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Wednesday, April 5, 2023

1Q BSAs, Pt.1: 99 Issues But Good Drama Isn't One


No Ash? No Simona? No Angie? No Naomi? No Serena? No Problem. At least as far as the too-much-drama-is-still-never-enough WTA is concerned.

The WTA entered its 50th anniversary season with the winners of 10 of the previous 18 majors (w/ Williams contributing none to that total of 10, but with 23 collected over the previous two+ decades) not scheduled to participate, for various reasons, in much or any of the '23 season.

Other than in hearts and minds, those absences haven't stopped the continued roll of the women's tour, nor has the inevitable reality of dealing with injuries and/or major slumps to other former slam champions, or the still-to-be-faced decision about the tour's future in China.

The various issues surrounding the UKR/RUS war that linger and continue to indirectly pit players of "competing" nationalities against one another "outside the lines," though, remains a rickety bridge to cross, not helped by the seeming disconnect between the WTA's Powers That Be and the affected players when it comes to how exactly to deal with whatever the murky details should be in relation to the tour's "responsibility" to provide "support" while also attempting to fairly referee the various conflicts that brew just below the surface lest they bubble above it and create potentially far worse situations.



But, as usual, the tour has *no* problem more than evening out that rocky terrain with the sort of "good drama" that smooths out the rough stretches of the road.

Through three months, we've seen a first-time slam winner, *two* players win titles after knocking off both the Top 2 ranked players in the world, a woman become the first in more than a decade to reach the finals of Australia, Indian Wells and Miami in the same season (and quite possibly come within a converted SP in the 1st from completing a "Sunshine Double"), two players put together 13-match win streaks, the world's best doubles duo add one of the few missing trophies to their impressive career collage and the world #1, while not as much of a relative juggernaut as she's been in the past, *still* continue to do brisk business at her personal "courtside bakery" while also reaching the finals of both ends of the desert Doha/Dubai double in the Middle East.

As we live and breathe, even as the faces change and stars pass by one another through the in-and-out doors, the WTA is alive and well heading into it's *second* half-century.

If, as Andrea Petkovic recenty said, "Tennis is a wonderland," well, one might say that the WTA's image in the mirror is very likely that of Alice.



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1. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR ...Sabalenka carried over her '22 WTAF heroics (when she def. the world #1, #2 and #3 but came up short of the title) into the new season, winning her first 13 matches and (finally) her maiden slam crown at the Australian Open. While she failed to pick up either end of the Sunshine swing, Sabalenka's RU/QF results at IW/Miami helped edge her closer to top-ranked Swiatek (who failed to defend either of her '22 titles) as she looks to put pressure on the Pole for the #1 ranking over the spring/summer.
2. Elena Rybakina, KAZ ...last year's Wimbledon title run provided the foundation of confidence on which the Kazakh thrived in the opening months of '23 as she became just the sixth woman to reach the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami in the same season. She may have come within a converted 1st set SP (of 5 she held) of having enough momentum to complete the Sunshine Double. While Rybakina still lags behind in the rankings (at #7 even w/o her SW19 points), she's clearly been among the Top 3 players on tour over the past 10 months (w/ Sabalenka, Krejcikova and *maybe* Garcia, though overwhelming just the Pastry's late '22 self).
3. Krejcikova/Siniakova, CZE/CZE ...there isn't much that the Czechs haven't won, with a trophy case filled with hardware from all four slams, the Olympics and the WTAF. They added a 7th major crown in Melbourne with a successful AO title defense, but hadn't won either end of the Sunshine swing until their Indian Wells title run in March. Siniakova's injury (in singles) prevented a Sunshine Double attempt, but a true Grand Slam season is *still* within the realm of possibility. They've won 24 straight matches in slam play, and are 11-0 overall in '23.
4. Diede de Groot, NED (WC) ...as usual, de Groot has been unbeatable. Literally. 14-0 in '23, de Groot has won 88 straight wheelchair singles matches dating back to January '21, and in Melbourne she won her *ninth* straight major title (17th WS overall). While doubles, with de Groot only 50% of the equation on one side of the net, is always more of an "even" contest, she still teamed w/ Aniek Van Koot at the AO to win her 16th WD slam.
5. Petra Kvitova, CZE ...while she's been a consistent Top 10/20 player for more than a decade, Kvitova is having a resurgent season at age 33. She's already recorded two Top 3 wins this season (her most since '18), and just completed her best Sunshine swing *ever* with an Indian Wells QF and Miami title run that lifted her back into the Top 10.
6. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE ...healthy to start the year, Krejcikova has gone about reasserting herself on the big stage. Along with the expected unsurpassed doubles success (AO/IW wins), Krejcikova posted 4th Round results in the three biggest singles events on the schedule (AO + Sunshine) and won her biggest title since Roland Garros '21 at the 1000-level Dubai, where she defeated the *entire* Top 3 and improved to 2-0 vs. Iga Swiatek in singles finals.
7. Belinda Bencic, SUI ...while the Swiss' quarter ended in a downward slope (1-3), Bencic is one of two players (w/ Sabalenka) with multiple singles titles (Adelaide/Abu Dhabi) in '23 and started 14-2 after ending last year by leading Switzerland to the BJK Cup championship.
8. Iga Swiatek, POL ...the world #1 has continued to do (mostly) "Iga things," such as recording 15 bagel/breadstick sets and reached the final of both sides of the Desert Double (Doha W, Dubai RU). But she's also proven to be mortal vs. big hitters (0-3 vs. Rybakina/Sabalenka since the U.S. Open), gone winless vs. an opponent lacking fear from Ball One (0-2 vs. Krejcikova in finals since last summer), and is 2-2 vs. the Top 10 in '23 (she was 15-2 last year).
9. Gauff/Pegula, USA/USA ...the season's #2 doubles team behind the Czechs, with titles in Doha and Miami and w/ an AO semifinal.
10. Jessie Pegula, USA ...along with her pair of doubles titles, Pegula has excelled in big events (AO QF, Dubai SF, IW 4r, Mia SF), reached a final (Doha 500) and even posted a #1 win (albeit in United Cup play), but hasn't yet added to her breakthrough 1000 title in Guadalajara in late '22
HM- Luisa Stefani, BRA ...fresh off her late 2022 comeback from knee surgery, Stefani won her maiden slam title (MX) at the AO, along with a pair of 500 level doubles crowns
=ADDITIONAL NOMINEES=
S.Cirstea/ROU, C.Garcia/FRA, C.Gauff/USA, Y.Kamiji/JPN (WC), V.Kudermetova/L.Samsonova (RUS/RUS) M.Linette/POL, A.Potapova/RUS, M.Sakkari/GRE, A.Sutjiadi/INA, T.Townsend/USA, D.Vekic/CRO, L.Zhu/CHN






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1. AS "EASY" AS 1-2-3
...if most of the rest of the tour cowers at the sight of the world #1, Barbora Krejcikova most definitely does not. The result in Dubai of such fearlessness was perhaps what will ultimately be the greatest week of results of any player on tour this season, as the 27-year old Czech not only saved 4 MP in the early rounds, but also became just the fifth woman (though the second in four months) to defeat the world's top three players in the same event, closing out her four Top 10-win run by becoming the first player to defeat Iga Swiatek twice since the Pole rose to the top ranking a year ago, doing so for the second time in a final.

Of course, anyone with even a thread of a sense of the tour landscape *knew* before Dubai knew that it was laughable to consider Krejcikova just the 30th-best player in the WTA, no matter what her ranking heading into the week might have said. Truth is, she was ranked #2 a year ago, before an elbow injury cost her three months and then she contracted Covid upon her return. The Czech didn't really rediscover her form until the fall, when she won back-to-back titles, posting five Top 20 wins over two weeks and handing Swiatek her first loss in a final in two years with a home soil title run in Ostrava!!! before a crowd providing her with much vocal support.

In some ways, Dubai was a super-charged version of Ostrava!!!, as a strong Czech presence in the stands once again buoyed Krejcikova, who rode it to her first 1000 crown and biggest title since winning Roland Garros in 2021.

After a week-opening win over Irina-Camelia Begu, Krejcikova saved 4 MP vs. #8 Dasha Kasatkina to record her first Top 10 win of 2023, then allowed just five games to countrywoman Petra Kvitova in the next round. After dropping the 1st at love to #2 Aryna Sabalenka, Krejcikova rallied from 6-0/3-1 down to win in three sets, handing the AO champ her first loss of the season. Picking up steam, the Czech defeated #3 Jessie Pegula, presenting the Bannerette a 3rd set bagel as a parting birthday present (though Pegula ultimately chose nacho-flavored Doritos in preparation for her flight home) to reach her ninth career final, and then defeated #1 Swiatek 6-4/6-2 to claim her sixth tour singles crown.



The win not only returned Krejcikova to the Top 20, but sent her into the spring and beyond with the gravitas and threat level reputation worthy of a former slam champion, something she temporarily lost during her times of trouble last year.
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2. ARYNA 2.0
...A year ago, Sabalenka couldn't have looked less ready to play for a slam crown, despite having been a Top 10 fixture since early 2019 and a two-time major semifinalist in 2021. The ("flagless," for the purposes of tour play) Belarusian's serve was routinely producing 15+ DF a match, exposing technical flaws in a game already sometimes hamstrung by Sabalenka's inability to handle her emotions in big matches and unwillingness to play with slightly less risk by pulling back a bit on her big shots when prudence was a more advantageous tactic than shear blunt force. Finally admitting that something had to be done, Sabalenka and her coaching team (led by Anton Dubrov) utilized a biomechanical specialist to fix the kinks in her swing, making it more reliable and less of a dragging anchor that triggered her frustrations.

It paid immediate dividends, as Sabelenka reached the U.S. Open semis, leading eventual champ Swiatek 4-2 in the 3rd set, and advanced to the WTA Finals, where she became the fourth woman in tour history to post wins over the world #1 (Iga, in a redemptive semi), #2 and #3 in a single event, reaching the final and losing to Caroline Garcia but gaining more confidence during the week about her direction than any disappointment that came with the loss.

The surge carried over into '23 after a good training period in the offseason got Sabalenka into the best physical condition of her career. The goal of the mental aspect of her game similarly improving would make the biggest difference, though, as it was tasked with riding and trying to survive the wave associated with the likely rise and fall of the beta testing of her game's additional upgrades. Sabalenka stopped working with a sports psychologist during the offseason, and in Melbourne took to calling herself her "own psychologist" after having determined that it was up to *her* to fix her own problems. It was a retro, eyebrow-raising move on a tour that has recently (largely due to Swiatek's actions) come to embrace such assistance after decades of the practice being viewed by some players as making them appear "mentally weak."

The "new" Aryna surely was in full bloom Down Under, as Sabalenka opened the season with a dominant title run in Adelaide and then carried over her roll to Melbourne, dropping just one set (in the final vs. Elena Rybakina) en route to her maiden slam crown as, throughout the AO, when faced with a bad string of shots, pressure from her opponent's success, or an occasional DF on a big point, the "2.0" version of the Belarusian made it a practice to push the "amnesia button," smile and put on a positive face, moving on and immediately rebounding with an uptick in her play while not allowing it to cause her to lose focus and then control of a match.

It was a pattern that helped her greatly vs. Magda Linette in the semis, as the Pole had extended points and produced errors that the old Sabalenka may have allowed to eat away at her confidence and state of mind, then in the final after dropping the opening set, remaining calm and winning the final's most important points down the stretch.



With one grand result, Sabalenka was *officially* a player on every level of possibility.
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3. CALM IN THE SUNSHINE
...while all around her were losing their heads in Indian Wells, Elena Rybakina was (as usual) the preternatural calm amid the proverbial storm.

The reigning Wimbledon champ only further gilded her growing reputation in the California desert, reeling off consecutive wins over a former slam champ (Sofia Kenin), former I.W. winner (Paula Badosa), Varvara Gracheva and Karolina Muchova to reach the SF. From there she proceeded to defeat both the world #1 (Iga, the Kazakh's third top-ranked win since the start of last year) and #2 (Aryna Sabalenka in an AO final "do-over") without dropping a set, becoming the first woman to pull off the feat in the event's history while also winning her *fourth* straight match vs. players ranked in the Top 2.

After a cross-country trip, Rybakina carried over her Indian Wells flow to the swifter Miami courts and, after struggling with the transition in the early rounds, very nearly completed an historic Sunshine Double.

Ultimately, she settled for being the sixth woman to reach the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami finals in the same season (first since 2012, Maria Sharapova), and the tenth different to reach the final of both ends of the Sunshine swing (it's happened 13 times, with only Steffi Graf and Sharapova doing it more than once).

Rybakina took three sets to defeat Anna Kalinskaya in her opening match, then rallied from 6-2/4-2 back (saving a MP) to take out Paula Badosa. She finally hit her stride with straight sets wins over Elise Mertens, Martina Trevisan and Jessie Pegula, the latter extending her Top 5 winning streak to five (and overall run to 13).

Rybakina had five SP opportunities come and go vs. Petra Kvitova in the final, and after the Czech converted her own 5th SP in the 1st the match quickly slipped away in the 2nd. Still, the Kazakh put in 12 aces to extend her strong serving numbers in the tournament (14-12-10-10-10-12) as she's the first woman to record 10+ aces in six matches in an event since Serena Williams (naturally) at Wimbledon in 2015.
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4. TO LIVE AND POJD IN F-L-A
...maybe, just maybe, Petra Kvitova has a big surprise still waiting to be sprung in a career perhaps looking for one more big surge. The Czech surely resembled the multi-slam winner, #1 contender and awe-inducing competitor of old in Miami.

After posting her best Indian Wells result (QF) since 2016, Kvitova worked her way through the Miami draw with varying degress of "ease." Linda Noskova recorded just three games, while Donna Vekic (via a 2nd set TB) and Varvara Gracheva (Petra rallied from 5-2 in the 2nd to win 7-5/7-6) went out in four close sets as Kvitova matched her best Miami runs (QF in 2014, '19 and '22), assuring herself of the best combined Sunshine swing of her career. But she wasn't anywhere near finished.

Kvitova dropped her first set of the week, but eliminated Ekaterina Alexandrova in three to reach her 20th 1000 SF, then took out Sorana Cirstea (who'd led 5-2 in the 1st) in straights to reach her maiden Miami (or S.S.) final in her 13th appearance in the event. Against Elena Rybakina, the Czech denied the Kazakh 5 SP in the 1st, took the opener on her own 5th SP and then seized control of the 2nd to win 7-6/6-3, ending Rybkina's 13-match win streak, denying a "Sunshine Double," and taking her 30th career title, the biggest since winning in Madrid in 2018. The only bigger title she's won on hard court (albeit indoors) came at the WTA Finals all the back in 2011.



At 33 in just less than a month, the Czech is the second oldest Miami champ behind only Serena Williams in 2015, and returned to the Top 10 for the first time since September 2021.
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5. BETTER CALL BENCIC AGAIN
...Belinda Bencic has been carrying the weight of her vast potential since she was in her mid-teens. She's often proven the whispers were more than just talk, but has been hampered by injuries when it's come to truly glorious success on big stages.

The Swiss surely looked capable of grand things in Adelaide, posting wins over Garbine Muguruza, Anna Kalinskaya and Caroline Garica (the Pastry took the only set lost by Bencic of nine played in Week 2) before receiving a SF walkover from Veronika Kudermetova into her first singles final since June, and first on hard court since the Tokyo Olympics in '21.

The Swiss dominated Dasha Kasatkina in the final for her second Top 10 win of the week (w/ Garcia), winning love & 2 to claim her seventh career tour crown and first since taking Charleston last April, and moved back into the Top 10.



After an Australian Open 4th Round result, Bencic roared into February in Abu Dhabi.

There, Bencic ran through the MD to the final (#17) without dropping a set. She swept the final four games of the 2nd set in her opener vs. Marta Kostyuk to avoid a 3rd, then took out Shelby Rogers and Beatriz Haddad Maia in straights to reach her second 2023 singles final. After dropping the 1st set of the final to Liudmila Samsonova, the Swiss took a 5-2 lead and served for the set a game later.

But things didn't go as planned, and Bencic had to fight off a furious comeback from the Hordette, who took the lead in the set, had three BP chances to serve for the match, and then three MP in the TB to take home the crown. But Bencic proved to be the more consistent and better pressure player down the stretch, sending things to a 3rd and seizing a lead mid-set that she never relinquished, picking up her eighth career title and second this season (both at 500 level events), tying AO champ Aryna Sabalenka for the '23 tour lead.


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6. IGA'S DESERT OASIS
...over the opening month of 2023, Swiatek gave the rest of the tour a much-needed gulp of air. She lost twice, in United Cup play (to Jessie Pegula) and then again in the Australian Open Round of 16 (to Elena Rybakina). Aryna Sabalenka won her maiden slam, with Rybakina reaching the final. Suddenly, the door seemed ajar for someone -- maybe more than one -- to challenge the #1-ranked Pole's position atop and ahead of the field this season.

As things have played out, the clay season begins with the usual big-hitting suspects looking to have an opening to chase down the Pole in '23, but one sterling week in Doha showed that with Swiatek, it's never wise to speak too soon.

In the first title defense in '23 of any of the eight singles crowns she won a season ago, Swiatek smothered the field in Doha, where she began her 37-match winning streak a year ago. She allowed just five games en route to the title, the 12th of her WTA career. Sure, she got a 1st Round bye and QF walkover (from Abu Dhabi champ Belinda Bencic), but still. We'd seen *this* Iga before. The master baker with a flair for delivering bagels and breadsticks to opponents while maintaining a humble disposition and a kind word for all.

Swiatek burst out of the gates in her first post-AO event, allowing 1 game to Danielle Collins, then (rested after getting to skip the QF round) just one to Veronika Kudermetova to reach her 14th career final. There, in cold and windy conditions, Pegula put up a fight in the 1st set, but once Swiatek got her clutches into the match she only squeezed tighter as things went along. After allowing an "unforgivable" three games in the 1st set, she served up a bagel in the 2nd.

Swiatek had a chance to add a "Desert Double" (it would have been the first since Henin's in 2007) to her "Sunshine Double" from a year ago, but after reaching the championship match was handled in a second straight singles final (after Ostrava!!! last fall) by Barbora Krejcikova in Dubai.
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7. MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF
...the sound of Alycia Parks' footsteps in the tour background have been audible for a while now, starting with her record big serve (129 mph) at the U.S. Open in '21 and up to the fall surge last year that included her maiden Top 10 win (Sakkari) and season-closing, highlight-heavy sprint that included an Ostrava!!! QF, $80K final and back-to-back 125 crowns.

Ranked at #79, the 22-year old's run in Lyon quickly turned from intriguing to serious as the week went on, as her lethal serve proved to be backed up by speed, ground power, surprising touch and an important calm under pressure (along with a Serena-eque penchant for pulling out aces on BP). Three-set wins over Julia Grabher and Petra Martic were quickly followed by straight sets advances past Danka Kovinic and Maryna Zanevska in Parks' maiden tour-level semi, setting up a final vs. home favorite Caroline Garcia in a match that *felt* a whole lot bigger than the decider of a 250 event a week after a major.

It was Parks' first real turn in the spotlight, and how she reacted to it was going to set immediate limits/heights when it came to what she might be capable of achieving in the future. Well...

In an intense match-up with almost a slam final aura and Cup-like reactions from the French fans, nearly every game had a "pin drop" quality because it was clear that a single blink from either player was probably going to decide each set, Parks held her own. More so, really. She outserved and outdueled Garcia, who wasn't off her game in the slightest. She fired 15 aces in two sets, winning a 7-6/7-5 contest that included just one break of serve (and it came via a DF by Garcia on Parks' first MP).



Maybe most impressive was Parks' ability to overcome a few cracks in her second serve in the 2nd set, where she held off several challenges from Garcia's return game (w/ an assist from a couple ill-timed forehand errors at the net from the Pastry) and, when the French crowd began to cheer her first serve faults, responding with an ace to wipe away a BP, followed by a "come on!" roar and "rise up" gesture to the stands... and then the clarity of mind to cool her emotions and settle into the next game. The match was over about two minutes later.



On a 16-1 run since late last season, with her maiden tour title and *nearly* a Top 50 ranking, the Bannerette looked like she could be about to become *the* breakout hit of the season (well, at least she did until she had a hard time getting out of her own way the rest of the 1Q, going 1-5 and winning just 2 of 13 sets over her next five tournaments.).


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8. DONNA'S MONTERREY REIGN
...Donna Vekic almost gave up, but never did. And now she's back in the game.

After undergoing knee surgery after the '21 Australian Open, Vekic struggled for large chunks of two seasons to rehab, get in shape and stay on the court. She nearly threw up her hands and retired. A surprise title run in Courmayeur late in the '21 season kept her head in the game, but it was nearly a year after that before the Croat finally began to again resemble the player who'd reached a slam QF in '19 (U.S.) and climbed as high as #19.

Last fall in San Diego, Vekic reached her biggest career final in three years and posted Top 10 wins over Maria Sakkari and Aryna Sabalenka before falling to Iga Swiatek. The run proved to her that she was close, and she's carried over her momentum into '23, going undefeated in United Cup play (3-0), reaching her second career major QF in Melbourne, following up with a tour-level QF in Linz, and then perservered in Monterrey until Caroline Garcia finally blinked and broke in the closing moments of the final.

Wins over Lesia Tsurenko (ret.), Emma Navarro, Ysaline Bonaventure (who'd fought off 9 BP and 2 MP in the 3rd to reach a deciding TB) and Zhu Lin preceded Vekic's 11th career final.



There, Vekic jumped out to a set and a break lead, then just tried to survive the onslaught of Garcia's serving and aggressive play. She couldn't even carve out a BP for nearly two full sets, while knocking down numerous Garcia BP (8 in the 3rd alone) without giving up ground on the scoreboard. Garcia held from love/30 down late in the 3rd, knotting the score at 5-5. But Vekic didn't lose another point, holding at love and then breaking the Pastry to seal the crown on her first BP since the start of the 2nd set.

Vekic's 4th career tour title lifted her to her highest ranking since 2020 after ending the last two seasons outside the Top 60.

They say good things come to those who wait, and there are numerous quotes about how sweat creates success. If it's all true, then Vekic might have even bigger things coming just around the corner.
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HM- THE WTA'S LATEST CRUSH(ER)
...18-year old Czech Linda Noskova didn't win her first tour title in Adelaide, but her Week 1 accomplishments more than make up for that minor flaw. All Noskova did in her '23 season opening week was make it through qualifying, post her first two career Top 10 wins and another over a former #1/slam champion, twice winning matches after being MP down en route to her maiden tour singles final *and* putting herself within a whisper of her Top 50 debut (jumping from #102).

A season ago, Noskova, the '21 RG junior champ, made significant noise, pushing Emma Raducanu in her slam MD debut at Roland Garros, notching her first Top 50 win (Alize Cornet), reaching her first tour SF (Prague), twice qualifying for majors (RG/US), cracking the Top 100, winning her biggest career title ($100K) and being part of the all-Czech duo (w/ Lucie Hradecka) that upset Venus & Serena Williams in the opening round of WD at the U.S. Open.

Nothing prepared her for Week 1, though.

Noskova admitted to really only expecting to play qualifying in Adelaide, and her expectations were very nearly met. She had to save MP vs. Anna Kalinskaya in her opening Q-match, then allowed just five games to Anastasia Potapova to reach the MD. #8 Dasha Kasatkina fell for the Czech's maiden Top 10 win, followed by Claire Liu and Victoria Azarenka (the teenager saved another MP vs. Vika). But Noskova wasn't finished, as #2 Ons Jabeur was taken out in the semis to send her into her first WTA final. #5 Aryna Sabalenka was not to be denied in the championship match, but only after having to win a 2nd set TB over the teenager to avoid going three.



The new Crusher #1a, for now, Noskova moved past Linda Fruhvirtova ('21 Chennai champ) to become the highest ranked of the gathering Crush of teen Czechs plotting their WTA takeover, rising to #56 the following Monday. She ended the 1Q at #54, the highest ranked of the seven Czech teens ranked in the Top 300.
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*HAPPIEST POLE x 30*


Magda Linette after reaching the Australian Open semifinals at age 30 in her 30th slam MD with a win over the #30 seed





*BEST FAN: THE NEXT GENERATION*





*YOU DON'T SEE ME*


Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark? Donna Vekic's version of "disrespect" is, quite simply, brutal.




*HONESTY IS THE BEST OSTAPENKO POLICY*





*RADWANSKA LEGENDS COMPETITION HIGHLIGHT BREAK*





*BEST ON-COURT "MOM MOMENT"*





*TWEENER PARADE*





*WORST TROPHY*

It'd be fine for a draw ceremony cake, but for the champion to lift high while everyone is taking photos... umm, do better, Linz.




*BEST TROPHY*


A week later, the Doha trophy pretty much openly mocked its Linz counterpart...




*BETTER-LATE-THAN-NEVER, RIDICULOUSLY OVERDUE HALL OF FAME SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT*




Here's the bio listed for Vergeer on the HoF site...

"Esther Vergeer is one of the most decorated athletes in Dutch sport history as a 21-time singles Grand Slam champion, 13-time International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Champion and four-time Paralympic gold medalist in singles. For 668-uninterrupted weeks spanning from October 2000 to January 2013, she topped the world rankings, and retired with a singles winning streak of 470 victories. Vergeer’s career in doubles was equally impressive, as she won 23 Grand Slam titles and four Paralympic medals. In all, Vergeer captured 169 singles titles, 136 doubles titles, and posted a singles career winning percentage of 96 percent."


*SANIA CLOSES THE BOOK*





*BEST NON-TENNIS PLAYING TENNIS SISTER*





*BEST PHOTO*








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IMPROVED COMEBACK
1. Zhu Lin, CHN 1. Donna Vekic, CRO
2. Linda Noskova, CZE 2. Luisa Stefani, BRA
3. Varvara Gracheva, RUS 3. Karolina Muchova, CZE
4. Cristina Bucsa, ESP 4. Rebecca Peterson, SWE
5. Peyton Stearns, USA 5. Taylor Townsend, USA
6. Viktoriya Tomova, BUL 6. Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
7. Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA 7. Sofia Kenin, USA
8. Caty McNally, USA 8. Jaqueline Cristian, ROU
9. Katie Volynets, USA 9. Sara Errani, ITA
10. Rebeka Masarova, ESP 10. Jiske Griffioen, NED (WC)
HM- Diana Shnaider, RUS HM- Clara Tauson, DEN


SURPRISE ITF
1. Sorana Cirsta, ROU 1. Oceane Dodin, FRA
2. Magda Linette, POL 2. Jaqueline Cristian, ROU
3. Katherine Sebov, CAN 3. Greet Minnen, BEL
4. Ysaline Bonaventure, BEL 4. Katie Boulter, GBR
5. Mirjam Bjorklund, SWE 5. Arantxa Rus, NED
HM- Kimberly Birrell, AUS HM- Jang Su-jeong, KOR


DOWN JUNIORS
1. Anett Kontaveit, EST 1. Alina Korneeva, RUS
2. Amanda Anisimova, USA 2. Mirra Andreeva, RUS
3. Jule Niemeier, GER 3. Clervie Ngounoue, USA
4. Garbine Muguruza, ESP 4. Lucciana Perez Alarcon, PER
5. Alize Cornet, FRA 5. Federica Urgesi, ITA
6. Ons Jabeur, TUN 6. Mayu Crossley, JPN
7. Sloane Stephens, USA 7. Iva Jovic, USA
8. Alycia Parks, USA (post-Lyon) 8. Sara Saito, JPN
9. Dasha Kasatkina, RUS 9. Vlada Mincheva, RUS
10. Danielle Collins, USA 10. Valerie Glozman, USA


COACH [PLAYER]
1. Anton Dubrov [Sabalenka]
2. Stefani Vukov [Rybakina]
3. Thomas Johansson [Cirstea]
4. Nikola Horvat/Pam Shriver [Vekic]
5. David Witt [Pegula]
6. Dmitry Tursunov [Bencic]
7. Ales Kartus [Krejcikova]
8. Jiri Vanek [Kvitova]
9. Mark Gellard [Linette]
10. Igor Andreev [Potapova]


ALSO: Top Matches of the 1st Quarter


All for now.
2023 1Q BSAs, Pt.1: 99 Issues But Good Drama Isn't One
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