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    #76
    Named after?

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      #77
      Daniel only just beat Cam Norrie in round 1 (Norrie won the second set 6-1), so Norrie will definitely be wondering what might have been.

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        #78
        OK, so I got more statto-ishly interested in Antepli's question than I should and went back over all the year end rankings this century to check whether the 2016 list was the first this century to have 10 different nationalities in the men's singles top 10. It was. List below of the highest world-ranked players who were second in their country at the year-end, together with their higher-ranked fellow countryman:

        2000 5 Kafelnikov (RUS), 2 Safin
        2001 7 Rafter (AUS), 1 Hewitt
        2002 5 Moya (ESP), 4 Ferrero
        2003 4 Agassi (USA), 1 Roddick
        2004 8 Agassi (USA), 2 Roddick
        2005 7 Agassi (USA), 3 Roddick
        2006 6 Roddick (USA), 4 Blake
        2007 5 Ferrer (ESP), 2 Nadal
        2008 7 Simon (FRA), 6 Tsonga
        2009 9 Verdasco (ESP), 2 Nadal
        2010 7 Ferrer (ESP), 1 Nadal
        2011 5 Ferrer (ESP), 2 Nadal
        2012 5 Ferrer (ESP), 4 Nadal
        2013 3 Ferrer (ESP), 1 Nadal
        2014 4 Wawrinka (SUI), 2 Federer
        2015 4 Wawrinka (SUI), 3 Federer
        2016 12 Tsonga (FRA), 7 Monfils
        2017 9 Wawrinka (SUI), 2 Federer

        Edit: I'm guessing that for the entirety of the period from the beginning of ATP rankings to the end of the 20th century, the USA will have had at least two men in the year end singles top 10. Difficult to imagine otherwise when you think of the overlapping career spans of the big US names.

        Edit2: pah, what do I know? Some checking (MUST. STOP. NOW) reveals that there was only US man in the 1986 year end top 10, but there were, on the other hand, 3 Swedes in that list:

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_Grand_Prix_(tennis)
        Last edited by Evariste Euler Gauss; 12-03-2018, 23:16.

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          #79
          Two of the three Swedes are easy to guess, the third not so. Looking at both lists there are some great names but I must confess that Kafelnikov doesn't ring any bells.

          Great work EEG of course. Should I ask about the women's game?

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            #80
            Cheers AE. I haven't got time this week to do the same exercise for the women's top 10 records, but I have checked that the most recent year in which the WTA year end singles rankings top 10 places had 10 different nationalities was 2014:

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_WTA_Tour

            The 3 more recent year ends all had two US women (2015 the Williams sisters, 2016 Serena Williams and Keys, 2017 Venus Williams and - in 10th place -Vandeweghe).

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              #81
              My hopes for a really great season for Simona Halep have taken rather a battering in Indian Wells. Her first tournament back after injury was going well but just ran up against a wipe out in the semi final to Naomi Osaka, which involved her losing the last 9 games in a row from 3-3 in the first set.

              Not sure the organisers would have been anticipating an Osaka Kasatkina final

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                #82
                OH FUCK OFF. I am watching a rerun of Venus v Daria, and you give me spoilers?

                *Although, to be fair, Venus is beginning to look really old. (For the variant of 'old guy talking about tennis players'.)

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                  #83
                  Soz

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                    #84
                    In recent years, Venus has always looked old in March but perked up for Wimbledon and the US Open, enough to get her a Top 10 ranking.

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                      #85
                      New kids on the block. I wonder when the last event was at this level for men or women (Masters 1000 for men or Prem Mandatory - or near equivalent Prem 5 - for women) or higher where the final was between two under-21s?

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                        #86
                        Neither of them exactly had a soft route to the final either. Kasatkina has had to beat 4 slam champions to get there.

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                          #87
                          I wonder when the last event was at this level for men or women (Masters 1000 for men or Prem Mandatory - or near equivalent Prem 5 - for women) or higher where the final was between two under-21s?
                          On the women's side, certainly not in the last 7 years - I've checked slams, tour finals, mandatories and "five"s back to the start of 2011. Ostapenko took the title at Roland Garros last year a few days after her 20th birthday, but for *both* finalists being under a given age, the closest there's been since the start of 2011 was the 2011 Madrid final, between two 21 year olds: Kvitova and Azarenka.

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                            #88
                            That was punishing.

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                              #89
                              WTA in Miami. Broady and Watson in qualifying, and out again, after dismal defeats against Dodin and Haddad. But Katie Boulter who got in on a (slightly surprising) QWC has first dumped out Taylor Townsend and now Carol Zhao (the latter after losing the first five games). It's her first main tour main draw match on foreign soil.

                              In the Men's Norrie has won through, and Liam Broady is a set up.

                              Konta and Edmund are both in the main draws.

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                                #90
                                Gabriella Taylor is in the semi final of another tournament, this time in Canberra on the clay. If she can find a way to win this event then she will have triumphed on hard, grass and clay this year.

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                                  #91
                                  Benoit Paire puts out Novak in straight sets, in Key Biscayne.

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                                    #92
                                    I think Gabi Taylor has won 26 of her last 27 matches. It's a startlingly good run of form.

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                                      #93
                                      Jinx!

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                                        #94
                                        That i am.

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                                          #95
                                          Anybody been to the Birmingham Classic in Edgbaston before? I just bought tickets for semi-finals day (June 23) - hopefully the weather is good.

                                          (Wozniacki, Muguruza, Kvitova and Konta all on the entry list already, so should hopefully be good.)
                                          Last edited by Jimski; 24-03-2018, 20:00.

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                                            #96
                                            Sounds likely to be a great day out for you. Never been myself I'm afraid.

                                            So Federer will lose his #1 ranking at the end of Miami after crashing out today. He could easily become #1 again during the clay court season though, despite missing the whole of that season, as Nadal has shed loads of clay season points to defend (and Federer has none), and Nadal looks in dodgy shape, injury-wise.

                                            I can't wait for Murray to get back.

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                                              #97
                                              Originally posted by Etienne View Post
                                              I think Gabi Taylor has won 26 of her last 27 matches. It's a startlingly good run of form.
                                              She has been rewarded with her first call up to the fed cup team. Aged just 20.

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                                                #98
                                                Murray is having to come back very close to Wimbledon. Would be incredible for a man who's been out for 9 months to make a run there, even a man with Murray's immense talent. I can't think of a precedent.

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                                                  #99
                                                  Novak Djokovic has parted company with his coaches, again. I think it's Agassi and Stepanek this time. It would be great to see him and Murray back.

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                                                    Anyone heard from Janik at all? His absence is rather conspicuous. Hope he's OK.

                                                    Marrakesh play was rained off all day today, but the forecast is good for tomorrow onwards. I'll refrain from jinxing Edmund with "if" type comments.

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