Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Fan Child's WTA Awards, Part 2

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Okay. In case you missed The Fan Child's WTA Awards, Part 1, you might want to click the link to put all of this in context.

Without any further ado, I'll start handing out some more awards...

Best Defender: Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki's shortcomings have been ruthlessly well-documented throughout 2011. Everything from her lack of a devastating forehand to her methods of employing a suspect pda strategy. Some of the criticism is legit, and some is just the product of an insanely unforgiving public. But there is one thing you can never, ever take away from Caroline, whether she backs up her No. 1 ranking with a Grand Slam title or not: the woman can defend. Woz has all the tools of a great defender: the footwork, the fortitude, the situational comprehension, and the shots, and she's proven time and time again (see six titles in 2011) that her defensive style can hang with the best offensive players in the world quite nicely, thank you.

Best 40-something: Kimiko Date Krumm

Okay, she's the only 40-something, but that doesn't stop me from handing out an award to the ageless wonder. Kimiko wasn't as successful in 2011 as she was in 2010, but for those of us who got a chance to see her employ her old-school strokes and tactics up close and personal, we should consider ourselves lucky. And let's not forget her fabulous 2nd-round match at Wimbledon with Venus Williams, which was voted by Tennis Channel's James LaRosa as one of the top 5 women's matches of the year.

Zaniest: Bethanie Mattek-Sands

Bethanie is unafraid to let it all hang out, and because of that, she's very deserving of this award. Bethanie took a lot of heat for dressing up in a tennis ball-encrusted outfit at the pre-Wimbledon players party, but can you blame the woman for trying to liven things up a bit? Yes, yes, the tube sock-wearing motorcycle-riding baseline basher can crash our players party any time -- and she can wear anything she wants when she does.

Best Disappearing Act: Kim Clijsters

Kim, wherefore art thou?

Best pound-for-pound player: Dominika Cibulkova

Have you ever wondered how hard Dominika Cibulkova would hit tennis balls if she were a 6' tall player like a lot of her WTA peers? I mean, she already pretty much knocks the fuzz off the ball, and outhits most of her bigger, taller opponents, so it's a scary thought. The 5'3" 121-pounder broke through for her first WTA title this year in Moscow, taking out Kaia Kanepi, who is 8 inches taller and 40 pounds heavier.

Best new doubles pairing: Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond

It didn't take these two doubles aficionados long to start making serious hay on the WTA's doubles circuit. After joining forces in April the pair of old-timers won four titles, including the US Open and the WTA Championships. Now that they've figured out who will play the deuce court, an Olympic appearance and a lengthy stay at the top of the rankings might be in the cards.

Stay tuned for more of The Fan Child's WTA Awards later in the week...

1 comment:

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