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Friday, May 31, 2024

RG.6- Iga with a "B"(-day)

It was back to (birthday) business for Iga Swiatek (and her sign-making fans) in the 3rd Round at Roland Garros.




Much like Justine Henin, whose June 1st birthday annually coincided with the major at which she played her best tennis, Swiatek's "big day" on May 31st is assured of making Roland Garros a special event for the Pole each and every year (though, interestingly, not during her *maiden* title run in 2020, when the tournament was held in the fall) no matter whether she lifts the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen or not (though she usually does).

Iga almost didn't make it that far this year. But a handful of ill-timed errors from Naomi Osaka, the providence of the Tennis Gods, and maybe just a little bit of old fashioned luck, allowed her to be on Chatrier Court today for the occasion. She took advantage of it.

In reality, Marie Bouzkova, probably stood little chance, as after what happened two days ago, surely Swiatek wasn't now going to be taken down her 23rd b-day, right? The TG's can be cruel, but they aren't (usually) sadistic. So...



Swiatek's 4 & 2 victory puts her into the second week in Paris for the sixth time in her six appearances, as she seeks to become the first three-peat women's champ since the aforementioned Waffle won her third straight in 2007. The world #1 is 17-1 on clay this season, with 15 straight wins.

So, the Iga-bration is now assured of carrying over into the middle weekend (and likely a good bit longer).

But, before that, a musical interlude:






=DAY 6 NOTES=
...#3 Coco Gauff continued today on her rather quiet way into the second week, doing so in Paris for the fourth straight time with a 6-2/6-4 win over #30 Dayana Yastremska, a semifinalist in the season's first major back in Melbourne. Since the "last straw" 1st Round loss at Wimbledon to Sofia Kenin that led to major coaching changes and the best summer run of her career, Gauff has gone 15-1 in slam play.



...Elisabetta Cocciaretto has found so many things *just* out of her reach this season, losing quite a few matches in which she held big leads (including a pair of tour-level MD losses in which she had MP, tying her for the tour lead in '24). So far at this RG she's grabbed those moments.



On Friday, after defeating #13 Beatriz Haddad Maia in the 1st Round, the Italian took out #17 Liudmila Samsonova in the 3rd Round to advance to her maiden slam Round of 16, after having fallen one round short (3r) in two of the previous four majors ('23 RG/WI).

This is a next logical step for Cocciaretto, who *has* been climbing the ladder. Since last April, she's won her first tour singles title ('23 Lausanne), claimed a pair of 125 crowns and reached the Top 30 last August. The win over Samsonova is her third over a seed in Paris in her last six matches, as she also upset then-#10 Petra Kvitova a year ago in the 1st Round.



Meanwhile, despite the loss, Samsonova can now take her late clay season success and run. After a poor 4-7 start to the year on hard court, she's gone 6-5 overall on clay, but 5-2 in her last seven, with a SF in Strasbourg and a career-best RG result. The Hordette has gone 15-8 the last three grass seasons.



...qualifier Olga Danilovic's RG journey will continue into her first career slam 4th Round after her three-set triumph over Donna Vekic today, less than 24 hours after she upset #11 Danielle Colins in Paris.

As she did vs. Collins (who served for the win), the Serb had to rally in the final set. Vekic served for the win today at 6-5, and then took a 6-2 lead (serving 2 at 6-3, both points of which she lost) in the MTB. Danilovic ultimately won 10-8 to take the 3:08 match by a 0-6/7-5/7-6(10-8) score.



Danilovic has now won six straight matches in Paris over the qualifying rounds and main draw. Finding her game every time she's played in a major MD, she's 8-3 in her slam career (6-2 at RG).

...the most competitive match of Day 6 was between Anastasia Potapova and Wang Xinyu.

Potapova battled back from 0-5 down to win the 1st set (Wang had a SP at 5-3), then Wang rallied from 4-2 back to win the 2nd (saving 3 BP in the 7-deuce 4-4 game), winning the TB on SP #4. In the 3rd, another switcheroo occurred. Wang led 3-1, but Potapova took a break lead and served for the win at 5-4, finally converting on her fifth MP of game 10.



Potapova's win assures a Russian in the Round of 16 at 82 of 93 majors.

...while the Iga-bration festivities continue to be scheduled, there are still a series of "Let's Get Iga" meetings taking place under the cover of darkness (perhaps in that apartment on the Eiffel Tower?).

With Naomi Osaka taken out by Iga two days ago, and Collins and Ostapenko by others yesterday, who might be a potential stumbling block for Swiatek in the top half of the draw?

Gauff's standing and RG history says she *could* be, but that 1-10 head-to-head record says otherwise. How about #5 Marketa Vondrousova?

The reigning champ at SW19, Vondrousova handled French wild card Chloe Paquet 1 & 3 on Friday (giving Varvara Gracheva a shot at solo "Last Pastry Standing" honors tomorrow in her first RG as a Frenchie). Hmmm, but the Czech is 0-3 vs. Swiatek, though it's been four years since they met on clay, in the 1st Round of Swiatek's first title run in Paris in 2020. Vondrousova had reached the RG final in 2019, and is now 14-6 in the event.



How about #8 Ons Jabeur?

After a 3-7 start to '24, the Tunisian veteran is starting -- as hoped -- to finally round into something resembling herself just as the spring/summer slam season stretch kicks in and her quest for an elusive major title continues (after being 0-3 in WI/US finals in 2022-23). With her straight sets win (7-5/7-6) today over #31 Leylah Fernandez, Jabeur is 7-3 in her last ten on red clay. She went 41-11 on clay from 2021-23, but hasn't advanced past the QF (where she went out in 2023) in Paris.



Jabeur is 2-5 vs. Swiatek, including being winless (0-2) on the dirt. She hasn't taken a set off her since defeating the Pole at Wimbledon in 2021.

So, who's left? How 'bout Clara Tauson?



Could the Dane, who can rip off concussive groundstrokes and tends not to blink on big stages against higher-ranked foes, be the sort of player to give the world #1 trouble? Tauson got past Sofia Kenin 6-2/7-5 in her 3rd Rounder, running her '24 clay mark to 14-3 (17-4 overall since Miami Q/MD) and reaching her maiden slam Round of 16. She's the first woman from Denmark to play into the second week in Paris since Caroline Wozniacki in 2018.

Tauson would have to get past Jabeur and Coco/Cocciaretto to reach Swiatek in a SF, though. Still, more than half (11 of 20) of Swiatek's losses as #1 have come vs. players ranked outside the Top 20. Tauson, #33 back in February '22, is currently #72.

She's 0-2 vs. Swiatek, taking her to three sets in Indian Wells (2022) and a tie-break 2nd set in Fed Cup zone play (2019).

...in all, the eight slots in the top half of the draw were filled today by players from eight different nations.

By the end of Saturday, the Final 16 *could* consistent of women representing *14* nations. Three match-ups assure at least one nation of having more than one player alive in the second week: Keys/Navarro (at least one other Bannerette will join Coco) and Stearns/M.Andreeva (another Bannerette, or another Hordette alongside Potapova).




*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. Anastasia Potapova/RUS
(Q) Olga Danilovic/SRB vs. #5 Marketa Vondrousova/CZE
#3 Coco Gauff/USA vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto/ITA
Clara Tauson/DEN vs. #8 Ons Jabeur/TUN
x
x
x
x

.. ..





...THE FRENCH CROWDS ARE GENERALLY HORRID, but they're also very easy to please (so there's that)... ON DAY 6:




...I KNOW WHERE RODDICK IS COMING FROM HERE, BUT... ON DAY 6:



...who every insinuated that Swiatek didn't really care about tennis and/or winning? I mean, was that ever in question?









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*QUALIFIERS IN RG ROUND OF 16 - in 7-round event (since 1981)*
1984 4th - Petra Keppeler/GER
1987 4th - Karen Schimper/RSA
1988 4th - Conchita Martinez/ESP
1989 4th - Janine Thompson Tremelling/AUS
1989 4th - Silvia La Fratta/ITA
1996 4th - Gala Leon Garcia/ESP
1999 QF - Barbara Schwartz/AUT
2000 4th - Rossana de los Rios/PAR
2000 QF - Marta Marrero/ESP
2001 QF - Petra Mandula/HUN
2002 4th - Vera Zvonareva/RUS
2008 QF - Carla Suarez Navarro/ESP
2010 4th - Chanelle Scheepers/RSA
2012 QF - Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ
2014 4th - Kiki Bertens/NED
2017 4th - Petra Martic/CRO
2019 4th - Aliona Bolsova/ESP
2020 SF - Nadia Podoroska/ARG
2024 Olga Danilovic/SRB...in 4th Rd.

*"FIRST SLAM..." FEATS IN 2020s*
=ROUND OF 16 (accomplished at RG)=
2020 RG - Paula Badosa, ESP (6th MD)
2020 RG - Fiona Ferro, FRA (10th)
2020 RG - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (3rd)
2020 RG - Nadia Podoroska, ARG (2nd)
2020 RG - Laura Siegemund, GER (16th)
2020 RG - Martina Trevisan, ITA (2nd)
2021 RG - Marta Kostyuk, UKR (5th)
2021 RG - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (7th)
2021 RG - Tamara Zidansek, SLO (9th)
2022 RG - Veronika Kudermetova, RUS (13th)
2022 RG - Jil Teichmann, SUI (11th)
2022 RG - Zheng Qinwen, CHN (2nd)
2023 RG - Elina Avanesyan, RUS (2nd)
2023 RG - Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA (12th)
2023 RG - Bernarda Pera, USA (21st)
2023 RG - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK (33rd)
2023 RG - Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP (22nd)
2024 RG - Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA (11th)
2024 RG - Olga Danilovic, SRB (5th)
2024 RG - Anastasia Potapova, RUS (18th)
2024 RG - Clara Tauson, DEN (11th)

*BEST 2024 SLAM RESULTS*
[qualifiers]
AO SF - Dayana Yastremska, UKR
AO 4th Rd. - Maria Timofeeva, RUS
RG 4th Rd...OLGA DANILOVIC, SRB (active)
AO 3rd Rd. - Storm Hunter, AUS
AO 3rd Rd. - Anastasia Zakharova, RUS
AO 2nd Rd. - Brenda Fruhvirtova, CZE
AO 2nd Rd. - Alina Korneeva, RUS
RG 2nd Rd. - Sara Errani, ITA
RG 2nd Rd. - Moyuka Uchijima, JPN
RG 2nd Rd. - Katie Volynets, USA
RG 2nd Rd. - Tamara Zidansek, SLO
[wild cards]
RG 3rd Rd. - Chloe Paquet, FRA
AO 2nd Rd. - McCartney Kessler, USA
AO 2nd Rd. - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
[lucky losers]
RG 2nd Rd. - Hailey Baptiste, USA
RG 2nd Rd. - Jana Fett, CRO



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TOP QUALIFIER: Jule Niemeier/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (7 games lost in 1r/2r)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: Raluca Serban/CYP def. Dominika Salkova/CZE 3-6/6-4/7-6(13-11) - both served for win in 3rd, w/ Salkova 2 MP, then third in TB; Serban wins 24-point MTB
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #1 Swiatek/POL def. (PR) Osaka/JPN 7-6(1)/1-6/7-5 - Osaka led in 3rd at 4-1 w/ pt. for 5-1, 5-2 up, served at 5-3 and had MP
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Donna Vekic/CRO (def. Tsurenko/UKR ret.)
FIRST SEED OUT: #29 Veronika Kudermetova/RUS (1r: Bouzkova/CZE)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Moyuka Uchijima/JPN (2nd MD)
UPSET QUEENS: United States
REVELATION LADIES: China
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Germany (1-5 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Olga Danilovic/SRB (in 4th Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER WINS: 2nd Rd.: Hailey Baptiste/USA, Jana Fett/CRO
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Chloe Paquet/FRA (3rd Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: In 3rd Rd.: Andreescu/CAN, Begu/ROU; 2nd Rd.: Amanda Anisimova/USA, Naomi Osaka/JPN
LAST PASTRY STANDING: In 3rd Rd.: Gracheva, Paquet(L)
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: x
IT "TBD": x
COMEBACK PLAYER: x
CRASH & BURN: #6 Maria Sakkari/GRE (lost 1st Rd. 4 of 5 slams)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Iga Swiatek/POL (2nd Rd.: down 4-1 -- pt. for 5-1 -- and 5-2 vs. Osaka in 3rd; Osaka MP at 5-3)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
Légion de Lenglen: Nominee: Cornet farewell tournament; Gracheva in first RG as FRA
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: Nominee: Iga attempt at first three-peat since Henin in 2007






All for Day 6. More tomorrow.
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