WTA week of 1/29; Linz 500 & Hua Hin 250

[spystud]

Back to the grind for the real ones.


Linz draw

Ostapenko/Alexandrova/Vekic/Mertens are top 4 with R1 byes. Kerber & Yastremska get WCs.


Hua Hin draw

This actually ain't bad for a 250 right after the Slam. Badosa/Tomljanovic/Schmiedlova/L. Fruhvirtova are some of the fun names.

 

[ScottleeSV]

I will probably get to see more of this than the Aussie Open (meaning Linz).

Burrage won her first qualifier against Arango today and will surely have a reasonable chance against Friedsam in the final qualifier. Burrage has slipped to 102 so a good run might get immediately back into the 100.

 

[spystud]

Top match will not be hard on the eyes.

And that’s a lot of Wangs.

 

[coolcamden]

Top match will not be hard on the eyes.

And that’s a lot of Wangs.

Are you gonna Wang Chung tonight?

 

[spystud]

There might be 11 people watching this match. Maybe.

 

[spystud]

This Hua Hin court is tough.

 

[ScentOfDefeat]

The pink is too light and offers no contrast, one can barely see the ball.
Definitely a tough watch.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Top seed Linette bounced in the first round to Shanider.

Now her SFist points are gone from the Aus Open, watch Linette plummet even more down the rankings.

 

[Larry Duff]

Boulter with a big win.

 

[ScottleeSV]

Wow, a rare good day for the Brits. Boulter annihilates Paolini to reach the last 16. Burrage qualifies for the main draw and is currently one round behind. I like this new 500. Or at least, I don't remember it being here after Melbourne before.

Edit - Burrage's win pulls her back into the top 100 at no 97 provisionally.

 

[Purestriker]

The pink is too light and offers no contrast, one can barely see the ball.
Definitely a tough watch.

Yes, that court is painful on the eyes.

 

[spystud]

Paula won, that’s a good thing.

 

[HarveyPitnik]

Wow, a rare good day for the Brits. Boulter annihilates Paolini to reach the last 16. Burrage qualifies for the main draw and is currently one round behind. I like this new 500. Or at least, I don't remember it being here after Melbourne before.

Edit - Burrage's win pulls her back into the top 100 at no 97 provisionally.

Linz has been in the WTA schedule for a very long time but this is strange time for it. Anyway glad that even that tournament is not replaced with some tournament in China.
There is a slight possibility that I underrate Paolini, so I actually expected Boulter to beat her!
Good for Jodie. She pulls some strings of mine...

Paula won, that’s a good thing.

Sure. But quite a struggle against WTA-rank. 298!?

 

[Gizo]

Boulter winning tour level matches on a more frequent basis, especially outside the UK, is great to see. I wanted her to consolidate her place in the top 100, and now she is closer to a top 50 place.

She hit 23 winners today against Paolini. I've always thought that 'indoors' (provided the court is not too slow like it was IMO at the YEC in Singapore) is the best environment for women's tennis.

A pretty hilarious result in Hua Hin between Galfi and Tomljanovic. Tomljanovic getting in a with special ranking, withdrawing, then receiving a wildcard and winning 3 games was quite an interesting sequence of events.

​

 

[spystud]

There might be 11 people watching this match. Maybe.

I think we have fewer today. It will never cease to amaze me how these baby tourneys survive.

 

[spystud]

I will have to say Anastasia Tikhonova Is a new name to me, playing Linda F now.

 

[spystud]

Linda killed that nobody.

Arina Rodionova is also playing well.

 

[ScottleeSV]

Did not expect 4 and 0 for Burrage over the world number 46.

 

[Gizo]

Did not expect 4 and 0 for Burrage over the world number 46.

That’s even more pleasing to me than Boutler’s win yesterday.

Tour level main draw wins by Burrage are still not a common occurrence - I think this is the 5th one of her career outside the UK - with 2 of them coming last year against Ankita Raina (who I became friends with and a supporter of after meeting and speaking to her in person at at a challenger - she was honoured that I knew who she was !).

Burrage’s recent nemesis Tamara Korpatsch losing in qualifying was also a boost for her !

I think Gracheva today hit 30 UEs compared to 12 winners. She may potentially soon lose a lot of her ranking points picked up from Austin, Indian Wells and Miami last year.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Are there two WTA players with less personality than Tauson and Giorgi? Poker faces.

 

[ScottleeSV]

Bit of a shocker for Kerber today. I know it's still early days but how likely it is she can get anywhere near where she was before?

 

[JJGUY]

where is Emma R.? The event like Hua Hin is a perfect tournament for her to get back into the game, a variety of players, not too hard but also not too easy, some tough girls in the draw too, she needs to learn how to win 2+ matches in a row, what's the point of getting a wildcard at premiere events if she can't win 2 matches?

 

[Aussie Darcy]

where is Emma R.? The event like Hua Hin is a perfect tournament for her to get back into the game, a variety of players, not too hard but also not too easy, some tough girls in the draw too, she needs to learn how to win 2+ matches in a row, what's the point of getting a wildcard at premiere events if she can't win 2 matches?

Yeah these are the types of events where players like Osaka and Raducanu and Kerber (who did play) should be playing. Not hanging for the big tournaments hoping to have a big run. Smarter play would be to get some match play after long periods of tour.

It did well for Svitolina who played some ITF's and a 125k and then won Strasbourg 250 after she came back and then went on a great run at the French Open.

 

[spystud]

Galfi up a break on one of the 19 Wangs.

 

[spystud]

And she takes the opener. 14 people may care in the stands.

 

[spystud]

Damn, Galfi won in almost 3 hours.

 

[slipgrip93]

wow, Badosa approaching the net? well, nice to see these new plays from her. Schneider a young big hitter. Good luck to Badosa on her recovery tour.

 

[ScottleeSV]

Burrage into the quarters. That's surely her first ever quarter final at a 500. Provisionally 87th.

 

[coolcamden]

wow, Badosa approaching the net? well, nice to see these new plays from her. Schneider a young big hitter. Good luck to Badosa on her recovery tour.

Who won?

 

[spystud]

Paula retired in the second.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Pavs and Boulter now. Good match.

 

[spystud]

Pavs lives to play another day.

 

[spystud]

We have slightly less yellow Volynets against slightly more yellow Maria on this awful court.

 

[spystud]

2 & 2 for Zhu over Linda F. in Thailand.

1 & 1 for Donna over Dayana in Austria.

 

[spystud]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1753154773744779349

Not sure I’ve ever heard her name pronounced that way.

 

[spystud]

Damn, they were always showing men’s when I checked.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1753194826198396939

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Bella Donna opened a bakery!!!!! She hadn't been playing very well. I always root for this classy lady.

 

[coolcamden]

We have slightly less yellow Volynets against slightly more yellow Maria on this awful court.

Maria slices on both wings more than the 3.5 queens at the local rec courts.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Arina Rodionova on Monday will become the oldest woman to ever make her top 100 debut in the WTA rankings.

34 years of age and after 15 years on tour she'll crack into the top 100 following her run to the QF's in Hua Hin this week.

She takes on defending champ and #2 seed Zhu Lin tonight for a SF spot but her debut is already guarenteed.

Incredible stuff.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Maria slices on both wings more than the 3.5 queens at the local rec courts.

Yeah, interesting player. She does occasionally hit a hard topspin forehand though. At 36 she's a step slow.

 

[coolcamden]

Yeah, interesting player. She does occasionally hit a hard topspin forehand though. At 36 she's a step slow.

Yeah. I can’t even imagine being someone like her. 36 years old, he best stuff is behind her, she has 2 kids yet travel all the way from Germany to Thailand to play in a 250. So much dedication and… fanatical?

 

[spystud]

Yulia going with the shorts/long sleeve shirt/hat combo against Xinyu Wang.

 

[Larry Duff]

Osty handles a slightly injured Jodie Burrage easily.

 

[spystud]

6 of 8 straight-setters today, including all 4 in Linz.

 

[spystud]

Semis ain’t terrible, except for the times.

 

[coolcamden]

I swear, I don’t know where and how they found these on-court interviewers, but THEY ARE ALL cringe af. Not just these tournaments, all tournaments.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Arina Rodionova on Monday will become the oldest woman to ever make her top 100 debut in the WTA rankings.

34 years of age and after 15 years on tour she'll crack into the top 100 following her run to the QF's in Hua Hin this week.

She takes on defending champ and #2 seed Zhu Lin tonight for a SF spot but her debut is already guarenteed.

Incredible stuff.

Kasatkina told in her youtube that Ariana played a lot and has more winning than Iga last year. Commitment!

 

[ScottleeSV]

Linz has two really decent semis today.

 

[ScentOfDefeat]

Anyone know why Vekic always wears long sleeves, indoors and outdoors?

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Anyone know why Vekic always wears long sleeves, indoors and outdoors?

Not sure. Always stylish though.