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The Picks in Barcelona, Stuttgart, Munich: Sunday, April 23

April 22, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Stuttgart
Iga Swiatek over Aryna Sabalenka
You have to wonder how the No. 1 Swiatek became so excellent, again. Maybe it is during this week, when she is in the amazing clay, as she did win Roland Garros, twice. However, this year, she has been up and down, with her hard strokes.

She does know that against the 2023 Australian Open Sabalenka is mighty with her forehand and her backhand, that she can kick down anyone. However, on the hardcourts, she can control what she has to do, and she can also decide if she wants to switch it. At times, she can, but while she knows on the dirt for years, she would over hit, with a lot of errors. Sabalenka has certainly improved her serve, but it is mediocre. That is why Swiatek will be more patient, and also, she will hit some ridiculous shots. The Poland person will win in two, long, sets.

Barcelona
Carlos Alcaraz over Stefanos Tsitsipas
The Spaniard just said that he is feeling great, on court, and he is playing so steady. Alcaraz grew up when he first started how to play on clay and on the hardcourts, and it took him a while, but he did it very quickly. He is just so fast when he is running, and he can do almost everything, with his forehand, his backhand, his serve and at the net. Yes, Alcaraz will likely become No. 1 again, but he still isn’t perfect, yet. Maybe in a few years, but he is young, so he still has to conclude exactly the right shots.

Tsitsipas is playing darn well, and he can look great, but then he hits some odd errors. However at least he really concentrates, and he can also seriously alloy it with his one-handed backhand. His forehand is very sturdy, and his first serve is rap good.
However, Alcaraz has beaten him all three times, including in Barcelona last year, winning in three sets. He will do it again, in another three sets, when Alcaraz hops in the line and put it away, again and again.

Two quick pics
Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Andrey Rublev over Dusan Lajovic
The Serbian veteran Lajovic has had a surprising week, but apparently, he is playing wonderful ball. However, the Russian Rublev is much more secure again, and he will win it in straight sets.

Munich
Holger Rune over Boticvan Van de Zandschulp
That could be a very long match, and while Rune has played insane over the past two weeks, yet he is still not playing as well as he can. However, he is rising quickly, but Van de Zandschulp also playing very devout, taking down against Taylor Fritz. The Netherlands seems to think that he can chop him down, but Rune will out steady him in a bizarre three sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Iga Swiatek over Aryna Sabalenka
Correct: Carlos Alcaraz over Stefanos Tsitsipas
Correct: Holger Rune over Boticvan Van de Zandschulp
~~Andrey Rublev over Dusan Lajovic~~

Matt’s picks this week

15 out of 18: 83.3% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left Tagged With: Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenko, atp, barcelona, Carlos Alcaraz, Dusan Lajovic, Holger Rune, Iga Swiatek, Munich, Stefanos Tsitsipas, stuttgart, wta

The Picks in Barcelona, Munich, Stuttgart: Thursday, April 20

April 20, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Picks written on Wednesday, before play started.

Barcelona

Daniel Evans over Karen Khachanov
This is somewhat surprising that Evans has a 3-0 head to head, not because that he can be so steady, but also, he found away to trouble him. Khachanov is ranked No. 11, and he has gone somewhat deep at the big tournaments on the hard courts, but he cannot figure him out on the clay. They have played only on the hard courts, so this time, it will be on the dirt. Because of that, there will be long rallies, and while the Russian can crush the ball, he can fall down. With that, the veteran Evans will win it again, with two, odd, sets.

Munich

Alexander Zverev over Christopher O’Connell
You never now how the German stands up, on the court and off. There has to be thousands of fans, watching Zverev, on the court, hitting some tremendous shots, and throwing in a number of winners. Yes, he can be angry when he is not playing well, but now he is more patient with his thoughts.

The Australian O’Connell has had a mediocre year, losing a lot, but at least he upset over Roberto Bautista Agut in Doha, and then believe it or not, in Dubai, he beat Emil Ruusuvuori. Then he tried to shock Zvereva, but he went down 7-5, 6-4. Not so bad, but it was gone. O’Connell can be steady, yet Zverev really knows how to play, and he will win in two, simple sets.

Stuttgart

Coco Gauff over Anastasia Potapova
The American Gauff somehow came over from the ocean and apparently, she wasn’t tired, so in the court, she won it 7-6 in the third set over Daria Kasatkina. She is a teenager, so she rarely gets tired, but this time her legs can start to crumple, but not that time. She did reach into the 2022 Roland Garros final, and then she lost, but her backhand was tremendous.

The 22-year-old Potapova is rising, as each month, she is improving her volley. Last year, she had some solitary matches, but on clay at Istanbul, Turkey, she won it all, not against the great players, but good enough. The Russian is so intense, on the court, and while at Indian Wells and Miami, she lost against Jessica Petula, twice, but it was super close. This is a toss up, as they are both want to win a gigantic tournament, yet right now, Gauff will edge her in three, very long, sets.

Elena Rybakina over Beatriz Haddad Maia
The Russian Rybakina played a terrific tournament, winning Indian weeks, and at Miami when she reached the final, beating Jessica Petula in the semis. She did lose in the final, but she played so hard with some incredible strokes. She never really became tired, which means she is incredible shape.
However, even though Rybakina won at the 2022 Wimbledon, she has yet to understand on the clay, when you have to totally change it up.

Believe it or not, the Brazilan Haddad Maia beat in Abu Dhabi in February, in the quarters, in three crazy sets. Maybe Rybakina was mentally tired, but Haddad Maia had some insane shots. She is fast, and steady, but there are times when she becomes confused. Because of that, Rybakina wants to revenge her, and she will win it in three, fun, sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Marcos Giron over Alexander Ritschard
Correct: Novak Djokovic over Luca van Assche

Matt’s current week picks

7 out of 7: 100% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, atp, barcelona, coco gauff, Daniel Evans, Elena Rybakina, Munich, stuttgart, wta

The Picks in Barcelona, Stuttgart, Munich: Wednesday, April 19

April 19, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadel
Carlos Alcaraz over Roberto Bautista Agut
Last year, the former U.S. Open champion Alcaraz crushed him 6-2 6-0
at Indian Wells. At that point, the young man was on fire, and the very good veteran had a lousy day. But now they are on clay, as the Spaniards are hoping to be highly consistent, and to pulp there forehand and there backhand. Alcaraz can be a little bit wild, yet he really does not care because he believes that in the next point, he can find it on the lines.

The 35-year-old has had some wonderful years, but Bautista Agut is slipping back, so Alcaraz will win it in two, long, sets.

Stuttgart
Caroline Garcia over Tatjana Maria
This will be a very tough match as they have played each other twice, on the grass and on the clay, and the Frenchwoman won it two times, yet it was three sets, and it was pretty darn close. Garcia can romp the ball, running side to side, and also, to change into the net. Maria is 35-years-old, but she still is pretty fast when she is running. She did win Bogota, which was surprising, but clearly, she wants to keep playing until she will have to retire. The German will change against Garcia, and she does like to mix it up, but in the third set, the Frenchwomen will hit a few terrific backhands and win it in three sets.

Paula Badosa over Cristina Bucsa
At the Australian Open, the Spaniard Bucsa qualified, and then she upset two respectable, but in the third round, Iga Swiatek crushed her. She must have been happy for a little while, but after that, she must have been totally frustrated. Bucsa can be somewhat proper and she can also really go for it.

The same thing goes with Badosa, who can be a very fun player, on the court, but she is trying to figure out where she has to go. She has won a decent amount of matches, but not enough. The No. 31 Badosa looked pretty decent in Charleston, and she won three matches, so it appears that she is rising again. On the clay, Badosa will win it in two, lengthy sets.

Munich
Marcos Giron over Alexander Ritschard
They have yet to play each other, and while it is early, they want to get impression. The American Giron has had a so-so year, even though in 2022, he won some fine tournaments. Now, he is struggling, and while he can be proper, but currently, he cannot knock down the very good players — yet. The Swiss Ritschard did have a decent last year, on the hardcourts, but on the clay, he could not move up, hardly at all. Yes, he can be somewhat consistent, but he cannot hit the ball hard enough. Therefore, Giron will beat him in two decent sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Jelena Ostapenko over Emma Raducanu
Correct: David Goffin over Feliciano Lopez
Correct: Diego Schwartzman over Yibing Wu
Correct: Cameron Norrie over Pavel Kotov
Correct: Denis Shapovalov over Jozef Kovalik

Matt’s current week picks

5 out of 5: 100% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: barcelona, Carlos Alcaraz, Caroline Garcia, Marcos Giron, Matthew Cronin, Munich, Paula Badosa, stuttgart

The Picks in Barcelona, Banja Luka, Stuttgart: Tuesday, April 18

April 18, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadel
Cameron Norrie over Pavel Kotov
The Britain is always playing and he rarely loses very early, as over the past two years, he changed a lot of his strokes. He is very strong, and he can thud his forehand and his backhand. Norrie had a fine year, upsetting a number of good people, yet right now, he has been up and down, very good, or so-so.

However, when he is playing solid, then he should be able to out-think Kotov, who is fairly young, and the 24-year-old did just reach into the semis in Morocco, upsetting Benjamin Bonzi. Clearly, he is rising a little bit, but he is out of the top 100, so he still has to really improve his shots. Norrie will beat him in two, somewhat easy, sets.

Denis Shapovalov over Jozef Kovalik
Is it time for the Canadian to stand up? Shapovalov can look terrific, with his leaping backhand, and smashing his forehand. His first serve is solid, but not fantastic, while at the net, he still needs to improve. Without a doubt, last year, he knocked out a number of very good players, but in 2023, he has done very little. This week, he will try to wake up.

The Slovakian Jozef Kovalik is 30-years-old, and in the singles, he has yet to take down the excellent players. That is why he is ranked No. 155, which mean that he is struggling to stay in the ATP. Maybe he can one day, but not now, as Shapovalov will beat him in two sets.

Banja Luka
Novak Djokovic over Luca Van Assche
Maybe it looks like that Djokovic will crush him, but Van Assche is only 18-year-old, so in the next five years, he can improve himself a tremendous amount. The Frenchman has won two small events this year, and while they did not beat any players outside of the top 100, but still, just to win it all, he certainly is rising, fast. On clay, he can mix it around and vault on the ball. While he must be so psyched to play against the 21 Grand Slam winner Djokovic, but he will likely be nervous, so the No.1 Serbian Novak will win it in two decent sets.

Stuttgart
Iga Swiatek over Qinwen Zheng
The No. 1 Swiatek has not had a great year, but she has been hurt, physically, so this week, assuming that she is healthy, she will be ready to re-set her life. Both her forehand and her backhand are so hard, and almost immediately, she will attempt to nail a winner, fast. At times, she can go too early, and she can also become upset when she cannot hit it in the right way, but if she can breathe, then eventually, she can turn it around.

Zheng is only 20-years-old and already, she is ranked in the top 25. That is not easy for anyone, so while she has not had a great 2023 season, at least last year, she upset a number of good players, such as Paula Badosa and Veronika Kudermetova. The problem though, it that while she is superfast when she is running, but at the 2022 Roland Garros, Swiatek beat Zheng in three sets. Currently, it is all about the clay, ever though in Germany, it is indoors, so it will be faster. Regardless, Swiatek will beat Zheng in three sets, just like they did in Paris.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Banja Luka, barcelona, Cameron Norrie, denis Shapovalov, Iga Swiatek, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, stuttgart

Pliskova grabs big clay win in Stuttgart

April 30, 2018 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Finally, Karolina Pliskova won a tournament, a big tournament, beating CoCo Vandeweghe 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the final at Stuttgart.

Over the past few years, the Czech has been pretty close to win a major, but she hasn’t, and now, she feels like that she is back.
But with Pliskova, you never, ever know. She is a gigantic hitter, she can smash her forehand and her backhand, and at the net, she can put it away, down low or high up in the sky. Obviously, she is tall, and she will never be super fast, but even last year, she became quicker and more intelligent. Pliskova rarely gets tired, too, because she practices a heck of a lot. Mentally, when she isn’t playing well, she can get very frustrated, and she loses her control.

But the No. 6 has matured, so during the rest of the season, she will have a chance to win a major. Maybe at Wimbledon, certainly at the US Open, but actually win Roland Garros? That would be pretty surprising. Yes, she won Stuttgart last week, but it is indoors. She’ll be unprotected and in the elements in the three huge events coming up — Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. That is harder, as it can be very windy, breezy, hot, cold — you name it. Perhaps Pliskova will prevail, but she has to prove it, as she hasn’t won a Grand Slam yet.

At Barcelona, Rafa Nadal crushed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 6-1 in the final. I here that the 19-year-old Tsitsipas is rising, but he has a long way to go.

As many people have said, what to say about Nadal, who is dominating on the clay court. He has won 46 matches in a row, and not only that, but he doesn’t even drop sets. It is somewhat surprising, not because he is better than anyone on the dirt, because even three weeks ago, he was still injured. As Nadal has said, that he should have not started on court in January, at a couple of events, because he wasn’t ready to run and swing. Nadal has always wanted to smash the ball, from the time he was young, but now, he is in the early 30s, and over the past five years, he has had to pull out because his body was totally wrecked.

Nadal has to be more patient, and diligent, which means that when he goes to Madrid, if he starts to hurt, he should just walk away. Or, if he wins the title in Spain — again — maybe the Spaniard will not play in Rome. In 2013, he won Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and RG. That was his best season, so far.But that was five years ago. Right now, yes, he has improved his backhand and he pushes forward, but still, his body is wearing down.

We all know that when he arrives at Roland Garros (which he has won 10 times, which is mind blowing, he could get hurt again. And then what? Nadal is a huge favorite, anytime, anywhere on clay, but if he twists his knees, or his back, then he might not be able to raise the trophy one more time in Paris.

Funny quote from the young Greek about facing the legendary Nadal: “I’ve watched him millions of times on TV, but it’s tougher to face him in reality.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: barcelona, CoCo Vandeweghe, Karolina Pliskova, rafa nadal, roland garros, Stefanos Tsitsipas, stuttgart

In Stuttgart, Muguruza & Kerber retire

April 27, 2018 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Photo: Mal Taam/MALTphoto

There have been good matches in Stuttgart, and there are some big pullouts. Over the past three-and-a-half months, there have been the vast majority top women who have played — and competed. The great Williams sisters have been able to play, as has Simona Halep, Caro Wozniacki, Elina Svitolina, Jelena Ostapenkp, Caroline Garcia, Sloane Stephens and Daria Kasatkina, among others. That is a very good thing because over the past 25 years, many of the players have been hurt way too frequently. But now, they are getting smarter, playing less.

However, yesterday in Stuttgart, three major players pulled out: the two-time champion Garbine Muguruza, another two-time champion Angie Kerber, and the up and coming 18-year-old, Marketa Vondrousova. In the same day? That is somewhat brutal. That just started playing on the clay, which is actually better for your knees. Maybe it is just bad luck, or maybe they should have pulled out before they came to Stuttgart. Last weekend, many players played in the Fed Cup. Someone won, some lost, but either way, the Fed Cup is one of the most entertaining events of the year. So, after Sunday, and some players were very tired, with messed-up bodies. The answer: pull out before the tournament and don’t get on the plane. What is the point when you are going to lose so quickly? Just don’t come. It is not worth it, for everyone.

At least there are two very good players who are still in: Karolina Pliskova and CoCo Vandeweghe. Both of them don’t love clay, but they can both of them literally crush the ball.

There is a good piece on WTA’s website about the former five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova. She lost a tough match against Garcia 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4. Is Sharapova struggling? Yes, a bit, because over the past year, she has been so-so. Frequent injuries could be the cause.

Sharapova is close to becoming more consistent, more patient, more emotionally stable on court. To succeed, she needs to be happy and mentally locked in.

Sharapova decided to let go of her longtime coach, Sven Groeneveld, last month, and now she is reunited with Thomas Hogstedt, another long-time coach. Will they stick? Who knows. In a sense, when you are older, the 30-year-old Sharapova really doesn’t need to have a full-time coach. What you really need is to think hard, all the time, focus, whack it, change it up, be super consistent — just breathe. I can be wrong, but one thing I do know is: It’s all in your own head, and no one else can change it. It is all about you, especially on court.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: caro wozniacki, Caroline Garcia, CoCo Vandeweghe, Elina Svitolina, Jelena Ostapenkp, maria sharapova, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Simona Halep, Sloane Stephens and Daria Kasatkina, stuttgart

Sharapova returns but WTA players are not all pleased

April 27, 2017 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Notes on A Draw Sheet

Also: Nadal, Goffin, Konya and more

Maria Sharapova is back—finally. It has been 15 months since she was suspended for testing positive for meldonium.

But, it is over. While there are some people who never want her to walk on the court again, she stayed away, she didn’t yell, or get very angry. She just practiced and made sure that she was eating the right stuff.

The five-time Grand Slam champion has a tremendous amount of work to do, physically as well as emotionally. She has no ranking. A number of players don’t like her, and some of them want her to fail. If, however, she decides that it is important to become friends with her fellow WTA players, then perhaps they will learn to like her and they will stop ripping her. Believe it or not, when you get to know her, she is very nice, fun and extremely intelligent.

Maria to change this time around. She has always been very good, or great, depending on the day. She practices like a maniac, and usually, she pays attention to the little details in her game. She never gives up — we know that —and over the past 15 years, she has improved tremendously.

Clearly, she can crush her backhand and forehand, and her first serve. But, to win another major, she has to improve her second serve and actually come to the net once in a while and stick with it. If she does, here comes another Grand Slam winner, No. 6. Whether she does it this year or next year, there are loads of fans who want to see her, in the morning, in the afternoon, or very late in the night, watching her, saying ‘Maria C’mon, C’mon, Come ONNN!’

Sharapova is playing in Stuttgart and has won two matches already over Roberta Vinci and Ekaterina Makarova. Next up: qualifier Anett Kontaveit.

MORE

Rafa Nadal is on fire once again, largely because he’s playing on clay now, and he absolutely loves it. On the hard courts, his legs hurt him a lot, but on clay, it is softer and he can just slide around and dig it out. He won Monte-Carlo (his 10th time) and this week, he is competing on Barcelona. He has won countless times in both places, let alone at Roland Garros. It is coming pretty fast.

However, before that, his confidence must go high to the sky, such as beating Andy Murray, who is also at Barcelona. Rafa has beaten Murray many times on clay, but now, the Scot is No. 1, he has improved a tremendous amount and, while he has been hurt over the past month or so, he has to show that he can push Nadal way back on the baseline. If they play this week in the final — we hope so and they hope so — it would be very interesting for Murray to face Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarters. He is super steady these days…

David Goffin is in Barcelona and while the top-10-er has been more consistent over the past year, there are just a couple negative things that hurt him. He has yet to win a big tournament — ever and just lost against the 20-year-old Karen Khachanov. The Russian is rising.

Some interesting wins in Stuttgart: Anastasija Sevastova took down Johanna Konta 6-3 7-5, the good veteran Carla Suarez Navarro over Elena Vesnina 6-2 6-4, and the German Laura Siegemund upset Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 6-3. Konta is terrific on hardcourt, but on clay … eh.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: david gofin, Johanna Konta, maria sharapova, meldonium, rafa nadal, stuttgart

The Pick, Stuttgart, April 25: Halep vs Wozniacki, is Caro finally ready to grind again?

April 25, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Maria Sharapova went down early against Angie Kerber, Petra Kvitova lost to Madison Brengle and all of a sudden, Caroline Wozniacki had hope, not that she would win instantaneously, but everyone was vulnerable and if she was willing to grind it, she might be able to exhaust anyone. She looked terrific to beat Carlos Suarez on Friday, which was not easy at all considering that the Spaniard loves clay and she has admittedly that the dirt has given her the most trouble.

But at least this week, she has not been emotionally bankrupt and feeling spry. However while all the players out there were vulnerable, one did not: Simona Halep, who she has to face in the semifinal. The Romanian has been almost untouchable since February, winning just about everything, and nearly besting the great Serena Williams in Miami (although the last game was spotty at best). Here in Stuttgart she had to play Garbine Muguruza, who had beat Halep on the Fed Cup in Romania. But this time, on clay, she kept hitting the corners and won in three sets. That was gigantic because the Spaniard was willing to strike. Halep was ready, she didn’t just be reactive, but who saw her game beautifully.

That is what she occurred in Dubai in February, when she beat Wozniacki 2-6 6-1 6-1 in Dubai. She challenged the Dane’s sporadic forehand and charged. She faked her backhands when it looked like that her crosscourt would stay their forever but she went down the line very early and Wozniacki was confused. Yes, Caro was hurting during the third match, but she was healthy enough and simply lost because she didn’t know where to go.

What now on Saturday? The only way that Wozniacki can win over Halep is if she can stroke her forehands and backhands deep. Yes, she will also have to throw in some drop shots, but both of them are super fast so Caro can’t allow them to run up and go anywhere she wants. She has to fool her and then go for her much improved spinning lobs over her head. Her backhand is by far her best shot so she had to swing away early and often because Halep is pretty darn good, too.

Wozniacki has struggled this year but at least she’s trying. Maybe she has a real chance to win a big tournament again but not yet, and certainly not on clay. Halep will fight for hours, but won’t need to and will win in two entertaining sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: caroline wozniack, Simona Halep, stuttgart

The Pick, WTA at Stuttgart, April 23: Kvitova is ready for clay vs. Brengle; Wozniacki and Safarova face off

April 23, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Petra Kvitova looked just fine at Fed Cup last weekend, winning two contests over the French. Now the Czech has to play the American Madison Brengle, the only US in the draw at Stuttgart. Kvitova has been up and down forever, looking like she could wipe out everyone at Wimbledon, and then fading at the US Open. She has been awful at times on clay, but she has been very good at times, reaching the semifinal at Roland Garros three years ago.

Is she ready to dance this year? Who knows, but she is refreshed now after resting during March and now she is happy. Brengle has improved a tremendous amount over the past year and not only can she grind it from the baseline, but she can also attack the ball. She will threaten Kvitova, but Petra’s left-handed serve can be deadly and she will win in two tight sets.

Carolina Wozniacki has been working with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, the former No. 1 who has rarely watched with the kids, but maybe she has changed now and she understands exactly how the Dane is played. Maybe on clay, Wozniacki will just grind as long her foes grow exhausted and then she can attack. That’s what the three-time RG champ Sanchez did, who was never tired. However, these days almost all the women can crush their forehands –where Sanchez could not — so if Caro just pushes the ball against Lucie Safarova, she will be gone pretty quickly.

The other Czech, Safarova, also played very well at the Fed Cup, so the lefty is happy and ready to move forward and crush her strokes down the line. These two know each other well and Caro can out-run her, but she hasn’t played well much of the year and she has to prove that she feels fine again. Safarova is and will win in three sets.

I am not going to pick with Maria Sharapova against Angie Kerber because even though Maria has been lights out at Stuttgart as she has won the last three years, she is coming off an injury on her leg and she’s vulnerable. Kerber was out of it all year up until Charleston, but then she rose, played beautifully and won the title on green clay. Last Sunday against Russia, she blitzed her foe on red clay, although Germany ended up losing. But the lefty is back, at home and is ready to battle for three hours against Sharapova. Can Angie win? Possibly but she better yank her around quickly and not hope that Sharapova is totally off. This will go three sets, but who will win on Wednesday? It’s a toss-up.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Angie Kerber, caroline wozniaki, Lucue Safarova, maria sharapova, Matthew Cronin, Petra Kvitova, stuttgart

Perseverance pays off: Mattek-Sands belts Lisicki to reach Stuttgart semis

April 26, 2013 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Take a look at a sample issue of the new Tennis Journal! Articles on Federer, Wozniacki Stephens & Keys, Janowicz, trends and much, much more.

Click HERE for a free sample

Sharapova beats Ivanovic in classic; Nadal to face Raonic in Barcelona

For a large portion of 2012, Bethanie Mattek- Sands had become the forgotten woman of US tennis. Struggling with injuries and food allergies she saw her ranking drop out of the top 200. But she never gave up hope, found out which food groups were bothering her, changed her diet, let her body heal and now after knocking out Sabine Lisicki 6-4 6-2 in the semis of Stuttgart, her first Premier level semifinal in more than two years, she back in the mix again.

She was a match point down to Maryna Zanevska in the qualifying and got through. She then belted Yanina Wickmayer, stunned Sara Errani on her beloved red clay and then overwhelmed Lisicki.

She is moving very well, attacking intelligently, mixing it up, leaping on returns and owning the net. All the good work she has done in doubles this year (with Sania Mirza) and during others has paid off. The 200 points she has already earned should get her back in the top 80 by next week. She has already made the main draw of Roland Garros, which will save her from having to qualify for another Slam, but more importantly the 28-year-old now can see all the results of all of her hard work, and all the massive amount of time that she and her husband Justin have spent on the road trying to get back to respectability in singles.

In the past year, outside of Serena, the talk in the US has been about the late rise of Varvara Lepchenko and the progress of the kids: Stephens, McHale, Keys, Davis etc.

Now the mid-to-late career Mattek is worth talking about just as much and given what a terrific personality she is, that development is very good news for the game. Mattek will face Li Na, who edged Petra Kvitova in two tough sets.

Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic have contested some very good matches over the years but their quarterfinal in Stuttgart was a cracker. Sharapova took the very hard fought and well played match 7-5 4-6 6-4 but Ivanovic did have her chances and with her two quality wins in Fed Cup and two more in Stuttgart she might be considered a top 5 favorite for Roland Garros if she keeps playing this well. Her serve seems to be under control, she is moving very well, cracking her forehand as always and has much more confidence at net. With that said, –and she knows this as she apparently smashed her racket in the locker room after the match — she needs to get wins over the super elite if she is to be a major factor at the Slams again.

For her part, Sharapova won her second straight very long match, the first one coming over Lucie Safarova. The defending champ was up and down, but returned extremely well when she had to, hit some big serves and even showed off some variety, hitting a couple of fine drop volleys, which you almost never see from her. Despite her poor record against Serena Williams the reigning Stuttgart, Rome and Roland Garros champ is the player to beat on red clay until other players show that they can beat her. Sharapova will face Germany

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left Tagged With: Ana Ivanovic, barcelona, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, maria sharapova, milos raonic, Rafael Nadal, stuttgart