Talk About Tennis 2.0

As to why Pegula is ranked higher, surely it is because the ranking system rewards, not excellence, but consistency - the tour wants players who will show up and play well, week after week- that is Pegula .if they were to actually meet any time soon, I would certainly expect Alexandrova to win.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 3:51 pm As to why Pegula is ranked higher, surely it is because the ranking system rewards, not excellence, but consistency - the tour wants players who will show up and play well, week after week- that is Pegula .if they were to actually meet any time soon, I would certainly expect Alexandrova to win.

The only time they met Pegula won easily. I guess you just like Alexandrova much better hence this prediction.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 3:51 pm As to why Pegula is ranked higher, surely it is because the ranking system rewards, not excellence, but consistency - the tour wants players who will show up and play well, week after week- that is Pegula .if they were to actually meet any time soon, I would certainly expect Alexandrova to win.

Yes, playing well week after week is the tour's definition of excellence. I think that should be the case.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 27, 2023 8:42 am btw do you know how many titles the heroine of Breakpoint - Tomljanovic has? exactly 0. so 4 is not bad..

Interesting point. They got so lucky that she drew Serena and had that epic match. I have a feeling Netflix followed more players than we see in the show, and some didn't make the cut - at least this season.

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 4:02 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 3:51 pm As to why Pegula is ranked higher, surely it is because the ranking system rewards, not excellence, but consistency - the tour wants players who will show up and play well, week after week- that is Pegula .if they were to actually meet any time soon, I would certainly expect Alexandrova to win.

Yes, playing well week after week is the tour's definition of excellence. I think that should be the case.

it isnt mine!

Suliso wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 3:55 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 3:51 pm As to why Pegula is ranked higher, surely it is because the ranking system rewards, not excellence, but consistency - the tour wants players who will show up and play well, week after week- that is Pegula .if they were to actually meet any time soon, I would certainly expect Alexandrova to win.

The only time they met Pegula won easily. I guess you just like Alexandrova much better hence this prediction.

'any time soon' means on grass.

On grass I agree, but as I see it soon could also be on North American hard in mid August and there I'd favor Pegula.

Day 6 Order of Play

Centre Court
Starts at 12:00 PM

ITA L. BRONZETTI vs FRA V. GRACHEVA (8)
FOLLOWED BY
ESP R. MASAROVA vs USA E. NAVARRO
NOT BEFORE 4:30 PM
POL I. SWIATEK (1) vs RUS A. BLINKOVA (9)
NOT BEFORE 6:00 PM
CZE K. SINIAKOVA vs RUS L. SAMSONOVA (2)

Court 1
Starts at 12:00 PM

UKR N. KICHENOK/POL A. ROSOLSKA (4) vs BLR L. MAROZAVA/BRA I. GAMARRA MARTINS
PMNOT BEFORE 2:30
CZE M. KOLODZIEJOVA/CZE L. NOSKOVA vs SVK T. MIHALIKOVA/JPN M. NINOMIYA (3)

Day 7 Order of Play

Centre Court
Starts at 01:00 PM

SUSPENDED
Quarterfinal
CZE K. SINIAKOVA vs RUS L. SAMSONOVA (2)
7 4 0
5 6 0
NOT BEFORE 2:30 PM
Semifinal
POL I. SWIATEK (1) vs ITA L. BRONZETTI
FOLLOWED BY
Semifinal
SVK T. MIHALIKOVA/JPN M. NINOMIYA (3) vs JPN E. HOZUMI/ROU M. NICULESCU
NOT BEFORE 6:30 PM
Semifinal
USA E. NAVARRO vs TBD

Court 1
Starts at 12:00 PM

Semifinal
EST I. NEEL/TPE F. WU vs BLR L. MAROZAVA/BRA I. GAMARRA MARTINS

Swiatek withdraws due to "illness".
Message to tournaments the week prior to a slam: DO NOT HOLD A TOURNAMENT. Hold an exo, play two out of three sets, with the last set being a TB, finish on Friday, move your venue within the same area code of the slam.
Because there is no way a top player will play the full week. They will w/o at the semis, if they make it there.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 30, 2023 3:20 pm Swiatek withdraws due to "illness".
Message to tournaments the week prior to a slam: DO NOT HOLD A TOURNAMENT. Hold an exo, play two out of three sets, with the last set being a TB, finish on Friday, move your venue within the same area code of the slam.
Because there is no way a top player will play the full week. They will w/o at the semis, if they make it there.

Medvedev 2019. Maybe he wasn't considered a top player then?

I'm not as cynical as you are, but this would make sense since it's a 250. I wondered why she played a 250. The tournament sold some tickets, she and the fans got a couple matches, but ultimately it didn't benefit her to be there.

I'm not 100% convinced it's fake, though. If it is, I wish they could be honest. "That's enough, I need to rest to have my best chance at Wimbledon."

I wish I could give the benefit of the doubt, but I think this was exactly the plan. She got three matches in, ended the week on Thursday, did not play today so she would not have to w/o the final which, for the tournament, would be even worse.
And I don't believe for one moment she is ill. She pummeled Blinkova yesterday in 72 minutes. I know, it is Blinkova, but how much longer could a match against Bronzetti take?

Yes, players are cynically gaming the system...not fair to the tournaments, not fair to their (lesser) opponents, not fair to fans who have paid money to see them.

I cannot stand it when players withdraw from tournaments to get ready for slams, but Swiatek absolutely benefited from her three matches. After a rocky first set against Maria, she played lights out tennis for the next six.

Will it translate to Wimbledon? Hard to say, and she has a potentially tough 1st tound against Zhu. But after struggling mightily on grass in the past, she should be a lot more confident now.

For what it is worth, Ruud played the week before Roland Garros the past two years, so it can be beneficial.

Iga mentioned her illness was GI related and maybe food poisoning, so it is possible she just ate a Bad Homburg-er.