A forum to discuss all things related to the Women’s Tennis Association.
Copyright © 2024 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes
A forum to discuss all things related to the Women’s Tennis Association.
Copyright © 2024 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes
It would be different (somewhat) had Sharapova said she stopped doping before the ban came into effect but she basically said she was unaware and never claimed to stop doping after the ban came into effect.
“The fact that WADA felt compelled to issue this unusual statement now is proof of how poorly they handled issues relating to meldonium in 2015,” Sharapova’s attorney, John Haggerty, said in a statement Wednesday. “Given the fact that scores of athletes have tested positive for taking what previously was a legal product, it’s clear WADA did not handle this properly last year and they’re trying to make up for it now.
http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/15194791/wada-opens-way-athletes-avoid-sanctions-meldonium
And WTF, why is Sharapova’s case still provisional? Every other suspension period has been quickly decided in the past.
I don’t know, hawks. Can’t or won’t even think about it now. Maybe after all is said an done, it will make sense, or NOT.
rc, it’s because of her marketing power IMO.
Cilic, Troicki and Gasquet didn’t “qualify”.
Fed Cup weekend kicks off later today on red clay in Brisbane, Australia with ?? v ??
http://www.fedcup.com/en/draws-results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=100033746
1. Gavrilova v Keys
2. Stosur v McHale
3. Stosur v Keys
4. Gavrilova v McHale
5. Stosur/Delacqua v Vandeweghe/Mattkek-Sands
That’s a lot of Stosur!
Here’s my favorite Fed Cup play-off (Team pictures are great):
http://www.fedcup.com/en/news/227013.aspx
Spain v Italy in Spain ?? v ?? in Lleida, Spain
Saturday:
1. Muguruza v Errani
2. Suarez Navarro v Vinci
Sunday:
3. Muguruza v Vinci
4. Suarez Navarro v Errani
5. Garrigues/Sorribo Tomo v Schiavone/Knapp
Tennis Channel will cover Merica v Australia live. Not sure which other ones TC will broadcast live but probably the Semi-finals:
Czech Republic ?? v Switzerland ??
France ?? v Netherlands ??
maybe some play-offs other than Merica v Australia?:
Spain v Italy
Belarus v Russia
Romania v Germany
Canada v Slovakia
I feel bad for Simona Halep – a twisted ankle this time. I don’t remember if she ever got the nose surgery she needed yet. Hope she’ll get it all sorted out.
Stuttgart QF picks:
#3 Angelique Kerber over #11 Carla Suarez-Navarro
#4 Garbine Muguruza over #7 Petra Kvitova
#8 Roberta Vinci over #71 Laura Siegemund
#2 Aga Radwanska over #18 Karolina Pliskova. Aga is 5-0 over Karolina. 3 of 5 wins were last year on hc and grass. 2014 FO clay. 2012 Asian hc. All were straight set wins. But Karolina is coming off a good win and performance in Fed Cup last weekend and could possibly have the confidence to snag an upset.
rc,
I like your picks for the women’s quarterfinals!
Thanks, Nny…
Very happy Kerber won Stuttgart. Also impressive was runner-up, Laura Siegemund, and Istanbul winner Cagla Buyukakcay, the first Turkish woman in history to win a WTA title!
280 point Prague and Rabat this week.
Prague QF’s:
#18 Karolina Pliskova (Cze) over #50 Camila Giorgi (Ita)
#16 Lucie Safarova (Cze) over #78 Su-Wei Hseih (Tpe)
#33 Barbora Strycova (Cze) over #25 Samantha Stosur (Aus)
Going all Czech!
#13 Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) over #63 Monica Puig (Pur)
Rabat QF’s:
#55 Yulia Putintseva (Rus) over #97 Kiki Bertens (Ned)
Bertens leads h2h 3-1 but the last win was a good one for Putinseva on clay in Charleston just weeks ago.
#123 Alexandra Krunic (Srb) over #186 Marina Erakovic (Nzl)
#15 Timea Bacsinszky (Sui) over #69 Johanna Larsson (Swe)
#40 Timea Babos (Hun) over #102 Pauline Parmentier (Fra)
Bacsinszky v Babos SF would be very good.
In Prague, Sam Stosur spoiled the party and edged Barbora Strycova in the decider tie break. Pliskova and Safarova won in straights and Kuznetsova won a tough three set match over Puig. Not bad picking 3 of 4 right.
Things in Rabat didn’t go as well for my picks: Putintseva and Krunic both lost. But Babos and Bacsinszky both won and I’ll get the SF I was hoping for — now to find a way to watch.
SF’s Rabat
Bacsinszky over Babos in 3
Bertens over Erakovic in 2
SF’s Prague
Pliskova over Safarova in 3
Kuznetsova and Stosur both have spent about the same time on court getting to this semi-final and it hasn’t been easy for either one. The h2h is 4-4, but their last meeting on clay, 2015 Madrid, Sveta won in 3 close sets. Hard to pick between the two but I’ll go Russian in this classic:
Kuznetsova over Stosur in 3
Sad to see Stosur lose yet again to Safarova.
It’s been tough for Safarova getting her form back after being sick last summer. Safarova had to give Stosur a w/o today and will drop over 200 points due to having to miss making Madrid QF; plus she has 1300 runner-up points to defend at the French Open. Congrats to her winning Prague, tho — and congrats to Timea Bacsinszky winning Rabat!
3rd Round Madrid Wednesday picks:
Simona Halep over Timea Bacsinszky
Carla Suarez Navarro over Sam Stosur
Or…wouldn’t surprise me if both matches the other way around!
Petra Kvitova over Dasha Gavrilova
Madison Keys over Patricia Maria Tig
Vika Azarenka over Louisa Chirico
Dominika Cibulkova over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Laura Seigemund over Sorana Cirstea
Christina McHale vs Irina-Camelia Begu (odds are too close!)
Madrid and the exodus of top seeds!
Qualifier Louisa Chirico makes the Quarterfinal! Yay, Louisa!
Then Romanian v Romanian = Halep into the Quarterfinal
There’s still two Romanians left: resurgent Sorana Cristea and surprising qualifier Patricia Maria Tig.
My pick, for what it’s worth ? would be Cibby over Sorana. But I see Sorana took the first set!
Stosur over Tig makes sense in the last QF but nothing makes much sense this tournament for picks or seeds!
This is an amazing result for the Romanian players. There are several WTA players in the top 100 – great for such a small country; have read players say there aren’t a lot of resources for tennis players there, so all the more impressive.
where are the men?
Your question got me wondering. The only top male Romanian player after Nastase that I could find was Victor Hanescu who was at No. 26 a few years ago, but now is No. 187. Why the women are successful right now, but not the men, have no idea.
Looks like I was very confused above about what round this is — what a clanger, as Ed would say!
Chirico, with her win over Gavrilova, will collect 390 points and be into the Semifinal! And, she’ll jump into the top 100 for the first time in her young career to around #75. Amazing, incredible tournament for Louisa Chirico ??
Lousia Chirico will face the powerhouse named Dominika Cibulkova. Of course Cibby is the favorite but it’s crazy Madrid is crazy. Dominika has been on fire after a year of recovering from achilles repair and rehab. She’s fought her way back into the top 20 and with her SF result will be just ahead of Caroline Wozniacki at #26.
Hai Simona! Great to see her in a Madrid SF.
One QF left today = Sam Stosur v Patricia Tig. Winner faces Simona Halep.
who is Tig?
I don’t know! Had never heard of her and had to look her up this week. Patricia Maria Tig, Romanian, age 22 going on 23, is/was ranked #134, she had to qualify for Madrid, like Chirico.
I’ve no idea what’s up with the wave of Romanian women and why no men?It’s an interesting question!
The way this Madrid tournament has gone, I wouldn’t bet on it, but
SF Friday should look like this:
Cibulkova over Chirico in 3 (Cibby likes winning in 3).
Halep over Stosur in 3.
Semifinal results – Madrid:
Halep won – 62 60. Cibulkova won – 61 61. Both are looking strong!
The final tomorrow should be fun to watch. Have no idea which one wins.
Way to go halep to win Madrid!!
Goes to show what good coaching and health can achieve with good talent in a small package.
Was only a matter of time until Koach Killer Cahill paid dividends.
Savvy veteran move.
She really played well, Hawk, very positive, strong and even served well in the end.
Sorry your guy lost — that match surprised me. Guessed Andy would get a set – not the match. This secures his #2 – proud of how Andy played today. Kei needs a 1st serve. Every hold turns out to be an act of God.
As for Rafa, nothing surprises me about him anymore – good or bad.
But cheers to halep. I hope it continues for her.
Why I didn’t make any Rome predictions:
Azarenka – Out
Kerber — more surprisingly, Out.
Halep in trouble – maybe saved by a rain delay!??
Way to go Genie with her highest ranked career win against No. 2 Kerber.
Back with Nick Saviano paying immediate dividends shows what good coaching can do. Are you listening Rafa?
Simona Halep, a pupil of Darren Cahill, lost to Daria Gavrilova (WTA 32).
Never listen to him, Rafa!
?
Cahill didn’t achieve much as a player. What does he know?
Genie, who made changes to his coaching team, was defeated by Barbora Strycova 1-6, 0-6 on Thursday. Rafa should hear about this.
Simona and Petra OUT ?
I like your avatar of jalep rc!!!
Thanks Hawk! ?
WTA Rome is crazy. I don’t even feel all that confident about Serena v McHale on Thursday!
Seeds OUT: V.Williams, Kerber, Kvitova, Safarova, Azarenka, Ivanovic, Halep, and Vinci! wow.
Madrid was also outrageous
I saw the latter part of Halep’s match. I was quite surprised to see her lose. The draw has been decimated.
It’s concerning to see Vika now dealing with a back injury.
Too bad Simo lost to Gavrilova, she is one of my favorites on WTA tour. Perhaps she was a bit tired after last weeks heroics, hopefully she will recover from this setback and do well at French open.
In a way its good for Simo, she will get some rest before French open.
Hope you are right, 64aces.
Rome SF’s
Serena over Irina Begu
Muguruza v Keys – we’ll see!
Sharapova will know today the length of her ban:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/may/17/maria-sharapova-anti-doping-panel-london
No
#snafu
On brand new grass courts:
https://twitter.com/MallorcaOpen/status/733379537409613825