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Wednesday, June 14, 2023

2023 Clay Court Awards: Iga Pulls on Her Bossypants


Ready for their Parisian buddy flick?




I've already posted the lists of the Top Players of the clay court season, as well as the "Ms.Backspin" player-of-the-year update.

As for the rest...










1. DOWN GOES IGA, and here comes Aryna
...Aryna Sabalenka's pursuit of Iga Swiatek needed a "signature" moment. In Madrid, she got it, as her quest for #1 officially picked up steam with her first defeat of the Pole on her favored clay.

Sabalenka lost just one set en route to her fifth final of the season, defeating Sorana Cirstea, Camila Osorio, Mirra Andreeva, Mayar Sherif (in three) and Maria Sakkari, setting up her third final against Swiatek in a little over a year.

In a match of shifting momentum (after being tied at 3-3 in the 1st, the match concluded with the final two and a half sets featuring seven consecutive alternating blocks of three-game winning streaks), Sabalenka prevailed 6-3/3-6/6-3 with clutch match play down the stretch, overcoming a shaky mid-3rd set stretch (at 3-1, she was broken at love with a string of UE and a game-ending DF), then holding from love/15 in game #7 and breaking for a 5-3 lead a game later. She again rallied from 15/30 to serve out the championship, saving a BP and finally converting on her fourth MP to win her third '23 title, the 13th of her career and second on the fast clay in Madrid in three years.
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2. MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS
...right on cue two weeks ago, the symbiotic relationship between the Pole and the terre battue picked right up where it had left off. Swiatek came the Roland Garros final not having dropped a set, having produced one love & love win, strung together 23 straight games at one point, and extended her tournament winning streak to 13 matches.

As all the players who'd given her trouble over the last nine months fell by the wayside, Swiatek's path to a third RG crown seemed ever more true.

Even without a true top-tier, big-hitting challenge en route to the crown, Iga proved battle-worthy while passing the late test of Beatriz Haddad Maia in the semis (though the Brazilian couldn't force a 3rd set, with Swiatek winning a tight 2nd set TB), then was taken to three sets in the final by Karolina Muchova, a first in Swiatek's four career slam finals (she was 12-1 in career two-set finals, but just 1-3 in finals that went the distance).

After dropping the first two games of the set at love, Swiatek proved the more consistent and battle-tested down the stretch, winning 6-2/5-7/6-4.



The Poles' win gives her three RG title runs in four years, the best stretch since Justine Henin's four-in-five year dominance that began 20 years ago in 2003, and Iga's successful defense is the first in Paris since the Belgian claimed three straight from 2005-07.

28-2 in her Roland Garros career, Swiatek is the third woman (Seles, Osaka) in the Open era to begin her slam final career at 4-0.
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3. DIEDE...and counting
...wheelchair #1 Diede de Groot continues to do great things. Her title run at Roland Garros was her 18th career singles slam, 10th straight and extends her monumental overall winning streak to 103 matches (including 22 in a row over #2 Yui Kamiji).

De Groot hasn't lost since January... in 2021.


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4. BACK TO THE BEGINNING
...since winning the U.S. Open title, Iga Swiatek had defended a title in Doha, but her course was certainly traversed on more of an "uphill" path. Heading into Stuttgart, she'd gone 0-3 (all on hard court) vs. her (in theory) two closest competitors (Sabalenka & Rybakina), lost in two finals to the same player (Krejcikova), failed to reach the QF in a non-grass major (AO 4r) for the first time in 16 months, and was just 2-2 vs. Top 10 competition this season (after going 15-2 in '22).

Enter the clay season. And Stuttgart, where her undefeated '22 spring clay run began.

Just one event into her '23 clay campaign, Swiatek greatly massaged those numbers by defending her Stuttgart crown and winning in her sixth straight clay final, adding a pair of Top 5 victories to close out a week during which she won a Porsche for her dad. The road to such an ending included a straight sets victory over Zheng Qinwen (who'd won one of the two sets Iga lost during her clay streak in '22), outlasted Karolina Pliskova in three, and saw Ons Jabeur retire just three games into their semifinal. In a final rematch vs. Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek gave up a few more games (4 a year ago, 7 this time) but emerged with career title #13.


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5. JABEURWOCKY!
...no surface is a hindrance to Ons Jabeur displaying her unique brand of magical tennis realism.

Handling the weather conditions (rain, wind) and delays that altered the structured timeline of the week, Jabeur managed to find her way through the draw without losing a set, handing out straight sets defeats to Lesia Tsurenko, Caroline Dolehide, Anna Kalinskaya (who retired deep into the 2nd) and Dasha Kasatkina (rallying from a double break down in 1st and utilizing a 4-hour rain delay at 5-3 to mentally turn around the match, staging a comeback to claim the 1st and then overcoming an early break in the 2nd) to return to the Charleston final, where she lost in three sets a year ago to Belinda Bencic.

After being forced to finish her suspended SF on Easter Sunday (it only took six points to finish off Jessie Pegula), Bencic was again Jabeur's opponent with the Charleston title on the line. Once again, Jabeur found her way to the front of the line from an early disadvantage, coming back from 5-3 down in the 1st and winning the opener on her 6th SP, then going on to claim the title without having lost a single set all week, winning 7-6(6)/6-4.


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6. DON'T LOOK BACK, SLOVENIANS MAY BE GAINING ON YOU HAVE ALREADY PASSED YOU BY
...in Koper (SLO), Romania took a 2-0 lead on Friday, then condensed a decade(-plus) of Fed/BJK Cup frustration into a one day (plus one match) collapse of epic proportions as Slovenia became just the eighth team to stage a successful comeback from a Day 1 shutout in the best-of-five World Group format, the first to do so in eight years, and the first ever in the BJK Cup era.

After Kaja Juvan blew a 4-0 3rd set lead over Bogdan in match #1, then Tamara Zidansek lost in three to Jaqueline Cristian to put Slovenia in a 0-2 hole at home, the chances that these two would stage an heroic rally on the weekend seemed *very* remote. But... Zidansek pulled SLO back from the brink in match #3, as Bogdan led 6-3/4-2, and twice served for the match (and tie) in the 2nd, then led 5-2 in the 3rd and served for the win again at 5-3. Zidansek swept the final five games.

Juvan handled Cristian 2 & 4, then headed to the deciding doubles alongside Zidansek against Irina Maria Bara & Monica Niculescu, the latter the remaining holdover from the "Swarmette" generation of Romanians -- which included the likes of Halep, Cirstea, Dulgheru, Buzarnescu, Olaru and others -- that never lived up to expected Cup glory.

The match was suspended at 3-3 in the 1st, first for nearby lightning and then for rain. Everyone returned on Sunday morning, where the Slovenians had one more comeback in them, dropping the 1st, then twice rallying from a break disadvantage in the 3rd for a 4-6/6-2/6-4 win to advance to the BJK Finals event this fall.


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7. THE GIRL IN THE MIRRA
...few have recently had the immediate junior-to-pro impact that just-turned 16-year old Hordette Mirra Andreeva had during this clay season, so soon after her teary loss in the Australian Open girls' final in January.

From her ITF success (becoming the first player under 16 to collect two -- and then a third -- $60K or better challenger wins in their career) to Madrid 4th Round run, qualification for Roland Garros, and then consecutive MD wins in Paris while barely batting an eye as she played into the 3rd Round (losing to former 15/16-year old phenom -- all the way back in 2019 -- Coco Gauff), but not before charming the press and fans alike.



As impressive as her Paris results were, what she did in Madrid was even more so. Given a wild card into her maiden 1000 event, Andreeva strung together wins over U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, #14 Beatriz Haddad Maia (who'd soon reach the RG semis) and (on her 16th birthday) Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette to storm her way into the second week without dropping a set. The kid finally lost to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.

In all, Andreeva has gone 22-3 in pro events (all on clay) since the AO junior final.
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8. THE UKRAINIAN ROMAN GLADIATOR
...Anhelina Kalinina has gotten the least attention of the Ukrainian players over the past year, but she's been the best, had already been the highest ranked, and was once again (in the Top 25) after putting in an immense amount of work in Rome en route to her first 1000 level final. Of course, all that match time came back to bite her in the end vs. Elena Rybakina, as she was forced to retire from the championship match just one game into the 2nd set.

Kalinina both opened and closed her Rome winning streak with wins over Russians, defeating Anna Blinkova and Veronika Kudermetova (in the latter, winning out in a three-setter in which she'd failed to serve out the 2nd and lost the last 16 points of the set before quickly bouncing back), and knocking off a pair of Bannerettes (Sofia Kenin and Madison Keys) and a Brazilian (Beatriz Haddad Maia, against whom she rallied from 3-0 down in the 3rd to win in 3:41) in between.

After a promising start in the final vs. Rybakina (she led 3-1 in the 1st), Kalinina's Roman wear-and-tear finally forced her to pull up.


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9. LEYLAH: BEYOND THUNDERDOME
...Leylah Fernandez seems especially built for BJK Cup play, as few players can fire up a crowd with more flair, or be inspired to still greater heights from the corresponding roars that she's helped to create (see her '21 U.S. Open run).

Her love & 3 win over Yanina Wickmayer in the opening match of Canada's Qualifier tie vs. Belgium appeared to signal an easy weekend, but she turned out to be the only woman in the Qualifier round to have a hand in all three of her nation's points in a tie victory. Point #2 gave Canada a 2-1 lead via a three-set win over Ysaline Bonaventure, as Fernandez rallied from a set and break down at 6-4/3-2 to keep the home court advantage turned up to 10 (or 11?). After having started her Cup singles career at at 0-2, the two-win weekend gives Fernandez an 8-1 mark over the last three years.

After the tie was pushed to the deciding doubles, point #3 came alongside Gaby Dabrowski in a straight sets win over Kirsten Flipkens & Greet Minnen.


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10. ELINA ON THE COMEBACK
...after the week in Strasbourg began with her first tour-level MD win since her April return from materinity leave (she'd been 0-3 in WTA MD matches), Elina Svitolina (#508) went on to become the second lowest-ranked singles champion in tour history.

In the semis, Svitolina staged a comeback from a set and 4-1 back vs. Clara Burel to reach her first WTA final since winning in Chicago in October '21. In the final against Anna Blinkova, on the eve of Roland Garro's start, Svitolina handled the Hordette with ease in a 6-2/6-3 win to claim the 17th tour-level title of her career.

Svitolina then went to Paris and reached the QF, getting wins over two '22 Roland Garros semifinalists (Martina Trevisan and Dasha Kasatkina) and ending the tournament having climbed from #1344 two months earlier to #73.

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Elina Avanesyan (RG) ...first lucky loser to reach Round of 16 at a slam since 1993
Gauff/Pegula ...go title-less in spring, but reach finals of two biggest non-slam events (Madrid/Rome) and semis in Paris
Beatriz Haddad Maia (RG) ...first Brazilian to reach a slam singles SF since 1968 (Maria Bueno), and is first to crack singles Top 10 in Open era
Hsieh Su-wei (RG) ...after 18 months out, wins fifth slam WD title (w/ Wang Xinyu)
Yui Kamiji (WC) ...reached RG singles (record 25th F in a slam) and doubles (winning slam WD #19) finals, was undefeated (22-0 cc/hc) vs. non-Diede opponents and 17-0 in doubles
Veronika Kudermetova (Madrid/Rome) ...only player to reach the semis in both ends of the consecutive two-week long tour stops in Madrid and Rome (but has now failed to advance to the final in her last eight SF runs)
Francesca Jones (Bogota) ...world #817, after missing a year of action, reaches first career WTA semi
Alina Korneeva (RG jr.) ...first to win back-to-backk junior slam titles since 2013
Krawczyk/Schuurs (Stuttgart) ...duo successfully defends their '22 doubles title
Tatjana Maria (Bogota) ...35-year old German defends '22 title, oldest WTA WS winner since 2020 (Serena, 38 - Auckland)
Karolina Muchova (RG) ...reaches her first slam singles final, rallying from 5-2 (and a MP) down in the 3rd vs. #2 Sabalenka in the semis and pushing #1 Swiatek to three sets in the championship match
Julia Riera (Rabat) ...20-year old Argentine (now 21) reaches semifinals in WTA debut event
Elena Rybakina (Rome) ...wins biggest career clay title, though w/ three ret. finishes (including in third '23 win over #1 Swiatek)
Peyton Stearns (Bogota) ...'22 NCAA champ reaches final in third career WTA MD appearance
Tian Fangren (NCAA) ...UCLA Bruin is first player from China to win college women's championship



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*SHOT OF THE YEAR NOMINEES?*





*TWEENER PARADE: CLAY COURT EDITION*





*MEANWHILE...*


Can we do this sort of thing for *every* coin toss?
















1. Madrid Final - Aryna Sabalenka def. Iga Swiatek
...6-3/3-6/6-3. When the top players in the world meet up, superb matches often result. Go figure.

Not only was this final between the two women their second in two events, it was their seventh meeting since the start of last season. And with them being the reigning champs at three majors, Sabalenka's first win over Iga on the Pole's favorite surface (in their fourth clay clash) will serve to only further deepen the meaning of future match-ups between the two.

Sabalenka had grabbed the opening set, sweeping the final three games. Swiatek took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd and then after Sabalenka had knotted the score swept the final three games to knot the match. The same pattern held up in the 3rd. Sabalenka led 3-0. Swiatek tied things at 3-3, then Sabalenka swept the final three games (the seventh consecutive alternating three-game sweep in the match). In between all that shifting momentum was some fine, sometimes epic, tennis.



In the 2nd set, Swiatek (according to the Tennis Channel commentators, she'd entered with the worst percentage in the Top 50 when it comes to BP saves) saved 2 BP in a key hold in game 7. In the 3rd, up 3-1, Sabalenka was broken at love with a string of UE and a DF off the net cord on BP.

At 3-3, though, Sabalenka completed a solid hold from love/15, then broke Swiatek in the following game. At 5-3, serving for the match and a truly significant title in the grand scheme of 2023 Tennis Things, Sabalenka fell behind 15/30. She produced her own lifeline with an ace. After an overturned line call gave Iga a BP rather than Aryna a MP, Sabalenka saved the point, then fired another ace to reach MP for the first time. Sabalenka was unable to get back Swiatek's squat shot off the baseline, though, keeping the match alive.

Sabalenka netted a forehand on MP #2, and Swiatek batted back a backhand return winner on #3. Finally, Sabalenka fired a forehand into the corner out of Iga's reach on her fourth MP attempt.

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2. Roland Garros 4th Rd. - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Sara Sorribes Tormo
...6-7(3)/6-3/7-5. This Round of 16 match promised to be another long, drawn-out affair, as both women have resumes filled with 3-hour plus matches. And it was, too.

Haddad Maia jumped ahead in the 1st set, but after leading 5-2 couldn't serve things out on three tries, then saw Sorribes Tormo claim a 7-3 TB.

The Spaniard raced to a double-break lead at 3-0 in the 2nd, and had three GP for 4-0. But Haddad Maia got the break and knotted the score. Another break gave her the chance to serve out the set, which she did by winning her sixth straight game.

The game streak went to seven, and the Brazilian built a 4-2 lead on the scoreboard. She held for 5-3, then had three MP on Sorribes Tormo's serve before she held the 11-minute game. Serving for the match, Haddad Maia fell behind 15/40 with three UE and was broken for 5-5.

As the momentum swung back and forth, Sorribes Tormo trailed love/30 on serve in game 11, reached GP, but still saw Haddad Maia get another late break and serve for the match for a second time.

She fell down love/30, but battled back and fired an inside-out lefty forehand that Sorribes Tormo couldn't get back, reaching her fourth MP. Another forehand, down the right sideline, propelled Haddad Maia into her first slam QF (and later SF, as she became the first Brazilian woman to reach the semis of a slam event since seven-time slam singles champ Bueno at the U.S. Open in 1968).



The 3:51 contest is the longest in women's tennis in 2023, topping what had been 3:41 match Haddad Maia had vs. Kalinina in Rome, and it's the longest since a 3:54 marathon last summer in Cleveland that featured Camila Osorio and, of course, Sorribes Tormo. It's the third longest in the RG MD in the Open era.


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3. Rome QF - Anhelina Kalinina def. Beatriz Haddad Maia
...6-7(2)/7-6(6)/6-3. Kalinina had held a SP in the 1st, and needed four in the 2nd to send things to a deciding set. But down 0-3 in the 3rd, the Ukrainian rallied against Haddad Maia, who was playing through a calf injury.

Ultimately, Kalinina payed the price for this one, too, it just took another one and a half matches for the bill to arrive, as she ultimately retired from the final.


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4. BJK Cup Qualifier Match #1 - Caroline Garcia/FRA def. Katie Boulter/GBR
...6-7(2)/7-6(4)/7-6(2). If the ultimate result of the tie depended on this match, it wouldn't have been a *huge* surprise, as the Brits showed a year ago that they know how to ride a little momentum and luck.

Boulter led 7-6/5-4, on serve in the 2nd, then was up a break at 4-2 in the 3rd before Garcia rode the wave of national pride -- again -- by winning consecutive tie-breaks to close out the 3:26 contest.


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5. Rabat QF - Sloane Stephens def. Peyton Stearns
...6-7(4)/6-3/7-6(6). Stephens shows that her fight is still close enough to the surface to (occasionally) be tapped when needed, as she rallied from a break down in the 3rd and saved 3 MP.

Of course, it came after Stephens twice failed to serve out the 1st set vs. Stearns, then after erasing a 4-2 3rd set deficit twice failed to serve out the match. Stearns led 6-3 in the deciding TB, but Stephens swept the final five points.


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6. Roland Garros 2nd Rd. - Anna Blinkova def. Caroline Garcia
...4-6/6-3/7-5. Days after reaching the Strasbourg final, Blinkova reached her second career slam 3rd Round ('19 RG) with an upset of #5 Garcia in a 2:50 battle that saw Blinkova take *nine* MP before she finally advanced. Blinkova defeated Garcia in the 2nd Round the *last* time she reached this stage in Paris, as well.

Garcia put up a fight with her back against the wall, and if she'd been able to hold serve late (or forced a deciding TB) might have surfed the French crowd all the way to a win. But Blinkova didn't, well, blink... at least not at the very end.

Blinkova served at 5-3 in the final set, holding double MP at 40/15. She held a third MP in the game before Garcia broke on her fourth BP, just her fourth converted BP in 15 chances on the day. But Garcia couldn't back up the break, and dropped serve to give Blinkova another chance to serve it out.

Blinkova went up 40/15 again, but DF'd on MP #4, and was passed by a Garcia backhand on #5. After saving BP, Blinkova DF'd in the wind on MP #6. She saved another BP with a deep serve and crosscourt forehand winner, but netted a low ball backhand down the line shot on MP #7. A Blinkova ace got her an eighth chance. Nope. Finally, on MP #9, Blinkova's 111-mph serve (her biggest of the day) was too much for Garcia to handle.


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7. Roland Garros 3rd Rd. - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...5-7/6-4/7-5.. Things took quite a bit longer, with far more drama, that she might have liked, but Haddad Maia managed to crash into her first slam second week with a three-set triumph over #23 Alexandrova, staging a comeback, squandering a lead, and saving a MP before coming out on top.

In the 1st, Alexandrova led 5-1, only to then be broken at love and lose eight of nine points. She served for the set again at 5-3, and held a SP on Haddad Maia's serve before the Brazilian held for 5-5. A game later, Alexandrova fell behind love/30 and saved a BP, but closed strong with a key hold and break to take the set 7-5.

With a break lead late in the 2nd, Haddad Maia saw Alexandrova level the set at 4-4, but responded by immediately breaking back and serving out the set to knot the match. The Brazilian then took a double-break lead at 4-1 in the 3rd, only to then drop her next two service games as Alexandrova won four straight games to lead 5-4. The Russian held a MP on Bia's serve a game later, but again Haddad Maia finished out a set strongly. She saved the MP and held to tie the match a 5-5. A break and hold combo finished off Alexandrova's chances.

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8. Rome 1st Rd. - Camila Osorio def. Varvara Gracheva
...7-6(4)/1-6/7-6(4). Osorio's second week run started off with a 1st Round thriller.

The Colombian qualifier took the 1st set from Gracheva after trailing 5-3. After the Russian knotted the match, she again grabbed the set lead (at 5-2) in the 3rd, holding three MP on Osorio's serve before serving for the win on her own a game later.

After Osorio turned the tide in her favor and served for the match at 6-5, it was Gracheva's turn to save match points (2 of them) and force the contest into a deciding TB. Osorio grabbed a 5-1 lead, then held off Gracheva down the stretch to win 7-4 on MP #4.


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9. Madrid 4th Rd. - Iga Swiatek def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...6-4/6-7(3)/6-3. Last year, it was Samsonova in Stuttgart, this year it was Alexandrova playing the role of the Russian pushing Iga on clay in Madrid.

Swiatek led 6-4/5-2, served for the match at 5-3, and held a MP on Alexandrova's serve at 5-4 before losing a TB and having to win in a two and a half hour three-setter.


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10. Roland Garros 3rd Rd. - Coco Gauff def. Mirra Andreeva
...7-6(11)/6-4. #6 seed Gauff, the women's runner-up at RG last year, was coming off her first back-to-back wins this clay season, but suddenly faced the prospect of a younger would-be tennis superstar on the other side of the net on the big stage she already craves. How would Gauff handle this new situation, and would the details make a difference?

The reigning junior #1 (though she'd lose the spot to Alina Korneeva after Paris), Andreeva came into the match 22-2 on clay this season. The lingering question was just how much Andreeva had left after running at full throttle through five matches in Paris, winning ten straight sets, while also doing heavy lifting with microphones in front of her face (i.e. "the Coco treatment" from a few season ago).

Well, as it turned out, the kid had one good set remaining in reserve before she hit the proverbial wall.

It was 16-year old Andreeva who recorded the first break of serve in the match, taking a 3-1 lead in the opening set. But Gauff, 19, broke back a game later, and the set stood knotted at 4-4, 40/40 when consecutive loose forehand and backhard errors from the Russian caused her to drop serve for a third time in the set. Gauff served at 5-4, and led 30/love, but lost serve with a DF on BP.

Andreeva saved a BP in game 11 and held for 6-5, then another Gauff DF put her down 15/30 in the following game. But Coco strung together three consecutive points to send things to a tie-break.

Gauff grabbed the early mini-break lead, but Mirra took it back and established her own mini-break edge at 4-3. Andreeva stepped in and fired a clean forehand winner into the corner to go up 5-3, then Gauff missed on a drop shot to give the Hordette multiple SP at 6-3. Gauff then held her two service points, and Andreeva hit her racket on something out of frustration. At or near what was hard to tell, but it garnered a code warning from the chair umpire, as well as giving a brief hint that Andreeva wasn't as cool under the surface as she appeared on it.

On her third SP, Andreeva's deep court ball pulled Gauff to the corner, and after retrieving the ball she stumbled while trying to change directions and race back down the baseline. As Gauff kept her feet and moved toward the center of the court, Andreeva took a ball out of the air and sent a put-away shot behind her to claim the breaker at 7-5.



The final two sets didn't turn into a teenage battle for supremacy. In fact, Gauff asserted her experience, while Andreeva showed her youth and gave her and her coach something to work on, as the emotional side of Andreeva that we saw via tears in Melbourne emerged in a different form this time.

Even with a set lead, Andreeva didn't play with confidence or a positive outlook throughout the 2nd set, and was continually (needlessly) irritated by errors. Early, after dumping a short ball into the net, she angrily swatted down at it and it bounced well over the net and onto Gauff's side of the court (but thankfully didn't get near Coco or anyone else). Gauff held her first two games in the 2nd at love, took an early break lead and kept it safe on her way to a 6-1 set.

By the looks of things, Andreeva didn't seem to *personally* have much of a margin for error in the 3rd. A bad stretch was probably going to do in her chances. With Gauff flowing as she opened up her game more and more, it felt like it was only a matter of time before things would tilt decisively in the 19-year old's favor. Mirra saved two BP, averting disaster and holding with an ace in the opening game. With Andreeva holding on by her virtual fingertips, Coco failed to convert another BP in game 3, but on her fourth chance of the 3rd set saw the Hordette DF to give her a 2-1 lead. She'd never relinquish it, or even drop another game.

With the competitive edge she'd shown all week (and earlier) wearing down a bit more almost every point, the end would be swift for the newcomer. Gauff twice held at love around another break of serve (Andreeva had a GP) and took a 5-1 lead. Coco closed things out with authority, not with a serve that lost just five points in the 2nd & 3rd sets, but by breaking the 16-year old's serve one final time to complete win.

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*TICKET TO A TILT-A-PENKO RIDE*



Rome 3rd Rd. - Alona Ostapenko def. Barbora Krejcikova
...7-6(2)/6-0. You must be THIS TALL in order to climb aboard the Tilt-a-Penko ride. Unfortunately for Krejcikova, she was just tall enough.

With most players, if they'd been down 5-1 in the 1st set a straight sets victory would seem a remote possibility. Not with Alona.

From 1-1, 30/love up, the Latvian proceeded to lose 16 straight points until she trailed 5-1. No problem, she just won five straight games, rallied from 0-2 down in the 1st set TB with a run of seven consecutive points, then won the 2nd at love to win this match-up of former RG singles champions.




*THE CAN OF WORMS: RG EDITION*










1. Roland Garros SF - Karolina Muchova def. Aryna Sabalenka/span>
...7-6/6-7/7-5. In game 8 of the 3rd set, up 5-2 and leading love/30 on Muchova's serve, the shadow of Sabalenka's second straight slam final was creeping toward the finish line as everything seemed against the Czech.

But then everything changed. Slowly, at first, as Muchova simply moved forward and didn't concede defeat. She reached 30/30, but fell down MP after a point that began with a big Sabalenka return and was ultimately ended with another backhand error from the Czech. But Muchova held firm, held serve, and handed the goblet of victory over to Sabalenka to see if she could take a full drink.

But it didn't happen. In fact, her quest came up empty. Totally empty. And when the red dust had settled it was Muchova who was walking away with a confident gait, having followed the map to glory.

The Czech fired a return winner to open the game. Soon, three consecutive Sabalenka errors but the 3rd set back on serve at 5-4. As Muchova was stretching her legs (cramping), she was determined to shorten the points. She rushed toward the net, or tried a drop shot. Anything that could win a point quickly and move on to the next. She held a love, by now having won 11 of 12 points.

Down love/15, Sabalenka received a just-arrived, newly-strung racket from her coach. It seemed to make a difference, as she raced to a 40/15 lead and seemed to have averted disaster. But one wrong turn -- or two, as in consecutive DF -- turned the boulder back in her direction. A backhand miss and she was down BP. A moment later, Muchova up set to serve for the win at 6-5, having converted all five of the BP she'd seen on the day.

Having fully assumed the lead role in this drama, it was Muchova's turn to drink.

The Czech went up 30/love. Sabalenka received another racket. It didn't help. A Muchova drop shot winner made it 40/love. It was over in seconds, as Muchova completed her rally from 5-2, love/30 down in the 3rd. Having saved a MP four games earlier, the Czech reached her maiden slam final with a 7-6(5)/6-7(5)/7-5 win in 3:13, sweeping the final five games and 20 of the last 24 points.


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2. Rome QF - Elena Rybakina def. Iga Swiatek
...2-6/7-6(3)/2-2 ret. Early on, Swiatek looked ready to continue on to what would be her third straight Rome title.



She led 6-2/4-2, but Rybakina found her groove and stormed back, erasing the break edge and forcing a TB. She led 5-3 when Swiatek stumbled in the back court on the point that gave the Kazakh a 6-3 lead and 3 SP, grabbing her thigh and immediately knowing something wasn't 100% right. Rybakina won the next point, while Swiatek went off court for a medical evaluation.



The Pole returned to play, but was clearly not willing/able to play full out, and did the smart thing at 2-2 and called it day, perhaps giving herself the best shot to preserve her chances in Paris (where she'd win the title... while Rybakina withdrew due to illness in the 3rd Rd.).


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3. Rabat Final - Lucia Bronzetti def. Julia Grabher
...6-4/5-7/7-5. Bronzetti couldn't serve out her maiden title at 6-4/5-4, with 2 MP on her racket, so she had to rally from 3-1 back in the 3rd. Again, she failed to serve out the win (at 5-4), but broke Grabher for 6-5 and the third time proved to be the charm for the newly-crowned Italian.


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4. Strasbourg SF - Elina Svitolina def. Clara Burel
...4-6/7-5/6-3. One thing that hasn't changed is that, even with an in-form Svitolina, one should expect at some point some drama will creep in. It finally came in the SF in Strasbourg, as her route to the title included a comeback vs. Burel from 6-4/4-1 back.


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5. Roland Garros 2nd Rd. - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Liudmila Samsonova
...4-6/7-5/7-5. 2021 RG finalist Pavlyuchenkova's unexpected QF run kicked into gear with a win over the #15 seed. Samsonova had led 3-0 (w/ a BP) and 5-2 in the 3rd, and served at 5-3 in the 3:06 match.



Roland Garros 4th Rd. - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Elise Mertens
...3-6/7-6(3)/6-3. Against #28-seed Mertens, Pavlyuchenkova again found herself on the losing end of an in-progress battle, trailing 6-3/3-1. Serving to try to salvage her remaining hope, she fell behind love/40. Then it was game-on. She'd go on to save seven BP in the game, then jump on the Belgian at love/40 in the next, getting the break to turn what was nearly a 4-1 deficit into a 3-3 tie in the blink of an eye. She won a TB to send things to a 3rd set.

There, Pavlyuchenkova continued to roll, breaking Mertens in the opening game and then taking a 15/40 lead in game 3. Mertens ultimately held three GP, double-faulting on the first two and seeing the Russian fire a winner on the third. On her fourth BP, Pavlyuchenkova broke to take a 3-0 lead. Mertens then took a medical timeout. (Hmmm.)

After the delay, Pavlyuchenkova's serve suffered in game 4. Coming back cold, she DF'd three times and gave one of her breaks back. Mertens then raced to a 40/love lead on serve in the next game. But she DF'd again on GP, and Pavlyuchenkova ran off five straight points to get the break to lead 4-1.

The Hordette held for 5-1, and had three MP on Mertens' serve in game 7, but the Belgian pulled off a five-deuce hold. With the match on her racket, Pavlyuchekova couldn't serve it out, as Mertens got the break and put the set back on serve at 5-4.

But Pavlyuchenkova still wasn't ready to leave her work behind, and with an assist from Mertens (who DF'd to go down love/30) she reached triple MP on the Belgian's serve. On her second MP of the game (fifth overall), Pavlyuchenkova's winner ended the match in 3:09, sending her into her second RG quarterfinal in her last two appearances.


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6. Charleston 3rd Rd. - Jessie Pegula def. Irina-Camelia Begu
...7-5/4-6/6-4. Pegula and Begu took turns playing Alona Ostepenko here, as Pegula led 7-5/4-0, lost ten straight games to fall behind 4-0 in the 3rd, then swept the final six games. She claimed the final two at love, winning 24 of 28 points to end the match.


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7. Rabat SF - Julia Grabher def. Julia Riera
...6-1/3-6/7-6(6). Riera staged a comeback from 6-1/3-1 to force a 3rd set. Once there, the Argentine took a pair of break leads in the set's first three games. At 4-4, she held a BP on Grabher's serve to go up a third time, but the Austrian pushed things to the TB. Rierea led by mini-break at 2-0, but it was Grabher who surged last, breaking free from an edge-of-victory/defeat 6-6 deadlock to claim the final two points to reach her maiden tour final.

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8. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Bianca Andreescu def. Victoria Azarenka
...2-6/6-3/6-4. In a match-up of former slam winners, #18 Azarenka's disappointing spring persisted as she let slip a 6-2/3-1 lead over Andreescu. Andreescu swept the final five games of the 2nd to force a decider, where she grabbed a break lead and held off Vika down the stretch, saving a BP at 2-1, and three more at 3-2. Serving for the match at 5-4, the Canadian took a 40/love lead only to see Azarenka save a trio of MP, then a fourth, before Andresscu finally converted MP #5.


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9. Reus 125 Final - Sorana Cirstea def. Elli Mandlik
...6-1/4-6/7-6(1). In a final of shifting tides, Cirstea took the opener at 6-1, only to then fall behind 4-0 in the 2nd. The Romanian battled back to erase Mandlik's two-break lead, only to then drop serve again once she had as the Bannerette broke to take the set 6-4.

Mandlik led 5-2 in the 3rd, and served for the title at 5-3. She couldn't do it, then saw Cirstea save a MP while serving at 5-4 a game later. In game 10, Mandlik managed to save two BP to get the 6-5 hold and ultimately see things head to a deciding TB. But, again, one player took the momentum and ran with it, as Cirstea won 7-1.

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10. Rome 2nd Rd. - Karolina Muchova def. Martina Trevisan
...3-6/6-3/7-5. Looking to make another nice run in a big event, Muchova led 4-0 in the 3rd before Trevisan reeled off five consecutive games and held a MP on the Czech's serve at 5-4. A game after her hold to stay alive, Muchova broke the Italian and then served out the match.


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11. Strasbourg QF - Lauren Davis def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
...1-6/7-6(2)/6-0. Pavlyuchenkova burst out of the gate, racing to a 5-0 lead and taking the 1st set. After Davis led 2-0 in the 2nd, the Russian rallied and served for the match at 5-4, holding two MP.

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12. Charleston 2nd Rd. - Shelby Rogers def. Caty McNally
...6-7(4)/7-5/6-1. Shades of McNally's loss in the Merida SF to Rebecca Peterson, where the Bannerette led 4-0 before dropping six straight games to miss out on her maiden tour singles final.

Here McNally led 7-6/5-3 and served for the match, but lost the final four games of the 2nd, then six of seven in the 3rd.


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13. Rome 1st Rd. - Taylor Townsend def. Ysaline Bonaventure 4-6/6-1/7-5
Rome 3rd Rd. - Wang Xiyu def. Taylor Townsend 6-2/0-6/7-5
...the Tennis Gods giveth, as well as taketh away.

Townsend rallied to sweep the final four games after Bonaventure had led 3-1 and served for the match at 5-3 in the 3rd. Then, come Saturday, it was Townsend who led Wang 3-1 and 5-3 in the final set, serving at 5-4 and holding one MP.

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14. Paris 125 Final - Anna Danilina/Vera Zvonareva def. Nadiia Kichenok/Alycia Parks
...5-7/7-6(2) [14-12]. Zvonareva, the "last remaining" (Sveta TBD, I guess) of the Original Hordettes, picks up her first title of any kind on the year. She's won a pro title of some kind on some level in 18 different seasons since the start of 2000.

To get this one she and Danilina had to rally from 5-1 down in the MTB and saved a total of three MP.


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15. Makarska 125 Final - Mayar Sherif def. Jasmine Paolini
...2-6/7-6(6)/7-5. On RG final weekend, Sherif who staged multiple comebacks in the final vs. Paolini, who'd been trying to win her second 125 title this season.

Paolini had saved 5 MP in her 2nd Round match vs. Katarina Zavatska, winning a 12-10 3rd set TB (on her own 5th MP) to advance.

In the final, the Italian led 6-2/5-2, and served for the match at 5-3 in the 2nd set. She couldn't do it, failed to convert three MP on return, then lost an 8-6 TB after holding two more MP. In the 3rd, Paolini led 5-3, had a sixth MP on return and served for the match a second time at 5-4, only to squander all those chances and ultimately see the match go the Egyptian's way. For Sherif, already the all-time 125 title lead, it was her fifth career win.

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1. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Lesia Tsurenko def. Barbora Krejcikova
...6-2/6-4. Yikes! Barbora Krejcikova remains winless in Paris since she won the title in 2021.

A year after coming back from injury and falling in the 1st Round in Paris to Diane Parry in three sets, the former RG champ falls in two vs. Tsurenko. The Czech went 15-3 on clay in her slam winning year, but has gone just 7-8 since.

Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Ulrikke Eikeri/Eri Hozumi def. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova
...3-6/6-2/6-2. Krejcikova's troubles didn't end in singles. A year after she and Siniakova had to withdaw from the RG doubles after she contracted Covid, a "blank" result that prevented the Czechs from a Grand Slam season in '22 (they won the AO, WI and US titles), Siniakova's early spring injury made their RG '23 debut the duo's first match together since winning Indian Wells (w/ the AO, they were 11-0 on the season). They went out in the 1st Round, ending their 24-match slam winning streak. They'd been seeking a fourth consectutive slam title, and a fifth in a row in their last five slam MD appearances.

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2. Madrid 1st Rd. - Mirra Andreeva def. Leylah Fernandez
...6-3/6-4. The 15-year old came into the week on a 13-match winning streak at the ITF level, and didn't bat an eyelash at the rise in competition. Her first career tour-level match win came at the expense of a U.S. Open finalist...



Madrid 2nd Rd. - Mirra Andreeva def. Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-6(6)/6-3
...her second produced her first Top 20 win.



Madrid 3rd Rd. - Mirra Andreeva def. Magda Linette 6-3/6-3
...win #3 gave her a another Top 20 victory, and was a nice Sweet Sixteen birthday gift.


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3. Madrid 3rd Rd. - Mayer Sherif def. Caroline Garcia
...7-6(2)/6-3. 0-2 in tour finals in '23 (in Lyon and Monterrey), Garcia went just 2-2 during the Sunshine swing (losing twice to Cirstea). After a 2-0 BJK weekend, her began what was a mediocre (4-4) clay campaign.

For Sherif, it was her first Top 5 win, first Top 10 upset on clay, and her first 1000+ 4th Round-or-better result.


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4. Roland Garros 2nd Rd. - Elina Avanesyan def. Belinda Bencic
...6-3/2-6/6-4. Lucky loser Avanesyan's big "get," as the upset of the #12 seed kicked off a Rounf of 16 run in Paris, the best in a slam by LL in 30 years.

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5. Charleston 2nd Rd. - Diana Shnaider def. Veronika Kudermetova
...6-4/6-3. After missing out on her first Top 10 win in Melbourne (vs.Sakkari), the 19-year old picks up her first Top 20 victory vs. countrywoman Kudermetova.


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6. Roland Garros 2nd Rd. - Kayla Day def. Madison Keys
...6-2/4-6/6-4. The former U.S. Open finalist (the #20 seed) had a hard time getting out of her own way, and Day seized the rather significant opportunity such a reality presented her. In the nearly two and a half hour, three-set match, Keys fired 40 winners (vs. 10 for Day), but had 74 (!) unforced errors (vs. 23).

Keys broke Day's serve seven times, but Day broke that of Keys on nine occasions. It all led to Day's first career Top 20 win, seven years after the Bannerette had lost to Keys in New York in her last appearance in a slam 2nd Round.

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7. Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Elisabetta Cocciaretto def. Petra Kvitova
...6-3/6-4. Kvitova falls in the 1st Round in Paris for the first time since 2010, as the Italian records her first win in Paris en route to her maiden slam 3rd Round.


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All for now.
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