A week has passed and the ten women profiled in my USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge preview had, for the most part, solid weeks at the Macon $50K. Unfortunately for four of them (Vickery, Tatishvili, Boserup & Min) they ran into the buzzsaw known as Kateryna Bondarenko, who failed to drop a set against any of them in her run to the championship.
USTAPCAOWCC STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 1 - MACON
1. Grace Min (48)
2. Irina Falconi (29)
3 (T). Julia Boserup (15)
3 (T). Sanaz Marand (15)
3 (T). Ellie Halbauer (15)
6 (T). Anna Tatishvili (8)
6 (T). Melanie Oudin (8)
6 (T). Louisa Chirico (8)
6 (T). Asia Muhammad (8)
6 (T). Katerina Stewart (8)
11 (T). Samantha Crawford (1)
11 (T). Sachia Vickery (1)
Here's how each of the 10 woman I profiled fared - sorted by their new WTA ranking - and what they face in Week 2 in New Braunfels, TX.
Grace Min (#102 / +15)
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost F to Bondarenko 64 75. 58 points puts her at the top of the USTAPCAOWCC. Entry into the Top 100 now a matter of "when," not "if," for Min.
Points left to defend this fall: 0
New Braunfels seed & opponent: #2, faces Sanaz Marand
What's still at stake: Making herself ineligible for the USTAPCAOWCC
Anna Tatishvili (#117 / -4)
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost 2R to Bondarenko 62 63. That draw stunk. No two ways about it.
Points left to defend this fall: 120 - all coming off this week
New Braunfels seed & opponent: #1, faces Bernarda Pera (USA)
What's still at stake: How far will she drop before her triumphant return?
Irina Falconi (#132 / +0)
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost SF to Min 75 63. Defended the points she needed to defend.
Points left to defend this fall: 10 - balanced by 8 from her 17th-best result
New Braunfels seed & opponent: #6, faces Robin Anderson (WC/USA)
What's still at stake: Assuming Min gets direct entry into Melbourne, Falconi is in the lead for the USTAPCAOWCC.
Melanie Oudin (#159 / -16)
Withdrew from New Braunfels
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost 2R to Marand 64 63. Saved several match points against Melnikova only to unforced-error her way to a loss against Marand. Hurt?
Points left to defend this fall: 32
What's still at stake: She has semifinal points to defend this week from Toronto, so another dip is imminent.
Louisa Chirico (#186 / +4)
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost 2R to Boserup 62 62. But new career high ranking!
Points left to defend this fall: 19
New Braunfels seed & opponent: #9, will face Ilona Kremen (BLR)
What's still at stake: Quarterfinal points to defend from New Braunfels last year
Julia Boserup (194 / +6)
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost QF to Bondarenko 62 60. But
Points left to defend this fall: 28
New Braunfels opponent: Gabriela Ce (BRA)
What's still at stake: A win vs. Ce would keep her in the Top 200 for another week. A QF this week or next would go far in her quest for Aussie qualies.
Sachia Vickery (#202 / -8)
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost 1R to Bondarenko 63 75. So: nothing, really.
Points left to defend this fall: 0
New Braunfels opponent: Paula Cristina Goncalves
What's still at stake: Much better draw this week. Good chance to return to the Top 200. Could face Larcher de Brito in the second round - which is winnable.
Sanaz Marand (#242 / +7)
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost QF to Min 62 62
Points left to defend this fall: 36
New Braunfels opponent: Min
What's still at stake: Terrible draw for Marand. Min powered through Marand's looping shots time and time again on Friday. Unless Min is tired or Sanaz comes up with a better strategy, her home-state stay (in singles at least) could be short.
Asia Muhammad (#264 / -16)
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost 2R to Halbauer. She had a tremendous win over Lucic-Baroni in the first round, but failed to serve out the match vs. Halbauer at 63 53. Pretty disasterous really.
Points left to defend this fall: 25
New Braunfels opponent: Qualifier
What's still at stake: Peace of mind. Plus an intriguing potential match with Min in the second round.
Samantha Crawford (#282 / -3)
What was accomplished in Macon: Lost 1R to Boserup 75 62
Points left to defend this fall: 11
New Braunfels opponent: Olivia Rogowska (6/AUS)
What's still at stake: She's safe in the Top 300, but would love to end the season with a bang.
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