WTA week of 5/19; Strasbourg 500 & Rabat 250

[spystud]

Two more until the Slam. Play begins Sunday morning for both.


Strasbourg draw

Vondrousova/Haddad Maia/Collins/Keys get byes. Dani should withdraw.

Navarro is gonna have to hustle from Paris.


Rabat draw

Not a lot to say here, it's your typical 250 right before a big one.

SST v. Dart & Stearns against a qualifier in R1.

 

[spystud]

Sunday’s main draw action.

 

[spystud]

Dart won 2 games, Townsend quit after 2 games.

Leylah & Kalinina won in 3.

 

[spystud]

Burel with the WTA-special over Karolina. 7-5, 0-6, 6-1

Elina up a set on Parry.

 

[spystud]

Darkness ends Sunday with Elina up 4-2.

 

[spystud]

Shnaider beat Navarro in 3 to win Paris.

 

[coolcamden]

What’s up with Emma?

 

[spystud]

Playing everything she can to qualify for Paris. Probably worn the blank out.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Strasbourg got a promotion to a 500? That's fun.

I always liked this tournament, Aussies have done well there. Stosur won in 2015 and 2017 with Saville being the runner up in 2017 too.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Danimal didn't withdraw from Strasbourg, hopefully she'll not gass out in FO.

Will be tough for Emma to pass Madison with 500 points diff.
JPeg and Madison competed at Oly before, Danimal and CG will be first.

 

[spystud]

Sorana & Yulia are both at the bar, they gave very little effort.

 

[spystud]

Damn, that last name is long.

 

[flyingboris]

Slam Stephens still nowhere to be found, losing 6-3 6-3 to Frech in Strasbourg.

 

[spystud]

Damn, Navarro smoked Cornet in 78 minutes right after the 125 3-setter.

 

[coolcamden]

Samsonova led 5-2 in the 2nd set, yet lost the script and had to win 6-4 in the 3rd.

 

[robyrolfo]

What’s up with Emma?

I suspect the clay is both unfamiliar to her, and not a great surface for her game.

Damn, Navarro smoked Cornet in 78 minutes right after the 125 3-setter.

Crazy how far off Cornet has dropped. I know this is her farewell tour, and so nothing is expected, but she's usually good for a little run here or there. I expect her to be giving the hypothetical 110% at her last French Open, though.

 

[spystud]

Guess rain screwed everything up in Strasbourg today.

Samsonova about to beat Leylah, Kalinina v. Ferro next.

 

[spystud]

They even postponed the second match. Gonna be plenty of walkovers if players have to start doubling up.

 

[spystud]

BHM up a set & game on Navarro.

 

[spystud]

Keys drilled one of the 17 Wangs.

 

[spystud]

BHM handles Navarro in straights.

 

[spystud]

Peyton beat a Wang in Rabat.

Elina lost to Burel, Dani beat Siniakova in France.

 

[spystud]

Thursday

 

[tennis4me]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1793385872337064311

 

[zvelf]

Bronzetti led Stearns 5-0 in the final set before Stearns came back to win 7 games in a row to take the match 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

 

[spystud]

Early break for Dani.

 

[spystud]

Samsonova v. Keys in one Strasbourg semi.

Easy day for Dani, 1 & 3.

Vondrousova/Kalinina postponed, winner will have to play twice.

 

[coolcamden]

Samsonova is looking great.

 

[spystud]

5 & 5 for Rakhimova over Cocciaretto in Rabat to end the day.

 

[spystud]

Vondrousova v. Kalinina underway early.

 

[spystud]

Ha, playing 3. Bet the winner bails on SF.

 

[spystud]

Kalinina won.

Peyton underway against Tomova in Rabat

 

[spystud]

 

[spystud]

Peyton, this isn’t college, retire that dumbsh*t drop shot.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Jesus, is the Dani Collins train ever gonna stop? This is just crazy.

She’ll now be back in the top 10 after Strasbourg and is very firmly at #4 in the race rankings. French Open watch out for Danimal.

 

[spystud]

Breaker for Peyton/Tomova, both are playing pretty awful.

 

[spystud]

Tomova takes the set, that was not pretty.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Kalinina has to play two matches today, and the second against Collins. Bummer.

 

[spystud]

Damn, Bill is just tuning in.

 

[spystud]

More rain in France.

Peyton trying to lose another 3-setter.

 

[spystud]

5-all with Peyton. Whatever.

 

[spystud]

Hey, she won.

STE - TOM | Peyton Stearns - Viktoriya Tomova

www.flashscore.com

 

[marc45]

3:50

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Damn, Bill is just tuning in.

Been lurking and watching some matches.

 

[spystud]

Sherif v. Stearns for the Rabat title. Will Peyton have anything left for her maiden victory?

Dani v. Keys in Strasbourg starts two hours later.

 

[ScentOfDefeat]

Keys absolutely destroyed Collins.
Fun.

 

[tennis4me]

Collins got smoked by Keys 6-1,6-2.
Only caught the tail end of the match. Keys hitting winners left and right on return of serve, rallies. It almost looked like Collins tanked the match. There were a few very awkward misses, movements or exaggerated moves that reminded me of Djokovic, when he is doing his weird gumby-like moves.

But, I guess when Keys is on, she can smoke most people.

 

[HBK4life]

Keys absolutely destroyed Collins.
Fun.

Ha!

 

[D-Lite]

Collins got smoked by Keys 6-1,6-2.
Only caught the tail end of the match. Keys hitting winners left and right on return of serve, rallies. It almost looked like Collins tanked the match. There were a few very awkward misses, movements or exaggerated moves that reminded me of Djokovic, when he is doing his weird gumby-like moves.

But, I guess when Keys is on, she can smoke most people.

Could be Keys vs Sabalenka in the R4 of RG. Only other notable players in that 1/8 are Stephens and Badosa and both are hard to predict but Sabalenka seems so clutch nowadays especially at 1000 and majors.

Keys is 29 now. Many players have won their first major on the WTA side at this point in their career. She's never seemingly been able to reign in her power when it matters. A slight bit of tightness and she's a loose canon. I wouldn't hate seeing her win a major but ideally some consistent form before/after would be nice so it's not just a straight up flash in the pan. I doubt this will happen, but as you said she can take anyone out on her day. There are 3-4 players I still think would have a game to find a way past her even when she's red hot.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Keys turned up for her once in a blue moon tournament. Always there, usually at a 500, always able to put up a good dominant show, just can’t be damn consistent enough to win a slam or actually get back to the top.