By Chris Oddo | Monday, February 23, 2015
Simona Halep rocked Dubai, and so did her superfan. Catch up on all the highs and lows of a wild week in tennis here.
Photo Source: WTA
Another week is in the books, and a fresh batch of heroes—and zeros—to go with it. Find out who got high marks and who didn’t make the grade in Rio, Delray Beach, Dubai and beyond right here.
The Trophy Kissers
The King of the Golden Swing
David Ferrer took over the all-time Golden Swing title lead by earning his 7th, which was also the 23rd of his magnificent career, in Rio. Ferru solved the always enigmatic Fabio Fognini for the eighth straight time with another robust romp on the clay. It was a week that saw Ferrer break into the ATP’s top 20 in all-time wins as well. The Spaniard now stands at No. 18 all-time with 615 wins.
Simona Halep, Dubai
Spurred on by the hysteric and impassioned cheering of her superfan, Simona Halep rolled to a Premier 5 title in Dubai, making it ten for her career with wins over Ekaterina Makarova, Caroline Wozniacki and Karolina Pliskova in the last three rounds. Perhaps the biggest of those three wins was the quarterfinal in which Halep erased the bad taste of her Australian Open upset at the hands of Russian Makarova with a stirring three-set triumph.
“Here I was fighting till the end,” Halep said. “In Australia I didn't, and, you know, when you are not fighting you lose the match at the beginning of the match.”
Ivo Karlovic, Delray Beach
Dr. Ivo was unbreakable in Florida, notching 56 consecutive holds and breaking the tournament’s ace record, which he had previously set himself. Karlovic also became the ATP’s oldest title winner in 25 years with his triumph in the final over Donald Young in straight sets.
Sara Errani, Rio
Errani needed to save match points in the quarterfinals of the Rio Open against homegrown talent Beatriz Haddid Maia, but once she did the Italian did not drop another set en route to her 8th career title.
Gilles Simon, Marseille
Simon moved into second place on the all-time French title list with his 12th career crown in Marseille, where he gutted out a three-set victory over Gael Monfils in a protracted chess-like battle that lasted two and a half hours.
“The title was pretty painful,” said Simon, “but it does me a lot of good winning it because I get the feeling that, after having given all I had all week in every match, I was rewarded for that effort.”
Achievements and Inspirations:
Fabulous Fabio, Rio:
Fabio Fognini notched his first top ten win when he stunned Rafael Nadal in Rio to reach the final. Nadal may have not been at his best at this stage of his comeback, but for Fognini to rally back from brutal first set and to tattoo nearly twice as many winners than Nadal did, shows a level of commitment and courage that we haven’t seen from him before.
And this match point get was the stuff of dreams. Clay dreams:
Donald Young’s Resurgence
The American reached his 1st final since 2011 in Delray Beach with a gritty effort that showcased newfound maturity and a more patient approach to playing.
The Zero: Andrea Petkovic
We never thought we’d see the day when we gave Andrea Petkovic a zero, but her behavior during this tantrum/ tirade in Dubai certainly merits it. First of all, let’s be clear: Petkovic was robbed by the call. But her fatal mistake was to toss her stick in the proximity of a linesperson and not have the decency to apologize to said linesperson. It wasn’t that dude's fault that Petkovic got rooked out of a crucial point against Zarina Diyas! See the stunning video below:
All week we were hoping for an apology from Petkovic. Something to the effect of: “Dear fans and friends, I was out of line when I tossed my racquet near a linesman. I am sorry for my action and for the fact that, while I had no intention of being disrespectful, I now realize that my actions were. They were also risky, because if the racquet had slipped out of my hand somebody could have been hurt. I won’t do it again and I am truly sorry.” Much to our chagrin, it never happened. We still love and are inspired by her, but not this week.
Karolina Pliskova, Dubai
The 22-year-old Czech battled her way into her second final of 2015, edging fellow rising star Garbine Muguruza by serving her way out of triple-break point in the final game of the match in the semifinals. In the final, she pushed Simona Halep, managing not only to serve big and hit winners but also staying in lots of longer rallies before falling in two entertaining and close sets, 6-4, 7-6(4).
Top Tweets
1. This is how you throw a racquet, Petko!
2. ATP Surgeons. New reality show!
3. Althea, one of the true greats who paved the way for so many…
It Must Be Love Moment of the Week:
Cutey Pies in Marseille!
Instagram of the Week:
When in Dubai, try Murray Curry!
The Wardrobe Malfunction Heard ‘Round the World
Best part of the whole thing? Well, there are two things: 1. Commentator Kevin Skinner comparing the episode to an SI swimsuit shoot. 2. The excitement of the fans in Rio.
And, finally, we'd be very remiss if we didn't mention the gift that kept on giving this weekend--Simona Halep's superfan:
Studs and Duds
Garbine Muguruza knocked off Agnieszka Radwanska en route to the Dubai semis and rises to a career-high 20 in the rankings. The Spaniard also makes her doubles top ten debut at 10... Victor Estrella Burgos backed up his Quito title with a victory at the Cuernavaca Challenger... Madison Keys didn't play but still rose to a career-high No. 19... Ernests Gulbis drops to 0-5 on the year with his first-round loss in Dubai today... Susanne Celik was disqualified from the Surprise Challenger when she shanked a ball in anger that hit an official on another court... Reportedly, 15-year-old Cici Bellis, who benefited from the incident with a win, celebrated with a fist pump...