WTA weeks of 03/08 - 03/19: Indian Wells (1000)

[bluetrain4]

First time in a while we have a very clear upper tier in Rybakina, Sabalenka, and Iga - a tier of players for whom getting upset early would genuinely seem like a big deal. Iga was already there, but I think the other two solidified their positions this week. Like Pegula is No. 3, but no one would be shocked if she lost early - which she almost did a couple times this week. Sakkari has a big "on" game and can go stretches looking like she belongs at the top, but, again, nobody is surprised when she loses early because of her inconsistency.

 

[insideguy]

First time in a while we have a very clear upper tier in Rybakina, Sabalenka, and Iga - a tier of players for whom getting upset early would genuinely seem like a big deal. Iga was already there, but I think the other two solidified their positions this week. Like Pegula is No. 3, but no one would be shocked if she lost early - which she almost did a couple times this week. Sakkari has a big "on" game and can go stretches looking like she belongs at the top, but, again, nobody is surprised when she loses early because of her inconsistency.

Pegula rarely loses early.

 

[bluetrain4]

Pegula rarely loses early.

I know, but I still wouldn't be shocked or feel that it was a huge deal like if Iga bowed out unexpectedly.

 

[insideguy]

I know, but I still wouldn't be shocked or feel that it was a huge deal like if Iga bowed out unexpectedly.

It kind of would be. She isnt great we know that. But she is very consistent and can deal with 90 percent of the tour day in day out. She isnt a big hitter, but she is very consistent off both wings, and has a decent serve. She would have to run into some top 30 player in the early rounds, who is having a lights out day. Or maybe someone who has been off the tour for a bit and is good but has a low ranking.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Osaka, Andreescu, and Swiatek won US Open following IW. Can Rybak do the same?

 

[robyrolfo]

Love Krejcikova as a player and human and her partnership with Siniakova.

Yep, they are a great team and easy to root for. Siniakova is also super easy on the eyes. Unfortunately when she plays singles, she seems to get frustrated/upset a little too easily. She could definitely learn from Krejcikove in that regard.

Good to see Rybakina come through. Mental gymnastics should never be rewarded in sports. Congrats to Sabalenka to the dumbest performance I have seen in quite a while.

I don't know why you keep using adjectives like "dumb" and "stupid" to talk about Sabalenka's performance. She completely lost her serve, which is something we haven't seen from her in a while, and that's obviously a mental issue. But the issue isn't that she is unintelligent, just that she is getting tight, or nervous, or some other sort of mental block. It happens to plenty of athletes and doesn't make them dumb.

Sabalenka is fun haha

She looks like she would be so much fun to hang out with, and probably an awesome girlfriend. But of course that's just speculation.

First time in a while we have a very clear upper tier in Rybakina, Sabalenka, and Iga - a tier of players for whom getting upset early would genuinely seem like a big deal. Iga was already there, but I think the other two solidified their positions this week. Like Pegula is No. 3, but no one would be shocked if she lost early - which she almost did a couple times this week. Sakkari has a big "on" game and can go stretches looking like she belongs at the top, but, again, nobody is surprised when she loses early because of her inconsistency.

Don't forget Krejcikova. And yes, this tournament just make it all the more clear why some rankings (cough Pegula, cough Gauff, cough, cough...) are misleading at best.

Osaka, Andreescu, and Swiatek won US Open following IW. Can Rybak do the same?

It's certainly possible. But thinking about this final, a lot of those games (and especially the tiebreak) were essentially a coin toss. Both of them hitting hard, and throwing in a lot of errors, it just seems like the outcome is totally unpredictable. And if Sabalenka didn't have her serve issues, she very well could have taken this one as well.