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Wednesday, August 28, 2024

US.3- Ain't Nothin' Gonna Break Badosa's Stride?


In tennis and all other walks of life, there's something to be said for timing. Could it be that Paula Badosa's will prove to be perfect?



Deep runs in majors rarely happen when a player starts the 1st Round at "zero" and has to build her game into something resembling "championship level," culminating in her reaching her peak -- right on schedule -- two weeks later. (Well, at least it doesn't if your first name has been anything other than "Serena" over the past 25 years or so.)

Often players peak slightly *too* early, overplay with a string of great pre-slam results, then can't sustain the steepening climb through the end of the tournament that they were pointing toward in the first place. So, sometimes the best position might be to begin gaining just enough steam in the prior weeks that a more *natural* progression and improvement can lead to something great with a trip to the latter stages of one of four biggest events on the schedule.

If you're looking for a player not positioned at the top of the rankings who may have arrived in New York with such a well-calibrated (but not *too* strong) wind behind her back, you could do worse than to focus your gaze on Badosa. Not that her path there was one that she or anyone would ever choose to traverse.

For quite a while, Badosa's 2023 back injury (a stress fracture in the L4 vertebra) looked as if it might become a long-term issue that could prevent her from reclaiming her former position on tour. Remember, she's an Indian Wells champion (2021) and one-time #2-ranked player in the world (2022). Who knows if the Spainard will ever climb *that* high again, but this spring/summer allowed her to consistently maintain a level of health that gradually translated into more and bigger wins (as well as a growing confidence).

In the spring, a 1st Round loss in her home event in Madrid left Badosa in a bad place. She stood at 6-9 on the year and was ranked #140. But that was when the on-court climb, after so much work to recover off it, began to take place. A three-surface stretch which included a Rome 4th Round, Roland Garros 3rd Round, Wimbledon Round of 16, Bad Homburg QF and a title run in Washington at the start of the hard court summer (as a wild card) lifted her ranking back inside the Top 40.

In her final tournament before heading east, Badosa added a SF in Cincinnati for her best 1000 result since her title follow-up SF at Indian Wells in '22. She lost to Jessie Pegula in three sets, narrowly missing out on her first Top 10 win since injuring her back.

After being well outside the Top 100 less than four months earlier, the run helped Badosa seal a *seed* (#26) at the U.S. Open. A season that looked to be in danger of being "lost" was turning out to be a pretty good one.

After allowing just three games vs. Viktorija Golubic in the 1st Round on Monday, the Spaniard handled Taylor Townsend in straight sets today. After trailing 5-3 in the 2nd set to the Bannerette, Badosa swept the final four games to get off the scorching court before sapping any more energy than necessary from her reserve, winning 6-3/7-5.

The 3rd Round result is the best for Badosa -- who was actually born in Manhattan on November 15 (hey, she's a Scorpio!) in 1987 to parents in the fashion industry -- in her five U.S. Open MD appearances since 2019 (she missed last year w/ her injury), and her consistent '24 results in majors (3r-3r-4r before the U.S.) makes *this* her first season of posting 3r+ results in all four majors.



While other players may have produced flashier results than Badosa in the weeks and months leading into this U.S. Open, there's a skill (and a little bit of luck, of which Badosa is surely due by this point) to pacing such things so that a proper spreading of the wings can occure at the *biggest* event on the horizon. That event has arrived and maybe, just maybe, Badosa's best is still (naturally) about to come.

22-6 since that early exit in Madrid, it still feels like Badosa is just starting to hit her stride, and could be capable of something unexpected if the fates (i.e. the Tennis Gods) decide to (finally) be on her side.







=DAY 3 NOTES=
...well, weather-wise, it was one of *those* kind of days in New York on Wednesday...



Yep, Day 3 was the first in which the Extreme Heat rules were in effect at this year's U.S. Open.

...in the absence of Simona Halep in New York the last two years, the former #1's fellow countrywomen have surely made a point of filling the Romanian vaccuum.

A year ago, Sorana Cirstea overcame a number of years of injuries and frustration by coming to NYC and reaching her first slam QF since 2009, as she played into the second week of the Open for the first time in fifteen MD appearances (and two failed qualifying attempts).

Today, another Romanian whose promising career has been held back by injuries played into the 3rd Round of a major for the first time ever. Qualifier Gabriela Ruse upset #8 seed and Wimbledon champ Barbora Krejcikova, 6-4/7-5. It's Ruse's second career Top 10 win, with the other coming about two and a half years ago over Paula Badosa in the 1st Round of Dubai.



Ruse will next face Badosa again in the 3rd Round.

Ruse, 26, won her lone tour title in Hamburg in 2021, and has since reached a pair of other WTA title matches (the most recent coming last October in Cluj). Ruse nearly reached the Top 50 (#51) two years ago, and is now (from her current #123) back in the Top 100 in the "live" rankings.



Krejcikova's '24 slam season closes up with another feast-or-famine result that pretty much aligns with her overall season. While the Czech opened the year with an AO QF run, then won Wimbledon last month, she exited in the 1st and 2nd Round in Paris and New York, respectively. After a QF at the U.S. Open in 2021, she's posted 2r-1r-2r results the last three years.

...Olympic Gold medalist Zheng Qinwen got off to another slow start today, but again the #7 seed righted the ship and made things seem elementary down the stretch. Two days ago, Zheng lost the 1st set to Amanda Anisimova after rallying to get things back on serve (she'd trailed 5-1), then dropped just six total games in the 2nd and 3rd combined.

Today against Erika Andreeva, Zheng fell behind 4-2 in the 1st to the young Hordette, then rallied again to force a TB only to lose it (7-3) and drop the set anyway. No matter, she then lost just *three* games in the final two sets, winning 6-7(3)/6-1/6-2.



Zheng improves to 8-2 in her U.S. Open career, and is now 14-1 since losing in the 1st Round at Wimbledon (to Lulu Sun).

...elsewhere, Jule Niemeier's win over Moyuka Uchijima gives her her first slam 3rd Round result since the summer of 2022, when she followed up her surprise Wimbledon QF with a Round of 16 at the U.S. Open. Since the start of '23 until before the start of this week, the German had gone a combined 2-5 in MD play in majors (w/ two qualifying exits) over the past two seasons.

After getting her maiden Top 50 win in her tour-level and slam debut over world #42 Magda Linette in the 1st Round, 16-year old USTA 18s champ Iva Jovic faced off against #29-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova today. The California teen was again almost preternaturally calm throughout the match played in the heat of the late afternoon on Court 12 in NYC.



Jovic took the opening set, but saw the Hordette stage a comeback in the 2nd. Serving at 5-4, Alexandrova dug out of a love/30 hole to knot the match, then twice went up a break in the first half of the 3rd. Jovic got one break back, but saw Alexandrova serve for the win at 5-4. She held three MP in the game (and DF'd on #3), then on Jovic's second BP Alexandrova double-faulted again. The Russian immediately broke back, though, and got another chance to serve it out at 6-5.

Alexander again quickly reached MP, but squandered #4 and #5 with UE. She tossed her racket and received a warning from the chair umpire, then committed a third UE to hand Jovic a BP. She saved it, then saw MP #6 go away with a deep Jovic return that Alexandrova couldn't get back over the net.

Finally, on MP #7, Alexandrova saw Jovic pull a backhand return off the court to end the 4-6/6-4/7-5, 3:02 contest as the Hordette matched her career-best effort at the U.S. Open from a year ago. Since the end of the '23 slam season, her best ever in the majors (9-4 overall, and her first Round of 16, at Wimbledon), Alexandrova had failed to post a MD win in any slam (0-2 AO/RG, and a DNP at SW19) before arriving in New York.

Her win makes it eighteen straight majors (where RUS could play, that is) with a Hordette in the 3rd Round, and at 94 of the past 96.



In truth, considering the difficulty she had today (much due to Jovic, but just as much because of her own game), Alexandrova will likely try to put this one behind her as quickly as possible. But it'll be one that may be remembered quite well by others if the last few days signal the beginning of a career of note for the 16-year old.







*PARALYMPICS WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S ROUND OF 16*
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x

*PARALYMPICS WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF*
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED) vs. x
#3 Li Xiaohui/Zhu Zhenzhen (CHN) vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. #2 Kamiji/Tanaka (JPN)







...IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN (for bio pieces on the latest Bannerette to surge at the Open)... ON DAY 3:





...IT WASN'T A WORK OF ART FOR A BIT THERE (Maria's slicey, no-pace game will do that to a player who has to fight against stringing together errors), BUT THE SECOND SET WILL AT LEAST CALM THE BARKING DOGS FOR A DAY OR TWO... ON DAY 3:





...ARYNA AND HER MINI-ME... ON DAY 3:





...SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE... ON DAY 3:





...COME FOR THE VIDEO, STAY FOR THE FUNNY COMMENTS IN THE THREAD... ON DAY 3:
























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*BEST 2024 SLAM RESULTS*
[protected ranking]
AO 4th Rd. - Amanda Anisimova, USA
WI 4th Rd. - Paula Badosa, ESP
AO 3rd Rd. - Paula Badosa, ESP
RG 3rd Rd. - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
RG 3rd Rd. - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
WI 3rd Rd. - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
AO 2nd Rd. - Emma Raducanu, GBR
AO 2nd Rd. - Ajla Tomljanovic, AUS
RG 2nd Rd. - Amanda Anisimova, USA
RG 2nd Rd. - Naomi Osaka, JPN
US 2nd Rd. - Ajla Tomljanovic, AUS

**BACKSPIN 2024 WTA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Yuan Yue, CHN
AO: Dayana Yastremska, UKR
JAN: Dayana Yastremska, UKR
FEB: Anna Kalinskaya, RUS
MAR: Yuan Yue, CHN
1Q...NAVARRO
APR: Maria Lourdes Carle, ARG
MAY: Rebecca Sramkova, SVK
RG: Varvara Gracheva, FRA
2Q Clay Court...SRAMKOVA
JUN: Anna Kalinskaya, RUS
WI: Wang Xinyu, CHN
2Q Grass Court...NAVARRO
JUL: Elina Avanesyan, ARM
OLY: Cristina Bucsa, ESP (d)
AUG (pre-U.S.): Diana Shnaider, RUS

**BACKSPIN 2024 SURPRISE-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Yuan Yue, CHN
AO: Oceane Dodin, FRA
JAN: Emma Navarro, USA
FEB: Jasmine Paolini, ITA
MAR: Taylor Townsend, USA
1Q...YUAN
APR: Suzan Lamens, NED
MAY: Viktoriya Tomova, BUL
RG: Chloe Paquet, FRA
2Q Clay Court...TOMOVA
JUN: Viktoriya Tomova, BUL
WI: Lulu Sun, NZL
2Q Grass Court...SUN
JUL: Ella Seidel, GER
OLY: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK
AUG (pre-U.S.): McCartney Kessler, USA
[Multiple 2024 Weekly SURPRISE Award Wins]
4 - McCartney Kessler, USA
3 - Viktoriya Tomova, BUL
3 - Taylor Townsend, USA
3 - Yuan Yue, CHN
2 - Maria Lourdes Carle, ARG
2 - Harriet Dart, GBR
2 - Francesca Jones, GBR
2 - Emma Navarro, USA
2 - Nadia Podoroska, ARG
2 - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK






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FREE LINK











TOP QUALIFIER: Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR (4 con. slam Q-runs)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Francesca Jones/GBR def. #5 Rebeka Masarova/ESP 6-1/2-6/7-6(6) - Masarova comes back from 5-1 in 3rd to force MTB, and leads 4-2 before Jones rallies for 10-6 win
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Wang Yafan/CHN (def. #9 Sakkari/GRE, ret. after 1st set)
FIRST SEED OUT: #9 Maria Sakkari/GRE (1r- retired vs. Wang Yafan after losing 1st set)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Maya Joint/AUS, Iva Jovic/USA, Ashlyn Krueger/USA, Ena Shibahara/JPN
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS (2r)
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: none
UPSET QUEENS: United States
REVELATION LADIES: Italy
NATION OF POOR SOULS: CAN (0-2 1st Rd.; '19 champ Andreescu & '21 finalist Fernandez)
CRASH & BURN: Nominees: Fernandez/Raducanu ('21 finalists out 1r; combined 1-5 since '21 at US)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Nominee: Burel (1r- down 6-0/3-0 double-break vs. Stephens, who served for win in 2nd & 3rd sets)
IT ("??"): Nominees: Joint (name), Andreevas (sisters), Zarazua (Mexican)
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 2r: Joint/AUS(L), Lepchenko/USA, Ponchet/FRA, Ruse/ROU(W), Shibahara/JPN
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: in 2r: Jovic/USA(L), Osaka/JPN
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 2r: Dolehide, Gauff(W), Jovic(L), Kenin, Keys(W), Krueger, Lepchenko, Navarro(W), Pegula, Stearns(W), Townsend(L)
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominees: Jovic, Krueger, Dolehide
BROADWAY-BOUND: "Final Curtains" (Collins & Rogers); "The Lights (Far) Off Broadway" (Paris Paralympic tennis); "Rackets and Bows" (Osaka)
LADY OF THE EVENING: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x







All for Day 3. More tomorrow.
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