2015 FRENCH OPEN: Women's Quarterfinals Preview

Here are my predictions for the 2015 women's quarterfinals at the French Open. Last year I correctly predicted 2 of 4 women's quarterfinals and correctly predicted 2 of 4 men's quarterfinals. I will try to predict the men's quarterfinals in a separate post.

Serena Williams [1] vs Sara Errani [14].  For the third round in a row, Serena lost the first set and had to make a dramatic comeback  to keep her hopes of winning her 3rd French Open alive. She had nearly twice as many unforced errors in her 1-6 7-5 6-3 win in the 4th round over Sloane Stephens. Happily, she will play Sara Errani whom she has only lost one set against in 7 matches, but Errani did win a non-tour match on clay in Federation Cup competition during the Spring on home turf in Italy. Errani has reached the French Open final herself and is averaging an astonishing 15 unforced errors per match in the first four rounds, including a mere 3 unforced errors in her fourth round win (forty less than Serena at the same stage of the tournament). Regardless, this tournament is clearly now Serena's to lose and  I find it impossible to believe that Sara Errani is going to be the player to prevent that from happening. Mad Professah's Pick: Williams.

Timea Bacsinszky [23] Petra Kvitova [4] vs Alison Van Uytvanck. What can you do with a problem like P3tra? No one expected these two players in the quarterfinals, probably not even their own coaches! After winning the first set Kvitova lost the second set 0-6 and while most observers just thought "Oh there she goes again!" no one really expected the 2-time major champion to lose that match against someone who had never advanced past the 3rd round of a major despite being on the tour for more than seven years. One of these two players will be in the semifinals and probably win more money by losing that match then they made all last year on tour. Mad Professah's pick: Bacinszky.

Ana Ivanovic [8] vs Elina Svitolina [23] Simona Halep [3]. The only remaining major champion in the draw other than Serena is Ivanovic and she won her major here at Roland Garros exactly 7 years ago. She has never lost to the young Svitolina in 7 meetings and I don't expect her to do so in a match that will return her to the Final Four in a major for the first time since she won the whole thing seven years ago. However, I'm sure nerves will be an issue since she has lost the last two quarterfinals she has played in during this long barren period (2012 U.S. Open and 2014 Australian Open). Mad Professah's pick: Ivanovic.

Garbine Muguruza [21] vs Lucie Safarova [13] Maria Sharapova [2].  These two hard-hitting players have never met on tour before. This should probably be the best match of the four quarterfinals, although the Ivanovic-Svitolina match-up will be fun to watch as well. Muguruza upset the defending champion Serena Williams in the 2nd round last year on her way to reaching her first major quarterfinal here at Roland Garros. Safarova is playing some of the best tennis of her career and thanks to her stunning upset of defending champion Maria Sharapova, the Czech player will finally break through into the WTA Top 10. I do expect to reach major semifinals and possibly finals in the near future, but not this week. Mad Professah's pick: Safarova.

TENNIS TUESDAY: Fed Cup Final Set; Djokovic Amasses Huge Lead For #1

Fed Cup Final Set Between Czech Republic and Russia
Czech Republic with Petra Kvitova was able to easily dismiss France while Russia was able to get past Germany despite the absence of World #2 Maria Sharapova by winning the doubles rubber. The Fed Cup final will be held between Russia and Czech Republic in November in Russia. This will be the fourth year in the last five the Czech team has been in the final (they lost in the semifinals in 2013 to Italy).

United States Fails To Make World Group Despite Serena Playing 3 Matches
Serena Williams made a rare appearance in Fed Cup this weekend against Italy on clay and despite winning both her single matches (against Sara Errani and Camila Giorgi) the USA failed to secure a victory. Serena teamed up with Ali Riske in the deciding doubles rubber but the Americans could not withstand the pressure from Flavia Pennetta and Errani and lost the tie 2-3. Venus Williams and Madison Keys did not participate in the tie for unspecified reasons.

Djokovic On 17-Match Winning Streak
World #1 Novak Djokovic is on a 17-match winning streak (35-2 for 2015) which has provided him with three consecutive ATP Masters series titles: Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo. This is the first time anyone has won the first three Masters tournaments of the year and this result has the Serbian with a staggering lead over World #2 Roger Federer.

2014 US OPEN: Women's Quarterfinals Preview

Here are my predictions for the women's quarterfinals at the US Open for 2014. Last year I correctly predicted 4 of 4 women's quarterfinals and correctly predicted 2 of 4 men's quarterfinals.

Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs Flavia Pennetta (ITA) [11].  For the second time in three years one quarter of the U.S. Open quarterfinalists are from Italy. The last time it happened the two Italians faced each other and for the last two years there has been an Italian semifinalist at the U.S. Open. However, I doubt that it will happen a third year in a row. Flavia Penetta has had her best results here in New York, and reached the semifinals last year (losing to Azarenka in two very ugly, error-prone sets). Unfortunately for Flavia, instead of being drawn to face Vika again, she has to play Serena, who, now that she is in the business end of a major for the first time in 2014 is more determined than ever to finally capture Major #18, especially since she is the only member of the WTA Top 10 left remaining in the draw.  PREDICTION: Williams.

Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) [17] Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) [7] vs. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [16]. day For the first time in a major all year, the quarterfinals will not be graced with the presence of Genie Bouchard of Canada. Instead the powerful Russian lefty reached the final 8 of her second consecutive major tournament as well as her second consecutive U.S. open quarters here in New York  She did so by controlling her nerves and her shots while the most improved player of the year started wilting in the heat and humidity of Flushing Meadows. This will be Makarova's 5th major quarterfinal but she is 0-4 so far. She'll play Vika Azarenka who is gunning to reach her 3rd consecutive final and return to her place of prominence in women's tennis. Fortunately for Vika, she leads Makarova 3-2 in their career head-to-head including 2 wins on hard courts. PREDICTION: Azarenka.

Shuai Peng (CHN) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [4] vs Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [9] Belinda Bencic (SUI). Peng is having a career-best performance in New York. She has already dismissed #4 seed Agnieska Radwanska, #14 Lucie Safarova and #28 Roberta Vinci to reach this far, so surely she won't falter against the unseeded teen sensation that is Belinda Bencic of Switzerland? Bencic, 17, is playing in her very first major quarterfinal, having surprised #9 Jelena Jankovic in a match only she and her coach Martina Hingis thought she could win. But Bencic won decisively. In some sense the Swiss player has had the more impressive road to get to this point, having dismissed two top 10 players (Jankovic and #6 Angelique Kerber). This match means so much to the players that it will almost certainly result in horrible tennis, and in the end it is very unlikely the victor will win their next match to reach their first career final. PREDICTION: Bencic. 

Sara Errani (ITA) [13] vs. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [10] Maria Sharapova (RUS) [5]. Wozniacki played one of the best matches of her life to absorb and redirect Maria Sharapova's powerful groundstrokes to outlast the 5-time major champion and earn a stunning (and rare) victory over one of the Big Babes of women's tennis. After seeing her ex-fiance' Rory Mcilroy go on to win two major golf championships after ending their relationship, Wozniacki has been playing with increased intensity and verve all summer long, with good results to show for it (like taking Serna Williams to 3 sets in both Montreal and Cincinnati) . With the upset of multiple top seeds from her half of the draw, the Dane is now the highest rated player in her half of the draw and she has always been an expert in beating players she is supposed to beat while coming up short against players with more power and stature than she has. Surprisingly, these two players have only met three times on tour and although Wozniacki leads 2-1 she hasn't played La Grande Sara since the Italian became ensconced in the Top 10 of women's tennis. No matter, this is a golden opportunity for Wozniacki and I would be shocked if she didn't take advantage of it to reach her 2nd major final and a chance to (finally) win her first major title. PREDICTION: Wozniacki. 

2014 US OPEN: Venus Loses Bizarre 3-Set Battle To Errani; Halep(2) Upset Also

Venus Williams lost a bizarre match to Sara Errani of Italy, 6-0 0-6 7-6(5) in the 3rd round of the 2014 US Open. The two consecutive bagel sets were strange (but not the first time this has happened to Venus in New York) but aso was the fact that she lost to this opponent, sometone she had beaten easily in their first three meetings, giving up only 12 games total previously.

In other upsets on Friday, World #2 Simona Halep lost to Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in straight sets. Lucic-Baroni, who was something of a prodigy in the mid-1990s is now 32 years old and has now reached the 4th round of the uS Open.

2014 FRENCH OPEN: Women's Final Preview

Maria Sharapova (RUS) [7] vs Simona Halep (ROU) [4]

The 2014 French Open women's final will be between Maria Sharapova of Russia and Simona Halep  of Romania. Last year I correctly predicted Serena Williams would beat Sharapova in the final. This year I correctly predicted 2 of 2 women's semifinals, 2 of 2 men's semifinals, 2 of 4women's quarterfinals and 2 of 4 men's quarterfinals. Here are my predictions for the women's singles championship match at Roland Garros this year.

How Did They Get Here? Women's Semifinals Review
Maria Sharapova (RUS) [7] d. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) [18] 4-6 7-5 6-2. For the third match in a row in this year's tournament, Maria Sharapova had to come back from a set down in order to reach victory. She did it against Sam Stosur in the 4th round (winning the deciding set 6-0), against Garbine Muguruza (winning the decider 6-1) and then against Bouchard, who put up the most resistance. If Bouchard plays the way she played against Sharapova on regular tour-level matches she will soon be permanently ensconced in the WTA Top 10. The key to this match was the second set, where Sharapova blew a 5-2 lead, managing to double fault on not one but three set points. She eventually won the set on an error from Bouchard, who had failed to capitalize on the momentum gained from getting back to even to score an advantage in the set. The third set was actually a bit closer than the 6-2 score indicaes, but basically Sharapova started moving better so that her groundstrokes were heavier which drew far more errors from the young Canadian. This (unlike the Stosur match, and possibly the Muguruza one) was not a match that Sharapova's opponent lost, it was one that Sharapova reached out and grabbed.

Simona Halep (ROU) [4] d. Andrea Petkovic (GER) [28] 6-2 7-6(4) . Halep simply has too much game for a great athlete like Petkovic to handle. Clay court tennis rewards the better mover in most match-ups (though overwhelming advantages in firepower can change that inequality, c.f. Petkovic's win over Sara Errani in the quarterfinal 6-2 6-2). The tournament's remaining top seed ran away with the first set in under 25 minutes and was cruising in the second when she got tight and Petkovic got loose and a very competitive set ensued. But as the score revealed, Halep was still a little bit better when it really counted. It would have been useful to see Halep play a 3rd set in an important match. The very fact that she has won all 6 rounds in straight sets may harm her chances against Sharapova, because Halep does not have the familiarity with adversity that Sharapova has and may not know how to respond.

Who Will Win? Women's Final Preview

Not surprisingly the two have met recently, in the final of Madrid, and the result was a 3-set win by Sharapova after being blown out 1-6 in the first set. I think Halep will learn from that experience and acquit herself well in her first major final. But it is a very tough ask to expect a first-timer to win against Sharapova. Petra Kvitova did it at Wimbledon in 2011 so it has happened before, and my heart would be gladdened if it happened here, but my head says it won't.

Mad Professah's pick: Sharapova in 3 sets.

2014 FRENCH OPEN: Women's Semifinals Preview

The women's quarterfinals are now set at the 2014 French Open. Last year, I predicted 2 of 2 women's semifinals correctly and 1 of 2 men's semifinals correctly. This year I correctly predicted 2 of 4women's quarterfinals and 2 of 4 men's quarterfinals. Here are my predictions for the women's semifinals at Roland Garros this year.

Serena Williams (USA) [1]Maria Sharapova (RUS) [7] vs. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) [18]. For the fourth year in a row, Maria Sharapova is in the semifinals of Roland Garros. The Russian player is 52-4 on clay for the last three seasons and with

Serena Williams crashing out of the tournament early most observers have ceded the 2014 title to the #7 seed.  However, she still had to make it through the draw and she has been down but not out in her last two matches but in both cases once she won the middle set she was able to close out the matches by obliterating her opponent to win the last 6 games in a row. Bouchard also displayed her mental toughness to win her second consecutive major quarterfinal despite being down in all three sets against an accomplished Spanish clay court player. The Canadian youngster was able to sneak out the first set in a tiebreak after being down a double break and won the final set despite being down 1-4. Bouchard and Sharapova have very similar playing styles (see ball, hit ball; hit ball harder!) and so far in their two career meetings Sharapova has earned victories. Bouchard is clearly the real deal and the most successful of the up and coming group of Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Monica Puig and Elina Svitolina. She will have most likely have very many opportunities to successfully reach major finals but this is not one of them. Mad Professah's pick: Sharapova in 3 sets.

Andrea Petkovic (GER) [28] Sara Errani (ITA) [10] vs Simona Halep (ROU) [4].  Well this is a semifinal I did not think would occur since I predicted that the Italian clay court specialist  player to win her 3rd consecutive Roland Garros quarterfinal but instead the powerful German player blew Sara Errani off the court 6-2 6-2.

Halep eliminated 2009 French Open champion Sveta Kuznetsova more easily than I expected due to a left thigh injury the Russian suffered at some point which limited her mobility. That being said, even if Sveta had been at 100% I doubt she would have prevailed against the powerful, wily Romanian. These two have only met three times with Halep leading 2-1 but Petkovic is a completely different player now that she has returned from three serious injuries in two years. Even so, I expect Halep to be able to absorb Petkovic's power and give the German more than she can handle. Mad Professah's pick: Halep in 3 sets.
Both players are in their first major semifinal but Halep is #4 in the world and has been improving her result in every major tournament she plays. I fully expect her to reach her first major final and acquit herself well there.

2014 FRENCH OPEN: Women's Quarterfinals Preview

The women's quarterfinals are now set at the 2014 French Open. Last year, I predicted 3 of 4 women's quarterfinals correctly and 4 of 4 men's quarterfinals correctly.

Serena Williams (USA) [1] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) vs. Maria Sharapova (RUS) [7]. Muguruza is the real deal, as the 20-year-old Spaniard finally lived up to her long-touted potential by eliminating  defending champion and World #1 Serena Williams in the second round in two un-competititve sets. However, Sharapova is literally the most successful player on clay for the last three seasons, with a mere 4 losses in 55 matches played, reaching the 2012 and 2013 finals here at Roland Garros. Sharapova got through a stuff test from one of the few remaining Grand Slam champions in the draw provided  for a set and a half by Samantha Stosur but ended that match by winning 9 games in a row. (In her  previous round she won 12 games in a row, so she is brimming with confidence. Muguruza is playing in her very first major quarterfinal while Sharapova is in the seventh of her career and 4th consecutive. Experience will trump youthful exuberance, and its hard to see anyone stop Sharapova from winning her 2nd French Open title next Saturday. Mad Professah's pick: Sharapova in 2 sets.

Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) [14] vs. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) [18] Angelique Kerber (GER) [8]. Like Muguruza, Bouchard is another member of the next generation of WTA stars, and in fact she is playing in her second major quarterfinal of the year and has already won a WTA tour title. She has already overperformed by eliminating Top 10 mainstay Angie Kerber by only losing 3 games in the process. Suarez Navarro is a talented dirtballer of the highest order, and is coached by Conchita Martinez. Like her coach, Suarez Navarro can be a bit of a head case but her results have markedly improved in the last year and she has also recently won a tour title (which I take as a measure of mental toughness). Either Bouchard will run through this quickly (which I seriously doubt) or this will be a long war of attrition. Mad Professah's pick: Suarez Navarro in 3 sets.

Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) [27] vs Simona Halep (ROU) [4].  This should be a compelling match because it is a first-time meeting and the person who wins this semifinal should have a very good chance to reach the final and attempt to stop Sharapova from her 2nd coronation in Paris. Kuznetsova is one of my longtime favorites on the women's tour and I think she is playing quite well enough in Paris to win the whole thing. Last year, she gave the eventual winner Serena Williams almost all she could handle in a tough 3-set match. I suspect history will repeat itself here. I am a big fan of Halep, havnig seen her play close-up in New York and Indian Wells in the last 9 months or so. She has been improving in every major she plays so I would not be surprised if that trend continues all the way to the final. There's a reason why she's the top remaining seed in the draw. Mad Professah's pick: Halep in 3 sets.

Andrea Petkovic (GER) [28] Na Li (CHN) [2] vs Sara Errani (ITA) [10]. The diminutive Italian does not get a lot of respect, but she is the closest thing the women's tour has to a David Ferrer, a play who has maximized their physical assets through sheer hard work, grit and determination. Petkovic is a good player, and won the Charleston tournament earlier this year so she is comfortable on clay. However, these two met in Madrid this year and Errani won easily. I haven't seen anything which indicates that the German is ready to make a big breakthrough here, while Errani, has made the semifinals here for the last two years and will likely do so a third time this year. Lucky for her, she does not have to face 2010 champion Li Na, who lost in the first round. Mad Professah's pick: Errani in 2 sets.

2014 ROME: Serena Wins 60th WTA Title Over Errani

As I predicted, Serena Williams was able to win her 3rd title in Rome, her 60th career title overall by overwhelming Sara Errani of Italy 6-3 6-0. Serena was able to accomplish a rare feat for her, defending a clay court title, since she won this title last year over Vika Azarenka. Many people are remarking that the two times Serena has won the Rome title (2002 and 2013) are also the two times that she won the title in Paris. Will 2014 be the third time this happens?

2014 ROME: Finals are Djokovic-Nadal XVI and Serena-Errani

As I predicted yesterday, the men's final will feature the mouthwatering showdown between World #1 Rafael Nadal versus World #2 Novak Djokovic in their record 41st meeting on the ATP world tour. Nadal is in his record 9th Rome final and is shooting for his 8th Rome title while Djokovic is in his 5th Rome final and is hoping to win his 3rd Rome title. Nadal currently leads the head-to-head 22-18,  but Djokovic won their last meeting in the final of the 2014 Key Biscayne ATP Master series in straight sets and 2 other meetings since losing to Nadal in the 2013 US Open final. Overall, Djokovic leads 12-9 in finals, but Nadal leads 13-3 in clay court meetings. Djokovic got through a tough 3-hour match against Milos Raonic while Nadal destroyed Grigor Dimitrov playing in his first Master Series semifinal.

In the women's final, defending champion Serena Williams will face hometown favorite Sara Errani. Serena had a tough time getting past a spirited Ana Ivanovic  6-1 3-6 6-1. Errani did very well to win her second consecutive match against a Top 10 player, following  her tough 3-set dismissal of Li Na with a straight sets win over Jelena Jankovic to become the first Italian woman to reach the final of her hometown championships in over a generation.

MadProfessah's predictions: Djokovic and Serena.

2014 ROME: Semifinals Set: Rafa-Dimitrov, Nole-Raonic; Serena-Ivanovic, Errani-Jankovic

The semifinals of the last big clay court warm-up tournament (in Rome) before the clay court major in Paris starts on May 25th are set.

On the men's side Rafael Nadal outlasted Andy Murray despite losing the first 5 games of the match, by winning the last three games of the match 1-6 6-3 7-5 to reach the semifinals. Nadal will face Grigor Dimitrov. On the other half of the draw Milos Raonic will try to prevent the seemingly inevitable Nadal-Novak Djokovic final. Djokovic took 3-sets to dismiss David Ferrer 7-5 4-6 6-3.
Nadal has not looked fresh and has been coming through some tough 3-set matches, including a 3-hour-18-minute slugfest against Gilles Simon a few rounds ago and another 3-setter against Mikhail Youzhny.  How will the World #1 do against a ready and rested youngster like Dimitrov, who just turned 23 this week? MadProfessah's prediction: Djokovic-Nadal final.

On the women's side, Serena Williams is showing that she is playing her way into form on her way to try to defend her 2013 French Open title. She will face Ana Ivanovic, who handed Serena her most stinging defeat of the year at the 2014 Australian Open for a much anticipated rematch. Ivanovic has already beaten the second best clay-court player on tour in Maria Sharapova in this tournament, snapping a 7-year losing streak to Masha. 2-time Rome champion Jelena Jankovic will face Sara Errani, the hometown favorite who eliminated World #2 Li Na, using the crowd support to earn a rare win over a Top 10 opponent and her very first over someone from the Top 3 (in 21 tries!) There's a chance of an all-Serbian final, but instead I suspect it will be a Jankovic-Serena final on Sunday. Madprofessah prediction: Serena-Jankovic.

Best Women's Tennis Matches of 2013

Here are my picks for the "best" (or most memorable) tennis matches played by women in 2013. These are basically the matches that had the most impact on me while they were occurring, feature some of the best play or the most amazing shots, had the biggest impact on the rest of the tennis season or are matches that I would most likely to watch again in the future. 
I have previously compiled lists of the Best Women's Tennis Matches for 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010, and 2011, skipping last year. I have also compiled lists of the Best Men's Tennis Matches for 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2006. These lists can all be accessed at my MadProfessah.com under the Tennis tab which also contains my coverage of the four major tournaments.

1.  S. Williams USA d. V. Azarenka BLR, 7-5 6-7(1) 6-1, U.S. Open final, New York City.

Exactly one year after they met in the finals of the US Open the two top players in the world faced off again. In the 2012 final, Azarenka had led 5-3 in the deciding 3rd set and looked like she was going to become the first person since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario to lose the first set of the US Open final and win the title. It was also the first time since 1995 that the women's final was extended to three sets. Amazingly, for the second year in a row the women's championship match was three sets long although during the match itself it didn't seem like that was going to happen. After all, Serena had dominated the tour to that point, only losing four matches all year, but two of those were to Azarenka, on hard courts no less. This made the match-up between these two on this important stage a matter of great interest and import.

The first set was a difficult, nervy affair with extremely windy conditions that negatively impacted play. Serena was able to sneak out the first set with a surprising break in the 11th game and served out the set. Serena was up 4-1 and 5-3 in the second set when, amazingly, Azarenka was able to come back and force a tiebreak, which she won easily as a distressed Serena sprayed the ball and made repeated errors in the face of the Belarussian's powerful defense. Most people expected a hard-fought third set reminiscent of the 2012 final but instead Azarenka was only able to manage one service hold and was routed relatively quickly. This time when Serena was up 4-1 she maintained her focus and earned the insurance break but was also able to hold her own nerve and serve out the match to claim her 17th major title. It was the longest women's final (165 minutes) in 34 years, even though for the last 25 minutes or so the result was not really in doubt.

2.  V. Azarenka BLR d. N. Li CHN, 4-6 6-4 6-3, Australian Open final, Melbourne.
This was one of the strangest championship matches in recent history. It featured not one but two freak occurrences when Li Na injured herself by twisting her ankle (twice!). Li, who after the match said she could not remember if she had ever fallen to the court in a competitive match fell to the court twice during this, match, her 3rd career major final. For most of the match the Chinese player was the better player but the the defending champion's steadiness and mental toughness saw her through to the finish line. Without a doubt it was one of the most dramatic matches of the year and most memorable, even if the quality of play was not always at its best. There were definitely moments, particularly in the first set, where the tennis was simply sublime.

3.  S. Lisicki GER d. S. Williams USA, 6-2 1-6 6-4, Wimbledon 4th Round, London.
Serena Williams is a 5-time Wimbledon champion and has appeared in the final 8 times since 2002. She and her sister Venus are clearly the best grass court players of their generation. However, Sabine "Boom Boom" Lisicki loves the grass court major and has always played her best tennis at SW19. With a huge serve and heavy forehand, she is a formidable opponent on this surface which rewards power. In fact, by winning this match Lisicki achieved the curious result of having defeated four consecutive reigning French Open champions in her last four appearances at Wimbledon: defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009,  Li Na in 2011, Maria Sharapova in 2012 and  Serena Williams in 2013. (Lisicki did not play Wimbledon in 2010.) This was a curious match because Serena had won 34 matches in a row at this point and had looked very sharp during the tournament. After easily winning the first set and looking awful in the second set, Serena was up 3-0 in the final set (only one break) but clearly got surprisingly tight when it mattered, playing fearfully instead of fearlessly. Lisicki never lost her belief that she could win the match, and eventually, that's exactly what she did.

4.  V. Azarenka BLR d. S. Williams USA, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(6), Western & Southern Open final, Cincinnati.
This match was played on August 19, the last day in 2013 that Serena lost despite playing a record 82 matches on tour this year, her most ever. This final was an important clash between the two best hard court players on the tour and was thought to be a key indicator of who would win the final major of the year in New York City. Serena started strong and easily won the first set, but then Vika showed why she has won the last two Australian Opens, easily winning the second set. Azarenka demonstrated her ability to match Serena's power with her own mobility and defense. The third set was a closely fought affair ending in Serena's only deciding set tiebreak she played all year long. Despite falling behind early 2-4 in the tiebreak Serena was able to go up 5-4 but then inexplicably played tentatively to lose the next three points and the match. It was this result which led many to believe that if the two met again at the US Open the result would be exciting and perhaps surprising.

5.  S. Williams USA d. N. Li CHN, 2-6 6-3 6-0, WTA Year End Championships final, Istanbul.
At the end of the longest tennis season of her career somehow Serena Williams was able to pull out one more win despite nursing an injury sustained in her 6-4 2-6 6-4 win over Jelena Jankovic the day before. For the first 45 minutes of this match Li Na was clearly the better player on the court, with the important exception of the serve. Despite winning the first set, Li Na was only serving at under 40% and as the match went on, Serena's groundstrokes became more accurate. The second set included multiple changes in momentum as Serena won 3 consecutive games, then lost 3 in a row but then she ended the match by winning 9 games in a row. She ended the season with an amazing 78-4 record, 11 titles and over $12 million in prize money.

6.  S. Williams USA d. M. Sharapova RUS, 4-6 6-3 6-0, Sony Open Tennis final, Miami.
Sharapova was playing some of her best tennis and was riding high after demolishing her least favorite person on tour (Jelena Jankovic) 6-2 6-1 the day before and having won the Indian Wells title by dismissing Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 6-2. However, ever since she lost twice to Sharapova in 2004, Serena has made it a mission never to lose to the world's most highly-paid female athlete ever again, racking up a string of ten consecutive wins in a row. Regardless, Sharapova simply outplayed Serena for a full set and a half, moving better than I have ever seen her move on a tennis court, winning points with her defensive skills. Serena was clearly not playing her best but after falling behind a set and a break, she just started smacking the ball and simply willed herself to refuse to miss. Sharapova became nervous and lost confidence; the result was that Sharapova lost the last ten games of the match and her best chance to end the streak of defeats to Serena. Their head-to-head is now 2-14 and I would not be that surprised if Sharapova never wins another match against Serena, although all streaks come to an end at some point.

7.  S. Williams USA d. S. Errani ITA, 6-0 6-1, Roland Garros semifinal, Paris.
Some would say that such a lopsided result should not be on the list of best matches of the year but I would argue that any major semifinal where Serena has 40 winners compared to 12 unforced errors in a 46 minute win over a World Top 5 player is notable. I'm pretty sure that Sara Errani will not forget it and I'm sure that it was a clear message was sent to both Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova in the other semifinal that if they weren't careful the same thing could happen to them. Either in the final or in some other match in the future.

8.  S. Lisicki GER d. A. Radwanska POL, 6-4 2-6 9-7, Wimbledon semifinal, London.
This match is pretty much on the list because of the epic third set. It lasted well over an hour and was a mini-match in of itself. Amazingly, Lisicki started off down 0-3 in the set but somehow managed to battle back to even the score. One of the compelling aspects of the match was the contrasting styles of the powerful serve and groundstrokes of the German versus the wily shotmaking of the popular Pole. Radwanska must have realized this was her best chance to win that elusive major title, since she was undefeated against her potential championship opponent (7-0 against  Marion Bartoli and 2-0 against Kirsten Flipkens). All she had to do was figure out a way to get past Boom Boom on Centre Court. Unfortunately for Aggie, the German considers that court one of the places she is most comfortable and has facilitated her peak performances. After all, she had come back from 0-3 down in the third set to beat Serena Williams at Wimbledon so surely she could repeat that feat against Agnieska Radwanska. And so she did, and then, devastatingly was unable to perform at all against Bartoli in the championship match.

9.  S. Stephens USA d. S. Williams, 3-6 7-5 6-4, Australian Open quarterfinal, Melbourne.
Since there were only four times all year that Serena lost, each occasion was notable in of itself, but this match between two Americans was also significant because it indicated that the 19-year-old Sloane Stephens was a force to reckon with. The match was very close and filled with drama, primarily because Serena was hobbled with a serious injury sustained in a hard-fought doubles loss to the top-ranked Italian duo of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. Serena fought desperately to win the match while not playing her best tennis, but Sloane was able to hold her nerve and pull out the victory. It's clear that Sloane is going to be the future of American women's tennis, and she ended at #12 in the world for 2013. Almost certainly she will take up residence in the Top 10 for most of 2014, perhaps while being coached by Roger Federer's former coach Paul Annacone.

10. C. Suarez Navarro ESP d. A. Kerber GER, 4-6 6-3 7-6(3), U.S. Open 4th Round, New York City.

This match is on the list because it was the most thrilling women's match I was able to see in person this year. The match took place in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Sunday September 7 and I was in the fourth row with a great view of the action. I had never been a fan of Carla Suarez-Navarro but was impressed with her one-handed backhand. Angelique Kerber also impressed me with her movement and defensive skills. In this match, it was clear that the Spanish clay-court specialist was the aggressor against the hard-hitting lefty. This must have been due to the game plan of her coach, Conchita Martinez, because this was not Suarez Navarro's usual playing style.
The feeling in the stadium was electric, as momentum shifted numerous times, and it seemed fitting that the result should come down to a third set tiebreak.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

M. Bartoli FRA d. S. Lisicki GER, 6-1 6-4, Wimbledon final, London.
S. Williams USA d. M. Sharapova RUS, 6-4 6-4, Roland Garros final, Paris.
M. Sharapova RUS d. J. Jankovic SRB, 0-6 6-4 6-3, Roland Garros quarterfinal, Paris.
V. Azarenka BLR d. S. Williams USA, 7-6(6) 2-6 6-3, Qatar Total Open, Doha.
S. Williams USA d. C. Suarez Navarro ESP, 6-0 6-0, U.S. Open quarterfinal, New York City.

U. Radwanska POL d. V. Williams USA, 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-4, French Open 1st Round, Paris.

S. Williams USA d. S. Kuznetsova RUS, 6-1 3-6 6-3, Roland Garros quarterfinal, Paris.
V. Azarenka BLR d. A. Ivanovic SRB, 4-6 6-3 6-4, U.S. Open 4th Round, New York City.
C. Wozniacki DEN d. S. Kuznetsova RUS, 6-2 2-6 7-5, Australia Open 4th Round, Melbourne.
S. Williams USA d. P. Kvitova, 3-6 6-3 7-5, Qatar Total Open quarterfinal, Doha.
P. Kvitova CZE d. A. Kerber, 6-2 0-6 6-3, Pan Pacific Open final, Tokyo.
A. Kerber GER d. A. Ivanovic SRB, 7-6(6) 6-4, Generali Ladies Open final, Linz.
P. Kvitova CZE d. V. Williams USA, 3-6 6-3 7-6(2), Pan Pacific Open semifinal, Tokyo.
M. Bartoli FRA d. O. Gorgotsova BLR, 7-6(8) 4-6 7-5, French Open 1st Round, Paris.
V. Duval USA d. S. Stosur AUS, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, US Open 1st Round, New York City.
J. Zheng CHN d. V. Williams USA, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5), US Open 2nd Round, New York City.
K. Kanepi EST d. A. Kerber GER, 3-6 7-6(6) 6-3, Wimbledon 2nd Round, London.

WTA YEC 2013: Serena, Aga, Petra and Angie in Tough Group

(L-R) Sara Errani of Italy, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic,
Serena Williams of USA, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Li Na of China, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia,
and Angelique Kerber of Germany pose with the Billie Jean King trophy for the official photo of the
TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships-Istanbul

The 2013 Year-End Championships of the WTA Tour begin on Tuesday in Istanbul. The eight players who have qualified have been split into two groups of four. The Red Group consists of Serena Williams, Agnieska Radwanska, Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber.  The White Group consists of Victoria Azarenka, Li Na, Jelena Jankovic and Sara Errani. The two groups play 3 round robin matches against each other with the top 2 players qualifying for the semifinal matches against players from the other group (which are elimination rounds), the winners who will meet in the final.

Tuesday features Azarenka versus Errani, Williams versus Kerber and Radwanska versus Kvitova.
Serena won the title last year and has already won 10 titles in 2013 but would love to make it 11.

2013 US OPEN Day 5: Sloane, Serena, Li, Aggie Win; Hewitt Ousts Delpo

Sloane Stephens and Serena Williams both won their third round matches on Friday, setting up their second high-profile meeting in a grand slam this year. Surprisingly, the 20-year-old won the earlier match in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and I'm sure the 16-time major champion will take this meeting between the two top-ranked Americans very seriously. It will probably be the featured match on Sunday, when yours truly will be attending the tournament. However, since it will almost certainly be on Arthur Ashe stadium, I will not be seeing it live.

Most of the other top seeds in the women's draw advanced: Li Na, Agnieska Radwanska, Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber but #4 seed Sara Errani and  #7 seed Petra Kvitova were both upset.

The big result of the day was 2001 US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt beating 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-1 in a rough 5-set match that lasted well over four hours.

2013 WIMBLEDON Round 1: Nadal(5), Errani(5), Kirilenko(10) Upset

Round 1 of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships is complete. Of course the most significant result of the first two days of play is 2-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal's shocking loss in the first round to Belgian Steve Darcis. However there were other surprising results in the first round on the men's side: Former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt eliminated #11 seed Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets. In another curious result Feliciano Lopez beat #17 seed Gilles Simon; this was the second time in three days they had met because Lopez also beat Simon in the finals of Eastbourne on Sunday.

On the women's side of the draw, the #5 seed also went out in the first round when Puerto Rican teenager Monica Puig beat clay court specialist Sara Errani and British hope Laura Robson ignored the pressure of a nation and beat Maria Kirilenko in straight sets.

Top seeds Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, David Ferrer, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all won their first round matches relatively easily. Additionally, on the women's side Serena Williams won her first match in 57 minutes, extending her current winning streak to 32 consecutive matches. She will face talented French youngster Caroline Garcia in the 2nd round. Maria Sharapova, Angelique Kerber, Aggie Radwanska, and Victoria Azarenka all won their first round matches. Azarenka had an injury scare after she went down hard in her match but she was still able to win easily. If she is not 100% she could be in trouble in her second round match against Flavia Pennetta.

Second Round matches to take note of
Li Na [6] versus Simona Halep, Madison Keys versus Mona Barthel [30], Sloane Stephens[17] versus Andrea Petkovic and Marion Bartoli [15] versus Christina McHale.

Feliciano Lopez versus Paul-Henri Mathieu, James Blake versus Bernard Tomic, Tsonga versus Ernests Gulbis and Hewitt versus Dustin Brown.

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Women's Final Preview

Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2]. 

This year I have correctly predicted 2 of 2 women's semifinals and 3 of 4 women's quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Last year I correctly predicted Maria Sharapova would win the final against Sara Errani. Below is my preview of the 2013 French Open final.

This (mis)match is a reprise of the recent Madrid final which was won easily by Serena. In fact, the World #1 is on a 30-match winning streak (the longest of her career) and is clearly playing some of the best tennis of her life. If Sharapova couldn't beat Serena on a hard court when up a set and a break in Miami, what chance does she have against her on a clay court?

Another indication of how mismatched the two are in Saturday's final. Last year, Sharapova beat Sara Errani 6-3 6-2 in 90 minutes to with the 2012 Roland Garros title. Serena beat Errani on Thursday in this year's semifinal 6-0 6-1 in almost half the time. She hit 40 winners in 46 minutes. If Serena can do that to one of last year's French Open finalists, what will she do when she faces the other one? Remember, Serena beat down Sharapva 6-0 6-1 in last year's Gold Medal match at the All-England Tennis Club. Mary Joe Fernandez put it well on television yesterday. Just how Sharapova enjoys playing (and beating) Jelena Jankovic (which she did in this year's quarterfinals), Serena enjoys playing and beating her Russian nemesis.

Sharapova hasn't been able to beat Serena since 2004, losing 12 consecutive times, despite holding leads in several of those matches, some of which have been in late stages of Grand Slams as well. Let me repeat that. In 9 years the two have played a dozen times and Serena has won every single time. In fact, Sharapova has won just three sets in that time, although one of those sets occurred this year in Miami. But even in that match, Serena ended up winning the last 9 games, stuffing a bagel down Maria's throat.

The two have met in 7 finals, with Serena winning 5 of them and they have played 4 times in grand slams and Serena lead 3-1. Serena is playing in her 20th major final and sports a 15-4 record. Only Sharapova, Samantha Stosur and her sister Venus Williams (3 times) have beaten her at the stage of a slam. Sharapova has a much more pedestrian 4-3 record in the 7 major finals she has played in.

In today's final I will be surprised if Sharapova get more than 6 games, total, and I most definitely do not expect her to win a set. But, after Serena's surprising loss to Stosur in the 2011 U.S. Open final, you never know what could happen. But, I would bet a lot of money that Serena will be holding up the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the second time, and will be one step closer to being named the Greatest Of All Time.

Mad Professah's prediction: Serena in 2 sets.

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Women's Semifinals Preview

The women's semifinals are now set at the 2013 French Open. This year, I predicted 3 of 4 men's quarterfinals correctly and 3 of 4 women's quarterfinals correctly. Last year I correct predicted 1 of 2 women's semifinals and 2 of 2 men's semifinals. I will also preview the 2013 French Open men's semifinals.

Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs Sara Errani (ITA) [5]. Errani surprised yours truly and other observers of the game by overcoming her lifetime record of 0-28 against Top 5 players to defeat World #4 Aggie Radwanska. This may be because the diminutive Italian is now ensconced in the Top 5 of the WTA rankings herself. For the second consecutive year she is in the semifinals of Roland Garros, and her 3rd major semifinal in the last year. Unfortunately, she will be facing someone who easily beat her in the Madrid semifinals less than a month ago and whom she has only ever won a single set out of the 11 that they have played.

It was the exceedingly talented Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova who demonstrated what one needs to do to compete with the World #1. After losing the first set quickly 6-1, Sveta was able to break Serena's serve for the first time in the tournament in the second set, and then she did it again to go up 4-0! Eventually she was able to even up the match by winning the second set. The key point of the match came in the 3rd game of the deciding set when Serena was down 0-2 and serving. She repeatedly faced breakpoints to go down 0-3 but through sheer will she was able to finally hold serve and reeled off 5 games in a row to put remove all doubt from her place in the semifinals. This was probably the best match of the tournament, and was the most mentally significant for Serena because she had lost the last four quarterfinals she played at Roland Garros. Serena has only lost once in a semifinal here, and  it is extremely unlikely that will happen this year. Mad Professah's pick: Serena.


Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [3] vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2].  Despite suffering the indignity of being forced to eat a bagel in the first set of her quarterfinal match against her least favorite person on tour, Jelena Jankovic, Sharapova was able to come through and eventually win the match 0-6 6-4 6-3 and reach her third consecutive semifinal here in as many years. Azarenka had an easier time to reach her first Roland Garros semifinal by dispatching Maria Kirilenko who is probably just satisfied that her singles results have elevated her to the WTA Top 10. This is a very hard match to call.

Sharapova and Azarenka have played 12 times in their career, with Vika leading Masha 7-5 overall, but the Russian leads the Belarussian 2-0 on clay. Sharapova is the defending champion here but Azarenka won the first major of the year in Australia. On most surfaces I would give the edge to Azarenka, because she is generally the better mover and she matches Sharapova's power on both wings. On clay, however, Sharapova has demonstrated that she is now comfortable and has dramatically improved her defensive abilities on this surface. I believe it will be a very close match but that Sharapova will reach her 2nd consecutive Roland Garros final. Mad Professah's pick: Sharapova in 3 sets.