The Dolls in Dubai

Dubai winner?

  • Victoria

    Votes: 10 28.6%

  • Serena

    Votes: 14 40.0%

  • Aga (defending champ)

    Votes: 1 2.9%

  • Kerber

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Errani

    Votes: 1 2.9%

  • Kvitova

    Votes: 4 11.4%

  • Stosur (haha!)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Wozniacki

    Votes: 4 11.4%

  • Ivanovic, Bartoli, Barthel, Stephens, etc..someone else!

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • Total voters
    35
Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
Errani up a set against Jules Gorgeous...

Sara has, quite possibly, the ugliest grunt I've heard on the WTA...
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
So today...it appears I was mistaken that ReRe was up on court today, flashscores was peddling duff information.

(No. 12) Petrova vs (No. 15) Cibulkova
Could be a close one; playing for the supreme honour of stepping on court with The Pastel Trousered One.

Head2Head: 1-1 (1-0 Cib on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.2 :() Renka


(No. 27) Goerges vs (No. 7) Errani
Goerges has a lot of points to defend her after reaching the final last year, and I fancy her to upset Errani here, and you'd fancy either of them against Cirstea.

Head2Head: 1-1 (0-0 on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.29) Cirstea


(No. 8 ) Kvitova vs (No. 80) Hantuchova
Probably a bit early to say Kvitty is back, but she's hitting some good balls and took ReRe close in Doha. Should be a routine one for Petra unless she has an absolute meltdown. Which could happen. Unlikely though, she's never lost a set to Daniela

Head2Head: 5-0 Kvitova (3-0 on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.13) Ivanovic


(No. 36) U. Radwanska vs (No. 42) Zheng J.
Another one against close-ranked opponents. I'm still hoping Urzsula might make it out of Aga's shadow at some point, but she has a way to go...these are the ones she should be winning really.

Head2Head: 1-0 Zheng (1-0 on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.10) Wozniacki/ (No.18 ) Safarova


(No. 17) Vinci vs (No. 48 ) Kuznetsova
Kuznetsova the the clear bookies favourite, but I fancy Vinci in this one. They haven't met for a while and I think Vinci will finish it in 2.

Head2Head: 1-1 (1-0 Vinci on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.6) Kerber


(No. 10) Wozniacki vs (No. 18 ) Safarova
Wozniacki has begun to look a little bit more competent in 2013, and fancy her to do quite well here. Think she'll dispatch Safarova in 2, then beat U-Rad in the next round.

Head2Head: 2-1 Safarova(1-1 on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.36) U. Radwanska/ (No.42) Zheng J.


(No. 19) Makarova vs (No. 9) Stosur
Urg. Stosur. What's left to be said...6-0,6-0 to Maka.

Head2Head: 1-1 (1-0 Stosur on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.22) Hsieh

All rankings are live rankings - not seedings (obvs). All h2h are the last 3 years of matches.

Also, clearly the WTA people have been following my every movement, as they have stolen my title for Renka - Queen of Doha. To those saying she doesn't befit the title of a Queen, you're right, she's clearly a deity. But Queen will do, for now.
 
Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
Jules loses the third against Errani... Couldn't hold her serve in the final game.

Errani was mentally stronger, more consistent.
 
TERRASTAR18

TERRASTAR18

Hall of Fame
Duncan Bell said:
The poetically named Dubai Duty Free is upon us.
Why they do another (not so prestigious) 6 day Premier the day after Doha, I have no idea, but they do.

Surprised The Undefeatable Vichka and Female RedFoo are here, but I wonder if it's because the rankings are so damn tight. ReRe currently is 265 points ahead of Victoria, and neither of them have any points to defend :shock:!
This is a Sugar-Free tournament, so the gap between 2nd and 3rd (600pts) is about to get wider. AgRad is defending so she's gonna fall even further behind the top 3. Tough life for Female Ferrer.

Points to defend:


Vika 0
Serena 0
AgRad 470
Kerber 0
Errani 130
Kvitova 0
Woz 200
Stosur 120
Ivanovic 120
​

The Supreme Battle for The Throne of Glory

Serena to keep No.1:

  • Make the final.
  • Make the QF or SF and Victoria finishes as anything other than Champion.
  • Loses her first match but Victoria has a pedicure and does make the final

Victoria to reclaim her (rightful! :twisted:) crown:

  • Beat anyone but Serena in the final.
  • Lose in the final but Serena loses in the first match.

Li Na misses out because of injury, Sugar is being treated for a glucose-overdose (kidding, where is she?).



Another chance for Stephens, Robson, Barthel etc. to impress. Will they take it?

Remember, strong is beautiful.
Click to expand...

rightful crown? oh please! she's wozniacki with 2 majors.
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
TERRASTAR18 said:
rightful crown? oh please! she's wozniacki with 2 majors.
Click to expand...

You say that as if 2 majors is no big deal...

But nooooo! Renka! I hope she's okay. But that means she beat ReRe while hurt, which makes her even more incredible than we could ever have imagined...
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
Looks like Urzsula did her best Robson impression earlier - down 4-1 in the 3rd, then 5-2, pulls it back to 5-5 then drops it 7-5.

Must be tough...fair play to Zheng though
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
Wozni (or should I say Renka with 0 majors...) made very short work of Safarova, will play Zheng in the next round. Should be a w/o, so could meet ReRe after that.
 
romeo8880

romeo8880

G.O.A.T.
Kuznetsova had her thigh taped up in the middle of the 2nd set and was limping pretty good. Not good for someone just coming back from injury not too long ago.
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
Just watching the 3rd set of the Errani / Goerges. Goerges is hitting some really nice line painters, but also just hit the worst overhead in the history of forever. Errani is just pushing all day. Good defence and waiting on errors from Julia.
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
(No. 87) Putintseva vs (No. 4) Radwanska
Rad should have no problem with Putin. She's a good player with potential, but really got through Robson by not making mistakes and letting Robson beat herself. Aga will take care of this one in 2.

Head2Head: 0-0 (0-0 on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.8 ) Kvitova/(No.13) Ivanovic


(No. 26) Suarez Navarro vs (No. 12) Petrova
Suarez takes Renka's bye into the second round, so Petrova doesn't get a w/o. Suarez Navarro is in pretty dreadful form, so I fancy Petrova in 2.

Head2Head: 1-1 (1-0 CSN on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.29) Cirstea/ (No.7 ) Errani


(No. 6) Kerber vs (No. 16) Vinci
Kerber's first match, and she's had a bit of a nightmare start to 2013 and has only played one match in the last month; so I fancy a close one here. But Kerber in 3; 7-6, 3-6, 7-5.

Head2Head: 1-1 (1-0 Vinci on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.9) Stosur/ (No.22) Hsieh


(No. 10) Wozniacki vs (No. 41) Zheng Ji
Caroline (sorry, Renka With No Majors) is in fine fettle at the moment, fully expect a beat down here. Zheng is no mug, but 6-2,6-3.

Head2Head: 2-1 Zheng - last match 2 and a half years ago (1-1 on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.1) Serena Williams/(No.11) Bartoli


(No. 22) Hsieh vs (No. 9) Stosur
Stosur was looking pretty good yesterday, and Hsieh had a really impressive 2012, winning 2 WTA titles. If this was the AO, I'm sure it'd be a different story, but I think Stosur in 3. Would love Hsieh to win though.

Head2Head: 0-0 (0-0 on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.6) Kerber/ (No.16) Vinci


(No.8 ) Kvitova vs (No. 13) Ivanovic
Kvitty is looking hot right now, and was unfortunate to not beat Serena in Doha - looking forward to this one, as Ivanovic isn't looking as wobbly as she has previous and had a fairly clean win over Pavyluchenkova in R1. Petra in 2 close ones, 6-4 7-5.

Head2Head: 2-1 Ivanovic (2-1 Ivanovic on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.4) Radwanska/ (No.87) Putintseva


(No.1) Serena Williams vs (No.11) Bartoli
ReRe is on it right now, and has won 44 of her last 47 matches. Bartoli won't be able to touch her. Serena in 2.

Head2Head: 1-1 (1-0 Williams on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.10) Wozniacki/ (No.41) Zheng


(No.29) Cirstea vs (No.7) Errani
Errani successfully pushed her way to victory over Goerges after letting Julia beat herself. Would love to see Cirstea get back on track and make a bit of progress here - plus I think she could give Petrova (or CSN) a good game in the next round. Following my heart rather than head and saying Cirstea in 3.

Head2Head: 3-0 Errani (3-0 Errani on Hard)

Winner to face: (No.26) Suarez Navarro/ (No.12) Petrova

All rankings are live rankings - not seedings (obvs). All h2h are the last 3 years of matches.
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
Putintseva may have been overwhelmed by even the idea of even being in the same continent as Radwanska, but at 18/1, that seems like immense value.

Would stick £10 on if I were a betting fellow.
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
Despite a lot of breaks in this Putintseva - Aga match, no one has lead by more than 1 game yet (except Aga to take 1st); it's very streaky with breaks and holds coming in groups for both players.

Impressed with Putin's showing though.

Petrova gives Carlos Suarez Navarro the bakery treatment - breadstick then bagel; lunch time in Dubai.
 
Last edited:
Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
kerber outplayed in the first set by Vinci and completely tanks the second.

Roberta Vinci wins 7-5, 6-1. I think she'll beat Stosur next...
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
Oh gosh, she's doing it again. Ivanovic fights back to 5-5 and then loses serve to go 6-5 down. Kvitova serving for the match again...

But she fights back to break Kvitova! Tie-break here we come. Don't tank now Iva!
 
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Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
Oh wow, major tank job in the TB from Iva, 7-1. Kvit takes it 7-5,7-6. I feel pretty justified in my 'Kvitova in 2 close sets' prediction, but in the end it looks like Iva flopped at the end of both of them.

Such a shame, I was hopeful she'd have a stronger 2013.
 
Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
game over for ana... she couldn't hold it together int eh tie break.

very close match though, stats wise and score wise.

she looks great... physically i mean. her game is missing somethign though. i dont' know what it is.
 
romeo8880

romeo8880

G.O.A.T.
Kvitova/Radwanksa will be interesting. Will Kvitova blow her off the court with stunning winners or will Radwanska turn Kvitova into an error machine?
 
marc45

marc45

G.O.A.T.
serena out (lower back)...i knew it..expected that before vika...blown opportunity for wta this week..really could have followed up doha with another vika-serena showdown while men are still scattered or not playing
 
Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
very odd that they'd both be out... who do you think will win it now?!

I would like to see Bartoli take it.
 
romeo8880

romeo8880

G.O.A.T.
I think the winner of Kvitova/Radwanksa will win the tournament now, with Wozniacki having an outside chance. Definitely think the winner is coming from the bottom half though.
 
marc45

marc45

G.O.A.T.
don't have a good feel for a winner, was just disappointed to not get another chapter in what hopefully will be a very good rivalry now...have been much more interested in the men, would be nice to get equal interest in the women...great opportunity for the others now to be sure, sharapova might be kicking herself that she's not here now...have to say when i said i knew it i thought it would because of her cold/sickness...not that we ever really know...just a feeling or concern
 
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Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
they've made Serena announce her inablilty to play to the audience at the court!

most cheered her, but some people booed!
 
marc45

marc45

G.O.A.T.
Relinquis said:
they've made Serena announce her inablilty to play to the audience at the court!

most cheered her, but some people booed!
Click to expand...

yeah, they're kind of tough on the players with those kind of things now..making them go to cities and do pr and stuff if they announce beforehand they're not going to play...you can debate whether that's fair to put them in that situation but the fans definitely matter...that's tennis though, you can't send in a substitute...that, and never knowing how long matches are going to last or weather issues is what scares the hell out of televison networks and promoters and fans too
 
Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
honestly, it makes sense in this case.. she withdrew a few short time before the scheduled time for the match.
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
Happy from the perspective of Vika not falling behind no.1 any more, but as marc45 said, blown opportunity for the Vika/ReRe rivalry. Anyway, we don't know the circumstances, they could be below 100%. Think I started in opening post I was surprised both were playing.

I would love to see Cirstea win this, but it'll be Kvitova or Wozniacki.
 
jones101

jones101

Hall of Fame
Lol, Serena was just waiting for Vika, wasn't she LOL.

If Vika played, so would have Serena, as she would have lost no 1 otherwise (0 pointer on record). As Vika got a 0 pointer, Serena will be 40 points ahead of Vika come Monday.

As Vika is definding IW, and Sharapova defeding final and can't overtake, Serena is guaranteed to be number one until the end of Miami (6 weeks).

I think both have QF from Miami last year too, so whoever does best there will be number one.
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
jones101 said:
If Vika played, so would have Serena, as she would have lost no 1 otherwise (0 pointer on record). As Vika got a 0 pointer, Serena will be 40 points ahead of Vika come Monday.
Click to expand...

Why 40? She's 265 points ahead of Renka at the moment. Renka is defending 1250 points across IW & Miami, and ReRe just 250. That puts ReRe with an effective 1265 point lead over Renka, which she'd have to make up with 2,000 points on the table.

Renka is currently The Unbeatable One, so it's reasonable to assume she will win both touranments :)twisted:). Even so, all ReRe has to do is get more than 735 points over the two tournaments - that's just a Final or two semi finals...
 
volleyandfun

volleyandfun

Hall of Fame
Relinquis said:
game over for ana... she couldn't hold it together int eh tie break.

very close match though, stats wise and score wise.

she looks great... physically i mean. her game is missing somethign though. i dont' know what it is.
Click to expand...

what were the stats of this match?
 
Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
volleyandfun said:
what were the stats of this match?
Click to expand...

Kvitova Vs. Ivanovic...


Statistics On Service
1st Serve % 57% (48 of 84) 53% (44 of 83)
Aces 8 2
Double Faults 6 4
1st Serve Points Won 67% (32 of 48 ) 64% (28 of 44)
2nd Serve Points Won 47% (17 of 36) 41% (16 of 39)
Statistics On Return
BreakPoints Conversion 45% (5 of 11) 25% (4 of 16)
Return Points Won 47% (39 of 83) 42% (35 of 84)
Statistics On Points
Total Points Won 88 79

Score: 7-5 , 7-6 (7-1)

This is from match stats website. i think the stats they showed on TV were closer. The key issue is break points conversion (and double faults). Mental toughness issue?
 
Duncan Bell

Duncan Bell

Hall of Fame
Cirstea is hitting some massive shots, painting lines. Errani had an MTO for her thigh, but Cirstea is hitting some real good winners, she's great to watch. She just double faulted to get broken, which is a real shame. She is absolutely going after every one of Errani's serves
 
Tanya

Tanya

Hall of Fame
Duncan Bell said:
Errani is so dull, just moonballing everything and waiting for Cirstea to error. 51 unforced errors from Cirstea. Amazing.
Click to expand...

Cirstea is the epitome of brainless ballbashing...when she's on it's fantastic to watch, but if she isn't....look out. Errani lucked out that she was playing someone so brainless--if Sorana was more competent (i.e. actually knew the right times to go for her winners) I have no doubt she would've taken the match in straight sets. Errani hits with less pace than Wozniacki.......

No surprise Serena withdrew, her serve was off last week so I had a hunch something was up. Sore back explains some of that imo.
 
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Relinquis

Relinquis

Hall of Fame
Errani is a solid player. He doesn't just push, she junkballs as well and is mentally strong.

Not just one kind of rally ball, she varies her spins. If she developed a good slice she would be even harder to beat.

She took care of Goerges before disposing of Cirstea. All of this with a dink topspin serve.
 
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