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Sunday, June 4, 2023

RG.8- Up, Up and Away

By this time, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova could have been floating above Paris in a hot air balloon. But she's still got work to do.




Armed with a protected ranking berth in the Roland Garros MD, and still barely into her comeback after missing nearly all of 2022 with a knee injury, Pavlyuchenkova could have come to this tournament for a few good practice sessions and a well-deserved Parisian holiday. She could have sampled a few baked goods (if Iga said it wasn't too hurtful), bought some clothes (Iga-approved, of course), and even checked out some masterpieces in the Louvre.

But the '21 RG finalist has made a point to make this a *working* vacation. No matter what her original best/worst case scenario travel plans may have been, the veteran Hordette has made the most of her time in Paris over the past week.

One wonders if even Pavlyuchenkova could have seen her second week RG run coming. After all, she'd been snacking on bagels in the weeks leading up the season's second slam, one coming from Lauren Davis (?) a few days before in Strasbourg, and two more from Iga Swiatek the previous week in Rome. But rather than contemplate the downside of such a diet -- nor be discouraged by the sort of food-related commentary worried about by the world #1 turned fashion critic informant, turned editor and finger-wagging Fun Police enforcer -- Pavlyuchenkova has come to Paris and set up her own little shop of horrors for her first four opponents on the terre battue.

Among the Hordette's first slam match wins in 16 months was a rally from 3-0 and a BP down in the 3rd (and then 5-2) vs. #15-seed Liudmila Samsonova in a 3:06 2nd Rounder. Clearly, Pavlyuchenkova just wasn't ready to leave her workload at the door. A round later, she recovered from dropping the 1st set vs. #24 Anastasia Potapova to win in three and become (at #333) the second-lowest ranked player in RG Round of 16 history.

As it turned out, this Sunday was no day of rest. It was yet another work day.



Against #28-seed Elise Mertens, Pavlyuchenkova found herself on the losing end of an in-progress 6-3/3-1 scoreline. 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 3-6/7-6(3)/6-3 match in 3:09, sending her into her second RG quarterfinal in her last two appearances and eighth overall at slam level, two years after she'd finally broken out of her career 0-for-6 slump in Final 8 matches with a 9-7 win in the 3rd set over Elena Rybakina.



With Pavlyuchenkova's return to the rarified air she'd finally become accustomed to inhabiting, now the only question that remains about her Paris itinerary is who her travel agent might be. I hope their work was on commission.






=DAY 8 NOTES=
...with the token long-awaited (um, yeah, sure) arrival of a women's match in the night session on Chatrier, Sunday wasn't cluttered with nearly as many matches as has been the case during the first week. And the first 4th Rounder that followed Pavlyuchenkova's comeback onto the terre battue didn't exactly shake the timbers or bring down the clouds. It was fairly clear-cut.

Hope that description wasn't too hurtful Iga... Iga? I guess it's okay, so I'll go forward.

Elina Avanesyan has had a remarkable run in Paris, becoming just the fifth lucky loser in the Open era to reach the Round of 16 in a major, and just the third to post three slam MD wins to get there (the first in 30 years, and the first in 35 to do it in Paris). But her luck was bound to run out, and it did today vs. Karolina Muchova.



Avanesyan didn't just wilt away against the Czech, though. While Muchova opened both sets with a break and hold for 2-0 leads, the Russian did get things back on serve briefly in the 1st (at 2-2). As Muchova served for the set at 5-2, Avanesyan broke serve, only to give back the break a game later. The Czech served out the set two games later.

Muchova broke serve again to open the 2nd. While Avanesyan would get two more breaks of her own, including when the Czech was again serving for the set/match at 5-2, she once again lost her own in the next game, thereby ending the 6-4/6-3 match.



While Muchova moves on to her first RG quarterfinal (fourth overall in a slam), Avanesyan is assured of cracking the Top 100 (live #80) after having actually managed to outlast -- by a round and a day -- Kayla Day, the same woman's who'd defeated her in the final round of RG qualifying.

...Elina Svitolina managed to claim a straight sets win over her second '22 RG semifinalist (w/ 1r/Trevisan) with a victory over #9 Dasha Kasatkina today, but it turned out to once again be a case of the Ukrainian nearly squandering a lead before steadfastly surging back to emerge victorious in the end.

After reeling off four straight games to lead 4-1 in the 1st set, Svitolina gave one break back but held her lead and claimed a 6-4 win.

Kasatkina broke for a 2-0 edge in the 2nd, only to drop her next three service games. Svitolina served for the win at 5-4, only to soon find herself BP down. After a mid-rally Kasatkina baseline ball was called out, the chair umpire checked the mark and overturned the call. Svitolina saved BP by winning the re-played point. She reached MP, but couldn't convert, and Kasatkina finally got the delayed break of serve on her second attempt.

But, at 5-5, Kasatkina quickly fell behind 15/40 and dropped serve on Svitolina's second BP, giving the Ukrainian another chance to serve out the win. This time she fell behind love/30 and was broken again.

So, to a tie-break-they went.

Svitolina took 2-0 and 3-1 leads in the breaker, but Kasatkina got things back on serve with a 5-4 lead, only to then become the *last* of the two to squander an advantage in the set, committing back-to-back-to-back unforced errors as Svitolina won on her second MP, 6-4/7-6(5), notching the first Top 10 win in her comeback and improving to 7-0 in her head-to-head vs. Kasatkina. She's won 14 of 16 sets in their meetings.

Svitolina is now assured of a Top 75 return.



Of course, until it's not, the "rest of the story" always comes *after* MP. In this case, after Svitolina celebrated, there was (of course) no handshake, but Kasatkina flashed Svitolina a thumbs-up sign as she approached the changeover area. The cameras didn't show if the Ukrainian responded with anything in kind. Svitolina seemed to break "official protocol" and offer up the same gesture, and say something civil, to Anna Blinkova after their 3rd Round match.



If the gesture can become the "happy" medium where everyone can meet, then maybe this discussion can finally be put to rest. All that has ever really been suggested is that the Ukrainian players not treat their counterparts as pariahs and/or pass them by after a two+ hour match as if they're lamp posts on the street for something they have no control over.

Of course, there were once again some boos from the French (or otherwise?) crowd, and once more there seemed to be some disagreement about toward whom they were directed. If it was Kasatkina, well, that just makes no sense whatsover, as the Russians aren't driving this bus and none of the group has done more to foster good will in this ongoing incident than she.

But, you know, it's the French... they're always drunk on "power" at this time of the year.

...in the aforementioned maiden women's night session match on Chatrier, aired in the U.S. on who knows what channel or service -- as there are four or five -- TC, TC2, TC+, NBC, Peacock and the TruLife Channel... yeah, I just made that last one up (or did I?) -- juggling and denying match coverage on the middle weekend, #2 Aryna Sabalenka faced off with Sloane Stephens.

It was just the fourth women's match held under the lights since the night sessions were started in 2021. The Chatrier evening opener two years ago featured S.Williams/Begu on Night 2, as it and Night 9's Swiatek/Kostyuk were both played with no fans in the stands. Last year, Night 5's Cornet/Ostapenko match was the lone women's match played under the lights (and the only one w/ fans until tonight's match).

As one would expect from a match with these two (especially Sloane), there were some monumental swings of momentum in this one.

In the 1st set, Sabalenka roared out to a 5-0 lead, and twice served for the set. She failed to convert three SP and Stephens knotted the score at 5-all.



The set went to a TB, where Sabalenka rallied from 4-2 back to win 7-5. She then broke Stephens in game 5 and held to take a 4-2 lead in the 2nd. Stephens managed to break back for 4-4, but gave it back the following game.

Sabalenka held at love to win 7-6(5)/6-4 and advance to her first RG QF, as well as complete a Career QF slam.

This is the Belarusian's third straight slam QF. No matter what happens in the other half of the women's Round of 16, no one will have a better three-slam track record, as her quest for the #1 ranking remains in play in Paris. As of tonight in the "live" rankings, a match ahead of Swiatek, it's Sabalenka who's sitting in the rankings crow's nest.

She'll be #1 in the season's Points Race no matter what happens the rest of the week.



Sabalenka's next opponent? Umm... Svitolina. Oh, great.

...back in January, Alina Korneeva was winning a three-plus hour AO girls final over good friend Mirra Andreeva. While Andreeva played in and reached the 3rd Round in the women's draw in Paris, fellow Hordette Korneeva is still operating on the junior level. She was part of the junior competition kickoff on Sunday, and once again was part of a dramatic affair against Germany's Ella Seidel.

After Seidel had claimed the opening set, she rallied from 4-2 down in the 2nd to take a 6-5 lead. On Korneeva's serve, the young German staged another comeback from 40/15 and held a MP. Korneeva, as she had against Andreeva, pushed back the challenge, holding in a three-deuce game to force a TB and win it 7-4. In the 3rd, Korneeva again took a lead and saw Seidel battle back, charging from 4-1 to level the score at 4-4. After holding serve, Korneeva reached her first MP on Seidel's serve, but this time it was the German who denied the Hordette.

But as was the case in Melbourne, Korneeva was the strongest down the stretch, as her hold and break combination finally ended the 3-6/7-6(4)/7-5 1st Round encounter.

...meanwhile, just a week after becoming the first Chinese player to win the NCAA women's singles championship, UCLA's 19-year old Tian Fangran reached her third career ITF final in a $15K challenger in Rancho Santa Fe (CAL). 27-year old Bannerette Megan McCray claimed her maiden title, winning 6-1/0-6/6-4.

Tian had reached a $15K final in late '21 in Antalya, as well as picking up her first title in a pro event last November in another $15K in Champaign, Illinois.




*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. Lesia Tsurenko/UKR
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova/SVK vs. #6 Coco Gauff/USA
(PR) Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP vs. #14 Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
Bernarda Pera/USA vs. #7 Ons Jabeur/TUN
Karolina Muchova/CZE def. (LL) Elina Avanesyan/RUS
(PR) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS def. #28 Elise Mertens/BEL
(PR) Elina Svitolina/UKR def. #9 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
#2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. Sloane Stephens/USA







...HMMM, I WONDER IF... ON DAY 8:


...the Novak and/or Serena fans are listening to the "that's the rule" discussions today?




Of course, Kato/Sutjiadi were originally given a warning until Bouzkova/Sorribes Tormo protested, leading to them being defaulted.

So... should we let Iga decide if that was proper etiquette?


...AND HOW WAS YOUR DAY?... ON DAY 8:






















Another Casey Kasum "American Top 40" (June 7, 1980) inspired selection, Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)." It could serve as an "alt-WTA" theme song.






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*PROTECTED RANKING in SLAM QF+ IN 32-SEED DRAW*
[began w/ 2001 Wimbledon; w/ actual ranking]
2011 US - (#27) Serena Williams, USA (#28 seed) [RU]
2017 WI - (#87) Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK [SF]
2017 US - (#83) Sloane Stephens, USA [W]
2018 WI - (#181) Serena Williams, USA (#25 seed) [RU]
2020 US - (NR) Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL [QF]
2023 RG - (#333) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
2023 RG - (#192) Elina Svitolina, UKR
-
NOTE: Sorribes Tormo (#132) to play 4r

*"CAREER SLAM" FEATS IN 2020s*
=ROUND OF 16=
2020 US - Alize Cornet, FRA (57th)
2021 AO - Donna Vekic, CRO (29th)
2021 US - Iga Swiatek, POL (11th)
2022 AO - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (8th)
2022 AO - Kaia Kanepi, EST (53rd)
2022 US - Caroline Garcia, FRA (42nd)
2022 US - Coco Gauff, USA (13th)
2022 US - Ons Jabeur, TUN (22nd)
2022 US - Zhang Shuai, CHN (41st)
2023 RG - Karolina Muchova, CZE (17th)
2023 RG - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (21st)
=QF=
2021 WI - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (36th)
2022 AO - Kaia Kanepi, EST (53rd)
2023 RG - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (21st)
=SF=
2021 WI - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (36th)
=F=
-
--
NOTE: Jabeur (24th) playing for Career QF Slam in 4r

*RECENT RG "COMEBACK PLAYER" WINNERS*
2017 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2018 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2019 Johanna Konta, GBR
2020 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK & Alona Ostapenko/LAT
2021 Sloane Stephens, USA
2022 Caroline Garcia/Kristina Mladenovic, FRA/FRA
2023 Elina Svitolina, UKR

*RECENT RG "ZOMBIE QUEENS OF PARIS"*
[2015]
Elina Svitolina, UKR (down 6-1/3-0, 4-1 in 3rd set in 2r; wins 9-7)
[2016]
Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL (down 6-2/3-0 vs. A-Rad 4r; wins 1st 10 games two days later)
[2017]
Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (1st Rd.: down 3-0 in 3rd to Brady, wins 9-7; 3rd Rd. - down 5-2 in 3rd, wins 8-6 vs. Rogers; to first RG QF)
[2018]
Yulia Putintseva, KAZ (3rd Rd.: down 6-1/4-1 & 2 MP, 3-0 in 3rd, vs. Wang Qiang; to second career slam QF)
[2019]
Anna Blinkova, RUS (Q2: trailed 6-3/3-1 vs. Kalinina; Q3: trailed Glushko 3-0 in 3rd; 1st Rd.: trailed Gaspayarn 4-0 in 3rd; 2nd Rd.: trailed Garcia 3-0 in 3rd)
[2020]
Kiki Bertens, NED (2nd Rd.: injured; Errani up break 5 times in 3rd, served for match 3 times, 1 MP at 6-5; collapses and wheeled off court after 9-7 win)
[2021 Early-Round]
Katerina Siniakova, CZE (2nd Rd.: down 5-1 in 3rd vs. V.Kudermetova, saved 2 MP)
[2021 Mid/Late-Round]
Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (SF: saved MP in 3rd vs. Sakkari)
[2022]
Sloane Stephens, USA (lost to #306 Nefisa Berberovic pre-RG; 1r: set and 4-4, sitter for love/30 vs. Niemeier; 2r: Cirstea led 6-3/2-0, Stephens 12 con. games; 4r: Teichmann 2-0, Stephens 12 con. games)
[2023]
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (2nd Rd.: down 5-2 3rd vs. Samsonova; 4th Rd.: down set and 3-1, 7 BP for 4-1 vs. Mertens)






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TOP QUALIFIER: Mirra Andreeva/RUS (16; youngest in MD)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): (Q) Mirra Andreeva/RUS (6 games lost in fewest in field; 10 con. sets Q+MD)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: #29 Brenda Fruhvirtova/CZE def. Antonia Ruzic/CRO 3-6/6-2/7-6(10) - Ruzic MP in MTB; B.Fruhvirtova qualifies for first RG
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - Anna Blinkova/RUS def. #5 Caroline Garcia/FRA 4-6/6-3/7-5 (Garcia saves 8 MP, but Blinkova gets upset on #9)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Magdalena Frech/POL (def. Sh.Zhang)
FIRST SEED OUT: #29 Zhang Shuai/CHN (1r: Frech/POL)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: M.Andreeva/RUS, Avanesyan/RUS, Grabher/AUT, Navarro/USA, Noskova/CZE, Shymanovich/BLR, Stearns/USA, Waltert/SUI
UPSET QUEENS: ITA
REVELATION LADIES: RUS (11-2 1st Rd.)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: CZE (3-9 1st Rd.; four seeds out 1r; Krejcikova 0-2 since '21 title)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Mirra Andreeva/RUS, Olga Danilovic/SRB, Kayla Day/USA, Clara Tauson/DEN (all 3rd Rd.)
LAST LUCKY LOSER STANDING: Elina Avanesyan/RUS (in 4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Emma Navarro/USA & Diane Parry/FRA (all 2nd Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: In 4r: Pavlyuchenkova/RUS(W), Sorribes Tormo/ESP, Svitolina/UKR(W)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Oceane Dodin, Caroline Garcia, Leolia Jeanjean & Diane Parry (all 2nd Rd.)
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: Sorribes Tormo, Haddad Maia, Pera, Schmiedlova, Muchova
IT "TBD": Nominees: M.Andreeva (one-name star), Avanesyan (LL)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Elina Svitolina, UKR
CRASH & BURN: Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (0-2 since winning '21 title; 24 con. slam WD streak ends)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2nd Rd.: down 5-2 3rd vs. Samsonova; #333 second-lowest ranked RG 4r; 4th Rd.: down set and 3-1, w/ 7 BP for 4-1 vs. Mertens)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Tsurenko, WD player, WC player, Schmiedlova, Pera
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: Nominee: Sabalenka
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
Légion de Lenglen: UKR/RUS-BLR controversies
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: 20th Anniv. of Justine Henin's first RG title in 2003






All for Day 8. More tomorrow.
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