Women's Tennis Association 2016

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more pics and video on my blog: Garbine Muguruza Ready For Wimbledon 2016

Garbine Muguruza


After being crowned a new Major singles champion at Roland Garros 2016, Garbine Muguruza has been anointed as The One. There’s a lot of pressure to be the next big thing in tennis. Every result she earns will be magnified from this point on. After defeating Serena Williams in straight sets in Paris, Mugu turned around and was bounced out of Mallorca in the first round, also in straight sets, by Kristen Flipkens. Garbine won’t get a break in her opening match of Wimbledon 2016 with the dangerous Camila Giorgi awaiting. On paper, Mugu is a threat to win the tournament. She is the #2 seed and the runner-up last year. But Giorgi is one of those wildly unpredictable players. Garbine could wipe her out 1 and 1…or get upset in swift fashion. I hope she gets past Camila. If she does, Mugu has a chance to go very deep with a favorable draw.



GARBINE MUGURUZA

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more pics and video on my blog: Garbine Muguruza Survives Upset Scare On Day One Of Wimbledon 2016; Madison Keys Rolls, Ana Ivanovic Crashes Out

Garbine Muguruza


Most tennis pundits could see this one coming a mile away. Garbine Muguruza’s first round clash with Camila Giorgi had the makings of an upset alert. Despite her relatively diminutive size, Camila abuses the ball by hitting it with every ounce of power in her body. The problem is that she often will alternate between jaw-dropping laser beam winners and spraying her shots everywhere but in play. On day one of Wimbledon 2016, Giorgi took Muguruza the distance in a crowd pleasing match that threatened to send the reigning Roland Garros women’s singles champion home early. In the end, a few more unforced errors from Camila allowed Garbi to escape with a 6-2 5-7 6-4 victory.



Ana Ivanovic


Although Ana Ivanovic won Roland Garros 2008 and has a handful of deep runs at Majors, more often than not she usually exits early at the Big 4. So a first round upset loss is not in itself a shock to me, but this one feels different. Ana hasn’t won a title since 2014. She has even reached a final since January 2015. At the end of 2014, she was ranked 5th. She’s now ranked 25th. Ana is a great champion. Losing 6-2 7-5 to qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova (a qualifier who barely made it out of qualies, at that!) feels like something different. I believe 28-year old Ivanovic still has great tennis in her. She needs a reboot right now to get herself back on track. Going in the opposite direction is Madison Keys. The young American rising star defeated Laura Siegemund 6-3 6-1. Laura had defeated Madison earlier this year, but the Maddie I’ve seen the last few tournaments is vastly different from even a few months ago. If she can continue to hold her nerves, play within herself and not try to win three points with one shot, she could be a real threat here.

2 GARBINE MUGURUZA d. Camila Giorgi, 6-2 5-7 6-4


23 ANA IVANOVIC lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova, 2-6 5-7


9 MADISON KEYS d. Laura Siegemund, 6-3 6-1

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more pics and video on my blog: Eugenie Bouchard, Petra Kvitova Advance On Day Three Of Wimbledon 2016

Eugenie Bouchard


In a match started on day two of Wimbledon 2016 on an outer court and finished on day three on Centre Court, Eugenie Bouchard defeated Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 6-4. Genie is familiar with Centre Court, as she made a run to the women’s singles final in 2014. Although she would finish as the runner-up, which is pretty darn good for a then 20-year rising star, she would achieve a career high ranking of #5 in the world later that season. She comes into Wimbledon 2016 with a ranking that has tumbled to #48. This would be a great event to start the climb back into the upper echelons of the WTA tour. The problem is that standing in her way in round two will be 16th seed Johanna Konta. Although the British Konta only just won her first ever singles match at Wimbledon, she is a serious contender if she gets on a roll. Add in that Konta should have the homeland crowd on her side and the task will be steep for Bouchard to overcome Johanna. But maybe Genie can recapture the magic she had in 2014. If she can, she can still be a dangerous opponent.

Petra Kvitova


The woman who beat Bouchard in the 2014 women’s singles final for the second of her two Wimbledon titles, Petra Kvitova, earned her ticket to the second round with a 6-0 6-4 win over Sorana Cirstea. Even though I still think that on her best day she is the most talented player on tour, I’ve back off my proclamation that it’s only a matter of time before Petra puts it all together and becomes a dominant world #1. There’s no doubt something inside her awakens at Wimbledon. She has a favorable draw and shouldn’t be in any trouble until a potential fourth round match with Belinda Bencic.



10 PETRA KVITOVA d. Sorana Cirstea, 6-0 6-4


EUGENIE BOUCHARD d. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 6-4

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more pics and video on my blog: Garbine Muguruza Upset On Day 4 Of Wimbledon 2016; Madison Keys, Eugenie Bouchard Advance

Garbine Muguruza


I’m not terribly surprised to see Garbine Muguruza fade listlessly away from Wimbledon 2016 early. I just thought it might be in round one against Camila Giorgi. Instead, the #2 seed and reigning Roland Garros women’s singles champion was emphatically shown the door in the second round by Jana Cepelova, 6-3 6-2. Honestly, it didn’t even feel that close. Mugu just seemed to lack any energy to fight on this day. But I don’t hold this against Garbi too much. Sometimes players win their first Major and kind of go into a funk where they can’t find their way for a while. Maybe all the hoopla and celebration after the breakthrough takes something out of them and they suffer a letdown. I remember when Li Na won her first Major, also at Roland Garros, and couldn’t seem to beat anybody for a few months. She shook herself out of it and so will Muguruza, who is 1-2 since Roland Garros, having also lost in the first round at Mallorca. Don’t worry about the gifted Spanish player. This is but a temporary malaise.



Eugenie Bouchard


Moving on in impressive fashion were two young guns, Eugenie Bouchard and Madison Keys. What was impressive wasn’t that they stepped on court and easily blew through overmatched opponents. They did not. Each faced a decisive loss of the second set that forced them to dig deeply to pull out a win. Genie had to battle the home country crowd on Centre Court pulling for 16th seed Johanna Konta of Great Britain. Bouchard bounced back from getting drubbed in the second set 1-6 to win going away, 6-3 1-6 6-1. Maddie overcame a Kirsten Flipkens who seemed determined not to give the 9th seeded American any free points from the second set on, 6-4 4-6 6-3. Both Maddie and Genie go from the frying pan into the fire the next round. Maddie gets Alize Cornet. On paper, Keys is the heavy favorite. But don’t forget that Cornet has beaten Serena Williams multiple times, including at Wimbledon. She will have no fear of Madison Keys. The young American will need to play a smart, strong match to prevail. Genie gets a date with giant killer and 19th seed Dominika Cibulkova, a former Australian Open runner-up. I can’t wait to see both of those matches.

2 GARBINE MUGURUZA lost to Jana Cepelova, 6-3 6-2




EUGENIE BOUCHARD d. 16 Johanna Konta, 6-3 1-6 6-1




9 MADISON KEYS d. Kirsten Flipkens, 6-4 4-6 6-3

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more pics and video on my blog: Madison Keys, Simona Halep Set-Up Wimbledon 2016 Showdown With Day 6 Wins; Eugenie Bouchard Falls

Madison Keys


Missed a couple of days of Wimbledon 2016 postings due to outside commitments, so I’ll briefly try to catch up with a few of my favorites. And speaking of favorites, of the players left on the women’s side my two top personal faves are Madison Keys (always my top player) and Simona Halep. Unfortunately for this fan, they will have to play each other in the round of 16. Maddie continues to impress with a 6-4 5-7 6-2 win over the tricky Alize Cornet. Of course, I’d prefer Keys to take care of business in straight sets. But it’s also encouraging to see her dig deeply in her last two matches, overcoming second set lulls to win going away in the third. Simona was very strong, taking out Roland Garros 2016 giant killer Kiki Bertens, 6-4 6-3. So I am thrilled to see my top two ladies advancing to the round of 16. I’m not as thrilled to know one of them will have their tournament end before the quarterfinals.



Eugenie Bouchard


Eugenie Bouchard’s Wimbledon 2016 women’s singles campaign came to an end against 19th seeded dark horse contender Dominika Cibulkova, 6-4 6-3. Although no top player wants their Major to end in the third round, there were positives for Genie to take away. Considering how precipitously her ranking has dropped, her performance taking out 16th seed Johanna Konta in the previous round was a sign that she is beginning to right the ship. Even in her best days, Bouchard could lose to Cibulkova, a former Australian Open runner-up. This loss in itself is not a big deal. If Genie continues to play as she has in the first half of the 2016 season, her ranking will improve to the point where she won’t have to face a player like Domi so early in Majors.



5 SIMONA HALEP d. 26 Kiki Bertens, 6-4 6-3


EUGENIE BOUCHARD lost to 19 Dominika Cibulkova, 6-4 6-3


9 MADISON KEYS d. Alize Cornet, 6-4 5-7 6-2

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more pics and video on my blog: Coco Vandeweghe, Elena Vesnina Advance On Day 7 Of Wimbledon 2016

Coco Vandeweghe


With top 10 Americans Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Madison Keys rolling along at Wimbledon 2016, flying a bit under the radar is the surging Coco Vandeweghe. After a clay court season where she struggled to get out of the early rounds (although, to be fair her first round opponents in Madrid and Rome were Lucie Safarova and Venus), her style of big babe tennis has come alive on grass. She won her 2nd career title at ‘S-Hertogenbosch and reached the semifinals at Birmingham, dropping a tough three setter to Barbora Strycova. Coco is into the fourth round at Wimbledon after a 6-3 6-4 upset of 6th seed Roberta Vinci. I use the word upset loosely as I would have given Vandeweghe a 50/50 shot at winning that match. I also give her a good chance to win against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the 4th round.



Elena Vesnina


Flying even lower under the radar is Elena Vesnina. Although she is a 2-time Major champion in doubles (with partner Ekaterina Makarova), her 4th round appearance at Wimbledon 2016 matches her best result in singles at a Major. A finalist earlier this year at Charleston on green clay, for Elena to reach a best ever result of a quarterfinal in singles at a Major, she will have to go through her doubles partner Makarova. Kate vs Elena is the second shake my head matchup of doubles partners this fortnight, following the heartbreaking pairing of besties Lucie Safarova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round. There was no joy after Team Bucie played each other. Sadly, no matter which player advances to the quarters (my guess would be Kate), the Makarova v Vesnina winner will probably experience a similarly muted feeling of celebration.

ELENA VESNINA d. Julia Boserup, 7-5 7-5




27 COCO VANDEWEGHE d. 6 Roberta Vinci, 6-3 6-4

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more pics and video on my blog: Simona Halep, Elena Vesnina Advance To Wimbledon 2016 Quarterfinals

Simona Halep


It’s always a strange feeling for me as a fan when one of my top favorites is knocked off by another one of my top favorites. Such was the case today when 5th seed Simona Halep came back to defeat 9th seed Madison Keys, 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3. Keys was a little hobbled at the end, but no excuses are allowed at this level. If it were Simona playing a little injured in the final set I wouldn’t take anything away from Madison. I’ve probably only mentioned a million times that Maddie is my #1 favorite active player, but Simona isn’t that far behind. Besides, all the rest of my top favorites on the men’s and women’s sides have been shown the exit, save for one on each side. Maddie. Novak Djokovic. Petra Kvitova. Garbine Muguruza. Sloane Stephens. Ana Ivanovic. Gael Monfils. Lucie Safarova. Kei Nishikori. All gone. Carrying the torch for my fandom in the second week will be Simona Halep for the women and Milos Raonic for the men. Don’t get me wrong. I like pretty much every player. These are just my top favorites from among my favorites. The problem for Simona is that next up is 4th seed Angelique Kerber. Even if Halepeno gets by that match, she likely would face 5-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the semis, unless Yaroslava Shvedova can pull the upset. And we all know who everybody expects to make it to the final out of the top half of the draw should Simona make it out of the bottom half. Ah, but it isn’t supposed to be easy. If Simona is to win her first singles Major at Wimbledon 2016 she will need to do it the old-fashioned way, by earning it.



Elena Vesnina


The biggest surprise quarterfinalist for me is Elena Vesnina. Sure, her ranking is higher than Shvedova, but Elena is the only quarterfinalist who has never before been in a Major singles quarterfinal. This is a first for her. I was impressed by how she battled to defeat her longtime doubles partner, Ekaterina Makarova, 5-7 6-1 9-7 to punch her ticket to the quarters. But she has a tough task ahead with former Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova, who has looked very strong in back to back wins over Eugenie Bouchard and 3rd seed Agnieszka Radwanska. A potential semifinal showdown between Serena Williams and Domi seems destined…unless Elena (or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova) can crash the party.

ELENA VESNINA d. Ekaterina Makarova, 5-7 6-1 9-7




5 SIMONA HALEP d. 9 Madison Keys, 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3

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more pics and video on my blog: Wimbledon 2016 Ladies Semifinals: What I Want To Happen, What I Think Will Happen and What I (Almost) Hope Doesn’t Happen

Elena Vesnina


The Ladies singles semifinals at Wimbledon 2016 features three Major singles champions. Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Angelique Kerber are looking to add to their trophy collections. Then there’s Elena Vesnina. Sure, she has 2 Major titles in doubles, but if she were to win the title here in singles it would change her life. And that’s why she’s my rooting interest. With all my top women’s favorites watching the rest of the fortnight on tv, I don’t have a horse in the race anymore. However, seeing how winning a Major (and eventually 2) changed everything for Li Na, one of my past faves, I’d like to see a new champion crowned. Ain’t-a gonna happen. Okay, Vesnina could shock the world the same way Roberta Vinci did at the US Open last year when she upset Serena and prevented the calendar year Grand Slam. I don’t think Serena lets that happen twice. Look for Serena to win her semifinal against Elena and take the title on Saturday. I want Elena to take it. I, like just about everybody, think Serena will.



Venus Williams


A lot people will want Venus Williams to win her semifinal against Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber to set up a Serena vs Venus final. I am fond of Venus both on and off the court, with what she’s done fighting for equality for female players. And wouldn’t it be something if at her age, fighting Sjogren’s syndrome, that she won Wimbledon? But would she be okay dealing with the burden of blocking her sister from tying Steffi Graf with 22 Major singles titles? And if Venus reached the final against Serena and lost, especially in lopsided fashion, would there be whispers that she rolled over so Serena could tie Steffi? It’s such a damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t situation I almost hope she doesn’t reach the final. Now, if Elena upsets Serena in the first Ladies semi, then by all means I’m good with Venus being the final opponent for Vesnina. I just don’t see the first part of that scenario transpiring.



THE SEMIFINALISTS

8 VENUS WILLIAMS (USA)




ELENA VESNINA (RUSSIA)




1 SERENA WILLIAMS (USA)




4 ANGELIQUE KERBER (GERMANY)

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more pics and video on my blog: Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams To Meet In Second Major Final Of The Season At Wimbledon 2016

Angelique Kerber


Back in January, Angelique Kerber surprised most tennis aficionados by beating Serena Williams in the 2016 Australian Open women’s final. The world #1 from America will get her chance to turn the tables as both she and Angie advanced to the Ladies Final at Wimbledon 2016. Serena did so with a 6-2 6-0 drubbing of an overmatched Elena Vesnina. Believe me when I tell you it was worse than even the lopsided score suggests. I actually started feeling sorry for the Russian veteran. If you’ve seen Rocky IV when Apollo Creed’s trainer yells at Rocky to “throw the damn towel!” as Ivan Drago is pummeling the life out of Creed, that’s how I felt. I wished someone would just throw in the towel to save Vesnina and get to the Kerber v Venus Williams match. Angie took out the older Williams sister 6-4 6-4 in a much more competitive, but still decisive match. Will Kerber overcome Serena in the final like she did in Melbourne? I don’t know. Different tournament. Much different surface. More match tough Serena, who back in January hadn’t played from the 2015 US Open to the end of the year. Serena is straight sets is my prediction. 3 an 3 sounds about right.



4 ANGELIQUE KERBER d. 8 Venus Williams, 6-4 6-4




1 SERENA WILLIAMS d. Elena Vesnina, 6-2 6-0

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more pics and video on my blog: Queen Serena Back On The Throne At Wimbledon 2016

Serena Williams


I have to be honest. All of my women’s favorites were gone by Tuesday of the second week at Wimbledon 2016. So the Serena Williams v Angelique Kerber final didn’t hold that extra sizzle for me. I wasn’t going to throw a parade regardless of who won. But dammit, I am a hardcore tennis superfan. Anybody who’s read the thousands upon thousands of posts I’ve made over the last decade on this blog knows that to be an indisputable fact. And in that respect, I cannot help but acknowledge how much Serena Williams…excuse me, Queen Serena…has meant to tennis. This is greatness that defines a generation, that transcends generations. This is Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. It’s the kind of pantheon of tennis gods where even 12 Majors isn’t enough to get you in the door. With her 7-5 6-3 defeat of Kerber, Queen Serena sits equal to Steffi Graf at 22 singles Majors. Whether you adore Serena or not, every head must bow and every tongue must confess that we are bearing witness to a singular talent that might never…NEVER…be duplicated in tennis history. Hail to thee, Queen Serena!

1 SERENA WILLIAMS d. Angelique Kerber, 7-5 6-3

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more pics on my blog: Dropshots: Ana Ivanovic Marries Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ana Ivanovic


Recently, I’ve been a little harsh in my assessment of where Ana Ivanovic is with her game. Perhaps I should have cut the former world #1 a break. It seems that Ana had a little bit more on her mind this year than on-court success. The 28-year old Serbian married German football star Bastian Schweinsteiger on July 12th. The nuptials took place in Venice. Looking at the happy couple riding off down a canal, I wonder how much focus Ivanovic will have on her tennis game moving forward. Whatever happens on the court, I wish Ana and Bastian a wonderful life together.

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from my blog: Dropshots: Victoria Azarenka Announces Pregnancy, Will Miss Rest Of 2016 Season

Victoria Azarenka


In recent months WTA stars Ana Ivanovic, Dominika Cibulkova, Flavia Pennetta and Elena Vesnina have all married. So having love and marriage, all that was missing was the baby carriage. Well, not anymore. 2-time Major winner and former world #1 Victoria Azarenka had some news for her fans:



I wish Vika well and hope she and her child are healthy and happy. Kim Clijsters won 3 of her 4 career singles Majors after having her first daughter. If Azarenka wants it badly enough, I don’t see why she can’t come back. She had possibly the strongest start of anybody on tour this season, winning the Indian Wells/Miami double to go along with a title at Brisbane. Azarenka beat Serena Williams in the Indian Wells final. See ya in 2017, Vika!

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more pics and video on my blog: Johanna Konta Wins 2016 Bank of the West Classic

Johanna Konta


If you’re going to win your first WTA singles title, why not make it over a legend? That was the case in Stanford as Great Britain’s Johanna Konta captured her first WTA singles crown, in her first ever WTA level final, against future Hall of Famer Venus Williams at the 2016 Bank of the West Classic. I say “Great Britain’s Johanna Konta” but her path to tennis stardom started in Australia, moving on to Spain, then Great Britain, back to Spain…with a stop in Texas…well, you get the point. Some of her peripatetic ways were due to a need to go where she could find funding. That shouldn’t be a problem anymore. Although this is her first singles title, her star has been rising in the tennis world over the last year. Casual fans might ask who is Johanna Konta, but hardcore tennis fans are not surprised that she is a winner. Perhaps we would not have thought she would beat Venus 7-5 5-7 6-2 for her maiden trophy, but sooner or later this was a player many within the tennis world were waiting on to break through. It was tough on this day. Konta was up a set and two breaks at 7-5 4-1 but was pushed to a third set when Venus dug deep and showed her champion’s heart in fighting back to win set #2. Konta showed her own inner fortitude not to crumble. After blowing out Dominika Cibulkova in the semifinals and denying Venus her 50th singles title in the final, Johanna has announced herself as a threat to win against anybody on any given day.



3 JOHANNA KONTA d. 1 Venus Williams, 7-5 5-7 6-2

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more pics and video on my blog: Simona Halep Wins 2016 Rogers Cup

Simona Halep


It wasn’t always the most artful display of tennis, but in the end Simona Halep emerged from her match against American Madison Keys as the 2016 Rogers Cup women’s singles champion, 7-6 (2) 6-3. Give Simona all the credit in the world as she had to run a gauntlet of ace players to get to the title: Daria Gavrilova, Karolina Pliskova, 2-time Major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, world #2 and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber and finally, rising American star Madison Keys. She even made her first doubles final, paired with fellow Romanian Monica Niculescu. However, they fell to the more experienced Russian doubles team of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina. Nonetheless, Halep goes into the Rio Olympics as one of the few given any chance to possibly upset Serena Williams. Is it likely? Probably not. But she has beaten Serena before, so it’s not impossible.



5 SIMONA HALEP d. 10 Madison Keys, 7-6 (2) 6-3

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more pics on my blog: Tennis Stars Excited And Ready For Rio Olympics 2016

Andy Murray


I was knocking my head against a desk (figuratively) watching so many ESPN shows where they kept stating that tennis players don’t care about the Olympics. They have the Majors, it was often repeated. Ok, players saying that Wimbledon is more important than the Olympics is not the same as saying they don’t care. And you might be surprised that there are players, Venus Williams among them, that say the most cherished trophy they have is their Olympic medal. In other words, don’t lump tennis players into the same pot as PGA golf pros, some of whom clearly couldn’t care less about the Olympics. On the other hand, following the LPGA it seems to me that many of the women are hyped for their chance at Olympic glory. Do they value an Olympic medal as much as winning the US Women’s Open? Probably not. But again, that is not the same as saying they don’t care or are indifferent to the Summer Games.

Gustavo Kuerten


For the second straight Olympics, the torch was brought into the stadium by a tennis player. In the Sochi Winter Olympics it was 5-time Major winner Maria Sharapova (remember her?) of Russia. In Rio, it was Guga, 3-time Roland Garros champion Gustavo Kuerten. The sport has had many flag bearers over the years, like Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Agnieszka Radwanska, among others. In Rio, flag bearers included 14-time Major winner Rafael Nadal, the reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and former world #1 Caroline Wozniacki. So ESPN and other sports media outlets, please do not assess the level of interest of tennis players, and for that matter female golf pros, by the level of disinterest shown by top PGA players. Sure, you will always have some top stars that won’t go (and in this case, health concerns played a big factor). However, by and large, the Olympics has grown as a cherished bauble for many of the top tennis pros.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN (Brazil)


RAFAEL NADAL (Spain)


ANDY MURRAY (Great Britain)


CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (Denmark)


…and, of course, TEAM USA

(includes MADISON KEYS, SERENA WILLIAMS, VENUS WILLIAMS, COCO VANDEWEGHE, SLOANE STEPHENS, BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS, etc)