As the US Open Series draws to a close, I'd like to congratulate Mardy Fish and Serena Williams for winning the US Open Series. If either of them wins the US Open, he or she will receive an extra million dollars in prize money. (Total prize money will be 2.8 million US dollars)
Showing posts with label Serena. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Serena. Show all posts
Friday, August 26, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
What Serena's doing with her week off.
For those of you who don't know, Serena Williams withdrew from Cincy today citing a toe injury. Before heading over to Kim Kardashian's wedding, she decided to have some fun in Ohio. Here she is at Cedar Point.
Serena Williams Withdraws From Cincy
Serena withdrew just a bit ago citing toe pain. She has enough match practice to get her through the US Open though. I think she also wants to go to Kim Kardashian's wedding.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Serena Williams wins her second WTA title in a row!
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!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Week In Review II
Throughout the week, we were treated to some great tennis. Because of that, I spent most of my time watching tennis instead of writing about it. That said, I'm still writing this recap of the week. Read on to see what happened this week and to see my thoughts on Serena Williams's comeback.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Stanford Preview
The Bank of the West Classic at Stanford is the first event of the US Open Series for the WTA. It is a premier event that will feature four members of the top ten as well as six more players in the top 32. Serena Williams will also be competing in Stanford. Last year at Stanford, Victoria Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova in the finals, 6-4 6-1. Will Azarenka be able to defend her championship and capture her third singles title of the year?
US Open Series Preview
The US Open Series is a series of five premier events for both genders. The WTA US Open series begins next week with Stanford and ends with New Haven. The two biggest events of the US Open Series are at Cincinnati and Toronto. Although the US Open Series is a great way to warm up for the US Open in late August, there is another bonus to doing well here- the top three finishers in the US Open series will win an extra million dollars in prize money if they win the US Open.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
An Introduction to "Generation Suck"
Generation Suck is the name many tennis fans have given to the new generation of tennis players. Why is the new generation called Generation Suck? Well, the biggest reason is that they have failed to achieve the success that they were expected to have. And they haven't been able to push out the older players despite growing older themselves. Furthermore, Generation Suck currently only owns one Grand Slam- Wimbledon 2011. However, as more and more of the Old Guard are playing less and less or even retiring, these women are becoming the future of the WTA. The members of Generation Suck are:
Compare those players with some of the Old Guard like Elena Dementieva, Justine Henin and the Williams sisters. Now you see why we call this new crop of players Generation Suck right?
How are the members of Generation Suck determined? As you can see, the deciding factor for entry into Generation Suck is not age. Notable young tennis players who aren't in Generation Suck include Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic who enjoyed success prior to the beginnings of Generation Suck (which is a name, a group, a period of time and so much more.) Generation Suck belongs to the players who are young and who really started to experience their success starting in mid-2009. These players have just started to become household names (in a select few households I might add.)
Over the next week and a half to two weeks, I will analyze each of these players. Enjoy.
Caroline Wozniacki
Victoria Azarenka
Petra Kvitova
Petra Kvitova
Andrea Petkovic
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Yanina Wickmayer
Sabine Lisicki
Alisa Kleybanova (Adida Kelybanova)
Compare those players with some of the Old Guard like Elena Dementieva, Justine Henin and the Williams sisters. Now you see why we call this new crop of players Generation Suck right?
How are the members of Generation Suck determined? As you can see, the deciding factor for entry into Generation Suck is not age. Notable young tennis players who aren't in Generation Suck include Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic who enjoyed success prior to the beginnings of Generation Suck (which is a name, a group, a period of time and so much more.) Generation Suck belongs to the players who are young and who really started to experience their success starting in mid-2009. These players have just started to become household names (in a select few households I might add.)
Over the next week and a half to two weeks, I will analyze each of these players. Enjoy.
From Bad Gastein to Worse
Yeah... I went there...
Today, Simona Halep lost in three sets to Sybille Bammer. The sixth seed, she was the highest seed left in the Bad Gastein Draw, but her loss was expected. After all, the only seed to advance past the first round was Ksenia Pervak of Russia, the eighth seed. Simona Halep is probably known most for getting breast reduction surgery a couple years ago. Since then, she's risen more than 400 spots in the rankings, and she is close to cracking the top 50. Sybille Bammer is a mother who will be retiring from tennis after Bad Gastein. She reached the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2008, and she peaked at number 19 in the rankings. However, despite these accomplishments, she will probably be remembered most for having a 2:0 head to head record against Serena Williams. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario is the only other woman in the world with a positive head to head ratio against Serena.
In other news, Flavia Pennetta was brought back from the brink of defeat by Mathilde Johansson. Johansson led 6-4 5-3 before choking away the second set. She also led by 6-4 5-7 5-3 before choking the match away. Johansson is known for choking. In her match against Vitalia Diatchenko at the 2009 French Open, Johansson wasted eight match points before losing 10-8 in the third. She double faulted four of them away.
Today, Simona Halep lost in three sets to Sybille Bammer. The sixth seed, she was the highest seed left in the Bad Gastein Draw, but her loss was expected. After all, the only seed to advance past the first round was Ksenia Pervak of Russia, the eighth seed. Simona Halep is probably known most for getting breast reduction surgery a couple years ago. Since then, she's risen more than 400 spots in the rankings, and she is close to cracking the top 50. Sybille Bammer is a mother who will be retiring from tennis after Bad Gastein. She reached the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2008, and she peaked at number 19 in the rankings. However, despite these accomplishments, she will probably be remembered most for having a 2:0 head to head record against Serena Williams. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario is the only other woman in the world with a positive head to head ratio against Serena.
In other news, Flavia Pennetta was brought back from the brink of defeat by Mathilde Johansson. Johansson led 6-4 5-3 before choking away the second set. She also led by 6-4 5-7 5-3 before choking the match away. Johansson is known for choking. In her match against Vitalia Diatchenko at the 2009 French Open, Johansson wasted eight match points before losing 10-8 in the third. She double faulted four of them away.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Wimbledon Day 7 Previews Part I- WTA
I wasn't able to watch Wimbledon today as I had a busy day, but since there are no match analyses, I'll do extra predictions.
Venus Williams [23] vs Tsvetana Pironkova [32]
Last year, in a shocking upset, the unseeded Pironkova beat the second seeded Venus in the Quarterfinals 6-2 6-3. She has a good serve and a good backhand. This year, her forehand seems a little stronger, but it still isn't a weapon by any means. She isn't terrible at net either.
The reason why she beat Venus last year was because Venus was a wreck. Venus had 7 more unforced errors than winners. She didn't capitalize on her amazing first serve; she won less than 60 percent of points where she got her first serve in. She also won only 53 percent of the points where she went up to net. However, this is a new year. Even though she hasn't played much, she showed great mental strength in her defeat of Date-Krumm and showed that she hasn't lost her game when she routed Martinez-Sanchez. I still think that she will get her revenge in two hard fought sets. However, I wouldn't be upset if I were wrong.
Marion Bartoli [9] vs Serena Williams [9]
Personally, I think that this match should also be on Center Court. It has much more potential than the Nadal Del-Potro match. Obviously Serena Williams is the favorite going into this match. However, she is struggling with her fitness. Although it wasn't as apparent in her match today with Kirilenko, she has been huffing and puffing her way through the first week. One person who gave Serena a lot of trouble was Rezai, an inconsistent but hard hitting player. Rezai, when she was on, was able to move Serena around the court. However, Rezai wasn't able to keep up the pressure and take advantage of Serena's lack of fitness.
However, Bartoli can definitely push Serena to the limit. She takes the ball early and hits it hard and flat off both sides. Because she hits with two hands off both sides, she can get great angles on her shots. Her game works well on grass; her 2007 run to the Wimbledon Final is evidence of that. I think that she can definitely take a set off of Serena. But I think that eventually, in spite of her fitness issues, Serena will come out on top.
Venus Williams [23] vs Tsvetana Pironkova [32]
Last year, in a shocking upset, the unseeded Pironkova beat the second seeded Venus in the Quarterfinals 6-2 6-3. She has a good serve and a good backhand. This year, her forehand seems a little stronger, but it still isn't a weapon by any means. She isn't terrible at net either.
The reason why she beat Venus last year was because Venus was a wreck. Venus had 7 more unforced errors than winners. She didn't capitalize on her amazing first serve; she won less than 60 percent of points where she got her first serve in. She also won only 53 percent of the points where she went up to net. However, this is a new year. Even though she hasn't played much, she showed great mental strength in her defeat of Date-Krumm and showed that she hasn't lost her game when she routed Martinez-Sanchez. I still think that she will get her revenge in two hard fought sets. However, I wouldn't be upset if I were wrong.
Marion Bartoli [9] vs Serena Williams [9]
Personally, I think that this match should also be on Center Court. It has much more potential than the Nadal Del-Potro match. Obviously Serena Williams is the favorite going into this match. However, she is struggling with her fitness. Although it wasn't as apparent in her match today with Kirilenko, she has been huffing and puffing her way through the first week. One person who gave Serena a lot of trouble was Rezai, an inconsistent but hard hitting player. Rezai, when she was on, was able to move Serena around the court. However, Rezai wasn't able to keep up the pressure and take advantage of Serena's lack of fitness.
However, Bartoli can definitely push Serena to the limit. She takes the ball early and hits it hard and flat off both sides. Because she hits with two hands off both sides, she can get great angles on her shots. Her game works well on grass; her 2007 run to the Wimbledon Final is evidence of that. I think that she can definitely take a set off of Serena. But I think that eventually, in spite of her fitness issues, Serena will come out on top.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The Challenge System
The Hawkeye system was put in place so that players could challenge calls that they felt were incorrect. It came partially as a response to the US Open quarterfinal match between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati. During that match, Serena had a series of blatantly incorrect line calls made against her.
I think that the challenge system is great. Players get three incorrect challenges per set and an extra challenge in the tiebreak. In matches where tiebreaks aren't played in the final set, players get their incorrect challenge tally reset. However, there are some problems with the challenge system that should be addressed.
The first one is the amount of time taken before a challenge is made. Oftentimes, players spend a large chunk of time deciding whether they should challenge or not. Sometimes, players even look towards their box to see whether they should challenge or not. Other times they spend close to thirty seconds debating with the umpire before challenging. This should not be allowed. A player should have less than three seconds to signal that they want to challenge. Otherwise, the challenge system becomes a form of legal time delay.
During Wimbledon, I've noticed that many players are challenging close balls after they make errors. I don't know why umpires allow the players to challenge. A player should not be given two opportunities to win a point. I understand that a player might be in the middle of their stroke when they notice that the shot they are returning is out. However, when a player hits a shot, realizes that their shot is out, then challenges, they should not be allowed to challenge.
That brings me to the recent tennis scandal known by tennis fans as "Kadergate."
During Doha 2011, Agnieszka Radwanska was playing a match against Lucie Safarova. Safarova hit a ball that was called out but then overruled. Radwanska decided to challenge and was incorrect. Kader Nouni, the umpire, gave the point to Safarova. Radwanska was quite upset because she felt that the point should have been replayed. She definitely had a play on the ball, and, if the umpire thinks that the player had a play on the ball and play is interrupted by a non-player, the point should be replayed.
However, Nouni gave the point to Safarova because Radwanska had challenged and was wrong. When a player interrupts play to challenge and the challenge is incorrect, the player is supposed to lose the point. This sort of point happens often, and most of the time, the umpire allows the point to be replayed. However, I agree with Nouni that, when a player challenges, he or she is interrupting play again and should lose the point.
Thoughts?
But besides those issues that I have with Hawkeye, I think it is a great system and should be implemented on as many courts as possible- even clay courts.
I think that the challenge system is great. Players get three incorrect challenges per set and an extra challenge in the tiebreak. In matches where tiebreaks aren't played in the final set, players get their incorrect challenge tally reset. However, there are some problems with the challenge system that should be addressed.
The first one is the amount of time taken before a challenge is made. Oftentimes, players spend a large chunk of time deciding whether they should challenge or not. Sometimes, players even look towards their box to see whether they should challenge or not. Other times they spend close to thirty seconds debating with the umpire before challenging. This should not be allowed. A player should have less than three seconds to signal that they want to challenge. Otherwise, the challenge system becomes a form of legal time delay.
During Wimbledon, I've noticed that many players are challenging close balls after they make errors. I don't know why umpires allow the players to challenge. A player should not be given two opportunities to win a point. I understand that a player might be in the middle of their stroke when they notice that the shot they are returning is out. However, when a player hits a shot, realizes that their shot is out, then challenges, they should not be allowed to challenge.
That brings me to the recent tennis scandal known by tennis fans as "Kadergate."
During Doha 2011, Agnieszka Radwanska was playing a match against Lucie Safarova. Safarova hit a ball that was called out but then overruled. Radwanska decided to challenge and was incorrect. Kader Nouni, the umpire, gave the point to Safarova. Radwanska was quite upset because she felt that the point should have been replayed. She definitely had a play on the ball, and, if the umpire thinks that the player had a play on the ball and play is interrupted by a non-player, the point should be replayed.
However, Nouni gave the point to Safarova because Radwanska had challenged and was wrong. When a player interrupts play to challenge and the challenge is incorrect, the player is supposed to lose the point. This sort of point happens often, and most of the time, the umpire allows the point to be replayed. However, I agree with Nouni that, when a player challenges, he or she is interrupting play again and should lose the point.
Thoughts?
But besides those issues that I have with Hawkeye, I think it is a great system and should be implemented on as many courts as possible- even clay courts.
Wimbledon Womens Predictions for the tournament
Although Wimbledon is already well underway, I'm going to post my predictions for the WTA.
Quarterfinalists:
Wozniacki-Although she isn't the greatest player on grass (or at all, but that's for another post all together) she has a good draw with her two biggest threats coming in the fourth round with Cibulkova and Goerges, two women who hit the ball quite hard and have both beaten her this year.
Sharapova-Since the only threat that she has in her draw is Peng, she should get to the quarterfinals with ease.
Li-Although she has a tough second round match with Lisicki, she is still an amazing ball striker. However, Roland Garros champions tend not to fare well at Wimbledon a few weeks later.
Serena-Even though she's been out for eleven months, she is still Serena. She has a tough customer in Bartoli in the fourth round, but if she can shake the rust in her game, she should be fine.
Petkovic-I gotta be honest. I had Makarova getting to the quarters in this relatively weak eighth of the draw on the grounds that she won Eastbourne in 2010 and has a good game for grass. But she lost to McHale in the first round, so I'm going with Andrea Petkovic who has been in the quarterfinals of both majors this year.
Azarenka-Azarenka has a good shot at reaching the quarterfinals in a major if she can stay healthy. The one person who can stop her is Daniella Hantuchova, otherwise known as Danielle Anotoxfa. She got to the finals of Birmingham defeating Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams before losing to Sabine Lisicki. If she doesn't choke, she can definitely beat Azarenka in the third round.
Kvitova-Kvitova is a great player who hits the ball very hard and very deep. She got to the semifinals of Wimbledon last year before falling to Serena. There isn't really anyone who can beat her in this eighth than herself.
Zvonareva-This final eighth of the draw is probably one of the strongest with Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Tsvetana Pironkova. Interesting matches will be a rematch of last year's Wimbledon semifinal coming in the third round and a match between the winner of that one and Venus Williams. I'd say that Zvonareva has the edge to get to the quarters on the grounds of Venus's lack of match play.
Semifinalists:
Sharapova-If she can minimize her double faults and her unforced errors, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. She has defeated Wozniacki in the past, and on grass, she'll have an even bigger advantage.
Serena-This was a really tough one to predict, but I think that Serena will have shaken off her rust by the quarterfinals and will prove to be too tough a challenge for Li. However, I think that the winner of this match has a great shot at winning the whole thing.
Azarenka-If she can get past her third round match against Hantuchova, she has a great shot at reaching her maiden semifinal.
Kvitova-She is such a great ballstriker that whoever she faces will have quite a lot of trouble dealing with her.
Finalists:
Serena-It's Serena... on grass... She has such mental toughness and can even overpower Sharapova. She beat her last year at Wimbledon as well.
Kvitova-She can beat anyone in the third quarter of the draw with ease.
Winner:
Serena-Although Kvitova can definitely challenge Serena in almost every aspect of her game, Serena is a 13 time grand slam champion and knows how deal with that pressure. However, as seen in last year's semifinal, Kvitova can put pressure on Serena, and if she can deal with the pressure, she might be the next winner of the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Quarterfinalists:
Wozniacki-Although she isn't the greatest player on grass (or at all, but that's for another post all together) she has a good draw with her two biggest threats coming in the fourth round with Cibulkova and Goerges, two women who hit the ball quite hard and have both beaten her this year.
Sharapova-Since the only threat that she has in her draw is Peng, she should get to the quarterfinals with ease.
Li-Although she has a tough second round match with Lisicki, she is still an amazing ball striker. However, Roland Garros champions tend not to fare well at Wimbledon a few weeks later.
Serena-Even though she's been out for eleven months, she is still Serena. She has a tough customer in Bartoli in the fourth round, but if she can shake the rust in her game, she should be fine.
Petkovic-I gotta be honest. I had Makarova getting to the quarters in this relatively weak eighth of the draw on the grounds that she won Eastbourne in 2010 and has a good game for grass. But she lost to McHale in the first round, so I'm going with Andrea Petkovic who has been in the quarterfinals of both majors this year.
Azarenka-Azarenka has a good shot at reaching the quarterfinals in a major if she can stay healthy. The one person who can stop her is Daniella Hantuchova, otherwise known as Danielle Anotoxfa. She got to the finals of Birmingham defeating Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams before losing to Sabine Lisicki. If she doesn't choke, she can definitely beat Azarenka in the third round.
Kvitova-Kvitova is a great player who hits the ball very hard and very deep. She got to the semifinals of Wimbledon last year before falling to Serena. There isn't really anyone who can beat her in this eighth than herself.
Zvonareva-This final eighth of the draw is probably one of the strongest with Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Tsvetana Pironkova. Interesting matches will be a rematch of last year's Wimbledon semifinal coming in the third round and a match between the winner of that one and Venus Williams. I'd say that Zvonareva has the edge to get to the quarters on the grounds of Venus's lack of match play.
Semifinalists:
Sharapova-If she can minimize her double faults and her unforced errors, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. She has defeated Wozniacki in the past, and on grass, she'll have an even bigger advantage.
Serena-This was a really tough one to predict, but I think that Serena will have shaken off her rust by the quarterfinals and will prove to be too tough a challenge for Li. However, I think that the winner of this match has a great shot at winning the whole thing.
Azarenka-If she can get past her third round match against Hantuchova, she has a great shot at reaching her maiden semifinal.
Kvitova-She is such a great ballstriker that whoever she faces will have quite a lot of trouble dealing with her.
Finalists:
Serena-It's Serena... on grass... She has such mental toughness and can even overpower Sharapova. She beat her last year at Wimbledon as well.
Kvitova-She can beat anyone in the third quarter of the draw with ease.
Winner:
Serena-Although Kvitova can definitely challenge Serena in almost every aspect of her game, Serena is a 13 time grand slam champion and knows how deal with that pressure. However, as seen in last year's semifinal, Kvitova can put pressure on Serena, and if she can deal with the pressure, she might be the next winner of the Venus Rosewater Dish.
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