2019 WTA Dubai - Premier 5

[spystud]

Starts in a little over 7 hours. TC has coverage here in the States at 2:00a Central.

56-player field, 8 R1 byes.

Draw pdf

Naomi/Petra/Simona/Karolina/Angie/Bertens/Sabalenka are the top 8 with byes.

Garbine v. Yastremska & Caroline v. Sam are a couple interesting R1 matches.

Wednesday OoP

 

[fundrazer]

Gonna be a 1 and done tournament for Mugu unfortunately.

 

[spystud]

Pretty sure Garbine was favored when I looked earlier, now she’s +120. That’s a lot of $ on Dayana.

 

[elkwood]

Wonder how far Halep will get in this one.

 

[spystud]

Kiki up 4-1 in front of maybe 11 fans.

 

[spystud]

Double breadstick for Kiki.

 

[PeteD]

Kasatkina. FInally.

 

[fundrazer]

Hmm. Looks like Mugu's normal physio is back.

Match starting now.

 

[fundrazer]

Relatively sloppy match from both girls, although the same was true for the first set of their last meeting.

On a totally unrelated note, I like this shade of blue that the ballkids are wearing.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

LMAO, Halep has already split from her new coach who she stole from Goffin at the Australian Open. The reason cited was ‘a lack of chemistry’.

 

[fundrazer]

Statline for the Mugu Yastremska match was god awful, but Mugu pulled through which is good...

I don't think she's ready to beat Svitolina in their potential 3rd round match though...

 

[AM75]

Kasatkina. FInally.

She didn't improve a bit since the last year, her serve is horrible, and she turned from the entertaining player she was last year into a boring moonballer, which is a pity. It also looks like she's not happy to be on court.

 

[Mainad]

LMAO, Halep has already split from her new coach who she stole from Goffin at the Australian Open. The reason cited was ‘a lack of chemistry’.

What is it with the women and their coaches?

 

[PeteD]

She didn't improve a bit since the last year, her serve is horrible, and she turned from the entertaining player she was last year into a boring moonballer, which is a pity. It also looks like she's not happy to be on court.

Agreed. What's wrong? No coach present. Coach issue as in Osaka?

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

@Aussie Darcy

What is it with the women and their coaches?

Situation not the same for Halep. Believe that she would've loved to have continued her partnership with Cahill. It was his decision to spend more time with family for the next year or so.

Halep's partnership with Van C was set up on a trial basis for Doha & Dubai. Didn't sound like it was working for either of them. Van C, in the French press, indicated that he didn't really have the right tools (skill set) for Halep's needs.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Wonder how far Halep will get in this one.

If she's in good health, I'd expect her make SF or better. Who is in her quarter of the draw?
.

 

[Midaso240]

LMAO, Halep has already split from her new coach who she stole from Goffin at the Australian Open. The reason cited was ‘a lack of chemistry’.

Maybe she should get Sascha Bajin? Will be very interested to see how Osaka plays after the recent drama...

 

[Aussie Darcy]

What is it with the women and their coaches?

Something weird happened between Osaka and Sascha. The fact she came out today saying it's not money and that they weren't working well in Melbourne and said something like "you'll have to ask him" seems bizarre.

As for Halep and Cahill, as System said, she would've continued but he wanted to be with his kids as they are going into high school and such. This split though is pretty poor, I mean she made the Doha final. Like yes she lost to unseeded Mertens but she beat Svitolina for the first time in almost two years which was great.

 

[spystud]

Naomi basically said she doesn’t like Sascha as a person, her comments were impressive.

 

[Mainad]

Something weird happened between Osaka and Sascha. The fact she came out today saying it's not money and that they weren't working well in Melbourne and said something like "you'll have to ask him" seems bizarre.

Yet she went ahead and won the Australian Open? If only all coaching relationships weren't working that well!

As for Halep and Cahill, as System said, she would've continued but he wanted to be with his kids as they are going into high school and such. This split though is pretty poor, I mean she made the Doha final. Like yes she lost to unseeded Mertens but she beat Svitolina for the first time in almost two years which was great.

Kinda reminds me of Sharapova firing Connors after just 1 match!

 

[Mainad]

Naomi basically said she doesn’t like Sascha as a person, her comments were impressive.

So she went and won TWO consecutive Slams just to spite him?

 

[spystud]

Kiki up 4-1 in front of maybe 11 fans.

I think those same 11 showed up for this Vekic/Jabeur match.

So she went and won TWO consecutive Slams just to spite him?

Read her quotes, they’re pretty telling.

 

[Mainad]

Read her quotes, they’re pretty telling.

As I said elsewhere, I just hope it doesn't come back to bite her.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Halep vs. Bouchard in 2nd round!

 

[PDJ]

CSN cruising against Strykova. Leads H2H 8-1!
Ostapenkoflop..... flopped.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Bouchard/Kenin down a break in doubles 1st set!

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1097477483757268992

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

LMAO, Halep has already split from her new coach who she stole from Goffin at the Australian Open. The reason cited was ‘a lack of chemistry’.

They all need to learn from Muguruza and Sumyk.... that's a wild one.

 

[AM75]

Agreed. What's wrong? No coach present. Coach issue as in Osaka?

Probably she & her brother know better than her (ex?)coach. I hope still that they didn't part ways, they seemed to work well together.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1097477483757268992

This is why I love the doubles pairing of Zhang/Stosur. Both wonderful, respectful ladies. Many others on tour could learn.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

They all need to learn from Muguruza and Sumyk.... that's a wild one.

Lmao, the only one that SHOULD split up but doesn’t.

Pat Cash should stop wasting his time on Coco too.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

... This split though is pretty poor, I mean she made the Doha final. Like yes she lost to unseeded Mertens but she beat Svitolina for the first time in almost two years which was great.

Very good match against Goerges as well (valiant effort by Julia G in fighting back). Mertens, to her credit, had a great week at Doha. Beat lefty Pliskova in 2R and then 3 seeds, in order: Bertens (5), Kerber (3) & Halep (1).

Seems like English was part of the problem between Van Cleemput & Halep.
A bit more than that tho. Translation of what Van Cleemput had to say:

Belgian Thierry Van Cleemput , former coach of David Goffin, reacted in the press in his home country after announcing that he would not continue collaborating with Simona Halep :

"It all went well in Doha, & she is a great champion & a top person. But it does not match my style. I could not help her. I asked for a probation period in Bucharest & another trial period during the Doha tournament.Everything went well, but, as I said, I could not help her, & I'm not afraid to say that. I can not offer things I do not know or I do not know how to do them. "

Thierry Van Cleemput: "It was a mistake to continue, we were hard to communicate, English was a problem"

https://www.gsp.ro/sporturi/tenis/t...-ajut-era-o-greseala-sa-continuam-560253.html
.

 

[spystud]

Caro withdraws.

Elise followed up her title with a loss.

Julia out in straights to Riske.

 

[spystud]

Strictly by betting #s, 7 of 10 dogs have won so far today.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Lmao, the only one that SHOULD split up but doesn’t.

Pat Cash should stop wasting his time on Coco too.

Pat Cash should coach Taylor Townsend who's natural S&V.

 

[elkwood]

If she's in good health, I'd expect her make SF or better. Who is in her quarter of the draw?
.

Aryna Sabalenka would be her quarter match up if the seeds pull thru. Osaka would be her SF match up.
If i am reading the draws right

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Aryna Sabalenka would be her quarter match up if the seeds pull thru. Osaka would be her SF match up.
If i am reading the draws right

Could be a good match with Aryna if they both get that far. Even tho' Simona is 2-0 over Aryna. Beat her in straights last year at both Cincy & Shenzhen.
.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Aryna Sabalenka would be her quarter match up if the seeds pull thru. Osaka would be her SF match up.
If i am reading the draws right

Looks right to me. At least Halep does not need to contend with Mertens again this time around. Bouchard might be her only real challenge prior to the QF. But Genie has only beaten Simona once -- on the W grass way back in 2014. GB was at the peak of her powers in 2014.

Naomi O could have Garbine M or Elina S to deal with before reaching the SF round.
.

 

[spystud]

Siniakova takes the first over Petra in a breaker.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Petra wins in over 2 and a half hours.

Kasatkina loses to Kenin meaning she goes 1-5 for the year. She was the defending finalist but will fall to at least #14.

Hsieh beats Sasnovich.

Kuzmova upsets Bertens.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

I kinda expect Kuzmova beat Bertens.
She's gaining good result lately and Bertens is not good in slow HC.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Meanwhile in Budapest, an almost 40 year old Greta Arn qualifies for the main draw.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

This Jakupovic girl is good.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Naomi is going down hill and losing to Mladenovic of all people at the moment.

 

[Enceladus]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1097794599265886208

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Osaka losing to Mladenovic of all people just about sums up her poor decision to dump Sascha. Down a set and break. She better turn this round.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Naomi is going down hill and losing to Mladenovic of all people at the moment.

Mladenovic is a player that can beat and has been top players. I hoping for an upset! More drama, fire in the WTA tennis saga of Osaka!

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

And she did that. Pure bashing but yeah we're back on serve.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Luck game at love for a break but Mladenovic should win the match!

 

[Harry_Wild]

Go Kristina!