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Sunday, June 2, 2024

RG.8- Iga ❤️ Macarons

Maybe the pre Iga-bration festivities are already kicking in? Because there wasn't a whole lot of tennis played on Day 8... and it had nothing to do with the weather.

Most of what was was pretty untouchable, though.









=DAY 8 NOTES=
...after the opening match on Sunday on Chatrier, one could forgive Anastasia Potapova for wanting to have a word with Naomi Osaka since, you know, if she'd finished the job the other day then *this* didn't have to happen.

The world #1 herself set the tone for the first half of the women's Round of 16, as Iga Swiatek brought down a different sort of rain -- of macarons, as it's Paris and "bagels" seem a bit out of place -- on Potapova, dispatching the Hordette in just 40 minutes while surrending zero games and just ten total points.



The win sends Swiatek into her fifth straight RG quarterfinal, and ends her under-the-radar "slip" in recent slam results after failing to get so far at the last two majors (US 4r, AO 3r), her longest QF drought in slam competition since 2021. Her current winning streak in Paris is at 18, and her '24 season run (all on clay) is now 16.

The Iga-bration wristband cannon slightly malfunctioned, though.



...#3 Coco Gauff didn't waste must time on court, either, dispatching Elisabetta Cocciaretto 1 & 2 to reach her fourth straight RG QF, and third in a row at a major.

Gauff is traditionally the subject of some of the best action shots...



...#5 Marketa Vondrousova has been known to quietly show no mercy to her opponents' nice little stories (see the Tokyo Olympics, as in her path to the MD and her results once she got there), and the Czech fairly well kept up with that reputation against qualifier Olga Danilovic, bundling the Serb out of Paris in straight sets by a 6-4/6-2 score to end her six-match winning streak and best-ever slam run.



It's Vondrousova's first QF at RG since her 2019 final run, her fourth slam QF in all, but third in the last four majors. Still, it feels like if a quiz was given asking people to name the current Top 10 it'd be the reigning Wimbledon champ who'd probably be forgetfully left off the most lists. She just tends to get left behind in general discussion (even Sakkari gets more notice for *losing* early in big events).

While the players at the very top of the rankings have been winning big titles and facing off with one another in '24, this is just Vondrousova's second QF of the season (w/ Stuttgart SF, during which she upset Sabalenka in the QF), but lest we forget how white-hot she was around this time last year. From Indian Wells through her U.S. Open 4th Round win in 2023, she went on a 33-8 jaunt, only to limp over the season finish line with a 1-6 conclusion to her best season (including going 0-3 at the WTAF, and 1-1 in the BJK Finals).

The Czech isn't the sort who can overpower an Iga Swiatek, her QF opponent, but perhaps the Pole's form today will cause her to let down her guard two days from now and give Vondrousova's crafty game a chance to cause a few headaches. At least for a set or so.

She's yet to beat the world #1 (or taken a set in three meetings), and their only clay meeting came in the 1st Round of Swiatek's maiden RG title run in 2020. Since then, Vondrousova has troubled Iga for a *bit* in a pair of tie-break 1st sets, only to see the Pole figure the Czech's game out and win 12 of 13 games in 2nd sets (both on hard court last year).

...this left the match-up between #8 Ons Jabeur and Clara Tauson to "save the day." Yeah, that didn't happen, either. It just wasn't a good match-up for the Dane, who for all her big shots is still (though she's improved) not the best when it comes to movement and can be frustrated if an opponent can get her on the run from side to side and move her forward to the net.

Unfortunately, those are precisely the sort of issues that Jabeur's flair and variety only exacerbate if the Tunisian is on her game, and she has been increasingly just that as the clay season has moved along.

Jabeur grabbed an early break lead in both the 1st and 2nd sets, survived a 10-deuce service game (14 minutes long) to hold for 3-1 in the opener, and then carried out her edge to take the 1st at 6-4. In the 2nd, Jabeur served at 5-4, had a brief case of nerves that gave Tauson a *shot* to get back into things (she reached BP), but she managed to get over the finish line for a 6-4/6-4 win to advance to her seventh career slam QF (second straight at RG).



...meanwhile, doubles specialist galore (kinda) Cristina Bucsa & Monica Niculescu knocked off Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Sofia Kenin, while Emma Navarro/Diana Shnaider took down #1 seeds Hsieh Su-wei & Elise Mertens.

The other day, Barbora Krejcikova (w/ Laura Siegemund) got her first win *of any kind* (WS/WD/MX) in Paris since her '21 RG singles title year (she'd been a combined 0-4), and today the duo picked up another. Krejcikova also picked up a 1st Round MX win with Joran Vliegen.

Krejcikova's former/future? WD partner Katerina Siniakova saw her '24 partner Storm Hunter go out with an Achilles injury earlier this spring, while Gauff was left partner-free with Jessie Pegula's injury. So, a new team was formed for this slam. They got a win today, and there's a chance the two Czechs could face off *against* each other in the SF.

Another interesting pair that posted a victory on Sunday: 17-year old Mirra Andreeva and 39-year old Vera Zvonareva, a partnership between which a whole Coco Gauff (or Zheng Qinwen, or Marta Kostyuk) could fit.

...junior play got underway on Day 8, with top seed and AO girls' champ Renata Jamrichova (SVK) advancing with a three-set win over Bulgarian Yoana Konstantinova. Last year, Alina Korneeva followed up her AO win by taking the RG junior crown, as well.

...in Brescia (ITA), Ukraine's Katarina Zavatska took home the biggest clay court challenger of the week, defeating U.S. veteran Varvara Lepchenko in the $75K final by a 6-2/6-3 score. It's the 24-year old's first title of the season.

Elsewhere, another week, another Crusher champ. Barbora Palicova, 20, defeated Canada's Victoria Mboko 6-1/2-6/6-4 in the Otocec (SLO) $50K final. It's the Czech's third career ITF win, but first since 2022.







*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Iga Swiatek/POL def. Anastasia Potapova/RUS
#5 Marketa Vondrousova/CZE def. (Q) Olga Danilovic/SRB
#3 Coco Gauff/USA def. Elisabetta Cocciaretto/ITA
#8 Ons Jabeur/TUN def. Clara Tauson/DEN
Elina Avanesyan/RUS vs. #12 Jasmine Paolini/ITAx
#15 Elina Svitolina/UKR vs. #4 Elena Rybakina/KAZ
Varvara Gracheva/FRA vs. Mirra Andreeva/RUS
#22 Emma Navarro/USA vs. #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR







...SO, THE WORLD #1 WON A SLAM MATCH 6-0/6-0 AT AN EVENT WHERE SHE'S THE TWO-TIME DEFENDING CHAMP, and the WTA didn't even have a Twitter post about it, (and only many, many hours later re-tweeted a RG post announcing the upcoming Swiatek/Vondrousova QF)... ON DAY 8:

[nothing to show here]



...IF LOOKS COULD REVEAL AN INNER "THE SCREAM" (well, maybe this one *can*)... ON DAY 8:




...AND I THOUGHT THAT OptaAce STAT LAST WEEK WAS MISLEADING AND OUT OF CONTEXT... ON DAY 8:


During Tennis Channel's coverage of the Jabeur/Tauson match, aside from Brett Haber and Lindsay Davenport acting as if Tauson had lost about 99 of 100 matches before this RG (she was actually 17-4 in her last 21 coming into today) and not really done much since her first season on tour a few years ago (she's upset four seeds in slam play since 2020, including in two of the last three majors -- as well as an unseeded Leylah Fernandez at last year's RG -- and had a Top 10 win over Maria Sakkari in BJK earlier this year), Haber threw in (enthusiastically) that before Paris the Dane hadn't won three matches in a tournament since 2021.

That comment needed a WHOLE LOT of context. If he'd added "in main draw tour-level events," it'd been fine. But he didn't.

First off, Tauson hasn't played a great deal of MD matches on tour the last two years (or so) as she's had to lift her ranking, being in action in many challengers and tour-level event qualifying. In these situations, she's won three matches in quite a few tournaments/events since 2021:

=2022=
5 - Selva Gardena $25K (W)
4 - Limoges 125 (RU)
3 - Selva Gardena $80K (SF)
=2023=
5 - Altenkirchen $60K (W)
5 - Roland Garros Q/MD
4 - BJK Cup zone play
4 - Maribor $40K (RU)
3 - Linz Q/MD
=2024=
5 - BJK Cup zone play
3 - Oeiras 125 (RU)
3 - Rome Q/MD
3 - Miami Q/MD
3 - Linz Q/MD
3 - Canberra 125 (SF)











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

*LONGEST RG WIN STREAKS - OPEN ERA*
29...Chris Evert, 1974-75/79-81
25...Monica Seles, 1990-92/96
24...Justine Henin, 2005-07/10
20...Steffi Graf, 1987-89
19...Chris Evert, 1985-87
18...Steffi Graf, 1995-97
18...IGA SWIATEK, 2022-current

*2024 TOP 2Q JUNIOR EVENT CHAMPIONS*
PLOVDIV BUL J300: Rositsa Dencheva/BUL
BEAULIEU-sur-MER FRA J300: Tyra Caterina Grant/USA
SARAWAK MAL J300: Kristina Penickova/USA
OFFENBACH GER J500: Wakana Sonobe/JPN
ASIA/OCEANIA REGIONAL CHSP (Nonthaburi) J300: Reina Goto/JPN
SANTA CROCE SULL'ARNO ITA J300: Yelyzaveta Kotliar/UKR
MILAN ITA J500: Emerson Jones/AUS
CHARLEROI-MARCINELLE BEL J300: Jeline Vandromme/BEL



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That this exists in 2024 says so much about the British people, right?




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"When, of all people, Colin Cowherd nails it..." would be more accurate. But still...




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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: Hailey Baptiste/USA, Jana Fett/CRO (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Chloe Paquet/FRA (3rd Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: 3rd Rd.: Bianca Andreescu/CAN, Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU; 2nd Rd.: Amanda Anisimova/USA, Naomi Osaka/JPN
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Varvara Gracheva (in 4th Rd.)
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: Jabeur, Avanesyan/Paolini, Navarro, Gracheva, Vondrousova
IT "TBD": Nominee: M.Andreeva
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Osaka
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): Nominees: Jabeur, Svitolina, (wd)
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: Nominee: M.Andreeva (1 a.m. 2r finish)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
Légion de Lenglen: Firsts (Court Lenglen roof debuts, and Varvara Gracheva's first RG as FRA) and Last (Alize Cornet's farewell tournament)
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: Nominee: Iga attempt at first three-peat since Henin in 2007






All for Day 8. More tomorrow.
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