WTA News & Gossip 2023

[MargaretMcAleer]

Daria gets a early break in the 2nd set and has consolidated, returning better of Jabeur's serve and playing with more depth on her groundstrokes
Daria's 2nd serve lets her down, Ons taking advantage and breaks back, on serve in the 2nd set 2 all
Daria serving her 2nd serve has let her down on this match and Ons breaks and will serve for the match 5-3
Oh wait Daria with 2 BPs with a bhdtl winner breaks Ons serving for the match, back on serve with Daria to serve 4-5
Daria serving to force a TB in the 2nd set, broken and with 2SP Ons wins the match 75 75 and is the first woman into the final on Sunday, she wore Daria down,in a match with a long delay due to rain, Daria had her chances to win the match, when it mattered her serve let her down, too passive at times, when Ons finally found her game towards the latter part of the 1st set, she found her game and used her drop shots and the whole court with her ground strokes

O.Jabeur(2) defeated D.Kastatkina (3) 75 75 back to back finals at Charleston for Ons!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

2nd ladies SF just started between top seed Jess Pegula v Belinda Bencic (4) defending champion, hopefully the rain stays away for this match to be completed
Bencic with a fhand angle winner breaks Pegula and leads 4-2, Jess had a earlier break, though could not consolidate her break
Bencic 5-2, Jess needs to play more aggressive, she is just too passive, needs to bring Bencic to the net, Bencic is good moving laterally on the court.
Bencic 5-3 serving for the 1st set
This was the best game Pegula has played, being aggressive, not letting Bencic into her strike zone, on her 2BP breaks and now back on serve, 4-5 with Pegula to serve
Love service game from Pegula 5 games all 1st set
Jess serving to force a TB in the 1st set, played a poor service game and was broken to love by Bencic
Bencic 7-5 1st set

 

[kskate2]

MM,
Did I mention before how dense Jess is?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

MM,
Did I mention before how dense Jess is?

LOL! someone needs to shake her,maybe that denseness she showed in this 1st set against Bencic will go away, or she will be gone in 2 sets

 

[kskate2]

Some of it is absolutely baffling to me. Just poor shot selections. Going right back to Belinda when the whole court or the line is open.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Some of it is absolutely baffling to me. Just poor shot selections. Going right back to Belinda when the whole court or the line is open.

Jess had 4 BPs and could not convert them, Bencic 2nd serve is poor, Jess has to attack it, also stop going into her bhand, that is her strike zone, play her more up the middle of the court, cutting out the angles from Bencic

 

[kskate2]

More short foolery shots and poor decisions on BP, etc. Watch her throw in a sloppy game, get broken and Belinda will win this in straights.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Bencic is playing the big points better in this match down love 30 on serve, got back to 30 all, Jess had a BP and on a 2nd serve of Belinda's returned it into her wheel house her bhand....Brain Fail Jess

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

TB for the 2nd set
Oh No rain match has been suspended Jess leading 4-2 in the t.break

 

[kskate2]

Belinda finally wants to stop playing at 4-2 down in the TB. They've been playing in rain for almost 30 minutes, now she wants to call it.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Belinda finally wants to stop playing at 4-2 down in the TB. They've been playing in rain for almost 30 minutes, now she wants to call it.

Strange that, I wonder if she was up 4-2 if she would continue to play? lol! hopefully it wont be long, not like the 1st SF

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

The SF between Benic v Pegula has been cancelled due to rain
The SF will resume not before 1.30pm Sunday 9th April, Bencic won the 1st set 75, Pegula was leading in the 2nd set TB 4-2, when it was stopped due to rain.
Singles final will follow after suitable rest.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Congratulations to the American doubles team D.Collins/D.Krawczyk winning the Charleston Doubles defeating the top seeds G.Olmos/E.Shibara 06 64 14-12.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Match has resumed between Jess Pegula v Belinda Bencic, Bencic won the 1st set 75, 2nd set went to a TB with Jess leading 4-2 before the match was suspended due to rain
Players warming up on court
Very cold and windy conditions,

Bencic came out aggressive and taking the ball on, Jess was too passive, Bencic won the TB 76(5)

Bencic d Pegula 75 76(5) and with suitable rest will play Ons Jabeur in the final, a repeat of last year's final

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Ladies Singles Final, Charleston, Sunday 9th April,

Ons Jabeur (2) vs Belinda Bencic (4) H2H 2 all

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Jabeur and Bencic finished their warm up
Play has commenced with Jabeur serving

Note to Jabeur stay away from Bencic's bhand, she is soo balanced on her bhand, lovely bhdtl and she consolidates her early break

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Bencic's game at present too good for Jabeur, her serve bhand and fhand firing in this 1st set, Ons had a poor first service game and was broken, and Bencic will serve for the 1st set 5-4
Wow what a point from Ons a tweener then a cross court angle fh winner on the line and she breaks Bencic serving for the 1st set
5 games all
Ons has finally woken up, it took her till Bencic was serving for the 1st set at 5-4
Bencic will serve to force a TB in the 1st set 5-6
Well done to Bencic saving 4 SP and taking the 1st set to a TB, Ons you should have converted the many SP you had?
What a TB with both players having SP, Ons had a wonderful cross court fhand winner, and Bencic could not get to it and threw her racquet in disgust and did get a warning. Ons produced another cross court angle winner on the line, Bencic got the umpire to check it as she did not think it it was in, it was and Jabeur won the 1st set 76(6)
Bencic has taken a toilet break, probably to clear her head lol!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Breaks of serve by both players early in the 2nd set, Jabeur consolidates her break and leads 3-1, she really has opened up her tool box of shots and is playing well in the windy conditions, Jabeur turns defense into offense well, and has absorbed the shots from Bencic.
Jabeur breaks again and leads 4-1, Bencic gets one break back, as Ons serve let her down, too passive in her service game
Jabeur leads 5-3 and is just one game away from winning the title ( I hope I haven't just jinxed her lol )
Bencic holds tough in her service game and Jabeur will serve for the match and the title 5-4
On her 2nd CP point Ons Jabeur turns the tables on last year's winner Belinda Bencic winning 76(6) 64!

 

[Hoergren]

And the winner is Ons Jabeur - brilliant match

Highligts including Jabeur front tweener

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

And the winner is Ons Jabeur - brilliant match

View attachment 7985

Ons is such a 'Magician' lol! I dont know how she manages some of those shots against the wind as well