by ti-amieTournament: Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers Location: Montréal, Quebec, Canada Dates: August 7 - August 13, 2023 Level: WTA 1000 Total Financial Commitment: $2,788,468 Surface: Hard
by ashkor87 former champion Giorgi has to quaiify?
Correction: I think Giorgi is injured..wrist..hope she recovers soon..the game needs her fire...
by meganfernandez What is a Top 20 wildcard? For former Top 20 players?
by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 21, 2023 2:16 am
former champion Giorgi has to quaiify?
Rough sport. Wild cards went to Canadians, Venus and Caro.
by skatingfan
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Fri Jul 21, 2023 2:38 am
What is a Top 20 wildcard? For former Top 20 players?
Each WTA 1000 Non-Mandatory, WTA 500, and WTA 250
Tournament receives two (2) “Singles Top 20 Wild Card” spots,
which can only be used by players with a WTA Singles Ranking
of 1-20 at the Tournament’s Singles Main Draw entry deadline
(“Top 20 Players”), past Grand Slam singles champions, past
WTA Finals singles champions, past WTA 1000 Mandatory
Tournament singles champions, and/or former WTA No. 1
ranked singles players as follows:
by ashkor87 going by the video of last year's event (though that was an ATP event by rotation), the court looks slow..should favor Rybakina...of course, we wont know till the tournament actually starts, they can change it every year..
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 21, 2023 2:16 am
former champion Giorgi has to quaiify?
Rough sport. Wild cards went to Canadians, Venus and Caro.
well, happy to see Andreescu and Leylah getting them.. they deserve a break.. good players, border-line great..
by ponchi101 Yep. Not getting the two top Canadians in the tournament would have been a marketing screw up.
by ti-amie
by ti-amie
by ashkor87 would be very interesting to see if Caro can do well now, or whether the game has evolved beyond her.. I suspect the latter..too many big hitters nowadays
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 21, 2023 2:16 am
former champion Giorgi has to quaiify?
Rough sport. Wild cards went to Canadians, Venus and Caro.
well, happy to see Andreescu and Leylah getting them.. they deserve a break.. good players, border-line great..
Agree, no-brainer, both popular and successful.
by ponchi101
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 27, 2023 7:00 am
would be very interesting to see if Caro can do well now, or whether the game has evolved beyond her.. I suspect the latter..too many big hitters nowadays
She will be a good test for your hypothesis. Can a player that was never known for power come back to the tour? Also, how will her speed be affected? She can't come with more, but will she be the same player as before, with great wheels and movement?
by ti-amie UPDATED MD Singles Entry List
Main Draw Singles
1 Swiatek, Iga (POL)
2 Sabalenka, Aryna (BLR)
3 Rybakina, Elena (KAZ)
4 Pegula, Jessica (USA)
5 Garcia, Caroline (FRA) 6 Jabeur, Ons (TUN)
7 Gauff, Coco (USA)
8 Sakkari, Maria (GRE)
9 Kvitova, Petra (CZE)
10 Kasatkina, Daria (RUS)
11 Krejcikova, Barbora (CZE)
12 Kudermetova, Veronika (RUS)
13 Haddad Maia, Beatriz (BRA)
14 Bencic, Belinda (SUI)
14 Brady, Jennifer (USA) SR
15 Samsonova, Liudmila (RUS)
16 Muchova, Karolina (CZE)
17 Ostapenko, Jelena (LAT)
18 Keys, Madison (USA)
19 Pliskova, Karolina (CZE)
20 Azarenka, Victoria (BLR)
21 Vekic, Donna (CRO)
23 Potapova, Anastasia (RUS)
24 Linette, Magda (POL)
25 Zheng, Qinwen (CHN)
26 Kalinina, Anhelina (UKR)
27 Pera, Bernarda (USA)
27 Svitolina, Elina (UKR) SR
28 Mertens, Elise (BEL)
29 Martic, Petra (CRO)
31 Sherif, Mayar (EGY)
32 Siniakova, Katerina (CZE)
33 Bouzkova, Marie (CZE)
34 Zhu, Lin (CHN)
35 Badosa, Paula (ESP)
36 Kostyuk, Marta (UKR)
37 Cirstea, Sorana (ROU)
38 Zhang, Shuai (CHN)
39 Stephens, Sloane (USA)
40 Blinkova, Anna (RUS)
41 Gracheva, Varvara (RUS)
42 Vondrousova, Marketa (CZE)
44 Paolini, Jasmine (ITA) IN 45 Noskova, Linda (CZE)
by ptmcmahon + Wild cards
by ti-amieUPDATED WTA Main Draw Singles Entry List
1 Swiatek, Iga (POL)
2 Sabalenka, Aryna (BLR)
3 Rybakina, Elena (KAZ)
4 Pegula, Jessica (USA)
5 Garcia, Caroline (FRA) 6 Jabeur, Ons (TUN)
7 Gauff, Coco (USA)
8 Sakkari, Maria (GRE)
9 Kvitova, Petra (CZE)
10 Kasatkina, Daria (RUS) 11 Krejcikova, Barbora (CZE)
12 Kudermetova, Veronika (RUS)
13 Haddad Maia, Beatriz (BRA)
14 Bencic, Belinda (SUI)
14 Brady, Jennifer (USA) SR
15 Samsonova, Liudmila (RUS)
16 Muchova, Karolina (CZE)
17 Ostapenko, Jelena (LAT)
18 Keys, Madison (USA)
19 Pliskova, Karolina (CZE)
20 Azarenka, Victoria (BLR)
21 Vekic, Donna (CRO)
23 Potapova, Anastasia (RUS)
24 Linette, Magda (POL)
25 Zheng, Qinwen (CHN)
26 Kalinina, Anhelina (UKR)
27 Pera, Bernarda (USA)
27 Svitolina, Elina (UKR) SR
28 Mertens, Elise (BEL)
29 Martic, Petra (CRO)
31 Sherif, Mayar (EGY)
32 Siniakova, Katerina (CZE)
33 Bouzkova, Marie (CZE)
34 Zhu, Lin (CHN)
35 Badosa, Paula (ESP)
36 Kostyuk, Marta (UKR)
37 Cirstea, Sorana (ROU)
38 Zhang, Shuai (CHN)
39 Stephens, Sloane (USA)
40 Blinkova, Anna (RUS)
41 Gracheva, Varvara (RUS)
42 Vondrousova, Marketa (CZE)
44 Paolini, Jasmine (ITA)
45 Noskova, Linda (CZE)
47 Bronzetti, Lucia (ITA)
It think it's pretty common for the Canada/Cincy combo
Everyone on tour wants to be able to eat at Cheesecake Factory every night
by ti-amieWTA MD Singles
POL I. Swiatek (1)/BYE
CHN L. Zhu vs CZE K. Pliskova
FRA V. Gracheva vs ROU S. Cirstea
RUS A. Potapova vs CZE K. Muchova (14)
BRA B. Haddad Maia (11) vs ESP P. Badosa
CAN L. Fernandez vs Qualifier
Qualifier vs UKR E. Svitolina
BYE/GRE M. Sakkari (8)
USA J. Pegula (4)/BYE
USA B. Pera vs CZE L. Noskova
ITA J. Paolini vs CRO D. Vekic
USA V. Williams vs USA M. Keys (13)
CZE M. Vondrousova (9) vs EGY M. Sherif
DEN C. Wozniacki vs Qualifier
Qualifier vs CAN R. Marino
BYE/USA C. Gauff (6)
FRA C. Garcia (5)/BYE
Qualifier vs CZE M. Bouzkova
RUS A. Blinkova vs CHN S. Zhang
BEL E. Mertens vs RUS D. Kasatkina (10)
BLR V. Azarenka (16) vs POL M. Linette
USA S. Stephens vs UKR A. Kalinina
USA J. Brady vs LAT J. Ostapenko
BYE/KAZ E. Rybakina (3)
CZE P. Kvitova (7)/BYE
Qualifier vs CAN B. Andreescu
Qualifier vs USA L. Davis
ITA L. Bronzetti vs SUI B. Bencic (12)
RUS L. Samsonova (15) vs CZE K. Siniakova
UKR M. Kostyuk vs CHN Q. Zheng
CRO P. Martic vs Qualifier
BYE/BLR A. Sabalenka (2)
Round of 64 Prize $12,848
Round of 32 Prize $17,930
Round of 16 Prize $31,650
Quarterfinals Prize $63,350
Semifinals Prize $138,000
Final Prize $267,690
by ponchi101 I just noticed. Giorgi is having to qualify for a tournament in which she is the defending champ.
This tour is getting to be too tough.
by skatingfan
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 05, 2023 7:31 pm
I just noticed. Giorgi is having to qualify for a tournament in which she is the defending champ.
This tour is getting to be too tough.
She's not defending champion - she won in 2021 - if she was still defending champion she wouldn't have needed to qualify.
by JTContinental I imagine Giorgi puts in the same amount of enthusiasm endearing herself to tournament directors as she does her tennis.
by ti-amie
JTContinental wrote: ↑Sat Aug 05, 2023 9:45 pm
I imagine Giorgi puts in the same amount of enthusiasm endearing herself to tournament directors as she does her tennis.
by patrick Giorgi is the defending Montreal champion, though
by ashkor87 We already discussed this..looks like tournaments don't have much leeway
by ponchi101
patrick wrote: ↑Sun Aug 06, 2023 4:06 am
Giorgi is the defending Montreal champion, though
Thanks for twisting the argument and made me be right!
by ashkor87 are the qualies played on the same court as the tournament itself? if yes, the courts look pretty fast..at least when Parks is serving!
by ashkor87 instead of so many byes, maybe they should just have more wild cards or more qualifiers... why does anyone need byes unless they were in the finals of the previous week? Even so, an adjustment could be made in playing date instead of byes..
by ponchi101 You know how the top players behave. If it is not a Slam, they will skip the entire tournament because, god forbid, they have to play 5 matches in one week.
Load management and all that BS.
It think it's pretty common for the Canada/Cincy combo
Everyone on tour wants to be able to eat at Cheesecake Factory every night
I meant they shouldn't have to qualify. There should be more spots in a 64-player draw for Top 50 players.
by ti-amie
by ti-amieDoubles Draw
C. Gauff/J. Pegula (1)/BYE
M. Kato/A. Sutjiadi vs C. Garcia/P. Martic
M. Sherif/S. Stephens vs L. Siegemund/V. Zvonareva
L. Marozava/I. Gamarra Martins vs S. Aoyama/E. Shibahara (7)
N. Melichar-Martinez/E. Perez (4)/BYE
M. Bouzkova/L. Zhu vs M. Stakusic/C. Zhao
K. Pliskova/D. Vekic vsG. Dabrowski/E. Routliffe
L. Chan/Z. Yang vs H. Chan/G. Olmos (8)
D. Krawczyk/D. Schuurs (5) vs M. Ninomiya/S. Santamaria
A. Danilina/B. Mattek-Sands vs K. Muchova/M. Vondrousova
U. Eikeri/I. Neel vs A. Guarachi/M. Niculescu
BYE/K. Siniakova/L. Stefani (3)
L. Kichenok/J. Ostapenko (6) vs E. Bouchard/R. Marino
J. Brady/M. Keys vs N. Kichenok/A. Parks
M. Kostyuk/S. Zhang vs T. Mihalikova/Y. Xu
BYE/S. Hunter/E. Mertens (2)
by ti-amieDay 3 Order of Play
Court Central Starts at 12:30 PM
BLR V. AZARENKA (16) vs POL M. LINETTE FOLLOWED BY
USA J. BRADY vs LAT J. OSTAPENKO NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM
USA V. WILLIAMS vs USA M. KEYS (13) FOLLOWED BY
GBR K. BOULTER vs CAN R. MARINO
Court Rogers Starts at 11:00 AM
CHN L. ZHU vs CZE K. PLISKOVA FOLLOWED BY
ITA L. BRONZETTI vs SUI B. BENCIC (12) NOT BEFORE 4:30 PM
USA S. STEPHENS vs UKR A. KALININA NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM
BEL E. MERTENS vs RUS D. KASATKINA (10) FOLLOWED BY
USA A. PARKS vs USA L. DAVIS
Court 9 Starts at 11:00 AM
ITA J. PAOLINI vs CRO D. VEKIC FOLLOWED BY
FRA V. GRACHEVA vs ROU S. CIRSTEA FOLLOWED BY
JPN M. KATO/INA A. SUTJIADI vs FRA C. GARCIA/CRO P. MARTIC
Court 5 Starts at 11:00 AM
USA K. DAY vs CZE M. BOUZKOVA FOLLOWED BY
UKR M. KOSTYUK/CHN S. ZHANG vs SVK T. MIHALIKOVA/CHN Y. XU FOLLOWED BY USA D. KRAWCZYK/NED D. SCHUURS (5)vs JPN M. NINOMIYA/USA S. SANTAMARIA
Court 6 Starts at 11:00 AM
BLR L. MAROZAVA/BRA I. GAMARRA MARTINS vs JPN S. AOYAMA/JPN E. SHIBAHARA (7) FOLLOWED BY
KAZ A. DANILINA/USA B. MATTEK-SANDS vs CZE K. MUCHOVA/CZE M. VONDROUSOVA
by skatingfan
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Sun Aug 06, 2023 5:45 pm
I meant they shouldn't have to qualify. There should be more spots in a 64-player draw for Top 50 players.
56-player draw with 8 qualifying spots, and 5 wildcards.
by ashkor87 But why 56? Why not 64?
by skatingfan
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 1:03 am
But why 56? Why not 64?
Most of the tour events give the top players a first round bye. In theory it free them up to do other things to promote the event in the first few days of the tournament. Seems like mostly ATP 500's that don't have first round byes, but their only 32 player draws so only 5 rounds anyways.
by skatingfan Weather forecast calls for rain from tomorrow morning, and until Wednesday afternoon.
by ashkor87 Am very curious to see how Vondrousova does..my sense is that heavy topspin is not effective on hard courts..unless it is coupled with the aggression and sharp angles like Swiatek...
by ponchi101 QF's should be her goal, for this tournament. She may still be enjoying her Wimby trophy, so I would not expect too much.
by JTContinental Including Wimbledon, Vondrousova has 2 career titles, so I expect we’ll be back to more of the same
by skatingfan Tennis Canada really knows how to pander to the top players. For years they call the tournament the Rogers Cup while Federer is playing, and now that he is retired they call the stadium in Montreal Iga Stadium.
by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 1:03 am
But why 56? Why not 64?
Exactly. It's so the top 8 seeds can have a bye and only play 5 rounds to win. But most players don't reach the finals and would only play 2-4 rounds anyway, so the byes seem silly to me.
by skatingfan
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 7:18 pm
Exactly. It's so the top 8 seeds can have a bye and only play 5 rounds to win. But most players don't reach the finals and would only play 2-4 rounds anyway, so the byes seem silly to me.
It's now only for this year, and next year because in 2025 this tournament, and Cincinnati will be 10 events with 96 player draws.
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 7:18 pm
Exactly. It's so the top 8 seeds can have a bye and only play 5 rounds to win. But most players don't reach the finals and would only play 2-4 rounds anyway, so the byes seem silly to me.
It's now only for this year, and next year because in 2025 this tournament, and Cincinnati will be 10 events with 96 player draws.
But if they become 96 players draws, don't you now have 32 1R byes?
by skatingfan
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 7:57 pm
But if they become 96 players draws, don't you now have 32 1R byes?
Yup, but it will be something different for people to complain about for many years to come.
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 7:18 pm
Exactly. It's so the top 8 seeds can have a bye and only play 5 rounds to win. But most players don't reach the finals and would only play 2-4 rounds anyway, so the byes seem silly to me.
It can also help on the front end of the tournament, as the top 8 seeds are also those most likely to be playing deep into the draw at the previous week's tournament(s), so it give them a day or two to fly to the new city and get comfortable with the courts.
It's now only for this year, and next year because in 2025 this tournament, and Cincinnati will be 10 events with 96 player draws.
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2023 7:57 pm
But if they become 96 players draws, don't you now have 32 1R byes?
Yes, it will be the same as Indian Wells and Miami have been for years. Madrid and Rome have also already switched over to a 96-player draw format.
by ashkor87 Badosa pulled out already..gossip mill says she is headed for Toronto!
by ti-amieDay 4 Order of Play
Court Central Starts at 12:30 PM
DEN C. WOZNIACKI vs AUS K. BIRRELL FOLLOWED BY
CAN L. FERNANDEZ vs USA P. STEARNS NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM
ITA C. GIORGI vs CAN B. ANDREESCU FOLLOWED BY
USA J. BRADY vs KAZ E. RYBAKINA (3)
Court Rogers Starts at 11:00 AM
USA D. COLLINS vs UKR E. SVITOLINA
SUSPENDED
Round of 64
BEL E. MERTENS vs RUS D. KASATKINA (10)
4 - -
4 - -
FOLLOWED BY BRA B. HADDAD MAIA (11) vs POL M. FRECH NOT BEFORE 4:30 PM CZE M. VONDROUSOVA (9) vs EGY M. SHERIF NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM FRA C. GARCIA (5) vs CZE M. BOUZKOVA FOLLOWED BY BLR V. AZARENKA (16)vs USA S. STEPHENS
Court 9 Starts at 11:00 AM
RUS L. SAMSONOVA (15) vs CZE K. SINIAKOVA FOLLOWED BY
RUS A. POTAPOVA vs CZE K. MUCHOVA (14) FOLLOWED BY
UKR M. KOSTYUK vs CHN Q. ZHENG FOLLOWED BY
CRO P. MARTIC vs UKR L. TSURENKO FOLLOWED BY UKR L. KICHENOK/LAT J. OSTAPENKO (6) vs CAN E. BOUCHARD/CAN R. MARINO
Court 5 Starts at 11:00 AM
USA A. PARKS vs USA L. DAVIS FOLLOWED BY
USA B. PERA vs KAZ Y. PUTINTSEVA FOLLOWED BY
RUS A. BLINKOVA vs CHN S. ZHANG FOLLOWED BY USA C. GAUFF/USA J. PEGULA (1) vs JPN M. KATO/INA A. SUTJIADI FOLLOWED BY
CZE K. PLISKOVA/CRO D. VEKIC vs CAN G. DABROWSKI/NZL E. ROUTLIFFE
Court 6 Starts at 11:00 AM
TPE L. CHAN/CHN Z. YANG vs TPE H. CHAN/MEX G. OLMOS (8) FOLLOWED BY
NOR U. EIKERI/EST I. NEEL vs CHI A. GUARACHI/ROU M. NICULESCU
by Owendonovan Byes are a part of the inequities in pay, the top ranked players already get the 2nd round minimum and likely need that money less than the lower ranked players. A bit lame to me.
by meganfernandez
Owendonovan wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 12:54 pm
Byes are a part of the inequities in pay, the top ranked players already get the 2nd round minimum and likely need that money less than the lower ranked players. A bit lame to me.
Great point. And it's not like the six-match format affects many players. Most won't get to the semis and finals. Only 4 players are going to have to play 5 or 6 matches, so the workload factor doesn't seem significant.
by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 5:20 am
Badosa pulled out already..gossip mill says she is headed for Toronto!
Common sense says it, too. She probably thinks practicing with Tsitispas is a decent substitute for playing a tournament. They'll be together in Cincy and New York, but they have to go separate ways at some point.
Owendonovan wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 12:54 pm
Byes are a part of the inequities in pay, the top ranked players already get the 2nd round minimum and likely need that money less than the lower ranked players. A bit lame to me.
Great point. And it's not like the six-match format affects many players. Most won't get to the semis and finals. Only 4 players are going to have to play 5 or 6 matches, so the workload factor doesn't seem significant.
When the top player in the world decided to skip the whole hard court circuit because of "fatigue", when he has only played 14 matches in over 2 months, you can see that the concept of "excessive workload" has changed considerably.
Part of the "prima donna-sation" of the top players.
by skatingfan
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 3:45 pm
When the top player in the world decided to skip the whole hard court circuit because of "fatigue", when he has only played 14 matches in over 2 months, you can see that the concept of "excessive workload" has changed considerably.
Part of the "prima donna-sation" of the top players.
Novak's also 36 years old - the body doesn't recover as quickly at that age.
by ashkor87 meanwhile, Collins is leading Svtolina by a wide margin..
Novak's also 36 years old - the body doesn't recover as quickly at that age.
I was only using him as an example. It is a phenomenon in all sports, and one that I do not agree with.
I know I am alone in that opinion, but I find it too pampering for the top sports figures.
by ashkor87 Coco had an interesting comment on her opponents' plans to attack her forehand - now that she is hitting it better, they keep looking at their box because they dont know what to do ! good way to frustrate your oponents! it was all too easy earlier.. wont be any more, we hope.
by meganfernandez Wozniacki is back! She just walked onto court. I was never a huge fan, but it's still a nice moment and great for tennis.
by ti-amie
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:20 pm
meanwhile, Collins is leading Svtolina by a wide margin..
She won 2&2. Aside from some great shots Elina looked lost out there.
by ponchi101
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:35 pm
Wozniacki is back! She just walked onto court. I was never a huge fan, but it's still a nice moment and great for tennis.
There has been talk that the current state of the WTA is weak. Jankovic said so recently.
If Wozniacki wins (and she is well on her way), what will be the perspective about that statement? It is not as if Serena had returned and ruled again; Woz was never at that level.
If an underpowered athlete comes back and immediately starts winning, does it say that indeed the tour is currently weak?
(Serious question. I am not set on any of these premises).
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:35 pm
Wozniacki is back! She just walked onto court. I was never a huge fan, but it's still a nice moment and great for tennis.
There has been talk that the current state of the WTA is weak. Jankovic said so recently.
If Wozniacki wins (and she is well on her way), what will be the perspective about that statement? It is not as if Serena had returned and ruled again; Woz was never at that level.
If an underpowered athlete comes back and immediately starts winning, does it say that indeed the tour is currently weak?
(Serious question. I am not set on any of these premises).
That is a good question. It'll be interesting to see how a woman universally described during her career as a "pusher" does against the current iteration of the WTA. I guess we'll know more after the US Open.
by Suliso Winning over Kimberly Birrell would lead you to such a conclusion? Folks, you've got to be kidding...
by ti-amie José Morgado
@josemorgado@sportsbots.xyz
Caroline Wozniacki wins her first set back on tour after 3 years and 8 months. 6-2 over Kim Birrell, who couldn’t hold serve all set.
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:35 pm
Wozniacki is back! She just walked onto court. I was never a huge fan, but it's still a nice moment and great for tennis.
There has been talk that the current state of the WTA is weak. Jankovic said so recently.
If Wozniacki wins (and she is well on her way), what will be the perspective about that statement? It is not as if Serena had returned and ruled again; Woz was never at that level.
If an underpowered athlete comes back and immediately starts winning, does it say that indeed the tour is currently weak?
(Serious question. I am not set on any of these premises).
That is a good question. It'll be interesting to see how a woman universally described during her career as a "pusher" does against the current iteration of the WTA. I guess we'll know more after the US Open.
Winning matches or winning titles? It won't mean anything if she wins this R1 match vs No. 115 Birrell. A lot of it will come down to the eye test, too - let's judge by how she actually plays, not how she used to play. If she plays top-shelf tennis and wins, it doesn't reflect on the WTA at all.
Often players come back from a long layoff and win, since they are refreshed, healthy, focused, motivated... Remember Guillermo Canas beating Federer in both Indian Wells and Miami in 2007 after coming back from a 15-month drug suspension? Canas won 68 matches in 9 month when he came back (Challenger and ATP). He was ripping through draws. Fed was a dominant #1 at the time. Sometimes people come back fresh and on fire.
by ti-amie Did anyone here watch the Brady vs Ostapenko match? Brady won a tough first set TB and Alona took the second set to love. Brady stayed calm despite that second set and came back to win the match in the third set 7-6(7) , 0-6, 7-6(8).
As usual Alona kept firing away and for a while it worked.
by ti-amie Ed Salmon
@fogmount@mas.to
Lucky loser Putintseva beats Pera, 63 64. #tennis
(Noskova withdrew after having to play the rain-delayed Prague final yesterday.)
by ponchi101
Suliso wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 5:38 pm
Winning over Kimberly Birrell would lead you to such a conclusion? Folks, you've got to be kidding...
I should have said if she goes deep into the tournament. Sure, Birrel was no test. But her next match may be against the current Wimby champ.
by ti-amie Watching Vondrousova vs Sherif. Sherif is not getting run off the court and was up 2-0 early with a break. She was unable to consolidate though and got tight sometimes missing the court by a country mile.
Vondrousova took the first set 6-4.
by ti-amie
by skatingfan Giorgi clearly didn't like not getting a wildcard this year so now she's qualified, and knocked off Andreescu in straight sets as revenge against Tennis Canada.
by ti-amieDay 5 Order of Play
Court Central Starts at 12:30 PM
POL I. SWIATEK (1) vs CZE K. PLISKOVA FOLLOWED BY BRA B. HADDAD MAIA (11)vs CAN L. FERNANDEZ NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM
CRO P. MARTIC vs BLR A. SABALENKA (2) FOLLOWED BY CZE P. KVITOVA (7) vs ITA C. GIORGI
Court Rogers Starts at 11:00 AM
GBR K. BOULTER vs USA C. GAUFF (6) FOLLOWED BY USA J. PEGULA (4) vs KAZ Y. PUTINTSEVA NOT BEFORE 4:30 PM CZE M. VONDROUSOVA (9)vs DEN C. WOZNIACKI NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM
USA D. COLLINS vs GRE M. SAKKARI (8) FOLLOWED BY
CAN G. DABROWSKI/NZL E. ROUTLIFFE vs TPE L. CHAN/CHN Z. YANG
Court 9 Starts at 11:00 AM
USA A. PARKS vs SUI B. BENCIC (12) FOLLOWED BY
RUS A. BLINKOVA vs RUS D. KASATKINA (10) FOLLOWED BY
EGY M. SHERIF/USA S. STEPHENS vs GER L. SIEGEMUND/RUS V. ZVONAREVA FOLLOWED BY
POL M. LINETTE/USA B. PERA vs UKR N. KICHENOK/USA A. PARKS FOLLOWED BY
CZE M. BOUZKOVA/CHN L. ZHU vs CAN M. STAKUSIC/CAN C. ZHAO
Court 5 Starts at 12:30 PM
RUS L. SAMSONOVA (15)vs CHN Q. ZHENG FOLLOWED BY
ROU S. CIRSTEA vs CZE K. MUCHOVA (14) FOLLOWED BY
NOR U. EIKERI/EST I. NEEL vs CZE K. SINIAKOVA/BRA L. STEFANI (3) FOLLOWED BY USA D. KRAWCZYK/NED D. SCHUURS (5)VS CZE K. MUCHOVA/CZE M. VONDROUSOVA
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:35 pm
Wozniacki is back! She just walked onto court. I was never a huge fan, but it's still a nice moment and great for tennis.
There has been talk that the current state of the WTA is weak. Jankovic said so recently.
If Wozniacki wins (and she is well on her way), what will be the perspective about that statement? It is not as if Serena had returned and ruled again; Woz was never at that level.
If an underpowered athlete comes back and immediately starts winning, does it say that indeed the tour is currently weak?
(Serious question. I am not set on any of these premises).
Speed around the Court is one of the key factors that set apart the very good players from the merely good..Caro hasn't lost that..
I remember Tim Mayotte (remember him?) Saying that all players can hit the shot once they get to the ball, it is whether they get there that makes the difference..tennis is a game of movement as much as about forehand and backhand..
by ashkor87 speed is not only about running fast - that is merely one component.. As all tennis players know (which is most of us here), it is made up of a sequence :
1. know where the open areas in the court are (court sense)
2. know where the opponent is going to hit the ball (a la Gretzky.. where the puck is going to be) - anticipation
3. see where the ball is travelling to - Agassi's quickness was partly due to his exceptional eyesight
4. commit to getting there
5. take off - the initial acceleration is critical (or change direction..)
6. get there (speed) - you never have to run more than 10 meters for the ball, so it is not an Olympic dash
7. staying balanced when you get there
THEN you hit the ball, which is what the undiscerning public sees.
by ashkor87 Not surprising that Giorgi is doing well... she won the tournament last time it was held here.. the court is on the slow side, power matters and Giorgi has lots of it..
by ashkor87 Qualifiers (Giorgi, Collins) are doing well .. since this is one of the earliest tournaments on hard court in this swing, they are getting valuable practice on the hard courts.. which the 'lucky' direct entrants are not. Collins said as much today..
by ashkor87 saw highlight video of Leylah's win.. I really like the fact that she knows when to volley deep and when to volley short.. most people think deep is always the answer.. not true... Leylah showed great court sense..
by ti-amie I hope you Canadians saw Leylah-Annie defeat Bia. The match was about 3h long and Leylah-Annie had MP in the second set but lost it 5-7. She fought hard in the third set and I think it's fair to say she outthought and yes beat BHM refusing to lose. She won 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
by ti-amieDay 6 Order of Play
Court Central
Starts at 12:30 PM
POL I. SWIATEK (1) vs CZE K. MUCHOVA (14) UPCOMING CZE M. VONDROUSOVA (9)vs USA C. GAUFF (6) UPCOMING
CAN L. FERNANDEZ vs USA D. COLLINS FOLLOWED BY RUS L. SAMSONOVA (15)vs TBD
Court Rogers
Starts at 11:00 AM
USA J. PEGULA (4) vs ITA J. PAOLINI UPCOMING
CZE M. BOUZKOVA vs RUS D. KASATKINA (10) UPCOMING
USA S. STEPHENS vs KAZ E. RYBAKINA (3) NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM
TBD vs SUI B. BENCIC (12) UPCOMING USA N. MELICHAR-MARTINEZ/AUS E. PEREZ (4) vs CAN M. STAKUSIC/CAN C. ZHAO
Court 9
Starts at 11:00 AM
GER L. SIEGEMUND/RUS V. ZVONAREVA vs JPN S. AOYAMA/JPN E. SHIBAHARA (7) UPCOMING UKR L. KICHENOK/LAT J. OSTAPENKO (6)vs POL M. LINETTE/USA B. PERA UPCOMING
UKR M. KOSTYUK/CHN S. ZHANG vs AUS S. HUNTER/BEL E. MERTENS (2)
by ashkor87 Sabalenka says balls not bouncing..is it true?. Maybe Martic making them stay low? I cant see the matches so don't know..if someone watching can comment?
.
by meganfernandez
ti-amie wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 12:10 am
I hope you Canadians saw Leylah-Annie defeat Bia. The match was about 3h long and Leylah-Annie had MP in the second set but lost it 5-7. She fought hard in the third set and I think it's fair to say she outthought and yes beat BHM refusing to lose. She won 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
Best moment for her in two years! Nice to see it.
by skatingfan
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 5:20 am
Sabalenka says balls not bouncing..is it true?. Maybe Martic making them stay low? I cant see the matches so don't know..if someone watching can comment?
Martic was definitely working to keep the ball low. I don't know whether the ball was really not bouncing the way she would expect, but it is very humid right now, and lots of rain in the forecast so the balls are probably a bit heavier.
by Fastbackss This was intense, and I audibly giggled when Collins told Sakkari to shut her mouth. I would like to watch them fight. Like for real, not a traditional misogynistic trope with pillows.
To be fair, I'd pretty much watch Collins take on anyone. I know some are loathe to her on-court behaviour but I love the intensity.
by meganfernandez
Fastbackss wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 11:43 am
This was intense, and I audibly giggled when Collins told Sakkari to shut her mouth. I would like to watch them fight. Like for real, not a traditional misogynistic trope with pillows.
To be fair, I'd pretty much watch Collins take on anyone. I know some are loathe to her on-court behaviour but I love the intensity.
I love Collins now. I found her obnoxious when she first came on tour - it was too much, and it spills over from college tennis - but I feel like she has found the right balance between intensity/attitude and respect now.
However, I think this was a little tattle-taley, and "shut your mouth" was rude, if funny. It makes me think Sakkari isn't her favorite person to begin with for some reason, or Sakkari was under her skin during the match. I'm not sure I'd give Sakkari a yellow card for the ball going into the stands. It wasn't egregious. When we worry about a ball going into the stands and hitting someone, it's when it's hit at full force and completely unnecessary. This framed ball ricocheted but probably wouldn't have hurt or surprised anyone. I can why someone would think "no tolerance for swatting at a ball, ever" but I don't think Sakkari was out of line. She's certainly not habitually out of line, so that matters. I dunno, maybe Im wrong. We cant' expect players to never, ever show frustration, but I get that there should be a strict standard for fan safety.
by ti-amie I've softened my attitude towards Collins as well.
by ti-amie Iga romped 6-1 first set. Muchova is up 4-1 second set with rain threatening. It's not a romp unless she finishes the set 6-1.
by ponchi101 She finished it 6-4.
One thing. Karolina is not afraid of playing Iga. She plays her tough.
by ti-amie I posted in the wrong thread before but the WTA really wanted to get Iga's match done in my opinion. They're saying no play in Montreal before Midnight GMT. That would be 8p EDST.
by skatingfan
ti-amie wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 11:44 pm
I posted in the wrong thread before but the WTA really wanted to get Iga's match done in my opinion. They're saying no play in Montreal before Midnight GMT. That would be 8p EDST.
Looking at radar it doesn't look like the rain moves out of Montreal until almost 9pm, and then it will take time to get the courts ready. I assume that they will get Swiatek/Muchova out first, and then get a match going on Rogers Court, and then I would assume that they would get matches going on at least one if not two other courts assuming they have enough people to do so.
by ti-amie They're drying the court now. I agree they'll try and get Iga's match done tonight.
by skatingfan Back under way on both Centre Court, and Rogers Court.
by skatingfan Gauff/Vondrousova started on Court 9 - not a TV court.
by skatingfan 9 hours after it began Swiatek has advanced to the quarterfinals.
by skatingfan Looks like two 3rd Round matches - Samsonova/Sabalenka & Kvitova/Bencic have been moved until tomorrow.
by ti-amie I just checked the WTA site and they haven't put tomorrow's OoP yet.
by skatingfan
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 1:45 am
I just checked the WTA site and they haven't put tomorrow's OoP yet.
by JTContinental So far, the biggest oncourt clash in the Vondrousova/Gauff match is Marketa's hot pink skirt and her lavender shoes.
by JTContinental Coco bagels Vondrousova in the second set to end her 11 match winning streak
by ashkor87 was watching Sloane versus Rybakina on you tube.. I dont know who the commentators were but they were disgraceful.. the match in front of them (and us) had a former US open champion against a former Wimbledon champion and the commentators were talking about a men's match that wasnt even in the same city! Shameful, disrespectful..
by ti-amieDay 7 Order of Play
Court Central Starts at 12:00 PM
RUS L. SAMSONOVA (15) vs BLR A. SABALENKA (2) UPCOMING USA J. PEGULA (4) vs USA C. GAUFF (6) UPCOMING POL I. SWIATEK (1)vs USA D. COLLINS NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM
TBD vs TBD UPCOMING RUS D. KASATKINA (10) vs KAZ E. RYBAKINA (3)
Court Rogers Starts at 12:00 PM
CZE P. KVITOVA (7) vs SUI B. BENCIC (12) UPCOMING USA N. MELICHAR-MARTINEZ/AUS E. PEREZ (4) vs CAN M. STAKUSIC/CAN C. ZHAO UPCOMING USA C. GAUFF/USA J. PEGULA (1) vs JPN S. AOYAMA/JPN E. SHIBAHARA (7) NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM
TBD vs TPE L. CHAN/CHN Z. YANG
Court 9 Starts at 11:30 AM
UKR M. KOSTYUK/CHN S. ZHANG vs AUS S. HUNTER/BEL E. MERTENS (2) UPCOMING USA D. KRAWCZYK/NED D. SCHUURS (5) vs NOR U. EIKERI/EST I. NEEL FOLLOWED BY UKR L. KICHENOK/LAT J. OSTAPENKO (6)vs TBD
by ti-amie
JTContinental wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 2:28 am
Coco bagels Vondrousova in the second set to end her 11 match winning streak
How did Cori play? Was she the 2.0 version of herself? Did she have to be?
JTContinental wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 2:28 am
Coco bagels Vondrousova in the second set to end her 11 match winning streak
How did Cori play? Was she the 2.0 version of herself? Did she have to be?
Yes 2.0, and Vondrousova had no plan B
by mick1303
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 4:34 am
was watching Sloane versus Rybakina on you tube.. I dont know who the commentators were but they were disgraceful.. the match in front of them (and us) had a former US open champion against a former Wimbledon champion and the commentators were talking about a men's match that wasnt even in the same city! Shameful, disrespectful..
I think there are much MUCH more disrespectful things, that commentators are often guilty of. Not learning to pronounce the player's names properly is much more annoying. Especially when umpire repeatedly says the name correctly.
by ashkor87 Am really looking forward to the Bencic-kvitova match..will Kvitova's awesome power drive Bencic off the court..or will Bencic be able to deflect and redirect that power? I expect the court being a bit slow will favor the first outcome..of course, Kvitova is a higher class player than Bencic, at her best...
Gauff-Pegula is another new one, should go Coco's wsy, Hard to see how JPeg can hurt Coco on a slowish court..
by ponchi101
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 4:13 pm
Am really looking forward to the Bencic-kvitova match..will Kvitova's awesome power drive Bencic off the court..or will Bencic be able to deflect and redirect that power? I expect the court being a bit slow will favor the first outcome..of course, Kvitova is a higher class player than Bencic, at her best...
Gauff-Pegula is another new one, should go Coco's wsy, Hard to see how JPeg can hurt Coco on a slowish court..
Or the other way around. I don't see either one of them with enough power to blow the other off the court.
by jazzyg Gauff has been outstanding the last two weeks, playing the best tennis of her young career, but the underlying weakness of that forehand has not gone away magically. That shot is unlikely to hold up under pressure, but if it does, she will be very tough to beat this summer.
by JTContinental So far, every opponent has tried the strategy of hitting to her forehand these past two weeks, and it appears to be holding up just fine
by ti-amie Both Bencic (twisted ankle) and Petra (Upper thigh - groin) have taken MTO's during this match. It also seems to be drizzling.
by ti-amie Samsonova won in three 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3 over Sabalenka.
by jazzyg
JTContinental wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 7:12 pm
So far, every opponent has tried the strategy of hitting to her forehand these past two weeks, and it appears to be holding up just fine
Yep. She's on a hot streak. I expect reality to set in on that shot soon, but just because I expect it does not mean it will happen.
by ti-amie Christopher Clarey
@christophclarey@sportsbots.xyz
76 winners and 81 unforced errors in that Samsonova-Sabalenka slugfest
by meganfernandez
jazzyg wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 5:46 pm
Gauff has been outstanding the last two weeks, playing the best tennis of her young career, but the underlying weakness of that forehand has not gone away magically. That shot is unlikely to hold up under pressure, but if it does, she will be very tough to beat this summer.
JTContinental wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 7:12 pm
So far, every opponent has tried the strategy of hitting to her forehand these past two weeks, and it appears to be holding up just fine
Whatever BG said was worth his price.
by ponchi101 Remember how difficult it is to keep streaks going in the WTA. You need a lot of talent to weave a 10+ winning streak.
by JTContinental Gauff definitely a notch below her recent form today, but playing your doubles partner is always going to be weird.
by JTContinental Her forehand hasn't broken down, though--just general sloppiness all around.
by JTContinental Paul Annacone refuses to let "she's asking the question" die. Everyone else seems to have let go.
by Suliso So much for Gauff's hot streak. Just one small tournament.
Nice win for Belinda, but she has to play now again...
by ponchi101
Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:01 pm
So much for Gauff's hot streak. Just one small tournament.
Nice win for Belinda, but she has to play now again...
Not even Iga has been able to even come close to a 20 matches win streak this year. So this is par for the course for Coco.
And 7-5 in the 3rd is more than acceptable.
About Belinda. They showed nothing from that match down here; how bad was the ankle twist?
by Suliso I was traveling and didn't see it either...
by Suliso
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:04 pm
Not even Iga has been able to even come close to a 20 matches win streak this year. So this is par for the course for Coco.
And 7-5 in the 3rd is more than acceptable.
That's all true, but if one speaks about any win streak at all it should be at least 10 matches or two straight titles.
by nelslus
Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:01 pm
So much for Gauff's hot streak. Just one small tournament.
Nice win for Belinda, but she has to play now again...
Both Petra and Belinda had medical timeouts. Belinda rolled her ankle. Apparently, there's video from the WTA site where, apparently, Petra went over and assisted Belinda, helping to ice her ankle until the trainer came out. She got positive commentary from this on the web. On Twitter (or "X" or whatever this crap site now calls itself), Petra stated that she hopes she can get sufficient treatment and be ready for Cincinnati (really, Mason, Ohio). Not sure what happened with Petra. UGGGHHHHH, Petra (and wishing Belinda the best today- hope the ankle will be OK, as she's had too many injureies- albeit she bores, bores, bores me ).
As for Jessica/Coco- I didn't watch all of the match. But, from what I saw, that was one hot-mess match- with some excellent play- but, sadly, they didn't often enough play well at the same time. Neither seemed to have their "A" games today.
by nelslus LOL, I AM STILL waiting for a singles Slam title from Coco, to stifle all of you doubting TAT meanies!!
(Albeit, any failure that could be contributed to Brad Gilbert would give me great joy).
by jazzyg Kvitova was barely moving for the last two games of the Bencic match, which was all Tennis Channel showed.
by nelslus
JTContinental wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 9:49 pm
Paul Annacone refuses to let "she's asking the question" die. Everyone else seems to have let go.
To be fair, ALL tennis commentators have deeply annoying "expert" commentary tropes. Pam Shriver's endless "MARK that point if this match turns around" opines- which, sure, if you make that point every single match, now and then, you'll be right.
*The experts making definitive comments about players' levels after 3 points in a match.
*Comments such as "Well, that wasn't a bad error", "Not a bad double fault", "I don't mind that forehand miss" or "I like that he is coming to the net (after a whistling and easy pass goes screaming by)". All errors are bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
*The equivocation. LOL, the one Annacone comment that I did enjoy today was after Chanda made some kind of mild comment about a horrendous drop shot from Coco- that it was "not great" or something, and Annoacone stating something like, hey, I think we can say that the drop shot was bad.
I've had to scream at baby nelslus and myself a few times, when, due to this ugly influence, we equivocate while discussing matches. Sometimes, ya just need to say, that SUCKED!!!! from a player.
JTContinental wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 9:49 pm
Paul Annacone refuses to let "she's asking the question" die. Everyone else seems to have let go.
To be fair, ALL tennis commentators have deeply annoying "expert" commentary tropes. Pam Shriver's endless "MARK that point if this match turns around" opines- which, sure, if you make that point every single match, now and then, you'll be right.
*The experts making definitive comments about players' levels after 3 points in a match.
*Comments such as "Well, that wasn't a bad error", "Not a bad double fault", "I don't mind that forehand miss" or "I like that he is coming to the net (after a whistling and easy pass goes screaming by)". All errors are bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
*The equivocation. LOL, the one Annacone comment that I did enjoy today was after Chanda made some kind of mild comment about a horrendous drop shot from Coco- that it was "not great" or something, and Annoacone stating something like, hey, I think we can say that the drop shot was bad.
I've had to scream at baby nelslus and myself a few times, when, due to this ugly influence, we equivocate while discussing matches. Sometimes, ya just need to say, that SUCKED!!!! from a player.
Shape of the ball.
by nelslus
jazzyg wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:18 pm
Kvitova was barely moving for the last two games of the Bencic match, which was all Tennis Channel showed.
That's pretty much what I was afraid of concerning Petra.
JTContinental wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 9:49 pm
Paul Annacone refuses to let "she's asking the question" die. Everyone else seems to have let go.
To be fair, ALL tennis commentators have deeply annoying "expert" commentary tropes. Pam Shriver's endless "MARK that point if this match turns around" opines- which, sure, if you make that point every single match, now and then, you'll be right.
*The experts making definitive comments about players' levels after 3 points in a match.
*Comments such as "Well, that wasn't a bad error", "Not a bad double fault", "I don't mind that forehand miss" or "I like that he is coming to the net (after a whistling and easy pass goes screaming by)". All errors are bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
*The equivocation. LOL, the one Annacone comment that I did enjoy today was after Chanda made some kind of mild comment about a horrendous drop shot from Coco- that it was "not great" or something, and Annoacone stating something like, hey, I think we can say that the drop shot was bad.
I've had to scream at baby nelslus and myself a few times, when, due to this ugly influence, we equivocate while discussing matches. Sometimes, ya just need to say, that SUCKED!!!! from a player.
Shape of the ball.
At least we're done with Ana hitting tennis balls in that damned swimming pool. Or Lindsay's mom showing up on a screen, with the commentary, "There's Lindsay's mom, who is never at her matches". Except, Lindsay's mom was ALWAYS!!!!! at her matches.
by ti-amie I thought Collins vs Swiatek would be a barn burner. Iga is up 4-1 first set.
by nelslus HOT OFF THE PRESSES!!!! Paul Annacone on Danielle Collins, down a few seconds ago, 1-4 and break point, with an error described as "she's over-hitting just a touch".
As if Danielle has EVER hit any error (or any shot, for that matter" "just a touch".
by nelslus
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:43 pm
I thought Collins vs Swiatek would be a barn burner. Iga is up 4-1 first set.
....WELL, if you consider this as the barn burning down.....
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:43 pm
I thought Collins vs Swiatek would be a barn burner. Iga is up 4-1 first set.
....WELL, if you consider this as the barn burning down.....
Collins is slowing the match down which is one of the ways to throw Iga off her game. She just has to be patient. She doesn't want to get into a slugfest with Iga.
by nelslus ....Is it too soon for me to start up my "Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins are Washed Up" thread?
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:43 pm
I thought Collins vs Swiatek would be a barn burner. Iga is up 4-1 first set.
....WELL, if you consider this as the barn burning down.....
Collins is slowing the match down which is one of the ways to throw Iga off her game. She just has to be patient. She doesn't want to get into a slugfest with Iga.
....WELL, if you consider this as the barn burning down.....
Collins is slowing the match down which is one of the ways to throw Iga off her game. She just has to be patient. She doesn't want to get into a slugfest with Iga.
Collins is slowing the match down which is one of the ways to throw Iga off her game. She just has to be patient. She doesn't want to get into a slugfest with Iga.
....Danielle Collins.....patient?!?!
Look
I still haven't recovered from Danielle telling Sakkari to shut up twice. Maybe she could try that on Iga?
by ponchi101
nelslus wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:50 pm
....Is it too soon for me to start up my "Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins are Washed Up" thread?
Because our opinion would stop you?
(Coco yes, Danielle no)
by ashkor87
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 7:18 pm
Samsonova won in three 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3 over Sabalenka.
Not a real surprise..Samsonova is better than people think, certainly better than her ranking suggests...on a faster court, she may struggle a bit but this one isn't fast.
by ashkor87 Meanwhile Collins is fighting Swiatek close..remember, she had beaten her at the AO a couple years ago.
Hope Collins is getting over her health issues.. she is good for the game
by ti-amieDay 8 Order of Play
Court Central
Starts at 12:30 PM
TBD vs USA J. PEGULA (4)
UPCOMING USA D. KRAWCZYK/NED D. SCHUURS (5) vs AUS S. HUNTER/BEL E. MERTENS (2) NOT BEFORE 6:00 PM
Semifinal
TBD vs TBD FOLLOWED BY
Semifinal JPN S. AOYAMA/JPN E. SHIBAHARA (7) vs TBD
by ashkor87 Samsonova showing up Saba's lack of movement with clever drop shots and volleys.. she has some unsuspected variety..
I assume Bencic was hampered by her ankle injury so not drawing any conclusions from that result, but Samsonova is playing well, as she should, on this kind of surface. Again, if the USO is faster, as I expect it to be, I dont expect to see Samsonova in the second week..
by skatingfan
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 4:27 am
Samsonova showing up Saba's lack of movement with clever drop shots and volleys.. she has some unsuspected variety..
I assume Bencic was hampered by her ankle injury so not drawing any conclusions from that result, but Samsonova is playing well, as she should, on this kind of surface. Again, if the USO is faster, as I expect it to be, I dont expect to see Samsonova in the second week..
Bencic did not appear to be hampered by the ankle injury.
by Suliso 20 breaks in Rybakina/Kasatkina match. How fast can the court really be? Those are clay statistics...
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 4:27 am
Samsonova showing up Saba's lack of movement with clever drop shots and volleys.. she has some unsuspected variety..
I assume Bencic was hampered by her ankle injury so not drawing any conclusions from that result, but Samsonova is playing well, as she should, on this kind of surface. Again, if the USO is faster, as I expect it to be, I dont expect to see Samsonova in the second week..
Bencic did not appear to be hampered by the ankle injury.
She twisted it in the morning against Kvitova..there was much drama around that , in a good way actually..
by martini4me It was a marathon day of tennis in Montreal. The Rybakina-Kasatkina match started at 11:27 p.m. and finished at 2:54 a.m.
They played six singles matches yesterday (five on the centre court), and the shortest was the Bencic-Samsonova match, at only 1:51 (the only two-set match). The next shortest match was 2:23.
Given that they had an extra match (a leftover round-of-16 match to play, I don't understand why they stuck to a 12:00 noon start time. They could have started at 11:00, as they did the rest of the week. If the match is over before ticket-holders arrive for the original start time, they haven't missed out on a match that they were supposed to be seeing anyway.
by ponchi101
Suliso wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 6:41 am
20 breaks in Rybakina/Kasatkina match. How fast can the court really be? Those are clay statistics...
Indeed. But that is what both tours want (therefore my comments about Toronto).
Then, when players complaint about fatigue, they have a point. If every point is a 20 strokes exchange, and you can only win easy points by serving an ace, you may come out of the match totally beat.
You know I disagree with the current "load management" philosophy. But these are data that go against my claims.
by ashkor87
Suliso wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 6:41 am
20 breaks in Rybakina/Kasatkina match. How fast can the court really be? Those are clay statistics...
Did anyone say this court is fast? It isn't.
by skatingfan
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 4:51 pm
Did anyone say this court is fast? It isn't.
Based on what the players are saying in their various interviews the courts in Toronto are faster than Montreal, but Montreal is faster than Miami, and Indian Wells. Another factor to keep in mind is the weather. It's been humid, and wet this week, but not that warm which in theory should be making the balls fluff up more slowing them down. Tonight's second semifinal will be in doubt with rain to move in this evening.
by ti-amie I started watching the second set of Pegula vs Swiatek and I'm still at a loss of words to understand how Pegula managed to lose the set. If anyone wonders why so many of us question Pegula's ability to win a Slam watch the second set of this match if you can. She literally seemed to forget how to play tennis.
by ponchi101 Interesting how this week, the roles were reversed. The WTA? 1, 3, 4 and 18 seed. ATP? 7, 12, unseeded, unseeded.
Parity ruled in Toronto.
by jazzyg Tier 2 is through to a 1000 final.
by nelslus ....Beat me to the Tier 2 comment.
by ti-amie Pegula wins the last four games of the third set to take the match 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4.
by nelslus 'Twas a bit surprising to watch Iga's game turn to crap those last few games. But, solid win for Jessica. Excellent defense, really good offense, and she finally was serving better at the end.
by ti-amie I found this on that WTA fansite. Interesting that Iga hasn't won a 1000 event since she won Doha, IW, Miami and Rome last year.
2022 Toronto - R3 (lost to Haddad Maia)
2022 Cincinnati - R3 (lost to Keys)
2022 Guadalajara - DNP
2023 Dubai - F (lost to Krejcikova)
2023 Indian Wells - SF (lost to Rybakina)
2023 Miami - DNP
2023 Madrid - F (lost to Sabalenka)
2023 Rome - QF (lost to Rybakina)
by nelslus
ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 7:20 pm
I found this on that WTA fansite. Interesting that Iga hasn't won a 1000 event since she won Doha, IW, Miami and Rome last year.
2022 Toronto - R3 (lost to Haddad Maia)
2022 Cincinnati - R3 (lost to Keys)
2022 Guadalajara - DNP
2023 Dubai - F (lost to Krejcikova)
2023 Indian Wells - SF (lost to Rybakina)
2023 Miami - DNP
2023 Madrid - F (lost to Sabalenka)
2023 Rome - QF (lost to Rybakina)
LOL, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. Keep it goin', Iga.
by ponchi101 Big 3? Nah. Big 1? Uhm... gotta think about it.
(And I am of course rooting for Elena to make me eat my words, but that would still not make the point).
by jazzyg
ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 7:02 pm
I started watching the second set of Pegula vs Swiatek and I'm still at a loss of words to understand how Pegula managed to lose the set. If anyone wonders why so many of us question Pegula's ability to win a Slam watch the second set of this match if you can. She literally seemed to forget how to play tennis.
This is totally legitimate. Without question, Pegula has struggled to close big matches in the past. She sort of had the same issue in the Wimbledon quarterfinal loss against Vondrousova, although having watched it, I would argue that one was more about Vondrousova raising her game and simply not missing down the stretch against a player (Pegula) who is not that comfortable yet on grass.
My issue is with people who question Pegula's talent level. Sure, she was an unheralded late bloomer, but to my eyes she absolutely, positively has an elite game. Although she cannot blast opponents off the court and is only a good (not great) mover, she hits hard and incredibly deep--maybe deeper on average than any other player--and has no significant weakness. I don't know whether she will break through at a slam, but she sure as heck has the ability.
by ti-amie
Christopher Clarey
@christophclarey@sportsbots.xyz
Best to see her live to appreciate it. Can handle & generate serious pace & her flat power is based on great ball striking & contact points. Underrated mover & precision server. Deep understanding of geometry & good tactician. Fine volleys from all her doubles work. Not a fluke.
by nelslus
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 7:24 pm
Big 3? Nah. Big 1? Uhm... gotta think about it.
(And I am of course rooting for Elena to make me eat my words, but that would still not make the point).
After her 50 hour crap-fest last night/this morning- it ian't likely that Elena can crawl her way to victory with her next two matches. IN any case, winning Montréal ain't exactly the stuff of Big 3 legends. No words to be eaten.
by nelslus The thing about Jessica is- she may not be a great mover. But, she is superb at anticipating her opponent's shots, and being at the right place at the right time. Superb hands and eye-hand coordination. With all of these strengths, she doesn't need to be a great mover. Playing so much doubles has done her a world of good.
ESPECIALLY at this moment in the "Big 3" era- now's clearly the time to win a Slam. Jessica is going to have to be bolder in big moments to, first, get to a Slam SF.
by meganfernandez
jazzyg wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 7:14 pm
Tier 2 is through to a 1000 final.
Over the World No. 1 and by. winning four games in a row in the third set. Great performance after failing to serve out the match in the 2nd. She stayed positive and stuck to her game plan. Now she has beaten Iga twice this year. Going to be interesting if they meet in NY.
Iga's 2nd serve was attackable. And she showed some mental cracks at the end.
by meganfernandez
ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 7:02 pm
I started watching the second set of Pegula vs Swiatek and I'm still at a loss of words to understand how Pegula managed to lose the set. If anyone wonders why so many of us question Pegula's ability to win a Slam watch the second set of this match if you can. She literally seemed to forget how to play tennis.
Loss of concentration? Plus nerves? So glad she made good in the third.
by ti-amie Magenta Rocks
@MagentaRocks@mastodon.coffee
Uh oh. Rain in Montreal. Gonna be another late #tennis night.
ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 7:02 pm
I started watching the second set of Pegula vs Swiatek and I'm still at a loss of words to understand how Pegula managed to lose the set. If anyone wonders why so many of us question Pegula's ability to win a Slam watch the second set of this match if you can. She literally seemed to forget how to play tennis.
Loss of concentration? Plus nerves? So glad she made good in the third.
Playing against another fine player that is also very tough to beat?
It is not as if Iga was going to just roll over. So, having Jessica lose that set is simply the sign that the other player had also something to say.
I would not make much out of it.
As far as them meeting will be interesting in NY: it seems that, ignoring Novak at the moment, NY can become a memorable tournament. In the WTA, I don't think anybody will go there as any sort of favorite. By Sunday next week we will know if the same can be said about the ATP.
by skatingfan They've called it for the night - 2nd semi will be played tomorrow - one of Samsonova or Rybakina will have to play two matches in one day.
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 4:51 pm
Did anyone say this court is fast? It isn't.
Based on what the players are saying in their various interviews the courts in Toronto are faster than Montreal, but Montreal is faster than Miami, and Indian Wells. Another factor to keep in mind is the weather. It's been humid, and wet this week, but not that warm which in theory should be making the balls fluff up more slowing them down. Tonight's second semifinal will be in doubt with rain to move in this evening.
Yes, that confirms what my eyes are telling me..ofcourse IW remains the slowest court on the planet..
by ashkor87 Samsonova and Rybakina are quite similar in playing style..smooth power..S won here in 21 and in Tokyo earlier. But Rybakina is a much better player now then in 21.. so the AI prediction 70% Samsonova seems a bit high to me...I would give Rybakina a 55-45 edge..
Meanwhile, Swiatek seems to be a bit off mentally ever since W..lost to Svitolina there with error after error. I dont know what happened here against Pegula But I hear she was up 4-2 in the third...Swiatek rarely loses from that kind of position. Folks who saw the match should tell us. ?
by ashkor87 Just from a 4 minute highlights reel, it looked like Swiatek couldn't read Pegula's shots, especially the angled backhand.. interesting..
by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 13, 2023 1:58 am
Samsonova and Rybakina are quite similar in playing style..smooth power..S won here in 21 and in Tokyo earlier. But Rybakina is a much better player now then in 21.. so the AI prediction 70% Samsonova seems a bit high to me...I would give Rybakina a 55-45 edge..
Meanwhile, Swiatek seems to be a bit off mentally ever since W..lost to Svitolina there with error after error. I dont know what happened here against Pegula But I hear she was up 4-2 in the third...Swiatek rarely loses from that kind of position. Folks who saw the match should tell us. ?
I watched from 4-2 in the third. This isn't super technical, but Iga missed often, both long and wide (by a little bit), and her second serve wasn't good enough. Pegula could attack it.
by ashkor87
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 10:44 pm
In the WTA, I don't think anybody will go there as any sort of favorite.
for once, I agree with you.. Swiatek isnt looking as impregnable as before.. and I expect the court will be too fast for Rybakina and Sabalenka.. if Coco version 2.1 is ready..?
by ti-amieDay 9 Order of Play
Court Central Starts at 01:30 PM
Semifinal KAZ E. RYBAKINA (3) vs RUS L. SAMSONOVA (15)
Final USA J. PEGULA (4) vs TBD
Court Rogers Starts at 01:30 PM
UPCOMING
Semifinal JPN S. AOYAMA/JPN E. SHIBAHARA (7) vs TPE L. CHAN/CHN Z. YANG
Final
TBD vs USA D. KRAWCZYK/NED D. SCHUURS (5)
by ashkor87 Maybe they should play a single set semifinals...it would be too much to play two tough, high pressure matches in a single day...a creative solution is needed ..
by ponchi101 Specially with another 1000 starting tomorrow, so nobody can simply say "oh, we can play the final on Monday".
I would say: play 3 TB's, the first two to 7 points, if there is a third, to 10. But the chances that Ludmilla or Elena will be competitive in the final, after slugging it out for a couple of hours, are slim.
by JTContinental So far, it's looking like a light warm up for Rybakina
by ponchi101 If she keeps it up, this would actually be helpful. She could end up with, as you say, a warm-up, with a much better session than something in a back court, and be a bit more ready for the final.
But only if the second set also ends quickly.
by ponchi101 But, of course, I had to open my mouth...
by JTContinental Now a light warm up for Samsonova--maybe they'll decide to both participate in the third set
by ti-amie And Samsonova, thanks to a crucial double fault by Rybakina holds to love to take the third set 6-2. Rybakina has a good amount of kinesio on her right shoulder.
by ti-amie
JTContinental wrote: ↑Sun Aug 13, 2023 6:51 pm
Now a light warm up for Samsonova--maybe they'll decide to both participate in the third set
#WTAMontreal Final in an hour and a half according to my source.
I assume Jess will be favoured by the market as Samsonova must be a bit knackered after the exertions of the last 2 hours.
by ponchi101 There were very few rallies that were long. I don't think it was an extenuating match.
Nothing than a medium size pizza and a large protein smoothie will not get you back to ready.
by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 13, 2023 9:02 pm
There were very few rallies that were long. I don't think it was an extenuating match.
Nothing than a medium size pizza and a large protein smoothie will not get you back to ready.
She could be nicely warmed up, energized with confidence, and feeling no pressure since people won't expect her to win twice in one day.
#WTAMontreal Final in an hour and a half according to my source.
I assume Jess will be favoured by the market as Samsonova must be a bit knackered after the exertions of the last 2 hours.
FanDuel as of this moment does have her as a decent fav, -156 to Samsonova at +130
by ti-amie Pegula steamrolled Samsonova in 21 minutes taking the first set 6-1.
by ti-amie The look on Samsonova's face right now.
by ti-amie WTA Insider
@WTA_insider
Phenomenal week for Liudmila Samsonova to make her first WTA 1000 final:
1R: d. Siniakova
2R: d. Zheng Qinwen
R16: d. No.2 Sabalenka
QF: d. No.13 Bencic
SF: d. No.4 Rybakina
Three Top 15 wins so far.
Faces No.3 Pegula in the final.
by ti-amie Samsonova was up 40-0 to start the second set. Pegula took the game.
by ti-amie From earlier
by ponchi101 Not a good day of tennis anywhere. 7 sets, only 1 reached 6-4.
Nature of the sport.
by New England Nitemare
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 13, 2023 10:34 pm
Not a good day of tennis anywhere. 7 sets, only 1 reached 6-4.
Nature of the sport.
Yeah, simply easy breezy for Pegula. Not much of a match.
by ti-amie There are fans who only buy tickets for the Final(s) of a tournament. I feel sorry for the fans in Montréal but after the rainout yesterday this kind of outcome was always possible.
#WTAMontreal Final in an hour and a half according to my source.
I assume Jess will be favoured by the market as Samsonova must be a bit knackered after the exertions of the last 2 hours.
FanDuel as of this moment does have her as a decent fav, -156 to Samsonova at +130
Sigh. I thought there was still "value" at -156 but didn't do anything about it. Oh well.
Regardless of how it occurred in the final I am happy for Jess
by ti-amie So Rybakina blames the WTA for the scheduling she feels may have caused her injury. Her comments start at about 1m43s. I think she said that the issue was money but I'm not sure. This is about 2m35s or so.
by ashkor87 They should have played a1 set winner- take -all semi, no human body can take this kind of workout.
by ponchi101 Wait. It is Rybakina that is complaining. Sure, her match on FRIDAY ended almost at 3:00 am. But she did not play yesterday, and a score of 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 does not sound like too much today.
If Samsonova were to say that she was tired for the final, that would be a different issue.
by Suliso Finally Pegula wins something important. Of course scheduling helped her in the final, but had some great wins before.
by ponchi101
Suliso wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 5:14 am
Finally Pegula wins something important. Of course scheduling helped her in the final, but had some great wins before.
Of her other two tournaments, one was Guadalajara, which is also a 1000.
But sure, winning Canada is an important title. The third oldest tournament in the world (if you count these two tournaments as descendants of the Canadian Open).
Suliso wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 5:14 am
Finally Pegula wins something important. Of course scheduling helped her in the final, but had some great wins before.
Of her other two tournaments, one was Guadalajara, which is also a 1000.
But sure, winning Canada is an important title. The third oldest tournament in the world (if you count these two tournaments as descendants of the Canadian Open).
Beating #1 to win the title is also a differentiator from Guadalajara. It has been weird that she had only 2 titles and was #3 in the world. Even 3 titles isn't very many, but consistency counts, too.
by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 2:11 am
Wait. It is Rybakina that is complaining. Sure, her match on FRIDAY ended almost at 3:00 am. But she did not play yesterday, and a score of 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 does not sound like too much today.
If Samsonova were to say that she was tired for the final, that would be a different issue.
She actually said the 3 am finish (got to bed at 5, slept 5 hours) will affect her for a couple weeks. It can definitely carry over a day or so for these regimented athletes. She had to be ready to play Saturday, didn't get to sleep all day.
by Owendonovan If you're an elite athlete, it does not take you a couple weeks to get over a late night.
I'm sure Kyrgios has had longer and much harder nights and showed and won the next day.
by ponchi101
Owendonovan wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 6:55 pm
If you're an elite athlete, it does not take you a couple weeks to get over a late night.
I'm sure Kyrgios has had longer and much harder nights and showed and won the next day.
Vitas Gerulaitis.
Roy Emerson.
by JTContinental
Owendonovan wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 6:55 pm
If you're an elite athlete, it does not take you a couple weeks to get over a late night.
I'm sure Kyrgios has had longer and much harder nights and showed and won the next day.
Owendonovan wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 6:55 pm
If you're an elite athlete, it does not take you a couple weeks to get over a late night.
I'm sure Kyrgios has had longer and much harder nights and showed and won the next day.
Especially if you are only 24
I could see it, actually. And maybe she was referring to the injury she evidently picked up. But we are underestimating the value of sleep for peak conditioning, and proper recovery, and adherence to routines. Can you bounce right back to your top level, which you need to be competitive? Maybe not. I'm taking her word for it.
Doesn't mean it can never happen, but her point is the damage has a longer tail than you'd think. She plays a long match Friday, goes to bed exhausted at 5 am, gets up at 10 am (you might think you know what that feels like, but you have never played a professional match in the middle of the night), spends all day on site being prepared to play and managing that routine through the stress of the uncertainty, and is surely sore from the day before... then play a three-setter the next day. She might struggle to have a good practice session the next time out. Snowball effect.
).
:TheCDN4::TheCDN4:
