So, with Fed Cup over last weekend and the Czech Republic beating the United States, that meant that the WTA season is officially over. Hard to believe it started many months ago around New Year's! I want to take this post in my blog to go through some of the All About Tennis Blog's picks for a variety of topics, including: best player, best match, most improved player, biggest disappointment, and best coach. Let's dive in!
Best Player
The best player this year, in my opinion, is pretty straightforward: Simona Halep. Not only did she finish as the number one player at the year's end, but she did it even though she lost in the First Round of the US Open and didn't play the WTA Finals. This shows just how good the rest of Halep's year has been. And her year has been very impressive. After a title in Shenzhen, Halep's year continued with a fantastic run to Final of the Australian Open, including an epic win over Angelique Kerber, and her season really blossomed when she made the French Open Final, dismissing a hot Muguruza along the way, and came back from the a set and a break down against Sloane Stephens in the Final to win the French Open, her first major title. Couple that with a great win in Toronto against Stephens, also in the Final, and this was the best year of Halep's career, and I think deserves best player honors.
Best Match
When you think of the best match of 2018, a few matches come to mind. This list is not extensive at all, and it is really hard to pick a best match, because I haven't even watched all of the epic matches I will be listing. But, based on the matches I've seen and the matches I've heard were great, I have limited best match down to a few options. I think that one match that people don't mention much that was spectacular was Halep beating Lauren Davis 4-6, 6-4, 15-13 in the Third Round of the Australian Open. Halep had to save match points in that match, and Lauren Davis played admirably. Another amazing match also comes from the Australian Open, and that was Halep beating Kerber 6-3, 4-6, 9-7 in an amazing semifinal. Then, in the Final, Wozniacki beat Halep 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in another spectacular match. So, for me, those three matches come to mind for best match of the year, and they all happened to be at the Australian Open, and involve Simona Halep. Another epic match happened between Halep and Stephens at Toronto this year, as preivously mentioned, and Halep won 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in a very tight match. Stephens also played a very tight match with Camila Giorgi, beating her 4-6, 6-1, 8-6. Overall, I would have to say that, in my completely subjective opinion, that Halep beating Kerber in the Australian Open semifinal would have to be my match of the year.
Biggest Surprise
This is a no-brainer. What Aryna Sablenka did during the second half of the season was spectacular. I already had a feeling Sablenka was going to be very good when I saw her crush Sara Errani in Tianjin in 2017 6-1, 6-3, but this year was well-beyond my expectations. Sablenka started to show her potential in Eastbourne when she lost a tough, tight two-setter in the Final to Caroline Wozniacki. Then, she played fantastic power tennis to match the Semifinals of Cincinnati, won the Connecticut Open, played Osaka as close as anyone in the tournament reaching the Round of 16 at the US Open, and won Wuhan. This gave her the opportunity to play in the WTA Elite Trophy where she very closely missed out on the Semifinals, although next year, I would expect to see her at the WTA Finals, and perhaps a be a top three player there.
Biggest Disappointment
For me, Garbine Muguruza was the most disappointing this year. Expectations were extremely high following Wimbledon last year, and she has failed to come even close to repeating her past successes. Given her high standards, her results this year weren't great. She only won one title, at WTA International event in Monterrey, and reached only one other Final, losing in the Doha Final to Petra Kvitova. She really only played well, in terms of major success, at the French Open, making the Semifinals before going down quickly to Simona Halep. At the other three majors this year, she went a combined 3-3, never making it past the Second Round. In fact, after the French Open, Muguruza only made two semifinals for the rest of the year, in Hong Kong and the WTA Elite Trophy. I'm not saying this a terrible year, but given Muguruza's expectations, she didn't come close to hitting those expectations.
Best Coach
I want to finish with a quick discussion of best coach for the year. I think this is an easy decision: Darren Cahill was spectacular coaching Simona Halep this year. Although he won't continue as Simona's coach next year, his ability to help guide Simona to a grand slam is very impressive, given how hard it is to win a grand slam and the mental block that had seemed to form at Grand Slam Finals for Simona. His calm demeanor and good advice clearly played in role in Halep's successes this year, and he should be recognized for his fantastic coaching.
Well, that's an extremely quick breakdown the WTA season. I can't wait for next year!
Showing posts with label Fed Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fed Cup. Show all posts
Friday, November 16, 2018
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Coco Vandeweghe Proves She Can Play on the Clay
For a while, it seemed as if Coco Vandeweghe was a lost cause on clay. After all, she had barely registered any wins on the surface and was excelling on the hard and grass courts, making the clay an afterthought. However, this clay season we have seen a different Vandeweghe on the dirt. Suddenly, Vandeweghe looks like a real factor in the clay court season and, perhaps, even a threat for the title at the French Open.
Before 2014, Coco Vandeweghe had not even won a WTA Tour-level match on clay in her entire life. The clay courts seemed like they wouldn't fit her powerful, first-strike tennis game, however, and the results backed up this notion. Even in 2014, she only had one win on clay, beating Iveta Melzer in the First Round before being convincingly beaten by Ekaterina Makarova in the Second Round. This was the same year that Coco won her first title, on a grass court in s'Hertogenbosch, so the difference between surfaces for Vandeweghe was very pronounced at this point.
In 2015, Vandeweghe only won two clay court matches, compiling a 2-5 record on the dirt, including Fed Cup. In Paris that year, Vandeweghe lost in the First Round to Julia Goerges. Again, the differences between her game on grass and clay were pronounced. At Wimbledon in 2015, she made the Quarterfinals, coming within one set of the semis before losing to Maria Sharapova. It seemed as if Vandeweghe would never show great results on clay, and this was seemingly confirmed by another lackluster clay court season in 2016 (including Fed Cup), where Coco went 1-4, her only victory coming in a three-setter at Roland Garros. Last year, Vandeweghe won s'Hertogenbosch again, which once again proved that she was playing good tennis, just not on clay.
Perhaps it was the 2017 Australian Open that gave Vandeweghe more confidence, which has been able to convert to the clay courts. During this year's Australian Open, Vandeweghe played spectacular tennis. Coco only dropped one set and came within one set of the Final before losing to Venus Williams in three sets in the Semifinals. Vandeweghe was "in the zone" for much of the tournament, and this was highlighted by a stomping of defending French Open champion Garbine Muguruza in the Quarterfinals. Vandeweghe seemingly couldn't miss and played precision power tennis, taking the racquet out of Muguruza's hands. She won the match 6-4, 6-0 and displayed, with the exception of Serena in Australia, the highest quality of tennis in that match that I have seen all season.
This match surely must have given Vandeweghe the confidence, if she didn't already have it, that she could play with the elites in the game and be a force on the WTA Tour. Not everyone in the tennis world likes her unfiltered attitude, but I find it refreshing to see a player not feel the need to act like a public relations employee at every moment. This is not a knock on people who are very careful in what they say, but there is something refreshing about Coco's attitude.
Coco went on a slump following her run in Australia, and it seemed like she might have to wait until the grass court season to regain her form. After a couple wins in Fed Cup, she lost in the First Round of Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami, which included shocking losses to Alison Riske and Jana Cepelova. However, on the green clay of the Fed Cup, with American support, Coco finally found her game again. Vandeweghe beat Vondrousova and Siniakova in straight sets, never losing more than four games in the process. She followed this up with a win against Kontaveit in Stuttgart, before falling in a hotly-contested match against Pliskova.
Vandeweghe then moved on to Madrid, where she has blossomed. After beating Kontaveit again in the First Round, Coco followed that up by beating recent Stuttgart champion Laura Siegemund in a three-setter, a surprising win for Coco given her lack of good results on the surface and Siegemund's great clay court play. Today, Coco then followed up that win with a huge result against Carla Suarez Navarro. Not only was Suarez Navarro playing in her home country, but her best surface is by far clay.
It would have been easy for Vandeweghe to fold, especially after she lost a tight first set 7-4. However, Coco wouldn't go away. Vandeweghe won the second set 6-4, and despite going down 3-0 in the third set, clawed her way to a three set victory, 7-5 in the third. This was a huge victory for Coco, and was confirmation that she could definitely play on the dirt. Yes, Madrid is at a high altitude, and thus, it helps power players, as the ball flies through the air. But, beating players so great on clay courts, such as Siegemund and Suarez Navarro says a lot more than about the altitude alone.
Since Frencesca Schiavone in 2010, the French Open has had a player that one couldn't refer to as a traditional "clay courter" win the title. In 2011, Li Na won the title, while Sharapova took the title in 2012 and 2014. In 2013 and 2015, Serena Williams won at Roland Garros, while in 2016, Garbine Muguruza lifted the winner's trophy. In my opinion, there is nothing stopping Vandeweghe from winning the title in this wide open women's field, given Serena's pregnancy. Power players can still win on clay, and if Vandeweghe plays up to her capabilities, she can beat anyone in the field, no matter the surface.
No matter the result of her match against Simona Halep in the Madrid Quarterfinals, Coco Vandeweghe has proven that she can play on clay. And, quite frankly, that should scare the rest of the WTA.
Before 2014, Coco Vandeweghe had not even won a WTA Tour-level match on clay in her entire life. The clay courts seemed like they wouldn't fit her powerful, first-strike tennis game, however, and the results backed up this notion. Even in 2014, she only had one win on clay, beating Iveta Melzer in the First Round before being convincingly beaten by Ekaterina Makarova in the Second Round. This was the same year that Coco won her first title, on a grass court in s'Hertogenbosch, so the difference between surfaces for Vandeweghe was very pronounced at this point.
In 2015, Vandeweghe only won two clay court matches, compiling a 2-5 record on the dirt, including Fed Cup. In Paris that year, Vandeweghe lost in the First Round to Julia Goerges. Again, the differences between her game on grass and clay were pronounced. At Wimbledon in 2015, she made the Quarterfinals, coming within one set of the semis before losing to Maria Sharapova. It seemed as if Vandeweghe would never show great results on clay, and this was seemingly confirmed by another lackluster clay court season in 2016 (including Fed Cup), where Coco went 1-4, her only victory coming in a three-setter at Roland Garros. Last year, Vandeweghe won s'Hertogenbosch again, which once again proved that she was playing good tennis, just not on clay.
Perhaps it was the 2017 Australian Open that gave Vandeweghe more confidence, which has been able to convert to the clay courts. During this year's Australian Open, Vandeweghe played spectacular tennis. Coco only dropped one set and came within one set of the Final before losing to Venus Williams in three sets in the Semifinals. Vandeweghe was "in the zone" for much of the tournament, and this was highlighted by a stomping of defending French Open champion Garbine Muguruza in the Quarterfinals. Vandeweghe seemingly couldn't miss and played precision power tennis, taking the racquet out of Muguruza's hands. She won the match 6-4, 6-0 and displayed, with the exception of Serena in Australia, the highest quality of tennis in that match that I have seen all season.
This match surely must have given Vandeweghe the confidence, if she didn't already have it, that she could play with the elites in the game and be a force on the WTA Tour. Not everyone in the tennis world likes her unfiltered attitude, but I find it refreshing to see a player not feel the need to act like a public relations employee at every moment. This is not a knock on people who are very careful in what they say, but there is something refreshing about Coco's attitude.
Coco went on a slump following her run in Australia, and it seemed like she might have to wait until the grass court season to regain her form. After a couple wins in Fed Cup, she lost in the First Round of Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami, which included shocking losses to Alison Riske and Jana Cepelova. However, on the green clay of the Fed Cup, with American support, Coco finally found her game again. Vandeweghe beat Vondrousova and Siniakova in straight sets, never losing more than four games in the process. She followed this up with a win against Kontaveit in Stuttgart, before falling in a hotly-contested match against Pliskova.
Vandeweghe then moved on to Madrid, where she has blossomed. After beating Kontaveit again in the First Round, Coco followed that up by beating recent Stuttgart champion Laura Siegemund in a three-setter, a surprising win for Coco given her lack of good results on the surface and Siegemund's great clay court play. Today, Coco then followed up that win with a huge result against Carla Suarez Navarro. Not only was Suarez Navarro playing in her home country, but her best surface is by far clay.
It would have been easy for Vandeweghe to fold, especially after she lost a tight first set 7-4. However, Coco wouldn't go away. Vandeweghe won the second set 6-4, and despite going down 3-0 in the third set, clawed her way to a three set victory, 7-5 in the third. This was a huge victory for Coco, and was confirmation that she could definitely play on the dirt. Yes, Madrid is at a high altitude, and thus, it helps power players, as the ball flies through the air. But, beating players so great on clay courts, such as Siegemund and Suarez Navarro says a lot more than about the altitude alone.
Since Frencesca Schiavone in 2010, the French Open has had a player that one couldn't refer to as a traditional "clay courter" win the title. In 2011, Li Na won the title, while Sharapova took the title in 2012 and 2014. In 2013 and 2015, Serena Williams won at Roland Garros, while in 2016, Garbine Muguruza lifted the winner's trophy. In my opinion, there is nothing stopping Vandeweghe from winning the title in this wide open women's field, given Serena's pregnancy. Power players can still win on clay, and if Vandeweghe plays up to her capabilities, she can beat anyone in the field, no matter the surface.
No matter the result of her match against Simona Halep in the Madrid Quarterfinals, Coco Vandeweghe has proven that she can play on clay. And, quite frankly, that should scare the rest of the WTA.
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