The week before the US Open, there will be two tournaments, a premier event in New Haven and an international event in Dallas. The event in Dallas isn't part of the US Open Series. However, it still has a very strong field - especially for an international event. Read on for my predictions.
Showing posts with label Goerges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goerges. Show all posts
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Rogers Cup Wednesday Preview
Wednesday at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada brings us some great second round action. We'll be seeing most of the top seeds, and we'll be seeing certain players for the first time since Wimbledon. Read on for the Wednesday preview!
Kim Clijsters Retires
I've been really busy as of late, so I'll mainly be posting small tidbits when I have an ounce of spare time.
Kim Clijsters was leading Zheng Jie 6-3 1-2 when she retired from her first match since her loss at the UNICEF Open to Romina Oprandi in June. Clijsters cited pain in her abdominal muscle as the reason for her retirement. Sadly, this means that 899 points will drop off her ranking. (She won Cincinnati last year which happened during the same week.) Vera Zvonareva will have a good shot at taking the number 2 ranking back. It also means that we will not be seeing the much anticipated Clijsters-Serena third round match up that we were all anticipating.
However, Serena Williams may not even make it to the next round. She will be facing Julia Goerges who snapped her four match losing streak and defeating Jelena Jankovic in two easy sets, 6-1 6-3.
Other top players have faltered at the Rogers Cup as well. Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Simona Halep yesterday in three sets, and Marion Bartoli was beaten in two sets by Galina Voskoboeva. Dominika Cibulkova was forced to retire from her match earlier today. Although there hasn't been any information on why she retired, my guess is that it has to do with her injury that caused her to pull out of Stanford.
Kim Clijsters was leading Zheng Jie 6-3 1-2 when she retired from her first match since her loss at the UNICEF Open to Romina Oprandi in June. Clijsters cited pain in her abdominal muscle as the reason for her retirement. Sadly, this means that 899 points will drop off her ranking. (She won Cincinnati last year which happened during the same week.) Vera Zvonareva will have a good shot at taking the number 2 ranking back. It also means that we will not be seeing the much anticipated Clijsters-Serena third round match up that we were all anticipating.
However, Serena Williams may not even make it to the next round. She will be facing Julia Goerges who snapped her four match losing streak and defeating Jelena Jankovic in two easy sets, 6-1 6-3.
Other top players have faltered at the Rogers Cup as well. Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Simona Halep yesterday in three sets, and Marion Bartoli was beaten in two sets by Galina Voskoboeva. Dominika Cibulkova was forced to retire from her match earlier today. Although there hasn't been any information on why she retired, my guess is that it has to do with her injury that caused her to pull out of Stanford.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
San Diego Preview
The Mercury Insurance Open at San Diego is a 56 entrant premier level event. The winner of the tournament will receive 111,000 dollars and 470 ranking points. The draw came out last night, and it didn't disappoint. Although Kim Clijsters, Petra Kvitova and Svetlana Kuznetsova withdrew, there are still some big names coming to the Mercury Insurance Open. The top seed at San Diego will be Vera Zvonareva, the third ranked player in the world.
Read on for my analysis of the contenders for the title and for some possible matchups.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Bad Tennis in Bad Gastein
I think I'm cursed. Whoever I give my resounding vote of confidence to always forgets how to play tennis. Last week, I said that no one would be able to stop Wozniacki from picking up yet another tournament, but she retired after winning a match. Now, in Bad Gastein, Goerges proved that my predictions hold little water.
Earlier today, Julia Goerges, the defending champion, top seed and clear favorite for the title, lost in three sets to Laura Pous-Tio, a player ranked 75 spots below her, 6-1 2-6 6-1. Pous-Tio still has not won a single match at a grand slam and had only ended the year in the top 100 twice. (2006 and 2005)
Although one could say that Goerges simply tanked the match so that she could get some rest before the US Open series, said person would have trouble explaining what had happened to the rest of the top players at Bad Gastein. At Bad Gastein, the top eight ranked players were given seeds. Out of those eight seeds, only one seed, the relatively unknown 61st ranked eighth seeded Ksenia Pervak, advanced past the first round. Although the sixth seed, Simona Halep has yet to play, those results are pretty embarrassing.
So who's my new pick for the title? Normally, I'd give my pick to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez as she's a fabulous clay court player who cracked the top 20 when she won Rome in 2010, but because all the favorites are dropping like flies, I'll give my pick to Dia Evtimova who I didn't even know existed until I scanned the Bad Gastein Draw.
In Palermo, however, things look to be going better for the seeds with all eight of them advancing. One notable victory happened yesterday when 2010 Wimbledon Semifinalist and 2011 Wimbledon Quarterfinalist Tsvetana Pironkova beat Anna Tatishvili of Georgia 6-2 7-5. What was so notable about this win? It was one of Pironkova's only wins outside of Wimbledon this year. Maybe she has finally learned how to play tennis outside SW19. One can only hope that she can turn the rest of the year around and live up to her potential so that she won't be forever remembered as the girl who beat Venus Williams three times.
Earlier today, Julia Goerges, the defending champion, top seed and clear favorite for the title, lost in three sets to Laura Pous-Tio, a player ranked 75 spots below her, 6-1 2-6 6-1. Pous-Tio still has not won a single match at a grand slam and had only ended the year in the top 100 twice. (2006 and 2005)
Although one could say that Goerges simply tanked the match so that she could get some rest before the US Open series, said person would have trouble explaining what had happened to the rest of the top players at Bad Gastein. At Bad Gastein, the top eight ranked players were given seeds. Out of those eight seeds, only one seed, the relatively unknown 61st ranked eighth seeded Ksenia Pervak, advanced past the first round. Although the sixth seed, Simona Halep has yet to play, those results are pretty embarrassing.
So who's my new pick for the title? Normally, I'd give my pick to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez as she's a fabulous clay court player who cracked the top 20 when she won Rome in 2010, but because all the favorites are dropping like flies, I'll give my pick to Dia Evtimova who I didn't even know existed until I scanned the Bad Gastein Draw.
In Palermo, however, things look to be going better for the seeds with all eight of them advancing. One notable victory happened yesterday when 2010 Wimbledon Semifinalist and 2011 Wimbledon Quarterfinalist Tsvetana Pironkova beat Anna Tatishvili of Georgia 6-2 7-5. What was so notable about this win? It was one of Pironkova's only wins outside of Wimbledon this year. Maybe she has finally learned how to play tennis outside SW19. One can only hope that she can turn the rest of the year around and live up to her potential so that she won't be forever remembered as the girl who beat Venus Williams three times.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Bad Gastein Preview
There are two clay tournaments left in the year, and they are both international tournaments played on red clay. Neither tournament has a top ten player.
One of those two tournaments is at Bad Gastein in Austria. Not to be confused with Bastad, Bad Gastein is a skiing town near Salzburg. The top seed and favorite for the title is Julia Goerges. (Remember not to call her Georges or Gorgeous as you may not live to regret it- just ask Graeme Jones.) Goerges has really blossomed this year; she won Stuttgart beating French Open finalist Samantha Stosur and world number one Caroline Wozniacki along the way. She also achieved a career high world ranking of 16. She has a great flat serve and a great kick serve as well as a strong forehand. Her play style really suits the clay because she has very long strokes, and she has extra time to generate power off of both wings. It doesn't hurt her prospects that she's the defending champion here.
Other potential threats include Jarmila Gajdosova, the hard hitting Aussie and Lourdes Domingues Lino who won Bogota this year, another outdoor red clay event. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez is another contender for the title as she is an excellent clay court player. She is excellent at net, and she won Rome in 2010. The top five seeds also include two players from the Czech Republic, Lucie Hradecka and Iveta Benesova, two very accomplished doubles players. Lucie Hradecka won the doubles title at Roland Garros 2011, and she has won 18 ITF singles titles. However, she has yet to make a dent in the WTA singles circuit. Iveta Benesova, another Czech lefty, has won two clay titles on the WTA tour. She hits quite flat off both sides. Although she's a good player, I see her going out early seeing as she is still celebrating her recent victory in mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
Stay tuned for my preview of Palermo, the other WTA tournament next week.
One of those two tournaments is at Bad Gastein in Austria. Not to be confused with Bastad, Bad Gastein is a skiing town near Salzburg. The top seed and favorite for the title is Julia Goerges. (Remember not to call her Georges or Gorgeous as you may not live to regret it- just ask Graeme Jones.) Goerges has really blossomed this year; she won Stuttgart beating French Open finalist Samantha Stosur and world number one Caroline Wozniacki along the way. She also achieved a career high world ranking of 16. She has a great flat serve and a great kick serve as well as a strong forehand. Her play style really suits the clay because she has very long strokes, and she has extra time to generate power off of both wings. It doesn't hurt her prospects that she's the defending champion here.
Other potential threats include Jarmila Gajdosova, the hard hitting Aussie and Lourdes Domingues Lino who won Bogota this year, another outdoor red clay event. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez is another contender for the title as she is an excellent clay court player. She is excellent at net, and she won Rome in 2010. The top five seeds also include two players from the Czech Republic, Lucie Hradecka and Iveta Benesova, two very accomplished doubles players. Lucie Hradecka won the doubles title at Roland Garros 2011, and she has won 18 ITF singles titles. However, she has yet to make a dent in the WTA singles circuit. Iveta Benesova, another Czech lefty, has won two clay titles on the WTA tour. She hits quite flat off both sides. Although she's a good player, I see her going out early seeing as she is still celebrating her recent victory in mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
Stay tuned for my preview of Palermo, the other WTA tournament next week.
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