Your Washington Women’s Champion is Kate Makarova Steve Fogleman in Washington
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Today’s Citi Open women’s final between Ekaterina Makarova and Julia Goerges couldn’t be more evenly matched on paper, with two players born in 1988 who each hold two pro career titles, one premier and one international. And as it turns out, it was evenly matched on court too.
Makarova had the advantage of far more experience playing in the Washington’s hot hard courts, having competed at the Citi Open for 6 of the 7 years of the WTA events existence. Makarova had also beaten Goerges in straight sets in their only prior meeting at the 2015 Australian Open. And she beat her again today, with Makarova coasting to home in 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-0 victory for the D.C. title.
It was Goerges who came out swinging early and playing error-free tennis. But Makarova broke her early in the second set and we all thought it was going three. Goerges was patient from that point forward and managed to level the set at 5-all and tried to serve it out at 6-5. She failed and lost the tiebreak 7-2. Goerges hadn’t won a pro title in over 6 years, and her inability to seal the victory is a prime example of her difficulties in tough situations.
Although it was an entertaining final, you have to feel that Washington was an opportunity missed by the WTA and tournament organizers, who had counted on Halep in the final to bring some press to this side of the action. In the end, Makarova’s and Goerges’ back stories are good, but the women’s side really could have used some more juice in the final. There’s always next year.
2017 WTA St. Petersburg, Taipei Previews and Predictions Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
After a thrilling Australian Open which saw Serena Williams make history by winning her 23rd major title, the WTA tour heads to St. Petersburg and Taipei as many players look to bounce back from their disappointment down under. Here is a rundown of the week’s upcoming tennis.
St. Petersburg
The tour returns to Russia for the second ever St. Petersburg ladies trophy which was won last year by Roberta Vinci. Simona Halep is the top seed in a field which also features Australian Open finalist Venus Williams.
Simona Halep
Top Quarter:
To say Halep’s Australian open was a disappointment would be an understatement. The Romanian was bundled out in the opening round as her dreams of a first Grand Slam title were put on hold once again. The top seed will look to bounce back in St. Petersburg, but she has a very tough draw ahead of her. After an opening round bye she could face promising youngster Ana Konjuh or the tricky Monica Niculescu. Daria Kasatkina faces Belinda Bencic in the pick of the opening round matches with the winner likely going all the way to the quarter finals. With Halep looking in poor form down under, the upset is very much on the cards here, and I back the home favourite to get it done.
Prediction: Kasatkina def. Halep
Second Quarter:
It is hard to predict how Venus will approach this tournament as she will likely be in need of rest after making the Australian Open final. She has an opening round bye before a potential meeting with Kristina Mladenovic in the second round and from there, we could see the effects of a big run take shape. Defending champion Roberta Vinci lands in this section and is the most likely to take advantage of Venus’ likely fatigue. She faces big-serving Timea Babos in the first round before meeting Irina Begu in round two. It is difficult to predict the Italian to not make the quarter finals, and from there I believe she will take advantage of a tired Venus to progress to the last four
Prediction: Vinci def. Venus
Third Quarter:
Many will label Svetlana Kuznetsova as the favourite as she returns to her home country. However, the third seed has a tough opening match in the second round against Daria Gavrilova. Kiki Bertens may look at this as a chance of securing a first Premier title, but the seventh seed has some tough players in her draw. Annika Beck is the first opponent followed by either Johanna Larsson or Yulia Putintseva. There are a few players who can spring a surprise and make the last eight in this quarter, but I am backing Kuznetsova to get it done with some tight matches along the way.
Prediction: Kuznetsova def. Bertens
Fourth Quarter:
Dominika Cibulkova will head into St. Petersburg as one of the title favourites as she looks to claim her first tournament win of the year. The Slovak has a bye into round two where she will likely face Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian had a good Australian Open and is a dangerous player to be drawn against. Another home crowd favourite will be Elena Vesnina, who is the fifth seed in the draw. She faces fellow Russian and doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova in the opening round with the winner likely going on to a meeting with feisty Frenchwoman Alize Cornet in round two. I can see Vesnina being an early upset, but Cibulkova will have enough quality to make the final four.
Prediction: Cibulkova def. Makarova
Semi Finals:
Kasatkina def. Vinci
Cibulkova def. Kuznetsova
Kasatkina will have a good tournament this week and she will make the final after a hard fought victory against Vinci. Cibulkoa vs Kuznetsova could go either way, but I am backing the second seed to get it done.
Final:
Cibulkova def. Kasatkina
Cibulkova’s experience and power will be too much for the younger Kasatkina who puts up a good fight but ultimately falls to the higher ranked player.
Taipei
The Taiwan Open is making its debut as an International event this year and boasts a decent field with Elina Svitolina as the top seed.
Top Quarter:
The top seed is the heavy favourite to take home the title and faces Evgeniya Rodina in the opening round. Kateryna Kozlova or Lucie Hradecka will await in the second round. Shelby Rogers is the other seed in this section and she’ll meet a local wildcard in her opener. The American will then likely move on to face compatriot Nicole Gibbs in the following round. My prediction is Svitolina to make it through the section without many issue. Rogers is the biggest test, but it is one she should pass.
Prediction: Svitolina def. Rogers
Second Quarter:
2017 could turn out to be a big year for Caroline Garcia, who is still waiting on a breakthrough. Winning Taipei would not grant that, but it would be a step in the right direction for the Frenchwoman. Garcia opens against qualifier Marina Erakovic before meeting Jana Cepelova or Mandy Minella in the second round. This could lead to a quarter final meeting with Jelena Jankovic, who will have to make her way through Kurumi Nara and Magda Linette to get to Garcia. I feel the at this stage of their careers, Garcia will simply have too much for Jankovic.
Prediction: Garcia def. Jankovic
Third Quarter:
Anastasija Sevastova got some of her form back at the Australian so she heads into Taipei among the favourites to go all the way. The Latvian’s first test comes in the form of Lucie Safarova in round two. The Czech is riding high after winning the Australian Open doubles title, but she has yet to re-find her top ten singles form. That said, this is a good section for her to make an impact. Sorana Cirstea or Misaki Doi are the likely quarter final opponents, depending on which one can come through. Cirstea showed some good form in Melbourne, so she is the likely choice.
Prediction: Safarova def. Cirstea
Fourth Quarter:
Sam Stosur took a wildcard into Taipei to search for form. Danka Kovinic will be the Aussie’s first opponent, followed by a qualifier or Francesca Schiavone. A match between two former grand slam champions will be a must-see for the local crowd, but Stosur should have the advantage at this stage. Katerina Siniakova is the other seed in this section, and she faces Galina Voskoboeva then Saisai Zeng or Shuai Peng. There are plenty of players in this section that can upset Stosur, but I see the Aussie coming through.
Prediction: Stosur def. Siniakova
Semi Finals:
Svitolina def. Garcia
Safarova def. Stosur
Svitolina vs Garcia is a an interesting style clash as counter puncher meets aggressor, but at this moment the Frenchwoman lacks the consistency to beat the Ukrainian. Stosur has a terrible head-to-head record against Safarova, so I see the Czech getting win number 12 over the Aussie.
Final:
Svitolina vs Safarova
This is a good final for an International event, but the top seed will likely prevail.
Radu Albot, Andrey Golubev Head to Main Stage at St. Petersburg Qualifying Adam Addicott, Tennis Atlantic
St Petersburg Site
The St. Petersburg Open qualifying draw featured 21 Russian players which equalled to 65% of the draw. Despite the high Russian presence, none of them were able to qualify for the main draw of their home tournament.
Heading the field was Moldova’s Radu Albot who overcame a threatening first round match to qualify for the main draw. Facing world number 743 Mikhail Ledovskikh, Albot required over two hours on the court to win 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-3. Despite the low ranking, Ledovskikh has been ranked as high as 151 back in 2008. After his first round scare, Albot reaffirmed his position as the top seed in the draw with two comfortable victories. In the second round, he defeated Alexandr Igoshin 6-4, 6-2. Then in the final round, he dropped three games against Valery Rudvev (6-3,6-0).
Albot is currently ranked 99th in the world, 14 places below his career high. This year he became the first Moldovan in history to break into the ATP top 100. He claimed his first Challenger title for two years in Kolkata back in February. Albot will play 7th seed João Sousa in the first round at St Petersburg. He has played the Portuguese player twice before (both in 2013). During the Davis Cup Albot stage a big comeback from two sets down to beat Sousa. Meanwhile, in his other match at the Poznan Challenger, he lost 6-1, 6-2.
Andrey Golubev’s route to the main draw was more convincing with three straight sets wins over a trio of Russian players. In the first round, he dismissed 17 year-old Kirill Kivattsev (6-1, 6-2) followed by another straight set win over world No.496 Evgeny Elistratov. His final opponent was Evgeny Tyurnev, who stunned 5th seed Nikola Mektic in the second round. Tyurnev was unable to produce another shock against Goulbev as the Kazakh player won 6-4,6-2.
Golubev is ranked 154 in the world which is a substantial distance from his 2010 career high of 33. This season has been disappointing for Golubev who is yet to reach the last four in a tournament. His 2015 main draw win-loss leading up to his first round match is 10-21. In the first round in Russia, he will play Benjamin Becker. Golubev last played Becker in 2010 when he lost 6-0,6-2.
Alexandre Sidorenko booked his place in the main draw after two surprise victories over the 7th and 3rd seed. Sidorenko is known best for winning the 2006 Australian Open boys title. His junior success has failed to progress to the pro tour with the Frenchman achieving a ranking best of 145 in 2009, currently he is ranked 508. In the second round, he defeated Estonian 7th seed Vladimir Ivanov. Ivanov is ranked 101 places higher than Sidorenko. In the final round, he faced a another stiff test against Russian third seed Alexander Kudryavtsev. The Frenchman was trailing a set and 4-2 before staging a mighty comeback to take the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Sidorenko will play in his first ATP World Tour main draw match since the 2010 BMW Open. In the first round he played Evgeny Donskoy. Sidorenko was the only qualifier to play on the first day of the main draw. Playing against a player ranked almost 400 places higher than him, the Frenchman prevailed 6-2, 6-4.
Finally 22-year-old Belarussian Yaraslav Shyla booked his placed in the final after defeating junior world No.43 Alexander Bublik (6-3,6-4). Shyla has won 2 Futures titles in his career and is currently ranked 366th in the world. Following his successful qualifying campaign, he will play in only his third ATP main draw event. In the main draw he will play Evgeny Donskoy.
Ekaterina Makarova (@KateMakarova1) Top Seed Standing After Funky First Round @CitiOpen Stephan Fogleman, Tennis East Coast
At 1:45 p.m., top seed Lucie Safarova kicked off Tuesday play on Stadium Court. Magdalena Rybarikova was a two-time defending champion warming up on Grandstand court, about to begin her title defense.
So much can happen in two hours.
Quoteth the Morrissey, “The Queen is Dead, Boys’.
The Queen of the Citi, Magdalena Rybarikova, went down in ignominious fashion today, 6-1, 6-1 to Ekaterina Makarova, a 53-minute drubbing not befitting the most dominant player in this WTA event’s short history.
But that wasn’t enough.
Top seed Lucie Safarova was also sent packing at the hands of KiKi Mladenovic 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
That leaves Ekaterina Makarova as new the King of the Court, er, Queen of the Citi. She took down the defending champ, she’s the top seed standing and she is now the favorite to take the title.
Makarova and Me (Photo: @NickMcCarvel)
Makarova made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last month, and guess who beat her there? Safarova. She won’t have Lucie to worry about in Washington. BONUS: Ekaterina told me she chose Washington over Stanford because she likes Washington so much. Even though she’s never been to Stanford. Smart woman.
The whole pecking order has reshuffled and this could really benefit Sloane Stephens, who is the second highest seed remaining in the Women’s draw. Um, except that Stephens lost tonight in her match against Christina McHale, 4-6, 6-4, 0-6(!!).
The 1, 3, 4 and 7 seeds are gone (and the twice defending champ) and it’s only Tuesday.
Stay tuned. Even by WTA standards, this is whack. Oh yeah. The winner of this event is clear…as mud.
Svetlana Kuznetsova Loves Dogs, Tigers, Elephants and the US Open
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Photo: (C) 2014 Chris Levy @tennis_shots for TennisEastCoast.com)
Two-time Grand Slam Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova won her first slam in the US, so she’s always happy to summer in the States. She spoke with me at yesterday at the Citi Open, a WTA International-level event in Washington, DC. Due to a change in security policy at the tournament this year, no one, not even Grand Slam champions, are allowed in the lower seating bowl without a ticket. Kuznetsova shrugged off her denial of access to a qualifying match over the weekend and mentioned that Martina Navratilova had run into the same problem at another tournament.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Photo: (C) 2014 Chris Levy @tennis_shots for TennisEastCoast.com)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Photo: (C) 2014 Chris Levy @tennis_shots for TennisEastCoast.com)
She loves her dog, and wears her pride on her shirt, a gift from Chinese clothing sponsor Qiaodan which features her American Bully, Dolce. Pressed on whether her love for animals extended beyond the canine variety, she says she likes “Tigers, Elephants, many animals’. Unlike Dolce, who travels with her on a regular basis, tigers and elephants just won’t fit on the plane.
Gilles Simon Gets Comeback Title in Metz, Ernests Gulbis wins 2nd ATP Title of 2013 in St. Petersburg
ATP Metz
Gilles Simon, coming off injury, took the title in Metz 6-4 6-3 over compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga fell just short of his third straight Metz title. Simon beat Kenny De Schepper, Sam Querrey, and Nicolas Mahut to reach the final, while Tsonga, who was also coming off injury, found his game against Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Tobias Kamke, and Florian Mayer. Simon didn’t drop a set all week, while Tsonga was pushed to 3 sets in both the quarter and semifinals.
Johan Brunstrom and Raven Klaasen took the doubles title over Mahut/Tsonga.
ATP St. Petersburg
Ernests Gulbis continued his quality year of tennis, capturing his second ATP title of the year (The other being the 250 in Delray Beach) 3-6 6-4 6-0 over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Gulbis started slow but the Spaniard Garcia-Lopez would unravel midway through the 2nd set up 6-3 4-1, and at that point, the match was over for all extensive purposes.
As a player with Russian ties this was almost a home tournament win for Gulbis, not to mention Latvia isn’t far from St. Petersburg. He beat Mikhail Elgin, Jurgen Zopp, Roberto Bautista Agut and Michal Przysiezny en route to the final. Garcia-Lopez, who has really not had that great of a year yet made a pair of ATP finals showed his streaky ability to play well. He beat Mikhail Biryukov, upset the 2 seed Mikhail Youzhny in 3 sets, then routined Denis Istomin and Joao Sousa, who surprised with quality play off of clay.
The doubles title went to David Marrero/Fernando Verdasco over Dominic Inglot/Denis Istomin.
2013 ATP Metz, St. Petersburg Previews, Predictions Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com
Indoor hard courts take center stage now as the ATP world tour will hosts 250s in Metz and St. Petersburg.
ATP MetzMoselle Open
ATP World Tour 250
Metz, France
September 16-September 22, 2013
Prize Money: € 410,200
Top 4 seeds (Who all receive first round byes)
1: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
2: Gilles Simon
3: Andreas Seppi
4: Phillip Kohlschreiber
First round matchups to watch:
Ivo Karlovic vs. (6)Sam Querrey
Querrey is 4-3 career against the big serving Croat and neither have played any tennis since the US Open. That being said, Querrey has not had a great year and seems to be slumping again while Karlovic has been on the rise since returning to tennis this summer. I think Ivo will even the head to head here but it could go either way. Tiebreaks will be in order.
Top Half:
Two times straight champion here, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga returns to tennis after a knee injury sidelined him from the US Open and a couple of other events. He will play Federico Delbonis or Edouard Roger-Vasselin, with Jeremy Chardy, Tobias Kamke or one of two qualifiers waiting in the quarterfinals. Even if Tsonga isn’t 100%, this seems like an easy start.
Phillip Kohlschreiber, who helped Germany win their Davis Cup tie this weekend on clay, will switch surfaces and face Carlos Berlocq or Jiri Vesely, who both played DC this weekend as well.
It will be Kohlschreiber in all likelihood vs. DC teammate Florian Mayer, if Mayer beats a qualifier and Andreas Haider-Maurer/Lukas Lacko. Lacko played DC while Haider-Maurer pulled out his DC tie.
Bottom Half:
Gilles Simon has struggled and he could get a tough test to open against Jesse Huta Galung or Kenny De Schepper. De Schepper is in poor form but is good indoors, while Huta Galung helped the Dutch clinch their weekend Davis Cup tie and has been in great form. Querrey/Karlovic or the slumping winner of Igor Sijsling/Paul-Henri Mathieu await in the quarters.
Andreas Seppi has finalist points to defend, opening against Nicolas Mahut/Leo Mayer with one of Benoit Paire/Benjamin Becker/Albano Olivetti/Qualifier awaiting in the quarters,
Dark Horse: Jiri Vesely
Vesely got some play time on Davis Cup played on indoor and if he can take care of Berlocq and upset Kohlschreiber (who can be beatable), he will be home free probably until the semis.
Predictions:
Semis:
Kohlschreiber d. Tsonga
Paire d. Karlovic
Thinking Kohli is in better form and healthier than Tsonga. Like Paire at home in France to make the final.
Final:
Kohlschreiber d. Paire
Would be a great match if it happens. Kohli a solid favorite, though Paire won their last meeting. They also met last year in Metz (Round 2) with Kohli coming out on top.
ATP St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg Open
ATP World Tour 250
St. Petersburg, Russia
September 16-September 22, 2013
Prize Money: $455,775
Top 4 seeds:
1: Fabio Fognini
2: Mikhail Youzhny
3: Janko Tipsarevic
4: Dmitry Tursunov
First round matchups to watch:
(3)Janko Tipsarevic vs. Roberto Bautista-Agut
Tipsy helped Serbia reach the Davis Cup final, and his game may well have finally turned the corner right here at the end of the season. He will have a rough start against Bautista-Agut, though, who is a dangerous player that can, on a good day, punch his shots with the best of them. This one could be quite entertaining. This is also a rematch of the Chennai final that Tipsy won in 3 sets.
(4)Dmitry Tursunov vs. Marcos Baghdatis
Baghdatis beat Tursunov twice last year but Tursunov has had a great year this year. Baghdatis has been slumping, though he seems to have found his form in recent weeks. Tursunov is playing at home in Russia and I think he will be the slight favorite here.
Top Half:
Fabio Fognini will play a qualifier and then Michal Przysiezny or Albert Ramos. If he gets past that, one of Victor Hanescu/Lukas Rosol/Ricardas Berankis/Karen Khachanov awaits in what is a very open section of a very open tournament.
The Tipsarevic/Bautista winner faces Adrian Mannarino or Evgeny Donskoy followed by most likely Ernests Gulbis, who helped Latvia in Davis Cup. Gulbis must beat Mikhail Elgin and then Daniel Gimeno-Traver/Jurgen Zopp to reach that point.
Bottom Half:
Mikhail Youzhny is primed and ready, opening with wild card Aslan Karatsev and then a qualifier or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez waiting in Round 2. In the quarters, Denis Istomin is his most likely opponent, with Istomin needing to beat a qualifier and JL Struff/Andrey Golubev.
Fernando Verdasco, who helped Spain remain in the World Group of the Davis Cup, opens with Sergiy Stakhovsky before doing business with Paolo Lorenzi/Joao Sousa. It should be Tursunov/Baghdatis in the quarters, though a qualifier or Horacio Zeballos are possible.
Dark Horse: Marcos Baghdatis
Baggy is streaky and though I don’t think he gets out of the first round, if he does he could make a deep run to at least the quarters and perhaps the semis or final in what is a veteran field. It may be a veteran field, but not a field that is the most talent-laden. His aggressive tennis could catch fire and he could tear his way through this shaky draw.
Predictions
Semis:
Tipsarevic d. Fognini
Youzhny d. Verdasco
I think Tipsarevic seizes on his Davis Cup revival and it takes him to the final in what is a weak top half. Youzhny, meanwhile, seems to be the favorite at home in Russia.
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