Sad je bitno i koliko turnira ko igra do Istanbula. Lepo bi bilo da upadne regularno a ne da razmišljamo hoće li Maša igrati ili neće.
Bodo jedva dočekao:
It just wouldn’t be right if tennis didn’t kick out at least one result that the politicians like to call the “fall surprise.” For the WTA this week, that’s Jelena Jankovic. But baseball fans also have their seasonal meme, the ritual “fall collapse” of a league-leading team. For the WTA this week, that’s Petra Kvitova.
The women earned those associations simultaneously today, with Jankovic powering past the red-hot Kviova and into the final (where she’ll play Serena Williams, who routed Agnieszka Radwanska in her own semi). Jankovic was the No. 8 seed in a loaded field; Kvitova was seeded just one notch lower, but coming off a win in Tokyo last week. A streaky player, Kvitova seemed on fire. But after she won a tight first-set tiebreaker, Jankovic made great use of her nimble feet, excellent defense, and Kvitova’s reliable tendency to self-destruct to salt away the final two, ugly sets. They cumulatively lasted under an hour; Jankovic won the match 6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-1.
Fans of Jankovic’s fluid, athletic game—if there are any of those left, after she’s teased and then dashed their hopes so frequently—are probably wondering if this fall surprise might be a harbinger of the long-awaited, extended moment when she regains the confidence that once propelled her to the No. 1 ranking, a runner-up finish at the 2008 U.S. Open, and a triumph at Indian Wells. A win over Williams, who has already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking, would certainly advance that theory.
And here’s the thing: Serena will need to keep her eyes on the ball in the final. Jankovic has an excellent record against Williams, 4-6. There’s nothing deceptive about that record, which makes the thrashings and flailings of Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka against Williams seem almost amateurish (the combined record favors Williams, 27-5).
By contrast, Williams is just 2-1 in meetings with Jankovic since 2010. Granted, Jankovic’s win in that period was on clay, in 2010, but she has the kind of game than can trouble Williams, mainly because her defense is superb. Jankovic’s big problem in recent times has been winning enough matches to get opposite Serena. That hasn’t been a problem in Beijing.
