Wk.42- Goodbye, WTA

Hey, all. Galileo here.

Angelique Kerber is the best player on the WTA. She has been the best this year. In fact, this is the closest to Steffi’s golden year you’re going to see for a long time, although Williams in 2012 got very close, too. A BACKSPIN Volley coming soon will discuss this more but this has been a career year for her.

But let’s talk once more about this BACKSPINNER'S "Ms. Backspin." Todd has Clijsters, but over here we like another U.S. Champion. And her run in Moscow was incredible. To go in with such pressure and edge Elina Svitolina after blowing a lead, following another long three-setter, was an incredible achievement. The victories over the fourth seed and over ninth seed Babos were demonstrations of her tenacity and her talent. And what a ridiculous talent it is.

It was ❤️ from first sight 🇷🇺 это любовь с первого взгляда , спасибо Москва 🇷🇺❤️️ @vtbkremlincup #sk27

A photo posted by Светлана Кузнецова/Kuznetsova (@svetlanak27) on Oct 22, 2016 at 6:51am PDT

Svetlana Kuznetsova, who has shortened my life by ten years, then took Gavrilova to pieces in quite spectacular fashion in her maiden final to secure a place at the Championships. And how did the WTA reward her? By making her play on Monday. Against the brick wall known as Aga. Another dreadful scheduling decision, and we thought only the U.S. Open was capable of those.

But after that run in Moscow, which you can find more in depth details on in the main BACKSPIN section, she plays A-Rad and goes up 7-5 before clinging on for a 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 victory that left me with no nails and heart medicine. She saved match point and came back from 0-2 and 2-4. She blew a match point and then succeeded on her third to win in just ten minutes less than three hours. The points were long and filled with slices, dropshots and huge backhands from Kuznetsova. The points invariably lasted until either Radwanska put it just out of Sveta’s reach or the Russian got bored and took a huge swipe.

????????????sometimes you gotta do it not by best hairdressers ?????? and not at best time ??????..?????? ?????????? ????????????? ?? ? ?????? ???????? ????????? ?? ? ?????? ?????

A video posted by ???????? ?????????/Kuznetsova (@svetlanak27) on Oct 24, 2016 at 8:22am PDT

During the match, she was hard-done by with regards to the umpire’s decisions. She cried, cut her own hair and screamed every few games. She said at the end she was ready to “lie down and let them carry me off the court.” She had no idea how she won and neither do it. But she did. She won the most bizarre, spectacular match you will ever see. Probably one of the top ten matches of the year.

But she won. And the pain is worth it. Because Sveta and I have been through tougher matches than this. As she so rightly says, “the pain doesn’t kill me, I kill the pain.”

And now the men...

=RANKINGS WATCH=
Top 32 - Johnson falls down seven, but sits at 31. And Busta rises four places to 32. Ramos-Vinolas had been hanging around here all year long, but he rose five places to 26.
Top 10 – Kyrgios ironically gets a career high of 13 this week. For his take, head over to his Facebook page. It won’t be promoted here. Cilic and Goffin swap. Goffin is now 11, just behind Berdych. Thiem is getting comfortable in 9th.
Top 8 – Federer and Monfils swap again. Federer is now number seven, one behind Nadal.
Top 4 – Little change. Raonic is still four, Wawrinka three. Murray has not yet taken Djokovic, but it is going to happen soon. Not even the Scot could blow it now. Surely?

*WEEK 42 CHAMPIONS*
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (Hard Indoor)
S: Juan Martin del Potro def. Jack Sock 7-5/6-1
D: E.Ymer/M.Ymer d. Pavic/Venus
ANTWERP, BELGIUM (Hard Indoor)
S: Richard Gasquet def. Diego Schwartzman 7-6(4)/6-1
D: Nestor/Roger-Vasselin d. Herbert/Mahut
MOSCOW, RUSSIA (Hard Indoor)
S: Pablo Carreno-Busta def. Fabio Fognini 4-6/6-3/6-2
D: Cabal/Farah d. Knowle/Melzer



PLAYER OF THE WEEK: JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO, ARG
...This is ATP tennis’ biggest what-if. In fact, this may be tennis’ biggest what-if. I know for a fact the Chief Backspinner has had this feature before. Forget Seles' stabbing and Iva Majoli partying too much. Put aside Monfils and Chang. Forget about Muster and Malisse. If this guy had not been injured who knows how the ATP would have been affected. He has better than a 70 per cent win mark. He is 19-8 in finals and has obviously won a grand slam. He has also performed well at the World Tour Finals and won several Olympic medals. This guy could have dominated, given full health. With that serve and forehand. He last won a title in Brisbane in 2014. He is now ranked 42, up 21 places (Ed.note: and that's without any points for his run in Rio, too. - tds). Could he finish the year in the top 30? Mathematically, yes. If he makes the quarters of the last two tournaments that could be enough. If he makes the semi-final of Paris, he could rise even higher. He won this week and did not drop a set. He beat Isner, seeded seven, 6-4, 7-6[6]. Then he saw off Almagro 6-4, 6-3, barely breaking a sweat. Third seed Karlovic was next and he saw his serve snapped in a 6-3, 6-4 loss. Dimitrov, the second seed, went down 6-4, 7-5 to the Tower of Tandil in the semi-final. And in the final it was 7-5, 6-1 against 6th seed Sock. During his run he saw off the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th seeds. That’s some run. Dimi broke him twice. Nobody else did. He faced no break points in his title run. The rest of the tour is praying he gets slam seeding. Would you want to run into him early?
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RISER: RICHARD GASQUET, FRA
...This BACKSPINNER called it. He knew Del Potro would get to the final and Gasquet win. Unfortunately, he did not have the chutzpah to go all the way on the Argentine pick. The Frenchman’s 27 finals is second all-time to only Noah when looking at French tennis players. Richard looks older, looks worn and just getting on the court these days is an achievement. But in the final he looked composed as he ran away with a 7-6[4], 6-1 victory. Up 5-4 in the breaker, he played out an epic rally with Schwartzy, where he was on the defensive the whole time, but he came up with a magical forehand pass. Yes, a forehand pass. And at 6-4 he flashed a series of angled backhands to close out a set he served for and should’ve already won. His refusal to choke and how he kept the momentum is so impressive. He opened the week by beating Cervantes and Struff 6-2, 6-4. He looked pretty smooth, too. Then he saw off Edmund 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the final. He is 7-3 in the last ten finals and 4-1 in his last five. If he can just get a quarterfinal in Australia he will have made the quarters at every grand slam event, but he is running out of time and his body is letting him down. What can the Frenchman produce?
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FRESH FACE: KYLE EDMUND, GBR
..The future of British tennis made the top forty and a semi-final this week. Both were personal bests for the youngster. Wins over Seppi and Ferrer bode very well for his future prospects. In fact, the loss sends Ferrer spiraling down to 19th, his lowest ranking for some time. Edmund showed no fear and a lot of heart in these wins. Hopefully it continues. Unless you live in the UK he will have flown a bit under your radar. Believe me, he is very handy in the Davis Cup.
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VETERAN: FABIO FOGNINI, ITA
...Let’s watch this first:


That is Fognini, in case you were unaware. Absolutely mad. This BACKSPINNER once took a friend to see Fabio at Wimbledon. All they remember from the day was him imploding in the most beautiful, perfect way imaginable. Next time I shall be taking them to see somebody boring so they can focus on the brilliant Wimbledon atmosphere instead. This week he beat Berankis 6-2, 6-1 and second seeded Ramos-Vinolas 6-2, 6-2. He dismantled the Spaniard and blew him away in just 76 minutes. Bu against compatriot and 7th seeded Lorenzi he struggled to a three set win. Fognini was superb against Kohlschreiber and won 6-1, 7-6[2]. But in the final he meekly collapsed to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss. Just undefinable.

Also never forget this happened:


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SURPRISE: PABLO CARRENO BUSTA, ESP ...The smallest things change tournaments. The Spaniard, seeded sixth, edged Melzer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6[2] in the first round. He got lucky with Dzumhur retiring in the next round. He also escaped Bublik 6-4, 2-6, 7-6[1]. His fine performances in the next two rounds, against Robert and Fognini, may never have happened had he lost any of those tight breaker matches. Tennis is a game of fine margins.
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DOWN: GAEL MONFILS, FRA
...He should still get into the ATP Finals, but losing 7-6[1], 6-1 to Elias when chasing down a dream is inexcusable. It just shouldn’t happen. La Monf! has his shock losses and the good news for him is that Paris is coming up. That is his best tournament. If he can come up with some more magic there he may be able to take it with him to London. It’s really not far.
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UPSET: DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN, ARG
...What a way for the diminutive Argentine to show off his assets. And with the Davis Cup final edging ever closer, well, this is the best time to prove what you can do. To go and do it on the hard-courts, off your best surface, is pretty special. It was the way he so fearlessly beat Goffin when the Belgian had the crowd, the momentum and the match points. How Goffin failed to serve it out up 5-4 this BACKSPINNER will never know. Schwartzy also edged seventh seed Mahut 7-6[2], 7-5. Fritz failed to get a set, either. Cuevas hung tough for a while, but fell away in a 7-6[8], 6-3 victory. And then the semi-final upset over the top seed and top ten level player. Throw in a great first set against Gasquet and what a way to close out the year for Schwartzy.
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Notes from the Week...
1 - I was going to call the Kuznetsova upset (over Radwanska) before it happened. She has an overwhelming head to head advantage. I think Sveta sneaks into the semi-finals, but loses to Kerber. In the top group, Halep will come second but lose to an inspired Pliskova in that semi. Keys is not quite ready to take the next leap, but Pliskova will finish with a trophy. And that is how it should be. Kerber is, as Todd rightly points out, running on fumes. But let’s have faith in the number one.
2 – In the doubles, I do think Hingis/Mirza triumph. I’d love to be able to pick our girls but, really, can you rule out a choke? Because, on the whole, the doubles has been fantastic, I will pick them to make the final but Mattek-Sands/Safarova are really dangerous here.
3 – How will the ATP Finals fare with no Federer or Nadal, and Djokovic a massive question mark? Is Murray alone enough to keep interest high? Say what you like about him, but Kyrgios keeps people interested.
4 – Herbert/Mahut cruised to the final, but lost to second seeds Nestor/Roger-Vasselin in straight sets in Antwerp. Still, getting positive results now will help them get momentum for the year-end champs.


1. Antwerp SF - Schwartzman d. Goffin 7-5, 2-6, 7-5
...If you’re thinking you want to see Cibulkova and Schwartzy play mixed doubles, you are not alone. He saved one match point with a passing shot and watched Goffin blow a simple backhand up the line on the other. He managed to hold on to beat not just his opponent, but the crowd, too. It was a pretty special performance from the little guy.
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2. Stockholm SF - Sock d. Zverev 6-7[4], 7-6[4] 6-4
...Saving five-sixths of the break points he faced, Sock looked impressive as he made it two finals on the trot in Stockholm. A bit of an upset here as Zverev unusually failed to put away a lower seeded opponent. You know Zverev’s come far because he made a semi-final, but it is only enough for him to hold his ranking.
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3. Antwerp SF - Gasquet d. Edmund 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
...Up a set and 4-2 in his first ever semi-final, Edmund did a Gasquet and choked. Except we can’t really use that anymore. Because Gasquet now comes back and holds on like he did here. Edmund will rise into the top four. So, Rusedski to Henman to Murray to...Edmund?
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*VIENNA*
=SF=
Murray [1] d. [3] Thiem
Agut [4] d. [2] Berdych
=FINAL=
Murray [1] d. [4] Agut

...I like to pick home winners and Thiem could have the key to unlock Murray, but the Scot is on a vicious tear right now. Agut is good enough to set up a rematch, but that should be it. Do you trust Berdych? I thought not.

*BASEL*
=SF=
Wawrinka [1] d. [8] Sock
Del Potro d. [6] Dimitrov
=FINAL=
Wawrinka [1] d. Del Potro

...In a home tournament Wawrinka should get his first title since the U.S. Open. And Delpo, who I picked to make the final last week, should make it back to back finals. Kei is too hurt and Dimitrov still a tad questionable. Sock, meanwhile, is finishing the year very strong.

Mladenovic and Garcia are in the tour finals. If Todd reminds me I don’t forget we will have a highlights section for her before the year ends, but this is the final regular update on the beautiful and mysterious Kiki. It has been fun.

Is there one last hurrah in store for our girls? There should be. There is no reason there couldn’t be a round robin format instead of this stupid knockout rubbish. So, next year fix that. But this year the Frenchies go in as favourites, considering the fractures in the top seeds' relationship.


Thanks all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

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