Also with Emma Navarro, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Diana Shnaider,and more
During the doubles, Taylor Townsend can play terrific, but in the singles, she can miss it a lot. However, the 28-year-old can be very intense, and mix it up, a lot. She has grown up, on the court, and she can go very early, trying to touch it on the lines. She is ranked No. 71, which is mediocre, but maybe someday, she can go further, into the top 30. Or something else.
“Those type of days, where you have to go and play and just figure things out, I think it really works well for me. I’m just trusting the work that I’m putting in, and I’m having fun. I’m having a great time, and I’m just riding this wave,” said Townsend, after she crushed Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-1.
Townsend is darn happy, but in the quarters, she has to face against another American, Emma Navarro. Both of them each other pretty well, and Navarro has had a fine year, and even last year, too, her strokes have improved a lot. She has said that she can throw it all around, and also, to be very intense.
“I love to scramble,” she said. “I love to get scrappy, as my coach says. It’s one of the things that I love the most about the game, that cat-and-mouse aspect of playing.”
At the Olympic game, Jessica Pegula lost early, but now on the hardcourts, she can swell up again. She can be very steady, and try to mash the ball, but she has to be more nursling. She has been around for a long time, so now, she has a chance to win it in Toronto. Nevertheless, she has to play against the other American, Peyton Stearn, a fast competitor. Yet if you look at her over the past 12 months, she has been so-so. Yes, she practices a lot, so maybe at some points, she can refine some new shots.
Do you rememberer that Amanda Anisimova almost reached into the top 20? Well, before she became hurt, physically, she was up and down, but now she is back, learning to play again. She can really hustle, and she can drive the ball, yet in her head, she can become very frustrated. Anisimova has played a ton in 2024, so that was encouraging, but right now, she must be more aggressive, during the rallies. She has to face against the former Aussie Open champ , Aryna Sabalenka, a gigantic hitter. She will have to do it early, as Sabalenka can dominate it.
On Thursday, Diana Shnaider knocked Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-1. The 20-year-old is a huge hitter, and the lefty has already won three small titles. But she can be thoughtful, and nail her forehand.
“I know Coco is very physically prepared for everyone on tour, and she’s running very well, she’s covering all of the balls and all the angles on the court,” Shnaider said. “So when there were long rallies and I was winning them I was like, ‘Wow, I just beat Coco in long rallies. I am good today’.”I mean, I tried to play it cool, but inside I was like, ‘Yes! I made it!'”
Shnaider, a power player, is currently No.24 — and rising. He will have to upset another player,
Liudmila Samsonova, who is in the top 15. It will be a long, three setter,and the winner will find a cool, ace