Eugenie Bouchard moved past Twirlgate to keep rolling along down under at the 2015 Australian Open. After being pushed early by the very capable Caroline Garcia, Genie found her way and finished with a flourish, 7-5 6-0. Bouchard’s big 2014 began in Melbourne as she was the only player to reach at least the semifinals … Continue reading
With the 2015 WTA season underway, let the parties begin! In Auckland, the players came out to shine at the 2015 ASB Classic Players Party. Headlined by Caroline Wozniacki, I’m also interested in seeing my fellow Americans get their season started, particularly Sloane Stephens and Coco Vandeweghe. Who is going to be the next American … Continue reading
And that’s why I’m not a prognosticator. I usually don’t do predictive previews. For Wimbledon 2014 I did. I named 27th seed Garbine Muguruza a dark horse contender at the All England Tennis Club. Ah, the kiss of death. Garbine is gone after day 1 of the fortnight. Granted, it took 13 match points before … Continue reading
Li Na has been a pioneer in tennis. Many of the historical firsts in singles for an Asian player belong to her. However, on day 3 of Roland Garros 2014, the Chinese superstar found herself on the wrong side of history. Following Stanislas Wawrinka’s loss the day before, Li Na’s defeat at the hands of … Continue reading
Whatever happens in the 2013 AEGON International final, we’ll see a player take a great turn in their career. Elena Vesnina, who easily beat Yanina Wickmayer in the semifinals, came into the year having lost her first 6 WTA singles finals. She finally broke through with a win at Hobart 2013. Still, there is something … Continue reading
Caroline Wozniacki reached the semifinals of the 2013 AEGON International with a 4-6 6-0 6-3 win over Ekaterina Makarova. As I wrote yesterday, for most of the top players I don’t put much stock in needing to win this, so Maria Kirilenko and Li Na getting bounced out isn’t so terrible. Just a few extra … Continue reading
Took a little blog break after the Wegmans LPGA Championship. Was going to wait until Wimbledon started to start posting again, but my Caroline Wozniacki fandom compelled me to come back early. I remain a believer in Caroline. Although getting to the 3rd round of the 2013 AEGON International seems underwhelming considering Wozniacki is a … Continue reading
I admit that a week ago I was really worried about Caroline Wozniacki. That her results the last year and a half were not up to the standard she once set was obvious. But then she opened 2013 by being dismissed in the first round of Brisbane and in her second match at Sydney. I … Continue reading
The last time I saw Laura Robson at a tennis Major, she was ending the singles career of Kim Clijsters, my favorite player since Monica Seles, at the 2012 US Open. It was a difficult moment to watch, but at the same time I had to applaud the young, talented up and coming Robson. Well, … Continue reading
I am always nervous watching Petra Kvitova play. I am a fan and I know she’s capable of brilliant tennis or suffering a head scratching loss. In the opening round of the 2013 Australian Open, my nerves were even more frayed because I knew 2010 Roland Garros winner Francesca Schiavone would not submit easily. And … Continue reading
Fairways and Forehands 