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Friday, August 30, 2024

US.4- Bandanna on the Run


Piece by piece, tournament by tournament (and one animal-related trophy at a time), Diana Shnaider has put together the most complete breakout season of 2024.



Last year, the then-teenage Russian flashed promise early, winning a match at the Australian Open and pushing (and irritating) Maria Sakkari in Melbourne. Rather that toss aside her college plans and immediately turn pro, Shnaider took a turn at NCAA tennis at North Carolina State in the spring, going 20-3 and leading the Wolfpack to the ACC title. She was the conference tournament MVP and season's Freshman of the Year, All-ACC *and* All-American while leading the school to the national team final. After that single season, Shnaider turned her attention to a pro career.

After reaching her maiden tour final last September, things have come together quickly for Shnaider in her first full season on tour in '24. The Hordette's wins in Hua Hin, Bad Homburg, and Budapest have made her one of three women this year to win three tour-level singles titles (w/ Swiatek and Rybakina), but the only to do it on three different surfaces. Now 20, Shnaider is the youngest player to collect trophies on three surfaces since a 19-year old Caroline Wozniacki did it in 2009.

The summer has seen Shnaider's accomplishments continue to grow. She notched her first Top 10 win in Toronto (over Gauff) en route to her maiden 1000 semifinal, reached her first slam 3rd Round at Wimbledon, cracked the Top 20 and even picked up an Olympic Silver medal in doubles (w/ M.Andreeva).

In New York for her U.S. Open debut (she lost in qualifying a year ago), the #18 seed allowed just one game in the 1st Round to Nadia Podoroska. Today, she handled Dane Clara Tauson by the tune of a 6-4/6-4 score, matching her career-best 3rd Round from SW19 at the start of the summer.

One of six Russians in the Final 32, tied with the U.S. for the most left in the women's draw, Shnaider heads to Labor Day weekend in New York hoping to work into the second week of a major for the first time.

Of course, such an occurrence might mean that if Shnaider had any plans to search the city shops for a suitable white bandanna to wear next year at Wimbledon -- where her specially-fitted, signature blue-and-white polka-dot version is disallowed -- they might have to be postponed, if not cancelled altogether.

But one figures that that'd be all right with her. A one-of-a-kind bandanna would be great, but the Round of 16 (or better) at the Open would be divine.




=DAY 4 NOTES=
...on Thursday, more evidence was provided that proves that the Tennis Gods favor -- if not adore -- one Jasmine Paolini. I mean, who can blame them, I guess. But rarely has a player who isn't exactly a newcomer produced such an all-encompassing turnaround in her general career results over the course of a single season.

Of course, the 28-year old Italian's rise hasn't really been "sudden." It's just that been she's been so been gradually improving over the past few years that she mostly eluded any notice, especially as it's happened in the immediate shadow of Italy's most successful generation of women's tennis stars (three of the top four of whom are long since out of the game).

Paolini cracked the Top 100 in 2019 (the first Italian to do so in seven years), and two seasons later picked up her maiden WTA title. She got her first Top 10 win in '22, and cracked the Top 50. Last season, she posted her first 1000 QF result. Then came 2024: a 1000 *title*, two *slam* finals, Top 20, Top 10 and Top 5 rankings, and an Olympic Gold medal (in WD, with Sara Errani, the last remaining of the Italian Quartet... and who at 37 advanced into the singles 3rd Rd. on Thursday).

After holding a 4-16 MD mark in her slam career coming into '24, with today's result she's not only totally flipped those numbers but is now even better than that. Her blink-and-you-missed-it (no, really) "win" over Karolina Pliskova on Thursday extended the Italian's best-on-tour season record in majors to 17-3. Her 2nd Round victory today came courtesy of a six-minute (yep), three-point (yep) outing (Paolini was up 30/15) vs. the veteran Czech. Pliskova hurt her ankle in the opening moments of the match and, well, before a *fourth* point could be played it was all over when she was forced to retire.



...Iga Swiatek's contest vs. qualifier Ena Shibahara lasted an hour longer than Paolini/Pliskova, but about a quarter of that match time came in game 2 of the 2nd set when Shibahara saved three BP in an eight-deuce hold.

But that was the only game that the former-doubles-specialist-turned-belated-singles-competitor claimed today in the #1 seed's 6-0/6-1 victory.

Swiatek had just six UE on the day.



It's Swiatek's 19th straight major in which she's advanced to the 3rd Round, something that only four woman (Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez) have done before her.

...meanwhile, through 20-year old Bannerette Ashlyn Krueger took three sets and was taken to the edge in the decider to down 36-year old Zhang Shuai in the 1st Round, handing the Chinese veteran her record 23rd straight defeat, things were surprisingly far easier today vs. 17-year old #21 seed Mirra Andreeva.



While Andreeva was the young player surely expected to do much more at this Open of the two, Krueger has been posting a series of good results heading into New York, including qualifying at both 1000s in Toronto and Cincinnati, defeating Leylah Fernandez in the former and Naomi Osaka and Donna Vekic in the latter. Before reaching her first slam 3rd Round today (she'd been 0-6 in 1st Rounds before two days ago), she'd reached a pair of 3rd Rounds in 1000 tournaments (at Madrid and Toronto). Krueger is assured of a new career-high ranking and nearly cracking the Top 50 (live #51) with this result.

Krueger, the youngest (by about a month over Diana Shnaider) left in the women's draw, is the third Bannerette to upset a seed at this slam. No other nation has taken down more than one.

Andreeva really didn't begin to resemble herself until she was down 6-1/5-2, as she cut the score to 5-4 and forced Krueger to serve it out for a second time. It was too little, too late for the Russian, as Krueger won 6-1/6-4.

Since reaching the SF at Roland Garros, Andreeva has been ousted in the 1st and 2nd Round at the last two majors.

...there haven't really been many potential "Zombie Queen of New York" moments so far in the early rounds. Clara Burel rallied from 6-0/3-0 to defeat Sloane Stephens, but no one was really surprised that Sloane would fall of a cliff in the middle of a match, right? Also in the 1st Round, Marie Bouzkova had staged a comeback from 4-2 back in the 3rd to get past qualifier Eva Lys.

Well, Bouzkova returned for her 2nd Rounder today, and the Tennis Gods showed they They can taketh as well as They giveth.

The Czech led #16 Liudmila Samsonova 6-3/5-2, and served for the match at 5-3. After the Hordette took a 7-1 TB to knot the match, Bouzkova led by a break at 3-2 in the decider, as well. But Samsonova swept the final four games to get the 3-6/7-6(1)/6-3 win to reach her third consecutive U.S. Open 3rd Round, as well as her third straight 3rd Round at a major this season.

...in the Ashe nightcap, Naomi Osaka tried to carry over the fine form that she displayed in her 1st Round win over Alona Ostapenko, after having shown an inability all season long to string together consistent performances despite the occasional flash and reminder of her level of play in her #1 ranking and slam-winning days of just a few years ago.



Hmmm, well, at least she didn't leave this U.S. Open without having made a lasting fashion statement. (I mean, the lace-and-bows thing will be called up in photos for years, right?)

As far as actual tennis, Muchova was just too good.



Healthy (crossing fingers) and still the most delightful watch on all of the WTA tour when she's "right," the Czech's variety-heavy blend of slice, touch, accuracy and net-rushing aggression (at times, you can see the likes of Federer, Novotna *and* Barty in her game) quickly turned a 2-3 1st set deficit into a 6-3 win (taking 17 of 20 points in a stretch). Tied at 4-4 in the 2nd, though, Muchova tossed in a few rarities -- i.e. missed volleys -- that allowed Osaka to get her first break of the match and earn the opportunity to serve for the set.

Osaka, with her serve and UE totals cleaned up for the moment after being unable to repeat her clean performance from Tuesday, took a 40/love lead, but couldn't put the game away. Muchova's off-spead shots coaxed Osaka into key errors, and the Czech got the break. Things went to a TB, where again Osaka took a lead at 4-2. Again, though (echoing a '24 trend), she could not close things out, and Muchova edged into the lead.



A brilliant crosscourt forehand pass from deep in the backcourt corner presented the Czech with double-MP at 6-4. On MP #2, Osaka's missed swing volley sent Muchova to the 3rd Round for a fifth time at Flushing Meadows with a 6-3/7-6(4) victory that allows the '23 semifinalist to avoid an immediate 100-spot drop in the rankings with the loss of her points from a year ago.



This was just the 13th match of the year for Muchova (9-4), as her '24 campaign didn't start until late June on the grass. She hadn't played since last year's U.S. Open, missing nine and a half months after undergoing wrist surgery, the latest of a continual string of injuries for the former world #8.

Still, considering how much time she's lost, Muchova has a remarkable record in majors. One never knows how many opportunities her body will allow her, so Muchova has smartly (and mostly) maximized her efforts over the last few years on the big stage. This win makes her 40-20 lifetime, and last year's SF in NYC was the third of her slam career (at a third different tournament), with one final ('23 RG) under the belt. She's reached a pair QF at the lone major (Wimbledon) where she hasn't reached the final four.

There are few -- if any -- players in the sport for whom a run to a major title would be more well-deserved and met with an enticing blend of exhilaration and relief than were such a thing to happen to Muchova.

Be it for us all to be so lucky to see it.





*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)







...SIGH... ON DAY 4:





...THE MORE YOU KNOW... ON DAY 4:






...PSSSST...DON'T TELL THE SAUDIS... ON DAY 4:




Or, you know, many of the authors in the post comments since the very thought of inclusion apparently triggered them and ruined their day. It's a strange notion for such people to support a sport, but be so hateful to some of the athletes who play that sport Hmmm, well, then again I guess we see that sort of thing pretty much every day on tennis-related social media, don't we?

As Veronika Kudermetova was the latest to point out...











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*U.S. OPEN FINAL 32 BY NATION*
6 - RUS=USA
2 - BLR=CHN=ESP=ITA=UKR
1 - BEL=BRA=CRO=CZE=DEN=FRA=GER=KAZ=POL=ROU

*BEST 2024 SLAM RESULTS*
[qualifiers]
AO SF - Dayana Yastremska, UKR
WI QF - Lulu Sun, NZL
AO 4th Rd. - Maria Timofeeva, RUS
RG 4th Rd. - Olga Danilovic, SRB
AO 3rd Rd. - Storm Hunter, AUS
WI 3rd Rd. - Sonay Kartal, GBR
AO 3rd Rd. - Anastasia Zakharova, RUS
US 3r - Jessika Ponchet, FRA
US 3r - Gabriela Ruse, ROU
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
WI 2nd Rd. - Dalma Galfi, HUN
WI 2nd Rd. - Robin Montgomery, USA
WI 2nd Rd. - Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR
WI 2nd Rd. - Anca Todoni, ROU
WI 2nd Rd. - Katie Volynets, USA
US 2nd Rd. - Maya Joint, AUS
US 2nd Rd. - Varvara Lepchenko, USA
US 2nd Rd. - Ena Shibahara, JPN
[wild cards]
WI 4th Rd. - Emma Raducanu, GBR
RG 3rd Rd. - Chloe Paquet, FRA
WI 3rd Rd. - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
AO 2nd Rd. - McCartney Kessler, USA
AO 2nd Rd. - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
WI 2nd Rd. - Lily Miyazaki, GBR
WI 2nd Rd. - Naomi Osaka, JPN
US 2nd Rd. - Iva Jovic, USA
US 2nd Rd. - Naomi Osaka, JPN

*2024 OVERALL SLAM MD DEBUT RECORDS
AO = [7-8]...1r: 4-4 / 2r: 2-2 / 3r: 1-1 / 4r: 0-1
RG = [0-6]...1r: 0-6
WI = [1-2]...1r: 1-1 / 2r: 0-1
US = [3-6]...1r: 3-3 / 2r: 0-3

*U.S. OPEN "BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKOUT" WINNERS*
2019 Kristie Ahn
2020 Jennifer Brady
2021 Coco Gauff/Caty McNally
2022 NO AWARD GIVEN
2023 Peyton Stearns
2024 Ashlyn Krueger

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "LAST WILD CARD STANDING" WINNERS**
2017 Maria Sharapova, RUS (4th Rd.)
2018 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (3rd Rd.)
2019 Kristie Ahn, USA (4th Rd.)
2020 C.Bellis/USA, K.Scott/USA & S.Vickery/USA (2nd Rd.)
2021 0-8 in 1st Rd.
2022 Elli Mandlik, USA (2nd Rd.)
2023 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (4th Rd.)
2024 Iva Jovic/USA & Naomi Osaka/JPN (2nd Rd.)

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "EARLY-RD. TOP PLAYER" WINNERS, w/ final result**
2015 Simona Halep, ROU (SF)
2016 Serena Williams, USA (SF)
2017 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (4th)
2018 Kiki Bertens, NED (3rd)
2019 Madison Keys, USA (4th)
2020 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (RU)
2021 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (4th)
2022 Serena Williams/USA (3rd) & Liudmila Samsonova/RUS (4th)
2023 Coco Gauff, USA (W)
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR

**RECENT U.S. OPEN "CRASH & BURN"**
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st Rd.)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2019 Sloane Stephens, USA (1st Rd.)
2020 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (2nd Rd.)
2021 A.Barty, AUS and N.Osaka, JPN (3rd Rd.)
2022 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2023 Maria Sakkari, GRE (1st Rd.)
2024 Elena Rybakina, KAZ (2nd Rd. walkover)
[2024]
AO: #6 Jabeur (2r)
RG: #6 Sakkari (1r)
WI: #6 Vondrousova (1r)
US: #4 Rybakina (w/o 2r)

**BACKSPIN 2024 WTA VETERAN-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Laura Siegemund, GER
AO: Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
JAN: Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
FEB: Karolina Pliskova, CZE
MAR: Danielle Collins, USA
1Q...COLLINS
APR: Sloane Stephens, USA
MAY: Madison Keys, USA
RG: Laura Siegemund, GER
2Q Clay Court...COLLINS
JUN: Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
WI: Donna Vekic, CRO
2Q Grass Court...VEKIC
JUL: Magda Linette, POL
OLY: Angelique Kerber, GER
AUG (pre-U.S.): Jessie Pegula, USA
[2024 Weekly VETERAN Award Wins]
6 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR
5 - Danielle Collins, USA
4 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
4 - Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
4 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
3 - Sorana Cirstea, ROU
3 - Madison Keys, USA
3 - Sloane Stephens, USA
2 - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
2 - Sara Errani, ITA
2 - Ons Jabeur, TUN
2 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2 - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK

**BACKSPIN 2024 WTA COMEBACK-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Dasha Saville, AUS
AO: Amanda Anisimova, USA
JAN: Amanda Anisimova, USA
FEB: Karolina Pliskova, CZE
MAR: Victoria Azarenka, BLR
1Q...PLISKOVA
APR: Clara Tauson, DEN
MAY: Paula Badosa, ESP
RG: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2Q Clay Court...TAUSON
JUN: Ajla Tomljanovic, AUS
WI: Paula Badosa, ESP
2Q Grass Court...BADOSA
JUL: Alycia Parks, USA
OLY: Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
AUG (pre-U.S.): Paula Badosa, ESP
[2024 Weekly COMEBACK Award Wins]
6 - Paula Badosa, ESP
3 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
3 - Angelique Kerber, GER
3 - Naomi Osaka, JPN
2 - Amanda Anisimova, USA
2 - Jule Niemeier, GER
2 - Alycia Parks, USA
2 - Emma Raducanu, GBR
2 - Dasha Saville, AUS
2 - Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
2 - Katerina Siniakova, CZE
2 - Donna Vekic, CRO
2 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN






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TOP QUALIFIER: Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR (4 con. slam Q-runs)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
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): 2nd Rd. - #29 Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS def. (WC) Iva Jovic/USA 4-6/6-4/7-5 - Alexandrova outlasts 16-year old, wins on MP #7
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, Jessika Ponchet/FRA, 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: #4 Elena Rybakina/KAZ (2nd Rd. walkover is 8th '24 event pulled out, walkover or retired; at third different 2022-24 major)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Nominee: Samsonova (2r- down 6-3/5-2, Bouzkova served at 5-3, then up break 3-2 in 3rd)
IT ("??"): Nominee: Jovic (Bannerette teen)
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 3r: Ponchet/FRA, Ruse/ROU
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Iva Jovic/USA and Naomi Osaka/JPN (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: in 3r: Gauff, Keys, Krueger, Navarro, Pegula, Stearns
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominee: Errani, Wozniacki
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Ashlyn Krueger
BROADWAY-BOUND: "Final Curtains" (Collins & Rogers); "The Lights (Far) Off Broadway" (Paris Paralympic tennis); "Brackets/Rackets and Bows" (Osaka)
LADY OF THE EVENING: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x







All for Day 4. More tomorrow.
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