Tidbits.
* Halep clinches #2 U. S. Open seed when Svitolina upsets Kvitova
* Lisicki tops Errani, but otherwise it’s mostly a quiet day
* Bouchard upset again in night match — this time by Kuznetsova
Cincinnati
Singles – Second Round: (1) Serena Williams def. Samantha Stosur 7-6(9-7) 7-6(9-7)
Samantha Stosur led in both tiebreaks — including 4-0 in the first set tiebreak — but when it came down to it, it was Serena Williams versus Samantha Stosur, and you know who will blink in those situations! That will cost Stosur three ranking spots, but it still looks as if she’ll be one of the Top 24 U. S. Open seeds.
Singles – Second Round: Elina Svitolina def. (3) Petra Kvitova 6-2 7-6(7-2)
Elina Svitolina’s dress made her look like a zebra, but it was Petra Kvitova who got striped. We won’t even try to figure out this loss. What is certain is that Kvitova will not rise above her current #4 — meaning that Simona Halep has now clinched the #2 ranking, and the #2 U. S. Open seed (more on this in the Feature). Svitolina will rise from #39 to probably #37, which surely won’t earn her a U. S. Open seed. But one more win just might. And, after this, who is to say that one more win is impossible?
Singles – Second Round: (4) Agnieszka Radwanska def. Kurumi Nara 6-2 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska seemed a little stiff when this started; perhaps she’s tired. But she warmed up fast, improving her chances of rising to #4. She leaves Kurumi Nara no better than #33 — good enough for a U. S. Open seed, but only if no one else (read: probably Svitolina) catches her.
Singles – Second Round: (6) Angelique Kerber def. Ekaterina Makarova 6-4 6-1
With this Ekaterina Makarova loses any chance of rising above her current #18 ranking. Which means, barring another withdrawal, that she will not be one of the Top Sixteen U. S. Open seeds. Angelique Kerber still has an outside chance of rising above #7 this week, but it doesn’t matter much; she’ll be seeded in the #5-#8 block in New York no matter what.
Singles – Second Round: Svetlana Kuznetsova def. (7) Eugenie Bouchard 6-4 3-6 6-2
The weeks since Wimbledon seem to have taken something out of Eugenie Bouchard. First the Canadian Open, now this. She loses her chance to rise above #8. Svetlana Kuznetsova is at #21, but she needs a lot more to reach the Top Twenty.
Singles – Second Round: (8) Jelena Jankovic def. (Q) Annika Beck 6-1 7-6(7-0)
Jelena Jankovic stays in the hunt for the #8 Open seed, but she is far from secure; see below. And she very nearly let this match slip away before finishing strong.
Singles – Second Round: (9) Ana Ivanovic def. Christina McHale 6-4 6-0
It looks as if Ana Ivanovic wants to pass her countrywoman Jelena Jankovic and earn that #8 U. S. Open seed. But this doesn’t help; Ivanovic has too large a seventeenth event score. From now on, though, the points count; whoever lasts longer will be the #8 seed, with ties to Jankovic.
Singles – Second Round: (13) Flavia Pennetta def. (Q) Taylor Townsend 6-4 6-3
Flavia Pennetta is up to #11 in safe points, although that ranking is far from guaranteed, and she needs more than 500 more points to hit the Top Ten. It hardly matters; she is going to be seeded in the #9-#12 block in New York.
Singles – Second Round: Sabine Lisicki def. (14) Sara Errani 6-4 2-6 7-6(7-2)
This took more than two hours and fifty minutes, and Sara Errani definitely had her chances to win. But she couldn’t finish it off, and as a result cannot rise higher than #14. Which means no #12 U. S. Open seed.
Singles – Second Round: (15) Carla Suarez Navarro def. (Q) Pauline Parmentier 6-3 7-5
This slightly improved Carla Suarez Navarro’s odds of making the Top Fifteen, but it didn’t settle anything. It doesn’t matter much; she is certain to be seeded in the #13-#16 block of Open seeds.
Singles – Second Round: (16) Lucie Safarova def. (Q) Zarina Diyas 6-4 6-2
This will take Lucie Safarova to at least #16 in the rankings; she is now assured a Top 16 U. S. Open seed. That means Victoria Azarenka will fall to no better than #17. Zarina Diyas, even with the loss, looks set to enter the Top Fifty.
Singles – Second Round: Sloane Stephens def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 7-5 6-1
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova won’t quite make the Top Thirty, but she should be a U. S. Open seed.
Singles – Second Round: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. (Q) Karin Knapp 6-1 6-3
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova gains enough points that she is now sure to be one of the Top 24 U. S. Open seeds.
Doubles – First Round: (5) Makarova/Vesnina def. Dabrowski/Rosolska 6-1 6-1
Elena Vesnina retired from her singles qualifying match, but it looks as if she’s over whatever-it-was.
Doubles – First Round: Medina Garrigues/Safarova def. Petkovic/Rybarikova 6-4 6-4
Doubles – First Round: Erakovic/Parra Santonja def. Kalashnikova/Savchuk 1-6 6-4 11-9
Doubles – Second Round: (1) Errani/Vinci def. Hantuchova/Zahlavova Strycova 6-3 7-5
Doubles – Second Round: Date-Krumm/Hlavackova def. (3) Peschke/Srebotnik 6-4 0-6 10-6
Doubles – Second Round: (6) Babos/Mladenovic def. Jans-Ignacik/Ka. Pliskova 6-6, retired
****** TODAY’S FEATURE ******
U. S. Open Seed Update
Trick Question: Who will be the #1 women’s seed at the U. S. Open?
Why is it a trick question? Because you probably knew it would be Serena Williams, until we tried to trick you by asking about it. But there isn’t any question that it’s Serena; she’ll be #1 by more than a thousand points after Cincinnati. (Although that does mean that her #1 ranking will be in some danger in New York.)
The #2 seed was still up for grabs when the day began — just barely. That ended when Petra Kvitova lost; Simona Halep will be #2.
With Li Na unable to play, seeds #3 and #4 will include Kvitova, but the other seed is in the air. Agnieszka Radwanska’s title at the Canadian Open gave her a big lead over Maria Sharapova, but Sharapova is still in the hunt.
#5 to #8 will include Radwanska or Sharapova, Angelique Kerber, Eugenie Bouchard, and one other. The spot will almost certainly be Jelena Jankovic or Ana Ivanovic, who are effectively tied; the one who goes deeper will likely get it.
#9 to #12 will be Jankovic or Ivanovic, Pennetta, Wozniacki, and one other, currently Dominika Cibulkova. Cibulkova has a significant lead over Lucie Safarova, the next active player, but quite a few players still have a shot at #12.
#13 to #16 will most likely be Sara Errani, Carla Suarez Navarro, Safarova, and probably Victoria Azarenka.
#17 to #24 will likely be Ekaterina Makarova, Andrea Petkovic, Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Sloane Stephens, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, plus probably Alize Cornet and Samantha Stosur, although the latter two stil might get passed.
#25 to #32 will be Garbine Muguruza, Madison Keys, Sabine Lisicki, Roberta Vinci, Casey Dellacqua, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, almost certainly Zhang Shuai, and probably Kurumi Nara. There are a few players below that who still have a shot at a seed, but it’s an outside shot.
The leading alternates are Bojana Jovanovski, Daniela Hantuchova, and Klara Koukalova, but they’re all out, meaning that Elina Svitolina is the player most likely to steal a seed from Nara.
Rankings
Estimated WTA Rankings As of August 13, 2014
Rank &
Prior
Rank …Name …………. Points
1..(1) SWILLIAMS ……… 8635*
2..(2) HALEP …………. 6665*
3..(3) Li ……………..6170
4..(4) KVITOVA ……….. 5806
5..(5) ARADWANSKA ………5505*
6..(6) SHARAPOVA ……… 5090*
7..(7) KERBER ………….4550*
8..(8) BOUCHARD ………..4368
9..(9) JANKOVIC ………..3610*
10.(11) IVANOVIC ………..3605*
11.(14) PENNETTA ………..3074*
12.(12) WOZNIACKI ……… 3015*
13.(13) CIBULKOVA ……… 3002
14.(15) ERRANI ………….2885
15.(17) SAFAROVA ………..2825*
16.(16) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..2790*
17.(10) Azarenka ………..2783
18.(18) MAKAROVA ………..2630
19.(19) PETKOVIC ………..2400
20.(20) VWILLIAMS ……… 2340
21.(24) KUZNETSOVA ………2010*
22.(21) STEPHENS ………..1965*
23.(23) CORNET ………….1930
24.(25) PAVLYUCHENKOVA …..1930*
25.(22) STOSUR ………….1920
26.(27) MUGURUZA ………..1694
27.(29) LISICKI ……….. 1606*
28.(28) KEYS ……………1605
29.(26) VINCI …………. 1492
30.(30) DELLACQUA ……… 1441
Draws
Cincinnati — Week of August 11, 2014
……………….3R
1 S Williams…….(1)S.Williams
13 Pennetta……..(13)Pennetta
[Barthel(LL)]……Stephens
8 Jankovic………(8)Jankovic
4 A Radwanska……(4)A.Radwanska
14 Errani……….Lisicki
12 Wozniacki…….(12)Wozniacki
6 Kerber………..(6)Kerber
7 Bouchard………Kuznetsova
9 Ivanovic………(9)Ivanovic
15 Suarez Navarro..(15)Suarez Navarro
3 Kvitova……….Svitolina
5 Sharapova……..(5)Sharapova
11 Cibulkova…….Pavlyuchenkova
16 Safarova……..(16)Safarova
2 Halep…………(2)Halep
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 S Williams
2 Halep
3 Kvitova……….lost 2R (Svitolina)
4 A Radwanska
5 Sharapova
6 Kerber
7 Bouchard………lost 2R (Kuznetsova)
8 Jankovic
9 Ivanovic
10 Azarenka……..WITHDREW (replaced by Barthel)
11 Cibulkova…….lost 1R (Pavlyuchenkova)
12 Wozniacki
13 Pennetta
14 Errani……….lost 2R (Lisicki)
15 Suarez Navarro
16 Safarova
******** SCORES ********
WEDNESDAY
Cincinnati
Singles – Second Round
(1) Serena Williams def. Samantha Stosur 7-6(9-7) 7-6(9-7)
Elina Svitolina def. (3) Petra Kvitova 6-2 7-6(7-2)
(4) Agnieszka Radwanska def. Kurumi Nara 6-2 6-2
(6) Angelique Kerber def. Ekaterina Makarova 6-4 6-1
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. (7) Eugenie Bouchard 6-4 3-6 6-2
(8) Jelena Jankovic def. (Q) Annika Beck 6-1 7-6(7-0)
(9) Ana Ivanovic def. Christina McHale 6-4 6-0
(13) Flavia Pennetta def. (Q) Taylor Townsend 6-4 6-3
Sabine Lisicki def. (14) Sara Errani 6-4 2-6 7-6(7-2)
(15) Carla Suarez Navarro def. (Q) Pauline Parmentier 6-3 7-5
(16) Lucie Safarova def. (Q) Zarina Diyas 6-4 6-2
Sloane Stephens def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 7-5 6-1
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. (Q) Karin Knapp 6-1 6-3
Doubles – First Round
(5) Makarova/Vesnina def. Dabrowski/Rosolska 6-1 6-1
Medina Garrigues/Safarova def. Petkovic/Rybarikova 6-4 6-4
Erakovic/Parra Santonja def. Kalashnikova/Savchuk 1-6 6-4 11-9
Doubles – Second Round
(1) Errani/Vinci def. Hantuchova/Zahlavova Strycova 6-3 7-5
Date-Krumm/Hlavackova def. (3) Peschke/Srebotnik 6-4 0-6 10-6
(6) Babos/Mladenovic def. Jans-Ignacik/Ka. Pliskova 6-6, retired
Topics: 10sballs.com, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, Angelique Kerber, Cincinnati, Ekaterina Makarova, Eugenie Bouchard, Petra Kvitova, Samantha Stosur, Serena Williams, Tennis, Tennis News, Western & Southern Open, Wta
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