US Open qualies

emmsie69 · Top national player

US Open qualies

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Yep, Di Lorenzo was the one that wasn't so much of a lock, and the Aussies just went for Stosur rather than a playoff, so all bar Gauff, Parry and Volynets to come out of the Q list, pushing Katie up 5, and likely to be 3 out as it stands.

Michael D · All-time great

Ace Ventura wrote:
Yep, Di Lorenzo was the one that wasn't so much of a lock, and the Aussies just went for Stosur rather than a playoff, so all bar Gauff, Parry and Volynets to come out of the Q list, pushing Katie up 5, and likely to be 3 out as it stands.

Really annoying especially when her current ranking - and standard of play - is above Naiktha's at the moment.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Michael D wrote:
Ace Ventura wrote:
Yep, Di Lorenzo was the one that wasn't so much of a lock, and the Aussies just went for Stosur rather than a playoff, so all bar Gauff, Parry and Volynets to come out of the Q list, pushing Katie up 5, and likely to be 3 out as it stands.
Really annoying especially when her current ranking - and standard of play - is above Naiktha's at the moment.

Yep, you'd think Naiktha would be quite lucky to wins games at the moment at this level, never mind sets or matches, and Katie has been doing better recently and made FQR last year, but I guess Naiktha was 6 or 7 places above Katie at the cut off, and it is what it is. Naturally I hope she qualifies, or sets up a GB vs GB FQR like we had last year, but you'd think it would be a massive stretch.

I still think there's a chance she'll just get in. I can't see many withdrawing from the main draw at this stage (unless they are looking to gain a PR) as just about everyone will be in North America and they can just turn up and collect their half pay, but there could be one or two in the Q list withdrawing. Hopefully not Katie B, but you'd have to think it would be a possibility.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Katie B has withdrawn

emmsie69 · Top national player

PaulM wrote:
Katie B has withdrawn

A shame but atleast a Brit benefits although not the one we'd like, still with Haddad Maia hopefully being removed I now make that 1 away from a qualfication place for Katie

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Yeah, a shame, but not that unexpected following withdrawing from Landisville and Concord. She's surely got to be considering the PR route. I don't think anyone answered when that would come into play and whether it would be Sept, Oct or Nov, but halfway into August and all the slams now out of the road, to me it makes so much more sense, at least to be guaranteed a spot in the Aussie Open.

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Wednesday 14th of August 2019 12:25:16 PM

Michael D · All-time great

Ace Ventura wrote:
Yeah, a shame, but not that unexpected following withdrawing from Landisville and Concord. She's surely got to be considering the PR route. I don't think anyone answered when that would come into play and whether it would be Sept, Oct or Nov, but halfway into August and all the slams now out of the road, to me it makes so much more sense, at least to be guaranteed a spot in the Aussie Open.

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Wednesday 14th of August 2019 12:25:16 PM

A player can request a protected ranking when they have not been able to compete in any tennis event for a minimum period of 6 months. I would think the Fed Cup would be classified as Katie's last event, even though it wasn't a WTA tour event. That means 6 months from then, which would be sometime in October..

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Thanks Michael. I wasn't sure whether it would have been Miami and mid March (so Sept), Fed Cup (so roughly 20th Oct as you say), and while I didn't think this would be the case, with her being down to face Vekic at RG, so being in the draw (intending to play, lol), and collecting half the prize money, whether that would have impacted it in any way, although clearly that was the least likely.

So, say it is Fed Cup and April 21st when she beat Diyas, you're looking at roughly October 21st. As she's not down to play anything in August, so into September minimum, then surely it makes much more sense to hang fire 5 or 6 more weeks. She'll have a PR of 84-86 and can use that to get into 8 events for up to a year, including 2 slams. So she could play the Aussie Open, French Open and other events around those, still get a MDWC into Wimbledon (assuming her ranking wasn't back up) and the other grass events, even the W60 at Shrewsbury in February, assuming that still exists next year.

She may temporarily fall to 340 or so in January, but that's surely better than using a ranking of sub 200 to play random W60s in China in September, when she could wait and get so many more benefits, including the 2 guaranteed slams and the circa £100k. I know what I would be doing.

emmsie69 · Top national player

Hasn't she entered a couple of 25ks the week of the US open or has she withdrawn from those aswell now

-- Edited by emmsie69 on Wednesday 14th of August 2019 01:18:58 PM

emmsie69 · Top national player

Looks like she has. Given her previous health issues a 6 month break and coming back on a PR in the top 100 is definitely the smart thing to do.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Poor CiCi Bellis isn't ready to return at the US Open, so Zhu moves out of qualifying and into the main draw, and Grabher (239) is now in quals, so Katie only needs one more withdrawal. Still not sure what the latest is with Haddad Maia, but it's looking much better for Katie (S) than it was a day or two ago.

Andy Parker · Club Coach

It is so sad to see Katie B out of the US Open - like others, I am increasingly wondering if she will go down the Protected Ranking route - it is high risk though, isn't it, with only 8 tournaments to choose from - a few first round losses and the pressure will be on. Anyway I think she is such a good player, and once she gets back to full fitness, I am sure that she will rapidly rise up the rankings.

On the other hand, the good news looks to be that Katie S is going to make it into the qualifying draw. I suppose that we will see the details of that at some point late on Monday? I am so happy that Katie S will be there - hopefully she can win at least one match to help with her confidence, but she is definitely good enough to qualify outright, so fingers crossed for her.

From what everyone is saying, is she definitely the first alternate now?

Does anyone know if Heather is still having to qualify, or have there been enough withdrawals got her into the main draw?

(Looking forward to seeing Ash Barty against Sharapova in Cincinatti shortly)

-- Edited by Andy Parker on Wednesday 14th of August 2019 03:07:54 PM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

I personally think it's far less risky Andy. At the moment she is live ranked 219 and she was entering upcoming tournaments (and withdrawing) with a ranking of around 190, so I'm not sure if she has entered any events at the start of September (we'll find out tomorrow), but that sort of ranking is going to get you into the main draws of W25s or weaker W60s. She has 60 points at Tianjin, 30 at Beijing and 25 at a Chinese ITF event coming off by the end of 2019, thats 115 of her 259 (there's also 1s and 2s from R1 exits), so the chances are, if she plays in the next few weeks, she'll just be standing still in the early 200s, even if she does well. 8 events, in addition to any other event she enters without using it, like a WC into Shrewsbury is extremely lucrative, and while we all hope she can get back to where she was (and beyond), and if she can stay fit I'm sure she will, but with her health record, the lure of the slams must be very appealing. She'll have ample opportunities to do well, far more than if she continues from where she is now and pass it up, and if it didn't go great until June - she'd still have the perks of the grass season to fall back on, where she would be defending nothing.

The only way I'd consider playing was if she was almost there, raring to go, but the US Open JUST came about a week or two too soon, and she really didn't want to not play for another 4-6 weeks, but primarily because of the entry to those 2 slams, and her PR will guarantee that, I honestly think it's a no brainer, especially after passing up the US Open, which may have been an incentive not to go the PR way.

All signs seem to point to Katie S being the next in line. Those getting in front of her has all matched up with what people were thinking, so I'm 99.9% sure she'll be next in. Hev needs 5 more withdrawals following Bellis pulling out, and to get those before Mon or Tue when Qs start will be extremely unlikely in the era of half prize money. There could be a few withdrawing during quals to open up LL spots, but that doesn't help Hev. Bouzkova is the next alt, despite being 53rd in the current WTA rankings, so I would like one more withdrawal for her to sneak in.

Andy Parker · Club Coach

Ace Ventura wrote:
I personally think it's far less risky Andy. At the moment she is live ranked 219 and she was entering upcoming tournaments (and withdrawing) with a ranking of around 190, so I'm not sure if she has entered any events at the start of September (we'll find out tomorrow), but that sort of ranking is going to get you into the main draws of W25s or weaker W60s. She has 60 points at Tianjin, 30 at Beijing and 25 at a Chinese ITF event coming off by the end of 2019, thats 115 of her 259 (there's also 1s and 2s from R1 exits), so the chances are, if she plays in the next few weeks, she'll just be standing still in the early 200s, even if she does well. 8 events, in addition to any other event she enters without using it, like a WC into Shrewsbury is extremely lucrative, and while we all hope she can get back to where she was (and beyond), and if she can stay fit I'm sure she will, but with her health record, the lure of the slams must be very appealing. She'll have ample opportunities to do well, far more than if she continues from where she is now and pass it up, and if it didn't go great until June - she'd still have the perks of the grass season to fall back on, where she would be defending nothing.

The only way I'd consider playing was if she was almost there, raring to go, but the US Open JUST came about a week or two too soon, and she really didn't want to not play for another 4-6 weeks, but primarily because of the entry to those 2 slams, and her PR will guarantee that, I honestly think it's a no brainer, especially after passing up the US Open, which may have been an incentive not to go the PR way.

All signs seem to point to Katie S being the next in line. Those getting in front of her has all matched up with what people were thinking, so I'm 99.9% sure she'll be next in. Hev needs 5 more withdrawals following Bellis pulling out, and to get those before Mon or Tue when Qs start will be extremely unlikely in the era of half prize money. There could be a few withdrawing during quals to open up LL spots, but that doesn't help Hev. Bouzkova is the next alt, despite being 53rd in the current WTA rankings, so I would like one more withdrawal for her to sneak in.

Many thanks for those updates; it looks very positive for Katie S and annoying for Heather to be still just outside the cut off.

I get what you are saying about the low risks to Katie B too - I would hate though for a fit player to sit on the sidelines until October to get the protected ranking. Hopefully that will be the point she is fit anyway - really not that much happens after that until the build up to the Aussie Open, and if she isn't fit by then, it must be really serious. Anyway I am really looking forward to seeing her back on court - I think she has the potential to be a top 32 player, and I would hate to see injuries wreck her chances of that.