acapulco – TennisReporters.net

Canadian Leylah Fernandez wins first title in Acapulco

During the Grand Slams, everybody wants to play. If they can, they try to knock off the best. But, if they can lose early, at least they have faced the challenge of the top-ranked players.

The good news is that there are other tournaments where, if you can rise up, and win it, then many fans will know who they are.

Over the weekend, Leylah Fernandez won the tournament in Acapulco, beating Viktorija Golubic in the final. Clearly, she is quick, steady and bangs with a lot of depth. She also likes to attack at the net. The teenager had gone to Mexico to live with her family, but she was born in Montreal, so she had a lot of training. She is now ranked No. 72. She still has a long way to go, but she was improved over the past month.

“It’s always been part of my game, trying to go to the net,” Fernandez said. “I was just going out there, having fun on the court, and I wasn’t thinking too much about the consequences. I just went there and tried to execute what I’ve been training.”

Russian Daria Kasatkina won the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy She is 23 years old, and she is now ranked No. 42. Three-and-a-half years ago in 2018, she was No. 10. But then she fell. It wasn’t because of an injury, it was in her head, essentially, with her life. But now, she is more patient, and and mature.

Not only when she just win in Russia, but in January, she won the Phillip Island Trophy. In 2019, at Indian Wells, she upset Sloane Stevens, Caro Wozniaki, Angie Kerber, and Venus Williams — all Grand Slam winners. Kasatkina did lose in the final, going down again Naomi Osaka. If she refocuses, then she will be totally back.

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The former No. 2 Vera Zvonareva is currently ranked No. 122. She has to get into the top 100 and then she will be in much better shape to get into main draws.

Another Russian veteran, Svetlana Kuznetsova, is now ranked No. 35, Years ago, she won two majors, the 2004 US Open and the 2009 Roland Garros. She has a lot of spin, and she will stay out there for a million of years. She wants to have one more chance to knock off all of them, to win singles title. The last time she won it was in 2018 Washington. That is almost four years ago. She has to believe that she can conquer a field one more time.

The Wrap: Week of Feb. 18: Tsonga is at home at home

Tsonga has won five of his titles in France

Imagine if a fast court Slam were played in France? Do you think Jo-Wilfried Tsonga would have a better chance of winning a major? I sure do. On Sunday, Tsonga captured his 10th ATP title by fending off a match point against Tomas Berdych in a 3-6 7-6(6) 6-4 triumph in Marseille. Tsonga also saved five match points in his quarterfinal win over Bernard Tomic, many of them with winners, which clearly indicates clutch play.

Tsonga has won five of his 10 career titles at home, including his sole Masters Series crown in Bercy back in 2008. Maybe home country advantage doesn’t mean that much in the grand scheme of things given that many players tend to perform better on surfaces and in conditions that are more to their liking, but recall that last year that Tsonga came reasonably close to taking out Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, and clay is without question his worst surface.

As an attacking player, Tsonga likes quick conditions and presumably Marseille was to his liking. Berdych is tough indoors too, and quite tough on Tsonga given that the Czech had beaten him the last three times they played.

Now both men will head to Dubai, where Novak Djokovic is back in ATP action (he did play Davis Cup) for the first time since the Australian Open, and Roger Federer returns in an attempt to defend his title. Djokovic has a huge lead over Federer in the rankings and isn