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Sunday, March 12, 2023

Wk.10- Are Just Desserts Ever Just Deserts?





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*WEEK 10*
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[IW Through 2nd Round]

RISERS: Rebecca Peterson/SWE and Bernarda Pera/USA
...already a tour singles finalist (Merida) this season, Peterson's rebound from an injury-marred '22 continues as she works her way back into the heart of the Top 100 after finishing at #144 last year.

Peterson played her way into the I.W. MD, her first at a 1000 event since 2019 (Wuhan), with qualifying wins over Simona Waltert and Caroline Dolehide. She then handled newly-minted Austin champ Marta Kostyuk in three sets, and advanced again when Zhang Shuai retired just three games into their 2nd Round contest.

Pera had her shining tour moment last summer, winning back-to-back clay titles in Budapest and Hamburg. In the early months of '23, though, she's quietly put up some good results.

Her 3rd Round AO run was her best at a major since 2018, and her three-set wins this week over Lucia Bronzetti and Liudmila Samsonova (coming back from 6-2/3-1 and saving 3 MP in a 2nd set TB vs. the Hordette) in Indian Wells have produced her first 1000 3rd Round since Madrid five years ago.

In the live ranking, Pera is set to crack the Top 40 for the first time at the close of the tournament.
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SURPRISE: Jang Su-jeong/KOR
...Jang reached her career high last year (#114) and picked up her biggest career title at a WTA 125. The 27-year old Korean continues to climb the tour ranks, this week taking a $60K crown in Astana (KAZ).

Jang posted wins over Vitalia Diatchenko, Tena Lukas, Polina Kudermetova (avenging a QF lost last week in Astana vs. the Russian, who went on to win the title) and Moyuka Uchijima in a 6-1/6-4 final. It's Jang's 11th career ITF title and will push her close to a new career high ranking (she entered at #137 and is now the "live" #117).
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VETERAN: Lesia Tsurenko/UKR
...a former I.W. quarterfinalist (2015), Tsurenko hasn't reached the 3rd Round of a 1000 event since 2019 (also I.W.). Her qualifying run, with wins over Taylor Townsend and Katie Boulter, placed the Ukrainian in just her third 1000 MD since the start of 2020.

She followed up with wins over Zhu Lin and Monterrey champ Donna Vekic, against whom she retired just a game from defeat in the 1st Round a week ago. The Croat didn't seem to appreciate *that* match, nor Tsurenko's injury complaints in their three setter in the desert, either. Vekic refused to shake her hand, or even look Tsurenko in the face, after the match.
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COMEBACKS: Karolina Muchova/CZE and Marketa Vondrousova/CZE
...the young Czech Crushers are coming, while the remaining members of the Petra Generation continue to hold on. But don't forget about the "in-between" generation of Czech stars, many of whom have had to fight through injuries in recent seasons. Two of that group, Muchova and Vondrousova, had good first weeks in the desert.

In (suprisingly, or maybe not) her Indian Wells debut, Muchova has shot out of the first week gate, rallying from 4-1 down in the 3rd set to get a win over Yulia Putintseva, then fighting off several challenges from two-time I.W. champ Victoria Azarenka to win in straights and reach the second week.

Muchova reached the QF in her previous '23 1000 event in Dubai (after def. Bencic), only to pull out of the tournament before her next match. Since the Czech's AO semifinal run in '21, she's missed as many 1000 events (8) as she's played (I.W. is her eighth appearance in 16 tournaments the last three years).



In the I.W. draw using her protected ranking, Vondrousova has a history of using whatever "advantages" the tour's rules provide her due to her injury absences (see her inclusion in the '21 Olympics draw, where she won a Silver medal after "taking" what would have been Muchova's spot on the Czech squad). Playing under her PR this season, she's reached the Adelaide QF and AO 3rd Round (in addition to a SF in Linz).

Doing so again in Indian Wells, Vondrousova's third 1000 MD appearance of the last two seasons (one of which was a 4th Rd. in the desert last March) has her into the second week after dominant wins over Rebecca Marino (2 & 2) and Marie Bouzkova (1 & 1).

Vondrousova's runner-up finish in the Tokyo Olympics remains her only tour-level final since the 2019 season, during which she reached three and played in the Roland Garros championship match.
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FRESH FACES: Varvara Gracheva/RUS and Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva/AND
...fresh off her maiden tour singles final in Austin, Gracheva carried her momentum over to the desert. The Hordette qualified with I.W. Q-round wins over Petra Marcinko and Anna-Lena Friedsam, then reached her maiden 1000 3rd Round (in just her second 1000 MD) with victories over Ysaline Bonaventure and Petra Martic (the Croat was a quarterfinalist in '22).



In Boca Raton, Florida, '20 AO girls' champ VJK claimed her third title as a pro at the week's $25K challenger. The 17-year old Andorran knocked off top-seeded Maria Carle in straights in the SF, then Osuigwe in a 2 & 2 final.

Despite the loss, it was still a good week for Osuigwe. The 20-year old Bannerette, the '17 RG junior champ, was nearly ranked in the Top 100 (high #105) in summer 2019, but has seen a steady ranking decline ever since with a series of descending season-ending finishes of #132-#160-#247-#290. Osuigwe entered the week at #302. In addition to her first singles final since '19, she also picked up the doubles title alongside Hailey Baptiste.
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DOWN: Belinda Bencic/SUI
...Bencic has at times been spectacular in '23, coming into Indian Wells with a 15-3 record and two singles titles. But maybe she's (over)played herself into a corner with great results coupled with a series of long matches.

Bencic's opening three-set loss, on her birthday, to countrywoman Jil Teichmann adds to a rocky few weeks, which have included a walkover loss to Iga Swiatek in Doha, then a three-set win over Marta Kostyuk that was followed by just getting five games off Karolina Muchova in Dubai.

Bencic will be defending SF points in Miami.
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ITF PLAYERS: Lucie Havlickova/CZE and Brenda Fruhvirtova/CZE
...speaking of the Crushers.

While their older Czech brethren (one a sister) were in Indian Wells, the week saw 17-year old Havlickova and 15-year old Fruhvirtova pick up two of the biggest ITF challenger titles of the week.

In Trnava (SVK), '22 Roland Garros girls' champ (and U.S. Open Jr. RU) Havlickova claimed her maiden pro singles title, winning in a three-set final over circuit title leader Oceane Dodin (w/ 3 titles in '23, but a losing finalist for a second straight week) in a 3-6/7-6(4)/7-5 $60K match on indoor hard court.

Havlickova had failed to serve out the 2nd set, but won a TB to force a 3rd, where the teenager twice lost a break lead and couldn't serve out the win at 5-4. But she responded in the end, breaking the Pastry to close out the match. She'll crack the Top 300 for the first time in the next rankings (after I.W.).

In Bengaluru (nee Bangalore), India, Fruhvirtova kept her pro singles final record perfect by claiming her 9th ITF crown in the $40K challenger. Fruhvirtova lost the 1st set at love to home favorite Ankita Raina, and trailed 6-0/3-0. She then did an intricate "reverse Iga reverse" move and stormed to the the title by winning 12 of the final 13 games to get the 0-6/6-4/6-0 victory. It's her biggest title to date.

Fruhvirtova made her slam debut in January at the AO, and with this week improves her career pro won/lost mark to 60-12. She's *currently* the youngest player ranked in the Top 300, though the slightly younger Mirra Andreeva is on the cusp of holding onto that honor should the Hordette jump up just a few more places in the rankings (she was #300 on Monday, but is #301 in the "live" rankings).

BTW, it appears as if Fruhvirtova completely changed her outfit between MP and the trophy ceremony...


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JUNIOR STARS: Mayu Crossley/JPN and Vlada Mincheva/RUS
...16-year old Crossley, who swept the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl titles at the end of '22, took the J500 Banana Bowl in Criciuma, Brazil without dropping a set. The #17-ranked girl, a semifinalist last week in J300 Porto Alegre (a three-set loss to Lucciana Perez Alarcon) defeated unseeded Italian Alessandra Teodosescu (QF def. #1-seed Sara Saito) in the final to finish off the week.

In Nonathaburi, Thailand, 16-year old Mincheva (#58) claimed her biggest career junior title. The #8 seed, the Hordette defeated the #3 Lily Taylor in the QF, then #1 Emerson Jones -- both Aussies -- to get the J300 crown.
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WHEELCHAIR: Jiske Griffioen/NED
...at the Georgia Open Series 1 event in Rome (U.S.), Griffioen claimed her second Series 1 singles crown since the former #1 returned to the sport in '19 after her retirement two seasons earlier. It's her first S1 since 2021.

Griffion, 37, came into the event at #4 in the WC rankings and took the title in de Groot-esque fashion, allowing just 11 total games over three matches and ending the week with a 3 & 2 victory over #3-ranked countrywoman Aniek Van Koot.

Dana Mathewson & Lucy Shuker took the doubles, winning a 10-8 MTB over Van Koot & Kgothatso Montjane to pick up their first title of the season. They combined to win four crowns in '22.
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[IW Through 2nd Round]

1. I.W. 2nd Rd. - Bernarda Pera def. Liudmila Samsonova
...2-6/7-6(8)/7-6(6). Samsonova led 6-2/3-1, then Pera won four straight to lead 5-3. Samsonova forced a TB, but lost it 10-8 after holding 3 MP at 6-5, 7-6 and 8-7.

Pera won another 8-6 TB to win, after the Russian had twice gotten within two points of victory, finishing off her comeback on her own second MP in the breaker.


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2. I.W. 2nd Rd. - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Katerina Siniakova
...5-7/7-6(4)/6-3. Siniakova led 7-5/5-3 and served for the match at 5-4. She was broken at love.

History then commenced.
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3. I.W. 1st Rd. - Anna Kalinskaya def. Alycia Parks
...6-1/6-1. Parks drops to 1-4 (and she had to struggle to get that win over Fernanda Contreras) since winning her maiden title in Lyon. At least Kalinskaya isn't Swedish.

For what it's worth...


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4. I.W. 1st Rd - Rebecca Peterson def. Marta Kostyuk 7-5/5-7/7-5
I.W. 2nd Rd. - Lesia Tsurenko def. Donna Vekic 2-6/6-2/6-2
...Week 9 singles titles get you *nada* in Indian Wells.

And if you're Vekic, it also means not wanting to shake Tsurenko's hand, and trying to ignore her altogether.

The move seems to stem from the Monterrey champ's lingering annoyance over Tsurenko's retirement down 6-2/5-0 in the 1st Round last week in Mexico, as well as her not appreciating Tsurenko's slow, apparently injury-related (or maybe she felt "injury") pace of play here.


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5. I.W. 2nd Rd. - Jil Teichmann def. Belinda Bencic
...3-6/6-3/6-3. In a match-up of Swiss doubles partners, Teichmann produces another of the sort of wins that will surely cause head-shakes just around the corner when she loses to (insert name of player Teichmann should *not* lose to, but surely will... soon).

On a side note, this happened on Bencic's 26th birthday.



NOTE: right on cue, Teichmann lost her very next match in the desert, winning the 1st set but then losing in three to Rebecca Peterson.
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6. I.W. 2nd Rd. - Iga Swiatek def. Claire Liu
...6-0/6-1. So, Iga remains an international baker.

She led Liu 6-0/5-0 and had a MP for a double-bagel victory. Swiatek is 29-3 in North America the last two seasons.


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7. I.W. 2nd Rd. - Karolina Muchova def. Victoria Azarenka
...7-6(3)/6-3. Azarenka has posted one great result (AO SF, with a win over #3 Pegula) in '23 and been close to a few more in three-set defeats. This week, she was unlucky enough to get a healthy and in-form Muchova in an early round match, after the Czech had rallied to win from 4-1 down in the 3rd vs. Yulia Putintseva in the 1st Round.

Azarenka could never overcome her slow start vs. Muchova, falling behind 4-1 in the 1st even while pressuring the Czech's serve throughout the set. Azarenka managed to force a TB, but came up far short (7-1) in it before Muchova broke to start the 2nd. Azarenka again got the set back on serve (3-3), but then finished poorly again, dropping her last two service games.

The opening loss leaves Azarenka winless in an I.W. MD for the first time since 2014. She's a former two-time champ and three-time finalist (the most recent just two years ago) in the desert.
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8. I.W. 1st Rd. - Peyton Stearns def. Rebeka Masarova
...4-6/6-4/6-4. Stearns notches her first WTA 1000 MD win.



Hmmm, do I smell a Bannerette candidate for an early-round U.S. Open night match if she pulls a "name" opponent in the draw? Such as, say, Bianca Andreescu, who beat her in three on Saturday night.


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9. I.W. 2nd Rd. - Emma Raducanu def. Magda Linette
...7-6(3)/6-2. In her first event since the Australian Open, after opening with a win over Danka Kovinic, Raducanu followed up with another over #21-ranked AO semifinalist Linette for her biggest win since the '21 U.S. Open. Her back-to-back victories are a first since last September in Seoul (when the Brit retired from her SF match).


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10. I.W. 1st Rd. - Elli Mandlik def. Alison Riske-Amritraj
...6-3/5-7/7-6(1). Mandlik led 6-3/4-1, and served for the match at 5-4. Riske won the set 7-5, and then forced a TB after Mandlik served again for the match at 6-5 in the 3rd.

Mandlik ran away with the breaker 7-1.
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11. I.W. Q2 - Arantxa Rus def. Sara Errani
...7-6(1)/6-3. Revenge is a dish best served cold, or better late than never, or "Remember me?"

Errani won a $60K crown last weekend when Rus wasn't able to make the final, with the walkover allowing the Italian to return to the Top 100 for the first time in years.

Naturally, the "rematch" occurred a few days later, with Rus denying Errani what would have been her first spot in an Indian Wells MD since 2017. Errani has played in just three 1000 MD -- all in Rome -- since the start of '18.
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12. I.W. Q1 - Nao Hibino def. Kamilla Rakhimova
...4-6/6-3/7-5. A combined 8-1 in her previous two events, Rakhimova led 6-4/3-1, and by a break at 4-3 in the 3rd before Hibino rallied to get the win.
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[IW Through 2nd Round]

1. I.W. 1st Rd. - Linda Fruhvirtova def. Mayar Sharif 0-6/6-2/6-3
I.W. 2nd Rd. - Anhelina Kalinina def. Linda Fruhvirtova 4-6/6-4/7-5
...the 17-year old Czech, less than a year after reaching the Round of 16 in her Miami debut, wins over Sherif in her first-ever MD match in Indian Wells.

A round later, Fruhvirtova nearly squandered a 5-0 lead before winning the 1st 6-4, and led 5-2 and served for the win at 5-3 in the 3rd. After having held a MP at 5-2 on Kalinina's serve, Fruhvirtova was broken a game later. She got within two points of the win at 5-4, but ultimately dropped the last five games.
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2. $60K Astana KAZ Final - Polina Kudermetova/Anastasia Tikhonova def. Han Na-lae/Jang Su-jeong
...2-6/6-3 [10-7]. Kudermetova's 9-match singles streak ended in the semis vs. Jang Su-jeong, but she picked up her first career pro doubles crown alongside her fellow Hordette.


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3. $40K Bangalore IND Final - Francisca Jorge/Matilde Jorge def. Valentini Grammatikopoulou/Eden Silva
...5-7/6-0 [10-3]. The Portuguese sisters win their ninth challenger crown as a duo.
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Three years ago...




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As usual, little to no resemblance whatsoever (umm, "She's wearing a hat, so *obviously* it's her")...




The men's murals -- all done by the same artist as the others -- haven't looked nearly as bad over the years, but the women's have often been almost embarrassingly unidentifiable. A few examples...

Paula Badosa??? (looks like Martina Hingis)...



Chris Evert??? (looks like Steffi Graf)...











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*CONSECUTIVE I.W. FINALS*
=3=
2003-05 Lindsay Davenport (L-L-L)
=2=
1990-91 Martina Navratilova (W-W)
1991-92 Monica Seles (L-W)
1993-94 Amanda Coetzer (L-L)
1997-98 Lindsay Davenport (W-L)
2007-08 Svetlana Kuznetsova (L-L)
2008-09 Ana Ivanovic (W-L)
2010-11 Caroline Wozniacki (L-W)
2012-13 Maria Sharapova (L-W)

*2023 TOP JUNIOR GIRLS' TITLES*
[Grand Slam]
Alina Korneeva, RUS
[J500]
Mayu Crossley, JPN
Federica Urgesi, ITA
[J300]
2 - Iva Jovic, USA
2 - Sara Saito, JPN
2 - Lucciana Perez Alarcon, PER
1 - Melisa Ercan, TUN
1 - Vlada Mincheva, RUS
1 - Federica Urgesi, ITA





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Alleged criminals suing people for defamation for reporting the news (w/ phone recordings) of their alleged crimes. Favre does realize that if this plays out he might have to speak under oath and open himself up to perjury charges, right?



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"Return of the Jedi" era. I have a closet full of well-stocked old collector's cases to attest to the gravitational pull of such a place in those halcyon days. Even now, in the rare moment when I'm in such a store, I check out that aisle to see the current (disappointing) state of such things.

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All for now.
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