****** EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ******
* Bartoli cruises to first Slam title
* Hsieh/Peng take doubles
****** TODAY’S WOMEN’S NEWS ******
Wimbledon
Singles – Final: (15) Marion Bartoli def. (23) Sabine Lisicki 6-1 6-4
It was a nervous first game for Marion Bartoli — she double-faulted her way to a break. But that was about all there was to the match, until it was 6-1 5-1, match point, and Sabine Lisicki was crying on the court. Lisicki relies heavily on her serve, and it just wasn’t working. Lisicki broke the first time Bartoli served for the title, but the second time, Bartoli served it out, ending with an ace.
It is, of course, the first Slam for Bartoli, and it comes six years after her only other Slam final. It will likely be her last chance. She certainly took efficient advantage!
The win takes Bartoli from #15 all the way to #7. That matches her career high, which she reached for a couple of months last spring. And, because she missed the Olympics last year, she has less to defend in the next two months than a lot of the top players. So she might well be able to go higher.
Had Sabine Lisicki won, she would have matched her career high of #12. As it is, it looks as if she’ll have to settle for #18. Considering how low she fell this spring, though, that’s pretty impressive. Particularly given all the top players she beat — if the WTA still awarded quality points, she would have earned 466 of them, which is the most anyone has earned at any event since Kim Clijsters won the 2009 U. S. Open! And she is still young enough to have more chances. At least if she can get over those serving problems….
Doubles – Final: (8) Hsieh/Peng def. (12) Barty/Dellacqua 7-6(7-1) 6-1
It takes 24 points to win a set. These two teams needed more points than that just to finish the first two games! Then things gradually tilted toward Hsieh/Peng; the second set was hardly competitive — at least until Hsieh/Peng had to serve for the match. As with the singles final, they seemed to get nervous. But they managed to serve it out.
Talk about depressing for the Australians…. Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua have two Slam finals this year — and nothing to show for it. At least they make nice rankings moves — we show Dellacqua up to #12 and Barty around #20. But they really need to find a way to deal with those nerves….
There seems to be something about Wimbledon and players from Chinese-speaking countries. First Yan/Zheng, now Hsieh/Peng. It’s a nice token for Taiwan/China cooperation, too. And it means Top Ten spots for both of them; we show Hsieh Su-Wei at #9, Peng Shuai at #10. The Top Ten looks like this:
1..(1) ERRANI ………….9355
1..(1) VINCI …………. 9355
3..(3) PETROVA ……….. 7730
4..(5) MAKAROVA ………..6780
5..(8) SREBOTNIK ……… 6745
6..(6) VESNINA ……….. 6631
7..(4) HLAVACKOVA ………6440
8..(7) HRADECKA ………..5886
9.(16) HSIEH …………. 5385*
10.(23) PENG ……………5025*
Earlier this year, it looked as if Errani/Vinci would walk away with the year-end #1. They still lead, but suddenly we have a lot of teams who have a chance to make things at least somewhat interesting. Hsieh/Peng, for instance, now have two titles, and both very big, at Rome and at Wimbledon. It appears they are up to #4 in the doubles Race. And the surfaces for the rest of the year are probably better for them than for the Italians….
****** TODAY’S FEATURE ******
Women’s Look Forward: Budapest, Palermo
Sara Errani will be losing her Top Five spot next week. But she will still manage to be something even more unusual: She is the defending champion at both this week’s tournaments.
That’s an oddity that comes about because last year was an Olympic year. So a lot of tournaments were pushed around in the calendar. Last year, this week belonged to Stanford and Palermo. This year, with more time in the summer, Stanford has been moved back to a more reasonable week, and Budapest moved to this time slot so that we can have two events. And so Errani gets to be a two-time defending champion.
She won’t be defending Budapest. She’s Top Ten, after all, and Budapest has no Top 25 players. It has only three Top Fifty players: #1 seed Lucie Safarova, #2 Alize Cornet, and #3 Simona Halep (who, based on recent form, probably qualifies as the favorite). Rounding out the seeds are #4 Annika Beck, #5 Johanna Larsson, #6 Chanelle Scheepers, #7 Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, and #8 Anna Tatishvili. Nor are there any obvious unseeded threats, unless Shahar Peer somehow comes to life — there are two players with direct entry that we can’t recall ever having heard of before. (Curiously, the event doesn’t have qualifying, so there won’t be any more mystery entrants, barring withdrawals.)
In one sense, Palermo is only slightly stronger — it can boast only four Top Fifty players. But, because this is Italy, two of those four are quite noteworthy. Defending champion Errani did decide to defend this title (although she had to take a wildcard to get in; presumably she waited until she lost at Wimbledon to decide whether to play). She is the #1 seed and the only Top Ten player in action this week. Her doubles partner Roberta Vinci is #2. Kristina Mladenovic, who has been playing quite well, has the #3 seed; slumping Klara Zakopalova is #4. Lourdes Dominguez Lino takes one more shot at clay as the #5 seed. Irina-Camelia Begu is #6, Silvia Soler-Espinosa #7, Karolina Pliskova #8. And this event has some genuine unseeded threats. Zakopalova has to open against Flavia Pennetta, who seems finally to be getting her form back; the winner might face Karin Knapp, who made the Wimbledon fourth round before losing to eventual champion Marion Bartoli. Pliskova might face Anabel Medina Garrigues in round two. And Vinci’s second round opponent might be slumping but skilled Polona Hercog.
The Rankings
This is a funny week, because what comes off is a Premier and and International (Stanford and Palermo), and what goes on is two Internationals. That means we’ll be seeing several players lose points that they cannot possibly make up. It doesn’t matter much to Serena Williams, last year’s Stanford champion; she is safe at #1. But Stanford finalist Coco Vandeweghe will lose half her points. That’s low enough that it’s hard to know just where she will end up, but it will be well below #150. Others with a lot on the line are Stanford semifinalists Sorana Cirstea and Yanina Wickmayer. At Palermo, Sara Errani was the winner. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, who is trying to rebuild her ranking after suspension, was the finalist, so she will be hit hard, too. Irina-Camelia Begu and Laura Robson were the semifinalists.
As far as the Top Ten is concerned, there will be no movement — perhaps not even in the Top Twenty. Errani of course can’t gain points, but she won’t lose enough to threaten her #6 ranking. Vinci comes in at #11, but can’t gain enough at this time to hit the Top Ten. Sorana Cirstea’s Top Thirty spot may be in some danger, and Yanina Wickmayer appears bound out of the Top Fifty. Which is about all we can say until we have some results.
KEYWORDS: Preview Budapest Palermo
******** THIS WEEK IN TENNIS ********
THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:
Wimbledon (Slam/Grass). Defending Champion: Serena Williams
NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:
Budapest (International/Clay). Defending Champion: Sara Errani
Palermo (International/Clay). Defending Champion: Sara Errani
************ STATS AND FACTS ************
**RANKINGS
Estimated WTA Rankings As of July 6, 2013
Rank &
Prior
Rank….Name…………..Points
1..(1) SWILLIAMS ……… 11895
2..(3) SHARAPOVA ……… 9235
3..(2) AZARENKA ………..8825
4..(4) ARADWANSKA ………5965
5..(6) LI ……………..5555
6..(5) ERRANI ………….5180
7.(15) BARTOLI ……….. 4675*
8..(8) KVITOVA ……….. 4435
9..(7) KERBER ………….3970
10..(9) WOZNIACKI ……… 3660
11.(11) VINCI …………. 3060
12.(10) KIRILENKO ……… 2976
13.(13) STOSUR ………….2965
14.(14) JANKOVIC ………..2925
15.(20) FLIPKENS ………..2906
16.(17) STEPHENS ………..2870
17.(12) IVANOVIC ………..2740
18.(24) LISICKI ……….. 2650
19.(16) PETROVA ……….. 2505
20.(18) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..2440
21.(19) CIBULKOVA ……… 2295
22.(22) VESNINA ……….. 1889
23.(21) PAVLYUCHENKOVA …..1805
24.(46) KANEPI ………….1781
25.(27) MAKAROVA ………..1742
26.(23) CIRSTEA ……….. 1700
27.(38) ROBSON ………….1685
28.(28) Kuznetsova ………1657
29.(30) SAFAROVA ………..1655
30.(32) HALEP …………. 1635
**DRAWS
Wimbledon — Week of June 24
WINNER: Marion Bartoli
…………………3R………………..4R………….QF………..SF………F
1 S Williams………(1)Williams………..Williams
28 Paszek…………Date-Krumm
23 Lisicki………..(23)Lisicki………..Lisicki……..Lisicki……Lisicki….Lisicki
14 Stosur…………(14)Stosur
10 Kirilenko………Robson…………….Robson
24 Peng…………..Erakovic
31 Oprandi………..Riske
7 Kerber………….Kanepi…………….Kanepi………Kanepi
4 A Radwanska……..(4)Radwanska……….Radwanska……Radwanska….Radwanska
30 Barthel………..Keys
21 Pavlyuchenkova….Pironkova………….Pironkova
13 Petrova………..Martic
11 Vinci………….(11)Vinci………….Vinci
18 Cibulkova………(18)Cibulkova
32 Zakopalova……..(32)Zakopalova
6 Li……………..(6)Li……………..Li…………..Li
5 Errani………….Puig………………Puig
26 Lepchenko………Birnerova(Q)
17 Stephens……….(17)Stephens……….Stephens……..Stephens
9 Wozniacki……….Cetkovska(Q)
15 Bartoli………..(15)Bartoli………..Bartoli………Bartoli….Bartoli….Bartoli
22 Cirstea………..Giorgi
27 Safarova……….Knapp……………..Knapp
3 Sharapova……….Larcher de Brito(Q)
8 Kvitova…………(8)Kvitova…………Kvitova………Kvitova
25 Makarova……….(25)Makarova
19 Suarez Navarro….(19)Suarez Navarro….Suarez Navarro
12 Ivanovic……….Bouchard
16 Jankovic……….Dolonc
20 Flipkens……….(20)Flipkens……….Flipkens……..Flipkens..Flipkens
29 Cornet…………(29)Cornet
2 Azarenka………..Pennetta…………..Pennetta
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 S Williams………lost 4R (Lisicki)
2 Azarenka………..WITHDREW from 2R
3 Sharapova……….lost 2R (Larcher de Brito)
4 A Radwanska……..lost SF (Lisicki)
5 Errani………….lost 1R (Puig)
6 Li……………..lost QF (A. Radwanska)
7 Kerber………….lost 2R (Kanepi)
8 Kvitova…………lost QF (Flipkens)
9 Wozniacki……….lost 2R (Cetkovska)
10 Kirilenko………lost 1R (Robson)
11 Vinci………….lost 4R (Li)
12 Ivanovic……….lost 2R (Bouchard)
13 Petrova………..lost 1R (Ka. Pliskova)
14 Stosur…………lost 3R (Lisicki)
15 Bartoli………..WON TOURNAMENT
16 Jankovic……….lost 2R (Dolonc)
17 Stephens……….lost QF (Bartoli)
18 Cibulkova………lost 3R (Vinci)
19 Suarez Navarro….lost 4R (Kvitova)
20 Flipkens……….lost SF (Bartoli)
21 Pavlyuchenkova….lost 1R (Pironkova)
22 Cirstea………..lost 2R (Giorgi)
23 Lisicki………..lost F (Bartoli)
24 Peng…………..lost 2R (Erakovic)
25 Makarova……….lost 3R (Kvitova)
26 Lepchenko………lost 1R (Birnerova)
27 Safarova……….lost 2R (Knapp)
28 Paszek…………lost 1R (Cadantu)
29 Cornet…………lost 3R (Pennetta)
30 Barthel………..lost 2R (Keys)
31 Oprandi………..lost 1R (Riske)
32 Zakopalova……..lost 3R (Li)
Budapest — Week of July 8
1 Safarova
Solovyseva
Kovinic
Konta
Lukacs (WC)
Martic
Honcova
6 Scheepers
4 Beck
Majeric
Woerle-Scheller
Hradecka
Meusburger
Van Uytvanck
Arruabarrena
5 Larsson
7 Torro-Flor
Bratchikova
Babos
Krunic
Zahlavova
Bukta (WC)
Karatantcheva
3 Halep
8 Tatishvili
Jani (WC)
Peer
Knoll
Cadantu
Mayr-Acheitner
Hlavackova
2 Cornet
Palermo — Week of July 8
1 Errani (WC)
Cohen
Kr. Pliskova
Zahlavova Strycova
Duque-Marino
Lucic-Baroni
Johansson
7 Soler-Espinosa
4 Zakopalova
Pennetta
Pereira
Knapp
Qualifier
Medina Garrigues
Pfizenmaier
8 Ka. Pliskova
6 Begu
Voracova
Garcia
Dentoni (WC)
Cabeza Candela
Matteucci (WC)
3 Mladenovic
5 Dominguez Lino
Qualifier
Burnett
Zanevska
Birnerova
Hercog
Qualifier
2 Vinci
******** SCORES ********
SATURDAY
Wimbledon
Singles – Final
(15) Marion Bartoli def. (23) Sabine Lisicki 6-1 6-4
Doubles – Final
(8) Hsieh/Peng def. (12) Barty/Dellacqua 7-6(7-1) 6-1
Girls’ Singles – Final
(1) Belinda Bencic def. (5) Taylor Townsend 4-6 6-1 6-4
©Daily tennis news wire
Topics: Ashleigh Barty, Casey Dellacqua, Marion Bartoli, Sabine Lisicki, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon, women tennis news