Women Tennis Update (08/19/12) – Cincinnati, Dallas, New Haven, Rankings

Written by: on 19th August 2012
Na Li
Women Tennis Update (08/19/12) - Cincinnati, Dallas, New Haven, Rankings

epa03284344 Na Li of China returns to Sorana Cirstea of Romania during their first round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 27 June 2012. EPA/ANDY RAIN  |

Cincinnati

 

Singles – Semifinal: (5) Angelique Kerber def. (4) Petra Kvitova 6-1 2-6 6-4

It was the best run Petra Kvitova had all year, but still, she played five matches last week, and this was #4 of this week. She has to be feeling it; it’s hard to believe she wants to play New Haven also. She will remain #5. It is Angelique Kerber who will be moving; she rises to a career-high #6, and she will be going for her best-ever title.

 

Singles – Semifinal: (9) Li Na def. (WC) Venus Williams 7-5 3-6 6-1

Venus Williams looked very stiff in this match, and finally called out the trainer in the second set to deal with her back. Obviously it helped a little; equally obviously, it helped only briefly. Still, she lasted long enough here to put herself back in the Top Fifty; if she can stay healthy, it seems clear she can still be a factor in the sport. As can Li Na; she can’t rise above #9 this week, but if she can win the title, she will very likely pass Caroline Wozniacki after New Haven. And Wozniacki, after that, has a U. S. Open semifinal to defend, whereas Li has a first round loss. Li — who is in her second straight final — really looks like she will be climbing higher before month’s end.

 

Doubles – Semifinal: (8) Srebotnik/Zheng def. (6) Llagostera Vives/Martinez Sanchez 6-4 6-3

Katarina Srebotnik is probably wondering why she didn’t break up with Kveta Peschke earlier. We had thought, for various reasons, that Srebotnik had become the weak half of the team, but it appears not. Srebotnik is still Top Ten, Peschke isn’t…. Srebotnik is also in her second straight final (she made the Montreal final with Petrova); she will be going for her first final since Sydney. Zheng is trying to break an even longer drought; her last title was Rome 2011 with Peng.

 

————————————–

 

Women’s Look Forward: New Haven, Dallas

 

We can’t help but sense a faint air of desperation coming out of New Haven.

 

Desperation, as in, most of the players in the field seem to be trying to shed slumps, or were at the time they signed up. Or, in the case of #1 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, are trying to get to #1 by playing the cheap events because she can’t seem to get there at the big ones. But three of the next four seeds had all been struggling.

 

Which makes it a bit odd that Petra Kvitova took a wildcard to earn the #2 seed and the last bye. Because, while she had been struggling all year, she broke out of it in Canada. So why would she want to tire herself out going into the U.S. Open?

 

We can’t answer that, but it’s pretty clear why Caroline Wozniacki is here: She’s a mess, and she’s the defending champion. She needs the points and she needs to break out. #4 seed Sara Errani is doing about as well as can be expected on hardcourt — but her potential quarterfinal opponent, #5 Marion Bartoli, slumping ex-Top Ten player #1, has been pretty out of it since the grass season.

 

Dominika Cibulkova, who plays everything, is the #6 seed despite hurting herself in Cincinnati. Maria Kirilenko has the #7 seed, with Lucie Safarova #8, meaning that we have eight of the Top Twenty.

 

In fact, it’s nine of the Top Twenty, because Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is unseeded and faces Wozniacki in round two. Assuming Wozniacki makes it past Ekaterina Makarova, anyway.

 

Nor is Pavlyuchenkova the only strong unseeded player. Radwanska could well face Francesca Schiavone (slumping ex-Top Ten player #2) in the second round. Kirilenko’s second round will be against Daniela Hantuchova or Mona Barthel. Cibulkova’s second round could be against long-injured Andrea Petkovic (slumping ex-Top Ten player #3). Bartoli will play her second round against Tamira Paszek or Sloane Stephens. And Safarova has to start against steadily-rising Varvara Lepchenko, then maybe Zheng Jie.

 

Then there is Errani and her blast-from-the-past draw: She opens against Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and could face none other than Agnes Szavay in round two. Remember Szavay? It seems as if she has been gone so long that even her injury ranking would be expired, but she got direct entry somehow.

 

That surprisingly strong field made us wonder what would be left for Dallas. And the answer is — more than we expected. There is actually a Top Ten player: Angelique Kerber is in the field as the #1 seed. It falls off fast below that, though. Jelena Jankovic is the #2 seed — and, based on this week’s rankings, should be #3, behind actual #3 Roberta Vinci. Regrettably, they are in opposite halves, so the top half is much tougher than the bottom. The #4 seed is Yanina Wickmayer, who is in on a wildcard. Klara Zakopalova is #5. Peng Shuai is #6 — although she had to pull out of Cincinnati with a bad shoulder. The #7 seed belongs to Chanelle Scheepers, with Sorana Cirstea #8.

 

That still leaves room for a few strong unseeded players. Jankovic has to open against Yaroslava Shvedova; based on current form, frankly, that looks like an upset waiting to happen. Vinci might face Polona Hercog in the second round, although Hercog is in crummy form. Marina Erakovic might take on Scheepers in that round. Zakopalova opens against Aleksandra Wozniak, who has shown occasional glimpses of her old form this year. Wickmayer opens against Heather Watson, then probably Irina-Camelia Begu. And Cirstea might face Alize Cornet in the second round.

 

The Rankings

 

The events this week are the same as those last year: New Haven and Dallas. Caroline Wozniacki won New Haven. Petra Cetkovska, who isn’t back, was the shock finalist. Francesca Schiavone and Li Na were semifinalists. Sabine Lisicki won Dallas, over Aravane Rezai (who has done nothing to back it up); semifinalists were Angelique Kerber (whose big rise started right about then; obviously she has backed it up!) and Irina-Camelia Begu.

 

At the top, Agnieszka Radwanska is of course looking to get closer to the #1 ranking. Her Cincinnati flub means she can’t make it this week, though. She will stay #2, with Maria Sharapova #3 and Serena Williams probably #4 — although Petra Kvitova is starting to look as if she will be #4, or higher, after the U. S. Open.

 

Angelique Kerber just might have another shot at #6. Li Na may get her chance at #8; it depends on how she does in Cincinnati and how well Wozniacki defends. Marion Bartoli will have a chance to regain her #10 ranking, but of course Sara Errani will be looking to prevent that.

 

Sabine Lisicki might lose her Top Twenty ranking, and Francesca Schiavone her Top 25 spot. Petra Cetkovska will probably be around #45. We don’t even want to think about where Rezai will be.

 

It doesn’t really matter much anyway, since, come a week from now, the U. S. Open will change everything anyway.

 

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