Archives for 2019

Will Rafa Nadal win 20 Grand Slams or more?

September 15, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

A few days ago, I wrote that during the fall lots of people will debate whether Rafa Nadal will end up being the best player, ever. That is true. There are a lot of people who really like him, especially in Spain. Nadal is a terrific player, a very intense person on court, he competes and thinks on every point he plays. He now has 19 Grand Slam titles when he won the 2019 US Open, outlasting Daniil Medvedev in five very tough sets.

Nadal is 33-years-old and he does get hurt nearly each year. But, this season, he didn’t destroy his body. Now hee actually rests, for the first time. At the 2019 Australian Open, he reached the final, but then the No. 1 Novak Djokovic crushed him. Nadal wouldn’t play for another month, and he came back, but it was pretty slowly. His legs weren’t quite there yet, with his sore legs.

And then it changed, in mid-May, winning Rome and Roland Garros. Nadal was more enterprising and stoic at the same time.

At Wimbledon, he lost to the fantastic Roger Federer in four sets in the semis. The Swiss loves grass, he has won it eight times, he goes into the net, very quickly. He can slide or hit elegant drop shots from the net. Nadal has won it twice, most notably in the 2008 epic final against the 20-time Grand Slam titlist Federer. The Swiss is the ruler of grass. Kind of.

Back on hard courts, Nadal was hooked in. He won Montreal and the US Open. Maybe he was tired a little bit, but he just kept pounding, minute after minute.

He barely beat Medvedev, 6-4 in the fifth. The Russian is 10 years younger, 23 years. He doesn’t get exhausted at all, and he hits some wonderful shots. His big forehand and his hard backhand are strong. But he couldn’t step on Nadal. At the Slams, in 2020, maybe Medvedev can trip him up. But he has to wait until January.

However, he could face him again during the fall. There are some big tournaments coming, like Shanghai, Paris, the ATP Final and the Davis Cup final. That could be a blast again, with the No. 2 Nadal versus the No. 4 Medvedev.

Eventually, Medvedev will be able to beat Nadal because Nadal can’t beat the clock. That is reality. But, in the next three years, if Nadal is healthy, then the Spaniard can win at least a few more Grand Slams. How about 21 majors, or 22?

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Daniil Medevev, rafa nadal, Roger Federer. US Open

Former No. 1 Kim Clijsters will unretired, again

September 13, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

The 2019 US Open is over, it is done, until 2020, when Flushing Meadows opens up again.

Let’s start with the women, those who went deep, and those were the good players who lost, and who were very disappointed.

But first, the three-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters announced that she will return, on court, even though she is 36 years old. Of course, she loves to play, and that is why she will return in January.

She retired seven years ago, she won two US Opens and the Australian Open. She has won so many events, “only” 41 titles. She won on different surfaces, but when she competed, she liked the hardcourts much better.

Clijsters was always very fast, side-to-side especially, her forehand and her backhand was hard and deep, and towards the end, she mixed it up better. She is bright, she can focus and she can really think, on court and off. She now has three children, and they are old enough to see her watch the match.

But can Clijsters win another Grand Slam? Sure, she can, but it will be difficult, as the young players have become better, and they will take on anyone. They won’t be afraid. Just like the Belgian, when she start playing on the court, she will go for the lines and slide so close to the ground. And off the court, she will laugh, because when she started at the WTA 20 years ago, she would always smile. She will do it again.

We already covered Bianca Andreescu, who won the 2019 US Open title. She is just so powerful and thoughtful. As I said before, if she stays healthy, she will reach No. 1 early next year…

In the semis, she out-hit Belinda Bencic, which was a little bit surprising, because I always thought the Swiss would win the title. When she is feeling great, she can swing away, left and right, and she can be very patient. But she isn’t quite there yet. There are times when she gets frustrated, and she over-thinks. We will know next year, but as long she doesn’t get hurt, she will be right there again.

There are two players who have a chance to becoming No. 1, the No. 2 Karolina Pliskova and the No. 3 Elina Svitolina, but they have yet to win a Grand Slam yet. So many times, it looked like the huge-hitter Pliskova was going to grab it, and then she falls back. She can look fantastic at times, but at the majors, she checks out at some point. ..

Svitolina is younger than Pliskova, so perhaps next year the Ukranian will reach the final at a major. She reached the semis last week, and it looked like she was going to seriously push Serena Williams, but the American destroyed her. Yes, Williams can play terrific, and she did during the match, but Svitolina was very erratic. She has to keep her head up …

The former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki lost pretty early in the third round, losing to Andreescu. At the end of the tournament, then we knew that the Canadian is a darn good player, but if you look at this year, Wozniacki hasn’t won much. Clearly, she has been hurt over the past year, but before that, the 29-year-old played all the time. Every week, just abpuy. Eventually, her body begins to break down. How long will Wozniacki will continue to play, or retire? That is very hard to say. She just got married this season (to the former NBA basketball player, the American David Lee), so maybe she will want to have a child. She has always loved playing tennis. She is sort of the same with Clijsters: they both just want to crush the ball, as a winner, of course.

It should be mentioned that the No. 1 Ash Barty has had a fantastic year, and I would think that she could finish No. 1, in October, when it ends. Yes, she lost at the US Open, put she also won Roland Garros. That was gigantic, and be with her as the first important step in her career.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, Bianca Andreescu, karolina, Kim Clijsters, Pliskova

US Open final: Nadal vs. Medvedev, can the ‘older’ Rafa win it?

September 8, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

There are times when Rafa Nadal isn’t crushing the ball, and the Spaniard has said that he was a little nervous, or mentally somewhere else. Most times, though, he pushes himself until he finds the solution.

Nadal has won 18 Grand Slams, and on Sunday at the US Open, he will be favored against the rising Russian Daniil Medvedev.

Nadal pays attention, scouting the good, young players at the tournaments or watching on TV. He studies, which is very important. But, really, you have to be playing on court against the opponent. Whether you are practicing, or playing against him, eventually, you will understand their game.

The 33-year-old Nadal knows about the two other fantastic players, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, because they have played against each other so, so many times. But he has not been around with Medvedev too often. However, five weeks ago, they played each other in the final for the first time and Nadal crushed him in Montreal, 6-3, 6-0. He was just much more consistent, and solid.

Perhaps that the Russian was too tired, or messed up in Canada. And the next week, in Cincinnati, he kept trying, thinking and keep the ball in the court. Medvedev won the event (Nadal pulled out before play started), upsetting with the No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and now he is happy and driven. That’s why the No. 5 advanced this final.

At 6’6”, he is very tall, he is potent and he can mash his first serve. He can also be patient.

Nadal likes hitting spin, especially with his massive forehand. When he returns, he stands way back behind the court, and frequently, he gets it back. Here comes the rally.

If Medvedev wants to win, he just has to focus on the ball for every shot. It appears that the Russian will win a Grand Slam someday, but not yet.

Nadal will play almost spectacular for a couple hours, and he will win in four sets. The gigantic lefty will have his 19^th Slam.

Andreescu wins the US Open
There are times when people reach the final of a Grand Slam, and then they freeze. But, that wasn’t Bianca Andreescu, who beat Serena Williams, 6-3, 7-5. Serena has won it 23 major titles, but the 19-year-old Andreescu had not done it yet.

Going into the final, and watching her, she was so intense, and she could smack the ball off both sides. She also can return well, too.

That is why that coming into the US Open, she had won Indian Wells and Toronto, two huge titles. But to win a Slam, against everyone? That was questionable. But, oh no, there she went, hustling, sprinting and just putting it away, game after game.

The Canadian was up 6-3, 5-1, and it looked like she was about to win. Serena was not playing well, especially her serve and her forehand. But, all of a sudden, Williams began to play well. And Andreescu almost froze.

It was 5-5 in the second, the American fans were thrilled, cheering loudly for Serena. But, then Andreescu began to be good again, hitting with depth, and force in the backcourts. She wasn’t nervous anymore, she stared down and she won it. She did cry, almost everyone has, and she smiled for a long time.

Now the No. 5 Andreescu can become No. 1 fairly soon. Perhaps at the end of the year, or at the beginning of 2020. If Andreescu stay healthy, she will win a Slam again, without a doubt. She is that good.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Bianca Andreescu, Canada, daniil medvedev, rafa nadal, Rafael Nadal, us open

Will Rafa Nadal win the US Open again?

September 5, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

It is possible that Rafa Nadal will win the US Open and then he will have 19 Grand Slam victories, just one behind Roger Federer. If it occurs, then many people will say Nadal is the best player ever.

But not quite, yet.

On Wednesday night, Nadal beat Diego Schwartzman in three tough sets, and he has yet to lose a set in Flushing Meadows in five matches. So clearly, he is the favorite.

But before you can bow down in front of the Spaniard, remember that at last year’s US Open, he had to retire in the third set against Juan Martin del Potro in the semis because he became injured. In the quarters, Nadal won, but he was forced to play Dominic Thiem in a very long, terrific contest. His legs were super sore and he had to wave goodbye.

This time, however, in the quarters against Schwartzman, there were some muscular points, but it was not so long for Nadal. On Friday, he will face the young Italian Matteo Berrettini, who upset Gael Monfils in five hard sets. Berrettini is playing much better now, with his hard forehand and his first serve, but if they play for more than four hours, the Italian could become exhausted.

As long as Nadal continues to be healthy and if he reaches the final, then he will be ready to throw in his fine serves and aim for the lines with his incredible forehand.

If Nadal prevails against Berrettini, there will be tremendous pressure on Nadal. It’s a pressure Nadal knows well and has conquered many time.

Dimitrov vs. Medevedev

On Friday, the now-spectacular Daniil Medvedev will face the fun veteran Grigor Dimitrov, who upset Roger Federer in five sets. The Russian Medvedev is on fire, and he is self-assured. He hustles, he waxes, and then when he has a chance, he leaps on it. Over the past year or so, Dimitrov wasn’t sure how to play. He had injuries (but almost everyone has to deal with them). When a player has top stop, they tend to be very worried. In 2017, the former No. 3 thought he would win a major. But in 2018, he fell hard. Month after month, Dimitrov couldn’t win hardly at all. In fact, this year going into the US Open, he was 12-15. That was mediocre at best. But in the past 10 days, the former ATP Finals winner rose up again, playing smarter.

Can he stop the 23-year-old Medvedev to reach the final? He could, but it will be very close both ways. I would think that Dimitrov will out-think him, but he also has to serve and return very well. If he takes a long breath, Dimitrov will win in an outlandish five sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story

US Open: Stan Wawrinka is back, and driving

September 2, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Who would have thought that Stan Wawrinka would rise up at this point in his career? After all, over the past year, he wasn’t really there. He was injured, he had to stop, and then the three-time Grand Slam champion lost a lot of matches.

But almost everyone kept trying, even though it takes time. You have to be steady, and powerful, and hit the ball deep into the court.

Wawrinka knew that against No. 1 Novak Djokovic, that he had to be very patient. Plus, to beat him, everything has to work, depending on the day. Luckily, in a sense, the Swiss didn’t have to play 100 percent, because Djokovic was hurt, and in the third set, he retired, down 6-4, 7-5, 2-1. The Serb was not happy, he has really irritated.

But that happens with almost everyone. So now Wawrinka has a chance to win the US Open once again. That it possible, but he will have to win it over three more matches. In the second week, at the Slams, it can be a blast, but it is depends who you are playing and whether you are sharp.

Wawrinka’s very good friend, Roger Federer, easily won. He hasn’t had to sweat. Federer has beaten Wawrinka so many times on hardcourts. He will be favored, but he doesn’t know that yet, because the Swiss Wawrinka has to face against Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday. The Russian is playing fantastic ball over the play six weeks. Finally, he is intelligent and he goes for the lines. I would imagine that it is a toss-up.

Believe it or not, Federer will have to face Grigor Dimitrov, who had to stop over the last few years because his body was messed up. Even this year, he has been losing a tremendous amount, but now, the former ATP Finals winner is back. If he doesn’t get hurt again, he has a chance to shine. Both Federer and Dimitrov have a lot of different shots, so to watch the match on Tuesday, it could be fascinating. But, clearly, Federer is a better player. That is why Federer has won 20 Slams, and Dimitrov has won zero.

NOTES
It was a huge win by Wang Qiang who stunned Ash Barty 6-2, 6-4. Qiang was consistent, while the Aussie Barty made a ton of mistakes. … Brit Jo Konta is playing substantially better, and she took down Karolina Pliskova 6-7(1), 6-3, 7-5. I don’t know that whether she can win it, but Konta did win Miami two years ago so maybe she can focus this week, and not get so fearful.

Who figured that on Sunday, Elina Svitolina would knock out American Madison Keys, 7-5, 6-4. While Keys has been better at the Grand Slams, but right against each other, Svitolina really hustles and she can switch it within a second. Yes, Svitolina has played some awful matches in the Slams, but now the No. 5 seems to be staying secure. If she can keep dominating with her serve, she has a real chance in New York.

Serena Williams is just so good when she focuses, and right now, she is. Serena beat Petra Martic 6-3, 6-4. While she has won 23 Grand Slams, that doesn’t mean that she can automatically grab it again. She lost in the final last year. This time, Serena will have to mix it up even more.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Elina Svitolina, Grigor Dimitrov, jo konta, Roger Federer, Serena williams, Stan Wawrinka, us open

The US Open: Halep out; Townsend, Kudla rising

August 30, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

It was quite a day at the United States Open on Thursday. A couple of the Americans won in gigantic upsets: Taylor Townsend stunned Simona Halep 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Then, Denis Kudla won 7-5, 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 over the the No. 27-seed Dusan Lajovic. They could have lost given that both of them have not reached the top-45 ever. But, they kept trying, digging and, yesterday, they believed in themselves. They are not that fast, but they really wanted to show the fans that we are more than respectable.

More than a few years ago, it looked like Townsend would rise up into the top 10, pretty fast, and then after, she would win a Grand Slam. Sadly, not even close. But this summer, she switched it. Against Halep she attached the net 106 times, winning 64 points for a 60-percent clip. The strategy worked.

“It’s been, like, a really long journey. You flood with emotions of the things you’ve been through, positive, negative,” Townsend said. “Just to be able to get over the hump, it’s such an amazing feeling because after Wimbledon, I was devastated after I lost to [Kiki] Bertens after having a match point. That woke me up out of my sleep. I put my head down and just worked really hard and just tried to take the positives away from it, just continue to press forward. I belong on this level. I’ve had a lot of people doubting me being able to break through, quote unquote.”

She actually has a good chance to reach the second week: on Saturday, she will face Sorana Cirstea, a decent player, but not great. If Townsend will stay composed, she could push her way back and then throw in a few soft drop shots.

Kudla has been playing for a long time now. He plays a lot of challengers, almost every week, in the U.S., Europe, Asia … you name it. He can be very consistent, but he needs to mix it up more. And be more aggressive. But, when he came to the US Open, he was ready to sprint and lock it in.

“I knew if I just stayed patient, if I work, I did a little bit kind of soul searching, whatever you want to call it, just thinking from inside me what’s kind of missing,” Kudla said. “Ever since Montreal [a month ago], I’ve been playing with a different fire, different kind of motivation. I feel inspired again. Just lucky to be back out here.”

While that is true, he will face No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the next round. To be close, Kudla will have to go for the lines when he has an opportunity. If not, he won’t win a set.

NOTES

American Tennys Sandgren beat Vasek Pospisil, and now he will go up against the good veteran Diego Schwartzman. The Argentine is the favorite, but Sandgren can push him hard …

John Isner won again, beating Jan-Lennard in straight sets. Maybe the tall American can go far, if he plays fantastic against Mario Cilic. But, it’s a toss-up. The winner could play Rafa Nadal, who advanced in a walkover. That would be very, very tough, especially when Isner has to face the Spaniard.

Out of nowhere, Caroline Wozniacki won two matches in a row. She has been losing a lot, essentially because she has been injured for months. Now it looks like she is feeling OK. However, Wozniacki has to face the terrific Canadian Bianca Andreescu. What a match it should be…

Two years ago, Jelena Ostapenko won Roland Garros. Then she fell down mentally. Now it looks like the big hitter is focusing. She beat Alison Riske and now she has to play against Kristie Ahn, who was born in Flushing Meadows. If Ahn wins, maybe she can dive into the ocean and swim, and cheer loudly.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Caroline Wozniacki, Denis Kudla, Halep, jelena ostapenko, John Isner, simona, Taylor Townsend, tennys sandgren, us open

The US Open: Keep the momentum, please

August 29, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

In the first round, at the US Open, there have always been a number of terrific players who have lost early. On the hard courts in the hot summer, it can be difficult and keep up the momentum built during the North American swing.

Look what happened to No. 4 Dominic Thiem who lost to the Italian Thomas Fabbiano, 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2, with 48 unforced errors. Ugh.

Then, Stefanos Tsitsipas went down, losing to another very good young players Andrey Rublev, 6-4 6-7 (5) 7-6 (7) 7-5. It was almost four hours, but Rublev hung in there, and he battled, constantly. But, then the Greek, Tsitsipas said he does not “feel inspired.” He should not have said that.

Another top-10 player, Karen Khachanov, went down 4-6 7-5 7-5 4-6 6-3 to Canadian Vasek Pospisil. The Russian can be erratic, while when he is healthy. Pospisil can be extremely intelligent.

Do you want another seed who was ousted on Tuesday? Why not? Tenth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut was defeated by Mikhail Kukushkin 3-6 6-1 6-4 3-6 6-3. Bautista Agut was physically tired.

How about a good one today: the struggling No. 6 Alexander Zverev, who won, when he beat Radu Albot 6-1 6-3 3-6 4-6 6-2. While the big hitter Zverev, has played so many five setters at the Slams, eventually, he can go down, when he is exhausted. If he wants to reach the second week, he had to bare down. They all have to.

Stephens gets bounced
When Sloane Stephens is feeling good, she can defeat anyone. But this year, her head is in trouble. In the first round, she lost to Russian Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-4. Stephens won the tournament two years ago, but now she didn’t survive the first round, at least in singles. She is just so confused. Who knows what her future will bring?

The No. 1 Naomi Osaka won, beating Anna Blinkova 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-2. Good enough. … Caroline Wozniacki won and she will now play American Danielle Collins. Quiet a toss-up. … The powerful Aryna Sabalenka upended Vika Azarenka 3-6 6-3 6-4, a tight match. Where Azarenka will go from here, nobody knows. … That was a gigantic win by American Alison Riske, who beat Garbine Muguruza 4-6 6-1 6-3. She can be really focused when she wants.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alison Riske, Dominic Thiem, sloane stephens, Stefanos Tsitsipas, us open

Women: Can Osaka can win the US Open again?

August 26, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Here we are, waiting to see which woman is going to be dominate at the end of the US Open?

Could it be the defending champion Naomi Osaka? The No. 2 Ash Barty? The 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams? The 2017 winner Sloane Stephens? The other Grand Slam winner this year, Simona Halep at Wimbledon? Or a vet like Petra Kvitova? Or how about the very young and the rising Bianca Andreescu from Canada?

Early on, everyone can win. But in the second week, then the pressure will be enormous. Not only do you have to think hard, but you have to be totally focused. Then, there is a real chance a player can wear someone down and you can seize the day.

Since Osaka won this year’s Australian Open, she went down for a few months. She was overwhelmed and confused. She hasn’t won a tournaments since then, but who knows, at the Slams, she was been composed on the hard courts.

In the fourth round, she might face the Swiss Belinda Bencic, who gets injured a lot. Over the past few months, she has been healthy and when she plays, she is definitely a top-10 player. She is a huge hitter.

Still, Osaka will move on and in the quarters, she could face Aryna Sabalenka, Vika Azarenka {they have to play against each other the first round) or Donna Vekic. All four will crush the ball and go for the lines. For sure, they can go right in the face versus Osaka, but how do you contain her? That is the biggest question, for all of them.

In the second quarter, it will be a bunch of players who could reach the second week: Halep, Stephens, Kvitova, Andreescu, the former two-time champ Svetlana Kuznetsova, and the other Americans: Danielle Collins and Alison Riske.

Between all of them, Andreescu has risen so quickly that she refuses to know fear. She is already so smart, and composed, but during the event, she has to be healthy and brilliant. I bet she will.

In the second half, here is the list of the people who will reach the second week at Flushing Meadow: Venus Williams, Madison Keys, Karolina Pliskova, Jo Konta, Serena, Anastasija Sevastova, Qiang Wang and Barty.

All the Americans playing right now who have reached the US Open final — Venus, Serena and Stephens — have won it before. Except for Keys. Two years ago, she did reach the final, but she froze against Stephens. This time, if she gets there again, Keys will be very comfortable.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: ash barty, naomi osaka, Serena williams, Simona Halep, sloane stephens, us open

Men: Who will win the US Open?

August 25, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Who will win the crazy tournament in Flushing Meadows?

There have been some wonderful contests, dozens of them, in the past 26 years that I’ve covered the US Open. At the end of August and the beginning in September, it can be super hot, or cool and windy. And rain, too. There were so many perfect days, sunny and bright. Also, at night, playing matches, in the biggest stadiums, or medium sized, the fans were thrilled.

That’s what they will do next week. On words, with the men.

The No. 1 Novak Djokovic is favored, but perhaps, slightly. He could face the rising Hubert Hurkacz, who just won Winston-Salem, pretty early, but the young players might panic at the US Open. Then Djokovic might play Stan Wawrinka, a great player, but he hasn’t played fantastic this year. Maybe he will rise up, but the Serbian will crack at his forehand and his serve in the third round.

In the quarterfinals, Djokovic must be staring at the fifth-seed Daniil Medvedev, who just won Cincinnati. He knows that Medvedev has improved a tremendous amount over the past month and a half. He is very steady, and even more powerful now. That could go five sets under the lights. Bring it on.

If Djokovic wins, then the very famous person, Roger Federer, could be in the semis. The Swiss has won 20 Grand Slams, but he hasn’t grabbed it in New York since 2009. Now it has been a relatively long time ago for Federer. Yes, he is very smart, and he can hit the balls upwards and backwards, but that doesn’t mean that the 38-year-old can seize the night. He just has to find his rhythm in the first week, and then when he gets to the second week, Federer must step on the gas.

He could face David Goffin in the fourth round, and the Belgian is confident again. Yes, he can be fast and has heavy shots from his forehand and backhand, but he has yet to reach the semis at the Slams over the past decade. Goffin just can’t do it.

There are a punch of good people who can go to the second week: Borna Coric, Milos Raonic, the Aussie Alex de Minaur, and San Diego’s Taylor Fritz. All four of them really want to upset Federer. There will be a five setter, for all of them. While Federer will win, that doesn’t mean that he will struggle for hours. Last year in Queens, Federer was sweating all night. And he lost.

On the bottom half, the No. 2 Rafa Nadal is cruising already. He doesn’t have to face Djokovic or Federer until the final, so he has to be relieved. Of course, he can beat them if he is playing 100 percent. Last year, in the semis against Juan Martin del Potro, he got hurt badly. He was angry and then he retired. This time, hopefully, his sore legs will be healthy and happy.

Nadal should crack Fernando Verdasco in the third round, and then in the fourth round, he will have to face American John Isner or Marin Cilic. Both of them hit huge serves, with Isner’s nailing his forehand and Cilic hitting dangerously from both sides. Cilic won the USO before, so he will be very excited on court. Either way, Nadal will move ahead easily.

However, in the quarters, he might face Karen Khachanov, another young Russian, who is ranked No. 9. If he gets there, Khachanov has to bash Nadal’s backhand, and return really well and into the corners.

Here are some other terrific opponent who might face the 18-Grand-Slam champion Nadal: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev (who will play the Greek in the first round,) Nick Kyrgios (who won Washington), Gael Monfils, Denis Shapovalov Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Zverev (who is still slumping).

Nadal’s biggest hurdle could be No. 4. Dominic Thiem, who really relives that he can win a major, somehow, someway. Thiem has reached the final at Roland Garros twice. But, on the hardcourts, he can get frustrated. When he is on, he will jump on the ball. However, I would be surprised that Thiem can reach the semis in New York, because it can be too sticky.

At the US Open, it is August and September, so it is impossible to predict about the weather. And that makes the tennis unpredictable, too.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Dominic Thiem, New York City, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, us open

All of a sudden, Madison Keys rises up, wins Cincy

August 19, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

There are times that Madison Keys can be so out of it. But, this week in Cincinnati, the powerful American was on top of the game. Her first serve was gigantic, her strokes were deep and true, and her returns were tricky. She won it, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 7-6(5) in the final.

Kuznetsova had a terrific week. The Russian has won two Grand Slams, but she was injured for months, and when she came back, she wasn’t secure, losing early. But finally, she started to run and be very consistent. She has been on the WTA for very long times. Some weeks, she is down; other weeks, she is joyful. Kuznetsova could win another major in the next few years. She is already thinking, “Can I be patient and grab the US Open?” The last time she won it was in 2004, 15 years ago. A super long time. But, you never know.

That might be the same thing with Keys. She has gone deep at the Slams, reaching the 2017 final at the US Open, falling versus Sloane Stephens. She was pretty nervous, but she has matured a little. Now, she has to center herself at the US Open, and bolt.

The Men
Who would have thought that Daniil Medvedev would actually win an ATP 1000? After all, over the past month, the Russian was rising fast, exploiting an odd but tricky game. He has finally accepted his game’s limitation and potential. When he first started, the now 23-year-old was suffering at times. Currently, he is blissful.

Medvedev took down David Goffin 7-6(3). 6-4 in the final. Goffin has improved over the past few months, and he loves to grind. However, Medvedev was more potent in the final. He knew that if was close, so he wanted to dive on him. And Medvedev did. That was the biggest title ever.

When the US Open arrives, the top three will be favored: No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who won the 2018 title at Flushing Meadows; No. 2 Rafa Nadal, who just won Canada and No. 3 Roger Federer, who is itching to play after losing Wimbledon despite have two match points.

Now, Medvedev upset Djokovic in the semis at Cincinnati, but that was two-out-of-three sets, not three-out-of-five. That is the biggest difference by far. You have to hang in there for a long time to win a men’s Slam. You can get tired, for many hours, but you have to keep trucking.

Djokovic has won 16 Grand Slams titles, and Medvedev has won … zero. Let’s see during the next two weeks if the Russian can ascent.

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