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The US Open: Keep the momentum, please

August 29, 2019 by

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.

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Men: Who will win the US Open?

August 25, 2019 by
Novak Djokovic

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.

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ATP Finals: Anderson wins, Federer loses to Nishikori

November 12, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Kevin Anderson has had such a solid year. The 33-year-old veteran has improved his backhand,  his speed, and net play. Go back five years and he was struggling mentally, but now, he is pretty calm and directed.

On Sunday in the ATP Finals in London, Anderson overcame the Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-6(10), attacking the net regularly.

Thiem has also improved this year. He was always very good on clay, but he had to understand what he needs to do on hardcourts, which are much faster. However, both of them still have return substantially better, just like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer do. And today, Nishikori also did it, especially serving.

Champions like Djokovic and Federer return well all the time, and that is why they have thousands of  break points. Indoors, in London, it is warm and there is no wind, so Anderson  can swing out — when he wants to. Maybe the South African can reach the semis, but he has a long way to go. He was nervous, but today, he settled in.

“I definitely felt a little bit nervous. But very quickly and find a really good rhythm, taking care of my service games nicely [and I] created quite a few opportunities on his serve,” said Anderson. “He wasn’t serving at a very high first-serve percentage. I felt I was getting into quite a few points. The second set could have been anybody’s set. When it’s 12/10 in the tiebreak, it really could have gone either way.”

At night, Kei Nishikori stunned the 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer 7-6 (4), 6-3. Now that was surprising, not because the Japanese has had a very decent year, but because the Swiss has played in London extremely well over the years, on grass and indoors on hard courts. But in his first match, he was frustrated.  

“I hope I don’t go on vacation with three losses. Let’s put it that way,” Federer said. And how.

So Federer lost, but it is a round-robin, so he can reach the semis, but he has to re-compose. He committed 34 unforced errors, and that is a lot. He does not do it often, but he received a code violation for banging a ball into the crowds. Ouch. Federer won the Australian Open, skipped Roland Garros, and then he was ousted at Wimbledon and the US Open. Recently, he won Basel again, but the 37-year-old might be aging a little more. That is inevitable.

“My season [in 2018] was never going to be exactly like last year,” Federer said. “I knew that going into the season. If you thought I was going to have, I think you are dreaming. I’m happy how I played this season. I didn’t feel like playing less was a problem.”

He did add that Nishikori had a very good year. At the end of 2017, he was hurt and he couldn’t play. He came back in February and it took him awhile to be comfortable. He is now.

“I’m really happy for [Kei] that he qualified for this event – not taking me out today – but I’m happy for him because he started playing challengers this season,” Federer said. “That was a bold decision early on and deserves credit and respect. I think we all have that for Kei because he’s a great fighter.”

Federer will plays Thiem on Tuesday, while Anderson will face Nishikori.

NOTES
The United States lost 3-0 against the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup finals. That is the sixth time in eight years that the Czechs have won it. They are so good. Katerina Siniakova  saved two match points and won it 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 over Sofia Kenin. Close but no cigar for the Americans. …

Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Next Gen ATP Finals title in Milan over Alex de Minaur. The Greek will crack into the top 10 pretty soon. He is very tall and he just crushed the ball off of both wings.
 
The coach and broadcaster Darren Cahill has stopped coaching Simona Halep. “I’ve decided to take a 12-month break from coaching to be home more for support as our children enter important stages of their lives with the final year of high school, sports and college preparations all becoming more time consuming,” Cahill wrote.

Czech Lucie Safarova, who peaked by reaching the 2015 Roland Garros final, will retire at the Australian Open in January. Her body is declining. “I had a great career, but my health doesn’t allow me to continue,” Safarova said. That is too bad, she always hustles and she always smiles, too.

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Spectacular Novak Djokovic wins the US title

September 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment

novak djokovicFROM THE US OPEN – Before Djokovic walked on the court, he knew that if he played well, he would win the title again. He is better than Juan Martin del Potro, he knew that coming in, but he realized that the Argentine was rising, very gradually. If he was very consistent and powerful, he would win.

 And he did, 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-3. In the second set, DelPo had a few chances, to grab it, but Djokovic stayed in there, out-hitting with his backhand, moving so well, returning a lot, which he had to, because DelPo was crushing his first serves.

The Serbian stayed strong, he didn’t play great with his serves, but his backhand beat the Argentine down, especially crosscourt. Plus, his forehand was hard. He wouldn’t allow DelPo to come into the net hardly at all, unless he decided to bend him down, pull him over, and pass him. DelPo crushed his huge forehand a lot, and in the second set, there were times when it appeared that he was getting better and better. Had he won the second set, then who knows? But in the breaker, Djokovic focused, and he locked in, and when he won the second set, it was essentially over.

While the No. 3 DelPo has had a terrific year, still, if he wants to win a major again — and to stay healthy — he must continue to work his backhand and his return. Other than that, he is a darn good player. Djokovic is a fantastic player, because he is now won 14 Grand Slams, tied with American Pete Sampras. Surely, next year, the No. 2 Djokovic can win another title, possibly at the 2019 Australian Open. That would be something else.   

The others

Rafael Nadal
The No. 1 played three marathons, before the semis started against DelPo. After the first set, he became injured, and after he lost 7-6, he told the umpire that he was going to retire soon. In the second set, he pulled out. He was sad,  and a little upset, but the No. 1 Nadal knew that you cannot win all the time.

He will always remember in the quarters against Dominic Thiem, winning it 7-6(5) in the fifth, which ended in four hours and 49 minutes. It was spectacular. But after that, his body and his leg  was exhausted so there was no way he could continue. He did win Roland Garros, plus four more ATP Masters 1000, so in the fall, assuming he is feeling better, he will continue to push, and try to win it again. The last time he and Djokovic played against each other, he lost 10-8 in the fifth at Wimbledon. That was super close. Maybe they will clash at the ATP Final in London, or early. We all hope so. 

Kei Nishikori
The Japanese looked great heading into the semis, beating Marin Cilic in five, running fast, leaping in the sky, and punishing with his forehand. He returned pretty well, too. But, once again, Djokovic is better than he is. His first and his second serve, and he can grind him down, also with his phenomenal backhand. I am not sure that Nishikori can upend Djokovic ever again, maybe once, or twice. In a five-setter at a Grand Slam, he can’t take a quick win. In the two out of three sets, sure he can lock in and upset Djokovic, but he couldn’t do anything on Friday, losing 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. That was a good US Open for Kei, but not good enough to win the title.     

Dominic Thiem
The Belgian played well as he could, especially on the hard courts,  because he has won a number of titles on clay, but the 25-year-old wasn’t ready for long, hard-court contests. At the US Open, he knew he had be very aggressive, with his huge first serves, and his heavy spin, with his forehand and his backhand. He did, and he battled, and he fought, and he pumped his fist, but he couldn’t make it. After he lost, the No. 8 Thiem said that he will always remember this defeat. But, perhaps in the fall, he can shake it off, and during the fall, he will add more variety. I would think that we will reach the ATP Finals in England. But that is a toss-up. It’s all in his head now.

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US Open men’s semifinal pick: day 12

September 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment


FROM THE US OPEN – Well, that was some kind of a match. We’re talking about the quarterfinal clash between Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem.

The Spaniard was so close to losing, but he kept hanging in there, running and running. He simply never gives up. He may not play particularly well, but he will continue to push himself to a level beyond other players.

At the end, against the now fantastic Thiem, Nadal looked in deep down and found the solution, winning 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5). Good enough.

Now, the 17-time Grand Slam champion has to face Juan Martin del Potro, who won it nine year ago, in 2009. 
 
The 32-year-old Nadal has also won the US Open three times in 2010 and 2013. Last year, he won again over Kevin Anderson, somewhat quickly. 

Recall back in 2009, when DelPo crushed Nadal in the semis. The Argentine was red hot, as he shocked the famous Roger Federer in five sets in the final. At that time, Nadal said that DelPo played amazing tennis, but it won’t happen again. Well, he has, once in a while, but not against Nadal again. The Spaniard has beaten him 11 times, while DelPo has won five. 
Last year at the USO, in the semis, Nadal beat him 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. Clearly, DelPo was exhausted after a couple hours, but Nadal nailed his forehand all the time. 

This year at Wimbledon, in the quarters, on Nadal edged him, 7-5, 6-7(7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. That was a toss-up, but Nadal served extremely well.

However, DelPo has improved this year, a lot. He is now ranked No. 3 and he could go further. He now can hit his two-handed backhand, where for many years, he couldn’t, because his left leg was almost destroyed and broken. It is hard to predict how long he will continue to be healthy. Hard to say month to month. No one really knows, but on Friday here at Flushing Meadows, he shouldn’t be tired or hurt when he walks on the court. 

DelPo does love to slice his one-hander. When he is on top of it, he will hit it very low. But look, Nadal can knock it with his huge forehand, time and time again, and that is why he has won many matches. He belts the ball.

Nadal has played very long contests in the last three matches. His serves are very good, but over the past 11 days, he is not crushing it. I am not sure exactly why, but against DelPo, if he can, Nadal has to nail it on the Ts. 

DelPo has to find away to break him, which means that he has attack on his backhand, and keep him off the baseline. Even if he does, he has to be patient. Of course, this will go five, with a long service game. In the end, DelPo will figure him out and win it, say 6-3 in the fifth. Just one break and hold on.

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US Open picks, day 8: Stephens vs Sevastova, Nadal vs. Thiem

September 3, 2018 by Leave a Comment

FROM THE US OPEN – Can we call Tremendous Tuesday? Sure were can, with four fantastic matches.

Let’s start with the 2017 US Open champ Sloane Stephens, who will face Anastasija Sevastova. In her last two matches, Stephens was super steady, strong and fast. Mentally, she is focused. When she gets an opportunity, she runs forward. Sevastova has incredible variety, especially with her drop shots. She can be fairly quick, she can run ahead or back, and she is very emotional. They will split sets, they will have numerous rallies, and then it will be finished, with Stephens raising her arms and smiling. She will advance into the semis.

Who knew that John Isner was able to take down Milos Raonic in five sets? The American is playing so much better than he did last year. Currently, he is analyzing his options and he is going for it, with his huge serve. At the net when he is on top of the ball. However, he has to play against Juan Martin del Potro, who is on fire, and his backhand is substantially better than he was a couple years ago. His serve is massive, as is his gigantic forehand. Like Isner, del Potro is pretty clean at the net. He bends down to put it away. This has to be a five-setter, and both of them want it very badly. There won’t be a lot of rallies, but here and there, they will go side-to-side and hope they can strike winner. To me, the former US Open champ del Potro has been better over the years — when he wasn’t injured — and this week, the Argentine is playing amazing ball. He will win 7-6 in the fifth set. 
 
Serena Williams is playing better than she has since she returned in March. Her serves are very hard, her first serve and the second serve are bombs, her backhand down the lines is very clean, and her forehand is deep. Almost out of nowhere, Karolina Pliskova is confident again and she is cracking the ball. Pliskova has had a mediocre year, but when she feels good, she will put together her first serves, ace after ace, and she will immediately go for the lines. Two years ago, the Czech beat Serena 6-2, 7-6(5) in the semis. That was then, that is now. They have changed, both of them got married last year, and Serena had a baby. Times change, and off court, they are very happy. Pliskova will immediately attempt to out-hit Serena, but the American is steady now, and she is returning very well. Serena will win 7-6, 7-6, but it will be a tough contest. 

Rafa Nadal is the No. 1. In the last two matches, he looked very good at times, and so-so at other times, too. The thing is though, even when he is not serving the right way, his backhand is too short, and he isn’t attacking enough when he was returning, still, he is so smart and he readjusts. The key is that he wins. 

Can he best Dominic Thiem on Tuesday night? I would think so, because Nadal has beaten him seven times against three losses — all on clay, especially at the 2018 Roland Garros final, when the Spaniard won 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Nadal is just better than he is. However, Thiem played well last week, he likes to hit heavy spin, he has a terrific first serve, and he is fast, too. But on the hard courts, I just can’t see a Thiem victory. Nadal has won Flushing Meadows three times, while Thiem has never reached the semis. It should be a fun match, with some wonderful rallies, but Nadal will win in straight sets.

 

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Another year, another Nadal victory at RG

June 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment

FROM ROLAND GARROS — Once again, Rafa Nadal wins Roland Garros. He has now won 11 titles in Paris, and over the past 15 days, he was so clean, hitting deep and true. No one can touch him.

Austrian Dominic Thiem, tried as hard as he could, but there was no answer. Sure, during the moments, he looked sharp, going for the shots, hitting backhand to backhand, and when he had a small opportunity, he would go for it.

But did Thiem managed to find the lines and hope that Nadal wouldn’t catch him? Here and there, but it didn’t work. Because Nadal is so fast, so patient, and he knows where the ball is coming from. The Spaniard’s forehand is massive, his serve is big, and at the net, today, he was almost perfect. His backhand has improved a lot over the last few years. Before, his backhand could be a little bit soft, or not deeper enough, but now, he is just fine hitting rallies, especially cracking down the line and putting it away.
 
Nadal is just better on the clay courts, having 57 titles. That is more than extraordinary. Next year, assuming he is healthy, Nadal will be the favorite once again. How does anyone can really attack him at Roland Garros? On occasion, someone might win a set, but to win it three out of five sets? Right now, that is impossible.    

Thiem had a fine two weeks. He pushed himself, and he likes to add something new. However, he does have to learn even more. He can be erratic against the big boys. So, if he wants to win a major, he has to find the right strategy. If he does, sometime of the future, the 24-year-old will reach the final at 2019 RG. The No. 7 may not be able to upset Nadal, but on clay, Thiem could win the title against anyone else.  He is that good.  

Rankings the top players …

The Men
Nadal, A+: He only lost one set over seven matches, against Diego Schwartzman. Not bad, not bad at all.

Thiem, A-: He has a wonderful backhand, and he likes to slide.

Juan Martin del Potro, B+: The Argentine is pleased that now he can use the two-handed backhand more often, but the No. 4 can still get tired.

Marco Cecchinato, B-: The Italian came from nowhere. Now there will be a lot of people watching after he stunned Novak Djokovic.

Marin Cilic, B: The No. 5 finally likes clay and he reached the quarters, but DelPo wore him down.

Novak Djokovic, B-: The 12-time GS champion looked pretty good early, but in the quarters, he made some key mistakes. And he was very angry.

Alexander Zverev, B-: He won three, five-setters in a row, which was a heck of a lot of fun. But, his toes were raw, and he went down versus Thiem. The No. 3 needs to pick it up in the Slams.

The women
Simona Halep, A-: It took her many years to settle down, and she did, winning RG. Now the No. 1 will finally be calm inside.

Sloane Stephens, A-: The American played amazing until the final, and in the first set, it looked like that she was ready to win a Slam again. But, in the last two sets, she folded it. However, mentally, on the clay, she improved a lot.

Madison Keys, B+: The big hitter once again revamped on clay, and while she was spotty against Sloane, at least she is healthy again.   

Yulia Putintseva, B+: Many people think that she is not that good, but she practices all the times and she finally made the quarters, beating a number of good players. Maybe she can go even further this year.

Garbine Muguruza, B: The Spaniard looked terrific, smashing Maria Sharapova. But in the semis, she lost it, and she fell against Halep. She is so good, but she doesn’t think enough.  

Angie Kerber, B: The German was playing terrific, fast and aggressive, but in the quarters, in the third set against Halep, she became injured and she collapsed.

Maria Sharapova, B: A decent tournament for the former No. 1, but on court she gets anxious. She has to calm down.

Daria Kasatkina, B: She looked formidable when she upset Caro Wozniacki, but then she lost easily to Stephens. She is very young though and she will continue to improve.

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Men’s final: Nadal v. Theim: ‘I know how to play against him’  

June 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment

FR0M ROLAND GARROS — Rafa Nadal is a pretty big favorite to win Roland Garros once again. He has won it 10 times, and he has never lost in the final, starting in 2005 when the teenager shocked the world. Last year, in 2017, he won it again. He was so locked in and so good.

Last year, in the semis, he blew out
Dominic Thiem. He destroyed him. But now, the 24-year-old is a little bit more mature, he has improved his heavy backhand and his volleys at the net cords. He likes changing the tactics a lot, and he is fairly smart, so maybe, he can unearth Rada. 

Or maybe not. The thing is, the 32-year-old Nadal is brilliant when he is playing. He can be tricky, or he can attach very soon, blasting his forehand. He is very patient with his first serve, and when he manages to get into the net, he can jump up into the air, or he can bend down, grip it his racket, stare at it, and then decide where he could go. Many times, he puts it away. With his return, he stands way in the back, right near the fence, he quickly moves forward when the ball is struck and he pounds it deep. He doesn’t try to immediately hit a winner, he wants to start the points and then eventually, he will explode.
That is why Nadal has won so many clay court tournaments. Dozens and dozens. But eventually, all reat players will retire, too old, too injured, too mentally tired. Pete Sampras did that back in 2002, when he won the US Open for the last time. He had won 14 Grand Slams, but then he woke up one day later and he thought, “I don’t want to play anymore. It is time to rest, and change how I feel, and I will have a new chapter.”
 
But right now, while Nadal maintains his health — which is very rocly — he will continue to improve his backhand. Ten years ago, his backhand was so-so, it wasn’t going deep, but now he hits it deeper and harder. It is not perfect, and he probably never will be. But that’s because his forehand is gigantic, all the time. Plus, he gets everything.So what about Thiem?  For sure, over the past five years, he has gradually improved, and he loves the clay. He likes to punch it out, and he likes long rallies, when he moves forward inch by inch until he can touch the line. His one-handed backhand is fantastic. He by slices and spins it, by flatting in out and smacking the ball for a winner. His forehand is heavy, and he can move it around.Yes, he has beaten Nadal three times, on clay, but Rafa has won five times, twice at Roland Garros. The Spaniard hasn’t lost a set to Thiem in Paris.      
   
Can Thiem change it up? He will have to start playing well, because if he loses the first and second set, see-ya. But as he says, there is an opportunity“[Nadal is] a big favorite against everybody. Still, I know how to play against him,” Thiem said. “I have a plan.”Halep battles for Slam

After she lost the first set 6-3, and she was broken, 1-2, Simona Halep blew up quickly. The last time at three finals at the Slams, she went down. But this time, she didn’t panic, she kept running, getting the balls back constantly, pretty deep and hard. She ran and ran, she just kept striking.

“I felt that and I said, ‘It’s not going to happen again, but it’s okay. I have just to play,’ ” Halep said. “And then when I started to win games, I said that last year happened to me [against Jelena Ostapenko in the final], same thing, I was set and a break up and I lost the match. So I said there is a chance to come back and win it. So I believed in that, and my game was more relaxed. I could make more things on court, and that’s why I could win.”

Halep won it all, out-hitting Sloane Stephens 3-6 6-4 6-1. In the fourth game in the third, she and Stephens were at the net, twisting around,  bending down, and finally, Halep went in the air, with her back behind her, and she put it away. That was a tremendous point. After that, she pumped her first, while Stephens put her head down.

‘That was really important, and I think maybe the most important ball in the third set. I remember last year and this year in my mind all match, when, at 3-3 I think in the third set, she hit the net and the ball was going, like, five meters out and came back to my court. So I remember that. I said, if I did this point, so has to be mine this match. I was confident after that.”

It was over. The No. 1 Halep knew that she was going to win. She did, and she is still grinning, her first major. Whether she wins another Slam — and she really could — at least on Saturday, she finally showed that she was spectacular, through and through.

 
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Thiem blasts injured Zverev; dejected Djokovic loses

June 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment

FROM ROLAND GARROS — Alexander Zverev was physically done. When he woke up in the morning on Tuesday, he felt fresh. But, when he got on the court against Dominic Thiem, his legs were very heavy. In the first set he felt a muscle pull and he needed treatment on his left hamstring. The result? Thiem blasted him in three quick sets.

“First time I felt a pull was in the fourth game of the first set, when we had a few great points, a lot of physical points,” Zverev said. “I remember I slid one time, and then I felt a muscle pull. I thought maybe it’s just soreness or something that would just go away. I didn’t think about it too much. Then each game and each slide, I was getting worse and worse. Middle of the second set, the pain was too much. I knew I’m not going to win the match. There was no way for me.”

Thiem has played great over the past 10 days and has a terrific chance to reach the final at RG.  He is a fantastic mover and his one-handed backhand jumps off the court with a lot of spin. While Zverev won three wonderful five-setters, still, the No. 3 has yet to reach in the semis at a Grand Slam. He is an amazing player, but he has to improve his return, his patience, and most especially, his volleys.

How about the Italian Marco Cecchinato, who stunned Novak Djokovic 6-3 7-6(4) 1-6 7-6(11)? Djokovic played pretty well, overall, but he missed a few key opportunities and Cecchinato was on fire towards the end, with his flashy backhand and forehand. Djokovic was ticked off and he said that he isn’t sure he will play Wimbledon. He was pretty distraught.
 
“Well I guess he’s not ready physically,” Mats Wilander told Reuters about Zverev. “Maybe he is further away physically than … or maybe it’s a different approach, maybe he needs to not go on grass because grass is the ultimate confidence killer.  Even if you play well on grass the bounce is bad, it’s hard to find good practice courts, you can’t really move properly because you slip and slide and if you are really, really keen to get back to your best, which for him is the hardc ourt season, logically you would not want to play on the grass.”
 
There are times when you are down and out, and there are times when you wake up and smell the roses. Or in the tennis court, you smell the opportunity. In the third set, Diego Schwartzman began to scramble more, he hit deeper, and he could tell that Kevin Anderson was getting nervous, and hesitant, and a little bit scary.  Schwartzman was down 1-6, 2-6, 4-5, and ka-boom, he rose up. He grabbed the third set, and in the fourth set, Anderson was there to do it again, but he fell back. But in the fifth set, his brain had wilted.  Schwartzman beat Anderson 1-6, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(0), 6-2.
“It’s definitely one of the most emotional matches that I can say I have played,” said Schwartzman.
No doubt, but he has to go up against Rafa Nadal. It is possible that Schwartzman can win a set, but I doubt it given that Nadal has beaten him all five times, and pretty easily. Hopefully, he has to find something, anything, because Nadal just keeps on pounding.

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2018 Aussie Open, The Picks, Day 7

January 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Madison Keys vs Caroline Garcia
This has to be a tossup. They have only faced each other twice, only the hardcourts. The Frenchwoman won in Fed Cup; the American Keys bested Keys in 2016 Wuhan. Since then, Garcia has risen because last fall she finally became aggressive, smarter and confident.
At times over the past four years, Keys has been very good, bad and so-so. But right now, Keys is finally happy, she is healthy and she can finally breath again. The same goes with Garcia: When she was way down, she could become depressed, and she would mentally walk away. But now, she never gives up and she returns very well. Plus, she plays a lot of doubles and she can put it away at the net.  
Keys is a huge first serve, as well as her heavy strokes. It will be a long battle, but in the end, the American will outlast Garcia in three heavy sets.

Simona Halep vs Naomi Osaka
It took the No. 1 Halep, what, nearly four hours to win over Lauren Davis on Saturday. What a marathon! As Halep said, she almost died. But she is still in there, and she is incredibly strong in her legs. At least by Monday, Halep will have recovered.  
Osaka is a solid hitter and upset the Aussie Ash Barty. That was a huge win. She is only 20 years old; clearly, she is coming up. She will try to out-stroke Halep, but Osaka needs more time to mature. Simona will win in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic vs Hyeon Chung
We all know that when the Serbian is locked in, he can thump anyone. But, last year, the very young South Korean Chung was pretty good and continues to improve. In the fifth set against Sasha Zverev, he blew him out 6-0. Ka-boom.
Chung is super steady, and very quick. Of course, Djokovic is the favorite as he has won six titles at the AO. He was frustrated last season, he was very hurt, but now, he is healthy and driven. Djokovic will win in four sets, but there will be some very long rallies.   

Dominic Thiem vs Tennys Sandgren
Yes, there is one US male left, the tall Sandgren. The American has been around for eight years. He has struggled, year after year, because he isn’t that fast, but he has a huge serve, and he can crack his forehand.
The Austrian keeps on plugging away, an odd thing to say about a player with his ranking. Thiem is ranked No. 5, and he loves clay, but gradually, he is getting better at the hardcourts, especially with his one-handed backhand. As Sandgren, said, “Its going to be really tough, man.”
One way or another, Thiem will wear him down and win in four sets.

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