San Jose aka Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic WTA 500

[jimlosaltos]

Since I don't see many WTA events get their own thread, I hope I won't be stepping on any toes by creating one for Stanford, aka MSVC, previously known as Stanford or Bank of the West. Proud history as longest-running women's only event, started by Billie Jean King among others, now IMG.

This year's event has the strongest player's field it's seen not only since it moved to San Jose, but back years at Stanford, with both Wimbledon finalists, 7 of the top 10 ranked women, and by my count holders of 5 'Slam titles.

Here are the current rankings, which should set the draw order TBD.

Due to the WTA/ATP's and AELTEC's game of "mutually assured destruction" we have the oddity that the Wimbledon champ and her opponent fall in the draw order rather than soaring up. Rybakina. Last year Rybakina was second seeded (several entrants dropped out after the Olympics, one from heat prostration there) and lost in the quarters to the eventual champion, Danielle Collins. This year she drops to 12th after winning Wimbledon. No good deed goes unpunished. One WC went to Andreescu; I believe they have 2 more to use. US TV and streaming coverage will be on Tennis Channel/ TC Plus.

I believe the link to each player's WTA profile survived cut-and-paste. Those in "green" are my highlights for players that are either at this event for the first time, or otherwise of personal interest. Yours will likely vary <g>.

Coco opens Tuesday night, Aug 2. The top four get byes, so they will play their first rounds Wednesday and Thursday. We'll see who drops out for Toronto, or given the current state of the airlines, ends up stranded in Turkey or some such.

SINGLES - MAIN DRAW

(Rankings as of July 11, 2022)
Most names are linked to their profiles on the WTA site.
Last Name, First Name (Country), Ranking

SAKKARI, MARIA (GRE), 3
BADOSA, PAULA (ESP), 4
JABEUR, ONS (TUN), 5
SABALENKA, ARYNA, 6
COLLINS, DANIELLE (USA), 7
MUGURUZA, GARBINE (ESP), 9

GAUFF, COCO (USA), 11
KASATKINA, DARIA, 12
PLISKOVA, KAROLINA, (CZE), 15
KUDERMETOVA, VERONIKA, 19
ANISIMOVA, AMANDA (USA), 22
RYBAKINA, ELENA (KAZ), 23
HADDAD MAIA, BEATRIZ (BRA), 25
KEYS, MADISON (USA), 27
GIORGI, CAMILA (ITA), 28
ALEXANDROVA, EKATERINA, 29
RISKE-AMRITRAJ, ALISON (USA), 33
CORNET, ALIZE (FRA), 38
KALININA, ANHELINA, 39
ROGERS, SHELBY (USA), 44
ANDREESCU, BIANCA (CAN), 51 WC

[jimlosaltos]

Look who decided she feels like playing some tennis?
I now count 9 'Slam titles amongst the field.
Talk about a "sleeper " in the draw. She's down to 32 in the world so she might meet a top ranked player in the first or second round.
Courts in SJ are typically quickish, which obviously suits Naomi's game. / jim

NAOMI OSAKA RETURNS TO MSVC!

Dear James,The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic’s strongest player field in two decades got even stronger on Monday as former World No.1 Naomi Osaka has accepted a wildcard into the 2022 event, August 1-7 at San Jos? State University. She has won seven career WTA singles titles including major championships at the US Open in 2018 and 2020, and the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021. In 2019 she rose to No.1 in the world becoming the first Asian player hold the top ranking. Naomi Osaka’s exciting return to MSVC marks her first visit to the tournament since its move to San Jos?.

[stotty]

So why the sudden interest form all these players? I don't follow the WTA as much as I should. Is it because there is nothing much else on?

[jimlosaltos]

So why the sudden interest form all these players? I don't follow the WTA as much as I should. Is it because there is nothing much else on?

Frankly, I'm surprised. No one thing stands out, that I see.

Sponsor money that used to go to the Williams sisters is freed up, and might have helped with, say Badosa and Ons. But that rarely gets revealed.

There is a set of events: 1) Olympics always hurts this event, none this year 2) D.C. aka Citi has a directly-competing WTA event. Last year it was cancelled for financial reasons (sort of moved to Europe temporarily) and this year it was announced very late and downgraded to a WTA 250 (San Jose is a WTA 500).

As for the Russian players blocked from Wimbledon, I don't see much effect. Several are coming to San Jose, but they normally did anyway: Sabalenka ws a finalist here a couple of years ago, and Kasatkina was a finalist last year. There are a handful of other Russians that fill out the event, Kudermentova, Alexandrova...

Finally, a number of what I presume are IMG clients used to come but haven't in a while all came at once: Pliskova, Keys, Cornet ( ? )

Osaka won her first WTA match as a 16 yo at this event. I presume she's back to get some match play on hard courts before the US Open.

So, maybe just a fortunate confluence of several things?

[jimlosaltos]

So why the sudden interest form all these players? I don't follow the WTA as much as I should. Is it because there is nothing much else on?

I missed the end of your question "nothing much else on"? the first time.

Just the opposite. San Jose is usually squeezed by a tight spot in the schedule. It butts right up against the Rogers Cup, and is directly opposite Citi, just before Cinci and US Open.

A lot of players decide after Wimbledon to simply travel to the East Coast events, and not go from London to California and back East again.

[jimlosaltos]

Defending champ Collins out with an injury, but Naomi Osaka and Paula Badosa on site, on the practice courts.
Good signs.

[stotty]

Defending champ Collins out with an injury, but Naomi Osaka and Paula Badosa on site, on the practice courts.
Good signs.

Good signs indeed. This is one WTA event I feel compelled to watch.

[jimlosaltos]

Opening night, Monday, San Jose will have a first round match suitable for a 'Slam semifinal.

Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina (tour ace leader), faces Dasha Kasatkina, French semifinalist and last year's finalist in San Jose -- in a first round match on opening night.

One could make a case that the entry field here is stronger than it was for the women at Wimbledon. Lacks Iga but has 7 of top 10 and adds Osaka, Sabalenka, and Kasatkina,

Osaka's opener Tuesday day is with 19 yo Chinese phenom Zheng Quinwen

Rumors have it that if San Jose doesn't get good ticket sales this year, with this level of field, it might be moved again.

[jimlosaltos]

Good first day. First ever main tour win for Hana Mandlikova's daughter <g> the feel good story so far. I saw her on the practice court before hand and she was complaining to her coach that "nothing I hit is going in" as she slammed forehand after forehand long. How one practices doesn't always determine how one plays.

Night match saw Kasatkina get served off the court in the first set by Wimbledon champ Rybakina, only to come back and win in 3 sets. Heck of a first round match up.

Pliskova the righty, as opposed to her lefty twin, has had a bit of a rough patch since an injury a while back. Struggled but came from behind against Canadian Katy Boulter.

I shot this from the entrance way to the court. Pliskova certainly gets into the court on her serve.

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[jimlosaltos]

Awesome second day of San Jose (and I don't often say that about a tennis tournament's early rounds).

Naomi Osaka is happy. Playing tennis. And happy about playing tennis. Great news all around! Needed her big serve, 11 aces worth to get by 19 year tennis phenom Zheng Qinwen.

Zheng looks like the real deal. Beat Halep at the French, Sloane at Wimbledon, and was the first woman at Wimbledon to get a set off Iga. Very athletic. Possibly taller than her listed 6 ft 1 in. Great groundies. Not sure about her service motion ( John, have you seen her ? )

First time for Camila Giorgi in San Jose and she put up a spirited fight losing in 3 but the gymnastic athleticism was fun to watch.

I wonder what it is like to coach Camila? Coach: "Our strategy will be to hit everything as hard as you can." CG: "Great idea, coach! What if I hit ever harder on big points?" Coach: "Awesome ! "

Up soon, Coco vs Naomi -- popcorn match ... two of my photos copyright me, Camila and Zheng ⬇︎

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[jimlosaltos]

Well, That was interesting ! Hana Mandlikova's daughter -- Elizabeth Mandlik -- (Don't ask me to explain the last name revision, but perhaps dropping "Ova" makes her more American) - had never won a WTA main draw match before this week. First, she upset Alison Riske. Ok, good win.

Then, she had world number 4 Paula Badosa on the ropes.

I watched Mandlik at practice before the match. She was absolutely belting the ball. Her coach tried to encourage her but she said, "Nothing's going in. They're all 6 feet long". Sometimes, how you practice isn't how you play. They went in game time.

Bedosa was flat, just off and Madilk was smacking the ball. Somehow a pouty, discouraged Bedosa persevered and won in a third set tiebreak. Go figure.

My picture of Paula, looking at a HawkEye review wondering, I imagine, "What the heck have I run into?" Gutsy come back, none the less.

There's a basketball cliche' that sometimes you have to win ugly.

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Hana's daughter Elizabeth

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[jimlosaltos]

Badosa & Jabeur had a hit yesterday getting ready for their quarterfinals today. PB's boyfriend was on court supporting them as usual. The pair flexed their fitness wearing all black despite the 90+ deg on court sun. Always the fashionista, PB's kit is, ah, SciFi workout?

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[jimlosaltos]

Coco Gauff beat Naomi Osaka handily then pushed world number 4 Paul Badosa to the limit in the first set of their quarterfinals, before losing in a tiebreak, and drifting away in the second set. The 18 yo was tremendous on her backhand side and served well in general, but had a harder time dealing with the wind. Ended the tiebreak with consecutive double faults. Forehand was a mixed blessing in the first set but went away entirely in the second. Focus or technique.

A WTA teen that is actually not afraid to come forward !

[jimlosaltos]

If you had Shelby Rogers vs Daria Kasatkina in the finals of San Jose, I want you to buy a lottery ticket with me <g>.

Shelby beat Bianca Andreescu, Sakkari (the top seed), Anisimova, and Kudermetova to get here.

Daria Kasatkina followed up one of the worst matches in ages, with a combined 36 double faults in her upset of Arnya Sabalenka, by taking out scond seed Paula Badosa in a very good match. Kasatkina just might be the fastest woman on tour ( Coco's a contender, too }. Tremendous gets. Hitting topspin into the wind gave Paula nothing to work with. Working in the opposite direction, defensive gets left low, midcourt balls exposing Paula's reluctance to move forward on those tempting but tough shots.

Kasatkina, who also had to beat Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina in the first round, was a finalist last year, losing to Danielle Collins.

Nice Adidas kit, too.

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[jimlosaltos]

I do love these impact shots where the ball shows thru both front & back of the racket at the same time.

Requires severe smackage Veronika Kudermetova can deliver.

She was a semifinalist yesterday in singles and in doubles.

P.S. If you're a real wonk, and have a good monitor, you can see the strings distended on the back and how the ball is asymmetrically compressed.

Click on the image to enlarge slightly. Click twice more and you can enlarge a bit more. Just discovered that.