybakina/KAZ vs. #17 Alona Ostapenko/LAT
#3 Jessie Pegula/USA vs. #24 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
#30 Karolina Pliskova/CZE vs. Magda Linette/POL
#5 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. Donna Vekic/CRO

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) vs. Kalashnikova/Parks (GEO/USA)
Mihalikova/Sasnovich (SVK/BLR) vs. #6 Krawczyk/Schuurs (USA/NED)
#4 Hunter/Mertens (AUS/BEL) vs. Golubic/Niculescu (SUI/ROU)
Kostyuk/Ruse (UKR/ROU) def. Kolodziejova/Vondrousova (CZE/CZE)
#10 Aoyama/Shibahara (JPN/JPN) def. Pavlyuchenkova/Rybakina (RUS/KAZ)
Dolehide/Kalinskaya (USA/RUS) vs. #3 Dabrowski/Olmos (CAN/MEX)
#11 H-C.Chan/Yang (TPE/CHN) def. Kalinina/Van Uytvanck (UKR/BEL)
#2 Gauff/Pegula (USA/USA) def. #16 Kato/Sutjiadi (JPN/INA)

=MIXED DOUBLES QF=
Ostapenko/Vega Hernandez (LAT/ESP) vs. x
#3 Krawczyk/N.Skupski (USA/GBR) vs. Townsend/J.Murray (USA/GBR)
(WC) Inglis/Kulber (AUS/AUS) vs. x
(WC) Cabrera/Smith (AUS/AUS) vs. Stefani/Matos (BRA/BRA)

=GIRLS SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
#8 Nina Vargova/SVK vs. #12 Sayaka Ishii/JPN
#14 Yaroslava Bartashevich/FRA vs. Alevtina Ibragimova/RUS
(Q) Rebecca Munk Mortensen/DEN vs. #9 Alina Korneeva/RUS
#16 Hayu Kinoshita/JPN vs. #2 Tereza Valentova/CZE


















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*2023 AO FINAL 8*
[by career slam QF]
18 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR
11 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE
5 - Jessie Pegula, USA
4 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT
4 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
3 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
2 - Donna Vekic, CRO
1 - Magda Linette, POL
[by career AO QF]
6 - Azarenka
4 - Pliskova
3 - Pegula
1 - Linette
1 - Ostapenko
1 - Rybakina
1 - Sabalenka
1 - Vekic
[w/ consecutive slam QF]
2 - Pegula
2 - Pliskova
2 - Sabalenka
[w/ consecutive AO QF]
3 - Pegula
[2023 slam QF - unseeded]
AO - Magda Linette, POL
AO - Donna Vekic, CRO
[2023 1st-time GS QF]
AO - Magda Linette, POL (30th MD)
[WTA career slam QF - active]
39...Venus Williams, USA
18...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
16...Simona Halep, ROU
16...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
13...Petra Kvitova, CZE
11...Angelique Kerber, GER
11...Karolina Pliskova, CZE
8...Madison Keys, USA
8...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
8...Elina Svitolina, UKR
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Kaia Kanepi, EST
7...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
7...Sloane Stephens, USA
6...Vera Zvonareva, RUS
5...Sabine Lisicki, GER
5...Jessie Pegula, USA
5...Iga Swiatek, POL
[WTA slam QF & W/L in 2020s - 12 events]
5 - Pegula (0-4) *
5 - Swiatek (4-1)
4 - Barty (3-1)
4 - Jabeur (2-2)
4 - Ka.Pliskova (1-2) *
4 - Sabalenka (3-0) *
3 - Gauff (1-2)
3 - Halep (2-1)
3 - Krejcikova (1-2)
3 - Rybakina (1-1) *
3 - Tomljanovic (0-3)
2 - Azarenka (1-0) *
2 - Brady (2-0)
2 - Collins (1-1)
2 - Fernandez (1-1)
2 - Kenin (2-0)
2 - Kvitova (1-1)
2 - Muchova (1-1)
2 - Osaka (2-0)
2 - Pavlyuchenkova (1-1)
2 - Sakkari (2-0)
2 - Svitolina (0-2)
2 - Trevisan (1-1)
2 - S.Williams (2-0)
1 - Anisimova (0-1)
1 - Badosa (0-1)
1 - Bencic (0-1)
1 - Bouzkova (0-1)
1 - Cornet (0-1)
1 - Garcia (1-0)
1 - Golubic (0-1)
1 - Hsieh (0-1)
1 - Kanepi (0-1)
1 - Kasatkina (1-0)
1 - Kerber (1-0)
1 - Keys (1-0)
1 - Kontaveit (0-1)
1 - V.Kudermetova (0-1)
1 - Linette (0-0) *
1 - Maria (1-0)
1 - Mertens (0-1)
1 - Muguruza (1-0)
1 - Niemeier (0-1)
1 - Ostapenko (0-0) *
1 - Pironkova (0-1)
1 - Podoroska (1-0)
1 - Putintseva (0-1)
1 - Raducanu (1-0)
1 - Rogers (0-1)
1 - Siegemund (0-1)
1 - Stephens (0-1)
1 - Vekic (0-0) *
1 - Zidansek (1-0)
[WTA slam QF by nation in 2020s - 12 slams/96]
20 - USA (1)
12 - CZE (1)
7 - AUS
6 - BLR (2)
6 - POL (2)
4 - GER
4 - KAZ (1)
4 - RUS
4 - TUN
3 - ROU
2 - CAN
2 - ESP
2 - EST
2 - FRA
2 - GRE
2 - ITA
2 - JPN
2 - SUI
2 - UKR
1 - ARG,BEL,BUL,CRO(1),GBR,LAT(1),SLO,TPE
[WTA slam QF W/L by nation in 2020s]
20 - USA (9-10)*
12 - CZE (4-7)*
7 - AUS (3-4)
6 - BLR (4-0)**
6 - POL (4-1)*
4 - GER (2-2)
4 - KAZ (1-2)*
4 - RUS (2-2)
4 - TUN (2-2)
3 - ROU (2-1)
2 - CAN (1-1)
2 - ESP (1-1)
2 - EST (0-2)
2 - FRA (1-1)
2 - GRE (2-0)
2 - ITA (1-1)
2 - JPN (2-0)
2 - SUI (0-2)
2 - UKR (0-2)
1 - ARG (1-0)
1 - BEL (0-1)
1 - BUL (0-1)
1 - CRO (0-0)*
1 - GBR (1-0)
1 - LAT (0-0)*
1 - SLO (1-0)
1 - TPE (0-1)




**"FIRST SLAM..." FEATS IN 2020s**
=QF=
2020 AO - Ons Jabeur, TUN (13th)
2020 AO - Sofia Kenin, USA (12th)
2020 AO - Anett Kontaveit, EST (21st)
2020 US - Jennifer Brady, USA (13th)
2020 RG - Nadia Podoroska, ARG (2nd)
2020 RG - Laura Siegemund, GER (16th)
2020 RG - Iga Swiatek, POL (7th)
2020 RG - Martina Trevisan, ITA (2nd)
2021 AO - Hsieh Su-wei, TPE (38th)
2021 AO - Jessie Pegula, USA (9th)
2021 RG - Paula Badosa, ESP (8th)
2021 RG - Coco Gauff, USA (6th)
2021 RG - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (5th)
2021 RG - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (7th)
2021 RG - Maria Sakkari, GRE (21st)
2021 RG - Tamara Zidansek, SLO (9th)
2021 WI - Viktorija Golubic, SUI (18th)
2021 WI - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (15th)
2021 WI - Ajla Tomljanovic, AUS (27th)
2021 US - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (7th)
2021 US - Emma Raducanu, GBR (2nd)
2022 AO - Alize Cornet, FRA (63rd)
2022 RG - Veronika Kudermetova, RUS (13th)
2022 WI - Marie Bouzkova, CZE (14th)
2022 WI - Tatjana Maria, GER (35th)
2022 WI - Jule Niemeier, GER (2nd)
2022 US - none
2023 AO - Magda Linette, POL (30th)
=SF=
2020 AO - Sofia Kenin, USA (12th)
2020 US - Jennifer Brady, USA (13th)
2020 RG - Nadia Podoroska, ARG (2nd)
2020 RG - Iga Swiatek, POL (7th)
2021 AO - Karolina Muchova, CZE (9th)
2021 RG - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (5th)
2021 RG - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (52nd)
2021 RG - Maria Sakkari, GRE (21st)
2021 RG - Tamara Zidansek, SLO (9th)
2021 WI - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (15th)
2021 US - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (7th)
2021 US - Emma Raducanu, GBR (2nd)
2022 AO - none
2022 RG - Coco Gauff, USA (10th)
2022 RG - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (26th)
2022 RG - Martina Trevisan, ITA (8th)
2022 WI - Ons Jabeur, TUN (21st)
2022 WI - Tatjana Maria, GER (35th)
2022 WI - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (12th)
2022 US - Caroline Garcia, FRA (42nd)


*UNSEEDED/WC/Q in SLAM AO QF IN 32-SEED DRAW*
2002 Adriana Serra-Zanetti/ITA
2003 Virginia Ruano-Pascual/ESP, Meghann Shaughnessy/USA
2004 -
2005 -
2006 Martina Hingis/SUI (wc)
2007 Lucie Safarova/CZE, Serena Williams/USA [W]
2008 -
2009 Jelena Dokic/USA (wc), Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
2010 J.Henin/BEL (wc)[RU], M.Kirilenko/RUS, Zheng Jie/CHN
2011 -
2012 Sara Errani/ITA, Ekaterina Makarova/RUS
2013 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
2014 -
2015 Madison Keys/USA
2016 Johanna Konta/GBR, Zhang Shuai/CHN (q)
2017 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni/CRO, CoCo Vandeweghe/USA
2018 Kiki Bertens/NED, Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
2019 Danielle Collins/USA, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
2020 Ons Jabeur/TUN, Garbine Muguruza/ESP [RU]
2021 Hsieh Su-wei/TPE, Jessie Pegula/USA
2022 Alize Cornet/FRA, Kaia Kanepi/EST, Madison Keys/USA
2023 Magda Linette/POL, Donna Vekic/CRO


*RECENT AO "LADY OF THE EVENING" WINNERS*
2016 "The Dasha Show" (Gavrilova)
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2018 Elise Mertens, BEL
2019 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (3:12am finish)
2020 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2021 Simona Halep, ROU
2022 Ash Barty, AUS
2023 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2:17am finish)


*RECENT AO "ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE" WINNERS*
2015 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2016 Monica Puig, PUR
2017 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2019 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2020 Coco Gauff, USA ("Zombie Teen Queen")
2021 Simona Halep, ROU
2022 Amanda Anisimova, USA
2023 Miriam Kolodziejova/Marketa Vondrousova, CZE/CZE

*RECENT AO "COMEBACK PLAYER" WINNERS*
2016 Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE
2017 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
2018 Angelique Kerber, GER
2019 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2020 CiCi Bellis, USA
2021 Rebecca Marino, CAN
2022 Madison Keys, USA
2023 Donna Vekic, CRO







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Here's the link to the Facebook page with the readings: Diane arrives at 33:12!




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TOP QUALIFIER: Katherine Sebov/CAN
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #3 Jessie Pegula/USA
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 - #27 Brenda Fruhvirtova/CZE def. Daria Snigur/UKR 5-7/7-6(3)/6-3 (rallies from 7-5/5-1, break down twice early in the 3rd; 15-year old is youngest in AO MD in slam debut)
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #6 Maria Sakkari/GRE def. (Q) Diana Shnaider/RUS 6-3/5-7/3-6
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #3 Jessie Pegula/USA (def. Jaqueline Cristian/ROU)
FIRST SEED OUT: #28 Amanda Anisimova/USA (1r-lost to Kostyuk/UKR)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Anna Bondar/HUN, Olivia Gadecki/AUS, Diana Shnaider/RUS, Lucrezia Stefanini/ITA
BEST PROTECTED RANKING MD RESULT: Laura Siegemund/GER, Marketa Vondrousova/CZE (both 3rd Rd.)
UPSET QUEENS: UKR
REVELATION LADIES: CZE (three youngest players in MD)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: GER (1-4 1r; Petkovic ret., Kerber pregnant; NextGen 0-2)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Cristina Bucsa/ESP and Katie Volynets/USA (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Kimberly Birrell/AUS, Olivia Gadecki/AUS, Taylor Townsend/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Kimberly Birrell, Olivia Gadecki (both 2nd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Magda Linette/POL Additional nominees: Pegula, Sabalenka
IT (Czech Crusher): Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE (into second week at age 17 in second major)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Donna Vekic/CRO
CRASH & BURN: Garbine Muguruza/ESP (1r; 5 con. losses; out of Top 80 first time in a decade)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Miriam Kolodziejova/Marketa Vondrousova, CZE/CZE (2r: down 5-0, 40/love in 3rd; saved 9 MP vs. Haddad Maia/Zhang; won 14-12 MTB)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Nominees: Pliskova, Azarenka, (doubles), (WC)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Victoria Azarenka/BLR
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: One year after Barty is first WS champ in 44 years, #160 Fourlis is highest ranked AUS in MD; only two AUS wild cards get 1r wins, none past 2r
DOUBLES STAR: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx





All for Day 8. More tomorrow.
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