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Saturday, September 7, 2024

Bright Lights, Big Sabalenka


If at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again. Just like Aryna Sabalenka did in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. Finally.



Over the years, Sabalenka's biggest foe has often been Sabalenka herself. First it was her emotions, then for a while a service collapse that turned the Belarusian's biggest weapon into a shot that threatened to run her out of the game. But even with one hand figuratively tied behind her back, Sabalenka has continued to win, and often win big.

Since winning her maiden title at the Australian Open in 2023, having cleaned up (well, except for brief stretches in matches) what had previously ailed her, Sabalenka has placed herself at or near the top of the sport and stuck there. She defended her title in Melbourne earlier this year, and two weeks ago arrived in New York with unfinished business to take care of. The last three years at the U.S. Open, Sabalenka tried and failed to add the season's second hard court major to her win column, coming up perilously short in back-to-back SF, then a loss in the final last year to Coco Gauff after winning the opening set.

Sabalenka's frustration with the effort was caught on camera soon after the '23 finale, as she destroyed several rackets and stuffed them in a nearby trash can.

But she was back in Flushing Meadows again this year, clearing the path of opponent after opponent en route to another final, barely letting her competition up for air as she out-hit each and every one. She dropped just one set heading into Saturday, and it had come in the opener of a night match that didn't start until after midnight following a long men's match that nearly made breakfast Sabalenka's post-match meal.

She's been lights-out under the bright lights ever since.

This U.S. Open championship match represented Sabalenka's fourth consecutive hard court major final, a feat not accomplished by any woman since her countrywoman Victoria Azarenka did it in 2012-13. Azarenka, like Sabalenka, won a pair of AO titles in the stretch, but she lost both times in NYC (twice to Serena Williams in her home slam). After falling to the home nation's Gauff last year, Sabalenka looked to avoid a similar 0-2 mark on Ashe when, again, she found another Bannerette -- Jessie Pegula -- on the other side of the net.

The two had been on a collision course all summer. The top players on summer hard courts, they'd combined to go 30-3 (Sabalenka 15-2, Pegula 15-1... with her loss to Sabalenka in the Cincinnati final) heading into today's match, winning both 1000 titles in Toronto and Cincinnati.

Pegula's New York run had come after hitting her stride in August, after changing coaches and missing time with injury earlier in the season. Over the past two weeks, the Buffalo native had soldiered through the draw, knocking off #1 Iga Swiatek in the QF, ending her winless run in six previous slam final eight matches, and then rallied in the SF to defeat Karolina Muchova after being a BP away from a set and double-break deficit.

In an interesting note, Gauff's '23 summer run had included a Cincinnati final (she won), as well as a SF win over Muchova before her win over Sabalenka in the final. Could Pegula walk in her sometime doubles partner's footsteps in this one?

The 1st set would prove to be a tight contest, and one decided (as usual) by Sabalenka's ability to complete her big-serve-and-first-ball combinations on the biggest points.

Pegula had taken nearly a set and a half to find her game in the semifinals, but she opened the final (played with the roof closed while a downpour raged outside) with a forehand winner on the opening point. She led love/30, but Sabalenka got the hold. Two games later, Pegula took a 15/40 lead as Sabalenka's error total began to climb. A return that landed at the Belarusian's feet completed the break that gave Pegula a 2-1 lead.

But Pegula couldn't hold her edge. She was a point away from consolidating her break, but ultimately dropped serve. With her big game finally starting to click, Sabalenka held and broke Pegula again (at 15) for a 4-2 lead, running her streak to three games. She struggled to hold in the following game, but finally converted GP #4 with the help of a big serve.



Serving for the 1st set at 5-3, Sabalenka fell behind 15/30, and failed to lock away the lead as back-to-back errors (UE #15 and #16 so far) handed Pegula the break. At 5-5, the Belarusian threw in two DF in game 11, one giving Pegula a BP and other on a GP of her own, but she her serve held up as she claimed the 14-point game for a 6-5 lead.

Serving to force a tie-break, Pegula immediately trailed 15/40, but staved off Sabalenka's first four BP/SP in the game. Finally, on the fifth, Pegula couldn't reach Sabalenka's drop shot and the Belarusian grabbed the opener at 7-5.



As was the case vs. Muchova (who'd led 2-0, w/ a BP for a double-break edge), Pegula followed up a loss in the 1st set with an open to the 2nd that made it appear as if the match could be over in a flash. Sabalenka took a 15/40 lead in game 2, and Pegula's DF on BP #2 handed the Belarusian a 2-0 lead. Unlike Muchova, Sabalenka held (at love, with a closing ace) for 3-0, but still didn't yet have a double-break edge that could make her lead unerasable.

It was at a similar moment to that in the SF that Pegula made her stand, going down BP in game 4 for a double-break deficit vs. Sabalenka, she again managed to avoid such a hole with a key hold of serve for 3-1. Just like in the semis, too, the Bannerette took the momentum and went on a scoreboard run.

Pegula broke Sabalenka's serve in game 5, then saw the Belarusian miss a down the line passing shot that would have given her a BP in the next game. Pegula held, then broke Sabalenka again to get back on serve at 4-3 with her fourth consecutive game.



The Sabalenka of a few seasons ago -- or maybe even a year ago in NYC -- might have let the 2nd set slip away at that point, but that didn't occur on this day.

Pegula held for 5-3, but Sabalenka followed suit to force her to serve out the set. Pegula fell behind love/30 in game 9, then an error made it love/40. On her third BP chance, Sabalenka fired off a forehand winner to turn the momentum back in her favor, knotting the score at 5-all.

Sabalenka got the hold to lead 6-5, and quickly pounced in the following game with the title now within her grasp. A forehand winner gave her a 15/30 edge on Pegula's serve, then a deep ball elicited an error off the Bannerette's racket and Sabalenka reached double MP. She netted a slice forehand on the first, but fired a ball behind Pegula off the net cord in the next rally. Pegula managed to reach back to get the ball, but Sabarenka fired a forehand into the corner and Pegula shot back her reply long.

Sabalenka turned to watch the ball sail past the baseline, then dropped to her knees, rolled over onto her back, covered her face with her hands and finally released all the pent-up emotions from a quest that was now, finally, complete.



The 7-5/7-5 victory gives Sabalenka, the first Belarusian to win the U.S. Open, her third career major title. She's won three of the last four hard court majors (and was up a set in the final in the fourth), and is the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 (and just the second since Martina Hingis in 1997) to win in Melbourne and New York in the same season. Sabalenka in 41-4 in majors in the last two years (w/ 3 titles at two slams, 4 finals and nothing worse than a QF in any of them). [Swiatek: 32-6, w/ 2 RG titles, 2 QF, 2 4r and 2 3r.]

Pegula's (if she's fortunate) confidence-restructuring summer run will lift her back to her previous career high of #3, and she'll pass Gauff as the U.S. #1 on Monday.

A year after she rose to #1 despite her loss in the U.S. final to Gauff, Sabalenka will be 2100 points behind Swiatek in the next rankings. Sabalenka never really got back her high-flying form last fall after falling a set short at Flushing Meadows, so it'll be interesting to see just how long she can keep her momentum going in this season's final months.

Assuming Swiatek plays to a level close to her norm until the end of the year (she has to defend the Beijing and WTAF title points that earned her year-end #1 in '23), Sabalenka may not be able to catch the Pole and position herself atop the ranking pile to start the '25 campaign. But Sabalenka is *there* once again, breathing down Swiatek's neck, with a game that translates to success on *all* surfaces and the knowledge (not new, but once again renewed and highlighted) that the only thing that ever really holds Sabalenka back is Sabalenka.

When she gets out of her own way, Sabalenka is usually the last woman standing wherever she sets down her tennis bag. If she can maintain her current personal positioning, why shouldn't the sky by the next -- and maybe only -- limit?








=DAY 13 NOTES=
...with little to no rain throughout this slam (the downpour at the start of the women's final -- where the roof was closed -- was the aberration), things haven't been backed up and, especially, the juniors didn't have to double-up with multiple rounds on certain days. So the junior finals were played today without the kids having had to push late in the week to get things done in time for the weekend.

The result was a rarity as the singles winner, and a bunch of history in the doubles.

15-year old unseeded Brit Mika Stojsavljevic's run to the final included wins over #1 Emerson Jones, #3 Iva Jovic and #13 Kaitlyn Rolls. In the final, the Ealing (West London NW10) native handled #7 Wakana Sonobe, 6-4/6-4, to become the first Brit to win the U.S. Open girls title since 2009 (Heather Watson). She's just the third to win any junior slam (w/ Laura Robson in 2008) since 1984.



And, yes, by the end of the week, I'd memorized Stojsavljevic's name and no longer had to look to make sure.

In the doubles, a pair of college freshman claimed the title.



Morocco's Malak El Allami (who just moved to NYC to attend Columbia) and Norway's Emily Sartz-Lunde (Michigan), playing in the first girls' slam final for any player in their nations' history, won a MTB over Julie Pastikova & Julia Stusek (hey wasn't there a movie named "Julie & Julia?") to take the crown, 6-2/4-6 [10-6].

Obviously, they're now both the first Moroccan and Norwegian girls to win a junior slam title.



...in Guadalajara, Kamilla Rakhimova defeated Tatjana Maria in three sets to claim the 125 title, the biggest of her career to date. In Montreux (SUI), 34-year old Irina-Camelia Begu will take on 18-year old Petra Marcinko for the title on Sunday.







*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. #6 Jessie Pegula/USA 7-5/7-5

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#7 L.Kichenok/Ostapenko (UKR/LAT) def. Mladenovic/Zhang S. (FRA/CHN) 6-4/6-3

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Errani/Vavassori (ITA/ITA) def. (WC) Townsend/Young (USA/USA) 7-6(0)/7-5

*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
Mika Stojsavljevic/GBR def. #7 Wakana Sonobe/JPN 6-4/6-4

*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
El Allami/Sartz-Lunde (MAR/NOR) def. Pastikova/Stusek (CZE/GER) 6-2/4-6 [10-6]

*WHEELCHAIR JUNIOR SINGLES FINAL*
#2 Yuma Takamuro/JPN def. #1 Vitoria Miranda/BRA 2-6/6-4/6-4

*WHEELCHAIR JUNIOR DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Okano/Takamuro (JPN/JPN) def. #1 Gryp/Miranda (BEL/BRA) 6-3/6-2

*PARALYMPICS WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S FINAL*
#2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #1 Diede de Groot/NED 4-6/6-3/6-4

*PARALYMPICS WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Kamiji/Tanaka (JPN) def. #1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED) 4-6/7-6(3) [10-8]







...BILLIE JEAN IN THE HOUSE (AGAIN!)... ON DAY 13:





...HAHA... KUDOS TO THE US OPEN SOCIAL MEDIA... ON DAY 13:





...WELP, "QUEEN OF THE CONCRETE JUNGLE" *WAS* GOING TO BE MY TITLE... ON DAY 13:




The runners-up to "Bright Lights, Big Sabalenka": "Fast, Furious & Fantastic at Flushing Meadows," and "Sabalenka's Empire State of Mind."


...I TOLD 'EM TO COOL IT WITH GETTIN' THAT BAD BILLS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH KARMA ALL OVER JESSIE (so this was on them)... ON DAY 13:





...EVERY SLAM IS DOING THE CHAMPION'S WALL NOW (and the live engraving is cool, too)... ON DAY 13:





...I GET THE IDEA, BUT... ON DAY 13:

...I really don't think the whole tennis is "the healthiest sport in the world" campaign has legs.


...SO WE'RE REALLY EXPECTING ESPN TO CALL ANYONE ON SOMETHING?... ON DAY 13:


They wouldn't even straightforwardly ask Navarro about disrespecting an opponent after a loss, and instead praised her to no end without a single peep or question... because they don't dare raise an eyebrow about a U.S. player.

So we expect immediate action vs. an employee that they're clearly invested in? Good luck with that.




...AND A NEW ERA IN TENNIS CELEBRATION IS BORN... ON DAY 13:





...OF COURSE, IF YOU WANT UNIQUE... ON DAY 13:




And... some "new" traditions? (I mean, aside from the Stanley Cup.)






















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**RECENT WOMEN'S SLAM WINNERS**
2022 AO: Ash Barty, AUS
2022 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL
2022 WI: Elena Rybakina, KAZ*
2022 US: Iga Swiatek, POL
2023 AO: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR*
2023 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL
2023 WI: Marketa Vondrousova, CZE*
2023 US: Coco Gauff, USA*
2024 AO: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2024 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL
2024 WI: Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
2024 US: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
--
* - first-time slam champ

**RECENT WOMEN'S U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS**
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA
2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2019 Bianca Andreescu, CAN
2020 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR
2022 Iga Swiatek, POL
2023 Coco Gauff, USA
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR

**CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE**
16...Venus Williams (7-9)
5...Iga Swiatek (5-0)
5...Simona Halep (2-3)
5...Victoria Azarenka (2-3)
4...Naomi Osaka (4-0)
4...ARYNA SABALENKA (3-1)
3...Petra Kvitova (2-1)

*AO/US TITLES IN SEASON - OPEN ERA*
[Sept/Dec finals; 1977-86]
1982 Chris Evert, USA
1983 Martina Navratilova, USA
[Jan/Sept finals]
1969 Margaret Court, AUS
1970 Margaret Court, AUS
1973 Margaret Court, AUS
1988 Steffi Graf, FRG
1989 Steffi Graf, FRG
1991 Monica Seles, YUG
1992 Monica Seles, YUG
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR

**ACTIVE SINGLES PLAYERS - FIRST SLAM FINAL AT U.S. OPEN**
1997 Venus Williams
2009 Caroline Wozniacki
2016 Karolina Pliskova
2017 Sloane Stephens (W)
2017 Madison Keys
2018 Naomi Osaka (W)
2019 Bianca Andreescu (W)
2021 Leylah Fernandez
2021 Emma Raducanu (W)
2024 Jessie Pegula

*LONG WTA (MD only) WINNING STREAKS - 2024*
21 - Iga Swiatek (Apr-July; ended by Putintseva)
15 - Danielle Collins (March-April; ended by Sabalenka)
12 - ARYNA SABALENKA (AUGUST-SEPTEMBER) - active
12 - Zheng Qinwen (July-August; ended by Pavlyuchenkova)
10 - Barbora Krejcikova (July; ended by Schmiedlova)
10 - Coco Gauff (January; ended by Sabalenka)
--
UNDEFEATED NOTE: Pliskova (9 WTA MD, walkover loss, then 2 more)

**CINCINNATI/U.S. OPEN FINALS - OPEN ERA**
1970 Rosie Casals, USA (W-RU)
1973 Evonne Goolagong, AUS (W-RU)
2010.Kim Clijsters, BEL (W-W)
2013 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (W-RU)
2014.Serena Williams, USA (W-W)
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER (RU-W)
2016 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (W-RU)
2020 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (w/o W-L)#
2020 Naomi Osaka, JPN (w/o L-W)#
2023.Coco Gauff, USA (W-W)
2024 Jessie Pegula, USA (L-L)
2024.Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (W-W)
--
NOTE: Premier 5/1000 since '09
#-both held in NYC in '20

**MOST RECENT SLAM GS CHAMPS - GBR**
1982 AO - Amanda Brown
1983 AO - Amanda Brown
1984 AO - Annabel Croft
1984 WI - Annabel Croft
2008 WI - Laura Robson
2009 US - Heather Watson
2024 US - Mika Stojsavljevic

**JUNIOR SLAM GS FINALS - JAPAN**
1969 Roland Garros - Kazuko Sawamatsu (W)
1969 Wimbledon - Kazuko Sawamatsu (W)
1993 US Open - Yuka Yoshida
2010 Wimbledon - Sachie Ishizu
2024 US Open - Wakana Sonobe

**RECENT GIRLS SLAM CHAMPIONS**
[2020]
AO: Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, AND
RG: Elsa Jacquemot, FRA
[2021]
RG: Linda Noskova, CZE
WI: Ane Mintegi del Olmo, ESP
US: Robin Montgomery, USA
[2022]
AO: Petra Marcinko, CRO
RG: Lucie Havlickova, CZE
WI: Liv Hovde, USA
US: Alex Eala, PHI
[2023]
AO: Alina Korneeva, RUS
RG: Alina Korneeva, RUS
WI: Clervie Ngounoue, USA
US: Katherine Hui, USA
[2024]
AO: Renata Jamrichova, SVK
RG: Tereza Valentova, CZE
WI: Renata Jamrichova, SVK
US: Mika Stojsavljevic, GBR

**RECENT U.S. OPEN GIRLS FINALS**
2014 Marie Bouzkova/CZE def. Anhelina Kalinina/UKR
2015 Dalma Galfi/HUN def. Sonya Kenin/USA
2016 Kayla Day/USA def. Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK
2017 Amanda Anisimova/USA def. Coco Gauff/USA
2018 Wang Xiyu/CHN def. Clara Burel/FRA
2019 Camila Osorio/COL def. Alexandra Yepifanova/USA
2020 DNP
2021 Robin Montgomery/USA def. Kristina Dmitruk/BLR
2022 Alex Eala/PHI def. Lucie Havlickova/CZE
2023 Katherine Hui/USA def. Tereza Valentova/CZE
2024 Mika Stojsavljevic/GBR def. Wakana Sonobe/JPN

**RECENT GIRLS DOUBLES SLAM CHAMPIONS**
[2020]
AO: Alex Eala/Priska Madelyn Nugroho (PHI/INA)
RG: Eleonora Alvisi/Lisa Pigoti (ITA/ITA)
[2021]
RG: Alex Eala/Oksana Selekmeteva (PHI/RUS)
WI: Kristina Dmitruk/Diana Shnaider (BLR/RUS)
US: Ashlyn Krueger/Robin Montgomery (USA/USA)
[2022]
AO: Clervie Ngounoue/Diana Shnaider (USA/RUS)
RG: Sara Bejlek/Lucie Havlickova (CZE/CZE)
WI: Rose Marie Nijkamp/Angella Okutoyi (NED/KEN)
US: Lucie Havlickova/Diana Shnaider (CZE/RUS)
[2023]
AO: Renata Jamrichova/Federica Urgesi (SVK/ITA)
RG: Tyra Caterina Grant/Clervie Ngounoue (USA/USA)
WI: Alena Kovackova/Laura Samsonova (CZE/CZE)
US: Mara Gae/Anastasiia Gureva (ROU/RUS)
[2024]
AO: Tyra Caterina Grant/Iva Jovic (USA/USA)
RG: Renata Jamrichova/Tereza Valentova (SVK/CZE)
WI: Tyra Caterina Grant/Iva Jovic (USA/USA)
US: Malak El Allami/Emily Sartz-Lunde (MAR/NOR)

**RECENT U.S. OPEN GIRLS DOUBLES CHAMPIONS**
2013 Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2014 Ipek Soylu / Jil Teichmann, TUR/SUI
2015 Viktoria Kuzmova / Aleksandra Pospelova, SVK/RUS
2016 Jada Myii Hart / Ena Shibahara, USA/USA
2017 Olga Danilovic / Marta Kostyuk, SRB/UKR
2018 Coco Gauff / Caty McNally, USA
2019 Kamilla Bartone / Oksaka Selekhmeteva, LAT/RUS
2020 DNP
2021 Ashlyn Krueger / Robin Montgomery, USA/USA
2022 Lucie Havlickova / Diana Shnaider, CZE/RUS
2023 Mara Gae / Anastasiia Gureva, ROU/RUS
2024 Malak El Allami / Emily Sartz-Lunde, MAR/NOR





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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): #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (first BLR US Open champ; won 3 of last 4 HC majors)
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): 3rd Rd. - #26 Paula Badosa/ESP def. (Q) Gabriela Ruse/ROU 4-6/6-1/7-6(10-8) - saved MP at 4-5 3rd, led by break twice in 3rd (3-2,6-5); wins 10-8 TB on MP #2 for first U.S. second week)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): SF - #6 Jessie Pegula/USA def. Karolina Muchova/CZE 1-6/6-4/6-2 - trailed 6-1/2-0, BP down for 3-0 and double-break
=============================
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: Paula Badosa/ESP (3r- MP down 5-4 3rd vs. Ruse; 10-8 MTB win for first U.S. Open second week)
IT ("Bannerette Teen"): Iva Jovic/USA
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Jessie Pegula/USA and Emma Navarro/USA
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Jessika Ponchet/FRA and Gabriela Ruse/ROU (both 3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Iva Jovic/USA and Naomi Osaka/JPN (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: Jessie Pegula (in final)
COMEBACK: Karolina Muchova/CZE
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Sara Errani/ITA
DOUBLES STAR: Lyudmyla Kichenok/Alona Ostapenko, UKR/LAT
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Ashlyn Krueger
BROADWAY-BOUND: "In the Heat of the Night" (Zheng/Vekic 2:16 a.m. finish, latest for U.S. women's match)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Mimi Xu/GBR and Mika Stojsavljevic/GBR







All for Day 13. More tomorrow.
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