Archives for 2022

The weekend winners: Auger-Aliassime, Rublev, Świątek

October 17, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

It has taken Felix Auger-Aliassime a while to be more consistent when playing finals. But this year, his experience and mental game has gained ground. The Canadian won the event in in Florence, beating American, J. J. Wolf, 6-4 6-4. A couple years ago watching Auger-Aliassime, he looked very decent, but there were times when he made to many mistakes and then he would lose. However, week after week, he began to understand what he would do. Not only could he have many long rallies, but then, when he was feeling good, he would push himself and slam the ball. He is back in the top 10 now and he really wants to play in November in the ATP Finals. That is a gigantic challenge, but he will make a galactic effort.

Wolf went to Ohio State University and starred there for three years. He won a lot of matches, and then he was ready to play on the ATP Tour. It has taken him a solid two years before he was more comfortable to do for it on court. He decided he is ready and now he is ranked No. 56, which is pretty good because he is only 23 years old. He swings super hard although he can be upset when he misses. Whether he can get into the top 32 next year and have a seed at a Grand Slam, that is possible, but you never know about anyone.

Rublev wins in Spain
Speaking of Andrey Rublev, who won Gijon, beating the other American Sebastian Korda 6-2, 6-3. Rublev was super solid, and he hit a lot of winners from the backcourt. He can be ticked off and upset, but when he was on the court, he was locked in early. When he is reading the ball, the Russian can spin it around and move it all over the place. He can also return well, here and there, getting it deep. The No. 8 is very good, but he has yet to win a huge event. If he isn’t injured, then he has to prove it. He can beat anyone either at the ATP 1000 [he has reached two finals before] or a Grand Slam. He has won 12 titles, but he has to shine on a bigger stage.

American Korda can look terrific on court but he can also be a little bit wild. He is still pretty young, and he plays a lot at the tournaments, but perhaps he should go home and practice a lot. The No. 36 can be fun to watch, but he can also look pretty spaced out.

The last American man to win a Slam has now been 19 years ago when Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open. In 2023, that will be 20 years with no guys in the final? Perhaps Taylor Fritz can pull it off, given that he won the 2022 Indian Wells, a 1000 ATP tournament. But again, he has to improve every month, just like Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic have done.

No. 1 Świątek takes San Diego
In San Diego, Iga Świątek won another title again, beating Donna Vekic 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. In the third set, the Pole turned it on, stringing together so many spectacular winners. She is just so firm and intense on the court. Last year, she looked pretty good, but she could be erratic. Then, in February, after Ash Barty retired, she rose up with her massive forehand and backhand. She can really hustle, and she can go way down on the ground and slap it back.

Świątek has matured a lot and there is no doubt that she will continue as No. 1 until someone else trips her.

Vekic had a terrific week, hitting super hard and finally being more consistent. She has been around for a while, and yes, she has beaten some good players, but she has seldom upset the top 10 competitors. At least she did this week, when she upset the other American Danielle Collins 7-6(2) in the semifinal third set. It finally rained in Southern California (very, very rare) at night. So, they had to wait to play again until it was dry on Saturday night.

However, in the third set against Świątek on Sunday, Vekic disappeared. Maybe she was exhausted. But next time, she has to be more confident. They all do.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Andrey Rublev, Donna Vekic, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Gijon, Iga Świątek, J.J. Wolf, San Diego, Sebastian Korda

In Europe and San Diego: ‘Please, take a breath’

October 14, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

It’s already October. Over the next four weeks, some of the the men and the women will want to move up the rankings. However, each year, month after month, there are so many injuries. But that is life of a professional tennis player.

If they can go home and rest for a few weeks, then they can return and feel fresh. But if you don’t, many of them can look tired. Please, take a breath.

However, many just want to play, such as the former No. 3 Dominic Thiem. His injury knocked him down for months. Currently, he is back on the tour, working hard, but he is still struggling. The same goes with Andy Murray, who almost retired with another huge injury in his hip. Now, he looks pretty good, but not great — yet. Right now, they are playing in Europe, in Spain and Italy.

You can go on and on, about dozens of people. But, even they are hurting, when back on court, then the pain essentially goes away. Such is the case of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal, who wins a lot, even though his body is always sore.

American J.J. Wolf played college at Ohio State University for did three seasons. When he decided to go on the ATP Tour, it took him a while to be much better. Finally, this year, he cracked the top 100 and now he is ranked No. 75. Slowly, his strokes are harder and he pushes himself to be more real on court. He does look good, but he can reach the top 50 at the end of the year. In 2023, can he eventually make it into the top 32? Also, in the Grand Slams, he will have to go into the second week, and if he does, then soon enough he will be seeded. That will be extremely exciting.

San Diego’s strong lineup
Currently, the women are playing in San Diego in a big tournament. They used to play the event up north for years in August, but eventually they shut it down. That also happened in Los Angeles, too. However, the tournament is now in the Barnes Tennis Center, which is very close to the airport. You can here the planes every few minutes. It is a good area, but it can be very loud.

There are a bunch of the top 15 players, like he No. 1 Iga Świątek, No. 4 Paula Badosa, No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, No. 8 Coco Gauff and No. 11 Daria Kasatkina, among others.

Świątek will finish the year as No. 1, for sure. She is way ahead. The Pole can crack the ball with her forehand and her backhand, and they land pretty deep, too. Her first serve is lethal, and she can attack when she returns. She can beat almost everyone, but last week she lost last week to Barbora Krejcikova, who is a very good player, but she can be up and down.

Badosa can really mix it up, and she can be focused, point to point, but also, her shots can be short. If she swings harder, then she will be more effective.

Sabalenka is still figuring out how to fix her serves. She has had so many doubles faults this season, but when the rallies begin, then she can swing harder and play her power game.

Pegula has changed a lot in the last two years. Teenager Gauff is getting better, each month. Kasatkina is so intense on the court.

In San Diego, whomever wins will celebrate because she earned, it.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Dominic Thiem, Iga Świątek, J.J. Wolf, San Diego

Novak Djokovic: ‘Put on the show’

October 8, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

This has been an odd year for Novak Djokovic. When he is playing, he can be dominating, with his famous backhand. His forehand has improved over the past 15 years, and his serve is not only powerful, but he can mix it around, everyday.

However, he has missed a number of tournaments because he is opposed to the vaccine and many tournaments havenot allowed him to play. He could get a COVID-19 shot and then he can play everywhere. But he has not, yet.

Djokovic has said, “Personally, I am opposed to vaccination and I wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel. But if it becomes compulsory, what will happen? I will have to make a decision. I have my own thoughts about the matter and whether those thoughts will change at some point, I don’t know.”

We will see. The 35-year-old just won Tel Aviv. Regardless, there are different tournaments where the owners are fine to allow him to play. He is currently ranked No. 7, and Djokovic also won Rome and Wimbledon. That was fantastic, but he lost against Rafa Nadal in Roland Garros, and also, the current No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, upset the Serbian in Madrid.

Djokovic has played only 10 events, going on 11, so he really wants to play. The 35-year-old wants to show that he can be the best player with anyone, if he can be totally solid.

The former No. 1 is playing in Astana and has advanced to the final. He beat Karen Khachanov on Friday, and was tied Daniil Medvedev when the Russian retired at 4-6, 7-6(6) in the semis.

Speaking of the Russian, Medvedev is somewhat struggling, match to match, but when he is being super steady, and very strong, then he can be more level headed. At the start of the year, at the Australian Open, he reached the final, and it looked like he can out-steady Rafa Nadal. He couldn’t, though, because in the fifth set, the 22-Grand Slam champ Nadal rose so high, and Medvedev could pull him back down to earth. After that, he looked pretty good, but not great. If Medvedev wants to be one of the best players again, he has to sharpen it up.

By the way, he lost twice against Nick Kyrgios this year, as the Australian was finally locked in. If they face each other again, Medvedev has to return much better. Of course, That is difficult, as Kyrgios is one of the best serves on tour. When he is happy and playing amazing, the Aussie can knock you down. He is not perfect, by any means, but when he is finding the lines, then Kyrgios and Medvedev can put on an entertaining show.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story

Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari: Will either win a big tournament?

September 29, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

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.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story

Will Naomi Osaka rise again? ‘I think life is ups and downs’

September 22, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

It’s fall now and many players have been slowed down with injuries. But, there are more than a few who want to finish the top 20, or even the top 10.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Toray Pan Pacific Open, continuing her injury-plagued season. “I think, of course, the year has been not the best year for me but I think overall I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’m happy to be healthy because in Europe I did injure myself and that was the first injury that took me that long to get healed.
I think life is ups and downs.”

It sure is. She is ranked No. 48, and next week, she will go down even further. She has no chance to reach the final eight in the WTA Finals at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico.

But, next year, she can reset, get ready to really focus again and not worry about defending previous wins. Of course, she has beaten everyone, and she is a gigantic hitter. Her serve, forehand and backhand are huge. Lately, she was not comfortable. If she wants to grind back into the top 10 in 2023, then she needs to be happy — rather than being so negative — she can win a Grand Slam and many other tournaments. But will she get there? Does anyone really know? As she said, she is up and down.

Here is a big positive: Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia is ranked No. 16. If she wins in Tokyo and San Diego, then she does have a small chance to make the top 8. However, even if she does not, she will still have a wonderful year. The 26-year-old decided to play more aggressively, to move it around and push herself. Six weeks ago, she made it to the final in Toronto, upsetting Leylah Fernandez. Then she shocked the No. 1 Iga Świątek. On the hardcourts she put down the steady Belinda Bencic and then she outhit Karolina Pliskova. Finally, she lost against the two-time champ Simona Halep in three close sets. She hit a big milestone

“I think the moment that I played my best tennis was when I didn’t have a lot of expectation. Sometimes … we create things that don’t exist in our mind,” she said.

NOTES
Andy Murray may or may not play in the Davis Cup next year, but the three-time Grand Slam champion thinks that the other players have improved a lot this year. Three Brits – Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Joe Salisbury – have moved up the ladder. When the 35-years-old retires, they will continue to grow.

“Obviously when you get to my age and this stage of your career, I don’t know how many opportunities I’ll get to still be part of this team. We’ve got obviously a lot of depth now in the singles and the doubles,” Murray said. “Because of that, it makes it tougher.”

They cannot advance on the Davis Cup in November. Murray says that instead of returning to three-out-of-five sets instead of the new two-out-of-three format.

“Obviously each tie, with it being best-of-three as well, it’s probably in some ways a bit more intense, the matches, and there’s less sort of room for error. I’m not saying we would have won all the matches had it been best-of-five, but you have more of an opportunity to come back into the matches,” Murray said.

“If you’re playing well, the longer the match is going, the better that is going to be for you. It is different in terms of atmosphere and everything… It’s just a little bit different because of the best-of-three format.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Beatriz Haddad Maia, naomi ozaka

Roger Federer to retire: Famous for his forehand, serve, respect

September 17, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

The great Roger Federer will retire. The 20-time Grand Slam winner decided that trying to play in a competitive match was impossible. He has had a lot of surgeries, and to make an attempt to play in the fall, and next year too, was beyond what he was ready to do.

If you want to look at the quotes, there are dozens of them by people who really liked the man. Off the court, he is special, teaching them how to play better, and to re-act with them, too. He was not only just brilliant, but with his serve, into the corners, twisting, his famous forehand, and he would skip to the net. Also, who almost always returns, very deep, and he would mix it up all over the place. Most of the players would think, “Where is he going? I cannot figure it out.”

It is a sad day, but that happens with everyone who will retire.

Here are some good quotes from the ATP players. Here are some comments from the WTA players.

Next week, Federer will play an exhibition at the Laver Cup in London, along with Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, among others. That will be sold out, up into the top at the ceiling.

NOTES
Both Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Świątek won the US Open, and they both played brilliantly. They are the No. 1s. They are very young, very fast and can also be so aggressive, with their forehands and backhands, too. They can return, and put it back deep, and they are also pretty good at the net. That is why they rose to No. 1.

Yes, they have improved a lot. But, this result doesn’t mean they will end up with more than a handful of majors. Don’t believe those TV commentators who have said. “Oh, for sure, he/she will win a lot of the Grand Slams.”

Yes, some did, but more than a few have won just one championship. If you look at the history, you will see that. Maybe he or she became hurt, and it was hard to play fantastic again. Or it was mental.

Do you want a list?

Here are a few who have retired, such as Andy Roddick, Caroline Wozniaki, Juan Martin Del Potro, Sam Stosur, Flavia Pennetta, Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Gaston Gaudio, Anastasia Myskina, Goran Ivanovic, Francesca Schiavone,and Marion Bartoli.

Now, with the current players, will they win a huge amount of the Grand Slams? Federer won 20, Rafa Nadal has 22 Slams, and Novak Djokovic has 21. Alcaraz has just one.

We can also Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slams. Others are close, like Steffi Graf (22), Martina Navratilova (18) Chris Evert (18).

Here is the list of current one-Slam wonders from the WTA: Bianca Andreescu, Emma Raducanu, Sofia Kenin, Jelena Ostapenko, Barbora Krejcikova and Sloane Stephens.

Świątek has won three now, and she is very young, so to get up to win 10 Slams, yes, it is possible. The same goes with Naomi Osaka, who has four.

However, will anyone reach five titles at the Slams before they retire? It is possible, but tough. They have won two Slams like Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Garbine Muguruza.

Can Świątek and Alcarez get in double digits for major victories. But, there is no sure choice who will be the future king and queen.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Carlos Alcarez, Iga Świątek, Roger Federer, Swiatek, us open

Men’s final at 2022 US Open: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Casper Ruud

September 11, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Somehow, someway, either Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud will become No. 1 at the US Open on Sunday. Neither has not won a Grand Slam yet, or even reached the final.

Grand Slam champions such as Rafa Nadal, who was knocked out; Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic couldn’t play, while Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic all lost. So here comes a new first-time champion in Flushing Meadows.

Both Alcaraz and Ruud have had some amazing matches. They are quick, super fast, and they can switch it to offense immediately. Night after night, the 19-year-old Alcaraz seemed to never get tired, even though he has been playing for many, many hours. How about this? The Spaniard edged Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-7, 6-7 7-5, 6-3, and it took 5 hours and 15 minutes. He just keeps churning. And when he is sprinting, he doesn’t really care, he just wanted to hit the lines, incredibly hard. His forehand is gigantic, and his backhand can slap it. Plus, he has all sorts of strokes.

The No. 7 Ruud is very fit, patient and he will rush the net when he gets a chance. The Norweigian is very steady, can go low and his forehand and backhand are more than powerful. Over the past couple years, he would go deep at the tournaments, and he has won a good amount, but he before went far at the Slams.

His father, Christian Ruud, who reached No. 39 in 1995, said that Casper, “Did well last year, winning six titles and did well at ATP Playoffs and everything. We knew he had the level to play with the top guys and also beat the top-10 players. So, of course, a little bit disappointing Grand Slam last year, that was the big goal this year to at least reach some quarterfinals. Then the goal was achieved a little bit, and then this US Open he plays maybe with little bit calmer because he already had one good Grand Slam result. In a way, he got that breakthrough in the Grand Slams, and hopefully we can continue to do well in the Slams. He’s fit, he’s doing well, so he suits playing five-set matches.”

Will it be Alcaraz or Ruud win the U.S. Open? There will be intense rallies, and they will play for hours, again. But the Spaniard is right there, and when it is very close, then he can cover the court, touch the lines and Alcaraz will win it four terrific sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Carlos Alcaraz, us open

US Open final with Iga Świątek vs. Ons Jabeur

September 10, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

The former No. 2, Aga Radwanska, once said, “This is a dream from when I was kid. I’m playing tennis almost 18 years, and of course everybody’s dream is to play the final of a Grand Slam.”

She made one but lost to Serena Williams at ’12 Wimbledon

Another Pole, Iga Świątek, has already won two Grand Slams, and now the current No.1 will face off with Ons Jabeur on Saturday.

Jabeur reached the final at Wimbledon, and she lost, but just getting there, her mind changed and her nerves began to cool. Over the past 11 days, she sliced, popped the ball, showing a lot of intensity. Plus, the No. 5 returns very well, and she can hit it deep, chipping it, In the semis, she destroyed Caroline Garcia, who was blazing along with wins this summer.

However, Świątek can bring it back, too. On the second serve, she can attack immediately. There are times that she can hit it the wrong way, or out, but she keeps making the effort. Also, she broke serve a lot. For example she made it happen in the semis versus Aryna Sabalenka. Even in the third set, she was more patient, and her backhand became much more dependable.

The last time they played, Świątek had an easy final in Rome, winning 6-2, 6-2. Then, Świątek was rocking on the clay. However, though, when she plays on faster hard courts, she can get tripped up. Her forehand can be terrific, but she also starts to get undecisive, and since she started last week, there were a lot of errors.

Running around, Jabeur can wallop with a winner, or she can put in an spot, and at times, her strokes are muddled. She does think a lot, but she has to react quickly. On the plus side, she is so athletic, and she rarely gets tired. This year, for the most part, she got rid of the tremendous pressure.

The 21-years-old Świątek has played so many matches this year. So, at the US Open, perhaps she will be placid, as this is her first final. At least in the first set, she might be freaked out.

At Wimbledon, Jabeur looked wonderful, but in the final, she missed some key shots against Elena Rybakina. This time, if she wants to win, she has to play almost 100 percent. Jabeur might be convinced, to kick down with Świątek, but ‘Iga’ will rise up in the third set and win it for the third time at the Slams.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: final, Iga Świątek, us open

Four Thursday picks for the 2022 US Open

September 8, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Ons Jabeur vs. Caroline Garcia
The Frenchwoman Garcia is churning, mixing it up and blasting her shots. She does love to rally and stare at her opponents. She can be very intense and threw away her doubts. But, she is very fluky. However, Jabeur also really likes to rally, and she can hit and hit with dozens of strokes. Years ago, she did not attach enough

But gradually the No. 5 became strategic. They have known each other for a long time, and they are friends, but on court, they have to stop thinking about each other and just play ball. Jabeur lost this year’s Wimbledon final. Sheknew that when she gets another chance at a major, she will reach higher. It will be close, but in the end, the Turnisia will win it in three tough sets

Iga Świątek vs. Aryna Sabalenka
Świątek is totally fascinating. The Pole can be pretty patient, and then, she can heat it up, and go for winners. She is so focused, and she bends down so low. There are some moments when she misses for no reason, but when she thinks about it, then she can change direction.

Sabalenka just said that while her serve is not perfect yet. Her coach changed her hand and leg location, and arm movement slightly. Yes, she still does miss a lot, but the reason why she made it into the semifinals because she is improving. Beyond that, she is one of the best players in the game, based on her power. In reality, though, Świątek has won so many titles this year, and because of that, she badly wants to win another Slam. Świątek will pound Sabalenka in two terrific sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Caroline Garcia, Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, us open

2022 US Open: Four picks for Wednesday

September 7, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Iga Świątek vs. Jessica Pegula
Pegula has had a surprising week. Yes, over the past two years, Pegula began to play much better, improving her strokes, first serve and return. Before that, she liked to hit the ball after the serve starts, and she was OK with the rallies, but if she didn’t dominate early, so she was struggling. Finally, she changed her mind, and she pushed herself. She is not perfect by any means, but she does know how to make the most of her size. Before she became No. 1, Swiatek was suspect. She would play fantastic and win, and then the next day, she would be foggy and lose. But in February, she totally changed her mental approach. She would go on the lines, almost immediately, because she realized that if she attacks, very deep on the corners, then the players would freeze up. But not Pegula, who has been incredibly consistent. Right now, Swiatek is a better than she is, stroke by stroke. The Pole will win in straight sets.

Andrey Rublev vs. Frances Tiafoe
The American stunned Rafa Nadal, and he played one of the best matches, ever. He sprinted, he dove, and clocked more than a few winners with his big backhand. He said that before the match that now he is much better, and he can really think on court. He also said that if he plays fantastic again, perhaps he can win it all. But they all are, too. Rublev was also had a fine nine days, displaying a terrific forehand, powerful serve and superfast speed. Sure, he can be moody, but now he is intense. Both of them can dug it in, and slog to grab a rally. The Russian thinks he can wear down Tiafoe. But the crowd will the American up again, and Tiafoe will zoom. He will win in four hard-fought sets.

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Karolina Pliskova
Two of the biggest servers will face off, and it is almost seems that it is boxing, trying to knock each other to the floor. It is the punching bag, toe-to-toe. Pliskova has hit a huge number of aces, and when she is right there, she will go for the lines. Sabalenka is certainly faster, and she can pop her forehand and her backhand. However, when she serves, she has double faulted a lot. Both think they are ready for a Grand Slam trophy. Pliskova has always been straight forward in press conferences about not winning a major. But she makes a lot of mistakes. That’s why in the third set, Sabalenka will bite her.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner
How did the Spaniard win an amazing five-setter against Marin Cilic? It looked like he was mentally tired, and then, he continued to scrabble, point after point. Now he has to beat another very good player in Sinner. The Italian also has had a terrific week, changing it up, working hard and made some crucial decisions. His is alert, he can return well, and his decisions have improved a lot. Both have to decide whether they can be very patient or swing super hard immediately. Alcaraz can be amazing, but if it goes into the fifth set, then he will be very tired. The same thing goes for Sinner, but he seems to be more ready in Flushing Meadows. Sinner will win in five demanding sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Iga Świątek, Jessica Pegula, Kristina pliskova, us open