by JTContinental Welcome all! Please wipe all the clay off your feet before entering. Formalities aside, let's get on with the show. As we say here, "when you're red, you're dead." No zombies, please.

I'll be back later in the morning to make things looks pretty, but for now, please enjoy the following information dump for day 1 picks

by ponchi101 First impressive pick:
Muchova.
:clap: :clap: :clap:

by jazzyg I see Zhang won two more games than she did in her last match.

by JTContinental 12345 : Sasnovich
161standchilla : Mertens>>Day>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
3mlm : Giorgi>>Blinkova>>Navarro>>Rakhimova>>Xinyu Wang>>Potapova
airmutable : Mertens>>Alexandrova>>Bouzkova
ajay.gov : Samsonova>>Kudermetova
aleape : Zhang
alias47 : Begu>>Alexandrova>>Cirstea
alvinlimtc : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>Navarro>>Svitolina>>Alexandrova>>Stephens>>Haddad Maia
andre8735 : Zhang
ashkor87 : Muchova>>Xiyu Wang
bankerb4 : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Begu>>Keys
bestjax : Mertens>>Gracheva>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Haddad Maia>>Tauson
blomgren : blomgren : Zheng>>Vondrousova>>Kalinina
bluereggie : Mertens>>Putintseva>>Noskova>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Stephens>>Schmiedlova
bouchardboiledeggs : Sherif>>Haddad Maia>>Bouzkova
canuckraonic : Rakhimova>>Putintseva>>Grabher>>Mertens>>Keys
casperpod : Zheng>>Ostapenko>>Kalinina
catman : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Begu>>Cocciatretto>>Kasatkina>>Jabeur
cdavid99 : Mertens>>Ostapenko>>Navarro>>Potapova>>Jabeur>>Tauson
chad1 : Kasatkina>>Gracheva>>Bouzkova
cyborgshoes : Podoroska>>Day>>M Andreeva>>Zheng
dave g : Begu>>Alexandrova>>Azarenka
deelighted2 : Begu>>Putintseva>>Kalinina
dollymix : Sherif>>Day>>Danilovic>>Begu>>Tsurenko>>Svitolina>>Haddad Maia
dowser55 : Kasatkina>>Bencic
du pioneers : Mertens>>Garcia>>Liu>>Svitolina>>Martic
ducklynt : Zheng>>Putintseva>>Bouzkova
eaxz : Sherif>>No Pick
elchie : Begu>>Gracheva>>Bouzkova
equipped : Podoroska>>Alexandrova>>Kalinina
eskimo53 : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>E Andreeva
esquared88 : Begu>>Vekic>>Krejcikova
fastbackss : Podoroska>>Mladenovic
federex : Mertens>>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Begu>>Keys
fiercehart2 : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Zheng
flowerchild39 : Zhang
franchise : Mertens>>Alexandrova>>M Andreeva>>Begu>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
fredx : Udvardy
g2gaynor : Begu>>Bolsova>>Ferro
gacritter : Sherif>>Alexandrova>>Danilovic>>Begu>>Cocciaretto>>Svitolina>>Andreescu
geehopp : Mertens>>Day>>Bouzkova
gernblandston : Vondrousova
gff0 : Parrizas Diaz
glennharman : Kasatkina>>Alexandrova>>Kalinina
greengourd : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Muchova>>Cocciaretto>>Stephens>>Andreescu
gunner : gunner : Udvardy
herodotus : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>Invalid Pick
hoangers : Mertens>>Ostapenko>>Kalinina
hotchocolate : Potapova>>Keys>>Kalinina
hummingbird : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>Kalinina

by JTContinental improbabledream : Mertens>>Bencic
invek : Mertens>>Garcia>>M Andreeva>>Samsonova
irena2 : Begu>>Alexandrova>>Cirstea
ironmike : Mertens>>Day>>M Andreeva>>Muchova>>Keys
janebowles : Mertens>>Putintseva>>Bouzkova
jason11e : Mertens>>Gracheva>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Tsurenko>>Kasatkina>>Jabeur
jatagen : Mertens>>Alexandrova>>Cirstea
jazznu : Frech>>Gracheva>>M Andreeva>>Potapova>>Cocciaretto>>Avaneysan>>Pera
jazzyg : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>Bouzkova
jieollily0001 : Zheng>>Trevisan
jkfinaz : Begu>>Ostapenko>>Kalinina
jlhct : Rakhimova>>Gracheva>>Rus
joanjettson : Kasatkina>>Kvitova
joecle : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>Cirstea
jtcontinental : Giorgi>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Stephens>>Pera
jumpfroggy : Podoroska>>Day>>Sorribes Tormo>>Begu>>Alexandrova>>Tauson
karlovicfanclub : Potapova>>Alexandrova>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Kasatkina>>Jabeur
khethux : Mertens>>Siniakova
kknuFsen : Mertens>>Vekic>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>No Pick
ktothem1 : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>Davis>>Begu>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
kzt123 : Begu>>Kontaveit
lauriejo : Mertens>>Ostapenko>>Kalinina
lbk77 : Mertens>>Bencic
led14pa2 : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>Kalinina
likembrave : Zhang
lokomotiv lemnos : Bejlek
lukeorion : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>Cirstea
manila smash : Zhang
marsny : Mertens>>Alexandrova>>Bouzkova
martini4me : Sherif>>Alexandrova>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
mayorghouliani : Begu>>Gracheva>>Cirstea
mcbride10s : Jeanjean>>Vondrousova>>Grabher>>Svitolina>>Andreescu>>Kasatkina>>Schmiedlova
merdon : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>Kalinina
michelle_fenlon : Begu>>Alexandrova>>M Andreeva>>Ostapenko
mikeprice444 : Begu>>Gracheva>>Danilovic>>Svitolina>>Peterson
mmmm8 : Samsonova>>Mandlik
mocam57 : Zheng>>Vekic>>Rogers
motobass : Sherif>>Blinkova>>M Andreeva>>Mertens>>Cocciaretto>>Stephens>>Andreescu
mu_royals : Mertens>>Haddad Maia>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
munchin : Mertens>>Bencic
natlee : Mertens>>Bencic
naughtyt : Begu>>Haddad Maia>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Keys
nelslus : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>Kalinina
new england nitemare : Mertens>>Bencic
noedee : Zhang
nyjaney : Zheng>>Putintseva>>Rogers
oliver0001 : Zheng>>Vondrousova>>Bouzkova
omegadoom : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
omess : Sherif>>Stearns>>No Pick
oploskoffie : Sherif>>Gracheva>>M Andreeva>>Mertens>>Keys
owendonovan : Teichmann
ozjohn53 : Mertens>>Bencic
patmanmo : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>Bouzkova
patrick : Mertens>>Vekic>>Kalinina
pharmanimal : Begu>>Mladenovic
phatsdawg : Begu>>Pavlyuchenkova>>Davis>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
philly10 : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
ponchi101 : Zheng>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Gracheva

by JTContinental redward : Sherif>>Mladenovic
rktct2b : Mertens>>Bencic
seamzten18 : Zheng>>Ostapenko>>Cirstea
shankwinner21 : Teichmann
shmrck14 : Sherif>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Begu>>Haddad Maia>>Tauson
shtexas : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>Bouzkova
skim5150 : Begu>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Svitolina>>Haddad Maia>>Stephens>>Andreescu
slamdog : Mertens>>Vekic>>Kalinina
sluggo-13 : Birrell
smc_mom : Begu>>Pavlyuchenkova>>Bouzkova
sokol : Mertens>>Bencic
spencerlee : Samsonova>>Mandlik
sportsfan : Sherif>>Bolsova>>Kalinina
suliso : Mertens>>Vekic>>Grabher>>Muchova>>Tsurenko>>Stephens>>Andreescu
sw195ae Samsonova>>Gracheva>>Bouzkova
tcard : Begu>>Ostapenko>>Rogers
tenedab : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Begu>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
tennisbrp : Begu>>Putintseva>>Ferro
tennislover1607 : Begu>>Bencic
texasniteowl : Podoroska>>Blinkova>>Grabher>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Tauson
togtdyalttai : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>Kalinina
tolulops : Begu>>Blinkova>>Danilovic>>Muchova>>Haddad Maia>>Tauson
twinetime : Mertens>>Bencic
ubermitch : Mertens>>Vondrousova>>M Andreeva>>Muchova>>Cocciaretto>>Potapova
valynn : Begu>>Vondrousova>>Sorribes Tormo>>Svitolina>>Cocciaretto>>Stephens>>Haddad Maia
verbalvolleys : Sherif>>Haddad Maia>>Danilovic>>Mertens>>Alexandrova>>Stephens>>Jabeur
webswinger88 : Sakkari
weefunk : Sasnovich
wolfy333 : Mertens>>Vekic>>Kalinina
zephyrstorm03 : Mertens>>Alexandrova>>Kalinina

by JTContinental We started Day 1 with 137 players

Elise Mertens 46
Irina-Camila Begu 22
Mayar Sherif 21
Qinwen Zheng 9
Shuai Zhang 6
Nadia Podoroska 5
Daria Kasatkina 4
Liudmila Samsonova 4
Camille Giorgi 2
Anastasia Potapova 2
Kamilla Rakhimova 2
Aliaksandra Sasnovich 2
Jil Teichmann 2
Panna Udvardy 2
Sara Bejlek 1
Kimberly Birrell 1
Magdalena Frech 1
Leolia Jeanjean 1
Karolina Muchova 1
Nuria Parrizas Diaz 1
Maria Sakkari 1
Marketa Vondrousova 1 (wrong day)

by JTContinental Remember to tune in at the end of each round for TMQ's smash hit recap; STANK or DANK, where I will lightly roast you for your terrible losing pick.

by JazzNU
ponchi101 wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 4:44 pm First impressive pick:
Muchova.
:clap: :clap: :clap:
Counterpoint - not impressive and a pick made way too early, a pick that only an SP rookie not a seasoned vet would make

by ashkor87
JazzNU wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 3:46 am
ponchi101 wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 4:44 pm First impressive pick:
Muchova.
:clap: :clap: :clap:
Counterpoint - not impressive and a pick made way too early, a pick that only an SP rookie not a seasoned vet would make
Oh yeah?!

Was this kind of post really called for? If this is not controlled, I am leaving this forum. I don't need to deal with trolls @ponchi, presumably the one on charge of this forum.

by JTContinental
ponchi101 wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 4:44 pm First impressive pick:
Muchova.
:clap: :clap: :clap:
Also Frech over Zhang--someone did their homework

by ponchi101
ashkor87 wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 3:50 am
JazzNU wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 3:46 am ...

Counterpoint - not impressive and a pick made way too early, a pick that only an SP rookie not a seasoned vet would make
Oh yeah?!

Was this kind of post really called for? If this is not controlled, I am leaving this forum. I don't need to deal with trolls @ponchi, presumably the one on charge of this forum.
The easy part.
I AM NOT in charge of this forum. I am in charge of the technical aspects of the forum. That is indeed my role.
A GROUP OF ADMINS AND MODERATORS are in charge of the forum. Moderation is done collectively.
The rest.
We will look into this and come back to you.

Tech part.
There is a REPORT button in all posts which can be used for issues like this one.

by ashkor87 Trolling is not one of the buttons!but thank you!

by ptmcmahon Just in general the last few months I've found the vibe overall on this forum has been growing rather negative. I'm mostly staying out of the tournament threads and sticking in the contest threads.

I'm thinking that post was a ... little ... over the line too and looks to be individually targeted as it is calling someone specifically a rookie.

by Suliso I agree. It shouldn't be too difficult to be less passive agressive on a tennis message board. Even if you think someone's pick is a mistake (agree with that too).

by ponchi101
ashkor87 wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 2:24 pm Trolling is not one of the buttons!but thank you!
Of course. A button for TROLLING is not specifically designated; but the REPORT button (the exclamation mark) is the general tool to report such issues.
Repeat. We are looking into it.

by JTContinental Good morning to all! I'll have everything updated shortly--the French Open is the slam with the most challenging timeframe for my daily routine...

by nelslus
JTContinental wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 7:31 pm Remember to tune in at the end of each round for TMQ's smash hit recap; STANK or DANK, where I will lightly roast you for your terrible losing pick.
LIGHTLY?!?!? How DARE you? Do we even know you anymore?

All of us are longing, begging for you to humiliate and cuckold all of us for our pathetic and humiliating Pool choices. So, please. We beseech you. Do your worst. :gorgeous:

by nelslus ....ON another note....sure, that post was some snark there.

However- and since I am already blocked by the person whose middle name is, apparently, "troll police"- it could be suggested to the constant "troll" accuser that, if one daily posts multiple times with all sorts of- ahem- interesting commentary (Alycia Parks, 2023 Wimbledon winner option anyone)- it might also be worth considering developing a sense of humor and self-reflection concerning one's own quirks.

Sincerely- Nelslus The Troll :gorgeous:

by JTContinental Only 1 no pick and no zombies--it's a red clay miracle! I count 117 left in the pool

The numbers

Marketa Vondrousova 31
Ekaterina Alexandrova 14
Belinda Bencic 11
Varvara Gracheva 10
Jelena Ostapenko 7
Kayla Day 6
Yulia Putintseva 6
Donna Vekic 6
Beatriz Haddad Maia 4
Anna Blinkova 3
Kristina Mladenovic 3
Aliona Bolsova 2
Caroline Garcia 2
Elizabeth Mandlik 2
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2
Madison Keys 1
Anett Kontaveit 1
Veronika Kudermetova 1
Petra Kvitova 1
Katerina Siniakova 1
Peyton Stearns 1
Martina Trevisan 1
Xiyu Wang 1

by JTContinental
nelslus wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 6:09 pm
JTContinental wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 7:31 pm Remember to tune in at the end of each round for TMQ's smash hit recap; STANK or DANK, where I will lightly roast you for your terrible losing pick.
LIGHTLY?!?!? How DARE you? Do we even know you anymore?

All of us are longing, begging for you to humiliate and cuckold all of us for our pathetic and humiliating Pool choices. So, please. We beseech you. Do your worst. :gorgeous:
Because you asked nicely, I will eviscerate you, and just you! :D

by jazzyg I believe in following stated board policy, but gosh, some people are awfully sensitive.

My absolute favorite thing on this board is JT's STANK or DANK, and the earlier post did not seem any different than what JT might write. Please don't tone the barbs down.

by JTContinental I would never! :gorgeous:

We are indeed a little more snark-tolerant at TMQ headquarters, although it's generally a good idea to dial it back if someone requests you to do so.

by ponchi101 JT's S&D has NEVER meant as anything more than jest.
Surprisingly, it has never STANK (it is not a recursive function ;) )
So, by all means, STANK AHEAD!!!!

by nelslus
ponchi101 wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 8:06 pm JT's S&D has NEVER meant as anything more than jest.
Surprisingly, it has never STANK (it is not a recursive function ;) )
So, by all means, STANK AHEAD!!!!
,,,,Albeit, these threads are also useful for exorcising JT's understandable contempt for all of us. The TRUE Troll. :gorgeous:

by Improbabledream Did I see right that Bencic had two break points to go up a break in the third? Hard to feel terrible about that pick, thats just the WTA being the WTA

by dollymix
Improbabledream wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 4:05 am Did I see right that Bencic had two break points to go up a break in the third? Hard to feel terrible about that pick, thats just the WTA being the WTA
I dunno, Bencic has been out injured for a couple months, and she basically never does well on clay outside of Charleston. Plus she was playing someone with three qualifying matches under their belt - just a risky pick all around.

by joanjettson 11 rookies for sure! (says the guy who's out of both pools already lol)

by JTContinental Day 3 of Round 1 is upon us. Sadly, I had to TMQ-DQ two players for not specifying which Andreeva they were choosing from the draw. We also had 1 no pick, and I missed a Blinkova picker yesterday, so our adjusted number is 95. TMQ regrets the error.

It's early, but there is already blood, including nelslus, so get ready to roast!!!!

The numbers

Mirra Andreeva 28
Anhelina Kalinina 19
Marie Bouzkova 14
Sorana Cirstea 7
Olga Danilovic 5
Julia Grabher 4
Emma Navarro 3
Shelby Rogers 3
Lauren Davis 2
Fiona Ferro 2
Sara Sorribes Tormo 2
Erika Andreeva 1
Victoria Azarenka 1
Barbora Krejcikova 1
Claire Liu 1
Linda Noskova 1
Arantxs Rus 1

by JTContinental TMQ's pick is through and 1/3 of the pool was just wiped out in a 30 minute stretch. This is what glee feels like.

by naughtyT Annihilation Killenyateama and Buzzkiller .. am I right?

by naughtyT
ponchi101 wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 2:55 pm
ashkor87 wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 2:24 pm Trolling is not one of the buttons!but thank you!
Of course. A button for TROLLING is not specifically designated; but the REPORT button (the exclamation mark) is the general tool to report such issues.
Repeat. We are looking into it.

Oh I think a "Trolling Button" would be awesome. Get on it boffins!

by ponchi101
JTContinental wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 11:00 am TMQ's pick is through and 1/3 of the pool was just wiped out in a 30 minute stretch. This is what glee feels like.
You :pig:
;)

by JTContinental I've also sent a PM, but want to call out that due to a parser error, catman's pick has been ruled valid and they are still alive to play another day.

by JTContinental The blood just keeps flowing

by texasniteowl
JTContinental wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 7:55 pm The blood just keeps flowing
Is my math right? 49 dead, 46 survived?

by JTContinental
texasniteowl wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 9:12 pm
JTContinental wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 7:55 pm The blood just keeps flowing
Is my math right? 49 dead, 46 survived?
I believe that is correct, and all those losers (and those from the previous days) will all learn if their losing pick was because of unfortunate happenstance, ill-advised, fatally flawed, or a moment for shame.

Tune in tonight, all, for la premiere edition of the award winning tennis forum recap thread, STANK or DANK!!

by ponchi101
JTContinental wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 7:50 pm I've also sent a PM, but want to call out that due to a parser error, catman's pick has been ruled valid and they are still alive to play another day.
Jt just called my "programming skills" an error. NEVER!!!!!! ;)
For general info. The parser did not make an error; :P What happened was that Catman was kind enough to send me, within the DAY 3 PICKS topic, a post telling me that I had picked ANDREEVA, but had not specified who. The parser for TAT2.0 picks YOUR LAST POST, so the pick shown for him was the message sent to me.
So, remember. The parser picks your last post, regardless of what it is. That means that you don't even have to edit your first post, if you feel like changing it. But, if you want to contact/reply to somebody within the topic, and you post it after your pick, that will be the post shown by the parser.

by JTContinental TMQ regrets the error about the error.

by naughtyT Getting to day 4 feels like a huge achievement! I considered every one of those losers.

by JTContinental EDITED: Oops, don't read that yet, I have so much more to write

by Suliso Only one large bandwagon survived...

by JTContinental Gather around close, children, for TMQ has a verrrry scaaaary story to tell y'all. A tale of such unspeakable horror that I recommend you send your children to bed, banish grandma to the TV room, and scurry your pets out the doggy door, for none of them are prepared for this level of evil--a villain so diabolical in its relentless quest for blood that no matter how high the body count got, its thirst was not slaked. It was not afraid to strike deep into your chest, twist the knife and drag it down the wound, reach into your chest and return with your momentarily still beating heart in its dirty little hands as you collapse to the floor from shock and blood loss. And this monster is: The French Open First Round (maniacal laughter). There was nowhere to run or hide for a full 2/3 of our 137 players, as horror lurked in every corner and crevice of the draw. Some of those corners, crevices, and assorted hiding spaces were STANK, like an abbatoir drain on a hot summer afternoon, while still others were instead DANK, like the air in a pine forest next to a peat bog on a misty morning. Which was yours? Find out now.

Grab some popcorn and settle in, for my tale is not only terrifying, but lengthy--25 chapters to be exact. That's right, all y'all losers managed to pick 25/64 non-winners, a full 40% of those already making vacation plans with their $73,805.85 of prize money. My only consolation for having to write so much now is how little I will have to do for the rest of the tournament.

TURN AWAY HERE IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE STOMACH FOR IT. You've been warned.

Anhelina Kalinina (19 victims) CHAPTER 1: A CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE NIGHTMARE

CHOICE A (for nelslus only):
STANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANK

You call that a pick? That was an awful pick! The worst pick of the entire pool, if not the entire tournament, if not the entire grand slam year, if not in the entire history of SPs, if not in the entire open era of tennis. Margaret Court looked at this pick and passed because she thought it was too conservative and hateful. Faced with the choice of this pick or admitting it wasn't "accidentally ingested," Martina Hingis chose the latter. Monica Seles was told she had to make this pick and she stabbed herself. Your pick was such a bad boy, Francesca Schiavone took one look at it and invited it to f**k in the car. Hopefully this is your last pool---RETIRE, RETIRE, RETIRE!!! DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT.

STANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANK

CHOICE B (for everyone else)

DANK: Gee, tough luck; how did that happen?

Marie Bouzkova (14 victims) CHAPTER 2: THE STATS, DEAR GOD, THE STATS!
DANK Wang actually won two fewer points and only made 49% of her first serves. Unfortunately for you, she also won most of the important points and pulled through in straight sets.

Belinda Bencic (11 victims) CHAPTER 3: BLOODY FOOTPRINTS
STANK BLOODY FOOTPRINTS :ax ...is the only way Bencic was staining the carpet red this year, as she didn't darken the doorstep of a clay court until Paris.

Sorana Cirstea (7 victims) CHAPTER 4: THE SCENT OF DEATH
The air on court was so verdant and DANK it was stifling, and the Jasmine wafting in the breeze caused Sorana to choke.

Shuai Zhang (6 victims) CHAPTER 5: KILL--YOUR TELEVISION
STANK From what I'm reading about her tearful post match breakdown, the Chinese government has Zhang under a microscope currently, which is probably affecting her recent results, including a double bagel handed to her by Anna-Lena Friedsam just before this tournament.

Kristina Mladenovic (3 victims) CHAPTER 6: TURN BACK!
STANK Kiki hasn't won a match on the main tour since September of 2022, when she defeated tennis juggernaut Sohyun Park, ranked 469 at the time. This pick was (scary music)...not recommended.

Shelby Rogers (3 victims) CHAPTER 7: THE CHANGELING--SWITCHED AT BIRTH
STANK Rogers had the 32 seed, but despite a down year in 2022, Martic is the better player, and is often a solid bet to win two or three matches in a slam.

Aliaksandra Sasnovich (2 victims) CHAPTER 8: THE CRUSH
DANK On paper a winner since she reached the R16 here last year, but Tauson is better than her current ranking and didn't have the weight of defending a bunch of points.

Jil Teichmann (2 victims) CHAPTER 9 THE DESCENT:
STANK You heard it here first--TMQ has declared the Jil Teichmann era to be over.

Panna Udvardy (2 victims) CHAPTER 10 SHYMAN(ovich):
STANK

SCENARIO 1
YOU: Here are two names that I don't recognize, but I bet they both enjoy firing the ball as hard as they can into the net until someone has enough points to win (TMQ interjects: they do; I watched it). I think I will pick from them.

SCENARIO 2
YOU: I'm Panna Uvardy's mom/dad/sister/coach/fan club president GO PANNA!

Fiona Ferro (2 victims) CHAPTER 11: LOOPER
STANK Fun (for TMQ) fact: Ferro's last main tour match was also a 6-2, 6-0 loss at the French Open

Sara Bejlek (1 victims) CHAPTER 12: I WAS A TEENAGE FAILWOLF
STANK Bejlek is heralded as possibly being the best of the crop of Czech teens that are storming up the rankings, but if she is, she's hiding it well.

Kimberly Birrell (1 victim) CHAPTER 13: NIGHT OF THE LIVING BRAIN DEAD
STANK TMQ assumes after a night of serious drinking you made the questionable decision of choosing this match out of a bunch of more reasonable ones, and then on top of it accidentally wrote down the wrong player.

Nuria Parrizas Diaz CHAPTER 14: DINOSAURS, or AFTER THE STORM
STANK In the future, TMQ advises not choosing from two senior citizens who have yet to win a singles match at Roland Garros.

Elizabeth Mandlik (1 victim) CHAPTER 15: THE CURSE OF THE NEPO BABY
DANK Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Anett Kontaveit (1 victim) CHAPTER 16: THE SHADOW
STANK Pera wins this match all day--she has done extremely well on the clay over the past two years. I've read somewhere that Kontaveit's latest injury might be chronic or semi-permanent, so she might not ever get back up to the upper eschelon.

Veronika Kudermetova (1 victim) CHAPTER 17: THE VANISHING
STANK Kudermetova's game has disappeared suddenly and without warning, but it's been long enough of a slide for you to have sat this one out.

Petra Kvitova (1 victim) CHAPTER 18: E(xtremely) D(umb) M(ove): FESTIVAL OF TERROR
STANK This player has already explained their reason for this choice in the Loser's Lounge, and it sounds like you have had enough DANKness over the holiday weekend. TMQ prescribes a gallon of orange juice and a day of watching Run for the Money on Netflix in a cool, dark room.

Katerina Siniakova (1 victim) CHAPTER 19: THE THING FROM THE NCAA
STANK You received a failing grade on your homework, as college tennis' latest phenom, Peyton Stearns, has already improved her ranking by 140 spots this year to crack the top 70.

Martina Trevisan CHAPTER 20: THE CREATURE FROM THE TERRA BATU
STANK Like the alien clown spider from It (TMQ SPOILER ALERT), Trevisan's wins at the French Open are cyclical--she makes the QFs or better every 27 years. Sadly, you were 26 years too early.

Xiyu Wang (1 victim) CHAPTER 21: THE POSTMAN ALWAYS WANGS TWICE
STANK This was not a good pick, but TMQ can appreciate the big swing and miss. Incidentally, there was both a Xiyu Wang AND and Xinyu Wang in the draw, one of which who won her first round match. Can you guess which one?

Erika Andreeva CHAPTER 22: THE WICKED STEPSISTER
STANK TMQ pictures Erika back at the hotel sticking pins into the hips and shoulders of a Mirra-shaped doll.

Victoria Azarenka (1 victim) CHAPTER 23: THE PORTRAIT OF VICTORIA AZARENKA
STANK Azarenka had a career rennaissance at the Australian Open, but the revival seems to be over. She also only played two matches on red clay in 2023, and withdrew with an injury from Rome, so probably best to wait and see what her form was like.

Barbora Krejcikova (1 victim) CHAPTER 24: ONLY THREE RETURNED
STANK Big 4, my a**

Aranxta Rus (1 victim) CHAPTER 25: GRABHER AND SQUEEEEEEZE
DANK A very tempting pick, given Rus is the veteran player and heretofore had a 3-0 record vs Grabher. The Austrian is red hot, though, coming off a finals run just last week.

And that's Round 1! If you notice any typos, please enjoy them, because I'm certainly not going to go back and proofread this novel. Someone get me an editor. See ya after Round 2.

by GlennHarman Thanks JT. I come back to this thread after I am gone just to read these enjoyable posts.

This time, I managed to lose in both pools in the first round, and both times with players who had not the slightest business losing their matches. Back in the remote past, I won 4 suicide pools total, and now it seems I rarely get past the first round, so it goes. Thanks to you guys for still doing this. GH

by Suliso Preliminary count:

Svitolina 20
Begu 11
Mertens 5
Muchova 5
Potapova 3
Zheng 2
Gracheva 1
Samsonova 1
Ostapenko 1
Rakhimova 1

by Oploskoffie Oh wow, that's 20 people who don't want to look at the scoreboard right now :freaking:

(admittedly, though, all is definitely not lost...)

by Suliso I think it will be ok for those folks. Svitolina now a break up in the third.

by Suliso Someone's wild bet on Ostapenko didn't work out, but other than that we might be heading for a low casualty day.

by Oploskoffie
Suliso wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 10:35 am I think it will be ok for those folks. Svitolina now a break up in the third.
Indeed! She turned things around quickly there. :)

by JTContinental Only 46 players left on Day 4! The count is slightly off from suliso's on the previous page as we had a number of zombies milling about at the gate.

The numbers

Elina Svitolina 20
Irina-Camila Begu 9
Karolina Muchova 5
Elise Mertens 4
Anastasia Potapova 2
Qinwen Zheng 2
Varvara Gracheva 1
Jelena Ostapenko 1
Kamilla Rakhimova 1
Liudmila Samsonova 1

by Suliso That's a lot of zombies... Anyway if so even less chances of big shakedown today. Unless maybe Begu is interested in reviving Errani's career?

by JTContinental Errani creamed her the last time they played and lead the H2H, so the upset could happen.

by dollymix
JTContinental wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 11:39 am Errani creamed her the last time they played and lead the H2H, so the upset could happen.
You had me panicked for a second, but two of the three sites I looked at say Begu won the last two meetings in straights. (Naturally, the WTA official site claims they've never played at all.) Not that it still couldn't go wrong...

by mmmm8
JTContinental wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 5:39 am
Anhelina Kalinina (19 victims) CHAPTER 1: A CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE NIGHTMARE

You call that a pick? That was an awful pick! The worst pick of the entire pool, if not the entire tournament, if not the entire grand slam year, if not in the entire history of SPs, if not in the entire open era of tennis. Margaret Court looked at this pick and passed because she thought it was too conservative and hateful. Faced with the choice of this pick or admitting it wasn't "accidentally ingested," Martina Hingis chose the latter. Monica Seles was told she had to make this pick and she stabbed herself. Your pick was such a bad boy, Francesca Schiavone took one look at it and invited it to f**k in the car. Hopefully this is your last pool---RETIRE, RETIRE, RETIRE!!! DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT.

Thanks for calling out one of my favorite moments in tennis history!

by ponchi101
JTContinental wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 5:39 am ...

TURN AWAY HERE IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE STOMACH FOR IT. You've been warned.

Anhelina Kalinina (19 victims) CHAPTER 1: A CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE NIGHTMARE

CHOICE A (for nelslus only):
STANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANK

You call that a pick? That was an awful pick! The worst pick of the entire pool, if not the entire tournament, if not the entire grand slam year, if not in the entire history of SPs, if not in the entire open era of tennis. Margaret Court looked at this pick and passed because she thought it was too conservative and hateful. Faced with the choice of this pick or admitting it wasn't "accidentally ingested," Martina Hingis chose the latter. Monica Seles was told she had to make this pick and she stabbed herself. Your pick was such a bad boy, Francesca Schiavone took one look at it and invited it to f**k in the car. Hopefully this is your last pool---RETIRE, RETIRE, RETIRE!!! DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT.

STANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANKSTANK

...
On the one hand:
I think we need to get you a straightjacket. Like, right now.
On the other:
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

(Monica Seles stabbed herself.... :shock: :freaking: )

by Suliso
Suliso wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 10:55 am Someone's wild bet on Ostapenko didn't work out, but other than that we might be heading for a low casualty day.
Low, but not zero. In addition to a lone Ostapenko two Zheng's have also been vanquished. I also expect Stephens to beat Gracheva.

Zheng is not doing as well as I expected recently.

by CyborgShoes I’ll troll myself… dunno what I was thinking expecting anyone not to succumb to Putintseva’s vicious wiles on the dirt.

by ponchi101
Suliso wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 2:15 pm
Suliso wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 10:55 am Someone's wild bet on Ostapenko didn't work out, but other than that we might be heading for a low casualty day.
Low, but not zero. In addition to a lone Ostapenko two Zheng's have also been vanquished. I also expect Stephens to beat Gracheva.

Zheng is not doing as well as I expected recently.
I guess my fate is sealed... :cry: :cry:

by Suliso It was you who picked against Stephens? Please do tell why go for an upset with so many other options available. :)

by ponchi101
Suliso wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 2:49 pm It was you who picked against Stephens? Please do tell why go for an upset with so many other options available. :)
I just noticed that Sloane is up to 30. I felt that Gracheva is a better clay court player, AT THE MOMENT (I know Sloane is a RU here).
I guess I made a lousy pick, indeed.
But I also felt that there were not that many good picks. I know Svitolina won, but I felt she is still coming back.

by Suliso I was thinking of picking Jeanjean but I couldn't justify taking such a risk with Muchova, Begu and Svitolina available. Albeit my Muchova pick looked bad at one stage during the match...

by Michelle_fenlon
Suliso wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 10:55 am Someone's wild bet on Ostapenko didn't work out, but other than that we might be heading for a low casualty day.
I’m the Ostapenko picker. I’ve been burned by Mertens before and I wanted to save Svitolina and Muchova, so I thought surely former champion Penko could get through Peyton Stearns! :bang: Good luck to all those who made superior choices!

by Suliso
JTContinental wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 11:31 am Only 46 players left on Day 4! The count is slightly off from suliso's on the previous page as we had a number of zombies milling about at the gate.

The numbers

Elina Svitolina 20
Irina-Camila Begu 9
Karolina Muchova 5
Elise Mertens 4
Anastasia Potapova 2
Qinwen Zheng 2
Varvara Gracheva 1
Jelena Ostapenko 1
Kamilla Rakhimova 1
Liudmila Samsonova 1
So we'll be down to either 41 or 42 depending on Rakhimova vs Frech match. A quiet day which probably promises a storm tomorrow.

by joanjettson
JTContinental wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 5:39 am Petra Kvitova (1 victim) CHAPTER 18: E(xtremely) D(umb) M(ove): FESTIVAL OF TERROR
STANK This player has already explained their reason for this choice in the Loser's Lounge, and it sounds like you have had enough DANKness over the holiday weekend. TMQ prescribes a gallon of orange juice and a day of watching Run for the Money on Netflix in a cool, dark room.
Thank you for replenishing my DANK-otonin levels with this spot-on read. I stand by all my weekend choices, the DANK and the STANK.

by ponchi101 Message to JT.
Remember, when addressing my Gracheva pick, that the ADVANCED formatting menu can include superscripts.
As in DANK2.
It might come handy.

by Suliso Everyone and their mother picking Cocciaretto today. I wonder how many of them have seen Simona Waltert play...

by JTContinental Counterpoint: Everyone has seen Madison Keys play and still several people selected her

by JTContinental I count 41 players left after a slow day yesterday

The numbers

Elisabetta Cocciaretto 20
Madison Keys 6
Beatriz Haddad Maia 4
Ekaterina Alexandrova 3
Lesia Tsurenko 3
Bianca Andreescu 1
Ons Jabeur 1
Petra Martic 1
Rebecca Peterson 1
Xinyu Wang 1

by ponchi101
Suliso wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 9:03 am Everyone and their mother picking Cocciaretto today. I wonder how many of them have seen Simona Waltert play...

Turned out to be an easy match, and I say a very good pick, because how far can Cocciaretto go?
JTContinental wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:28 am Counterpoint: Everyone has seen Madison Keys play and still several people selected her
Picking Maddie will always have its perils, as it happened today. I guess it was one of those picks made AGAINST the other player, not for Maddie.
Miss Day today became Miss Die.

by Oploskoffie
JTContinental wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:28 am Counterpoint: Everyone has seen Madison Keys play and still several people selected her
So, yeah, about that... I've gone with stat-based participation in SP's in 2023, having seen extremely little tennis on television (or elsewhere) so far this year and the moment seemed right to pick Keys as, according to the infinite wisdom of my own calculations, she wouldn't go much further after this round and I had a different route to my next medal in mind.

Indeed, I was wrong. :lol: What a day...

by martini4me
JTContinental wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:28 am Counterpoint: Everyone has seen Madison Keys play and still several people selected her
:lol: :lol:

by martini4me
Suliso wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 9:03 am Everyone and their mother picking Cocciaretto today. I wonder how many of them have seen Simona Waltert play...
Are you trying to say that Waltert is a hot prospect?

I had never heard of her, let alone seen her play. And apparently the WTA website has not heard enough of her to even be able to tell us how old she is.

Okay, just found her on the live rankings website. She's about a month older that Cocciaretto, so that seems like a pretty reasonable pick.

by JTContinental Cocciatretto won a WTA125 tournament during the clay season, tooo, so as risks go, this was a pretty safe one.

by Suliso Well, eventually almost all picks today were good.

by 3mlm I was so conflicted about picks last night that I woke up thinking I had picked Vekic. Fortunately, I picked Wang instead.

by naughtyT
JTContinental wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:28 am Counterpoint: Everyone has seen Madison Keys play and still several people selected her
ugh ... her and Jabeur should be avoided like the plague. (I really will remember this next time.)

by ponchi101
naughtyT wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 1:34 am
JTContinental wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:28 am Counterpoint: Everyone has seen Madison Keys play and still several people selected her
ugh ... her and Jabeur should be avoided like the plague. (I really will remember this next time.)
That's the problem with Maddie. She can win any match, she loses way too many she should win.

by JTContinental Down to 33 for Day 6

The numbers

Clara Tauson 15
Sloane Stephens 9
Daria Kasatkina 4
Anastasia Potapova 2
Elina Svitolina 2
Elina Avaneysan 1

by JTContinental Tune in tomorrow for the Round 2 losers roundup known as STANK or DANK

by Suliso Are you sure? There was at least one pick of Avanesyan

by JTContinental I will double check because my numbers only add up to 32

by Suliso Either way I survived for a day, but the way forward is not great. Sever players who should have lost did not...

by JTContinental Found it--missed Jazz's entry. TMQ regrets the error

by Suliso 16 of us get to pick another day. :)

by JTContinental Round 2 is in the books, and the only thing to do now is put a pretty bow on it with a recap of your losing picks. Will your bow be STANK like a dirty catbox in an enclosed, windowless space or DANK like a mysterious secret passageway leading to a cellar full of treasure and secrets? Find out now.

Madison Keys (6 victims) STANK Perhaps the 75 UFEs that flew blisteringly past the baseline by a mile was due to Kayla Day poisoning her water? (Is that reference too dated? Is TMQ not cool anymore?)

Qinwen Zheng (2 victims) DANK-lite Putintseva is always a dangerous floater against these lower seeds, but not a horrible pick. Zheng started the year off great, but seems to be tapering off mid-year.

Varvara Gracheva (1 victim) STANK194 Ponchi taught me a new trick. TMQ did all the calculations and my math checks out.

Petra Martic (1 victim) DANK You may have been swayed to select Martic based on TMQ's recommendation that she's a good bet to go two or three rounds. You may take comfort in the fact that since I am never wrong, that it is Martic who is incorrect in this situation for losing and not us.

Jelena Ostapenko (1 victim) DANK TMQ watched this match and Stearns seems to be a Collins-esque type, fist pumping after every point, screaming "let's go" like an impatient husband waiting to go to dinner, and bouncing non-stop from foot to foot like an epileptic chihuahua. Ostapenko was annoyed, but Stearns has the game to back up her bravado, and outplayed Alona in the third set.

Rebecca Peterson (1 victim) STANK A quick look at the stats confirms to TMQ this was the last match from which you should have attempted to prognosticate a winner. Peterson hit 9 DFs against 0 aces, only won 46% of her first serve points, and hit 43 UFEs againt 19 winners. Wang's stats were only slightly less horrible.

Liudmila Samsonova (1 victim) DANK Based on recent results, Samsonova should probably have won here, but TMQ is not convinced that her results from last year are sustainable, and will likely drop into Teichmann territory by the end of the year.

by ponchi101 To the 194th power? :shock:
Yep, that's sort of right.

by Improbabledream
dollymix wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 5:06 am
Improbabledream wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 4:05 am Did I see right that Bencic had two break points to go up a break in the third? Hard to feel terrible about that pick, thats just the WTA being the WTA
I dunno, Bencic has been out injured for a couple months, and she basically never does well on clay outside of Charleston. Plus she was playing someone with three qualifying matches under their belt - just a risky pick all around.
I didnt do my homework, I HATE picking against qualifiers. Yet, I stand by it because 1. They are all risky picks 2. She had 2 break points to go up 4-2 in the third. I also believe BB should make the third round of RG getting out of bed, albeit not great on clay... but decent.
However Im responding to this because I was blown away by your ATP picks. Albot etcheverry olivieri. Brilliant. Like pro gambler stuff. I should be asking you if Im stupid to think cerudolo will beat fritz.

by Improbabledream
ponchi101 wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 1:44 am
naughtyT wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 1:34 am
JTContinental wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:28 am Counterpoint: Everyone has seen Madison Keys play and still several people selected her
ugh ... her and Jabeur should be avoided like the plague. (I really will remember this next time.)
That's the problem with Maddie. She can win any match, she loses way too many she should win.
Shades of James Blake?

by JTContinental 16 remain, anxiously awaiting their invitation to the Updated Picks & Results thread. But first, you have to make it through today.

The numbers

Bianca Andreescu 5
Ons Jabeur 4
Beatriz Haddad Maia 3
Bernarda Pera 2
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 2

by ponchi101
Improbabledream wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 3:48 am ...

I didnt do my homework, I HATE picking against qualifiers. Yet, I stand by it because 1. They are all risky picks 2. She had 2 break points to go up 4-2 in the third. I also believe BB should make the third round of RG getting out of bed, albeit not great on clay... but decent.
However Im responding to this because I was blown away by your ATP picks. Albot etcheverry olivieri. Brilliant. Like pro gambler stuff. I should be asking you if Im stupid to think cerudolo will beat fritz.
I did four slams of data about picking against QF's and LL. My conclusion is that it is a high percentage pick. In only one slam (the USO 2021) were they a 50% chance pick. In all others, picking against qualifiers and L. Losers was high percentage.
viewtopic.php?t=155&start=45#p55084

by dollymix
Improbabledream wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 3:48 am
dollymix wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 5:06 am
Improbabledream wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 4:05 am Did I see right that Bencic had two break points to go up a break in the third? Hard to feel terrible about that pick, thats just the WTA being the WTA
I dunno, Bencic has been out injured for a couple months, and she basically never does well on clay outside of Charleston. Plus she was playing someone with three qualifying matches under their belt - just a risky pick all around.
I didnt do my homework, I HATE picking against qualifiers. Yet, I stand by it because 1. They are all risky picks 2. She had 2 break points to go up 4-2 in the third. I also believe BB should make the third round of RG getting out of bed, albeit not great on clay... but decent.
However Im responding to this because I was blown away by your ATP picks. Albot etcheverry olivieri. Brilliant. Like pro gambler stuff. I should be asking you if Im stupid to think cerudolo will beat fritz.
Haha, thanks. Honestly, I barely follow the men's game so I go for somewhat random players and have a bias towards people with cool names (Etcheverry speaks for itself, and Olivieri is the name of a typerwriter company). I think following women's tennis has made me convinced that rankings don't matter at all - I just try to pick players who are in form on the surface against players who aren't. Which often means picking qualifiers, like Albot and Olivieri.

by dollymix Wow, I'm glad I didn't watch Haddad Maia since the live scores were enough of a rollercoaster.

by dollymix
dollymix wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 4:16 pm and Olivieri is the name of a typerwriter company
Whoops, the typewriter company is named Olivetti. Close enough I guess!

by Suliso wow, today's pick was a total disaster. I'd have never expected Andreescu to lose so meekly to a player so unspectacular. I did consider Schmiedlova and Haddad Maia too... :(

by ponchi101 Surprising score, especially in view that Tsurenko has been a "retired" player during the year.
That was not a bad pick. It simply bit back.

by karlovicfanclub
JTContinental wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 9:25 am 16 remain, anxiously awaiting their invitation to the Updated Picks & Results thread. But first, you have to make it through today.

The numbers

Bianca Andreescu 5
Ons Jabeur 4
Beatriz Haddad Maia 3
Bernarda Pera 2
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 2
I'm one of the Jabeur pickers, and wouldn't have picked her if I had known that Rybakina was going to withdraw, since I was counting on having Rybakina as an option to pick if she played Jabeur in a later round. Of course it's a moot point if Jabeur doesn't win today (she just lost the first set), but if she does get through it narrows my options in a few days.

by ponchi101 That Rybakina w/o truly will throw a wrench in the machine. Of course, SST is not the guppy in the next round.

by JTContinental This party is over. Now it's just a room full of dead bodies. Join us in the UPDATED thread for more hijinx, but losers are only allowed to gaze longingly at us through the picture window.