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Sunday, August 4, 2024

Wk.31- The Golden Queen of Paris

Sometimes revenge is a dish best served Golden.







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*WEEK 31 CHAMPIONS*
OLYMPIC SINGLES (Paris, FRA/Red Clay Outdoor)
Gold/Silver: Zheng Qinwen (CHN) def. Donna Vekic (CRO) 6-2/6-3
Bronze: Iga Swiatek (POL) def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-2/6-1
OLYMPIC DOUBLES (Paris, FRA/Red Clay Outdoor)
Gold/Silver: Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini (ITA) def. Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider (I.N.A.) 2-6/6-1 [10-7]
Bronze: Cristina Bucsa/Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) def. Karolina Muchova/Linda Noskova (CZE) 6-2/6-2
OLYMPIC MIXED (Paris, FRA/Red Clay Outdoor)
Gold/Silver: Katerina Siniakova/Tomas Machac (CZE) def. Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen (CHN) 6-2/5-7 [10-8]/span>
Bronze: Gaby Dabrowski/Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) def. Demi Schuurs/Wesley Koolhoff (NED) 6-3/7-6(2)
WASHINGTON, D.C. USA (WTA 500/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Paula Badosa/ESP def. Marie Bouzkova/CZE 6-1/4-6/6-4
D: Asia Muhammad/Taylor Townsend (USA/USA) def. Jiang Xinyu/Wu Fang-hsien (CHN/TPE) 7-6(0)/6-3




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
...sure, there have already been some historic and/or memorable runs to the women's singles Gold since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988, including Steffi Graf's Golden Slam win ('88), Venus Williams' "Golden Summer of Venus" capper (2000), Justine Henin's triumph while fighting a debilitating virus (2004), Monica Puig's Rio shocker (2016), and Serena Williams' *most* dominant run ever ('12 at SW19).

Zheng's Gold medal turn in Paris, on the Roland Garros terre battue, now takes its place alongside those epic performances.

Not only that, how everything turned out was also something of a (as we've come to understand) very Qinwen-like, actions-speak-louder-than-words response to being unfairly maligned or hurt by someone who, quite honestly, should know better. If not as a fellow human, than surely as a supposed professional.

Late in 2023, Zheng saw her coach up and abandon her (apparently without warning) to return to the camp of the comeback-minded Naomi Osaka. The situation both shocked and hurt Zheng and her family. After initially expressing displeasure, she got a longer lasting form of "revenge" by reaching her maiden slam final at the Australian Open under her *new* coach. By way of her Gold medal match win on Saturday, she'd done something similar after an opponent had spoken both unwisely and more than a little too soon about her earlier in the week.

Around that shiny little bauble was a week that saw Zheng complete the take-no-prisoners, I-don't-care-about-your-problems, I-don't-read-fairy-tales (because *I* am one, too) medal run that Marketa Vondrousova came up *one* win short of finishing in Tokyo three years ago. Zheng's extending of her post-Wimbledon winning streak to eleven matches (along w/ her July title defense in Palermo) was alternatingly dominant, competitively superior, warm-and-fuzzy storyline-ending and, at the final turn, it all seemed as if had been destined from the start.

Zheng seemed to deliver one stunner after another on the grounds of Roland Garros. She opened with a love & love win over Sara Errani, then backed it up with a straight-setter over Arantxa Rus. Emma Navarro was the next to fall, despite serving for the match and holding a MP in the 2nd in a three-hour affair that Zheng closed strongly with a 6-1 3rd. Afterward, Navarro, in perhaps surely the stupidest post-match expression of opinion that we'll see all year, said she didn't respect Zheng "as a competitor" (more on that below).

In the QF, Zheng ended Angelique Kerber's fairytale career-ending run, staging a comeback from 4-1 back in the 3rd to nip the veteran on her fourth MP in another three-hour battle. After that? Oh, she just took out four-time Roland Garros champ Iga Swiatek in Paris, winning in straights (after trailing 4-0 in the 2nd) to end the Pole's 23-match clay streak (and 25-match run on the RG grounds).

Hmm, what next? Oh, yeah. The final. That was more straightforward, as Zheng defeated Donna Vekic 6-2/6-3 in the second most lopsided Olympic women's final in the sport's current 36-year run in the games, behind only Serena Williams' love & 1 defeat of Maria Sharapova at SW19 in 2012.

With the win, Zheng becomes China's first tennis singles Gold medalist (the best previous result had been Li Na's loss in the '08 Bronze match in Beijing). The only other tennis Gold for the nation was Li Ting & Sun Tiantian's doubles win in Athens in 2004.



While Li and Zheng are linked via their historic accomplishments on the courts of Roland Garros, one wonders if we might want to keep an eye on any signs of linkage between the new Olympic Gold medalist's summer and that of Coco Gauff from a year ago. Gauff, like Zheng this year, lost in the 1st Round of Wimbledon, then collected herself and went on a run that didn't end until she'd won the U.S. Open.

So far, Zheng has refused to lose since SW19. And while *her* streak has (so far) been limited to clay, as opposed to Gauff catching fire (after a coaching change) on North American hard courts, we can't rule out that Zheng's momentum *might* allow her to recapture the hard court form she had earlier in the year when she reached the final in Melbourne, allowing her to put together something of a "slam bookend" for her '24 campaign.
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RISERS: Donna Vekic/CRO and Marie Bouzkova/CZE
...after a series of doubts about her future as recently as this spring, Vekic's summer has gone on to produce a wonder of results, specifically her maiden slam semifinal at Wimbledon and now a Silver medal-winning performance at the Olympics in Paris.

The first Olympic tennis medal run from a Croatian woman kicked off with a win over Lucia Bronzetti, then built upon itself with victories over Bianca Andreescu, Coco Gauff (Top 10 win #15, tying her career-best over #2 Aryna Sabalenka achieved earlier this season in Dubai) and Marta Kostyuk in a doozy of a match in which Vekic saved a MP (after having 2 MP and twice serving for the match) before finally winning on MP #5 to close a 10-8 deciding TB. Vekic deserved the break, after losing that devastatingly tough SW19 semi to Jasmine Paolini.

A 4 & love SF win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova assured Vekic of her first Olympic medal, though she ultimately proved to be the final piece of the puzzle to be locked in during Zheng Qinwen's epic Gold run in a 6-2/6-3 final.



In Washington, Bouzkova reached her second tour final of the season, but didn't have any more success this time than she has in the vast majority of the other singles finals in which she's played during her WTA career.

The Czech notched wins over a trio of Bannerettes -- McCartney Kessler, Taylor Townsend and Robin Montgomery -- and then took out Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the semis. The win over the world #3 tied Bouzkova's career best (Svitolina in '19, Pegula '23). It's her 11th career Top 10 win, first since last summer's hard court stretch, and first in two meetings with the Belarusian.



Against Paula Badosa in the final, Bouzkova pushed things into a 3rd set after dropping the 1st, but an ill-timed (for the Czech) rain delay at the start of the final set may have helped the Spaniard overcome and clear her head of her inability to put away the match in straights. After exchanging breaks in the first two games after the delay, Bouzkova never saw another BP chance as Badosa rode a mid-set break edge all the way to the title.
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SURPRISES: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova/SVK and Caroline Dolehide/USA
...Schmiedlova didn't leave Paris with a medal of any color, but her run was the most unexpected of the entire tennis competition.

Ranked #67, AKS returned to Roland Garros (where she'd lost in the 1r this year, after a '23 Round of 16 result) and played her way into the medal round (the lowest-ranked woman to do so in the modern version of Olympic tennis history, since 1988) on the back of wins over multiple '24 title winner Katie Boulter and three seeded players in Beatriz Haddad Maia and *both* of last month's Wimbledon singles finalists, runner-up Jasmine Paolini and champ Barbora Krejcikova (ending the Czech's 10-match win streak). A straight sets SF loss to Donna Vekic was followed by another in the Bronze Match vs. Iga Swiatek, but the Slovak leaves with a world of memories and (maybe) some confidence and momentum to carry over this sort of form to the regular tour, where she'd already reached a pair of '24 semis (Austin/Budapest) despite being nearly shut-out in slam/1000 match play (a combined 1-7) this season.

The three semifinals that Schmiedlova has reached this year are her most in a season since 2015.



In Washington, Dolehide posted her best tour-level result since her surprise Guadalajara 1000 final last fall.

Ranked #49, the 25-year old got wins over Lesia Tsurenko and Dasha Kasatkina to reach her second QF of the season, then took out Amanda Anisimova in straight sets to reach the semis. She fell to Paula Badosa, but will move close to her career high ranking (#41 last October) on Monday, coming in at #44.


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VETERAN: Angelique Kerber/GER
...Kerber used the occasion of her final career event at the Olympics (after a post-maternity break comeback that didn't *quite* ever find its footing this season) to exit with good memories and a last reminder of why the doors will open to welcome her in Newport somewhere down the line.

Starting with a straight sets win over Naomi Osaka, whose last match at RG had seen her hold MP vs. Iga Swiatek, Kerber displayed the grit and determination that got her to #1 and helped her win three majors (one each at all the slams *not* played in Paris). She then knocked off Jaqueline Cristian in three sets before settling a minor score with Leylah Fernandez (who'd upset *her* en route the '21 U.S. Open final in their only previous meeting) in another two-set win.

At 36 the oldest Olympic singles quarterfinalist since tennis' return to the competition 36 years ago, Kerber won the 1st set vs. eventual Gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, and led 4-1 in the 3rd, before ultimately falling a round short of playing for her second medal ('16 Silver) when she dropped an 8-6 deciding TB.



Kerber's third Olympic QF comes on a third different surface, after getting at least that far on both grass ('12 London) and hard court ('16 Rio) in her other appearances in the event.

Steffi Graf remains the only German woman to win singles tennis Gold in the modern games (Sasha Zverev claimed the men's Gold in '21).
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COMEBACK: Paula Badosa/ESP
...for quite a while, Badosa's back injury 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 so high again, but this spring/summer has allowed her to consistently maintain a level of health that has translated into wins (and a growing confidence). Ranked at #140 in late May, Badosa's title run in Washington as a wild card will lift her ranking back inside the Top 40.

Badosa strung together wins over Sofia Kenin, Liudmila Samsonova (ret.) and Emma Raducanu to reach her first semifinal since Adelaide last year, and a victory over Caroline Dolehide advanced her into her first final since winning in Sydney the prior January in 2022. In a three-setter against Marie Bouzkova on Sunday, during which she had the opportunity to turn negative and squander her hard-earned opportunity, Badosa pulled ahead in the decider to claim her fourth tour title in four career finals.

Badosa thus adds her Washington crown to what had already been a promising recent comeback stretch which included Rome/Wimbledon Round of 16s, a Bad Homburg QF, and now a 15-4 record since losing in the 1st Round in Madrid in late April.
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FRESH FACES: Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider, RUS/RUS
...Shnaider has won tour-level singles titles on three surfaces in '24, while Andreeva won her maiden title in the days prior to the start of the Olympics. The two didn't carry their singles success into Paris, as Shnaider lost in the 2nd Round and Andreeva in the 1st. But the two then combined in doubles to take the Silver, falling in a MTB in the final vs. Sara Errani (at 37, as old as 20-year old Shnaider and 17-year old Andreeva combined) & Jasmine Paolini.

The Hordette duo, playing under the "Individual Neutral Athletes" flag (though they're a doubles "team," which is supposedly a no-no w/ that designation) with Russia once again (this time for different reasons than in '21) banned from the games, had defeated defending Gold medalists Krejcikova/Siniakova in the QF, keeping the Czechs out of the medal round, as well as eventual Bronze medalists Bucsa/Sorribes Tormo in the semis.


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DOWN: Bannerettes in Paris
...aside from an overall lack of success on the court, at times, the U.S. women in the Olympic tennis event did all they could to uphold the tradition of "the ugly American."

Things started off so well, too, with Coco Gauff as the co-flagbearer during the Opening Ceremonies. But it all rolled downhill from there.



Going on a progressive spiral, we'll start with Jessie Pegula, as the #5 seed didn't get to see if she could win an *Olympic* QF since she fell in the 2nd Round to Elina Svitolina. Pegula won the 1st set, then got just four combined games off the Ukrainian in the final two sets. *That* was only a minor wobble, though. The exit of Pegula & Gauff, the #1 seeds in doubles (and w/ Coco winning the recent RG WD crown w/ Katerina Siniakova, and the U.S. pair posting RU/SF results on the same Paris courts in 2022-23), was a notch worse. They lost in a MTB to Muchova/Noskova -- not exactly a doubles duo with a history of success together, and w/ Noskova only in the field because Marketa Vondrousova was injured -- in the 2nd Round.

Gauff lost in straight sets to eventual finalist Donna Vekic in the 3rd Round. She was outplayed by the Croatian, but the only thing that will be remembered from the match was Gauff's tete-a-tete with the chair umpire (and an official) while arguing a call that resulted in her being broken 3/4 of the way through the 2nd. As detailed a bit more below in the Matches section, Gauff was wrong and the umpire was correct. Coco brought up the many other times she's been seemingly "robbed" of calls in Paris (during 90% of which her side of the issue was the correct one), and made it seem as if she was accusing they/them/the system of having a personal bias (or worse) against her.



It wasn't a great look, though an undertandable one for those who've paid attention the last season or so. Not that that won't let the moment be used against her by the factions who will forever insist that whatever she accomplishes is never "enough" to convince them to release the pressure valve they've needlessly -- and, most importantly, erroneously -- held up to her career for far too long.

The real reason Gauff is included in this category over the next two (far more deserving) dishonorees is the stark contrast between *this* past week and her week one year ago. Remember, it was at the same time in 2023 that she emerged from her early Wimbledon exit an entirely "new" Coco and went on a summer run that saw her sweep titles in Washington (which included a victory vs. then-reigning Olympic champ Belinda Bencic), Cincinnati and the U.S. Open. What a difference a year can make, though Gauff still has a shortened North American hard court stretch ahead of her to make things right again.

Now, Danielle Collins.

Playing in her first and last Olympics, the soon-to-retire veteran was having another heartwarming run, reaching the QF. Then Iga Swiatek happened. Now, Collins doesn't have "gentle" competition with anyone, but losing for the seventh time in eight meetings (and for a sixth straight time) vs. the Pole clearly didn't sit well with her.

During the match, she nearly cut a net-sitting Swiatek in half with a shot. But Iga was fair game there. She also got irritated by Swiatek employing her usual tactic of holding up her racket to stop the server from serving, though play *is* supposed to proceed at the server's pace (and the chair umpire hadn't stopped play due to a distraction in the crowd).



Now *that* would be a legitimate gripe, and one (amongst others... see the barely-waiting-patiently Putintseva vs. Swiatek at SW19) delaying tactic that Iga uses quite a bit while rarely being "called out" for it as so many other players almost *immediately* are. If Collins had stepped on a soapbox about that, okay. Here are some examples (whether an intentional act of gameswomanship or not, such things *have* developed into a consistent stylistic pattern w/ Swiatek)...



But after retiring down 4-1 in the 3rd, Collins chose to cross over to Swiatek's side of the court and "surprise" her with a clutching handshake and some clearly shocking (to Iga) words. Turns out, she told the world #1 to not be insincere and "fake" and -- I guess -- show concern for Collins' injury. Ummm, okaaaaay?



Seems an odd jab at Swiatek when more legitimate ones were available, and while it wouldn't normally be a big deal, under the circumstances, Collins retiring from the match and *then* playing doubles soon after is at the very least "eyebrow-raising." But Collins is going to be Collins until the bitter *and* sweet end, and that comes with a mixture that is sometimes exhilirating but also sometimes, well, not.

But, again, the U.S. women *could* sink lower than calling one of the seemingly most sincere players on tour "fake," and Emma Navarro (earlier in the tournament) had made a point to stake out that ground as her own.

There have been quite a few stupid things said/tweeted by WTA players in recent years. From "LOL" to "Ban her," and including "I'll f***ing take the ball and shove it down your f***ing throat" to "There's something about playing dopers in Madrid." But Navarro may have topped them, just for the sheer audacity of it all.

After losing to Zheng Qinwen in the 3rd Round, Navarro chose the handshake moment at the net to scold Zheng for, apparently, not being nice enough to her in the lockerroom. But rather than say that the Chinese star isn't a "nice person" she said (and repeated afteward) that she doesn't understand why she has so many fans because she (Navarro) has "no respect for (Zheng) as a competitor."

Setting aside how Navarro managed to turn supposed lockerroom snubs into an attack on her opponent as a "competitor," the even bigger sin was that she had the gall to verbally smack down Zheng -- to her face -- *after* the eventual Gold medalist had defeated her despite Navarro serving for the match *and* holding a MP. Zheng then whopped her 6-1 in the 3rd set.

Seems as if that would be a competitive streak to admire, but maybe that's just me. No, it's not just me -- that's just some real dumb-dumb stuff there. I called Navarro the Rock of Charleston earlier this summer, but I didn't realize that the rocks apparently were also in her head.

So maybe it's the Rocks of Charleston (aka Rocky, or maybe Rocks), then?

Zheng had the appropriate verbal response after the match, as well as with her actions-speak-louder results by the end of the week.



It was an interesting situation, not just because of Zheng winning the Gold medal, but due to a pair of Nike-related ads airing both before and during the games.




I guess we'll have to wait and see what Navarro's "Nike ad" says, huh? Hmmm.

Of course, Zheng *could* just bring her medal along to wear around her neck during the pre-match coin toss the next time she plays Navarro, too. But one suspects Zheng has a bit more class and tact than that. Could Navarro say the same?

In the end, the U.S women left Paris without anything to paper over their misdeeds, despite the whole as a group leading the tour in '24 with the most combined singles titles *and* the most different individuals to claim those titles.

After the Tokyo Olympics three years ago proved to be the first since the 1988 return of tennis to the games that the U.S. failed to pick up any medals (from men or women) in the sport's various competitions (it was the second time the women went medal-free, along with 2004), the women went 0-for-9 on the medal stand in Paris, as well. The loss by Collins & Desirae Krawczyk in the WD 2nd Round officially sealed the collective fate of the women's squad.

The men's team of Austin Krajicek/Rajeev Ram won doubles Silver, and Taylor Fritz/Tommy Paul took Bronze, avoiding the total U.S. oh-fer for as second straight Olympics.

Of note: the next Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held in Los Angeles four summers from now.
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ITF PLAYER: Nuria Parrizas Diaz/ESP
...33-year old Parrizas Diaz cracked the Top 100 after turning 30 and reached a career high of #45 just two seasons ago. In 2021, she won seven ITF titles, and in '22 reached her maiden tour-level SF (Monterrey), along with five other WTA QF and a 3rd Round at the Australian Open (her first of back-to-back such results in Melbourne).

Currently ranked down at #144, the Spaniard posted one of her best career results in the $100K challenger in Maspalomas (ESP), defeating countrywoman Andrea Lazaro Garcia 6-4/6-3 in the final to claim her first ITF win since taking a $100K in 2021 (it's #23 overall in her career).

Since the start of '21, Parrizas-Diaz has picked up three 125 crowns, the most recent coming this past January in Canberra.
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DOUBLES: Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA and Katerina Siniakova/CZE
...can Paolini's season get any better? Top 10, Roland Garros finalist, Wimbledon finalist... and now Olympic Gold medalist.

Paolini joined with veteran countrywoman Errani, at 37 the oldest woman to win an Olympic tennis medal (she joins 37-year old Novak Djokovic and 40-year old Rajeev Ram as medalists in Paris), to become the first Italian women and first Italian Gold medalists in Olympic tennis history. Lorenzo Musetti had won the first medal for the nation a day earlier when he took singles Bronze.

The win came via a deciding 10-8 MTB over Hordettes Mirra Andreeva & Diana Shnaider in the final.



Errani's win, after she'd previously won a Career Doubles Slam with Roberta Vinci, makes her accomplishment a Golden one. She's the seventh woman to pull off the feat. The other six are either in the Hall of Fame, or will likely be setting a date for as much in the future.



And as for whether Paolini's season could still get better? Well, the U.S. Open *is* still to come, I guess. At this point, who's to say she doesn't have something more left?

Meanwhile...



Siniakova's 2024 experience has been all about breaking up relationships, reuniting and, oh yeah, winning tournaments. The Czech's trip to Paris included a bit of *all* of that in her latest Olympic experience.

Three years ago in Tokyo, Siniakova & Barbora Krecjikova became the first Czech women to win Olympic Gold in tennis. Since then, the duo completed their Career Doubles Slam (they're the only WD duo to win all four majors, the Olympics and WTAF) before announcing an end to their partnership following the '23 season. The break-up didn't keep Siniakova from winning titles, as she took home three with three *other* partners -- including Roland Garros (w/ Coco Gauff) and Wimbledon (w/ Taylor Townsend) -- this season before reteaming with Krejcikova in Prague ahead of the Olympics. By the end of the week, a fourth crown had been won alongside a fourth different partner this year.

The Czechs' quest to repeat as the doubles Gold winners ended in the QF, but Siniakova still had the mixed doubles. She'd signed up to play in Paris with significant other Tomas Machac before the couple announced that they'd broken up (off-court, that is) last month. They remained a team at the Olympics, though, and their latest journey ended with them winning a deciding 10-8 MTB over Wang Xinyu & Zhang Zhizhen to claim the Gold.



And, thus, Siniakova became the first *two*-time Gold medalist in Czech tennis history. Afterward, it was hard to tell whether the high of teaming to win for their country may have rekindled Siniakova and Machac's off-court realationship, as well. Either that, or maybe they'll just become "Adventure Exes" and pick things back up again on the court in New York.


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1. Olympics SF - Zheng Qinwen (CHN) def. Iga Swiatek (POL)
...6-2/7-5. Everyone just *assumed* that Swiatek would win Gold in Paris. Everyone, I guess, except for Zheng.

It's worth noting that Zheng had pushed Swiatek at RG during her '22 title run, a two-week stretch where *no one* else had, so she had reason to not be pessimistic about the encounter. And with Swiatek, even on clay in Paris, that can be more than half the battle. Still, Zheng came in with six losses in their six-match series.

The loss ends Swiatek's 23-match clay winning streak, and 25-match run at RG (though her 21 in a row in slam play remains active for '25). Hers was the third longest clay streak on tour in the last quarter century, with only Serena Williams (28 in '13) and Maria Sharpova (27 from 2005-06) with longer runs. Swiatek's previous best had been 18 in a row in 2022.



In a recent "Ms.Backspin" update, I wondered what might happen next if Iga *didn't* win Gold. Well, I guess now we find out.
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2. Olympics QF - Donna Vekic (CRO) def. Marta Kostyuk (UKR)
...6-4/2-6/7-6(8). At Wimbledon, Vekic lost a barnburner of a match in the SF vs. Jasmine Paolini (in a 10-8 MTB). Here the Croatian wasn't -- though she *almost* was -- left at the altar once again.

Vekic served at 5-4 in the 3rd, and held a MP. She dropped serve, but broke Kostyuk and served for it again. She reached MP once more, but was broken for a second straight time as Kostyuk tried to add a huge Olympic comeback to her string of Houdini-like escapes in slam play in '24. She'd won after being MP down at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and was down 4-0 (2 GP from 5-0) in a match in which she prevailed at Roland Garros. She came to the Olympics with a tour-best three victories on the season after facing MP.

Kostyuk led Vekic 4-0 in the MTB. Her 5-2 lead evaporated and it was 5-5, but the Ukrainian reached MP at 6-5. Vekic saved it, and needed three *more* MP chances (at 7-6, 8-7 and 9-8) before she finally secured a berth in the medal round with a 10-8 win, assuring herself of being Croatia's first female tennis medalist.

Kostyuk's loss ended Ukraine's hopes of a second straight medal-winning run in singles, as Elina Svitolina finished third in Tokyo in '21.


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3. Olympics 3rd Rd. - Zheng Qinwen (CHN) def. Emma Navarro (USA)
...6-7(7)/7-6(4)/6-1. What was actually a rather significant match -- made more so by Zheng's Gold run -- was turned into a punchline when Navarro chose the moment of the choked-away match to nonsensically disparage her opponent's qualities as a competitor.

Navarro had taken the 1st set after Zheng led 5-3, served for the set and had four SP in the TB. After winning the breaker 9-7, Navarro led 5-3, had a MP on Zheng's serve, and then served for the match in the 2nd. Zheng won a 7-4 TB, then ran away with a 6-1 3rd to end the 3:12 contest.

*Then* she was lectured about how she hadn't earned Navarro's respect as a competitor. LOL. Somehow I figure she'll survive.

After all, for one, Maria Sharapova did quite well for herself despite being the target of opponents who somehow felt that her first priority was supposed to be to strive to become besties with everyone in the lockerroom rather than, I don't know, win matches and titles.
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4. Olympics Gold Final - Zheng Qinwen (CHN) def. Donna Vekic (CRO)
...6-2/6-3. Cross the Golden Queen... if you dare.

Wim Fissette. Emma Navarro. Who's next?


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Italy's all-time medalists in tennis. That's it. Those are the three... and they did it on back-to-back days.




5. Olympics Doubles Gold Match - Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini (ITA) def. Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider (I.N.A.)
...6-2/5-7 [10-8]. For the record, Errani/Paolini are the first *Gold* medalists, as Lorenzo Musetti won singles Bronze on Saturday before the Sunday doubles final.



This is the second straight games in which Russians won tennis medals without actually representing *Russia*.


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6. Olympics QF - Zheng Qinwen (CHN) def. Angelique Kerber (GER)
...6-7(4)/6-4/7-6(6). The "no fairytales" portion of Zheng's week.

Kerber's unexpected, but characteristic Paris run ended in 3:07 in her third career Olympic QF. Both had served for the set in the 1st, but Kerber won a TB to take the early lead. The German held for 4-1 in the 3rd, saving 4 BP and with a shot for her second medal (w/ the '16 Silver) within reach. But the Chinese woman forced a deciding TB, took a 6-3 lead, and finally ended Kerber's WTA journey on her fourth MP.


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7. Olympics QF - Iga Swiatek (POL) def. Danielle Collins (USA)
...6-1/2-6/4-1 ret. There was some drama *during* the match, too.



It's a weird choice to die on the hill of Swiatek's "insincerity" when it comes to an opponent's injury, but who's going to convince Collins of *anything* that she doesn't initially believe to be true, right?
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8. Olympics 3rd Rd. - Donna Vekic (CRO) def. Coco Gauff (USA)
...7-6(7)/6-2. From Collins/Swiatek to Zheng/Navarro, Paris really brought out the emotions, didn't it? Here, the drama was all one sided, as Vekic was the better player, while Gauff spun out a bit on the big stage when she *thought* a call had gone against her (psst, *this* time it didn't, though).

The point in question came with Gauff serving down 3-2 in the 2nd, at BP, when a deep Vekic ball bounced near the baseline. Gauff took a swing, and almost simultaneously the linesperson called the ball long. Gauff's shot had gone out. But the chair umpire corrected the call *and* ruled that the original "out" ruling had come *after* Gauff struck the ball, meaning that Gauff's error counted and she was broken for 4-2.

Needless to say, Gauff disagreed. She argued with the umpire that the "out" called had caused her to pull up on her shot, then when it became clear that the ruling would not go her way she lamented her series of ball calls in Paris and wondered if there was some sort of conspiracy against her (or something like that).



Considering her past series of calls that *have* incorrectly gone against her, Gauff's argument would have been intriguing... only the replay showed that the ball *was* in, and the call *had* come after she'd struck the ball. So the umpire was right, and the point correctly went to Vekic.

Gauff *did* seem to pull up on her shot, but it was likely due to some combination of falling back on her swing and the fact that she felt that the ball was heading long, and once the linesperson shouted out the (incorrect) ruling she convinced herself that the ball *had* been out. It wasn't, though.

Gauff, who'd lost the 1st set after leading 4-1, had BP chances in the following game to "overturn" the call, but couldn't break Vekic, who then went on to win and later take the Silver medal.


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9. Washington Final - Paula Badosa def. Marie Bouzkova
...6-1/4-6/6-4. Badosa's comeback somewhat extended to the match that ended with her winning her first title in a year and a half, as the Spaniard dropped the 2nd set after failing to convert on any of six BP chances. She opened the 2nd falling down 30/love on Bouzkova's serve, only to see rain stop play. Badosa emerged from the break to win four straight points to get the break and set herself back on a positive path.

With the result, Badosa improves to 4-0 in career tour finals, while Bouzkova falls to 1-6.
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10. Olympics Mixed Gold Match - Katerina Siniakova/Tomas Machac (CZE) def. Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen (CHN)
...6-2/5-7 [10-8]. After becoming half of the first Gold medal Czech tennis women's duo (w/ Krejcikova) in 2021, Siniakova is nowalone in becoming the first Czech with *two* Golds.

The only women's Gold left for a Czech woman to win is in singles. Hmmm, I wonder if the Czechs have any young players who might compete for *that* down the line?

As it turned out, Zheng was not only a great competitor in Paris, but she was unintentionally generous, as well...


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11. Olympics Doubles Bronze Match - Cristina Bucsa/Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) def. Karolina Muchova/Linda Noskova (CZE)
...6-2/6-2. Bucsa's season of under-the-radar doubles excellence added a trip to the medal stand in Paris, as her Top 20 WD ranking and three tour titles (all on clay) got some company.

While Muchova & Noskova failed to become the 11th & 12th different Czech women to win Olympic medals in tennis, Busca & Sorribes Tormo *are* the 6th & 7th Spanish women to do so. They're the first to win anything since Anabel Medina-Garrigues & Virginia Ruano Pascual's WD Silver in 2008, though.

Sorribes Tormo's week had started with a tough 1st Round loss in singles that left her an emotional mess in the moments that followed. Sometimes, the Tennis Gods *do* show a little compassion.


===============================================
12. Washington QF - Paula Badosa def. Emma Raducanu
...4-6/7-5/6-4. After losing in her last four QF, Badosa rallies from 3-1 down in the 3rd to reach her first SF since Adelaide in January of last year.

Even with the loss, Raducanu posted her fourth QF+ result in her last six events (one "miss" was a Wimbledon Round of 16), and starting with her 2-0 BJK Cup weekend in the spring has won 13 of 19 matches.
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13. Washington 2nd Rd. - Amanda Anisimova def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
...6-1/6-7(4)/6-4. Anisimova avoids what would have been a crushing loss, as she led 3-1 in the 3rd before finally holding off Pavlyuchenkova (three years ago this past week, the Russian was winning MX doubles Gold in Tokyo).



In her first QF since 2022, Anisimova lost in straights to Caroline Dolehide. Before Washington, Anisimova had gone 4-6 since her AO 4th Round result.
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14. Olympics Mixed Bronze Match - Gaby Dabrowski/Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) def. Demi Schuurs/Wesley Koolhof (NED)
...6-3/7-6(2). Dabrowski becomes the first Canadian woman to claim a tennis medal.



With so many past medal winners absent from Paris, this was an expected occurrence. But it's still worth noting that Canada was one of four nations to pick up maiden women's tennis medals at the Olympics, including Poland (Iga), Croatia (Vekic) and Italy (Errani/Paolini).
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15. Washington Final - Asia Muhammad/Taylor Townsend def. Jiang Xinyu/Wu Fang-hsien
...7-6(0)/6-3. Muhammad & Towsend, after winning a 10-4 MTB in the 1st Round, got two walkovers to advance into the final. There they took the title -- their third at tour-level as a duo, along w/ a 125 and 9 ITF wins -- as Muhammad wins career title #10 (second in '24) and Townsend #7 (third this season).



After upsetting Anastasia Potapova in the 1st Round of singles, Townsend had lost in the 2nd Round (7-5/7-6 to Bouzkova), missing out on what (a bit surprisingly) would have been her *first* career WTA singles QF.
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16. Washington 1st Rd. - Robin Montgomery def. Shelby Rogers
...7-5/6-3/ D.C. native Montgomery knocked off Rogers, then got a walkover from Ons Jabeur (shoulder) to reach her second tour-level QF of the summer.
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17. Olympics 1st Rd. - Jaqueline Cristian (ROU) def. Caroline Garcia (FRA)
...5-7/6-3/6-4. France's #1 falls right out of the gate. At least Caroline got to be part of the torch relay.


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18. Olympics 1st Rd. - Camila Osorio (COL) def. Alona Ostapenko (LAT) 6-4/6-3
Olympics 3rd Rd. - Danielle Collins (USA) def. Camila Osorio (COL) 6-0/4-6/6-3
...6-3/6-2. Osorio had a memorabe week, both on-court and off it.



When her experience finally ended, a point was made to let her know that her efforts were appreciated.


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19. $35K Pilar ARG Final - Solana Sierra def. Lucciana Perez Alarcon
...2-6/6-2/6-1. The 20-year old Argentine wins the all-South American battle vs. 19-year old Peruvian LPA, picking up her fourth ITF title of the season.

Sierra was the Roland Garros girls' runner-up in 2022, while Perez Alarcon was the same a year later.
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20. $35K Roehampton GBR Final - Sonay Kartal def. Nastasja Schunk
...7-5/6-1. Kartal carries over her surprise Wimbledon 3rd Round result with another good run in friendly confines, winning career challenger title #12 on hard court at Roehampton.

The Brit is now 12-1 in career ITF finals, winning in her last twelve attempts (she's 4-0 this season).
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HM- Olympics 1st Rd. - Zheng Qinwen (CHN) def. Sara Errani (ITA)
...6-0/6-0. And the rest was history... for both Zheng *and* Errani.
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1. Olympic Bronze Match - Iga Swiatek (POL) def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK)
...6-2/6-1. It feels like a "consolation match," well, because it was just that for Swiatek. Even the Roland Garros tweet acknowledged as much.

Put lipstick on Swiatek's Bronze medal as one wishes, but the fact is that the *only* acceptable result in this event, on the grounds on which the world #1 has dominated this decade, was a Gold medal-winning one, if Swiatek was to assert herself to be the player -- especially on clay -- that she is *supposed* to be. That didn't happen. So now the re-proving ground relocates, either to New York, back to Paris next year or, if push comes to shove (and it *needs* to at some point), London.

That said, Swiatek's rebound after her faltering loss to Zheng Qinwen in the semis was a gut-check moment that she passed, though doing so against an AKS who was comparatively playing for her career-highlight moment was another result that *had* to happen.

It's Poland's first tennis medal, and means something extra since Swiatek's father was a competitor at the Seoul games in 1988.

But Iga will never be presented with a better shot at hanging a Gold medal around her neck. Some would say that that presents her with a great opportunity in L.A. four years from now. *Some* would say, but whether or not Swiatek actually accepts the challenge in 2028 -- by that point with who knows how many major titles on her resume -- is up to Iga.

The commitment to try and win at SW19 has so far failed to materialize, so we'll see if she has that particular "Djokovic trait" in her Olympic DNA.


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2. Olympics 1st Rd. - Angelique Kerber (GER) def. Naomi Osaka (JPN)
...7-5/6-3. After coming into Paris on a five-match losing streak, Kerber announced that she'd retire following these games. Her upset of Osaka -- on hardly the best surface for either during their careers -- kicked off a surprise QF run.



In 2021 in Tokyo, Osaka lit the flame during the Opening Ceremonies, and her Olympic experience has delivered little of note since then.
===============================================
3. Olympics 3rd Rd. - Angelique Kerber (GER) def. Leylah Fernandez (CAN)
...6-4/6-3. Fernandez's 2021 U.S. Open final run included a 4th Round defeat of Kerber in what has turned out to be the '16 champion's final match in New York.

With the win, 36-year old Kerber became the oldest Olympic singles quarterfinalist since the 1988 return of tennis. The German has reached the QF in all three of her Olympic appearances (she won Silver in 2016).


===============================================



4. Olympics 3rd Rd. - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) def. Jasmine Paolini (ITA) 7-5/3-6/7-5
Olympics QF - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) def. Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) 6-4/6-2
...6-2/6-4. Schmiedy takes out *both* Wimbledon finalists, as well as two players who have reached the final at Roland Garros, as she becomes the first Slovak to reach the Olympic medal round.

AKS rallied from 5-2 down to take the 1st vs. Paolini, and was down a break twice early in the 3rd. Paolini served for the win at 5-4, but Schmiedlova swept the final three games to get her first Top 10 win since 2016. Krejcikova was her second.

The one in 2016? Hmmm, it was over Roberta Vinci... at the Rio Olympics.
===============================================
5. Olympics Doubles QF - Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider (I.N.A.) def. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
...6-1/7-5. The Russians' Silver run included the biggest upset of the doubles competition, as the '21 Gold medalist Czechs saw their reunited pairing fall short of the medal round.
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HM- Olympics 1st Rd. - Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) def. Mayer Sherif (EGY)
...2-6/7-5/6-1. In her fourth Olympic appearance, Wozniacki trailed Sherif by a set and a break, with the Egyptian serving for her first win in the games (she lost in the 1st Rd. in Tokyo). Sherif got within two points in that game before being broken, and was up 40/15 on serve as she tried to force a 2nd set TB vs. the Dane.

But Wozniacki broke to take the set, then won a 6-1 3rd. She lost in three sets in the 2nd Round to Danielle Collins.


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The Numbers Guy sent a single message to Backspin HQ today. It read, "I resign. The statistical collection is now complete, and I am no longer needed."



Ten minutes later, he sent another. It read, "Well, unless someone tries again to dispense some statistical nonsense without context, I suppose."

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Hmmm, maybe Siniakova goes into the Hall of Fame *solo*, and not just as part of the Krejcikova/Siniakova team.


















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*CHINESE WOMEN'S OYLMPIC MEDALS*
2004 Athlens Doubles Gold- Li Ting / Sun Tiantian
2008 Beijing Doubles Bronze - Yan Zi / Zheng Jie
2024 Paris Mixed Silver - Wang Xinyu
2024 Paris Singles Gold - Zheng Qinwen

*CZECH WOMEN'S OYLMPIC MEDALS*
1988 Seoul Doubles Silver - Jana Novotna / Helena Sukova
1996 Atlanta Singles Bronze - Jana Novotna
1996 Atlanta Doubles Silver - Jana Novotna / Helena Sukova
2012 London Doubles Silver - Andrea Hlavackova / Lucie Hradecka
2016 Rio Singles Bronze - Petra Kvitova
2016 Rio Doubles Bronze - Lucie Safarova / Barbora Strycova
2016 Rio Mixed Bronze - Lucie Hradecka
2021 Tokyo Singles Silver - Marketa Vondrousova
2021 Tokyo Doubles Gold - Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova
2024 Paris Mixed Gold - Katerina Siniakova

*SPANISH WOMEN'S OYLMPIC MEDALS*
1992 Barcelona Singles Bronze - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
1992 Barcelona Doubles Silver - Conchita Martinez/Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
1996 Atlanta Singles Silver - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
1996 Atlanta Doubles Bronze - Conchita Martinez/Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
2004 Athens Doubles Silver - Conchita Martinez/Virginia Ruano Pascual
2008 Beijing Doubles Silver - Anabel Medina Garrigues/Virginia Ruano Pascual
2024 Paris Doubles Bronze - Cristina Bucsa/Sara Sorribes Tormo

*RUSSIAN WOMEN'S OYLMPIC MEDALS*
2000 Sydney Singles Silver - Elena Dementieva
2008 Beijing Singles Gold - Elena Dementieva
2008 Beijing Singles Silver - Dinara Safina
2008 Beijing Singles Bronze - Vera Zvonareva
2012 London Singles Silver - Maria Sharapova
2012 London Doubles Bronze - Maria Kirilenko / Nadia Petrova
2016 Rio Doubles Gold - Ekaterina Makarova / Elena Vesnina
2021 Tokyo Mixed Gold - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova#
2021 Tokyo Mixed Silver - Elena Vesnina#
2024 Paris Doubles Silver - Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider*
--
# - as Russian Olympic Committee
* - as Individual Neutral Athletes

*OLYMPIC TENNIS #1 SEEDS, w/ result*
1984 (demonstration) Kathy Horvath, USA (QF)
1988 Steffi Graf, FRG (Gold)
1992 Steffi Graf, GER (Silver)
1996 Monica Seles, USA (QF)
2000 Lindsay Davenport, USA (2nd Rd - w/d)
2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL (Gold)
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB (w/d)
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (Bronze)
2016 Serena Williams, USA (3rd Rd.)
2021 Ash Barty, AUS (1st Rd.)
2024 Iga Swiatek, POL (Bronze)

*WOMEN'S SINGLES MEDALISTS, since 1988*
[GOLD]
1988 Steffi Graf, West Germany
1992 Jennifer Capriati, USA
1996 Lindsay Davenport, USA
2000 Venus Williams, USA
2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium
2008 Elena Dementieva, Russia
2012 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Monica Puig, Puerto Rico
2021 Belinda Bencic, Switzerland
2024 Zheng Qinwen, China
[SILVER]
1988 Gabriela Sabatini, Argentina
1992 Steffi Graf, Germany
1996 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Spain
2000 Elena Dementieva, Russia
2004 Amelie Mauresmo, France
2008 Dinara Safina, Russia
2012 Maria Sharapova, Russia
2016 Angelique Kerber, Germany
2021 Marketa Vondrousova, Czech Republic
2024 Donna Vekic, Croatia
[BRONZE]
1988 Manuela Maleeva, Bulgaria & Zina Garrison, USA
1992 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Spain & Mary Joe Fernandez, USA
1996 Jana Novotna, Czech Republic
2000 Monica Seles, USA
2004 Alicia Molik, Australia
2008 Vera Zvonareva, Russia
2012 Victoria Azarenka, Belarus
2016 Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic
2021 Elina Svitolina, Ukraine
2024 Iga Swiatek, Poland

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES MEDALISTS, since 1988*
[GOLD]
1988 Pam Shriver / Zina Garrison, USA
1992 Mary Joe Fernandez / Gigi Fernandez, USA
1996 Mary Joe Fernandez / Gigi Fernandez, USA
2000 Serena Williams / Venus Williams, USA
2004 Li Ting / Sun Tiantian, China
2008 Serena Williams / Venus Williams, USA
2012 Serena Williams / Venus Williams, USA
2016 Ekaterina Makarova / Elena Vesnina, Russia
2021 Barbora Krejcikova /Katerina Siniakova, Czech Republic
2024 Sara Errani / Jasmine Paolini, Italy
[SILVER]
1988 Jana Novotna / Helena Sukova, Czechoslovakia
1992 Conchita Martinez / Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Spain
1996 Jana Novotna / Helena Sukova, Czech Republic
2000 Kristie Boogert / Miriam Oremans, The Netherlands
2004 Conchita Martinez / Virginia Ruano-Pascual, Spain
2008 Anabel Medina-Garrigues / Virginia Ruano-Pascual, Spain
2012 Andrea Hlavackova / Lucie Hradecka, Czech Republic
2016 Timea Bacsinszky / Martina Hingis, Switzerland
2021 Belinda Bencic / Viktorija Golubic, Switzerland
2024 Mirra Andreeva / Diana Shnaider, Individual Neutral Athletes
[BRONZE]
1988 Steffi Graf / Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, West Germany
1988 Liz Smylie / Wendy Turnbull, Australia
1992 Natalia Zvereva / Leila Meskhi, Unified Team
1992 Rachel McQuillan / Nicole Provis, Australia
1996 Conchita Martinez / Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Spain
2000 Els Callens / Dominique van Roost, Belgium
2004 Paola Suarez / Patricia Tarabini, Argentina
2008 Yan Zi / Zheng Jie, China
2012 Maria Kirilenko / Nadia Petrova, Russia
2016 Lucie Safarova / Barbora Strycova, Czech Republic
2021 Laura Pigossi / Luisa Stefani, Brazil
2024 Cristina Bucsa / Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spain

*MIXED DOUBLES MEDALISTS, since 2012*
[GOLD]
2012 Victoria Azarenka / Max Mirnyi, Belarus
2016 Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Jack Sock, USA
2021 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova / Andrey Rublev, Russian Olympic Committee
2024 Katerina Siniakova / Tomas Machac, Czech Republic
[SILVER]
2012 Laura Robson / Andy Murray, Great Britain
2016 Venus Williams / Rajeev Ram, USA
2021 Elena Vesnina / Aslan Karatsev, Russian Olympic Committee
2024 Wang Xinyu / Zhang Zhizhen, China
[BRONZE]
2012 Lisa Raymond / Mike Bryan, USA
2016 Lucie Hradecka / Radek Stepanek, Czech Republic
2021 Ash Barty / John Peers, Australia
2024 Gaby Dabrowski / Felix Auger-Aliassime, Canada

*GOLD MEDAL MATCHES - women's singles*
1988 Steffi Graf/FRG d. Gabriela Sabatini/ARG
1992 Jennifer Capriati/USA d. Steffi Graf/GER
1996 Lindsay Davenport/USA d. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario/ESP
2000 Venus Williams/USA d. Elena Dementieva/RUS
2004 Justine Henin-H./BEL d. Amelie Mauresmo/FRA
2008 Elena Dementieva/RUS d. Dinara Safina/RUS
2012 Serena Williams/USA d. Maria Sharapova/RUS
2016 Monica Puig/PUR d. Angelique Kerber/GER
2021 Belinda Bencic/SUI d. Marketa Vondrousova/CZE
2024 Zheng Qinwen/CHN d. Donna Vekic/CRO
[BRONZE MEDAL MATCH]
1996 Jana Novotna/CZE d. Mary Joe Fernandez/USA
2000 Monica Seles/USA d. Jelena Dokic/AUS
2004 Alicia Molik/AUS d. Anastasia Myskina/RUS
2008 Vera Zvonareva/RUS d. Li Na/CHN
2012 Victoria Azarenka/BLR d. Maria Kirilenko/RUS
2016 Petra Kvitova/CZE d. Madison Keys/USA
2021 Elina Svitolina/UKR d. Elena Rybakina/KAZ
2024 Iga Swiatek/POL d. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova/SVK






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All for now.
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