Tennis Can Be Fun and Games!

A mini crossword and a trivia set to end our first (partial) year together.

There are a lot of serious subjects to cover here at Bounces, from doping to sportswashing and more, and those topics will continue into the new year.

But as the year ends and Bounces marks three months of existence, I wanted to leave 2024 on a fun note. So as a little end-of-year amusement and gift, I have here a bit of fun and games in the way of puzzles and trivia.

Anyone who knows me knows I love trivia, and joining an online trivia scene I had never previously knew existed has become one of my favorite pastimes in recent years. My team, Wednesdays, just made another deep run in Season 8 of the Connections Online Quiz League (COQL), in case anyone wants to watch our quarterfinal, semifinal, or final game on YouTube.

So first, I have a tennis-themed 5x5 mini crossword puzzle to share from a player on another team in COQL, Ben Bass, who makes puzzles for The New York Times and elsewhere. Ben Bass is a big tennis fan, watching pro tennis on three continents this year, including sitting courtside for the longest match in U.S. Open history a few months ago, when Dan Evans beat Karen Khachanov in five hours and 35 minutes.

Here’s his puzzle for Bounces, which likely won’t take you anywhere near as long to solve:

---

Then for a different challenge, I wrote my own batch of year-end tennis trivia questions (28 of them, that should get tougher as they go along) themed around the way things end and then begin on this New Year’s Eve. So, all 28 answers will begin with Z, the end of the alphabet.

(Solutions to both the crossword and the puzzle below the paywall after the 28th question!)

If you prefer, you can also fill out your answers to this quiz on WikiQuiz, where there will also be a leaderboard (but no cheating if you do it this way, please!).

1. What is the family name of the player who became the first Chinese Olympic singles gold medalist when she triumphed in Paris in 2024?

2. What is the home nation of doubles specialists Byron Black, Cara Black, Wayne Black, and Kevin Ullyett?

3. The year-end WTA singles rankings in 2010 were topped by two players who had not won a Slam singles title. Caroline Wozniacki was No. 1; what was the surname of the player at No. 2, who had made two major finals that season?

4. An indoor ATP tournament was held thirteen times in what European capital city? Marin Cilic won the tournament a record four times; Ivo Karlovic was the top seed in its final edition in 2015.

5. What does the "Z" stand for in the initials BvdZ sometimes used as shorthand in recent years of men's tennis?

6. What is the surname of the Belarusian player who won four junior major singles titles, 18 major women's doubles titles, but might be best remembered for losing her one women's singles final at a major in just 34 minutes to Steffi Graf?

7. What is the family name of the player who lost her first fourteen main draw matches at majors before breaking out to a run to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Australian Open? She suffered another long losing streak, 24 straight losses, which she ended with a win over McCartney Kessler at the 2024 China Open.

8. What is the surname of the only Mexican player currently inside the WTA Top 100? She reached a career-high of 51st in November 2024.

9. Serena Williams retired after losing the first nine games of her first-round match at a 2007 WTA Tier I indoor event in what European city? Patty Schnyder, who figured to have the support of the locals, was handed a 6-0, 3-0 ret. victory. This city's WTA tournament was downgraded to Tier II in 2008, then disappeared from the calendar entirely after that.

10. What was the surname of the Chinese player who joined Naomi Osaka, Ons Jabeur, and Caroline Garcia in the four-player field of the final WTA Rising Stars event in Singapore in 2015?

11. What is the surname of the serve-and-volleying player who beat top-seeded Andy Murray in the fourth round of the 2017 Australian Open, a result which foretold Murray's subsequent struggles and opened up the draw for eventual champion Roger Federer? He was the first player in his family to reach a major singles quarterfinal.

12. What is the given name of the highest-ranked ATP player ever from China, who has been nicknamed ZZZ?

13. What is the surname of the 70th-ranked player from Argentina who handed Rafael Nadal the worst clay loss of his last two decades on tour by ranking in the final of the Santiago in 2013? This was Nadal's first tournament of that 2013 season after stopping his 2012 season following a loss at Wimbledon to Lukas Rosol.

14. What is the first name of the Belgian TikToker who made his debut in the ATP Top 100 in 2024? His parents named him after the nickname of French soccer star Zinedine Zidane.

15. What is the surname of the woman who made the semifinals of the 2021 French Open, winning a marathon 9-7 third set in the first round against Bianca Andreescu, and then another marathon 8-6 third set over Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals?

16. Two answers to this question: What are the surnames of the only two men born in present-day Serbia to reach the No. 1 spot in the ATP doubles rankings? The first won his sole major doubles title alongside Andres Gomez in 1986; the second won three men's doubles majors alongside Daniel Nestor.

17. What is the surname of the Argentine player who, though a clay court specialist, had his best run at a major when he made the quarterfinals of the 2001 U.S. Open?

18. What is the family name of the first Chinese woman to reach a major singles semifinal, which she did at Wimbledon in 2008? She reached a second 18 months later in Australia, alongside her compatriot Li Na. (This name is the only answer that’s used more than once in this quiz.)

19. What is the surname of the Colombian woman who made a surprise run to the semifinals of the 2004 Australian Open? She did not face a seed en route to the semifinals, thanks to a walkover from Amelie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals.

20. What Czech name was the surname of Sandra, Venus Williams' opponent in a match at the 2011 Australian Open during which Williams tore her psoas muscle? This name was also used by Barbora Strycova during her first marriage; her husband was Sandra's cousin.

21. What is the surname of the Spanish player who caught an unexpected stray during a 2023 UTS Roundtable chat featuring Alexander Bublik? Discussing his loathing of competition, Bublik invoked this player as an example of overly fiery opposition. “[Practice], I enjoy it. The problem is when I step on the court and you have [Player Surname] on the other side, shouting to your face. This is what I hate. Come on guys, relax. What are we playing for here? Check the factsheet.” Bublik’s example, he later clarified, was hypothetical. “Actually, I never played [Player Surname],” Bublik added. “But I'm just mentioning the players that are fighting.”

22. What was the first name of Serena Williams' first singles opponent upon her return from maternity leave at Indian Wells in 2018? This Kazakh also played in a highly-hyped second round match at the 2014 U.S. Open featuring 15-year-old CiCi Bellis.

23. What was the surname of Hsieh Su-wei's partner during her winning runs to mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2024?

24. What married name did Klara Koukalova use on tour between 2006 and 2014, including during a win over Serena Williams at the 2009 Andalucia Tennis Experience?

25. Due to pandemic-era disruptions, the WTA 500-level event in what inland Chinese city held only two editions before being relocated in 2024 to coastal Ningbo? Karolina Pliskova won the first edition of this tournament at tour level in 2019.

26. What was the surname of Art Donaldson's opponent in the final of the 2019 New Rochelle Challenger, an event sponsored by Phil's Tire Town and first seen by the public nearly five years later?

27. What was the maiden name of the member of the WTA's Original 9 who fits this category? Her current name is Valerie Bradshaw.

28. What is the first name of the Czech player who, despite having not yet broken the Top 100, has for many years worn apparel bearing his own personalized "ZK" monogram? Beyond his initials, he may be best remembered for a grueling four-set loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the 2022 French Open.

---

And here are the answers!

[To see the answers right away here, you must be a paid subscriber.]