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Sunday, May 19, 2024

Wk.20- Iga with a Dirty Double







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*WEEK 20 CHAMPIONS*
ROME, ITALY (WTA 1000/Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Iga Swiatek/POL def. Aryna Sabalenka/BLR 6-2/6-3
D: Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini (ITA/ITA) def. Coco Gauff/Erin Routliffe (USA/NZL) 6-3/4-6 [10-8]
PARIS, FRANCE (WTA 125/Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Diana Shnaider/RUS def. Emma Navarro/USA 6-2/3-6/6-4
D: Asia Muhammad/Aldila Sutjiadi (USA/INA) def. Monica Niculescu/Zhu Lin (ROU/CHN) 7-6(3)/4-6 [11-9]
PARMA, ITALY (WTA 125/Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova/SVK def. Mayar Sherif/EGY 7-5/2-6/6-4
D: Anna Danilina/Irina Khromacheva (KAZ/RUS) def. Elixane Lechemia/Ingrid Martins (FRA/BRA) 6-1/6-2




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[Rome 4th Rd.+]



PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Iga Swiatek/POL
...welp. The Roland Garros final will be contested three weekends from now, but has the impending champion already been identified?

With the way Swiatek is looking on clay this spring, a fourth title in Paris (and maybe a "fifth" during the Olympics) almost seems a fait accompli. At the moment, "Obi-wan Elena" would seem to be our only hope of a change in the future trophy-lifting schedule, and the Kazakh in question is heading to the season's second major after having (again) been too ill to defend a big title (pulling out of Rome during the first week).

Aside from having a good chance to (at least figuratively) have the year-end #1 wrapped up before we get to mid-summer, Swiatek is proving adept at taking on all comers (or at least those not named Elena, and maybe Alona) on the dirt. Her win in the Italian Open makes her just the third woman -- with Dinara Safina (2009) and Serena Williams (2013) -- to pull off the Madrid/Rome double, improving her clay record to 14-1 this season and 70-6 since the start of her breakout run at RG in 2020.

Aside from a few minor stumbles, Swiatek was rarely pushed while claiming her third crown in four years in Rome, winning a third title this year without dropping a set (and tenth this decade, more the quadrupling the total of each of the six players with the second most such runs in the 2020s -- two). Bernarda Pera got just two games, and Yulia Putintseva seven (though she did lead 4-1 in the 1st, and had a BP for 5-1). Angie Kerber, who lost a 7-5 1st set and made Iga take 8 SP to claim it, put up the biggest fight in her six matches, while Madison Keys (losing 1 & 3) was on the wrong end of the exact same scoreline she experienced vs. Swiatek two weeks ago in Madrid. In the semis, Coco Gauff didn't play poorly, but still lost 4 & 3 to fall to 1-10 vs. the Pole.

Even Aryna Sabalenka, who had 3 MP chances in their Madrid final match, proved little competition in Rome. After constantly falling behind on serve in the 1st, Sabalenka finally lost serve and soon was a set down (i.e. now subject to Frontrunner Iga). After failing to convert 5 BP in the opening game of the 2nd, Sabalenka was walked down the Green Mile-like hallway to an eventual 6-2/6-3 defeat, tied for just the *third*-most lopsided loss (w/ two others) of Swiatek's eight wins in the eleven career meetings between the two.


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RISERS: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR and Coco Gauff/USA
...so, since the start of last year, these two have won three of the four majors *not* won by Swiatek, but they're still losing ground to the world #1 as we speak.

In the end, Sabalenka will be content with being one of the rare players (just 6, including Iga this year) to pull off the Madrid/Rome final combo in the same season, even if she is the first to emerge from that scenario with a 0-2 record in said finals.

Unlike with Swiatek, it wasn't a clear path for Sabalenka to the Rome final. She was taken to three sets by Katie Volynets, though she won 10 of the final 13 games. After a straight sets win over Dayana Yastremska, Sabalenka came off of being treated for a back injury after the 2nd set to winning in three over Elina Svitolina while saving a trio of MP. After that, Sabalenka quelled the power of Alona Ostapenko and Danielle Collins with straight sets wins to reach her fourth final of the season, yet another vs. the world #1 (their fourth meeting in a final since the start of last year).

Sabalenka could never gain the upperhand, having to battle back just to hold serve in the 1st, then squandering 5 BP chances to open the 2nd. A win just wasn't in the cards in this final. If Sabalenka had won the final over Swiatek, she'd been able to call herself a true "cooler" for having ended all *three* of the season's longest winning streaks, after previously knocking off Collins (15 matchs) and Gauff (10) to end their best '24 runs. Swiatek has now won 12 straight.

Of course, maybe Sabalenka will get *another* chance at ending that streak in Paris.



Fact is, Sabalenka's best chance at RG might be for a draw that sets up Swiatek with a possible meeting with Elena Rybakina in the semis. After all, while Rybakina has mastered Iga better than (mostly) any other player (Alona is 4-0), the Kazakh is still no sure thing when it comes to winning finals.

It's worth noting that for as brightly as #4 Rybakina (5 finals, 3 titles, 30-5 w/ wins over Iga, Aryna and Collins) has often shined in '24, both #2 Sabalenka and #3 Gauff are more points ahead of *her* in the rankings than Rybakina is ahead of #5 Jessie Pegula.

Meanwhile, Gauff has yet to reach her summer of '23 level this season, but that *was* a tough act to follow. It's easy to ignore that Coco's somewhat "lesser" campaign has so far nevertheless included Australian Open, Indian Wells and (now) Rome semis, and a singles title in Auckland.

A previous semifinalist at the Italian Open in '21, Gauff this time around got past the likes of Magdalena Frech, Jaqueline Cristian (in 3, after losing the 2nd at love), Paula Badosa (also in 3) and Zheng Qinwen (her first Top 10 win of the season, and first on clay in three years since Ash Barty retired in the Rome QF in '21 to give her her maiden #1 win).



In her latest shot at Iga Swiatek, Coco played well early, taking a 2-0 lead, dropping serve in game #3 but saving BP in two other service holds while the set coasted down the stretch to 4-all. But her day collapsed in game 9, as Gauff squanderd a 40/love lead and was broken, DF'ing on the final two points. Swiatek held to take the set, and the rest was almost preordained in a 6-4/6-3 win that dropped Gauff to 1-10 vs. the Polish #1.

Gauff heads to Paris having reached at least the RG QF three years running, including reaching the final twice.

Gauff also played into the doubles final alongside Erin Routliffe.
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SURPRISES: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova/SVK and Ariana Geerlings/ESP
...quietly, Schmiedy has been climbing the rankings ladder this season. Her title run this weekend in the Parma 125 represents her biggest win in three years (a '21 125), but it's not the only time she's bubbled up in the early months of '24.

Her Austin SF (w/ a win over Peyton Stearns in her college town) was her first at tour level since '19, and Madrid saw the Slovak defeat Sofia Kenin and push Ons Jabeur to three sets.

In Parma, she got an early win over Dalma Galfi, then battled long and hard down the stretch to get the crown, working for six and a half hours in the SF/F alone. She went 3:38 vs. Jule Niemeier in the semis, failing to convert six MP in the 2nd set, then saving six in the 3rd before finally converting on #7. In the final, she outlasted Mayer Sherif in 2:53, even after a 2nd set that saw her win just a single point on serve (in game 1) and get broken at love in three straight service times. She trailed the Egyptian 4-2 in the decider, but rallied to sweep the final four games.

AKS will rise to #53 in the new rankings, on the cusp of her first Top 50 spot since 2016. Her career high is #26, reached in '15. Schmiedlova's last tour-level final was in Hobart in 2019, and her most recent WTA title came a year earlier than that in Bogota.



Meanwhile, 18-year old Spaniard Geerlings claimed her third ITF title of the spring, picking up a third $15K crown in Kursumlijska Banja (SRB) with a 7–6(2)/6–7(2)/6–4 win in the final over Anja Stankovic.

After having been 19-13 as a pro in 2022-23 (reaching her maiden final last November), Geerlings is 22-9 this year.
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VETERANS: Danielle Collins/USA and Victoria Azarenka/BLR
...though she hasn't won a title in Europe, this has continued to be the spring of Collins, from her Miami title run forward.

In Rome, after seeing Anna Blinkova retire from her opening match, she reeled off wins over Caroline Garcia, Irina-Camelia Begu and Azarenka to reach both her first QF and SF at the tournament. Once in the semi (her third of '24), after getting back into the opening set vs. Aryna Sabalenka after trailing 4-1, Collins was broken to end a 7-5 set and then went on to fall in straights.

Collins is 32-8 on the year, and 16-4 in 1000 events. She's 19-2 overall since the start of Miami, with both losses coming to Sabalenka.



Thankfully, unlike last year, Azarenka hasn't fallen into the pattern of being too nicked-up to carry over the fine start to her season. In 2023, after her 10-4 start, she ultimately had as many walkovers as wins in the important Madrid/Rome/RG clay stretch.

After a 10-3 start in '24, though, Azarenka has continued to post good results (and play *enough* to get them), coming out of Rome on a similar 10-4 run since her early exit in Indian Wells. Vika is 6-3 on the dirt this season, just one win shy of her high season total of 7 since the 2013 season.

The veteran got wins in Rome over Magda Linette and Mayar Sherif, then recorded her first Top 10 win on clay since 2020 by topping Maria Sakkari. Collins proved too much to handle in the QF (continuing a recent theme for the Bannerette), but Azarenka stands on the verge (at #21) of re-entering the Top 20 for the first time since last October.


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COMEBACKS: Alona Ostapenko/LAT and Jule Niemeier/GER




...okay, so it's not really a *comeback*, per se, since Ostapenko has had a very good year and is in the Top 10. But it fits the narrative (and the categories) for this week.

Ostapenko Watchers, as always, are looking for something that might foretell the ignition of the sort of rocket-launch run that could burn through a two-week slam stretch. It's about timing. The Latvian has been riding her personal Tilt-a-Penko all season, opening 14-2, then immediately falling into a 5-6 trough of results. Heading into Paris, though, she's turned the arrow back upward (but not *so* sharply to believe think that she's peaked *before* Roland Garros, so hope still springs for now), following up her Madrid Round of 16 with a Rome QF that leaves her on a 5-2 upturn as she leaves Italy.

A semifinalist at the event last year (and quarterfinalist in 2018 and '21), Osatpenko strung together wins over Anastasia Potapova, Sara Sorribes Tormo and, in one of the matches of the tournament, determined qualifier Rebecca Sramkova. Against the Slovak, Ostapenko rallied from 3-1 down in the 3rd (Sramkova served for the win at 5-4) and won a slugfest in which she was actually out-winnered by her opponent.



Ostapenko went down in straights to Aryna Sabalenka in the QF. But we're a week away from finding out whether Alona has a final spring flourish left in her for the terre battue.

Elsewhere, it's been nearly two full years since Niemeier's stunning Wimbledon QF (and nearly SF) run, then Round of 16 U.S. Open follow-up. Injuries and a lot of L's have followed (she was 16-29 in '23), but the now 24-year old's fortunes have made a significant jump forward in '24. She came into the Parma 125 ranked at #105, with a pair of $100K finals to her credit this season.

The German took out Maria Lourdes Carle (love 3rd set), Ankita Raina and Zeynep Sonmez to reach her fourth SF of the year, where a veteran Slovak, aka "AKS," aka "Schmiedy" stood between her and another final.



The semifinal against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova turned into a circus on the scoreboard. Lasting 3:38, both players saved six MP (Niemeier 6 in the 2nd, AKS 6 in the 3rd), with the German winning a 13-11 TB to force a deciding set, which began with six straight breaks of serve. After staging such a massive comeback, Niemeier would then to fail to serve out the match with a 5-4, 40/15 lead.

Niemeier, at 25-15 on the year, will still climb back into the Top 100 for the first time since last August. She was ranked as low as #175 in October.
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FRESH FACES: Diana Shnaider/RUS and Emma Navarro/USA
...Navarro was the star all week long in the Paris 125, but it was Shnaider lifting the trophy -- an immediate nominee for "Trophy of the Year," by the way -- on the weekend.



Navarro (in her 23rd birthday week) didn't drop a set en route to the final, never losing more than three games in any of her eight sets (and just 10 overall in four matches), while 20-year old Shnaider had to fight off Elsa Jacquemot in a 3:11 three-setter in the 2nd Round, saving 14 BP at 4-4 in the 3rd and then rallying from 4-1 down in the deciding TB.

But when they met to decide the champion it was the Hordette prevailing, 6-2/3-6/6-4.

Both have spread their new success around in 2024, winning maiden tour titles (Shnaider in Hua Hin, Navarro in Hobart) and also reaching 125 title matches (Navarro here, w/ Shnaider going 1-1). Both even lost in three-set affairs vs. Paula Badosa during the first weekend of play in Rome.

While Navarro (#23 on Monday) won't climb back into the Top 20 with this result (the title would have done it), Shnaider will crack the Top 50 for the first time, going from #62 to #47.
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ITF PLAYERS: Moyuka Uchijima/JPN and Tara Wurth/CRO
...Uchijima continues to burn up the ITF circuit, this week heading to Madrid to claim a $100K crown (her 3rd $100K of '24) to run her current winning streak to 15 matches and three event titles. Her five singles crowns lead the circuit this season. The 22-year old, now Japan's highest-ranked player, included a pair of three-set triumphs to end the week, vs. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva in the semis and Leyre Romero Gormaz in the 5-7/6-4/7-5 final.

37-9 on the year, and on a 22-1 extended run, Uchijima cracks the Top 100 for the first time on Monday, settling in all the way up at #80.



In Zagreb (CRO), Wurth defeated 19-year old Serb (and recent Bracelet-in-training) Lola Radivojevic in a 7-5/6-3 final to win her fifth career ITF crown at the $75K challenger. The 21-year old Croat, who ranked as high as #145 last April soon after winning a $40K crown in her hometown of Split (before exiting in RG qualifying and then missing the rest of the '23 season), rises from the depths of the pro rankings with the result, climbing out of the deep hole of a #730 standing to back inside the Top 500 (#481).

Wurth had been on a 1-6 slide coming in Zagreb.
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JUNIOR STAR: Yelyzaveta Kotliar/UKR
...in Santa Croce Sull'Arno (ITA), 17-year old Ukrainian Kotliar won her biggest career title at the J300 tournament. The girls' #58 lost no sets en route to the crown, upsetting top seeded Mimi Xu in the QF, then #5 Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (J300 Villena champ, w/ a maiden pro title at a $15K last month) in a 6-3/6-2 final.

Thankfully, Kotliar wasn't playing a Russian or Belarusian, and didn't play any all week. Because, you know, then something truly horrific might have happened after the match (back in January, there was even Zapruder film-like evidence that proved that such dastardly deeds were possible)...



(Rolling eyes.)
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DOUBLES: Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA
...for the first time since 2012, the Italian Open doubles was won by an all-ITA duo. This time, like the last, Errani was involved. First with Roberta Vinci, and now Paolini.

It took a trio of match TB to get the job done -- vs. #2 seeds Melichar-Martinez/Perez (1st Rd.), #6 L.Kichenok/Ostapenko (QF) and #3 Gauff/Routliffe (F) -- but Errani/Paolini picked up their third crown as a pair (second in '24, w/ Linz) and the biggest so far.

While Rome is Paolini's first 1000 crown and fourth career title, it's Errani's sixth 1000 (but first since '14, the same year of her last slam win) and 30th overall.


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WHEELCHAIR: Diede de Groot/NED
...wheels up!

After the disappointment of seeing her long winning streak end in the World Team Cup last week, de Groot was back at it in the Series 1 event in Italy, sweeping the singles and doubles titles with singles wins over Zhu Zhenzhen (2 & 1), Aniek Van Koot (though she lost the 2nd set) and Angelica Bernal in a love & 2 final. It extends her singles title-winning streak to 38 tournaments, and her non-team event singles match run to 134 matches (so there's still that).

Back with Van Koot in doubles, the Dutch pair won their only match of the event (after a SF w/o) in the final over Bernal/Zhu. De Groot is 11-0 on the court in doubles this season (w/ both a walkover loss and win, as well).

Though de Groot & Van Koot haven't played as often lately, due to Van Koot's injury last year and (I assume) de Groot's commitment to play with Jiske Griffioen while she was away (and when she was first back), but they've now won two titles this season (though de Groot/Griffioen clamied the AO). 23-2 together since 2022, and 56-5 since '21, they'll likely pair in an attempt to defend their Paralympics Gold this summer in Paris. Van Koot has won the last *two* WD Golds (2016 and '21).
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[Rome 4th Rd.+]

1. Rome 4th Rd. - Aryna Sabalenka def. Elina Svitolina
...4-6/6-1/7-6(7). After being treated for a back injury after winning the 2nd set, Sabalenka engaged in a back-and-forth battle with Svitolina throughout the 3rd, ultimately saving three MP vs. the two-time Rome champ (2017-18) and winning on her own second MP.

Svitolina held a early break lead in the decider, but Sabalenka surged into the lead, serving for the win at 5-4. She couldn't do it, and two games later was forced to save a pair of MP. In the concluding TB, Sabalenka led 5-3, but squandered a chance to hold multiple MP opportunities of her own. Svitolina tied things up at 5-5. They traded MP chances in the closing moments, with Sabalenka getting her first at 6-5, Svitolina #3 at 7-6 and, finally, Sabalenka closing the match by converting on her second to win 9-7.



Svitolina arrived in Rome without a 1000 QF berth since 2021 at this same event (though she's since had a slam SF and two QF). She leaves still without one, as well as missing out on what would have been her first Top 10 win in nearly a full year. After getting two in her comeback season of '23 (the last: over #1 Swiatak at Wimbledon), the Ukrainian is 0-3 vs. Top 10 foes this year (and has lost her last five).
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2. Rome 4th Rd. - Alona Ostapenko def. Rebecca Sramkova
...4-6/6-4/7-6(3). A Tilt-a-Penko trip rarely gets bogged down in intricate details, and is usually about big swings (both literally and figuratively). That was the case in this unexpected thriller, too.

That Ostapenko and Sramkova's careers would intersect with, of all things, a 1000 QF berth on the line is about as unlikely an occurrance on tour as it would seem. Though 26 and 27-year old contemporaries, respectively, their careers have developed along totally different paths. That they've "shared" a spot on the pro tour for a decade but have *never* before met in a tour-level match says a lot, as does the fact that the two times they *had* previously met came in a $50K in 2015 (on carpet) and in a 2019 Fed Cup tie (on indoor hard court). They split those matches.

Once play began, the two were evenly matched. In fact, in the end, #10 Ostapenko edged #120-ranked qualifier Sramkova by just two total points (113-111) and -- shocking! -- the Slovak out-winnered the Latvian 43-36 on the day.



Sramkkova rallied from 3-1 back to win the 1st, and after Ostapenko knotted the match the two battled throughout the 3rd. Sramkova led 3-1, and served for the win at 5-4 (she was broken at love). Meanwhile, over five consecutive games (games 7-11), every service game began with either 40/love or love/40 scores. The two traded breaks for 5-4 and 5-5, with Ostapenko getting the key hold from love/40 down in game 11 to prevent Sramkova from getting a second chance to serve out the match.

After Ostapenko held for a 6-5 lead, Sramkova denied her a MP in the following game and forced a TB, where the Latvian finally pulled away to win 7-3.


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3. Rome Final - Iga Swiatek def. Aryna Sabalenka
...6-2/6-3. Swiatek hit big and won the big points to come out on top in her ninth straight singles final, taking a third of the four Iga/Aryna final match-up since the start of last year (all of them #1 vs. #2 clashes). She improves to 4-1 in overall finals vs. Sabalenka, and 8-3 in the complete series.

Sabalenka immediately fell behind in her first three service games, holding in game 1 (from love/30) and game 5 (from love/30, saving two BP), but was broken at love in game 3 in the set-turning moment that handed Swiatek what was an insurmountable lead.

Conversely, in the 2nd, Swiatek staved off 5 BP in game 2, then two more two games later. In game 7, Swiatek was nearly tagged (though she was in the corner of the court) by a whizzing-by monster shot from Sabalenka, but ended the game with a break of serve to take a 4-3 lead.

Whatever is said about "taking a shot" at the world #1 and it being best to not miss, well, it all played out after that. Sabalenka didn't win another game, and never was able to break Swiatek's serve.




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4. Rome 4th Rd. - Iga Swiatek def. Angelique Kerber
...7-5/6-3. Back in January, Swiatek handled Kerber 6-3/6-0 in the United Cup in this season's early version of Comeback Angie. Flashforward four months, and move to the current world #1's best surface, and the former world #1 put up a much more valiant fight.

Kerber forced Swiatek to squander seven SP in the 1st before finally converting on #8, and also took an early break lead to open the 2nd set. She ultimately fell in straights again, but Kerber (at #259 on Monday) is starting to look as if she might be someone to be reckoned with by the end of summer.


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5. Rome 4th Rd. - Zheng Qinwen def. Naomi Osaka
...6-2/6-4. Late last season, Osaka stole Zheng's coach, Wim Fissette. Or, at the very least, she "reclaimed" her former coach ahead of her comeback, and Fissette fumbled the transition so badly that it left Zheng and her family feeling betrayed.

Many months later, Zheng seems to have moved past it (reaching her maiden slam final and cracking the Top 10 *after* Fissette's exit has surely helped her put everything behind her), and whatever lingering bit of desire for revenge that remained was likely sated with this victory.

Not that she'd admit such a thing.


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6. Paris 125 1st Rd. - McCartney Kessler def. Simona Halep
...5-7/3-2 ret. Since she didn't receive a Roland Garros WC from the FFT, Halep's only trip back to Paris this season was restricted to this week's 125 event. It didn't last long.

In her first outing since her 1st Round exit in Miami, the Romanian took the 1st set from McCartney Kessler but soon found that her body still wasn't ready for her return. 18 months away, whether planned or not, is not a quickly-overcome obstable, especially for a player who doesn't rely on power tennis to get her through.


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7. Rome QF - Coco Gauff def. Zheng Qinwen
...7-6(4)/6-1. Just for the end of the match point...


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8. Paris 125 2nd Rd. - Diana Shnaider def. Elsa Jacquemot
...7-5/4-6/7-6(5). In a wild 3rd set, Shnaider led 4-2. Serving at 4-4, the Hordette held on her second GP after staving off *14* BP held by Jacquemot. In the deciding TB, Shnaider rallied from 4-1 down to win 7-5.


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9. Parma 125 1st Rd. - Giorgia Pedone def. Alycia Parks
...7-6/7-6(5). The tightest race of the 2024 season? Umm, whose losing streak will go the longest?

Zhang Shuai's is at 20, while Parks has now lost 13 straight. Zhang has a big "lead," but Parks plays singles a great deal more often.
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10. Paris 125 1st Rd. - Kristina Mladenovic def. Nao Hibino
...6-7(4)/6-4/6-1. Mladenovic -- who somehow managed to procure a Roland Garros WC from the FFT despite her last slam MD win coming longer ago that Halep's -- trailed 7-6/3-1 here, but Hibino couldn't hold the lead and falls to 0-4 since her 2-0 stint in BJK play.

Paris 125 2nd Rd. - Gabriela Ruse def. Kristina Mladenovic 6-1/6-0
Rabat Q1 - Nuria Brancaccio def. Kristina Mladenovic 6-2/6-1
...ultimately, Mladenovic was run out by Ruse while winning just one game. It's the third time in her last four events that the Pastry has exited while winning two or fewer games in the final two sets of a match (falling love & love in the 2nd/3rd to Suzan Lamens in Oeiras, and love & 2 to Taylah Preston in Saint-Malo).

She almost made it a fourth time in her last five events, as she lost 2 & 1 this weekend in the opening round of Rabat qualifying to Nuria Brancaccio.

Surely sounds like a player on the upswing and worthy of a slam WC to me.
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11. Rome QF - Wang Xinyhu/Zheng Saisai def. Hsieh Su-wei/Elise Mertens 6-0/4-6 [10-7]
Rome SF - Coco Gauff/Erin Routliffe def. Wang Xinyhu/Zheng Saisai 6-3/7-6(3)
...Wang & Zheng pull the huge upset of the top seeds in the QF, only to fall a round short of the final.

Still, it's a big result for Zheng, in just her second WD event back (w/ Miami) after sitting out the 2022 and '23 seasons.
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12. Parma 125 1st Rd. - Ajla Tomljanovic def. Nuria Brancaccio
...3-6/6-3/6-1. The Aussie's first match since Hua Hin in January.



Parma 125 2nd Rd. - Renata Zarazua def. Ajla Tomljanovic 3-0 ret.
...the return didn't last long.

Now, about the Aussie's WC spot (via Tennis Australia) in the RG draw... was it really worth it this early in her return? Will she even make it through the 1st Round in Paris? She hasn't advanced beyond the RG 2nd Round since 2014.

Tomljanovic also withdrew from Rabat qualifying. One has to wonder if she'll even *make* it to Day 1 in Paris.
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13. $15K Kursumlijska Banja SRB Final - Natalija Senic/Nina Stojanovic def. Daria Kuczer/Vicky Van de Peer
...7/5/7-5. 27-year old Stojanvovic wins the WD title in her first event back since 2022. The Serb played in BJK zone play last month, but has yet to take the court in singles.
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14. $35K Bethany Beach USA Final - Kajsa Rinaldo Persson def. Akasha Urhobo
...4-6/6-3/6-2. 17-year old Bannerette Urhobo comes up short of winning her second title in two weeks, but reaches her third ITF final since the start of April.

Swede Persson wins her second challenger crown in Florida (w/ Boca Raton) this spring.
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15. $15K Kranjska Gora SLO - Laura Samson d. Oana Gavrila
...6-1/6-4. Another week, another Crusher champion as the 16-year old Czech picks up her second title of the season.
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[Rome 4th Rd.+]

1. Parms 125 SF - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova def. Jule Niemeier
...6-4/6-7(11)/7-5. A crazy affair in Parma. In a match that went 3:38, both players saved half a dozen MP with a spot in the final on the line before, in the end, the player who'd squandered the initial big lead still managed to celebrate last.

Schmiedlova led 6-4/5-3, holding two MP on Niemeier's serve, then a third on her own a game later. The German rallied to take the set to a TB, but saw AKS hold three more MP at 6-5, 9-8 and 10-9 to run her total to six. Niemeier won the breaker 13-11 to stay alive.

The 3rd set opened with six consecutive breaks of serve, but Niemeier eventually served for the win at 5-4, taking a 40/15 lead and holding six total MP of her own in the game before the Slovak got the break. Schmiedlova then held and broke Niemeier again to advance to the final, her biggest in three years.
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2. Parma 125 Final - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova def. Mayar Sherif
...7-5/2-6/6-4. After previously being 6-0 in 125 finals, Sherif drops her second in a row, this time in three to AKS after having led the 3rd set at 4-2.

This one lasted 2:53, and Schmiedlova played a combined 6:31 in the SF/F alone.


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Yeah, so this is happening *again*...




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A better angle of a ticked-off Sofia Kenin's first-week return to the court in Rome after having argued against playing through the rain. Just because...




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Nice detail with the ESPY ball.


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Unlike the other slam organizations, which at least *try* to give the impression of a (somewhat) merit-based selection process, or look to occasionally reward past champions or "name" players whose inclusion will give the MD something of an "uplift," the FFT gave every single RG wild card it has control over (30 of 34) to a French player, whether they really deserved one or not. Shocking, I know.




Kiki has had *one* good result this year (a SF at Oeiras 125) and is 10-11 overall, hasn't won a slam MD match in three years, and has finished the last five seasons under .500 in singles. It's a good thing she has "FRA" next to her name, and probably that Lois Boisson was hurt the other week and apparently wasn't able to claim what had seemed a certain berth in the field.



Of course, that doesn't explain why Leolia Jeanjean, with 3r/2r results in Paris the last two years and a $75K challenger quarterfinalist this past week, wasn't included on the list. Ranked more the 70 spots above Mladenovic, she'll nonetheless have to make her way through qualifying to reach the MD.

A nod for the Alize wild card, though.



Translation:

"2005 --> 2024

20 Roland Garros later...

Thank you @FFTennis for allowing me to choose my outing thanks to this wild card. I couldn't dream of better

And to this 15 year old girl: you didn't do too badly, little one

See you in ten days at Porte d’Auteuil"

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She was... "Exquisite in the City."









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*RECENT WTA #1 vs. #2 MATCH-UPS*
2014 Brisbane Final - #1 S.Williams d. #2 Azarenka
2014 Miami Final - #1 S.Williams d. #2 Li
2015 Australian Open Final - #1 S.Williams d. #2 Sharapova
2018 Australian Open Final - #2 Wozniacki d. #1 Halep
2019 WTA Finals SF - #1 Barty d. #2 Ka.Pliskova
2023 Stuttgart Final - #1 Swiatek d. #2 Sabalenka
2023 Madrid Final - #2 Sabalenka d. #1 Swiatek
2023 WTA Finals SF - #2 Swiatek d. #1 Sabalenka
2024 Madrid Final - #1 Swiatek d. #2 Sabalenka
2024 Rome Final - #1 Swiatek d. #2 Sabalenka

*MOST #1 vs. #2 MATCH-UPS IN SEASON, since 2000*
2000 (5) - Davenport vs. Hingis 3-2
2012 (4) - Azarenka vs. Sharapova 2-2
2013 (3) - S.Williams vs. Sharapova 3-0
2013 (3) - Azarenka vs. S.Williams 2-1
2023 (3) - Swiatek vs. Sabalenka 2-1
2024 (2) - Swiatek vs. Sabalenka 2-0

*SWIATEK vs. SABALENKA*
2021 WTAF rr (hc) - Sabalenka 2-6/6-2/7-5
2022 Doha QF (hc) - Swiatek 6-2/6-3
2022 Stuttgart F (rci) - Swiatek 6-2/6-2
2022 Rome SF (rc) - Swiatek 6-2/6-1
2022 U.S. Open SF (hc) - Swiatek 3-6/6-1/6-4
2022 WTA Finals SF (hci) - Sabalenka 6-2/2-6/6-1
2023 Stuttgart F (rci) - Swiatek 6-3/6-4
2023 Madrid F (rc) - Sabalenka 6-3/3-6/6-3
2023 WTA Finals SF (hc) - Swiatek 6-3/6-2
2024 Madrid F (rc) - Swiatek 7-5/4-6/7-6(7) - 3 MP saved
2024 Rome F (rc) - Swiatek 6-2/6-3

*MOST 2020-2024 WTA FINAL MATCHUPS*
5...SABALENKA/SWIATEK = Swiatek 4-1
3...Rybakina/Sabalenka = Rybakina 2-1
2...Alexandrova/Ostapenko = tied 1-1
2...Azarenka/Osaka = Osaka 1-0 (+L)
2...Barty/Sabalenka = tied 1-1
2...Bencic/Jabeur = tied 1-1
2...Bencic/Samsonova = tied 1-1
2...Collins/Kasatkina = Collins 2-0
2...Jabeur/Swiatek = Swiatek 2-0
2...Kontaveit/Sakkari = Kontaveit 2-0
2...Krejcikova/Swiatek = Krejcikova 2-0
2...Kvitova/Muguruza = Kvitova 2-0
2...Pegula/Swiatek = Swiatek 2-0
2...Sakkari/Swiatek = Swiatek 2-0

*MADRID/ROME FINALS (Madrid started '09); w/ RG result*
2009 Dinara Safina (W-W)+ RU
2013 Serena Williams (W-W)+ W
2017 Simona Halep (W-RU)+ RU
2022 Ons Jabeur (W-RU)+ 1r
2024 Iga Swiatek (W-W)
2024 Aryna Sabalenka (L-L)
[MAD-ROME-RG Finals]
2009 Safina (W-W-RU)
2013 S.Williams (W-W-W)
2017 Halep (W-RU-RU)

*LONG WTA (MD only) WINNING STREAKS - 2024*
15 - Danielle Collins (March-April; ended by Sabalenka)
12 - IGA SWIATEK (April-*)
10 - Coco Gauff (January; ended by Sabalenka)
--
UNDEFEATED NOTE: Pliskova (9 WTA MD, walkover loss, then 2 more)

*WTA 1000 EVENTS in 2024*
Doha (HC) - #1 Swiatek/POL d. #3 Rybakina/KAZ
Dubai (HC) - #26 Paolini/ITA d. #40 Kalinskaya/RUS
Indian Wells (HC) - #1 Swiatek/POL d. #9 Sakkari/GRE
Miami (HC) - #53 Collins/USA d. #4 Rybakina/KAZ
Madrid (RC) - #1 Swiatek/POL d. #2 Sabalenka/BLR
Rome (RC) - #1 Swiatek/POL d. #2 Sabalenka/BLR

*CAREER WTA TITLES - clay (active)*
9 - Simona Halep
9 - IGA SWIATEK
9 - Venus Williams
7 - Sara Errani
6 - Elina Svitolina
5 - Petra Kvitova
4 - Alize Cornet
4 - Angelique Kerber
4 - Caroline Wozniacki
[in 2020s]
9 - IGA SWIATEK (1/1/3/2/2)
2 - Danielle Collins (0/1/0/0/1)
2 - Simona Hhalep (2/0/0/-/0)
2 - Ons Jabeur (0/0/1/1/0)
2 - Barbora Krejcikova (0/2/0/0/0)
2 - Camila Osorio (0/1/0/0/1)
2 - Bernarda Pera (0/0/2/0/0)
2 - Tatjana Maria (0/0/1/1/0)
2 - Elena Rybakina (0/0/0/1/1)
2 - Aryna Sabalenka (0/1/0/1/0)
2 - Elina Svitolina (1/0/0/1/0)

*2024 WTA SINGLES TITLES*
4 - IGA SWIATEK, POL = 1000(4)
3 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ = 500(3)
2 - Danielle Collins, USA = 1000,500
2 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT = 500(2)
[2020-24]
21 - 1/2/8/6/4 = IGA SWIATEK
9 - 3/2/0/3/1 = Aryna Sabalenka
8 - 1/5/2 = Ash Barty (ret.)
7 - 0/3/2/2/0 = Barbora Krejcikova
7 - 1/0/1/2/3 = Elena Rybakina
6 - 0/1/0/4/1 = Coco Gauff

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2024*
5 - Elena Rybakina (3-2)
4 - IGA SWIATEK (4-0)
4 - ARYNA SABALENKA (1-3)
3 - Dasha Kasatkina (0-3)
2 - Danielle Collins (2-0)
2 - Alona Ostapenko (2-0)
2 - Marta Kostyuk (0-2)

*MOST WTA FINALS - 2020-24*
24 - 1/2/9/8/4 = SWIATEK (21-3)
19 - 3/3/3/6/4 = SABALENKA (9-10)
17 - 5/0/3/4/5 = Rybakina (7-10)
12 - 1/7/4/0 ret...Kontaveit (5-6-1)
12 - 0/3/6/3/0 = Jabeur (5-7)
11 - 0/4/3/4/0 = Krejcikova (7-4)
11 - 0/4/2/2/2 = Kasatkina (4-7)

*2024 SLAM-OLY-WTAF/1000 CHAMPIONS*
Australian Open - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Doha - Iga Swiatek, POL
Dubai - Jasmine Paolini, ITA
Indian Wells - Iga Swiatek, POL
Miami - Danielle Collins, USA
Madrid - Iga Swiatek, POL
Rome - Iga Swiatek, POL
[doubles]
Australian Open - Hsieh Su-wei/Elise Mertens, TPE/BEL
Doha - Demi Schuurs/Luisa Stefani, NED/BRA
Dubai - Storm Hunter/Katerina Siniakova, AUS/CZE
Indian Wells - Hsieh Su-wei/Elise Mertens, TPE/BEL
Miami - Kenin/Mattek-Sands, USA/USA
Madrid - Cristina Bucsa/Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP/ESP
Rome - Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA

*SWIATEK vs. GAUFF*
2021 Rome SF (rc) - Swiatek 7-6(3)/6-3
2022 Miami 4th (hc) - Swiatek 6-3/6-1
2022 Roland Garros F (rc) - Swiatek 6-1/6-3
2022 San Diego QF (hc) - Swiatek 6-0/6-3
2022 WTA Finals rr (hc) - Swiatek 6-3/6-0
2023 Dubai SF (hc) - Swiatek 6-4/6-2
2023 Roland Garros QF (rc) - Swiatek 6-4/6-2
2023 Cincinnati SF (hc) - Gauff 7-6(2)/3-6/6-4
2023 Beijing SF (hc) - Swiatek 6-2/6-3
2023 WTAF rr (hc) - Swiatek 6-0/7-5
2024 Rome SF (rc) - Swiatek 6-4/6-3

*MOST 2024 WTA TITLES w/o LOSING A SET*
3 - IGA SWIATEK (Doha/Indian Wells/Rome)
1 - Karolina Pliskova (Cluj-Napoca)
1 - Elena Rybakina (Brisbane)
1 - Aryna Sabalenka (Australian Open)

*MOST TITLES WON W/O DROPPING A SET - 2020s*
10 - IGA SWIATEK (3 in '24)
2 - Ash Barty
2 - Coco Gauff
2 - Anett Kontaveit (ret.)
2 - Bernarda Pera
2 - Aryna Sabalenka (1)
2 - Liudmila Samsonova

*2024 WTA DOUBLES TITLES*
2 - Cristina Bucsa
2 - Chan Hao-ching
2 - SARA ERRANI
2 - Hsieh Su-wei
2 - Sofia Kenin
2 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands
2 - Elise Mertens
2 - JASMINE PAOLINI
[duos]
2...ERRANI/PAOLINI
2...Hsieh/Mertens
2...Kenin/Mattek-Sands
[2020-24 - duos]
12..Krejcikova/Siniakova (1/5/3/3/0)
8...Aoyama/Shibahara (1/5/0/2/0)
7...Siegemund/Zvonareva (1/0/2/4/0)
5...Gauff/Pegula (0/0/3/2/0)
5...Hsieh/Strycova (4/0/-/1/-)
4...Hsieh/Mertens (0/2/0/0/2)
3...ERRANI/PAOLINI (0/0/0/1/2)
3...Guarachi/Krawczyk (1/2/0/0/0)
3...Hozumi/Ninomiya (0/0/3/0/0)
3...Kato/Sutjiadi (0/0/0/2/1)
3...L.Kichenok/Ostapenko (0/0/2/0/1)
3...Krawczyk/Schuurs (0/0/1/2/0)
3...V.Kudermetova/Mertens (0/1/2/0/0)
3...Melichar-M./Schuurs (1/2/0/0/0)
3...Xu/Yang (0/0/2/1/0)

*2024 WTA DOUBLES FINALS*
3 (2-1) = Bethanie Mattek-Sands
3 (1-2) = Lyudmyla Kichenok
3 (1-2) = Nicole Melichar-Martinez
3 (1-2) = Ellen Perez
2 (2-0) = Cristina Bucsa
2 (2-0) = Chan Hao-ching
2 (2-0) = SARA ERRANI
2 (2-0) = Hsieh Su-wei
2 (2-0) = Sofia Kenin
2 (2-0) = Elise Mertens
2 (2-0) = JASMINE PAOLINI
2 (1-1) = Storm Hunter
2 (1-1) = Irina Khromacheva
2 (1-1) = Alona Ostapenko
2 (1-1) = Katerina Siniakova
2 (0-2) = Guo Hanyu
2 (0-2) = Jiang Xinyu
2 (0-2) = Desirae Krawczyk
2 (0-2) = ERIN ROUTLIFFE
2 (0-2) = Heather Watson
[2024 finals - duos]
3...Melichar-Martinez/Perez (1-2)
2...ERRANI/PAOLINI (2-0)
2...Hsieh/Mertens (2-0)
2...Kenin/Mattek-Sands (2-0)
2...Hunter/Siniakova (1-1)
2...L.Kichenok/Ostapenko (1-1)
2...Guo/Jiang (0-2)






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Damn. Alice Stewart was on the "other side of the aisle" from which I consider myself, and I didn't agree with her the majority of the time, but I always liked to hear her take on things because she actually lived in the land of the sane and called out the BS on the right whenever it was appropriate. Apparently, she was also a very nice person "in the real world." So sad.

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Featuring Diane Dees (@WomenWhoServe)


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FREE LINK




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All for now.
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