THE LATEST TENNIS NEWS / RESULTS / GOSSIP / LOTS OF BAD AIR & BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS BEATS ROBERTA VINCI IN THREE SETS

Written by: Staff on 8th October 2015

THE LATEST TENNIS NEWS / RESULTS / GOSSIP / LOTS OF BAD AIR & BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS BEATS ROBERTA VINCI IN THREE SETS |

Photo by @matteksands via Instagram.

Todays Tidbits

* Muguruza qualifies for Singapore; Pennetta hits a roadblock

* Chans starting to build lead on Hlavackova/Hradecka

BEIJING

Singles – Third Round: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. (3) Flavia Pennetta 3-6 6-4 6-3

Flavia Pennetta came here having won nine straight matches, and she looked to be on her way to a tenth when she won four straight games to finish the first set. But… she seems distractible right now. She said it herself: She’s in love, she won a Slam, she’s retiring. Hard to concentrate when you feel that way. And she didn’t. Which means — no Singapore clinch. She’s in the Top Eight, but could still be passed. And she will lose the #7 ranking to either Agnieszka Radwanska or Angelique Kerber, since those two play each other next and both are right on Pennetta’s tail.

Singles – Third Round: (5) Garbine Muguruza def. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 1-6 6-2 6-1

Flavia Pennetta may have failed to clinch her Singapore spot, but Garbine Muguruza is in. She becomes, depending on how you look at it, the third or fourth player to qualify (following Simona Halep, Maria Sharapova, and of course Serena Williams who however will not play). More: The Spaniard will hit a career high of #4. And, given all the health problems the players above her are experiencing, she has a real shot at ending the year at #3, although #2 is probably out of reach.

Singles – Third Round: (6) Ana Ivanovic def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 4-6 6-2

It was a day for marathons — note that all four matches went three sets — but this was perhaps the toughest battle. It was also one that Ivanovic had to win — if she lost, she would be out of the Race. Her chances still look very poor, but they aren’t quite gone. And she will rise from #15 to at least #14 and very possibly #13 in the rankings. But Svetlana Kuznetsova is stuck at #32. It looks as if she will end the year outside the Top Thirty. And, frankly, with a record of just 20-17 (plus a withdrawal), no titles, only five Top Twenty wins, and only one result better than a quarterfinal, that’s probably deserved. If it hadn’t been for her amazing run to the Madrid final (where she scored four of her five Top Twenty victories), she would be well below the Top Fifty.

Singles – Third Round: (Q) Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. (15) Roberta Vinci 6-1 3-6 6-2

Serena Williams will not be in Singapore. The loss by Flavia Pennetta means that they year’s only other Slam winner may not be in Singapore. With this, we know that at least one Slam finalist won’t be there either. Roberta Vinci is out of the Race. And she will fall from #16 in the rankings to #17 or lower despite adding points.

Doubles – Quarterfinal: (1) Hingis/Mirza def. Goerges/Pliskova 7-6(7-5) 6-4

Fifteen straight for Hingis/Mirza.

Doubles – Quarterfinal: (6) Chan/Chan def. (2) Mattek-Sands/Vesnina 4-6 7-5 10-7

Mattek-Sands/Vesnina are both extremely good doubles players — individually probably better than either Chan. But they are’t regular partners.

Doubles – Quarterfinal: (3) Dellacqua/Shvedova def. (8) Hlavackova/Hradecka 6-4 6-4

This plus the preceding result combine to yield bad news for Hlavackova/Hradecka. They came in at #10 in the Race, with the Chans #9. The Chans are now up to #7, having passed Kops-Jones/Spears (lost early) and Muguruza/Suarez Navarro (didn’t play), but Hlavackova/Hradecka, although they pass the Spaniards, are still behind the Chans (obviously) and also Kops-Jones/Spears. They aren’t out of the Race, but they’ll need to add points indoors, where they aren’t very comfortable. Right now, barring withdrawals, we’d say Hingis/Mirza, Mattek-Sands/Safarova, Dellacqua/Shvedova, Makarova/Vesnina, Babos/Mladenovic, and Garcia/Srebotnik are safe for Singapore, the Chans are in good shape, and it’s Hlavackova/Hradecka versus Muguruza/Suarez Navarro versus Kops-Jones/Spears for the last spot. Wish we knew what they are all planning.

Doubles – Quarterfinal: Chen/Y Wang def. (4) Babos/Mladenovic 7-6(8-6) 7-5

Babos/Mladenovic were down a set and a break, got back on serve in the second set, then lost it again. Too worried about qualifying for the year-end championships, perhaps? Still, as told above, their Singapore spot appears safe.

THIS WEEK IN TENNIS

THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:

Beijing (Premier Mandatory/Hard). Defending Champion: Maria Sharapova

NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:

Linz (International/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Karolina Pliskova

Hong Kong (International/Hard). Defending Champion: Sabine Lisicki

Tianjin (International/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Alison Riske

STATS AND FACTS

Rankings

Estimated WTA Rankings As of October 8, 2015

Rank &

Prior

Rank …Name …………. Points

1..(1) SWilliams ……… 11285

2..(2) HALEP …………. 6580

3..(3) Sharapova ……… 4691

4..(5) MUGURUZA ………..3905*

5..(4) KVITOVA ……….. 3860

6..(6) Safarova ………..3405

7..(7) PENNETTA ………..3372

8..(8) ARADWANSKA ………3340*

9.(10) KERBER ………….3330*

10.(11) WOZNIACKI ……… 3151

11.(12) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..3075

12.(14) VWILLIAMS ……… 2982

13.(15) IVANOVIC ………..2970*

14..(9) KAPLISKOVA ………2950

15.(13) BENCIC ………….2900

16.(17) BACSINSZKY ………2722*

17.(16) VINCI …………. 2655

18.(20) ERRANI ………….2525*

19.(19) KEYS ……………2495

20.(21) PETKOVIC ………..2445

21.(18) SVITOLINA ……… 2410

22.(22) Azarenka ………..2276

23.(23) Makarova ………..2250

24.(24) JANKOVIC ………..2125

25.(26) BEGU ……………1880

26.(27) SCHMIEDLOVA ……. 1791

27.(28) MLADENOVIC ………1760

28.(25) STOSUR ………….1755

29.(32) PAVLYUCHENKOVA …..1755*

30.(29) STEPHENS ………..1715

Draws

Beijing — Week of October 4

……………….3R…………………QF

1 Halep…………Mattek-Sands(Q)……..Mattek-Sands

15 Vinci………..(15)Vinci

11 Bencic……….Lucic-Baroni

5 Muguruza………(5)Muguruza…………Muguruza

4 A Radwanska……(4)A.Radwanska………Radwanska

14 Keys…………(14)Keys

10 Kerber……….(10)Kerber………….Kerber

8 Wozniacki……..(8)Wozniacki

6 Ivanovic………(6)Ivanovic…………Ivanovic

9 Ka Pliskova……Kuznetsova

16 Svitolina…….Pavlyuchenkova………Pavlyuchenkova

3 Pennetta………(3)Pennetta

7 Suarez Navarro…(7)Suarez Navarro

12 Bacsinszky……(12)Bacsinszky………Bacsinszky

13 Petkovic……..(13)Petkovic

2 Kvitova……….Errani……………..Errani

STATUS OF SEEDS:

1 Halep…………lost 1R (Arruabarrena)

2 Kvitova……….lost 1R (Errani)

3 Pennetta………lost 3R (Pavlyuchenkova)

4 A Radwanska

5 Muguruza

6 Ivanovic

7 Suarez Navarro…lost 3R (Bacsinszky)

8 Wozniacki……..lost 3R (Kerber)

9 Ka Pliskova……lost 1R (Stephens)

10 Kerber

11 Bencic……….WITHDREW from 2R

12 Bacsinszky

13 Petkovic……..lost 3R (Errani)

14 Keys…………lost 3R (Radwanska)

15 Vinci………..lost 3R (Mattek-Sands)

16 Svitolina…….lost 2R (Pavlyuchenkova)

SCORES / Thursday

Beijing

Singles – Third Round

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. (3) Flavia Pennetta 3-6 6-4 6-3

(5) Garbine Muguruza def. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 1-6 6-2 6-1

(6) Ana Ivanovic def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 4-6 6-2

(Q) Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. (15) Roberta Vinci 6-1 3-6 6-2

Doubles – Quarterfinal

(1) Hingis/Mirza def. Goerges/Pliskova 7-6(7-5) 6-4

(6) Chan/Chan def. (2) Mattek-Sands/Vesnina 4-6 7-5 10-7

(3) Dellacqua/Shvedova def. (8) Hlavackova/Hradecka 6-4 6-4

Chen/Y Wang def. (4) Babos/Mladenovic 7-6(8-6) 7-5

Content Via Bob LARSON Tennis News Wire

Topics: Beijing, China Open, Ladies tennis, Sports, Tennis Results, Wta

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10sBalls_com says:

October 8, 2015 at 1:21 pm

THE LATEST TENNIS NEWS / RESULTS / GOSSIP / LOTS OF BAD AIR & @BMATTEK BEATS @roberta_vinci IN THREE SETS http://t.co/AUt6qDHyA8 #ChinaOpen