WTA Tour/Non-India Fed Cup

[prasen9]

Sabalenka-Linette is the other. Rybakina-Sabalenka if it goes by seeds but chances of things (meaning both) going by seeds is maybe 35%.

[PKBasu]

Rybakina was quite brilliant in her victory over Swiatek, and was clinical again today in beating Azarenka. The first set was close, with several breaks of service. But it was all Rybakina in the second set, apart from a service break for Azarenka at 2-5, but followed by yet another break for Rybakina. The Wimbledon champion has an excellent service and killer backhand. The forehand is pretty effective as well.

Sabalenka has yet to lose a match, or even a set, so far this year. But I would still put Rybakina as the favourite in the final, despite Sabalenka being the higher ranked player.

[prasen9]

Rybakina is brutal. That serve is booming and the strokes are powerful. If she is finding her shots, it is game over. I too think she is the favorite. I like watching all tennis but I think Wimbledon and then the Aussie Open (not to the same extent as W) reward power a bit more and so from a watching perspective I like it a bit less. It will be interesting to see them in the French Open when the clay will equalize things and give the (slightly) weaker players a fighting chance.

[PKBasu]

Rybakina and Sabalenka have been blown away by Ons Jabeur this year at Wimbledon.
Vondrousova usually chokes in finals -- she has a silver medal from the Olympics and a FO runner-up trophy to prove it. Jabeur looks like the favourite in the Wimbledon final this year. An Arab and Muslim champion for the first time, looking very likely now.

[PKBasu]

Sabalenka's ex-boy friend, Konstantin Kolstov, appears to have either committed suicide or died accidentally (jumped off a hotel balcony when drunk). The initial reports said he was her boyfriend, but she herself tweeted that they "were no longer together". Kolstov wasn't staying with her, but had just followed her to Miami to try and sort things out with her. Sabalenka had arrived in Miami with her new partner (not yet publicly identified), travelling in Grigor Dimitrov's private jet. Dimitrov really has a jet-setting lifestyle, despite the lack of Slam achievements.

Before this clarification, I found it very odd indeed that Aryna Sabalenka planned to continue playing the Miami Open a couple of days after her partner (boyfriend) died, possibly jumping off their hotel room balcony. But of course, he was no longer her partner, and they were not living together in Miami, which now makes the situation a lot more understandable.

[prasen9]

I read fallen off the balcony while drunk. But, the police seemed to tag it suicide. Then, jumping off the balcony would be more like it. But, maybe the police is not sure and made the more polite call? Anyway, tragic. When I first heard it, I thought that it is yet another CTE case. But, seems like not? Rugby is possibly the worst wrt head injuries, imho. But, NHL also has people violently beating up opponents with only a wrap on the wrist penalty.

[jayakris]

I thought this was funny. The shortest interview answer ever

[PKBasu]

The reigning Wimbledon women's singles champion, Marketa Vondrousova, is knocked out in straight sets by world #83 at the very outset of her title defense -- which traditionally starts with the first match on 'Ladies' Day' (the first Tuesday). She was unseeded (ranked 42) when she breezed to the title last year, and now she has breezed out almost under the radar.

[prasen9]

Well, Market forces are unpredictable.

[PKBasu]

Unlike the American men, American women's tennis has continued to thrive. The defending champion was an American (Coco Gauff) and the American Williams sisters have dominated the US Open for much of the period from 2000 to 2014 (and other Slams all the way until 2017), while Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin won a Slam each -- and Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport were occasionally winning Slams at the start of the Williams' careers.

This year, Gauff's early defeat has been compensated by the progress of two other American women. Emma Navarro is already in the semifinal, while Jessica Pegula ended top seeded Iga Swiatek's quest at the quarterfinal stage. Pegula and Navarro share one rather unique characteristic: both their fathers are billionaires, with significant parts of their fortunes invested in sports teams! Despite their wealthy legacies, both women have been willing to put in the hard yards while chasing their tennis dreams. Pegula has several doubles Slam titles, but both women would of course want to win that first elusive Slam singles title before too long. Will this be the week for either of them?