sportmac
Hall of Fame
Where in all of creation do you get all this information from?! If I twitted I'd get on our twitter feed.
WTA 2017. Premier 5 Wuhan & Int. Tashkent
- Thread starter NaomiKonjuhPotapova
- Start date
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Haha there's a bunch of twitter blogs I follow. Ben Rothenberg who's a tennis journo for the New York Times is particularly great.
ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
What a great coach.
Also a good insight into on-court coaching.
You can see during the MTO how aware both of them are of what Sumyk's been telling Muguruza.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Yeah she was quite unfortunate. Wuhan semifinalists get a bye to the 2R for the China Open. But this doesn't apply to Sakkari as her ranking wasn't high enough for the main draw.
So Ostapenko, Barty and Garcia will get a bye to the 2R whilst Sakkari is left in qualifying which she definitely won't be playing.
I'm sure it's not bothering her too much though as she's getting 380 ranking points and $117,000 this week
PDJ
G.O.A.T.
Fascinating. Thanks for posting.
A bit sad that a match between two reigning slam champions, and so many empty seats.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
NaomiKonjuhPotapova
G.O.A.T.
Depending on WTA finals. If Muguruza win, she will be player of the year. Likewise for Ostapenko.
Comeback: Sloane
Newcomer: CiCi Bellis.
PDJ
G.O.A.T.
Hingis must be in line for something?
Doubles pairing will be BMS/Safarova
Kerber will pick up all sorts of awards - few of them accolades....
Halep still the recepient of "So close...... Yet so far....."
ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
Impressed with the Zvonareva comeback.
This is becoming epic.
This is becoming epic.
NaomiKonjuhPotapova
G.O.A.T.
FakeEmpire
Professional
Here I was thinking "well, rough start for Alona" only to see her hit consecutive blistering returns and winners to break back. I should've known better by now.
Play is suspended to close the roof. Watch Ostapenko lose her mojo and get broken again.
Play is suspended to close the roof. Watch Ostapenko lose her mojo and get broken again.
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ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
Ostapenko is bound to get tired at some point, isn't she?
They even scheduled her to play the first semifinal today having played the last quarterfinal yesterday.
They even scheduled her to play the first semifinal today having played the last quarterfinal yesterday.
FakeEmpire
Professional
Two good serves to force a short return from Barty and Ostapenko holds.
ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
Ugh, not a good day for the girls I'm supporting.
Zvonareva retired in her semifinal and Ostapenko is probably on her way out too.
Zvonareva retired in her semifinal and Ostapenko is probably on her way out too.
FakeEmpire
Professional
Ostapenko looking really deflated out there. Barty is not making it easy, mixing her game nicely and not allowing Ostapenko to gain any sort of rhythm, but the tiredness seems to be getting to her. I didn't like Penko's attitude towards Garrigues at all, though.
PDJ
G.O.A.T.
NothingButNet
Semi-Pro
Alona's out with a whimper and a bagel
Ashleigh literally gave her a run for her money - she returned better than Muguruza IMO and the court craft is top-tier. Repeated deep, low CC slices that Ostapenko handled well but eventually tired her out. Too many back-to-back three setters took a toll.
Was clear that the way Barty was playing, it would've taken wayyy too much to go through in three, hence the hint at retiring at 0-3 down in the second.
Probably have the last laugh though - should be fresh for Beijing and with the Korea title and a No.1 scalp in the last week, she should be even more full of confidence, if that's at all possible.
Ashleigh literally gave her a run for her money - she returned better than Muguruza IMO and the court craft is top-tier. Repeated deep, low CC slices that Ostapenko handled well but eventually tired her out. Too many back-to-back three setters took a toll.
Was clear that the way Barty was playing, it would've taken wayyy too much to go through in three, hence the hint at retiring at 0-3 down in the second.
Probably have the last laugh though - should be fresh for Beijing and with the Korea title and a No.1 scalp in the last week, she should be even more full of confidence, if that's at all possible.
ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
Yeah, I was sort of expecting this result.
I was more surprised Zvonareva lost.
I was more surprised Zvonareva lost.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Can't believe I missed the Barty match but my goodness, a 3rd top 10 win for the week (4th top 20) and she's into her first Premier 5 final.
I'm ecstatic!!
I'm ecstatic!!
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Barty now up to a new career high of #23 in the live rankings. She is just 1 spot and 100 points behind being the Aussie #1 female which is currently Gavrilova (who only dethroned Stosur from the reign a few months ago after Sam held it for like 10 years).
She's also due to play her doubles SF in an hour or so with Dellacqua. Barty truly is amazing, glad so many are now able to take notice
She's also due to play her doubles SF in an hour or so with Dellacqua. Barty truly is amazing, glad so many are now able to take notice
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Barty's run so far:
Ranked #39 Bellis - 7-5 6-0
5th seed and ranked #7 Konta- 6-0 4-6 7-6
9th seed and ranked #13 Radwanska - 4-6 6-0 6-4
3rd seed and ranked #4 Pliskova - 4-6 7-6 7-6
#8 seed and ranked #10 Ostapenko - 6-3 6-0
Bagelled everyone but Pliskova. All top 40 wins. 4 straight top 15 wins.
Ranked #39 Bellis - 7-5 6-0
5th seed and ranked #7 Konta- 6-0 4-6 7-6
9th seed and ranked #13 Radwanska - 4-6 6-0 6-4
3rd seed and ranked #4 Pliskova - 4-6 7-6 7-6
#8 seed and ranked #10 Ostapenko - 6-3 6-0
Bagelled everyone but Pliskova. All top 40 wins. 4 straight top 15 wins.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Insane run. If she wins the title that's got to be one of the best runs to a title in a while. Maybe the best since Bencic won the 2015 Rogers Cup where she played and beat only slam finalists/champs en route to the title (played Bouchard, Wozniacki, Lisicki, Ivanovic, Serena and Halep).
ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
Great run but we also have to look at context/circumstances. It is the Asian swing (where almost anything can happen), many players are either injured or just not that interested, and those who have already qualified for the WTF (half of the top 10) are more afraid of picking up injuries than willing to go out there and win tournaments at this stage. Having said that, Barty did exactly what a player in her position - and her ability - should be doing. Let's see if she can win this tournament.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Garcia continues her fine form and beats Sakkari in straight sets. Into her first Premier 5 final.
Means we have a Barty v Garcia final which I believe is a damn good Premier 5 final.
Means we have a Barty v Garcia final which I believe is a damn good Premier 5 final.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Oh come on. These sorts of posts just take credit away. Players weren't holding back and handing this on a platter. I didn't see any players worrying about an injury and retiring. Pliskova fought her heart out for that match yesterday. Saved triple MP and played an absolute thriller. I can't speak for the Ostapenko match but to say we have to look at the circumstances of this all is a cop out. This isn't some measly International or Premier tournament, it's a Premier 5. I'm sure they all wanted to win it badly and their efforts show that.
And I disagree that the Asian swing is where anything can happen. This Premier 5 tournament and then the Premier Mandatory China Open have only been won by big names in recent years; Kvitova, Radwanska, Muguruza, Venus and Sharapova.
Take a look at earlier this year, who won the Premier Mandatory Indian Wells? Freaking Vesnina.
If Barty had beaten just one top 10 player en route to the final then sure maybe I'd agree but she's beat 3! That's unbelievably rare. Madison Keys didn't face a single top 10 player to reach the US Open final... Barty faces 3 and she still can't get full credit.
Sorry but just sick of the crap here.
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ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
Hey, I congratulated her. But at this point she's no "greater" than a Vesnina.
Granted, she's younger, but sorry, we've been excited for too many players (young ones at that) too many times in the last few years for me to start describing her as "amazing".
I understand she's your countrywoman, and that some hyperbole is absolutely natural in these cases, but you shouldn't expect me to be as excited about her prospects as you are.
I quite like her style of play, but I'm not yet convinced it's consistent enough at this point. I think we'll have a better sense of what her tennis can develop into next season.
PDJ
G.O.A.T.
It's certainly good for Garcia and Barty
FakeEmpire
Professional
I think you're moving the goalposts here. He wasn't asking you to share his enthusiasm about her future prospects. He was merely stating that she had an impressive run at this particular tournament (and that's undeniable - damn, you even agreed with that) and your response was to put an asterisk on it. You're being no different from the hordes who dismiss Graf's achievements, because Seles was stabbed, or who lambast Nadal for winning USO without having to play against the top crop (newsflash people - if they weren't good enough to beat lower ranked players, chances are they wouldn't have beaten Nadal too). The principle behind it is just the same. So yeah, you've congratulated her only to diminish her results right after. The way I see it, you either agree it's a good run, with the caveat that you're still not sure about her overall consistency, or you just plainly say that this run isn't as impressive as it is made out to be. That passive-aggressive approach, though, is unbecoming of you.
Not to mention your arguments are as solid as a sand castle. You've injured players all year long (right, this is the tail end of the season and, as such, the probability may be higher, but it isn't a sure thing - besides that, they all more or less went through the same wear and tear) and basically all tournaments taking place right before a big competition may be taken as an example of occasions where most players are afraid to give their all, in order to avoid unwanted injuries.
All in all, stop being a buzzkill, man. I know you like it, but give it a rest.
PDJ
G.O.A.T.
That seems a very long winded way of saying ........I think you're moving the goalposts here. He wasn't asking you to share his enthusiasm about her future prospects. He was merely stating that she had an impressive run at this particular tournament (and that's undeniable - damn, you even agreed with that) and your response was to put an asterisk on it. You're being no different from the hordes who dismiss Graf's achievements, because Seles was stabbed, or who lambast Nadal for winning USO without having to play against the top crop (newsflash people - if they weren't good enough to beat lower ranked players, chances are they wouldn't have beaten Nadal too). The principle behind it is just the same. So yeah, you've congratulated her only to diminish her results right after. The way I see it, you either agree it's a good run, with the caveat that you're still not sure about her overall consistency, or you just plainly say that this run isn't as impressive as it is made out to be. That passive-aggressive approach, though, is unbecoming of you.
Not to mention your arguments are as solid as a sand castle. You've injured players all year long (right, this is the tail end of the season and, as such, the probability may be higher, but it isn't a sure thing - besides that, they all more or less went through the same wear and tear) and basically all tournaments taking place right before a big competition may be taken as an example of occasions where most players are afraid to give their all, in order to avoid unwanted injuries.
All in all, stop being a buzzkill, man. I know you like it, but give it a rest.
We get it, you're cheerful.
ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
I think you're moving the goalposts here. He wasn't asking you to share his enthusiasm about her future prospects. He was merely stating that she had an impressive run at this particular tournament (and that's undeniable - damn, you even agreed with that) and your response was to put an asterisk on it. You're being no different from the hordes who dismiss Graf's achievements, because Seles was stabbed, or who lambast Nadal for winning USO without having to play against the top crop (newsflash people - if they weren't good enough to beat lower ranked players, chances are they wouldn't have beaten Nadal too). The principle behind it is just the same. So yeah, you've congratulated her only to diminish her results right after. The way I see it, you either agree it's a good run, with the caveat that you're still not sure about her overall consistency, or you just plainly say that this run isn't as impressive as it is made out to be. That passive-aggressive approach, though, is unbecoming of you.
Not to mention your arguments are as solid as a sand castle. You've injured players all year long (right, this is the tail end of the season and, as such, the probability may be higher, but it isn't a sure thing - besides that, they all more or less went through the same wear and tear) and basically all tournaments taking place right before a big competition may be taken as an example of occasions where most players are afraid to give their all, in order to avoid unwanted injuries.
All in all, stop being a buzzkill, man. I know you like it, but give it a rest.
You can have a good run with things going your way. It happens most of the time, in fact.
Most champions need some degree of luck, unless of course you're Nadal at Roland-Garros or Sampras/Federer at Wimbledon.
Regarding the bolded section, I say both. I don't have to adhere to your dichotomy. It's a good run that isn't as impressive as it could be (like many other runs).
Does that change anything on paper? Not at all.
Does Seles being injured change anything on paper in terms of Graf's achievements? Not at all. Would Graf's accomplishments have been even more impressive if she'd had Seles as a full-time rival and still managed to concoct a career like hers? Absolutely.
Saying "freaking Vesnina" and in the same breath talking about "amazing Barty" - because one is a fellow countrywoman and the other isn't, because one is younger than the other and seems to "promise" more - is perfectly understandable, as I mentioned before, but only if you have a certain bias. A bias that I think is understandable, I'm not disputing the fact that bias is an integral part of sports and fandom. I don't see a problem there at all.
However, as I'm sure Aussie_Darcy doesn't want to be misapprehended as an overreacting Orville (I just made this one up), I sure as hell don't want to be misconstrued as the opposite, a "buzzkill", just because my approach in these matters is on the cautious side. I wouldn't be quite ready yet to say "Barty is the next GOAT" (https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...rty-is-the-next-federer.600765/#post-11665925).
What you see as "passive-aggressive" behaviour might just be the expression of doubt or ambiguity. Something that is very rarely expressed when people are engaged in debate.
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SpecialGunpowder
Rookie
Looking forward to this final tomorrow. Great week for both players.
gogo
Legend
And then there's this.
Ostapenko is a brat. I love her aggressive sytle, but her rudeness overshadows that.
Tennis_dude101
Professional
Go Ash! One more please....
ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
It turns out Zvonareva lost (retired) to something of a peak Bondarenko, as she took the final in straights against Babos.
If that's the case, I can't be too disappointed.
If that's the case, I can't be too disappointed.
Sysyphus
Talk Tennis Guru
The Barty comeback story continues to unfold. She hasn't suddenly blown up this week either, but has been consistently outpacing reasonable expectation ever since her return to the game. Fun to follow.
Garcia's going to put up obstinate opposition here, though. Ash gets out of a hard-fought opening game.
Garcia's going to put up obstinate opposition here, though. Ash gets out of a hard-fought opening game.
SpecialGunpowder
Rookie
Well fought from Ash in that first set. Caro being a headcase and barely getting a first serve in at just the wrong time...
ScentOfDefeat
G.O.A.T.
What's impressed me the most about Barty is the quality of her groundstrokes.
She can more than hold her own from the baseline against these ball-bashers.
She can more than hold her own from the baseline against these ball-bashers.
I Am Finnish
Bionic Poster
Barty epic run is coming to an end i hope she can keep this up but she might be tired pulling out in Beijing is possible
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
???Maria looks pooped already. Meldonium is REAL!!!
I Am Finnish
Bionic Poster
Sharapova gets her revenge & wins with 7-6 5-7 7-6
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
Where?????? Beijing???? 3hr+ match, stick a fork in her, she is done
I Am Finnish
Bionic Poster
Beijing
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