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Monday, July 10, 2023

W.8- Madison's Magical Mystery Tour Eventually Sends Mirra Away


Sometimes, two things can be true.




The opening women's Round of 16 match of the day between qualifier Mirra Andreeva and #25 Madison Keys promised a match-up of youthful consistency vs. veteran power and experience. Which would prove to be effective?

Well, why not both?

This match turned out to be a rare combination of a contest that proved that the hype around 16-year old qualifier Mirra Andreeva is indeed legit while also showing that the "16" next to her name is both an eyebrow-raiser *and* a detriment that she'll have to grow out of in order to reach her full potential. Meanwhile, the frustrating side of Keys' game nearly saw her run out of the tournament in an almost shockingly conventional way, only to see an eleventh hour tactical change highilght the idea that maybe, after all these years, she's actually learned that sometimes one has to find *another* way when "Plan A" systematically blows up in your face.

For the majority of the match, it was Andreeva who was in complete control. After Keys took a quick 2-0 lead on Court 2, the teenager settled into her game with what has quickly become her usual smart point construction, accurate shotmaking and a willingness to flip an offensive switch after working her opponent into a negative position with her good defense.

Using body serves to diffuse Keys' early-rally power, while Keys' own serve percentage remained low and her error totals too high, Andreeva ended Keys' two-tournament, 16-set winning streak by taking six of the final seven games of the 1st. She then carried over her command to the 2nd, taking a 3-0 lead (saving a BP in game 3). The Hordette raced to a short ball and placed a forehand winner into the corner to lead 4-1, then reached BP in the follow game. Andreeva was making things look far easier than they should be and, dare one say it, even "routine" against one of this summer's hottest grass court players.

But then, belatedly (almost *too* late), Keys made a few changes. Not particularly known for having a "Plan B" (she usually simply goes glub-glub and down with the error-strewn ship), this time she found one. Rather than pull her usual switch of going from looking better than almost anyone out there to almost looking like she doesn't belong at all, Keys pulled a mid-match reverse on that time-worn concept.

After trying and failing to win a baseline battle with an accurate baseliner for nearly two full sets, Keys began to move into the court, and even made a habit of closing in to the net. The change seemed to rattle Andreeva, who'd been coasting to her maiden slam QF, and she never really regained her game or, on some level, composure.

A big Keys return opened game 7 with a declaration of her intent, leading directly to her break to close to 4-3. On BP, Keys improvised and switched racket hands on a short ball, getting off a *lefty* forehand crosscourt winner.



Andreeva had weathered a brief momentum turn against her in her 3rd Round win over Anastasia Potapova to win in straights. In game 9 here, the teenager settled her sudden batch of unforced errors, holding for 5-4 with the help of three straight UE off Keys' racket. The set went to a TB, where Keys got off to a 3-0 lead. A big Andreeva return up the middle got the breaker back on serve at 3-4, but Keys turned it back in her favor by following a forehand to the net and putting away a volley to lead 5-4. She took the TB by a 7-4 score, and a frustrated Andreeva chucked her racket into the changeover area from long distance (a move that would play a part in the match's closing moments).

Andreeva held a BP in game 1 of the 3rd but Keys, serving better and better as the match wore on, saved it with a blast up the T and got the hold. An Andreeva double-fault on BP down a game later gave Keys another 2-0 lead. Unlike in the 1st, though, Keys rolled on from the early edge as Andreeva couldn't recapture her previous magic.

Up 4-2, Keys saved a BP and held. A game later, down 5-2 and serving at 30/30, Andreeva slid into the doubles alley and caught her foot in the grass, knocking her off-balance. She seemed to catch herself, but still swung her arm over her head and released her racket, causing it to slam down and bounce on the court. Whether the slide, trip and slam were all in "one motion," or the slam was an emphatic "extra" move was a matter of opinion, but after having issued a warning after the racket chuck to end the 2nd, the chair umpire followed up with a point penalty against Andreeva, giving Keys a MP.

Andreeva argued that she slipped and dropped the racket (which was true, sorta), but the chair umpire was having none of it. Likely, Andreeva's frustrated reaction afterward sealed the umpire's decision, as it made it *appear* that the slam was out of anger, even it it probably wasn't.

After Andreeva's MP serve was called in, Keys challenged the call (it was long) and got another clean look at a MP ball. She'd end the point, naturally, at the net (she uncharacteristically ended up converting 25/43 net points on the day), winning 3-6/7-6(4)/6-2 for her ninth straight grass win to reach her ninth slam QF and first at SW19 since 2015.



Upset, Andreeva quickly shook Keys' hand (but not the chair umpire's) and was off the court in a matter of moments. She'll be back, and will hopefully continue to better learn how to deal with sudden adversity. When she's been in command in recent matches, her calm and composue have been more than impressive, but her temper flashes when things turn against her will need to become a trait best left behind in her youth. If she wants to be a seed at the 2024 Wimbledon, it'll likely need to happen quickly, too.



As for Keys, she advances after what was both an encouraging and frustrating day. It was good that she was able to course-correct as she did, but why did she wait SO LONG to do it? If she'd waited any longer she'd been sitting down for her post-match press conference and getting some brilliant question like, "Are you going to visit President Biden while he's in London?," or maybe, "How does it feel to win Wimbledon? Do you think you'll be able to do win another this year after a victory like this?"

Keys was triumphant on this day, but she's as slow-on-the-trigger to makes changes in her *next* match, things won't likely turn out so nice.





=DAY 8 NOTES=
...Keys' quarterfinal opponent will be #2 Aryna Sabalenka, and one wonders whether she watched Iga Swiatek yesterday and is preparing for a potential weekend fight, or even if maybe she smelled a little blood in the water when the #1 seed was double MP down. Either way, she played her best match of this grass court season today.

Sabalenka won a tight 1st set over first-time slam Round of 16er Ekaterina Alexandrova (#21), then ran away with the 2nd, mixing up her approach with both good serving and, yes, drop shots. Alexandrova had saved three BP in game 8 of the opener, but saw Sabalenka come back two games later and take a love/40 lead on her serve. On her third BP of the game, and sixth of the set, Sabalenka got the only break of serve in the opening stanza when Alexandrova DF'd to hand her the set at 6-4.

For her part, Sabalenka had served at a 71% clip with first serves (winning 82%), and faced no BP.

She then pulled away in the 2nd, finishing off Alexandrova by a 6-4/6-0 score to reach her tour-leading fourth straight slam QF.



Sabalenka and Keys' head-to-head is tied at one win each, with Keys having won their only grass meeting (7-5 in the 3rd) two years ago in Berlin. Of Keys' 24 career Top 10 wins, only one (def. #1 Iga in Cincinnati last year) has come vs. a Top 3 opponent.

...what was the day's second early Round of 16 match proved to be a bait-and-switch, as an intriguing match-up of last year's Wimbledon champ (#3 Elena Rybakina) and last year's pre-SW19 grass court "form" player (#13 Beatriz Haddad Maia, who'd rediscovered her grass game at the AELTC after a semifinal run at RG) turned into an unfortunately short blip of a thing ended by a sudden mid-rally injury just four games into the match.

Serving down 2-1, Haddad Maia visibly pulled up during a baseline rally, literally stopping after feeling a jolt of pain in her lower back. She lost the point, giving Rybakina a break lead at 3-1, and stood motionless just off the court, seemingly hoping that her body would make an immediate correction that would allow her to go on.

It didn't, and neither did she.

Clutching her back and wobbling to the changeover area. After going off court for treatment, the Brazilian returned and attempted to play. It was quickly clear it wasn't going to happen. After Rybakina held for 4-1, a tearful Haddad Maia retired and sent Rybkina into her third QF in the last five slams. She's 14-1 at Wimbledon.



...if something had to give, it didn't take long today to see what it was going to be in today's match between #6 Ons Jabeur and #9 Petra Kvitova. Umm, it was Petra.

While Jabeur had escaped her last match vs. Bianca Andreescu, and may have been saved by a 50-minute rain delay that began just seconds after she'd broken the Canadian to get back on serve at 3-2 in the 3rd, Kvitova has been piling up "best (insert accomplishment here) since..." notations for the last few weeks. Winning her first tour title without dropping a set in seven years, matching her best Wimbledon result since winning her second crown in 2014, and in her last match giving up the fewest games (4 vs. Nastija Stevanovic) in a match at SW19 since 2016.

Today, she felt the *other* side of the equation, first losing her second love set ever in the event (the other was vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the '18 1st Rd.), and ultimately suffering her worst Wimbledon defeat ever by a 6-0/6-3 score. Her previous low game total was seven in a 6-3/6-4 exit at the hands of Sloane Stephens in the 1st Round two years ago.



Kvitova could just not find her game against Jabeur's bag of tricks and spins, as the Tunisian is suddenly looking once more like the woman who captured the imagination of the tennis world last summer with her imaginative game en route to back-to-back slam finals in London and New York.

Amazing what a little rain can do, huh?

A year ago, Jabeur's AELTC Club run was stopped in the final by Rybakina, who rallied from a set back to win her maiden slam title in three sets. Guess who'll be waiting for Jabeur on Wednesday.

Ons wanted an SW19 "do-over," and now she'll get it. Sure, even if she downs the #3-ranked Kazakh she *still* might have to add wins over the world #2 *and* #1 to lift the Venus Rosewater dish... but that's a yellow brick road she'll travel down if and when she gets to it.



...in junior play, the final 16 are set, with more Brits (4) still alive than girls from any other nation. There are sets of two remaining from Australia, Italy and Japan, as well.

#1 Alina Korneeva, looking to keep her Grand Slam hopes alive for 2023, was put to a test by Czech qualifier Vendula Valdmannova, but managed to prevail. Korneeva led 4-1 in the 3rd, and served at 5-3, 30/30 but couldn't put the match away. Finally, she reached double MP on the Crusher's serve at 6-5, 15/40. Valdmannova DF'd on Korneeva's second MP.

Also still left in the draw: #2 Clervie Ngounoue (USA), Roehampton winner Renata Jamrichova (SVK/#5), Aussies Taylah Preston and Emerson Jones (#13), Dane Rebecca Munk Mortensen and, naturally, a Czech, Nikola Bartunkova.

...in the Contrexeville 125, Aleksandra Krunic got a 1st Round win over Valentini Grammatikopoulou. It's the Bracelet's first singles match win since her upset of Barbora Krejcikova in the 2nd Round of last year's U.S. Open. She suffered an ACL rupture a short time later in Tallinn.

Meanwhile, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated Amandine Hesse in a 9-7 3rd set TB, and Erika Andreeva knocked off Irina Bara 6-1/6-0.










*WOMEN'S SINGLES QF*
#1 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. (WC) Elina Svitolina/UKR
#4 Jessie Pegula/USA vs. Marketa Vondrousova/CZE
#6 Ons Jabeur/TUN vs. #3 Elena Rybakina/KAZ
#25 Madison Keys/USA vs. #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF*
#16 Dolehide/Zhang Sh. (USA/CHN) vs. Kalashnikova/Shymanovich (GEO/BLR)
x/x vs. (WC) Bains/Lumsden (GBR/GBR)
Garcia/Stefani (FRA/BRA) vs. (PR) Hsieh/Strycova (TPE/CZE)
x/x vs. x/x

*MIXED DOUBLES QF*
(Alt.) Danilina/Mahut (KAZ/FRA) vs. #7 L.Kichenok/Pavic (UKR/CRO)
(WC) Nicholls/O'Mara (GBR/GBR) vs. #5 Perez/Ebden (AUS/AUS)
Sutjiadi/Middelkoop (INA/NED) vs. Kostyuk/Arevalo (UKR/ELS)
L.Chan/Salisbury (TPE/GBR) vs. Xu Y./Vliegen (CHN/BEL)

*GIRLS' SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Alina Korneeva/RUS vs. (Q) Greta Greco Lucchina/ITA
Taylah Preston/AUS vs. #8 Ena Koike/JPN
Francesca Pace/ITA vs. Ranah Akua Stoiber/GBR
Nikola Bartunkova/CZE vs. Mingge Xu/GBR
#5 Renata Jamrichova/SVK vs. Rebecca Munk Mortensen/DEN
#13 Emerson Jones/AUS vs. (WC) Mika Stojsavljevic/GBR
#7 Sayaka Ishii/JPN vs. Hannah Klugman/GBR
Rositsa Dencheva/BUL vs. #2 Clervie Ngounoue/USA







...ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST... ON DAY 8:

Kirsten Flipkens ended her career today with a 3rd Round doubles loss (w/ Timea Babos) to Caroline Garcia & Luisa Stefani.



The 37-year old is a former Wimbledon singles semfinalist (2013), slam MX runner-up (US '22), tour singles champ (2012 Quebec City; 1-3 in finals), and a 7-time WD winner (including Hobart this past January) with five Top 10 wins (including Kvitova at Wimbledon in '13, and Venus in the '16 Rio Olympics). Twenty years ago, she won back-to-back junior singles slams at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, the last girl to sweep those two events in a season.




















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*2023 WI FINAL 8*
[by career slam QF]
10 - Elina Svitolina
9 - Madison Keys
7 - Iga Swiatek
6 - Ons Jabeur
6 - Jessie Pegula
6 - Aryna Sabalenka
4 - Elena Rybakina
2 - Marketa Vondrousova
[by career WI QF]
3 - Ons Jabeur
2 - Madison Keys
2 - Elena Rybakina
2 - Aryna Sabalenka
2 - Elina Svitolina
1 - Jessie Pegula
1 - Iga Swiatek
1 - Marketa Vondrousova
[w/ consecutive slam QF]
4 - Aryna Sabalenka
2 - Ons Jabeur
2 - Iga Swiatek
2 - Elina Svitolina
[w/ consecutive WI QF]
3 - Ons Jabeur
2 - Elena Rybakina
1+1 - Aryna Sabalenka (2021/23, 2022 BAN)
[2023 slam QF - unseeded]
AO - Magda Linette, POL
AO - Donna Vekic, CRO
RG - Karolina Muchova, CZE
RG - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (PR)
RG - Elina Svitolina, UKR (PR)
WI - Elina Svitolina, UKR (WC)
WI - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
[2023 1st-time GS QF]
AO - Magda Linette (30th MD)
RG - Beatriz Haddad Maia (12th)
[2023 multiple slam QF]
3 - Aryna Sabalenka (AO/RG/WI)
2 - Ons Jabeur (RG/WI)
2 - Jessie Pegula (AO/WI)
2 - Elena Rybakina (AO/WI)
2 - Elina Svitolina (RG/WI)
2 - Iga Swiatek (RG/WI)
[2023 slam QF - by nation]
4...BLR (2/1/1/-) - Sabalenka
4...USA (1/1/2/-) - Keys,Pegula
3...CZE (1/1/1/-) - Vondrousova
3...POL (1/1/1/-) - Swiatek
2...KAZ (1/0/1/-) - Rybakina
2...TUN (0/1/1/-) - Jabeur
2...UKR (0/1/1/-) - Svitolina
1...BRA (0/1/0/-)
1...CRO (1/0/0/-)
1...LAT (1/0/0/-)
1...RUS (0/1/0/-)
[WTA career slam QF - active]
39...Venus Williams, USA
18...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
16...Simona Halep, ROU
16...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
13...Petra Kvitova, CZE
11...Angelique Kerber, GER
11...Karolina Pliskova, CZE
10...Elina Svitolina, UKR
10...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
9...Madison Keys, USA
8...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
8...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Kaia Kanepi, EST
7...Sloane Stephens, USA
7...Iga Swiatek, POL
6...Ons Jabeur, TUN
6...Jessie Pegula, USA
6...Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
6...Vera Zvonareva, RUS
[WTA slam QF & W/L in 2020s - 14 events]
7 - Swiatek (5-1) *
6 - Jabeur (2-3) *
6 - Sabalenka (5-0) *
6 - Pegula (0-5) *
4 - Barty (3-1)
4 - Rybakina (2-1) *
4 - Gauff (1-3)
4 - Ka.Pliskova (1-3)
4 - Svitolina (0-3) *
3 - Halep (2-1)
3 - Krejcikova (1-2)
3 - Pavlyuchenkova (1-2)
3 - Muchova (2-1)
3 - Tomljanovic (0-3)
2 - Azarenka (2-0)
2 - Brady (2-0)
2 - Collins (1-1)
2 - Fernandez (1-1)
2 - Kenin (2-0)
2 - Kvitova (1-1)
2 - Osaka (2-0)
2 - Sakkari (2-0)
2 - Keys (1-0) *
2 - Trevisan (1-1)
2 - S.Williams (2-0)
1 - Anisimova (0-1)
1 - Badosa (0-1)
1 - Bencic (0-1)
1 - Bouzkova (0-1)
1 - Cornet (0-1)
1 - Garcia (1-0)
1 - Golubic (0-1)
1 - Haddad Maia (1-0)
1 - Hsieh (0-1)
1 - Kanepi (0-1)
1 - Kasatkina (1-0)
1 - Kerber (1-0)
1 - Kontaveit (0-1)
1 - V.Kudermetova (0-1)
1 - Linette (1-0)
1 - Maria (1-0)
1 - Mertens (0-1)
1 - Muguruza (1-0)
1 - Niemeier (0-1)
1 - Ostapenko (0-1)
1 - Pironkova (0-1)
1 - Podoroska (1-0)
1 - Putintseva (0-1)
1 - Raducanu (1-0)
1 - Rogers (0-1)
1 - Siegemund (0-1)
1 - Stephens (0-1)
1 - Vekic (0-1)
1 - Vondrousova (0-0) *
1 - Zidansek (1-0)
[WTA slam QF by nation in 2020s - 14 slams/112]
23 - USA (2)
14 - CZE (1)
8 - BLR (1)
8 - POL (1)
7 - AUS
6 - TUN (1)
5 - KAZ (1)
5 - RUS
4 - GER
4 - UKR (1)
3 - ROU
2 - CAN
2 - ESP
2 - EST
2 - FRA
2 - GRE
2 - ITA
2 - JPN
2 - SUI
1 - ARG,BEL,BRA,BUL,CRO,GBR,LAT,SLO,TPE
[WTA slam QF W/L by nation in 2020s]
23 - USA (9-12)**
14 - CZE (5-8)*
8 - BLR (7-0)*
8 - POL (6-1)*
7 - AUS (3-4)
6 - TUN (2-3)*
5 - RUS (2-3)
5 - KAZ (2-2)*
4 - GER (2-2)
4 - UKR (0-3)*
3 - ROU (2-1)
2 - CAN (1-1)
2 - ESP (1-1)
2 - EST (0-2)
2 - FRA (1-1)
2 - GRE (2-0)
2 - ITA (1-1)
2 - JPN (2-0)
2 - SUI (0-2)
1 - ARG (1-0)
1 - BRA (1-0)
1 - BEL (0-1)
1 - BUL (0-1)
1 - CRO (0-1)
1 - GBR (1-0)
1 - LAT (0-1)
1 - SLO (1-0)
1 - TPE (0-1)

*UNSEEDED/WC/Q in SLAM QF IN 2020s*
2020 AO - Jabeur,Muguruza[RU]
2020 US - Azarenka[RU],Pironkova,Rogers
2020 RG - Collins,Podoroska,Siegemund,Swiatek[W],Trevisan
2021 AO - Hsieh,Pegula
2021 RG - Krejcikova[W],Zidansek
2021 WI - Golubic,Tomljanovic
2021 US - Fernandez,Raducanu(q)[W]
2022 AO - Cornet,Kanepi,Keys
2022 RG - Stephens,Trevisan
2022 WI - Bouzkova,Maria,Niemeier,Tomljanovic
2022 US - Tomljanovic
2023 AO - Linette,Vekic
2023 RG - Muchova,Pavlyuchenkova,Svitolina
2023 WI - Svitolina(wc),Vondrousova

*BEST 2023 SLAM RESULTS*
[qualifiers]
WI 4th Rd. - Mirra Andreeva, RUS
AO 3rd Rd. - Cristina Bucsa, ESP
AO 3rd Rd. - Katie Volynets, USA
RG 3rd Rd. - Mirra Andreeva, RUS
RG 3rd Rd. - Olga Danilovic, SRB
RG 3rd Rd. - Kayla Day, USA
RG 3rd Rd. - Clara Tauson, DEN
WI 3rd Rd. - Sofia Kenin, USA
WI 3rd Rd. - Natalija Stevanovic, SRB
AO 2nd Rd. - Clara Burel, FRA
AO 2nd Rd. - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK
AO 2nd Rd. - Diana Shnaider, RUS
AO 2nd Rd. - Lucrezia Stefanini, ITA
RG 2nd Rd. - Storm Hunter, AUS
RG 2nd Rd. - Iryna Shymanovich, BLR
RG 2nd Rd. - Simona Waltert, SUI
WI 2nd Rd. - Bai Zhuoxuan, CHN
WI 2nd Rd. - Kaja Juvan, SLO



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TOP QUALIFIER: Jessica Bouzas Maneiro/ESP
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #25 Madison Keys/USA
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3 - #18 Lucrezia Stefanini def. (PR) Hsieh Su-wei 6-2/6-7(3)/7-6(11-9)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #20 Donna Vekic/CRO def. Sloane Stephens/USA 4-6/7-5/6-4 - trailed 6-4/3-0 and 2 BP, Stephens served at 5-3
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: (PR) Barbora Strycova/CZE (def. Zanevska/BEL; first Wimb. match since 2019 SF)
FIRST SEED OUT: #15 Liudmila Samsonova/RUS (1st Rd.-Bogdan/ROU)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Bai Zhuoxuan/CHN, Jodie Burrage/GBR, Tamara Korpatsch/GER, Natalija Stevanovic/SRB
UPSET QUEENS: Romania
REVELATION LADIES: The Return of the Hordettes
NATION OF POOR SOULS: ITA (1-6 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Mirra Andreeva/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Elina Svitolina/UKR (in 4r)
PROTECTED RANKING: Jaqueline Cristian/ROU, Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP, Barbora Strycova/CZE (all 2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER WINS: Tamara Korpatsch/GER (2nd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING: Katie Boulter (3rd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "??": Nominees: M.Andreeva, Korneeva, (jr.)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Svitolina, Hsieh/Strycova, Kenin
CRASH & BURN: Tatjana Maria/GER ('22 semifinalist, loses 1st Rd.)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON: Lesia Tsurenko/UKR (3rd Rd.: in 3:40, wins slam record 38-pt. TB over Bogdan on 7th MP; saved 5 MP in TB; Bogdan served for match at 5-3 3rd)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Svitolina, Hsieh/Strycova, (Invitational)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Karolina Muchova/CZE






All for Day 8. More tomorrow.
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