WTA 500 Abu Dhabi 2/6 - 2/12 2023

[ponchi101]

It is a 500, so there are no easy players here. Kasatkina has been very disappointing in the last slams, but these are the tournaments in which she is reliable.

[ashkor87]

Bencic is the one to bet on, though..only Rybakina can actually beat her ..

[JTContinental]

Cirstea, Kudermetova, Haddad Maia, Kontaveit, and Badosa would like to protest that statement...

[ashkor87]

Cirstea, Kudermetova, Haddad Maia, Kontaveit, and Badosa would like to protest that statement...

Kudermetova maybe, the rest? nah..

[JTContinental]

Most of them are unlikely due to Bencic's current form vs their fading form, but they did all beat her in 2022. From the qualies, so did Pliskova and Fernandez.

[Deuce]

Kontaveit is in the process of playing one of the most inconsistent matches I've ever seen anyone play (vs. Zhang Shuai)...
Kontaveit won the 1st 3 games of the match, and looked very good doing it. Then she lost the next 5 games, and looked terrible. At one point during a changeover, she had her blood pressure checked (which seems to be the new popular thing to do in the WTA). She lost the set 4-6.

In the 2nd set, she got an early break, and looked very good again to 5-3. Then she looked really bad again, blowing several set points on her serve in the process, as it went to a tiebreak. Then it was back to being the good Dr. Jekyll for the tiebreak, which she won rather convincingly.

The match to this point has been entirely on Kontaveit's racquet - for good and for bad (and she doesn't grunt or scream when she hits a shot - it really sounds more like she's sneezing )...

Off to the 3rd set now, and there isn't a human on the planet who can confidently predict the outcome of this one.

[Deuce]

Well, Kontaveit won the roller coaster match - 6-4 in the 3rd... but not before Mr. Hyde made yet another appearance as she went down 0-40 in that 10th (and final) game before summoning Dr. Jekyll again to rally herself back into the game and close it out.

She gets the winner of Leylah and Shelby Rogers, who both came through qualifying, next.

[ponchi101]

Bencic is the one to bet on, though..only Rybakina can actually beat her ..

I know Belinda is a quality player, but not to the level that you can say she is a 70% favorite for any tournament. It is a very strong field she is facing.

[ashkor87]

Bencic is the one to bet on, though..only Rybakina can actually beat her ..

I know Belinda is a quality player, but not to the level that you can say she is a 70% favorite for any tournament. It is a very strong field she is facing.

I don't know about the ' strong field' ,- no Swiatek, Sabalenka, Garcia..

[ashkor87]

As before, our endless argument!
Tier 1- Swiatek, Sabalenka, Rybakina
Tier 2 - Garcia, Bencic, Ostapenko, Vika, Pegula
Tier 3 - Coco, Leylah, etc.
Players in the same tier can beat each other, they will generally not be able to beat someone in the tier above..
Not sure about Jabeur, for instance...probably tier 2? Or somewhere between 2 and 3?
PS- generally means generally- not every time.

[ponchi101]

Our endless argument indeed!
I don't know. This is a 500, and sure, no Iga nor Aryna, but some fine players. Bencic (which the favorite in your book), Kasatkina, BHM, Badosa. It is good for the tier they are in.
And Ons has not been having good results, but let's not drop a 2 time slam finalist into Tier 3. She is still a fine player.

[ashkor87]

I would put BHM, Badosa in tier 3 ..not 2. Along with Sakkari..

[Suliso]

There are no real Tier's at WTA 500. If such a concept could be applied at all then it's most relevant in Slams where everyone is as prepared as they could be and try hard. Not at a lowly 500 series where some are there just for extra $$$.

[ashkor87]

That is also true.also, depends on surface .this is only for hard courts

[Suliso]

A good win by Ostepenko