by ti-amie Tournament: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dates: February 16 - February 22, 2025
Level: WTA 1000
Total Financial Commitment: $3,654,963
Surface: Hard
Seed Name Entry Ranking
1 Aryna Sabalenka 1
2 Iga Swiatek 2
3 Coco Gauff 3
4 Jasmine Paolini 4
5 Qinwen Zheng 5
6 Jessica Pegula 6
7 Elena Rybakina 7
8 Emma Navarro 8
9 Barbora Krejcikova 9
10 Daria Kasatkina 10
11 Danielle Collins 11
12 Paula Badosa 12
13 Diana Shnaider 13
14 Madison Keys 14
15 Mirra Andreeva 15
16 Anna Kalinskaya 16
Beatriz Haddad Maia 17
Marta Kostyuk 18
Donna Vekic 19
Karolina Muchova 20
Liudmila Samsonova 21
Jelena Ostapenko 22
Yulia Putintseva 23
Victoria Azarenka 24
Katie Boulter 25
Magdalena Frech 26
Elina Svitolina 27
Linda Noskova 28
Leylah Fernandez 29
Maria Sakkari 30
Ekaterina Alexandrova 31
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 32
Dayana Yastremska 33
Elise Mertens 34
Amanda Anisimova 35
Anastasia Potapova 36
Xinyu Wang 37
Marketa Vondrousova 38
Ons Jabeur 39
Magda Linette 40
Elina Avanesyan 41
Belinda Bencic 15 (SR)
Sorana Cirstea 37 (SR)
by ti-amie Qualifying Draw
A. Krueger (1) vs J. Niemeier
A. Ito vs T. Townsend (15)
Y. Yuan (2) vs C. Bucsa
L. Baroudi vs I. Begu (14)
V. Kudermetova (3) vs C. Paquet
C. Simunyu vs R. Zarazua (11)
K. Siniakova (4) vs K. Mladenovic
E. Ruse vs J. Cristian (16)
L. Bronzetti (5) vs S. Zhang
D. Saville vs S. Lamens (10)
P. Kudermetova (6) vs A. Parks
Y. Bonaventure vs B. Pera (13)
A. Li (7) vs E. Lys
D. Semenistaja vs K. Rakhimova (12)
V. Tomova (8) vs A. Zakharova
A. Rus vs M. Uchijima (9)
by ashkor87 from last year's experience, the court is significantly faster than Doha.. which is probably why Paolini won here last year..
we should not expect Doha results to be replicated here.
by
ashkor87
Well, it is not for us to say but ...it could cut both ways..there are tough players even in 125 events..if she loses there, that will not help her confidence ...
by
Oploskoffie ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 14, 2025 1:05 pm
Well, it is not for us to say but ...it could cut both ways..there are tough players even in 125 events..if she loses there, that will not help her confidence ...
Oh, definitely tough players at the somewhat lower levels, but I'd still prefer her odds at one of those tournaments. With her current ranking she'd probably be seeded as well, which then reverses the issue she's currently facing, namely getting drawn against (much) higher ranked opponents. And if she'd end up losing early at smaller tournaments as well then perhaps that only underlines certain things she needs to work on outside of the physical. There's obviously plenty of opinions going round about what Emma should and should not do, but from my sofa-perspective at the very least, her own approach is not exactly... working.
by
Owendonovan
She'd be a much bigger draw at those than where's she's been wilded in.
by Owendonovan If I'm in qualifying, I'm looking at Raducanu's 13 wildcards with my hands on my hips and my head tilted.
by
ashkor87 Owendonovan wrote: ↑Fri Feb 14, 2025 6:30 pm
If I'm in qualifying, I'm looking at Raducanu's 13 wildcards with my hands on my hips and my head tilted.
Depends whether you have a grand slam trophy
by ashkor87 No Osaka yet, I see..
by
ashkor87 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 14, 2025 6:39 am
from last year's experience, the court is significantly faster than Doha.. which is probably why Paolini won here last year..
we should not expect Doha results to be replicated here.
Who will not do so well..Anisimova, Ostapenko, Samsonova, Pavlyuchenkova
Who will do well- Bencic, Raducanu, Leylah, Alexandrova, Vekic, pegula, Paolini - in addition to the usual Swiatek and Sabalenka. Gauff should do well in these conditions but it is so hard to tell with her..
by ti-amie Main Draw Singles
1 SABALENKA, Aryna/Bye
ALEXANDROVA, Ekaterina vs Q KUDERMETOVA, Veronika
SRAMKOVA, Rebecca SVK vs TAUSON, Clara DEN
SVITOLINA, Elina UKR vs 15 KALINSKAYA, Anna
11 SHNAIDER, Diana vs FRECH, Magdalena POL
NOSKOVA, Linda CZE vs PUTINTSEVA, Yulia KAZ
SAMSONOVA, Liudmila vs PAVLYUCHENKOVA, Anastasia
Bye/5 PEGULA, Jessica USA
3 GAUFF, Coco USA/Bye
KESSLER, McCartney USA vs ANISIMOVA, Amanda USA
SAKKARI, Maria GRE vs WC RADUCANU, Emma GBR
Q LAMENS, Suzan NED vs 14 MUCHOVA, Karolina CZE
10 KASATKINA, Daria vs WC CIRSTEA, Sorana ROU
Q PARKS, Alycia USA vs WANG, Xinyu CHN
BENCIC, Belinda SUI vs Q ITO, Aoi JPN
Bye/8 NAVARRO, Emma USA
6 RYBAKINA, Elena KAZ/Bye
Q UCHIJIMA, Moyuka JPN vs OSTAPENKO, Jelena LAT
MERTENS, Elise BEL vs FERNANDEZ, Leylah CAN
SUN, Lulu NZL vs 9 BADOSA, Paula ESP
16 VEKIC, Donna CRO vs WC KENIN, Sofia USA
Q SINIAKOVA, Katerina CZE vs KOSTYUK, Marta UKR
Q LYS, Eva GER vs Q BEGU, Irina-Camelia ROU
Bye/4 PAOLINI, Jasmine ITA
7 ZHENG, Qinwen CHN/Bye
JABEUR, Ons TUN vs STEARNS, Peyton USA
VONDROUSOVA, Marketa CZE vs WC GARCIA, Caroline FRA
AVANESYAN, Elina ARM vs 12 ANDREEVA, Mirra
13 HADDAD MAIA, Beatriz BRA vs POTAPOVA, Anastasia
LINETTE, Magda POL vs YASTREMSKA, Dayana UKR
AZARENKA, Victoria vs KALININA, Anhelina UKR
Bye/2 SWIATEK, Iga POL
by ti-amie I just wanted to mention that I redid the post of the MD Singles because for some reason the landing page for the tournament draw didn't show Qualifiers or WC's but the downloadable version did. Go figure.
by
Owendonovan ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 15, 2025 11:06 am
Owendonovan wrote: ↑Fri Feb 14, 2025 6:30 pm
If I'm in qualifying, I'm looking at Raducanu's 13 wildcards with my hands on my hips and my head tilted.
Depends whether you have a grand slam trophy
That's her only title and it's 4 years old. I think the courtesy cards should stop.
by ashkor87 Wild cards are not awarded to promote truth, justice and the American way! They are awarded to boost interest and revenue for the tournament. Which Raducanu does.
by ashkor87 Looking forward to seeing how Bencic does..upset special- Alexandrova will have to adapt to a very different court, and Kudermetova would be tuned to it already.
Coco gets AA in round 2, I would expect Coco to win. Anisimova will do well at IW and Miami though, slower conditions and she is used to heat and humidity.
by ashkor87 Nice to see Parks playing well, consistently..good win over Wang- fought off all 4 break points, won in straights ..after qualifying
by ashkor87 Raducanu beat Sakkari
by patrick Not a big deal. Sakkari game has dropped like the "Titanic" even though her ranking somehow stayed in the seeded range,
by ponchi101 Osorio beat Sakkari. At the Aussie.
As Patrick said. Sakkari is no longer in any way a measure of the other player being good. She has dropped tremendously.
by ti-amie Sakkari's loss says more about her than Raducanu. Then again the H2H favors Raducanu.
Muchova is up next for Raducanu.
by ti-amie Monday Order of Play
Center Court
Starts at 2:00 AM
BRA B. Haddad Maia (13) vs RUS A. Potapova
Followed By
RUS D. Kasatkina (10) vs ROU S. Cirstea
Followed By
BLR V. Azarenka vs UKR A. Kalinina
Followed By
TUN O. Jabeur vs USA P. Stearns
Followed By
ARM E. Avanesyan vs RUS M. Andreeva (12)
Court 1
Starts at 2:00 AM
RUS D. Shnaider (11) vs POL M. Frech
Followed By
CZE K. Siniakova vs UKR M. Kostyuk
Followed By
JPN M. Uchijima vs LAT J. Ostapenko
Followed By
USA M. Kessler vs USA A. Anisimova
Followed By
RUS E. Alexandrova vs RUS V. Kudermetova
Court 2
Starts at 2:00 AM
USA A. Muhammad/NED D. Schuurs vs BEL E. Mertens/AUS E. Perez (5)
Followed By
CZE L. Noskova/KAZ Y. Putintseva vs CHN X. Wang/CHN S. Zheng
Followed By
JPN A. Ito/RUS E. Yashina vs BRA B. Haddad Maia/GER L. Siegemund
Followed By
USA D. Krawczyk/MEX G. Olmos vs JPN S. Aoyama/JPN E. Hozumi
Court 3
Starts at 2:00 AM
GER E. Lys vs ROU I. Begu
Followed By
SVK R. Sramkova vs DEN C. Tauson
Followed By
KAZ A. Danilina/RUS I. Khromacheva (8) vs RUS A. Potapova/RUS Y. Sizikova
Followed By
CHN X. Jiang/TPE F. Wu vs CHN Y. Xu/CHN Z. Yang
by ashkor87 Then why is nobody complaining about Sakkari getting direct entry into tournaments?!
by ashkor87 Then why is nobody complaining about Sakkari getting direct entry into tournaments?! Yeah, yeah, i know- rankings, rankings are the only way etc...but the outcome is Sakkari gets entry and Raducanu doesn't, who, you all seem to agree, is the better player.
by
skatingfan ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 1:54 am
Then why is nobody complaining about Sakkari getting direct entry into tournaments?! Yeah, yeah, i know- rankings, rankings are the only way etc...but the outcome is Sakkari gets entry and Raducanu doesn't, who, you all seem to agree, is the better player.
In that match up, yes Raducanu is the better player. Raducanu can't play often enough to be a better player though Sakkari's ranking will take a hit if she doesn't defend the finalist points from Indian Wells in a few weeks. Rankings measure results - they are not intended to be predictive.
by ashkor87 My point is - why make such a big deal about rankings,? And complain so much about wild cards? Maybe we need more wild cards!
by ashkor87 I expect a lot of unexpected results here! The playing conditions vary too much from Doha to Dubai, players will find it very difficult to be consistent from one week to the next. Which, I think, is why we got the Kalinskaya - Paolini final last year.. expect something similar this year! Also the fact that Dubai is fast, faster than Doha at any rate.. players like Raducanu, Coco, Paolini, even Pegula who didnt do much at Doha, may do well here. Certainly Bencic...by my logic, Bencic should win this... she likes these kinds of courts and she hasnt played Doha.
by ashkor87 If Coco flops again, I will get very concerned about her!
by ashkor87 Sabalenka could so well here too, did not do much at Doha, so she is fresh, not tied down to the slow conditions there.
then the wind turns again, at IW and Miami - Anisimova etc will like those conditions again.
by
ponchi101 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 2:18 am
My point is - why make such a big deal about rankings,? And complain so much about wild cards? Maybe we need more wild cards!
Remember the 70's? (we are old enough). When players would get wild cards and invitations to a tournament because they were the tournament director's friend? You want to go back there, with the tournament having more wild cards.
And I don't see anybody complaining about wild cards. We are talking about a player that is receiving an inordinate amount of wild cards despite the fact that she then seldom produces results, which means she is getting preferential treatment. I am sure that there are enough players, ranked around the cutting point, that would like to get a WC now and then.
This is very much like Donald Young. For a while there, he received WC after WC. And yet, he never made it deep into a tournament. So the other players thought it was unfair. This is more or less along those lines. Emma does not deserve the WC based on her ranking (yes, they mean something) and her level of play. She only gets them because of the marketing and her miraculous three weeks, 4 years ago.
by ashkor87 as I expected, but a bit sooner than I expected, Ostapenko and Anisimova both out in the very first round!
by
ashkor87 ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 1:25 pm
She only gets them because of the marketing
something wrong with that?! Tournaments need to market themselves.. if they had any sense, they would give wild cards to all the past grand slam champions as long as they can stand and walk... $$$ is what it is about, no point moralizing about it!
by ponchi101 No. I said that for Doha. That there was a considerable expat colony in the Gulf and she would bring in bodies.
But the other players may say it is not fair.
Hey, I agree with her getting the WC's. It is a business. But I can see the merits of the opposite opinion.
by ashkor87 again, as I had predicted, Alexandrova out in the first round to Kudermetova. Too bad betting on sports is illegal where I live! (huge amounts are wagered, and matches are fixed, in cricket but it is all illegal)
by ti-amie Tuesday Order of Play
Center Court
Starts at 2:00 AM
GER E. Lys vs ITA J. Paolini (4)
Followed By
BLR V. Azarenka vs POL I. Swiatek (2)
Followed By
USA C. Gauff (3) vs USA M. Kessler
Followed By
CHN Q. Zheng (7) vs USA P. Stearns
Followed By
BLR A. Sabalenka (1) vs RUS V. Kudermetova
Court 1
Starts at 2:00 AM
KAZ E. Rybakina (6) vs JPN M. Uchijima
Followed By
RUS L. Samsonova vs USA J. Pegula (5)
Followed By
DEN C. Tauson vs UKR E. Svitolina
Followed By
GBR E. Raducanu vs CZE K. Muchova (14)
Followed By
SUI B. Bencic vs USA E. Navarro (8)
Court 2
Starts at 2:00 AM
RUS D. Shnaider (11) vs CZE L. Noskova
Followed By
RUS A. Potapova vs UKR D. Yastremska
Followed By
CZE L. Noskova/KAZ Y. Putintseva vs CAN G. Dabrowski/NZL E. Routliffe (2)
Followed By
ROU S. Cirstea vs USA A. Parks
Followed By
USA M. Kessler/DEN C. Tauson vs FRA K. Mladenovic/CHN S. Zhang
Court 3
Starts at 2:00 AM
BEL E. Mertens vs ESP P. Badosa (9)
Followed By
USA S. Kenin vs UKR M. Kostyuk
Followed By
ITA S. Errani/ITA J. Paolini (4) vs RUS A. Panova/HUN F. Stollar
Followed By
CZE M. Vondrousova vs RUS M. Andreeva (12)
Followed By
SVK T. Mihalikova/GBR O. Nicholls vs CHN Y. Xu/CHN Z. Yang
by ashkor87 Happy to see Cirstea back .just beat Kasatkina. She is not a great player, not even Tier 2, but a good solid player, good for the game. That was a potentially career- ending condition she had .
by ponchi101 Coco is inching closer and closer to that "she has REAL problems" territory.
by ti-amie Wednesday Order of Play
Center Court
Starts at 2:00 AM
CHN Q. Zheng (7) vs USA P. Stearns
Followed By
UKR D. Yastremska vs POL I. Swiatek (2)
Followed By
TBD vs TBD
Followed By
BLR A. Sabalenka (1) vs DEN C. Tauson
Followed By
TBD vs TBD
Court 1
Starts at 2:00 AM
SUI B. Bencic vs USA E. Navarro (8)
Followed By
KAZ E. Rybakina (6) vs ESP P. Badosa (9)
Followed By
USA D. Krawczyk/MEX G. Olmos vs TPE S. Hsieh/LAT J. Ostapenko (3)
Followed By
USA M. Kessler vs CZE K. Muchova (14)
Followed By
USA M. Kessler/DEN C. Tauson vs FRA K. Mladenovic/CHN S. Zhang
Court 2
Starts at 2:00 AM
ROU S. Cirstea vs USA A. Parks
Followed By
CZE L. Noskova vs USA J. Pegula (5)
Followed By
KAZ A. Danilina/RUS I. Khromacheva (8) vs USA B. Mattek-Sands/BRA L. Stefani
Followed By
CZE L. Noskova/KAZ Y. Putintseva vs CAN G. Dabrowski/NZL E. Routliffe (2)
Followed By
BRA B. Haddad Maia/GER L. Siegemund vs USA A. Muhammad/NED D. Schuurs
Court 3
Starts at 2:00 AM
CZE M. Vondrousova vs RUS M. Andreeva (12)
Followed By
USA S. Kenin vs ITA J. Paolini (4)
Followed By
SVK T. Mihalikova/GBR O. Nicholls vs CHN Y. Xu/CHN Z. Yang
Followed By
ITA S. Errani/ITA J. Paolini (4) vs RUS A. Panova/HUN F. Stollar
Followed By
CZE K. Siniakova/USA T. Townsend (1) vs USA P. Stearns/NZL L. Sun
by
ashkor87 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 4:39 am
If Coco flops again, I will get very concerned about her!
Now I am concerned! Couldn't see the match..what happened ? Dfs and forehand ?
by ashkor87 Anisimova's defeat was totally predictable, turnaround from slow court to doha to faster court here, is too difficult when you have hardly a day to practice. Coco has no real excuse...
by ashkor87 saw a bit of the 5 minute Youtube highlights.. at first, Coco's forehand was too short, as usual.. did get more depth as the match went on but Kessler seems really good, able to absorb and redirect pace, will do well on fast hard courts..a bit like Bencic.
by ashkor87 As I have remarked earlier, many times, Coco's problem isn't ufes on the forehand, it is that she pops it up short, inviting her opponent to kill it. That shows up in the stats as a winner by her opponent..not anything by Coco. She lets the ball get too close to her, and can't put her weight behind her shot. Footwork issue, fixable
by ashkor87 do people here still doubt that Noskova is a future champion? Just beat Pegula, who is my eternal benchmark - if you can beat her, you are a very very good player indeed.
by Suliso If it only was so easy - beat Pegula and you're likely to be a champion. Danilovic and Alexandrova also recently beat Pegula and likely you'll agree that neither will be a big champion.
by ponchi101 We don't have doubts, we don't have expectations. I can only speak for myself but, she is obviously quite good but we have to wait and see.
You have been raving about Anisimova these last few weeks. Great, she is good. But remember when she reached the RG semis? Well, it looked like she was ready to become a big threat at slams.
And then, stuff happened.
We were expecting great things from Raducanu. And then, stuff happened. And, I was expecting a bit more from Navarro after her USO run. And she has not delivered on that.
I am only saying we have to give these players some time. If Noskova wins a slam soon, great. She is a very good player. But if she does not, it will be not the first time a very good player could not take that final step.
Remember Nicole Vaidisova?
by ashkor87 My only submission is _ calling her a champion AFTER she wins something is reporting, calling her a Champion BEFORE is expertise. I am not interested in reporting.
I thought this forum is for discussion. You may disagree about the capability of any player, but why not say why? Then there could be a discussion.
Ad hominem arguments are all I am hearing here.
by mick1303 We shall make a poll on who wins the next Wimbledon:
a) Noskova
b) Muchova
c) Siniakova
d) Kvitova, returning )
by ashkor87 Just to be clear - I am calling Noskova and Andreeva future major champions. Time will tell if that is right.
by
ashkor87 mick1303 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 2:26 pm
We shall make a poll on who wins the next Wimbledon:
a) Noskova
b) Muchova
c) Siniakova
d) Kvitova, returning )
I am expecting Sabalenka to win this time. She has come close many times, and this time, she has her serve, and nerves, under control.what do YOU think?
by
mick1303 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 2:30 pm
mick1303 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 2:26 pm
We shall make a poll on who wins the next Wimbledon:
a) Noskova
b) Muchova
c) Siniakova
d) Kvitova, returning )
I am expecting Sabalenka to win this time. She has come close many times, and this time, she has her serve, and nerves, under control.what do YOU think?
Apparently my attempt to joke failed...
by ashkor87 What is the joke?
by mick1303 Jokes are not supposed to be explained. It defeats the purpose.
by ashkor87 Are you trolling me? If so, I know what to do about trolls
by Suliso What a win for Tauson! Too bad Bencic couldn't do it today...
by JTContinental The results of this tournament are extremely odd
by
JTContinental ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 12:02 pm
do people here still doubt that Noskova is a future champion? Just beat Pegula, who is my eternal benchmark - if you can beat her, you are a very very good player indeed.
Yes—I honestly don’t see anything special about Noskova’s game—she’s a standard issue factory model, IMO.
by ti-amie Thursday Order of Play
Center Court
Starts at 5:00 AM
RUS M. Andreeva (12) vs POL I. Swiatek (2)
Followed By
DEN C. Tauson vs CZE L. Noskova
Followed By
KAZ E. Rybakina (6) vs USA S. Kenin
Followed By
CZE K. Muchova (14) vs ROU S. Cirstea
Court 1
Starts at 5:00 AM
RUS A. Panova/HUN F. Stollar vs FRA K. Mladenovic/CHN S. Zhang
Followed By
CZE K. Siniakova/USA T. Townsend (1) vs BRA B. Haddad Maia/GER L. Siegemund
Followed By
USA B. Mattek-Sands/BRA L. Stefani vs TPE S. Hsieh/LAT J. Ostapenko (3)
Followed By
CHN Y. Xu/CHN Z. Yang vs CZE L. Noskova/KAZ Y. Putintseva
by
Owendonovan mick1303 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 2:26 pm
We shall make a poll on who wins the next Wimbledon:
a) Noskova
b) Muchova
c) Siniakova
d) Kvitova, returning )
Venus!
by
ponchi101 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 12:02 pm
do people here still doubt that Noskova is a future champion? Just beat Pegula, who is my eternal benchmark - if you can beat her, you are a very very good player indeed.
Serious question now. Don't you have any doubts? Losing to another player that a while back looked like a future champ and now is in the middle of the pack.
I say she is good for a 40% chance of winning a slam sooner or later. Her fluctuations are not menial.
by Suliso Tauson is looking promising again. Will now be seeded for IW.
by
ponchi101 Suliso wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 3:01 pm
Tauson is looking promising again. Will now be seeded for IW.
She has recovered from that low. Maybe it was injuries, after all.
And Andreeva's thumping of Swiatek speaks very well of her. She may be approaching her full potential.
by Suliso Yes, albeit judging from 2-3 tournaments only is a bit dicey.
by
ashkor87 ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 2:41 pm
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 12:02 pm
do people here still doubt that Noskova is a future champion? Just beat Pegula, who is my eternal benchmark - if you can beat her, you are a very very good player indeed.
Serious question now. Don't you have any doubts? Losing to another player that a while back looked like a future champ and now is in the middle of the pack.
I say she is good for a 40% chance of winning a slam sooner or later. Her fluctuations are not menial.
Not menial? What does that mean?
by ashkor87 Shakespeare wrote some bad poetry too - does that make him a bad poer?
Players should be judged on their best play, not their worst or average
by
mick1303 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 4:17 pm
Shakespeare wrote some bad poetry too - does that make him a bad poer?
Players should be judged on their best play, not their worst or average
This is a point of view, not a fact. Another possible point of view that judging on their average gives a more objective picture.
by Suliso I'd also judge on average. Average of Djokovic and Federer dominated the tour not their best.
by
ponchi101 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 4:17 pm
Shakespeare wrote some bad poetry too - does that make him a bad poer?
Players should be judged on their best play, not their worst or average
Menial is like boring.
If you are going to judge a player by his best, then all players that have won a slam are equal. After all, at their best they won a major.
I believe you have to consider everything. Sampras, at his WORST, could still beat almost everybody on grass (1990's grass). Novak, at his best, is simply unbeatable.
But their averages are not the same. So, you consider everything.
Ostapenko at her best can win a slam. After all, she did it. But she has not produced her best in many years now. So, you have to judge by her level of consistency.
by
mick1303 ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 6:15 pm
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 4:17 pm
Shakespeare wrote some bad poetry too - does that make him a bad poer?
Players should be judged on their best play, not their worst or average
....
Novak, at his best, is simply unbeatable.
....
This is where I would not agree. If we're looking at the absolute best, attack-oriented players usually beat defense-oriented players. Obviously being attack- or defense- oriented is not black-and-white, i.e Novak is defense-oriented comparing to Federer, but attack-oriented comparing to Nadal. Probably this proximity to the median is why he is the best overall. BUT... IMO this is also the reason why the very best version of Federer beats his very best version.
by Owendonovan I was recently mulling over who wins when Sabalenka, Keyes, Ostapenko, and Rybakina are playing as well as they can? Not great movers but hit the ball the hardest.
I agree Fed at his best just squeaks by Nadal and Djokovic, but those margins are razor thin.
by ti-amie Friday Order of Play
Center Court
Starts at 6:00 AM
Semifinal
CZE K. Siniakova/USA T. Townsend (1) vs FRA K. Mladenovic/CHN S. Zhang
Followed By
Semifinal
KAZ E. Rybakina (6) vs RUS M. Andreeva (12)
Followed By
Semifinal
DEN C. Tauson vs CZE K. Muchova (14)
Followed By
Semifinal
TPE S. Hsieh/LAT J. Ostapenko (3) vs CHN Y. Xu/CHN Z. Yang
by
ashkor87 ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 6:15 pm
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 4:17 pm
Shakespeare wrote some bad poetry too - does that make him a bad poer?
Players should be judged on their best play, not their worst or average
Menial is like boring.
If you are going to judge a player by his best, then all players that have won a slam are equal. After all, at their best they won a major.
I believe you have to consider everything. Sampras, at his WORST, could still beat almost everybody on grass (1990's grass). Novak, at his best, is simply unbeatable.
But their averages are not the same. So, you consider everything.
Ostapenko at her best can win a slam. After all, she did it. But she has not produced her best in many years now. So, you have to judge by her level of consistency.
Menial does not mean boring. ..if something is not menial, it is high class, sophisticated. Which is why I was surprised
Yes, a player cany just play well once, it has to be often enough. osta is a good example, I agree. My example would be Panatta, at his best, he was a great player, he played at that level for a couple of years. Borderline case.
by
ashkor87 ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 6:15 pm
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 4:17 pm
Shakespeare wrote some bad poetry too - does that make him a bad poer?
Players should be judged on their best play, not their worst or average
Menial is like boring.
If you are going to judge a player by his best, then all players that have won a slam are equal. After all, at their best they won a major.
I believe you have to consider everything. Sampras, at his WORST, could still beat almost everybody on grass (1990's grass). Novak, at his best, is simply unbeatable.
But their averages are not the same. So, you consider everything.
Ostapenko at her best can win a slam. After all, she did it. But she has not produced her best in many years now. So, you have to judge by her level of consistency.
I dont agree. But that is ok, at least it is not an adhominem argument.
by ashkor87 very impressive win by Andreeva over Iga.. her defense, and her serve, were very very good..her stretch at the corners reminded me of Sinner.. and her passing shots were laser sharp.
she should win this title at this rate. Andreeva is really coming along fast - young people improve at a blinding speed when they start on that path.
Saw a bit of Tauson-Noskova too, not as impressed by Tauson as I expected to be.. given her results.
by JTContinental Swiatek blaming her recent poor play on…doing too well at the Australian Open
by ponchi101 Gee, why can't I warm up to that girl?
Andreeva continues to roll. Adds another "big" win, over Rybakina.
(I am starting to doubt Rybakina will ever be a top player again, if she was one).
by Suliso Andreeva vs Tauson final. We did anticipate it, right?
by JTContinental Andreeva making moves this year—maybe she’s gotten through her post-junior period and the pieces are starting to come together
She's also the youngest player to make the final here in Dubai.
by
ponchi101 Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 6:38 pm
Andreeva vs Tauson final. We did anticipate it, right?
The future looks bright.
Exactly as we thought, and two weeks exactly as predicted. Ostapenko - Anisimova, Andreeva - Tauson.
We have to start a gambling site.
by ti-amie Saturday Order of Play
Center Court
Starts at 7:30 AM
Final
CZE K. Siniakova/USA T. Townsend (1) vs TPE S. Hsieh/LAT J. Ostapenko (3)
Followed By
Final
DEN C. Tauson vs RUS M. Andreeva (12)
by ashkor87 A relatively easy win, in the end, for Andreeva -drawing away in the straights..was Tauson injured or anything? Didn't see it.
Andreeva maturing faster than anyone expected ..
by ashkor87 Tauson was grimacing at the start of set 2 and definitely moving slower, from the highlights video.. certainly looked either tired or injured..too bad, she played well too.
by ponchi101 These two last tournaments were very odd. The top players did not even make the finals, and lost to relatively low ranked players.
The year has started in a fun way for me. Maddie winning her maiden slam, and now Andreeva getting into the top ten. A lot of diversity happening.
by
ashkor87 ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 22, 2025 5:38 pm
These two last tournaments were very odd. The top players did not even make the finals, and lost to relatively low ranked players.
The year has started in a fun way for me. Maddie winning her maiden slam, and now Andreeva getting into the top ten. A lot of diversity happening.
Quite predictable, actually...the tour calendar causes this mess.
by ashkor87 Sabalenka, for one, never does well in the ME swing, or in the sunshine double. She wakes up only around Stuttgart/Madrid
She peaks at the AO and then drops off, though the IW/Miami courts should suit her well
by
ponchi101 ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 23, 2025 1:56 am
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 22, 2025 5:38 pm
These two last tournaments were very odd. The top players did not even make the finals, and lost to relatively low ranked players.
The year has started in a fun way for me. Maddie winning her maiden slam, and now Andreeva getting into the top ten. A lot of diversity happening.
Quite predictable, actually...the tour calendar causes this mess.
Mess? So when new players win tournaments, it is a mess?
Ok.
(Joking)
Serious question. So, the tour calendar is to blame. What should be done? Stop play for all of February so Iga and Aryna cac "recover" from the Aussie open?
I know Iga keeps complaining all the time about how much she has to play. But of course, at a very young age, she has already earned more prize money than Steffi or Martina. But what should the other players want? Fewer tournaments? A full month off?
What should be done about the calendar?
