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TennisReporters.net’s top 32 in 2022: women 15-11

December 22, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

No. 15: Beatriz Haddad Maia
The Brazilian finally became more thoughtful, and also, more fierce, on court. In Toronto, she upset the No. 1 Iga Świątek, Belinda Bencic and Karolina Pliskova until she lost in the final against Simon Halep. That was a revenge factor by Halep, as Haddad Maia beat her on the grass in Birmingham. Halep can be damn steady. Haddad Maia can stay in long rallies and she can mix it up as well, especially on the grass,as she won Nottingham. What is pretty odd is that when she first started to play in South America, there were not many grass courts but she learned how to play on all surfaces. Almost a year ago she was ranked No. 115, and now she is in the top 15. That is a huge jump. She does scramble, and she can also try to leap on the lines. Next year though, when she plays the Grand Slams, she has to push herself as she has yet to reach a third round. In 2023, if she wants to be a force at the Slams she needs to reach the second week. Then, if she does, she can really smile.

No. 14: Danielle Collins
The American is so intense on court. She aims deep to the backcourt, and she strokes are so effective. When she is locked in, then she can immediately hit winners. Yes, she has won some wonderful matches, but she has lost against the very important players. Sure, she can be uptight in close matches. However, in January at the Australian Open, she beat the No. 1 Świątek in the semis. Unfortunately for Collins, Ash Barty beat her in the final, and then the Aussie retired. Collins does not love the clay, but on hard courts she is pretty good. Next year, the 29-year-old has to be more fit, improve her serves and net game. Without a doubt, she wants to win a Grand Slam, one day, so she has to seize the day.

No. 13: Paula Badosa
In 2021, she came alive, and she won some astonishing matches. But this year, she shuddered, and she did not reach any finals. In fact, she only advanced to semis twice. She could not out-hit the very good opponents. She can run really fast and she can be creative. On the other hand she does not hit the balls deep enough and other people can smash at her. The odd thing was last year, when she won Indian Wells, she downed Coco Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova, Angelique Kerber, Ons Jabeur and Victoria Azarenka. That was her best two weeks ever. Also, she won a bunch of important matches, starting 2022 ranked No. 10. She was on fire and she had so much confidence. Throughout the year she stalled and was totally unfulfilled. Next year, she can try to reset and use more strategy.

No. 12: Belinda Bencic
There have been years that the Swiss was prepared to win a Grand Slam. Before she became hurt, the big hitter won Toronto in 2015, and it appeared that she was going way up the top of the charts. She has had some terrific days, such as when she won the Olympics in 2021, yet she has only won six events, which are good, but not outstanding by any means. This year, she won Charleston, beating Keys, Badosa and Jabeur. That was stellar, and it looked like she would rise again. She has her strong legs, and she slaps the ball, but when she is playing a lot, she folds. She reached the final in Berlin, which was just a big step, but she can lose when it is so close. At the end of the year she lead Switzerland to victory in the ITF BJK Cup Final. Now, next year, if she stays with her strokes, then she can win another couple events. But at the Slams? She has to proof it.

No. 11: Madison Keys
The American hits so many winners crosscourt, down the line and when she returns. She has gone super deep over the years at the Grand Slams, such as getting to the US Open final, and the semis at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. She was right there, but she has had so many injuries, and she had to stop. Yes, she loves to play, but on court now, she does not run fast enough. She has won “just” six titles, and she started in the WTA Tour 10 years ago. She is a pleasant person. In 2023, if she wants to reach the top 5, then she will have find a way to succeed at the net. She has to throw in some slices. To win a huge event, she cannot play the same style over and over.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Beatriz Haddad Maia, Belinda Bencic, danielle Collins, madison keys, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Paula Badosa

2023: The outlook for American women

November 29, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

American Jessica Pegula finished the year ranked No. 3, but at times she could be upset on the court. The 28-year-old finally won a huge tournament in Guadalajara dismissing Maria Sakkari in the final. But soon thereafter in the WTA Finals in Texas, she did not win against three opponents.

Oh well, in 2022, she went from flawless to floundering.

“It just gets frustrating after it happening so many times in a year; I don’t think that’s happened so many times to someone else as it did to me, so that’s why I was very frustrated,” she said.

A few years ago, she was outside of the top 60, and she was somewhat consistent, but she was not aggressive enough. Then she had decided that win or lose, when she has a real chance to jump on the ball, she would go for the lines. But that can be risky.

“All these challenges and I just did a good job of handling it, knowing I’m in a really tough section and maybe someone in my section is going to win the tournament and I think just decided more like, ‘Okay this is my chance to work my way through the draw and be that person that’s going to win,’ ” she said.

Pegula is the top American, just ahead of No. 7 Coco Gauff. They both play doubles together, a decent amount, and they are No. 3.

Pegula has yet to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam, but she could do that next year. To do it, she has thrown in some new shots.

“Luckily it worked out but it’s definitely challenging but at the same time if you take it the right way it can be extremely motivating,” she said.

NOTES

Gauff has had a very good year, as the 18-year-old improved a lot. But there are times when she gets deep into the tournaments, she can miss a lot of shots. She can hit the balls pretty hard, but she can be predictable. It will take her years to correctly decide which strokes to hit. That did happen with former No. 1 Ash Barty. When she started, she always had a lot of variety, but when she played from the backcourt, her shots could be very short. Eventually, she grew up and her forehand, her first serve and the return rose so high.

The good thing for Gauff is that the reason why she plays lots of doubles, that the No. 7 is pretty good at the net and when she returns. In 2023, she can bring it into the singles and possible win a Grand Slam. But that is a big maybe.

With the retirement of 23-Grand-Slam-winner Serena Williams, which players can win a major next year? Obviously, Gauff, but you can throw in the rest of the top 30 such as Americans Madison Keys, Danielle Collins and Amanda Anisimova.

The veteran Keys has gone years without great results. When she was playing terrific with her massive strokes, but she has pulled out a lot due to her injuries. She is making the effort, but the No. 11 is not that fast, and she still is not comfortable at the net. At the 2016 US Open, she reached the final, and it looked like that eventually, she would grab it someday. But now, it is very questionable. Maybe she will have a few more years when she is looking like that she is jolly. This year, she had two very good tournaments at the Australian Open and Cincinnati, but that was it. She has to be more advanced, especially about her second serve and at the net.

Collins is so up and down. She did have some strong results, such as at the Australian Open, when she reached the final, beating Iga Swiatek before she lost to Barty. The No. 14 Collins loves to swing away, and she can boom the ball, but she throws in too many errors. The 28-year-old wants to continue to mix it up, and that is a good thing, but in order to get better results, then she should add some different thumps.

Anisimova started at No. 81 in January and now she is ranked No. 23, which is good because she got hurt at the US Open, and then she could not play for the rest of the year. She is only 21 years old. Let us assume that she is continuing how to really play when she is extremely close. This year she did win some tough matches, but she has also lost against Simona Halep twice, Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur, among others. However, Anisimova did out hit against the four-time major champion Naomi Osaka. She was up in the top of the world. But not always. The Floridian can be very frustrated, but each year, if she wants to build with her strokes, she needs to find something new, and some very cool.

By the way, outside of the top 30, there are three Grand Slam winners who are still playing: Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin and Venus Williams. Clearly, the seven-time Grand Slam champ Venus is 42 years old, and she is too slow now. She may retire next year.

Stephens, who won the 2017 U.S. Open, she did not play well almost all year. Will she return and strike the ball hard?

Almost three years ago, Kenin won the Australian Open. But now she is ranked No. 238. She has played quite a bit this season, but she cannot get moving again. Something is going on. Why? No one really knows.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: amanda anisimova, coco gauff, danielle Collins, Jessica Pegula, madison keys, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Serena williams

Taylor Fritz: ‘My goal is to move into the top-10”

March 17, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

In Indian Wells it is somewhat odd that so many people can go very deep

Of course the top 10 players can go up the charts. But the reality is that outside of the top 32, the chances are somewhat slim.

Eventually, someone will rise up and have a great show. The fans can watch in a terrific, fun match.

Except for one, the American players are now gone in California, including Reilly Opelka, John Isner, Jenson Brooksby, Tommy Paul, Steve Johnson, Frances Tiafoe, Cori Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Jennifer Brady and Danielle Collins.

The sole American standing is Taylor Fritz, who won two matches two days ago, winning third-set tiebreaks over Jaume Munar and Alex De Minaur. He in the quarterfinals.

In January, Fritz began to mix it up a lot, and he almost beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australia, Open in a classic five setter.

When he lost, he was very upset. He should have grabbed it, but he missed on a couple of key errors.

“I think obviously chances were there. It was just one of those matches, like, literally was decided by a couple points here and there. I felt like I just need to put myself in those situations a little more so I can play better in those moments” Fritz said. “The level is there to hang with those guys. I feel like I can play at that level consistently. I just got to keep having that consistency, keep getting in those situations, and it will just get easier.”

It has this week, but physically, he might feel tired. He has to face Miomir Kecmanovic, the Serbian, who has had a fine week. Kecmanovic needed three sets to oust Matteo Berrettini in the round of 16.

Fritz believes that he has progressed because he been more comfortable, but it is more mental than anything else.

“I think just my level as a player has gone up. I think I’ve gone up several levels. I’m a way better player than I was when I was here last year and I think I’ve improved a lot. I expect a lot more of myself. Back then when I think I was ranked about almost 40 six months ago, however long ago this tournament was, and now I’m in between 15 and 20. I’m looking, my goal is to move into the top 10. So I definitely have a lot higher expectations.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alex de Minaur, cori gauff, Frances Tiafoe, indian wells, Jaume Munar, Jennifer Brady, Jenson Brooksby, Jessica Pegula, John Isner, madison keys, Reilly Opelka, sloane stephens, steve johnson, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul

Women’s first round at Australian Open

January 15, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Here are four matches in the first round at the Australian Open within the women. The next day, the men.

Sofia Kenin vs. Madison Keys
After winning the 2020 Australian Open, Kenin looked excellent, but gradually she grew nervous and inconsistent. Currently, she is trying to be more thoughtful, and when she is on court, she is mixing it up a little bit. If she is going deep in Melbourne, she has to serve and return like a demon. Keys is finally playing better this week, because last year she was mentally and physically out of it. But when she is on, she can smoke the ball. This match is a tossup, but assuming she won’t get hurt, Keys will wear down in three terrific sets.

Emma Raducanu vs. Sloane Stephens
The young Brit was moving forward on court when she won the 2021 US Open. She was thrilled, and on court, she ran confidently, including her muscular forehand and her backhand. Raducanu likes to rally, as does another US Open winner Stephens. The now veteran American is an incredible grinder, but not recently. In fact, last year she did win some important matches, but the No. 68 lost a lot. If she wants to come back into the top 10, then she is going to totally commit. She is a darn good player, but she has to prove that she really wants to be smarter on court. Raducanu is more focused now, and she will win in straight sets.

Coco Gauff vs. Qiang Wang
The American teenager continues to grow, month after month. Clearly, she is not Serena Williams yet, but her forehand and her backhand are heavy and now she can mix it up more. She also throws in lots of spin and power. However, her serve and her return are so-so. Four years ago, Wang looked good, cracking into the top 20, beating some very good players, but over the past couple years she fell. Yes, she was injured and didn’t know which way to turn. Currently, she is ranked No. 112, so she has a lot of work to do. But, it is too big a task for Wang to take down Gauff in this tournament.

Barbora Krejcikova vs. Andrea Petkovic
In June, the Czech won Roland Garros, which was unexpected. She finally knew what she had to do. After that, her confidence rose. She can rip the ball, returning calmly. Yes, Krejcikova can still be up and down, but she is much more consistent than Petkovic. The German is very smart when she talks. However, she is aging and it is hard for her to crack balls deep enough to challenge a top 10 player. Petkovic will focus but Krejcikova is just too strong.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Barbora Krejcikova, coco gauff, Emma Raducanu. Sloane Stephens, madison keys, qiang wang, Sofia Kenin

16 top American women in 2021

April 8, 2021 by Matthew Cronin

There are 16 American women who are in the WTA top 100. That is a lot, compared to going back all the way into the 1970

Now, there are many players who come from Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, and South America. Because of that, it is harder to beat many mediocre players, as their forehands have become so much better, including with first serves, net game and returns. The field is now much taller and superfast.

Right now, the Americans are in Charleston but not many from Europe. Here is a 2021 roundup after three months, one week and counting, starting from the top:

Sofia Kenin
She has won the Aussie Open. But, she is a little bit hurt now. When she is healthy, she can smash the ball and win another Slam

Serena Williams
The great players like Serena have great weapons: serves, forehands, backhands and returns. But she is aging, and she knows that she is a slowing down.

Jennifer Brady
In the last two Grand Slams, she reached the semis at the 2020 US Open and the final at the 2021 Australian Open, which means that she is locked in.

Madison Keys
When she is on, she can blast the ball. Still, she always gets injured and now, she cannot move well and is producing a lot of errors.

Alison Riske
She has come a long way into the top 30. She started loving the grass, but now she is addicted on the hardcourts.

Jessica Pegula
She has had a terrific season, showing tremendous confidence. She is gaining every week and can reach the top 20.

Amanda Anisimova
The 19-year-old is gaining ground. By the end of the season, she can be in the top 10, if she shows more maturity.

Cori Gauff
She is super young, and already, she is darn good. But, she has to be develop more strategy on the court.

Danielle Collins
She is 27 years old, and she knows what is going on. As long as she can exploit her fierce competitiveness, she could go into the top 20 this year, a career high.

Shelby Rogers
She had a wonderful second-round victoryagainst Anisimova in Charleston, 7-5 in the third. Next week, she might be in the top 45, a career high.

Sloane Stephens
Is the 2017 US Open winner ready to dance again? During the past two years, she was totally out of it.

Ann Li
She is only 20, and she really runs very well, but she needs more power and depth.

Bernarda Pera
There are some good wins, but in the past year, she barely won, so she has to change tactics.

Lauren Davis
She is a huge fighter, and she likes long rallies, but she does not have a hard serve. She needs to go for the lines, very quickly.

Christina McHale
She has been around for 12 years, and she will continue to play, because she loves tennis. But now, she must find a way to win more matches.

Venus Williams
She came into the WTA in 1997 and built a Hall of Fame career many times over. Now, she is 40 years old and looks like she will retire pretty soon.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alison Riske, amanda anisimova, Ann Li, Bernarda Pera, Christina McHale, cori gauff, danielle Collins, Jennifer Brady, Jessica Pegula, lauren davis, madison keys, Serena williams, Shelby Rogers, sloane stephens, Sofia Kenin

TR rewind from 2018: the cool Naomi Osaka beats Serena

February 17, 2021 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Naomi Osaka, the Japanese who lives in Florida, won the US Open, and arrived as one of the best players this year. Yes, the 20-year-old wasn’t perfect, but slowly, she got better and better though the fortnight. At the US Open, she fought. Her big serve was unbelievably good, her forehand was powerful, and her backhand was vicious. She returned pretty well, too, and she hustled.

Even in the last game, when it was 5-4, and Osaka had to serve it out, she wasn’t very nervous and took her time. She won match point with a hard serve into the corner. Yes, she cried, because there were a lot of people who were booing, but at the end, she smiled, a few times. The now No. 7 could win a number of majors over the next 15 years. Osaka is that good.

The Others

Serena Williams
At the US Open, Serena played six matches, and she looked darn good, knocking off a bunch of strong players. But in the final, against Osaka, she was mediocre, half and half. She served OK, but it’s not like she needed to bring in her massive first serves, and her second serve was up and down. She rarely came into the net, which she should have. When she belted her backhand and forehand, they would fly out, and there were a number of errors.

Obviously, Serena was very angry during the match. She was very, very ticked off. She yelled, she screamed, she busted her racket, she was very frustrated. She argued with the chair umpire, asking for an apology, time and time again. The fans were surprised by the code violation. They didn’t really know why. But many people love her, so they booed with the the umpire.

Serena lost it, on court and off court, she argued some, and she defended herself. OK, yes, it’s all about tennis, and she really wanted to win. But, if she stopped yelling, after a few minutes, and played, it could have had a different outcome. She had to be super calm, but she couldn’t, and perhaps she would have overcome Osaka.

As Serena said, Osaka played great and she deserved it. Good for Serena for saying that. But she has to be honest, and should have said, “Sorry, I messed it up, apologies.” She hasn’t done that yet. We will see whether she dowa it during the fall— if she is going to play for the rest of the year. Everything is questionable now. Ugh.

Anastasija Sevastova
The 29-year-old Sevastova showed off her incredible variety, upending Elena Svitolina and Sloane Stephens before going down versus Serena pretty quickly. But, her amazing drop shots, her very quick feet and variety were in full display. Yes, she needs to improve her serves, and her returns, but she will remain dangerous.

Madison Keys
For the most part, Keys played well, even better, because from January through most of August, she was so-so. But at the USO, she was aggressive, more accurate and she focused, a lot. However, Osaka served huge, and Keys couldn’t break her. She has to find some consistency. Hopefully, during the fall, she will be healthy and move up the ladder.

Carla Suárez Navarro
The veteran Spaniard beat Caroline Garcia 5-7 6-4 7-6(4), then she beat Maria Sharapova in straight sets. She did lose against Keys in the quarters, but still, the-30 year-old decided to hit her shots hard and deep, spin it, slice it, and smack the ball when she had an opportunity. She has been around for a long time, and she has yet to win a major, and maybe she won’t. But, given that she has been better this year, the No. 22 has a long shot at a Slam.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: anastasija sevastova, Carla Suarez Navarro, madison keys, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, naomi osaka, Serena williams, us open

Ash Barty always improving, to face Madison Keys

June 4, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Many years ago, the Australian Evonne Goolagong won the French Open in 1971, which was a little bit surprising. She did win the Australian Open five times, and she also won Wimbledon, twice. That was on the hardcourts and the grass. But at Roland Garros, it was on clay, so it was difficult, to slide and be very super patient. Goolagong did that, and she won it, for the first time.

Now we have to wonder whether the other Aussie Open, Ash Barty, to actually win the event. She is so steady, and she is very creative. On Monday, she beat the young American, Sofia Kenin in three sets. In the third set, she pushed herself, and she mixed it up until Kenin panicked. She was done at the end.

In January at the AO, Barty reached the quarterfinal. She took down Maria Sharapova 6-4 in the third in the fourth round, and then she lost against Petra Kvitova, who was playing fantastic. No big deal.

In Miami, Barty beat three top 10 players: Kiki Bertens, Kvitova, and in the final, she wore down Karolina Pliskova.

She did not play great at Madrid and Rome, but it was respectable. Here in Paris, mentally, on court, the No. 8 Barty is calm and diligent.

“Nothing changes. Very much we go through the exact same process after a match,” Barty said. “Whether it’s a win or a loss, it’s the same recovery, same everything. I think that’s probably what I’ve been doing best over the last 12 to 18 months. And it’s put me in better positions. I’m in these positions now because I’m doing that better.”
She will face against Madison Keys on Wednesday, who has certainly gone deep at the Slams, at the Aussie Open, Roland Garros, and at the US Open, but on clay, she can been a little out of it. She is ranked No. 14 — not in the top 5 — because she gets hurt a lot.
However, at RG over the past eight days, Keys was thoughtful and she doesn’t become so angry, which she had before. In 2018, Keys reached the semis in Paris, and then she went down against her friend, Sloane Stephens [who just lost against Jo Konta yesterday).
If Keys can beat the Britain, she has to attack her quickly, because Konta can do it exactly the same thing.

NOTES

Novak Djokovic has yet to lose a set in the first four rounds. The No. 1 is so steady, deep and thoughtful. He has only won RG once, but remember, he is going for a Grand Slam. Last year and this year, he won the 2018 Wimbledon, the 2018 US Open, and the 2019 Australian Open. Very few people have won it four times in a row. He is thinking about it, that is for sure.

Djokovic will face against Alexandra Zverev, the best young player over the past two years, but this season, he has been struggling. The German walked into RG and in the first round, he kept his head down and survived to beat John Millman in five sets. Then in the third round, once again, he he went into the fifth set, and he came though, edging the much improving Dusan Lajovic.
In the fourth round, he also edged another player, the experienced Italian, Fabio Fognin in four sets.

Zverev has won a few huge events in the ATP 1000s, but the 22-year-old has never gone deep at the Slams. He has only reached the second week two times. Last year, at Roland Garros, he was up and down there, but three times in a row, he won it in five setter, pushing back Karen Khachanov, among others. Then in the quarters, he was very tired, and he lost quickly against Dominic Thiem.

Now, here, he can attack Djokovic. He knows that the Serbian will grind him down. Not only can he yank him around — especially within his amazing backhand — but he can throw in his spectacular first serve,and he can back on the wall and return it court. Djokovic is very fast and agile.

Zverev does like long rallies, but if it goes four hours, then the German could get tired, with his legs, and he will rush the balls. Whether he does it or not, the No. 5 Zverev will be around for a very long time, but can he stun Djokovic on Wednesday? Possibly not, but it will be a very fun contest.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: ash barty, ashley barty, french open, madison keys, Novak Djokovic, paris, roland garros

Madison Keys talks about being healthy

January 15, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

FROM THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Day 2 — Four years ago, Madison Keys, who advanced to the second round, reached the semis at the Australian Open, stunning Venus Williams then she finally went down to Serena Williams.

The same thing occurred in the 2017 US Open final when she was incredibly nervous and she lost quickly to Sloane Stephens. Last year, almost out of nowhere, at Roland Garros, she never loves clay, but finally, she understood her strategy, so she reached the semis. But Keys again lost to Stephens in straight sets. At the 2018 US Open, she was at the semis, playing well, smoking the ball, but she couldn’t not return very well and Naomi Osaka waxed her.

All in all, in the Slams, Keys has played very well overall, staying on top of the ball and digging in. She hasn’t won a Slam yet. But, if she can stay healthy all year, she will have a real chance to win it. Her first serve and forehand are gigantic.

But will she be healthy during the entire year? She wants to, but that doesn’t mean that it will happen, year after year. However, in December, she decided not to play early in Australia; she didn’t play Brisbane or Sydney. She wanted to wait and feel healthy. On Tuesday, Keys beat Destanee Aiava, easily.

‘I started being able to do some stuff at the beginning of December, but I was still a little bit limited, and it was still seeing, if we did something physical one day, had to back off the next day,” Keys said. “It was definitely managing that still for the first probably 10 days, so it was middle of December before I really got to ramp things up. We have been training a lot, so I’m glad you said that I looked fit. … There is a little bit of stress,
but at the same time, it is what it is. I couldn’t do anything about it. So, all I could do was prepare as well as I could and play as many practice sets. Luckily, things paid off, and I got the win.”

In 2018, at the AO, the 23-year-old Keys reached the quarters, going down to the former champion Angie Kerber. That was another tough loss, because the German is very quick, and can run side to side forever, while Keys cannot.

But she has worked her footwork and spped, so at the AO, she can look play even better. However, there are some difficult matches: against Elise Martens in the third round, perhaps against Elina Svitolina or Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round, and in the quarters — hello — Osaka, the US Open champion. As Keys said, her defense has improved. Well, it has to get better.

“I think my movement is, it’s gotten a lot better. It’s something I have been very focused on,” Keys said. “I think it’s more what I do when I get there is my issue. So, I’m working on making the right decision once I have slid into the ball, that’s more my problem.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Australian Open, madison keys, melbourne, Serena williams, Venus Williams

Top 30s in 2018: Women 20-16

December 13, 2018 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

No. 20: Qiang Wang
The Chinese player started the year ranked No.45, but then she dropped into No. 91 in May. She was struggling and she was upset, but she kept plugging and she regressed. In September, ka-boom, she won Guangzhou, and she took off. She went deep in Wuhan, Beijing, Hong Kong and Zhuhai. “Now I’m doing well. This is kind of a surprise for all of us,” Wang said. “I believe at this stage when I’m relaxed, I can do better.” Yes she did, and in 2019,perhaps she can change her approach to the Grand Slams, given that she has yetto reach the second week — ever. If she relaxes, she sure will.

No. 19: Caroline Garcia
The Frenchwoman had a terrific 2017, winning everything during the fall, In 2018, she was under pressure at certain times. She did beat Maria Sharapova and Vika Azarenka, but she lost against Angie Kerber a lot, and the now No. 1 Simona Halep, too. Garcia can run and run and she can mix it up,but she can also hit it pretty short. She was able to rest in November andDecember, so when she arrives in Australia in 2019, she will look fresh. If she begins aggressive, she will return into the top 10. She is still very good.

No. 18: Garbine Muguruza
The Spaniard has won two Slams, but in 2018, she slipped, and she slipped again. She can dominate with her backhand and forehand, and she swings hard on the return. She can be focuses and analytical.But, last year, her brain melted down and she was gone. Of course, Muguruza gets hurt a lot, but so many people do, so it’s more important that she can be tranquil and totally focused. Yes, the 25-year-old is darn good, and yes, she can win another Grand Slam, but can she do it in 2019? That is a tough call.

No. 17: Madison Keys
The American has struggled at times, on court and off. At the Slams, she has gone deep, reaching the semis in the 2015 Australian Open, upsetting Venus Williams. In the 2017 US Open final, she was playing great, she knocked out Elena Svitolina in three wonderful sets, but int he final, she froze against Sloane Stephens. This year, Keys made it into the semifinals at Roland Garros and, believe it or not, she beat Naomi Osaka before she went down against Stephens again. In Flushing Meadows, she got to the semis, and she was playing just fine, and then, Osaka rose and beat her, and Keys couldn’t figure it out. However, at least she can go deep at the majors, while other peoplec annot. But, at this point, the 23-year-old has only won three events:Stanford, Birmingham and Eastbourne, a while ago. This year, she didn’t reach the finals and she lost early during many months. At some point, Keys needs to stay healthy for a long time, rather getting hurt a lot, year after year. When she is robust, she is excellent, confident and aggressive. Keys can win a GrandSlam in 2019, or at least a huge tournament, like maybe Indian Wells, Canada or Cincy, a Premier Mandatory. She just has to.

No. 16: Serena Williams
The 37-year-old Serena had a decent year — not by her great standard, but there were times when she played fantastic. Recall that the most important things is when she plays she wants to win badly. Off course,she will say “no big deal,” but she has admitted that there are times when she is so intense, trying hard to relax. When she isn’t hitting the ball well, inside she will become angry, especially at the majors. Serena has won 23Grand Slams, which means for many people say that she is the best player ever,even though she is one behind the Aussie, Margaret Court (24). Can she tie her in 2019? But that is another story.

This year, in 2018, Serena played only seven events. She returned in March, after she had a baby, and it took her a while to get into playing shape. But, by late June, she was much more comfortable and faster, and she reached the final at Wimbledon, but she went down to Angie Kerber. No big deal. She returned back in the United States, and in July, she lost very early in San Jose and Cincy. But, she was hurt, until she arrived at the US Open in late August. Now,in 12 days, she looked locked in, and she won six matches in a row. But in the final, she had to play even better, becauseNaomi Osaka was on fire — Serena lost to her quickly in Miami five months ago —but the American couldn’t pull it off. Osaka served huge, and she attacked all the time, with her forehand and backhand. Serena was mediocre, at best, and she lost 6-2, 6-4. Yes, Serena screamed in the second set, at the umpire, and others, so, so loud and super angry. She lost it. Now it happens to most people, getting angry and yelling. Did Serena explode, and afterward, did she talk to the 20-year-old Osaka on court,during the ceremony? Yes, she was very nice with Osaka after it ended, who started to cry, because many fans booed at her, and Serena consoled her. But,did Serena apologize for yelling for so many minutes in the second set? In her press conference, she didn’t, she was still upset, mentally, and that was a mistake. After that, she hasn’t played since then.

I have known her since she started back in 1993,traveling with her older sister, Venus, and eventually, Serena started playing in the WTA tour in 1995. At that time, she was so young, and when you are that young, the teenager can be a little off, emotionally. We all have. But 15 years later, she matured and outside of playing tennis at the tournament, she can listen, think and be helpful.

Next year, in 2019, it will be fascinating tosee how well she plays; when she plays, or whether or not she will play at all.In January, we will find out and discover whether that she really wants to playagain. Or not. Let’s us see who it goes.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Caroline Garcia, Garbine Muguruza, madison keys, qiang wang, Serena williams

The top 5: the cool Naomi Osaka beats Serena

September 12, 2018 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

The Others

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: anastasija sevastova, Carla Suarez Navarro, madison keys, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, naomi osaka, Serena williams, us open