After 4 days of round robin play followed by 2 semifinals, the WTA Championships comes down to a final between Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka in a battle for the #2 ranking. I’m sure this is not quite what Stacey Allaster and the heads of the WTA had hope for, but it’s very much in keeping with how 2011 has played out on the tour.
Of the 4 Grand Slam winners, three were first-timers. The only multiple Grand Slam champ, Kim Clijsters, was not in attendance and could quite possibly be out of the game for good after an injury-plagued year. Of those first-time winners, none was able to sustain momentum after their triumphs. The one who has struggled the most, Li Na, was not even able to make it to the semifinal round.
And, most notably, all of this discussion of Grand Slam champions doesn’t include the current world #1, Caroline Wozniacki, who has secured a second year-end #1 finish. No small feat, indeed. But it couldn’t be more hollow if she tried.
Caroline has spent most of 2011 defending her status as #1 without a Grand Slam victory under her belt. Losses at each of the Slams, most notably a beatdown at the hands of Serena Williams in the semifinals at the US Open, have cemented her reputation as being #1 only in name. Adding insult to injury, she couldn’t even make the semifinal round of the WTA Championships.
So here we are with the pending WTA Championship finals pitting the Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, against a strong but erratic Victoria Azarenka. A player more renowned for her outrageous “grunt” and propensity toward retiring in matches than for her Grand Slam tennis resume.
Yes, Victoria has won a couple of big titles, the Sony Ericsson Open twice, but the wins were fairly hollow as one was over an injured Serena. The other was over an inconsistent and error-prone Maria Sharapova; still a shadow of her former Grand Slam champion self. When given the chance to play someone at the top of the tour on the top of their game, she falters.
Petra, in spite of her troubles after her Wimbledon victory, could definitely be viewed as a success story if she were to take the title. She has a Slam title, and would have gone through the tournament undefeated. A win tomorrow would complete that undefeated record (rewarding her handsomely with 1.75 million dollars) and give her the #2 position with 6 titles on the year. That would be worthy.
An Azarenka victory would only add to the WTA’s woes. How can you sell the storyline of the #4 ranked player, also with no Slam success, besting a playing field that is supposed to be the best of the best? She even ended her round-robin play with a loss to Marion Bartoli. Marion is no slouch, but come one?!
If you are supposed to be the best of the best, then you have to play like it consistently. Victoria has yet to achieve that on the big stage. And don’t even get me started on her “hoot” grunt and the accompanying horrible attitude she has towards the fans and players who think it’s gamesmanship. When given chances to take the high road on this issue and maybe acknowledge a problem, she only shows defiance to the people who support her potential prize money and endorsements. You really can’t sell that particular storyline… at least with any conviction.
This battle for #2 storyline can only be viewed as anti-climactic end to this event for the WTA. Nobody cares for a battle for the #2 rank. And the #1 rank is locked up by a player who couldn’t even make it out of round-robin play. The only way this event (and the WTA season) can end on the best possible note is with a Kvitova win. That will give us all something positive to end the year (along with giving her oodles of cash) in one of the WTA’s new fresh faces, her screeches after winning points notwithstanding. Any other result will continue the problem for the WTA of relevancy in the face of diminished product.
Here’s hoping for a Kvitova win tomorrow!