TennisReporters.net top 32 women: No. 20-16

Veronika Kudermetova


20 Caroline Garcia

Last year, the French woman was on fire, beating a number of fine players, leaping on the lines. However, last year, she did not go deep much at all, except in Lyon, in February, and she reached into the final, but she couldn’t make it. In the 2022 WTA Finals, she played amazing, winning the title when she pushed down, grinding verses Aryna Sabalenka. The now 30-year-old Garcia has beaten some excellent players, but also, the reason why is that she has not made into the Grand Slams finals. She does have an interesting strokes, with her forehand and her backhand, but her serve, and at the net, it can fall  off. She will have another shot to finally win a a Slam, but to do it, she will have to be totally locked in. As she said: “I sank on my own. I’m making the effort, but it doesn’t work. I would like to know why, to be able to control it.”

19 Veronika Kudermetova

She had a great tournament in September, winning Toray, beating Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula. She was so consistent, and her backhand was spot-on. Her forehand can flatten it out, and when she returns, when she is playing fantastic, she can go for it.  She plays a lot, and the Russian can mix it up, well, but also, she will throw in some odd errors. Going into to play at Roland Garros, she reached the semis twice, on the clay, in Madrid and Rome. Then in Paris, she folded it, immediately. Next year, in the Slams, she has to be much more patient, and don’t get scared.

18  Daria Kasatkina

The other Russian had a decent year, winning a number of matches, but she did not beat enough players in the top 10. Yes, she can be somewhat fit, and she can also attack when she is feeling solid. She is also rapidly, when she is running, to-and-fro. She had a very good year in 2022, but this year, she almost stopped. In 2024, it is time to move the change.  

17 Belinda Bencic

The Swiss began early, when she started to hit the ball harder, more frequently. She won the Adelaide, Australia, beating three top 10 players. She certainly likes to run, and chuck in some expert shots, with her forehand and her backhand. However, she did not plays well enough at the Aussie Open, when Aryna Sabalenka blitzed, her. When she is very hopeful, she can stay there for a long time.  She is thoughtful, and she will think about it, on the court, but she also can be bleak. Maybe to improve, she should try to play at the doubles, learning more when she serves and at the net.  

16 Liudmila Samsonova

Here is another Russian who had some prime weeks, but also, she has never gone deep at the Slams. She did have a smooth week when she reached the final in Montreal, stunning Sabalenka, Bencic, and Elena Rybakina before she lost against Jessica Pegula . Then in the fall, she reached into the final in Beijing, s clearly, she can be darn good. She can crack the ball, and she can also attack when she jumps on the second serve. She is very good, when she is on, but at the Slams she has never gone uno the second week. Next year, it time to do it.

US Open picks: Saturday, Sept. 2

Elina Svitolina
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Jessica Pegula  over Elina Svitolina
Talk about dozens of rallies, and which which way to go, as both of them know each other very well. They can be steady, and changed it up. Svitolina can try to hit it hard, early, and Pegula will be patient. They are both veterans, and they have beaten a number of the other top five players, as they can know which way to do. However, neither has won a Grand Slam yet, so at the U.S. Open, they really think that if they play well, they can actually grab it the second week.

Svitolina has had a very good season, when she added some interesting shot, but so has Pegula, who has really pushed herself, and she can accept that. As she said: “I just worked really hard at it. I think I became a lot more confident in who I was around 24 years old. If I mess up it’s on me, but this is my decision.”

The American will win the match in the third set, with some huge forehand, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Jannik Sinner over Stan Wawrinka
The older Swiss has had some fantastic shots at the U.S. Open, with his huge spin. Wawrinka has won it three Grand Slams, so clearly, he has been thoughtful, on court. He might be aging, and he will likely retired next year, but right now,he wants to go deep one more time at the Slams.

He must be, but the Italian Sinner is more forceful, and powerful, when he is playing. He does get angry, when he is missing way out, but at least during the summer, he is more consistent. Sinner has to know that they will play at least for two hours, or more, but either way, he is faster, when he is running, and also, with his his forehand. Sinner will take it 3-6, 6-5, 6-3, 6-2.

Alexander Zverev over Grigor Dimitrov
The German reached the final at the 2021 US Open, and he almost won it, but Dominic Thiem threw in some cool, tremendous shots. But now he will have another chance to win it for the first time, but Zverev  is still slightly recovering, as at the 2022 Roland Garros in the semis, he fell down and almost crushed his body. He could not play until January, and while he has looked better and better, but he is still is not 100 percent. He does have a lot of shots, but he can also back up.

Dimitrov seems to be playing very well, knocking out Andy Murray. He does have a cool one-handed backhand, and he also can chuck it in around. However, he is not in the top 20, and years ago, he could go very deep, but now, he might be fading. There, Zverev will win it 64, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6.

Madison Keys over Liudmila Samsonova
It is early enough for the American not to become hurt, on the court, so she can control what she has to do. Keys is a big hitter, off both sides, and when she has a chance, she can try to rake it. However, Samsonova can also rally, and she can go for the winner. She had a terrific week in Montreal, reaching into the final, knocking off a bunch of fine players. However, she is unpredictable, whether when she can find it in the corners, or she can miss it, a lot.

Keys  can do the same thing, currently, but she has gone deep at the Grand Slams, so on Saturday, she will win it in three, tough, sets, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4. 

The finals in Canada: Jessica Pegula, Jannik Sinner, Alex de Minaur

Jannik Sinner
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

The American Jessica Pegula has been around the block, for a very long time, but finally, she is very intense, and when the match is almost done, then you have to really go for it. Or, if she is very steady, during the points, when she is feeling it, then she can hit it harder, and really mix it up.

Over the past few days, in Montreal, it looked like that  Pegula could fold, but she has been so confident. She edged two of the fine players, taking down her good friend,  Coco Gauff  6-2, 5-7, 7-5, and on Saturday, she out-lasted Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-7, 6-4. Those were two huge events, as she has yet to reach into the semis is the Grand Slams, but at the 2023 U.S. Open, maybe she will finally do it for the first time.

However, right now, it is the most important event. “It’s just kind of trying to execute it at the right times and as best as possible,” she said.

Unfortunately, in Montreal, it was raining  at night, so they had to cancel between Elena Rybakina and  Liudmila Samsonova. They will play on Sunday.

The Aussie Alex de Minaur also said that he really can go further. He beat the former 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, and then he blasted Alejandro
Davidovich Fokina in the semis. Over the past few years ago, he would miss a lot of shots. He could back off, and he could become frustrated. Now he understands what really works. If he is way down on the court, he can continue to battle.

“I’m not going to give up at any stage.  Yeah, just at those stages, I managed to put the ball in the court, play a couple good points,” de Minaur  said. “And then, all of a sudden, I got my chance and was able to turn that around.  So it’s often how tennis goes. It’s huge momentum swings. So you always got to stay in the present.”

He is currently ranked No. 18, and he does say that this year, he will finally reach into the top 10. The 24-year-old has won seven titles, but none in the ATP 1000s, or at the Grand Slams. But at least he won two ATP 500s, including in early March when he won Acapulco, on the hardcourts. He also reached the finals in London/Queen’s Club and a week ago, in Los Cabos, Mexico.

As he said, very soon, he wants to get into the tough top 10.

“Yeah, 100%. That’s been the goal for me for a couple years,” de Minaur said. “It’s no secret that, I haven’t really been content where I am, and I’m always trying to find my way to push more.  I’ve always felt that I’ve got the level to break into that top 10. But it probably wasn’t until end of last year where I was able to get my first win against a top 5, which was Daniil in Paris, that I really was able to have that breakthrough moment of really believing in myself. And I think from that moment onwards, it’s been a completely different — it’s been a change. I’m feeling a lot better. I’ve had a great year.”

He will face against the Italian, Jannik Sinner, who beat Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-4. It was close. but Sinner  missed a few odd shots, but he continued to throw with some gigantic shots. In the final, Sinner will take down de Minaur in three, massive sets.