(Rank/Seed)
Somehow, in a most unpredictable fashion, (107/Q) Pironkova won her very first title in her very first final, beating the more experienced (9/5) Kerber 64 64 to win her 8th match in as many days and beat a third successive top 10 player! She is the first Bulgarian woman to win a title since Magdalena Maleeva in Birmingham 2003, the first qualifier to win a Premier level event since Makarova at Eastbourne 2010 and the first qualifier in this event's history to take the title! What a mouthful! Only 3 players have won a Premier level title ranked lower; Alexandra Dulgheru (201 in Warsaw 2009), Serena Williams (169 in Stanford 2011) and Kim Clijsters (133 at Indian Wells 2005).
1st Set
Both players struggled to impose themselves throughout and breaks of serve were plentiful, Pironkova breaking 3 times and Kerber twice. However, though both players won very few second serve points, Pironkova was dominant behind her bigger first serve. The Bulgarian was also much keener to play aggressively, particularly off her huge backhand wing, hitting 16 winners to 13 unforced errors. Kerber was often guilty of overplaying to that wing and though she too executed some fine drop shots, made 10 unforced errors, compared to a mere 7 winners. Pironkova's willingness to hit out won her the set.
2nd Set
Kerber was always under pressure behind her serve, barely surviving an epic 12 minute 2nd game whereby she saved 9 break points to hold, only then to lose her serve two games later. Despite a brief spell where it seemed Pironkova became nervous, losing three straight games from 3-1 up, Tsvetana seemed to believe in her game more so than her opponent, finishing with 32 winners (4 aces) to only 25 unforced errors. Kerber, in contrast seemed to be frustrated at how many balls her opponent brought back into play as she was effectively beaten at her own game. She hit 23 winners to 28 unforced errors overall, as Pironkova served better, retrieved just as well and played more aggressively in all departments.
Pironkova, who last week lost in Shenzhen qualifying to world number 196 Viktorija Golubic, later made a heart warming acceptance speech during the trophy ceremony as the magnitude of this achievement dawned on her. She was very thankful and tearful, dedicating her win to her family and deceased grandfather. For someone who covers the results of the top 10 week in week out and always favours them to pull through, even I was pleased to see this week belong to the qualifier, Tsvetana Pironkova!
Friday, 10 January 2014
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Pironkova upsets Kvitova to reach final
The semi finals were completed on Thursday with contrasting results for the seeds.
(Rank/Seed)
107/Q Pironkova continues her dreamlike run into her first WTA final with a 64 63 upset of (7/2) Kvitova, whom she had never beaten. Kvitova started strongly, recovering from 2-4 to 4-4 but then grew increasingly inconsistent and flat as the match wore on, losing 6 of the next 7 games to trail 1-4 in the second. Pironkova, in contrast used her strong first serve to dominate her opponent and remained steady during the rallies, hitting 9 winners to 9 unforced errors, forcing her opponent into mistakes. Kvitova was her own worst enemy once again as she hit 27 winners to 31 unforced errors, also losing her what had hitherto looked unbreakable serve 6 times! This marks a second time that Kvitova has failed to reach the Sydney final. Meanwhile, Pironkova has achieved a few firsts; first WTA final, first time in her career to beat two top 10 players in the same event, first Bulgarian since Magdalena Maleeva in 2004 to reach any WTA final (let alone one this size) and the first qualifier in the event's history to reach the final! Can she become the first Bulgarian to win here? We'll see!
9/5 Kerber used all her experience to beat 18 year old American, Keys 64 62 and reach her first Sydney final. Initially, Kerber took some time to get to grips with Keys big serve and groundstrokes but after exchanging breaks through 4-4 in the first, Kerber broke clear, converting all 5 break points she held during the match.
The head to head is tied at 1-1 between Kerber and Pironkova but Kerber's win came at an ITF event in the Bahamas back in 2011. On the other hand, Pironkova's was at the big tour level event back in Doha 2012, 64 61. Therefore, Tsvetana knows she can beat Angelique but will the finals pressure take its toll? Pironkova should see this as a golden opportunity as she has nothing to lose, but Kerber has much more experience having won 3 of her previous 8 finals. An upset wouldn't surprise me, but I'm going to stick with Kerber winning, maybe in three sets.
(Rank/Seed)
107/Q Pironkova continues her dreamlike run into her first WTA final with a 64 63 upset of (7/2) Kvitova, whom she had never beaten. Kvitova started strongly, recovering from 2-4 to 4-4 but then grew increasingly inconsistent and flat as the match wore on, losing 6 of the next 7 games to trail 1-4 in the second. Pironkova, in contrast used her strong first serve to dominate her opponent and remained steady during the rallies, hitting 9 winners to 9 unforced errors, forcing her opponent into mistakes. Kvitova was her own worst enemy once again as she hit 27 winners to 31 unforced errors, also losing her what had hitherto looked unbreakable serve 6 times! This marks a second time that Kvitova has failed to reach the Sydney final. Meanwhile, Pironkova has achieved a few firsts; first WTA final, first time in her career to beat two top 10 players in the same event, first Bulgarian since Magdalena Maleeva in 2004 to reach any WTA final (let alone one this size) and the first qualifier in the event's history to reach the final! Can she become the first Bulgarian to win here? We'll see!
9/5 Kerber used all her experience to beat 18 year old American, Keys 64 62 and reach her first Sydney final. Initially, Kerber took some time to get to grips with Keys big serve and groundstrokes but after exchanging breaks through 4-4 in the first, Kerber broke clear, converting all 5 break points she held during the match.
The head to head is tied at 1-1 between Kerber and Pironkova but Kerber's win came at an ITF event in the Bahamas back in 2011. On the other hand, Pironkova's was at the big tour level event back in Doha 2012, 64 61. Therefore, Tsvetana knows she can beat Angelique but will the finals pressure take its toll? Pironkova should see this as a golden opportunity as she has nothing to lose, but Kerber has much more experience having won 3 of her previous 8 finals. An upset wouldn't surprise me, but I'm going to stick with Kerber winning, maybe in three sets.
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Pironkova powers past Errani
The quarter finals saw another highly ranked player defeated by a qualifier.
(Rank/Seed)
6/2 Kvitova moved into her second Sydney semi final in as many attempts, beating compatriot and friend Safarova 76(4) 62 for her 300th career win. In a battle between two big hitting lefties, neither player broke serve in the first set. However, Safarova was always under more pressure and despite saving 3 set points, couldn't contain Kvitova any longer. After the first set was won, Kvitova relaxed and broke Safarova's serve twice en route to yet another fine win. Overall, her serving was exemplary as she made 71% of her first serves and hit 8 aces, including one on her 4th match point. She hit 34 winners (Safarova hit 17) to only 21 unforced errors.
107/Q Pironkova, a former Wimbledon semi finalist, defeated (7/3) Errani 76(2) 63 out on sparsely populated Court One. The Bulgarian handled the occasion well despite missing out when serving for the set at 5-3 and then being forced to break to stay in it down 5-6. Even with the irritating sound of a bird mimicking a car alarm in the background, Pironkova surprisingly out-steadied her opponent with a mixture of sliced forehands and flat backhands to win 5 straight points from 2-2 in the tiebreak. Errani received treatment for a back ailment in the second set and though she closed the 4-1 gap to 4-3, never looked likely to change the tide, marking a second straight year in which she had lost in the quarterfinals. After a poor 2013, Pironkova moved into her first semi finals since Sofia, 2012.
9/5 Kerber continued her straight sets progress, beating Spaniard (16/-) Suarez Navarro 62 64 to move into a second straight semi here. A brief rain delay interrupted the first set but didn't stop Kerber's momentum as she won the set and went up a break in the second. However, Suarez Navarro promised to do better than their last encounter (when she only won a couple of games) as she found the rhythm on her trademark one handed backhand and went ahead 4-3. Still, having avenged her Wimbledon defeat against Kanepi a round earlier, she quickly went on to avenge her US Open defeat to Suarez Navarro too.
Elsewhere, (36/-) Keys continued her impressive run through to her second career semi final when compatriot Mattek Sands was forced to retire with Keys leading 3-2 due to a back injury. Keys had taken out in form but decidedly flat (11/7) Halep 61 64 in the first round.
(Rank/Seed)
6/2 Kvitova moved into her second Sydney semi final in as many attempts, beating compatriot and friend Safarova 76(4) 62 for her 300th career win. In a battle between two big hitting lefties, neither player broke serve in the first set. However, Safarova was always under more pressure and despite saving 3 set points, couldn't contain Kvitova any longer. After the first set was won, Kvitova relaxed and broke Safarova's serve twice en route to yet another fine win. Overall, her serving was exemplary as she made 71% of her first serves and hit 8 aces, including one on her 4th match point. She hit 34 winners (Safarova hit 17) to only 21 unforced errors.
107/Q Pironkova, a former Wimbledon semi finalist, defeated (7/3) Errani 76(2) 63 out on sparsely populated Court One. The Bulgarian handled the occasion well despite missing out when serving for the set at 5-3 and then being forced to break to stay in it down 5-6. Even with the irritating sound of a bird mimicking a car alarm in the background, Pironkova surprisingly out-steadied her opponent with a mixture of sliced forehands and flat backhands to win 5 straight points from 2-2 in the tiebreak. Errani received treatment for a back ailment in the second set and though she closed the 4-1 gap to 4-3, never looked likely to change the tide, marking a second straight year in which she had lost in the quarterfinals. After a poor 2013, Pironkova moved into her first semi finals since Sofia, 2012.
9/5 Kerber continued her straight sets progress, beating Spaniard (16/-) Suarez Navarro 62 64 to move into a second straight semi here. A brief rain delay interrupted the first set but didn't stop Kerber's momentum as she won the set and went up a break in the second. However, Suarez Navarro promised to do better than their last encounter (when she only won a couple of games) as she found the rhythm on her trademark one handed backhand and went ahead 4-3. Still, having avenged her Wimbledon defeat against Kanepi a round earlier, she quickly went on to avenge her US Open defeat to Suarez Navarro too.
Elsewhere, (36/-) Keys continued her impressive run through to her second career semi final when compatriot Mattek Sands was forced to retire with Keys leading 3-2 due to a back injury. Keys had taken out in form but decidedly flat (11/7) Halep 61 64 in the first round.
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
Mattek Sands rumbles Radwanska
The upsets continued in the second round as the top players make their final preparations for the Australian Open.
(Rank/Seed)
American qualifier (48/Q) Mattek Sands upset all the odds to defeat (5/1) Radwanska 75 62, the first time since 1998 that the defending champion had lost her opening match. Though their only previous meetings had gone to 3 sets, Radwanska looked unstoppable initially. Coming in fresh off the Hopman Cup final, she won the first 11 points en route to establishing a 3-0 lead. Mattek Sands, who had already played 4 matches in Sydney already looked erratic to begin with, but gradually began to make use of her aggressive forecourt tactics. In a match featuring many extended and entertaining rallies, interspersed with net forays and drop shots (plus a 'hotdog' from Mattek Sands), the American gradually wore her opponent down, recovering from 3-5 down in the first set. Mattek Sands constantly attacked her opponents weak serve, breaking 7 times and hitting 34 winners to 39 unforced errors. Radwanska in contrast was unusually error prone, hitting 24 to only 8 winners! As Hopman Cup matches don't count on a player's record, technically Radwanska has lost her last 5 matches since Beijing last year as she failed to reach at least the quarter finals in Sydney for the first time since 2010! It was Mattek Sands second career top 5 win.
6/2 Kvitova was silky smooth in contrast, hitting 28 winners to just 12 unforced errors to demolish American, McHale 61 60 in an hour. She appears to be the favourite to win the title now if she wasn't already before!
7/3 Errani used all her experience to edge the young American qualifier, Davis 75 62 in a match that was completed by nightfall. Despite missing out on serving for the set at 5-4, Errani was often content to gradually out-rally her opponent after some lengthy exchanges.
9/5 Kerber survived her opponent's big serving (7 aces) to defeat Estonian, Kanepi 63 64.
The Czech leftie (27/-) Safarova proved that she is always a threat to the world's best as she defeated (10/6) Wozniacki 64 76(7) for a third time in six meetings. She remained patiently aggressive throughout, despite her opponents typically tenacious defending, recovering from 0-3 down in the first set and 4 set points down in the tiebreak (3 at 3-6 down). This marks a 4th time in the Dane's last 5 appearances in Sydney in which she's failed to reach the quarter finals.
(Rank/Seed)
American qualifier (48/Q) Mattek Sands upset all the odds to defeat (5/1) Radwanska 75 62, the first time since 1998 that the defending champion had lost her opening match. Though their only previous meetings had gone to 3 sets, Radwanska looked unstoppable initially. Coming in fresh off the Hopman Cup final, she won the first 11 points en route to establishing a 3-0 lead. Mattek Sands, who had already played 4 matches in Sydney already looked erratic to begin with, but gradually began to make use of her aggressive forecourt tactics. In a match featuring many extended and entertaining rallies, interspersed with net forays and drop shots (plus a 'hotdog' from Mattek Sands), the American gradually wore her opponent down, recovering from 3-5 down in the first set. Mattek Sands constantly attacked her opponents weak serve, breaking 7 times and hitting 34 winners to 39 unforced errors. Radwanska in contrast was unusually error prone, hitting 24 to only 8 winners! As Hopman Cup matches don't count on a player's record, technically Radwanska has lost her last 5 matches since Beijing last year as she failed to reach at least the quarter finals in Sydney for the first time since 2010! It was Mattek Sands second career top 5 win.
6/2 Kvitova was silky smooth in contrast, hitting 28 winners to just 12 unforced errors to demolish American, McHale 61 60 in an hour. She appears to be the favourite to win the title now if she wasn't already before!
7/3 Errani used all her experience to edge the young American qualifier, Davis 75 62 in a match that was completed by nightfall. Despite missing out on serving for the set at 5-4, Errani was often content to gradually out-rally her opponent after some lengthy exchanges.
9/5 Kerber survived her opponent's big serving (7 aces) to defeat Estonian, Kanepi 63 64.
The Czech leftie (27/-) Safarova proved that she is always a threat to the world's best as she defeated (10/6) Wozniacki 64 76(7) for a third time in six meetings. She remained patiently aggressive throughout, despite her opponents typically tenacious defending, recovering from 0-3 down in the first set and 4 set points down in the tiebreak (3 at 3-6 down). This marks a 4th time in the Dane's last 5 appearances in Sydney in which she's failed to reach the quarter finals.
Monday, 6 January 2014
Jankovic loses bad tempered bout
The first round has now been completed and one top 10 player has already bit the dust!
(Rank/Seed)
7/3 Errani had to deal with more than just an ordinary opponent as she faced compatriot, doubles partner and close friend (12/-) Vinci, who she had lost to in their last couple of meetings. After edging a tight first set, Errani took advantage of her wilting opponent to move into the second round with a 64 62 win.
Russian, (23/-) Makarova continued her impressive upset resume in Australia with a 64 62 triumph over in form yet surprisingly out of sorts (8/4) Jankovic. Ekaterina played superbly considering she hadn't played a match since the US Open due to a wrist injury. Despite the blustery conditions, she hit 8 aces and 23 winners compared to only 19 unforced errors. Jankovic, who played so well in Brisbane, in contrast didn't adapt well as she was often kept off balance by both the weather and her opponent, causing her to rant in her coach/brother's direction. She hit a mere 12 winners in contrast to a staggering 31 unforced errors and lost her serve 5 times. This marks a 5th straight year in which Jankovic has failed to reach the quarter finals in Sydney.
9/5 Kerber battled for over two hours to subdue Slovakia's Cibulkova 76(5) 75, whom she had never beaten in 3 previous attempts, including the semis right here last year. Kerber scrapped and nullified the incredible shot making of her diminutive opponent, recovering from 0-3 and 3-5 down in the tiebreaker and then refocusing after missing out on her first two match points having led 5-3 in the second set.
10/6 Wozniacki made a shaky start to the year after her recent shoulder injury and potentially distracting engagement to golfer Rory Mcilroy, recovering to beat German lucky loser Goerges 36 62 64. Goerges has always been Wozniacki's nemesis, winning their last 3 meetings since 2011! However, her ranking has dropped lately due to injury and inconsistency and despite her strong start with many winners and strong serving, her unforced errors ultimately proved her undoing against the steady Dane.
(Rank/Seed)
7/3 Errani had to deal with more than just an ordinary opponent as she faced compatriot, doubles partner and close friend (12/-) Vinci, who she had lost to in their last couple of meetings. After edging a tight first set, Errani took advantage of her wilting opponent to move into the second round with a 64 62 win.
Russian, (23/-) Makarova continued her impressive upset resume in Australia with a 64 62 triumph over in form yet surprisingly out of sorts (8/4) Jankovic. Ekaterina played superbly considering she hadn't played a match since the US Open due to a wrist injury. Despite the blustery conditions, she hit 8 aces and 23 winners compared to only 19 unforced errors. Jankovic, who played so well in Brisbane, in contrast didn't adapt well as she was often kept off balance by both the weather and her opponent, causing her to rant in her coach/brother's direction. She hit a mere 12 winners in contrast to a staggering 31 unforced errors and lost her serve 5 times. This marks a 5th straight year in which Jankovic has failed to reach the quarter finals in Sydney.
9/5 Kerber battled for over two hours to subdue Slovakia's Cibulkova 76(5) 75, whom she had never beaten in 3 previous attempts, including the semis right here last year. Kerber scrapped and nullified the incredible shot making of her diminutive opponent, recovering from 0-3 and 3-5 down in the tiebreaker and then refocusing after missing out on her first two match points having led 5-3 in the second set.
10/6 Wozniacki made a shaky start to the year after her recent shoulder injury and potentially distracting engagement to golfer Rory Mcilroy, recovering to beat German lucky loser Goerges 36 62 64. Goerges has always been Wozniacki's nemesis, winning their last 3 meetings since 2011! However, her ranking has dropped lately due to injury and inconsistency and despite her strong start with many winners and strong serving, her unforced errors ultimately proved her undoing against the steady Dane.
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