Archives for September 2022

To stay in the top 10, you have to continue to improve each month, on and off the court. There will be some challenging days, some so-so days and some fantastic moments.

Maria Sakkari and Jessica Pegula have had a very good year, but they are not spectacular yet. Oh sure, they can rise quickly, and rarely miss their strokes. They can smash the backhands and, when the get a short ball, then they can bash their forehand as a winner.

But, for the most part, Sakkari and Pegula are steady, which is fine, yet they have been failing to impress at the Grand Slams and the other huge events.

Perhaps in the next four weeks, one of them can win San Diego, and possibly the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara, Mexico. If one of them does it, then it will be there most impressive win ever.

Sakkari, 27, looked wonderful at Indian Wells in March, beating Paula Badosa in the semis. But, there was no stopping No. 1 Iga Świątek took her down in straight sets in the final. It looked like the current No. 7 was going to be so consistent, and even better, but she began to stutter. She just has one title, in Rabat, three years ago. This year, after March, she went all the way into September, when she won just one in the semis in Berlin. She lost early in Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

However, in 2021, she reached the semis in Roland Garros and the US Open. She was so confident then, but this year, she is not making the right decision. Believe it or not, the Greek will have to change the tactics again.

“It’s disappointing, it hurts, because I was feeling better, I was enjoying myself, feeling good on the court and it was just very disappointing,” Sakkari said, who just reached the Parma semifinals by betting Maryna Zanevska..

Pegula is 28 years old, and really, she has had a very proper year. The No. 5 American managed to go deep a lot. Unfortunately, she played Świątek three times this year, and she lost each time. It was pretty close, but the Pole is too aggressive and faster, too. Also, her first serve is much better than Pegula’s. Plus, Świątek has now won three Grand Slams, and she believes that when she is locked in, then she can step on anyone.

“I’m kind of a perfectionist so I feel my expectations of myself are always high. At the same time, I think you have to set a lot of small goals,” Pegula said. “It’s tough. I always feel like I have very high expectations and I’m always like constantly in between trying to enjoy myself and then how do I get better? I feel like a lot of top players are like that. It’s a really hard balance to try to get. So, balancing that is, it’s hard, especially during a Slam. Small goals, I try to do the best I can, take it day by day. I think that helps.”

She reached in Madrid on clay, beating Jil Teichmann and Bianca Andreescu but lost to the stylish Ons Jabeur in the final. Close enough.

She also has won just one title, in 2019 Washington. So, in the future, she has to round out her game. At the Grand Slams, she has never gone into the semis. Her coach, David Witt, who worked with Venus Williams for many years, must be pushing her to really believe in herself. Just like the seven-time Grand Slam champ Venus.

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Danielle Collins
How many times Sabalenka does double fault? A lot. But the good thing is that she keeps fighting, which is why the former No. 2 is still here. She is physically so strong, from both sides, and she storms her opponent immediately. She has had a tough year, but now she is thinking that “I am a great player.” This week, she certainly has been. The American Collins has had a difficult year, after she made it into the final at the Australian Open. During those two weeks, she was so potent. Both of them want to hit the ball very hard, right on the lines. Sabalenka will go into the third set and has a chance to knock her down. But Collins loves New York, and she will win it, 7-6. That would be a blast.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Marin Cilic
At the US Open in 2014, the Croat won the event. With a huge serve, it looked like he would win Slams again. But he did not, and there were a couple times that he looked like he was spectacular during the matches, when he went deep at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. But after that, he lost a lot. Maybe he was confused a lot. It didn’t help that he plays almost each week. At least this week, the 33-year-old became much more in-your-face. He has to, as Alcaraz is also playing excellent ball, not every game, but he is has become a force. Cilic wants to hit a number of aces, Cilic has to try to knock Alcaraz down, because the Spaniard is much faster side to side. Cilic will try so ruthless, but in the fourth set, Alcaraz will aim for the lines and win it.

Karolina Pliskova vs. Vika Azarenka
The Czech has an amazing first serve, with hundreds of aces. She has been better than all of the players over the past 13 years, except for Serena. That is why she has won many huge events and aldo reached the final at the US Open and Wimbledon, but she has yet to win a Grand Slam. At the age of 30, the former No. 1 might not do it at the USO, or any Grand Slams. But this year and next year, when she goes deep, then perhaps she can go for it. She is powerful, but she does not run fast enough. As we have said before, Azarenka loves to put it away from both sides. She has won two Grand Slams, so obviously, she can be dangerous, but she is aging, too, and currently, she can be erratic. They have played each eight times, 4-4. This is a real toss-up. In the third set, Pliskova will hold the lines, and where down Azarenka.

Andrey Rublev vs. Cameron Norrie
Brit Norrie has had a great season. He is so fit, with his weighty forehand, his vicious backhand and his potent first serve. Even if he was decent, two years ago, he was a little bit soft. But now, he will shatter the ball. He has to, because the Russian is so much smarter than he did even last year. He is tall, he can be alert, and when he is running hard, then he can decide where he can go. Rublev has said that he has grown, on the court and off. When he first started, he could get livid, but now at his 24-years-old, he is calmer. This will be a five-setter, some brutal points, yet in the end, Rublev will bite Norrie.