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Iga is 1.72 at time of writing but will probably settle down to 1.68. Is that value? I don't think so and I'm happy to oppose it.
She could hardly have done more to lay out her credentials during May, winning the Madrid open (beating Sabalenka in a tight final) and the Italian Open (beating Sabalenka again in a very easy final).
The first quarter is absolutely peppered with dangerous names. When Osaka was winning slams as a hard court specialist she never achieved that much in Paris but she's had a good run in Rome and is an absolute unknown quantity on the biggest clay stage really in this version 2 incarnation. BK hasn't been setting the world on fire since splitting up her successful doubles partnership with Siniakova last year but she won the French open three years ago and the venue may bring another level out of her. She cannot be discounted.
However it's the inevitable match up with Kostyuk or Collins that I see as the likeliest banana skin for Indiana Swiatek.
These two players are in diamond tipped form, Kostyuk now moulding herself into a consistent competitor reaching the business end of tournaments. It seems that she has learned to channel her emotional fire this year. Collins of course is having the year of a lifetime with ambition still burning for the home stretch of her final year and a 'to-do'list surely with SLAM at the top. It's likelier that she wins Wimbedon or in New York but she isn't in France to make up the numbers and a winning mentality is a winning mentality.
It's not even impossible that Kostyuk at 280s pulls off a shock title win. Kostyuk and Collins meet far too early in the third round but the winner will be ready to take it to the world number 1. Marta had a superb Indian Wells before losing to Iga in the semis. She followed up with an eyecatching run at Stuttgart taking down Zheng, Gauff and Wimbledon champion Vondrousova before falling in the final to Rybakina.
Collins won in Miami and followed up in Charleston. She's ready to step up for another big one even if it's not the optimal surface.
If Iga escapes the Quarter of Doom and forges a path to the semis the reward will probably be another matchup with Ostapenko, a player she simply does not know how to beat. If she solves that puzzle there should be a familiar face in the final.
She is certainly the rightful favourite and if everything goes to plan and there are no hiccups then she'll win on her favourite surface in a canter. But it's a slam. Things don't go to plan and there tend to be hiccups!
There's the additional pressure that if she fails to win here she will have won no slams in a full year. 1000s are a great achievement and if Barry Hearn took over the WTA he'd possibly find a way of marketing them as the 'golden circle' or something like that. As things stand the general public know about slams.
Any thoughts welcome. I will be the first to give Iga her flowers on here if she seizes her destiny at a skinny price.
She could hardly have done more to lay out her credentials during May, winning the Madrid open (beating Sabalenka in a tight final) and the Italian Open (beating Sabalenka again in a very easy final).
The first quarter is absolutely peppered with dangerous names. When Osaka was winning slams as a hard court specialist she never achieved that much in Paris but she's had a good run in Rome and is an absolute unknown quantity on the biggest clay stage really in this version 2 incarnation. BK hasn't been setting the world on fire since splitting up her successful doubles partnership with Siniakova last year but she won the French open three years ago and the venue may bring another level out of her. She cannot be discounted.
However it's the inevitable match up with Kostyuk or Collins that I see as the likeliest banana skin for Indiana Swiatek.
These two players are in diamond tipped form, Kostyuk now moulding herself into a consistent competitor reaching the business end of tournaments. It seems that she has learned to channel her emotional fire this year. Collins of course is having the year of a lifetime with ambition still burning for the home stretch of her final year and a 'to-do'list surely with SLAM at the top. It's likelier that she wins Wimbedon or in New York but she isn't in France to make up the numbers and a winning mentality is a winning mentality.
It's not even impossible that Kostyuk at 280s pulls off a shock title win. Kostyuk and Collins meet far too early in the third round but the winner will be ready to take it to the world number 1. Marta had a superb Indian Wells before losing to Iga in the semis. She followed up with an eyecatching run at Stuttgart taking down Zheng, Gauff and Wimbledon champion Vondrousova before falling in the final to Rybakina.
Collins won in Miami and followed up in Charleston. She's ready to step up for another big one even if it's not the optimal surface.
If Iga escapes the Quarter of Doom and forges a path to the semis the reward will probably be another matchup with Ostapenko, a player she simply does not know how to beat. If she solves that puzzle there should be a familiar face in the final.
She is certainly the rightful favourite and if everything goes to plan and there are no hiccups then she'll win on her favourite surface in a canter. But it's a slam. Things don't go to plan and there tend to be hiccups!
There's the additional pressure that if she fails to win here she will have won no slams in a full year. 1000s are a great achievement and if Barry Hearn took over the WTA he'd possibly find a way of marketing them as the 'golden circle' or something like that. As things stand the general public know about slams.
Any thoughts welcome. I will be the first to give Iga her flowers on here if she seizes her destiny at a skinny price.
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Don't like to say it but Swiatek is a generational great, she'll never reach the heights of a Serena or a Graf, but she's definitely in that mould of your Henin's and Venus's.
I have Ostapenko as a shock exiter in round 1 to Cristian
Good point about how Hearn would promote the WTA, because Lord knows they need it, you literally have Grand slam winner such as Elena and Ayrna would could still walk down so many high streets in the world and not be noticed, a Hearn would make sure they'd transcend the sport, incidentally, he's currently trying to board the Saudi train with the other sports he runs and has talked about moving away from the Crucible (home of snooker) probably to the middle east, WTA are already embracing their money with the PIF investment, a sell out imo, women are still most definitely second class citizens in that country, and WTA is meant to be the biggest women's sport.
Kostuk is too hot and cold for me, but does have the talent to make a surpise run if she puts it all together.
I have Ostapenko as a shock exiter in round 1 to Cristian
Good point about how Hearn would promote the WTA, because Lord knows they need it, you literally have Grand slam winner such as Elena and Ayrna would could still walk down so many high streets in the world and not be noticed, a Hearn would make sure they'd transcend the sport, incidentally, he's currently trying to board the Saudi train with the other sports he runs and has talked about moving away from the Crucible (home of snooker) probably to the middle east, WTA are already embracing their money with the PIF investment, a sell out imo, women are still most definitely second class citizens in that country, and WTA is meant to be the biggest women's sport.
Kostuk is too hot and cold for me, but does have the talent to make a surpise run if she puts it all together.
Just a couple of thoughts about the bottom half.
Quarter 3. Svitolina @ 140 has impressed me since her comeback. She uses aggression periodically as a strategy to be way less predictable, she's working within realistic expectations of her body and protecting herself from niggles and is a dark horse to reach the final imo.
I don't feel Rybakina has been quite the same player since losing that tiebreak to blinky. There's something not quite there at the moment.
Quarter 4. I didn't expect Sabalenka to get to two clay 1000 finals in a row so she's earned the right to be considered a contender @ a skinny 7.2. Linda N @ 330 should be ready now to push for a slam. She's tall and has a huge game though she needs to get a check on her emotions. She has a peach of a draw though. Lastly Stearns as a long shot @ 1000 can't be ruled out even though she should logically be exhausted by Rabat (mainly trying to lift the ridiculous trophy). You can see how perfectly conditioned she is, she's young and feeling on top of the world and Hill has clearly instilled an unshakeable belief in her.
Semi finals lineup I'll go with Collins/Kostyuk versus Ostapenko. Svitolina versus Sabalenka/Noskova.
Final lineup Collins/Kostyuk versus Svitolina. Winner Collins/Kostyuk.
Quarter 3. Svitolina @ 140 has impressed me since her comeback. She uses aggression periodically as a strategy to be way less predictable, she's working within realistic expectations of her body and protecting herself from niggles and is a dark horse to reach the final imo.
I don't feel Rybakina has been quite the same player since losing that tiebreak to blinky. There's something not quite there at the moment.
Quarter 4. I didn't expect Sabalenka to get to two clay 1000 finals in a row so she's earned the right to be considered a contender @ a skinny 7.2. Linda N @ 330 should be ready now to push for a slam. She's tall and has a huge game though she needs to get a check on her emotions. She has a peach of a draw though. Lastly Stearns as a long shot @ 1000 can't be ruled out even though she should logically be exhausted by Rabat (mainly trying to lift the ridiculous trophy). You can see how perfectly conditioned she is, she's young and feeling on top of the world and Hill has clearly instilled an unshakeable belief in her.
Semi finals lineup I'll go with Collins/Kostyuk versus Ostapenko. Svitolina versus Sabalenka/Noskova.
Final lineup Collins/Kostyuk versus Svitolina. Winner Collins/Kostyuk.
Don't like to say it but Swiatek is a generational great
She is a great player. It's more the media need to put up players as Elite level far too soon. It's silly and not Iga's fault when she has won 4 slams to Serena's 23. There must be a way of discussing the top players in at a given time without hyperbole.
Anyway we've both gone for Collins so can share the blushes when Iga saunters onto the podium.
She is a great player. It's more the media need to put up players as Elite level far too soon. It's silly and not Iga's fault when she has won 4 slams to Serena's 23. There must be a way of discussing the top players in at a given time without hyperbole.
Anyway we've both gone for Collins so can share the blushes when Iga saunters onto the podium.
it's a shame we never got to see that crossover with Iga and Serena, they never played each other did they, unlike with Serea/Graf and Federer/Sampras, though it would have been pre Iga 2.0 and a Serena a few years after her 2013 peak, would have been nice to look back on now though, same with Federer/Alcaraz. Poor Jeanjean didn't know what hit her today, just another notch on Iga's bedpost, so to speak.
Jeanjean had been in good form but yes just brushed aside like a pile of leaves! Meanwhile Krejcikova and Alexandrova (the two most potent third round threats for Iga) have fallen at the first hurdle. You can only beat what's put in front of you.
The second round match with Osaka should be her first 'popcorn match'. Naomi was really good in the first set against Bronzetti, dipped in the second but came back strong in the third.
The second round match with Osaka should be her first 'popcorn match'. Naomi was really good in the first set against Bronzetti, dipped in the second but came back strong in the third.
May 27, 2024 -- 4:04PM, mesmerised wrote:
it's a shame we never got to see that crossover with Iga and Serena, they never played each other did they, unlike with Serea/Graf and Federer/Sampras, though it would have been pre Iga 2.0 and a Serena a few years after her 2013 peak, would have been nice to look back on now though, same with Federer/Alcaraz. Poor Jeanjean didn't know what hit her today, just another notch on Iga's bedpost, so to speak.
8‑Feb‑2021 Australian Open Hard R16 17 2 (2)Simona Halep [ROU] d. (15)Swiatek 3-6 6-1 6-4 (ch)
This was the closest we got. Had Iga won that match, they would have met in the QF.
5‑Aug‑2019 Toronto Hard R16 65 2 (2)Naomi Osaka [JPN] d. (Q)Swiatek 7-6(4) 6-4 (ch)
this one as well. Iga win would have meant a meeting in QF.
this one as well. Iga win would have meant a meeting in QF.
When Osaka was winning slams as a hard court specialist she never achieved that much in Paris but she's had a good run in Rome and is an absolute unknown quantity on the biggest clay stage really in this version 2 incarnation.
Osaka serves for the match but Iga survives. Unbelievable.
A cointoss away from being out and it's only Round 2.
Osaka serves for the match but Iga survives. Unbelievable.
A cointoss away from being out and it's only Round 2.
SamuelMertensBertens • May 30, 2024 6:14 PM BST
Collins out, Kostyuk out, Osty out.
Yup. Iga may as well have spent the whole day getting updates on her mobile and laughing her head off.
The Quarter of Doom explodes like the Death Star. Kostyuk strangely out of sorts considering her highly promising 2024 results.
Yet the point of the thread is surely made.
Iga was 1.68 to win the tournament two nights before it started and 1.72 the night before.
Since then
Her round three dangers Alexandrova and BK went out.
Osaka served for the match and Iga had to save a matchpoint in her Round 2 match.
Danielle Collins and Kostyuk both lose
Ostapenko (holding a crushing 4-0 head to head record agsinst Iga) goes out.
After all of that, Iga tonight is ... 1.68 to win the tournament.
Collins out, Kostyuk out, Osty out.
Yup. Iga may as well have spent the whole day getting updates on her mobile and laughing her head off.
The Quarter of Doom explodes like the Death Star. Kostyuk strangely out of sorts considering her highly promising 2024 results.
Yet the point of the thread is surely made.
Iga was 1.68 to win the tournament two nights before it started and 1.72 the night before.
Since then
Her round three dangers Alexandrova and BK went out.
Osaka served for the match and Iga had to save a matchpoint in her Round 2 match.
Danielle Collins and Kostyuk both lose
Ostapenko (holding a crushing 4-0 head to head record agsinst Iga) goes out.
After all of that, Iga tonight is ... 1.68 to win the tournament.
Market always reacts to close calls, even though at this time it was Naomi playing lights out rather than Iga playing poorly. Market also considering Coco a bigger threat than the likes Of Collins and Osty, despite the h2h's. Regardless of which price you think is more correct, it's safe to say 1.68 now is better value than 5 days ago.
1ga with a double bagel today and down to ... 1.65 as rest of the big 3 and Coco are all still in the tournament.
Congratulations to Iga. She can only beat what's put in front of her and after the second round nobody mentioned on this thread was put in front of her.
Her match against Osaka was her final really. She faced an inspired opponent playing probably her best ever match on clay, faced a matchpoint and looked out of her comfort zone throughout the match yet she found a way like a champion.
One of the worst slams in years but a worthy winner nonetheless.
Her match against Osaka was her final really. She faced an inspired opponent playing probably her best ever match on clay, faced a matchpoint and looked out of her comfort zone throughout the match yet she found a way like a champion.
One of the worst slams in years but a worthy winner nonetheless.
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