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Post by bangkokbobby on May 23, 2016 23:22:33 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep Open Roland Garros 2016 Campaigns With WinsGarbine Muguruza Two players looking to make their mark at Roland Garros 2016 won the first of a necessary seven matches needed to claim Major glory. #4 seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain (via Venezuela) overcame 53 unforced errors in 27 games to finally put away Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia, 3-6 6-3 6-3. Muguruza has all of the talent that makes a champion and I love her aggressive play, but averaging 2 unforced errors per game will not be acceptable moving forward. Eventually, someone will make her pay for spraying so many shots, even if she also comes up with 44 winners as she did on this day. It feels like the 22-year old Mugu is on the verge of something really big. We’ll see if it comes on the terre battue this year. Simona Halep Romania’s Simona Halep had an easy go of it against Japan’s Nao Hibino, 6-2 6-0. The 6th seed Halep won six of the seven matches necessary to claim Roland Garros 2014, losing an epic final against Maria Sharapova, who isn’t in the field this year due to her meldonium suspension. There isn’t really much to extrapolate from this match going forward for Halepeno. With all due respect to the up and coming 21-year old Nao Hibino, at this stage she has nothing to bother Simona. It would take an off day from recent Madrid champion Halep to give Hibino a chance. Maybe a year or two down the line with more experience Hibino might have something for Halep. Not now. 4 GARBINE MUGURUZA d. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 3-6 6-3 6-3  6 SIMONA HALEP d. Nao Hibino, 6-2 6-0  |
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Post by bangkokbobby on May 24, 2016 22:38:43 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: Alize Cornet, Kristina Mladenovic Lead French Charge On Day 3 Of Roland Garros 2016; Eugenie Bouchard AdvancesKristina Mladenovic Allez les Bleues! Ok, technically speaking Kristina Mladenovic wasn’t sporting French Blue on day 3 of Roland Garros 2016. Nonetheless, she and Alize Cornet carry much of the hope of a women’s singles champion for the host nation (along with France’s Caroline Garcia). Mladenovic dismissed 2010 Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy, 6-2 6-4. Kiki’s win wasn’t even that close. Meanwhile, her French countrywoman Alize Cornet blew through Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens 6-1 6-0. Honestly, both of these players could cause an upset or two…but winning the whole thing? I’d give Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia more of a chance, except that she will have her hands full with Agnieszka Radwanska on day 4. But if she gets past Aga, who isn’t at her best on clay, who knows? Maybe a Frenchwoman will be the last player standing. Eugenie Bouchard From French to French-Canadian, 2014 Roland Garros semifinalist Eugenie Bouchard opened 2016 in Paris with a 6-2 6-2 win against Laura Siegemund of Germany. Genie is showing a resurgence in her game this year. Reuniting with longtime coach Nick Saviano will be a positive for Bouchard. I haven’t heard her name as a possible darkhorse (other than from the loyal Genie Army fans), but if she can catch a break or two through the draw, it’s not an impossibility that the 22-year old could make another run this year. 26 KRISTINA MLADENOVIC d. Francesca Schiavone, 6-2 6-4  ALIZE CORNET d. Kirsten Flipkens, 6-1 6-0  EUGENIE BOUCHARD d. Laura Siegemund, 6-2 6-2  |
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Post by bangkokbobby on May 25, 2016 23:28:52 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: Garbine Muguruza Into Third Round At Roland Garros 2016; Simona Halep And Naomi Osaka Set For Intriguing Match-UpGarbine Muguruza Garbine Muguruza had a tough 3-set match to open Roland Garros 2016, aiding her opponent with 53 unforced errors. The big-hitting Spaniard was much more in control of her shots in round 2 against Myrtille Georges of France, blitzing her overmatched foe, 6-2 6-0. One of Mugu’s biggest wins of her early career was beating Serena Williams at Roland Garros 2014. Gabi can win Roland Garros. This year. However, a lot of that has to do with limiting errors. She has huge weapons, so you want her to be aggressive…just not overly aggressive. If she can do that, I expect to see her late into the second week. Naomi Osaka One of the most intriguing match-ups of round 3 (for me) is Simona Halep v Naomi Osaka. The 18-year old Osaka of Japan is somebody I have on my radar. She could be a future champion at big tournaments. Naomi has been rising steadily, reaching her first WTA level final last November, achieving her highest career ranking this year and moving into the 3rd round of Major for the first time here at Roland Garros 2016. I think she has the game to give Simona Halep trouble. The question is whether Osaka will go on the court truly believing she can beat the 6th seed from Romania. If she goes out there without confidence, Simona will beat her before she knows what hit her. But if Naomi goes out there relaxed, with the knowledge that she belongs on the same court with Halep…it could get very interesting. Of course, I still pick Halep to win. I think Osaka’s time is yet to come. What I’d like to see is a great match between these two. 4 GARBINE MUGURUZA d. Myrtilles Georges, 6-2 6-0  6 SIMONA HALEP d. Zarina Diyas, 7-6 (5) 6-2   NAOMI OSAKA d. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, 6-3 6-3  |
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Post by bangkokbobby on May 26, 2016 22:15:27 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: Ana Ivanovic, Timea Bacsinszky Advance To Third Round Of Roland Garros 2016Ana Ivanovic Being completely honest, since the end of 2014 there hasn’t been much to write home about for Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic. One bright spot was last year at Roland Garros, a tournament she won in 2008, when she reached the semifinals. Maybe some of the magic of past years in Paris will help Ana use Roland Garros 2016 to jumpstart a return to form. She moves into the 3rd round with a 7-5 6-1 victory over Japan’s Kurumi Nara. It only gets tougher now as she faces 16th seed Elina Svitolina. Even if she gets by Elina, she would face the winner of Serena Williams vs Kristina Mladenovic. That seems likely to be Serena, but I’ll give Kiki a small chance for the upset playing in front of her French homeland fans. Either way, it won’t be easy for Ana to successfully defend her semifinal points from last year. Timea Bacsinszky While Ana Ivanovic fell to Lucie Safarova in last year’s Roland Garros semifinals, Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky had Serena Williams down a set before similarly losing in the semis. Timea punched her ticket to the 3rd round of Roland Garros 2016 by ousting the comebacking Eugenie Bouchard, 6-4 6-4. The 8th seeded Bacsinszky has a good chance to reach the quarters, even with Venus Williams lurking in the 4th round. Timea won on clay in Morocco at the end of April. Granted, she didn’t face a player in the top 40 at that event but with her recent seasons of resurgence it’s more important that she took the title and built momentum and confidence. 14 ANA IVANOVIC d. Kurumi Nara, 7-5 6-1  8 TIMEA BACSINSZKY d. Eugenie Bouchard, 6-4 6-4  |
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Post by bangkokbobby on May 27, 2016 22:45:02 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: American Shelby Rogers Upsets Petra Kvitova At Roland Garros 2016; Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza Advance To Fourth RoundShelby Rogers It’s rare that I am happy when one of my favorites goes down, but such is the case as 10th seed Petra Kvitova fell on day 6 of Roland Garros 2016. The reason for my joy is seeing 23-year old American Shelby Rogers, ranked 108th in the world, earn the biggest win of her WTA career. The South Carolinian, once a ballgirl at the Charleston event, took out the 2-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, 6-0 6-7 (3) 6-0. That’s right, not only did Shelby pull the upset she hung two bagels on Kvitova. In the first round, Shelby upset 17th seed Karolina Pliskova, Petra’s Czech countrywoman. Rogers will get another test in the next round against surging Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu. But forget about that, let’s allow Shelby to enjoy this wonderful accomplishment. Simona Halep Speaking of great Romanian players, the greatest one in the world right now, 6th seed Simona Halep, combined with Japan’s Naomi Osaka to give us the great match I envisioned a couple of days ago. 18-year old Osaka is going to be a great player. On this day it was Simona who would emerge triumphant, 4-6 6-2 6-3. Naomi needed to have a higher first serve percentage and commit fewer errors, but overall this was a terrific sign of things to come. Also joining Halep as a winner on day 6 was Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, who has looked stronger with each round. Mugu took down the dangerous Yanina Wickmayer, 6-3 6-0. Garbine will have her biggest test of the tournament so far coming up next against 2-time Major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. One of Sveta’s Major wins was Roland Garros 2009. Mugu will need to be at her best to advance. SHELBY ROGERS d. 10 Petra Kvitova 6-0 6-7 (3) 6-0  4 GARBINE MUGURUZA d. Yanina Wickmayer, 6-3 6-0  6 SIMONA HALEP d. Naomi Osaka, 4-6 6-2 6-3  |
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Post by bangkokbobby on May 28, 2016 13:47:25 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: Maria Sharapova At 2016 Chicago Sweets & Snacks ExpoMaria Sharapova As a fan of Maria Sharapova, I acutely feel her absence at Roland Garros 2016. Masha is a 2-time champion in Paris. Whether she ever has a chance to compete there or anywhere again is still yet to be determined. From my point of view, I Stand With Maria (#IStandWithMaria). While she awaits her day to present her case for reinstatement, Sharapova has not been idle. On May 24th, with Roland Garros underway, Masha attended the 2016 Chicago Sweets & Snacks Expo to promote her line of candies, Sugarpova. Was Masha sending a message wearing a shirt with similar stripes to the shirt she wore at Roland Garros 2015, with an image of the Eiffel Tower and a message reading Back In Five Minutes? Curiously optimistic as well as a bit cheeky on her part. In all objectivity, fandom aside, I have tried several varieties of Sugarpova and they are very good. But as tasty as her candies might be, it’s on the court that I want to see Sharapova, not at a trade expo. Hopefully, it will not be too long before we all find out her fate as a player. MARIA SHARAPOVA    |
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Post by bangkokbobby on May 28, 2016 20:33:19 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: Madison Keys Moves Into Round Of 16 At Roland Garros 2016; Kiki Bertens Continues Upset RunMadison Keys Not only is American Madison Keys my favorite active player on the WTA, I am starting to have even more confidence in her ability than I already had. Case in point, I took the risk of waiting until the end of the first week of Roland Garros 2016 to post about her. It’s similar to what I do with Serena Williams. I’m so confident in Serena’s ability to make at least the semifinals of events that I reason I can wait to post about her. I won’t go that far with Madison because as my top fave, I simply like posting about her. I just had a feeling this year she would reach the round of 16 (rd 4) for the first time in Paris. With a 7-6 (3) 6-3 win over the talented Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, Keys did just that. Maddie is coming off a runner-up finish to Serena at Rome. When she is healthy and limits unforced errors, the 21-year old Keys looks like a future Major champion. Kiki Bertens The 15th seeded Madison Keys will get no rest in the next round as she will face Kiki Bertens. The 24-year old Dutchwoman opened Roland Garros by knocking out the #3 women’s seed, Angelique Kerber. Kiki followed that up by ousting the tough Camila Giorgi. She advances to the round of 16 with an emotional 6-2 3-6 10-8 upset of 29th seed rising star Daria Kasatkina. While on paper Maddie has the advantage, when a player like Bertens is on a roll, sometimes it’s just destiny that they pull off an unexpected quarterfinal or semifinal run. Take the upsets Kiki already has pulled off plus the fact that she came into Paris after winning the title at the Nuremberg Cup and you have a player on a serious roll. KIKI BERTENS d. 29 Daria Kasatkina, 6-2 3-6 10-8   15 MADISON KEYS d. Monica Puig, 7-6 (3) 6-3   |
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Post by bangkokbobby on May 29, 2016 12:35:10 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: Garbine Muguruza, Shelby Rogers Advance To Quarterfinals Of Roland Garros 2016Garbine Muguruza I just keep getting more and more impressed by the play of Spain’s Garbine Muguruza at Roland Garros 2016. Against 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, I thought Mugu would have her campaign ended in the 4th round. Oh thee…and by thee, I mean me…of little faith! 4th seed Gabi took out the 2-time Major winning 13th seed Sveta in straight sets, 6-3 6-4 to advance to her 3rd straight Roland Garros quarterfinal. In my mind, Mugu is a bit like Madison Keys, overflowing with talent and power but just has to control her weapons. Gabi committed 30 unforced errors in her match with Kuznetsova, but she had 37 winners. Taking chances will generate errors. That’s okay as long as they are offset by winners. It’s those matches where she has 21 winners and 37 unforced errors that derail her (and Keys). So if Mugu can keep up this steady play, she is going to a tough out for anybody. Shelby Rogers Next up to try to stop the Muguruza Express will be American Shelby Rogers, who earlier in the tournament upset 2-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the 10th seed. She set a date with Garbine in the quarterfinals with a 6-3 6-4 triumph over Romania’s Irina-Camilia Begu, the 25th seed. The 108th ranked South Carolinian Rogers is, for me, the feel good story of the women’s side (along with Kiki Bertens). If anybody told you before Roland Garros 2016 started that they had Shelby Rogers in the quarterfinals, they probably are also her family members. But nonetheless, here she is with the opportunity of her tennis life. My head tells me Muguruza wins this one. My heart hopes for something else. Here is a video of Shelby showing us around her native Charleston, site of the Volvo Car Open (previously the Family Circle Cup). SHELBY ROGERS d. 25 Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-3 6-4    4 GARBINE MUGURUZA d. 13 Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 6-4    |
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 1, 2016 23:18:29 GMT -5
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 2, 2016 14:30:31 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: Kiki Bertens Surprise Roland Garros 2016 Semifinalist, Now Comes The Biggest TestKiki Bertens Ok, I definitely didn’t see this one coming. I thought Angelique Kerber, the 3rd seed, would breeze through her first round match with Kiki Bertens at Roland Garros 2016. That didn’t happen. Surely the ever mercurial, yet dangerous, Camila Giorgi would take out Kiki in the second round. Nope. Ah, rising star, possible future Major winner and 29th seed Daria Kasatkina would bring Bertens down to earth in the 3rd round. Wrong again. No problem. My favorite active player, 15th seed Madison Keys, would just have too much power in the round of 16. Incorrect. I’d have bet the house that 8th seed and 2015 Roland Garros semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky would halt the Cinderella run in the quarterfinals. I would be homeless had I done that as Kiki Bertens has improbably battled her way to the Roland Garros semifinals with a 7-5 6-2 upset of 8th seed Bacsinszky. Up next however is The Queen of Tennis. Surely, despite her run of upsets, there is no way Kiki could possibly beat the great Serena Williams. Or is there? KIKI BERTENS d. 8 Timea Bacsinszky, 7-5 6-2     |
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 3, 2016 14:08:09 GMT -5
more pics on my blog: Garbine Muguruza Reaches Roland Garros 2016 Final, Sets Up Showdown With Serena WilliamsGarbine Muguruza Although Garbine Muguruza of Spain had already won a singles and doubles title at the Hobart International, one could make the argument that the first time she moved the needle significantly in the tennis world was when she defeated American Serena Williams in the second round at Roland Garros 2014. At that time, Serena was #1 and the defending champion in Paris. Fast forward to 2016, and Mugu will get another date with Williams in the final of Roland Garros 2016. Like their previous meeting in Paris, Serena is #1 and the defending champion. Although 22-year old Gabi has all of the tools to pull another upset, it will be an even taller task this time as Williams has a way of remembering people who have beaten her before in a big match. Serena usually runs them off the court in following encounters. Mugu’s 6-2 6-4 defeat of Samantha Stosur was impressive, but Serena is going to have to show signs of being in serious decline before I pick against her. I’d love for Garbine to prove me wrong. 4 GARBINE MUGURUZA d. 21 Samantha Stosur, 6-2 6-4    |
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 3, 2016 21:27:11 GMT -5
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 4, 2016 18:14:33 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: Garbine Muguruza Wins Roland Garros 2016Garbine Muguruza So where does the talented Spaniard go from here? It’s hard to say. There have been so many “up and coming” type players over the decades. Some make it big. Some become journeywomen players. Some make a big splash and fade away. Some don’t pan out at all. Obviously, Garbine has already surpassed that last category. She’s only 20, so there’s no rush to do everything right away. If she’s just competitive the rest of this year and then maybe picks up a title or two in 2015, that would be growth. For now, a title in Hobart is a great start to what could be a successful career.I wrote the above passage in a post I made after Garbine Muguruza won the 2014 Hobart International (read it here: Tsvetana Pironkova, Garbine Muguruza First Time Champions in Sydney and Hobart). I didn’t know what Mugu would become back then. We all know now. With a powerful and emphatic 7-5 6-4 win over 21-time singles Major winner Serena Williams in the Roland Garros 2016 final, Garbine Muguruza has made it big. This was not some sloppy effort from the top seeded, #1 ranked Serena where she gave the match away. 4th seed Garbi used a complete, high-quality power attack to take this title from one of the greatest champions in sports history. Mugu’s blistering shotmaking and, more importantly, her mental toughness elicited comparisons to Maria Sharapova’s 2004 Wimbledon win over Serena. There are some similarities in their games and physiques except that I would say Mugu moves around the court far better than Masha. Garbine Muguruza There were times in this match where Serena could have turned the tables, but Garbi would not panic or succumb to nerves like so many others do against the world #1. The key game in the match to me was when Mugu was up a break 6-5 in the first set and serving to close it out. However, Serena fought to get the 12th game to 15-40 double break point in her advantage. Mugu had been up a break twice in the first set. Had she lost her second break lead to go to a 6-6 tiebreak, I think things could have gone sideways for the Spanish/Venezuelan player. I’ve seen so many players get leads against Williams only to squander them and find themselves in a tiebreak shootout where Serena’s big serve wipes them out. Mugu refused to give in, refused to crumble. She erased the break points, holding her nerves through several deuce scores to finally take the first set 7-5. Had Serena forced a first set tiebreak, I strongly believe I would be writing about her 22nd Major win in singles right now. Garbine Muguruza Instead, I’m writing about the first Major win for Garbine Muguruza. At 22-years old, barring injury or burnout, expect this to be the first of multiple Major wins for Mugu. There are a lot of young, potential future Major champions on tour like Simona Halep, Madison Keys, Belinda Bencic and Sloane Stephens, to name a few. Clearly, Mugu looks like the best of the bunch right now. If Serena is the litmus test, Garbi has the power to end points early but also the consistency to rally without getting pushed around. And this is the second straight time Garbine Muguruza has beaten Serena Williams at Roland Garros. Usually Serena is nearly invincible in rematches. I’ve seen players like Bencic, Stephens and Halep beat Serena, but in all of those matches Williams helped out a little with mistakes or injury. A great point about Mugu’s win today is that while Serena had a slight injury issue coming into the match, nobody was using it as an excuse after the match. This win had nothing to do with Williams gift wrapping it for Garbi. It had everything to do with Mugu being the best player on the court on this day. 4 GARBINE MUGURUZA d. 1 Serena Williams, 7-5 6-4           |
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 19, 2016 14:34:21 GMT -5
more pics and video on my blog: American Madison Keys Celebrates Top Ten Ascension With Title At 2016 Aegon ClassicMadison Keys I always enjoy posting about tennis. It’s my favorite sport. But sometimes there are entries that are exceedingly joyful. Count this one among those. If you’ve read even a handful of my tennis posts over the last few years, you’re probably well aware that my favorite active player is Madison Keys. The rising 21-year old American has all the physical tools to be a future world #1. Well, she’s not #1 yet, but with her semifinal win at the 2016 Aegon Classic (Birmingham, England) over Carla Suarez Navarro, she became the first American to debut in the top 10 since Serena Williams’ debut there in 1999. Also, with Serena and sister Venus currently in the top 10 already, Madison joining them will make it three American women in the top 10 for the first time since 2005. In that year, Lindsay Davenport (top 10 debut 1994) was in the top 10 along with Williams Sisters. Madison Keys It is a tremendous achievement to be counted with the top 10 players in the world, but like any other player Madison Keys wants to win titles. So it might have been a letdown to reach the top 10 and then lose the Aegon Classic final against Barbora Strycova. No worries. Maddie was too powerful and too precise with her shot-making, winning 6-3 6-4. It honestly didn’t even feel that close watching the match. The only danger Keys faced was the second game of the second set when Strycova had a few chances to break. Otherwise, Madison was mostly cruising on serve and putting pressure on Barbora’s serve. There was no sense that the pressure of the situation was getting to Keys. This was probably the calmest and most focused I’ve ever see her in a big match. She recently reached the final at Rome, where she gave a great effort against Serena. With this victory, her second career title (both on grass), Maddie has to be a real threat at Wimbledon. She reached the quarterfinals last year. Her Achilles heel has been a recurring thigh injury (her Achilles thigh?) and an occasional loss of focus. I see none of that from her now. If Maddie stays healthy and dialed in mentally she will be a tough out for anybody. 7 MADISON KEYS d. Barbora Strycova, 6-3 6-4    |
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Post by bangkokbobby on Jun 24, 2016 0:34:47 GMT -5
more pics on my blog: WTA Stars Glow At Wimbledon 2016 Pre-Tournament PartyMadison Keys It seems like it was only a few weeks ago that the tennis world crowned a new Major champion in Garbine Muguruza at Roland Garros 2016. Well, it seems that way because it actually was only a few weeks ago. Even with the extra week added this year in between Roland Garros and Wimbledon 2016, it kind of feels like Wimbledon quickly came upon us. But that’s not a bad thing. I can’t wait to see if a first time Major singles champion will emerge for the fourth straight Major, following Flavia Pennetta (US Open), Angelique Kerber (Australian Open) and Muguruza. One guess as to whom I would hope that is (hint: her picture is at the beginning of this post). Or will Serena Williams finally chase down Steffi Graf? Will Petra Kvitova find her groove again on the Center Court grass as she has before, capturing two Ladies Singles titles? Can Agnieszka Radwanska or Simona Halep, both Major runners-up, take that final step to glory? Those and other questions will soon be answered. For now, the the players let their hair down and hit the carpet at the pre-tournament party. EUGENIE BOUCHARD  SERENA WILLIAMS  SORANA CIRSTEA & SLOANE STEPHENS  HEATHER WATSON  ANA IVANOVIC  CAROLINE WOZNIACKI  |
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