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WTA Finals picks: Pegula over Gauff, Swiatek over Sabalenka

November 4, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Jessica Pegula over Coco Gauff
The two good friends, Coco Gauff against Jessica Pegula, will face off in the semis on Saturday in Cancun, Mexico.

Gauff took her down in June, on grass in Eastbourne, and then on the hard courts in August, Pegula beat her in Montreal.

Clearly, they know each other very well, as they play with each other in the doubles. Whoever will win the match, one of them will push her way back, and rally her.

Gauff edged Marketa Vondrousova 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3, mostly because she finally controlled her forehand, as well as her first serve. The 19-year-old is much more concentrated, and her return is now deeper.

However, the 29-year-old Pegula has also added with some hard shots, from the baseline, and while she knows that she wants to set it up, she does will attach more earlier. On somedays, she can go back under the top 50, a couple years ago, but now, the No. 5 is more powerful.

After she beat the No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka a few days ago, she said: “We all, as tennis players, have experienced that to some extent — on both sides. So I try to use my match experience as best I can,” Pegula said. “Every match, you’re always going to feel different. But I think the more you put yourself in those situations, the better you feel when they come up again. It doesn’t feel like you have to panic as much.”

The American has won three matches this week, so she is playing extremely well, and while Gauff has had a better year, in the singles, but she must be a little bit tired. There, Pegula will win the match, 6-3, 7-7, 6-4.

Iga Swiatek over Aryna Sabalenka
Right now, Iga Swiatek is on the blaze, winning all three matches, pretty easily. Her forehand and her backhand are endless, whether she can go crosscourt, or down the line. Her first serve can be ruthless, with some fine aces.

However, Swiatek will face Aryna Sabalenka, and on Monday, one of them will end the year at No. 1 ranking. If Sabalenka beats the Pole person, she will stay at No. 1, or the four-time Grand Slam champ Swiatek will take No. 1, again. That should be a dramatic contest.

This year, they played each other twice, on clay, and they split it. In 2022, they played five times, which was a lot, with Swiatek beating her at the US Open, and Sabalenka took her down at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth.

They are both monstrous hitters, and they can go for broke. After they won, they were pretty happy, but they are not thrilled with heavy wind in Cancun. However, at least it is more warm, which is good.

Swiatek appears to snag back to No. 1 again, and she really will mix it up. This time, she will hop to return, as she will win it 6-4, 6-4.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story

Coco Gauff against Iga Swiatek in Cancun

November 1, 2023 by Ron Cioffi

Coco Gauff has another change to beat the No. 2 Iga Swiatek, but she will have to out-hit her, backhand to backhand. Swiatek really likes to go cross-court, and then she has a chance, to crack it down the line, usually, she will do it. Gauff really runs fast, and she can also hammer her backhand. Last year, her forehand could be up and down, but now, she is much more consistent, and deeper in the corners. The Polish person Swiatek had a terrific first serve, and she can also attack with her return, but there were times that she missed some critical shots.

They have played each other nine times, when Swiatek won it won eight times. The American Gauff has to play tremendous to beat her again.
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“She’s definitely one of the best players ever and in our generation, too,” Gauff said. “I mean, it’s something that I have to do better against her. The more I can play against her, the more I can get better. Hopefully, for this time I would love to get a W on the head-to-head. We could potentially play for our second time if we both keep doing well. At this rate, we probably will have the most matches ever at the end of our careers.”

Oh really? They must already be thinking about it. In the WTA Finals Cancun, it will be super tight. Gauff does have at the net, and while Swiatek has a more consistent forehand. However, at least today, the American will snag it 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Neither Ons Jabeur or Marketa Vondrousova played well in the first round when they lost, but this time one of them will show up and play much more harmonious. When she is locked in, Jabeur, can move it around, all atop on the place. She can chuck in some fine drop shots, and also, she can slice it. But at times, her shots are two short.

Vondrousova looked pretty good in the first set, but in the second set , Swiatek scrub her out. She can hit hard off both sides, and she is quick, but however, she can fall down, mentally. The Czech can look absurd when she is on, but when she is not, she sails. Really, though, Vondrousova, can re-ship it, and in the match, she will win it 7-5, 6-3.

MEN
That was surprising when Roman Safiullin beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-4 in Paris. He hit some prime backhands. Now the chance that Alcaraz will finish the No. 1 would be a stunner….
Taylor Fritz withdrew due to his injury. He may not make into the ATP Final now, but he will have to wait in see…

Hubert Hurkacz might be the guy, depending his results. He has had a fine fall…

Tommy Paul still has a shot, but he has to win Paris. His match was a marathon, so to do it, day after day, that would be incredible.

Coco Gauff : “Mental health is invisible, but … real issue.”

October 30, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Coco Gauff has had a terrific season, when she started to play much better with her forehand, also, with her serve. She won the 2023 U.S. Open, and she rarely backed off. However, in Cancun , Mexico she knows that she has played against Ons Jabeur, who can throw in some tremendous shots. She can mix it up, a lot, and also, her one hander goes everywhere.

Gauff has won three of the five matches with Jabeur, but the last year the Tunisia beat her in Berlin, on the grass. That is totally different though, as here, near the beach, when it is hot, they are playing outside on the thick hardcourts.

Gauff did not win a match in the WTA Final in Fort Worth, in the Unted States, so this time, in Mexico, she needs to re-adjust, when they are rallying.

Jabeur has had a sporadic year, but at least she reached into the final of Roland Garros, grinding down Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakna, before she lost in the final against Marketa Vondrousova. She looked to nervous.

At Wimbledon, Gauff lost in the first round, and she looked disappointed. However, in July, she kicked herself, and now she is much more composed. As she said, “Mental health is invisible, but it’s a very real issue.”

Because of that, in the third set, Gauff will flatten it out, and nail some huge winner, down the line. She will snare it 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

The 22-year-old Iga Swiatek has beaten Marketa Vondrousova two times, and it occurred in August, in Cincinnati, in the quarters. The Polish person can bash the ball, and she can go crosscourt, very hard. Her first serve can be a smart decisions, and also, when she is returning, the hustler can go down and pick it back up. She has had some awesome wins this season, but there have been some sole days.

The Czech Vondrousova has said that if she wasn’t injured, which she way, then she would be beating everyone. She certainly was when in July, she won Wimbledon. That was the best two weeks, ever.
Yet after that, she went back, not reaching into the semis, and she was over hitting the ball. Of course, she swipes her forehand, and attacks in the second serves. But to do it again, maybe next year, as right now, she is spinning in her head. Swiatek is more mature on court and she will win it 6-3, 6-3.

On Sunday, Aryna Sabalenka blew out Maria Sakkari 6-0, 6-1, while Jessica Pegula had an impressive win when she locked down Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-2. The American has had a very good year, but she knows she has to a gigantic event. If she does that, then it is possible that one days, she can win her first Grand Slams….

The men

That was another fantastic win by Jannik Sinner, who Daniil Medvedev 7-6(7), 4-6, 6-3. He is set to play the ATP Finals, as does the Russian, but Sinner won two out of the three events, including Vienna. His mindset on the court is much more thoughtful…
The Canadian, Felix Auger-Aliassime had a really tough in the summer, losing all the time, but in the Swiss Indoors Basel, he won the title, stopping the red-hot Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 7-6(3), 7-6(5). He cannot reach at the ATP Finals, but now he is much more hopeful…
Will any American get into the top eight after Paris is done? Really, only Taylor Fritz has a chance, but currently on the race, he is ranked No. 10, so if he has a good chance, he must win a few matches, or more. Likewise he has to figure it out.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story

Ben Shelton wins his first event, grabs Tokyo

October 24, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The last time that Andy Roddick won his first title, in 2001, he started to rise, and his first serve as well his forehand were massive.

On Sunday, in Tokyo, the young American Ben Shelton beat Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1. Early on, when he started on the ATP Tour, the now 21-year-old was decent, but not yet. Currently though, his forehand and his backhand are much more consistent, and his first serve is harder. He is pretty good at the net, and his return is improving, month after month.

“We have been working really hard since the beginning to build my game and win titles on the ATP Tour. I made some deep runs lately,” Shelton said. “You see the great champions, they finish weeks off…I am really looking forward to this tail-end stretch of the year. I am looking forward to finishing the season strong.”

In 2001, for the first time in the United States, Roddick won in Atlanta, Houston, and Washington. Two years later, he won the 2003 U.S. Open when he was 21-years-old. Perhaps that Shelton can win a Grand Slam in the next year, in 2024. He is really good, already.

Shelton still has some huge opportunities. He will play in Vienna, next week, and then in Paris. He does have a small chance to play at the ATP Finals in Italy, the top 8, but in Vienna, he has to face the Np. 4, Jannik Sinner. That could be a brutal match, but Shelton is so enthusiastic. Even though he must be a little bit tired, he will jump into the court and race, super harsh.

NOTES
Marcos Giron did lose to Shelton 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 6-4, but he was darn close. That was a positive weekend.

Alexander Bublik did win Belgium, and he played terrific, but who about the 19-year-old Frenchman, Arthur Fils, who reached the final? He is very fast, running, and he can attack, early, but he needs to set up the points.

This was an amazing week from Gael Monfils, as the 37-year-old won Stockholm. He edged Pavel Kotov 4-6 7-6(6) 6-3, with his tremendous backhand. He has some super cool shots, everywhere. He might now win another tournament, but he look ecstatic…

Three of the WTA women took the titles, with Katerina Siniakova, Tamara Korpatsch, and Elise Mertens, who won his eight title, but only the six 250s. But that was very good. None of them will play the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, in the singles, but Siniakova and her partners will play with Barbora Krejcikova
again, as well as Mertens, who works with Storm Hunter…

During this week, I will talk a lot about Mexico, D.F., where I lived for two years, my first job, in the early 1980s, with a newspaper, called “Mexico City.” At that point, I worked a lot with the politics, but I also loved sports, so I would go to watch, with my job, and also to talk to with the players. There was some wild matches, like in Soccer, the Bulls, and of course, the tennis Davis Cup. Soon, I can remember something, the stories, and why…

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Ben Shelton. Aslan Karatsev, Elise Mertens, Katerina Siniakova, Matthew Cronin, Tamara Korpatsch, Tokyo

Grigor Dimitrov over Andrey Rublev in Shanghai semifinal

October 13, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Ten years ago in Brisbane, Australia, Grigor Dimitrov won the tournament, and he said that soon, not only can he beat anyone, but he can win a Grand Slam. He hasn’t yet, but the 32-year-old still has a chance, a small one, but something.

In Shanghai, he has reached into the semis, after beating Carlos Alcaraz and Nicolas Jarry with some powerful strokes.

In 2017, Dimitrov was locked in, at times, and he won Cincinnati 1000, as well as the ATP Finals in London. His confidence is rising, at least this week.

“I don’t think I did anything crazy in those moments, I just kept on believing in my game, kept going after my shots. I was trying to apply pressure with the hope that [Jarry] might make a few mistakes, and he did,” Dimitrov said.

However, the Bulgarian will face against Andrey Rublev on Saturday. He could win, and he travels a lot, country to country, yet when he is on, he can move it around, all over the place, but also, his return is so-so. Plus his one harder with his backhand can be terrific, but Dimitrov will miss it, and to short. But he really likes to talk, off-court, which is good.

“[Beating Alcaraz] helps confidence-wise, but also it was just another match, if you think about it,” said Dimitrov. “I didn’t have much time to overthink it, I just had a little bit of a chat with the team and tried to see what I did pretty good, what worked, what didn’t, and what I could do better in the next round. We didn’t have much time to think about that but of course I take all the positives out of it because you need to feed off this every single round.”

If he beats Rublev and he reaches the final in the ATP 1000, it will be six years since his last final appearance at that level. That is a very long time.

Dimitrov over Rublev
Rublev looks terrific when he is playing very well, with his potent forehand and his backhand, But he can also blow it. However, in April on the clay, he won Monte-Carlo. Yes, just like everyone, he wants to win a Grand Slam, but how about this, win another at the ATP 1000, and then most people would think that in 2024, he can win a major. Dimitrov will grab it 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 over Rublev.

That was an incredible match when Seb Korda beat the other American Ben Shelton 6-7(10), 6-2, 7-6(6) to reach the semis. In the breaker, in the third set, it was a toss-up, but he hit some solid, deep, shots, and he won it. The two young players will face each other for a longish time. Or not, as it depends who will go deep a lot. Sort of like Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal.

Korda will play versus Hubert Hurkacz, who has had a solid year, especially on the hard courts. At the Australian Open, in the fourth round, he lost against Korda 7-6(6) in the fifth set. What a crazy game. Now they will play each other again, on Saturday, and without a doubt, Hurkacz will hit so many aces. He can crack the ball, but the tall Polish person is is not running that fast. But two and a half years ago, he won Miami, and he did everything. However, in Shanghai, China, he will over-hit, and Korda will win it 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Sebastian Korda, Shanghai

Coco Gauff: ‘A weight lifted and I’m able to play more freer’

October 7, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Will Coco Gauff win match after match, as the American is so much better than she used to be. The 19-year-old might lose in China, but she did beat Veronika Kudermetova 7-6, 6-2, and the Russian was playing terrific, but in the second set, she looked tired. However, the American has improved her forehand, a lot, and she also has begun her return, much harder. The 2023 U.S. Open champion is smarter, when she is playing. She is rising, fast.

“I do think I feel more confident. I think having that win makes you more confident in these moments,” she said. “Especially the way the US Open went for me, a lot of three-set matches, a lot of tough moments. I think it’s way more pressure in the Grand Slam than a 1000, even though there’s still pressure, but it’s just less. I’m able to handle these emotions more because of that experience. Honestly, I do feel more confident stepping on court. Plus the way I kind of started on the scene, a lot of people wanted that for me and expected that from me. I feel like now it’s a little bit of a weight lifted and I’m able to play more freer, focus on the long-term and how to be able to set myself up to win even more.”

The No. 3 Gauff just beat Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2, another very good player, which means that she is so steady. She is terrific at the net, and she is very fast, running. She hasn’t lost since Montreal, so if she can beat the former No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semis in Beijing, China, then she will continue to be on the blaze.

How about Swiatek, who when she plays, and she is shut in, she can beat anyone, on the clay and the hardcourts. She did win Poland, in July, but after that she did not win a title, losing against Gauff in Cincinnati. She has beaten her four times, yet Gauff out-hit her at the end. Both her forehand and her backhand are so strong, and her return is very aggressive, but the No. 2 can forget what she is thinking about herself. However, off court, she is more calm.

“I just kind of played what I felt I needed to and what I felt was right at the moment. Yeah, well, for sure the confidence level got higher when I just saw that I’m in control,” she said.

The Italian Jannik Sinner won Beijing,China, beating the two Grand Slam players with Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. Not many people can do that, but Sinner continues to remedy all around. The 22-year-old has lost to the very good players, which were close, but he couldn’t decide how to process. At the U.S. Open, he played against Alexander Zverev in the fourth round, and he was pretty close, but in the fifth set, he over hit it. However, he was not to sad, as last month, he won Toronto, the ATP 1000. He was ready to rumble, once again.

“I’m more proud about how I improved the level this year, mentally especially. I felt like or I feel that I’m much stronger,” he said. “Also physically I know that I have to work a lot, so this is an aspect where we are going to push a lot in end of the year, especially for the next year then. But I felt like I was playing really consistent tennis throughout the whole year.”

NOTES
The WTA Finals is now set with Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Marketa Vondrousova, Ons Jabeur and Karolina Muchova. They will play in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of October.

In Shanghai, the ATP 1000, the odd Alexander Zverev lost against Roman Safiullin, who is playing well, but the German looks TIRED. Take a week off and recover…Three of the men won including Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda and Christopher Eubanks. Will they stay during the weekend?

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Aryna Sabalenka, Ben Shelton, Christopher Eubanks, coco gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, Matthew Cronin, Sebastian Korda, Veronika Kudermetova

Sofia Kenin is locked in, again

September 20, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Sofia Kenin is finally back, and she is playing substantially better, although she still has more work, during in the matches.

She almost beat the fine Czech player Barbora Krejcikova in the final at San Diego, but she did give up a few important errors. However, currently she is in Guadalajara, Mexico, and she has won twice, so she must be locked in. After she won the 2020 Australian Open, she began to slip, month after month, and eventually she was out of the top 100, losing all the time. She was frozen, and she swung way outside, almost into the fence. Yet currently, she is much more patient, not only can she crush the ball with her forehand, her backhand and first serve but will throw in an impressive drop shot.

On Monday, she will crack the top 50, or even higher, and then she could be much more consistent, and improve her return. But the 24-year-old can be fragile. She has to figure out how reshape her game.

Krejcikova had an excellent tournament and now she is ranked No. 10, again. She won 2021 Roland Garros. Can Krejcikova could grab another huge title? She can be balanced.

How about this? According with CasinoAlpha, Coco Gauff “gained 195,480 Instagram followers and 110,200 followers on TikTok following her US Open finals win.” That is a huge amount

At the Davis Cup last week, the United States could not advanced, which was surprising. They lost against Finland, 3-0, when Otto Virtanenbeat Mackenzie McDonald 7-6(5) 1-6 7-6(7), then Emil Ruusuvuori beat Tommy Paul (USA) 7-6(1) 6-4, and Harri Heliovaara/Patrick Kaukovalta took down Austin Krajicek/Rajeev Ram (USA) 6-7(6) 7-6(5) [10-8]. How that happened, we have no idea. Yes, Finland is very good, but for the Americans, maybe it was just traveling right after the US Open. Maybe.

The now No. 1 Novak Djokovic has just pulled out of Shanghai. It is hard to tell when he will play again — outside of the Laver Cup — maybe in Vienna or Basel? He will decide, one way or another. … American Sebastian Korda is in the tournament, called Huafa Properties Zhuhai, in China.

Korda said this about the No. 19 Ben Shelton, who reached the semis at the US Open against Djokovic: “I think Ben did a great job at the US Open. He just really showed the world what he’s capable of and what he can do in the near future. And he’s got a great game. (He is) powerful, entertaining (and he) loves to kind of interact with fans. I think it’s awesome. It definitely pushes all of us to do better. And obviously, it shows the way, that it is possible for someone like him, or of any age, to be out there performing like him.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Ben Shelton, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Sebastian Korda, Sofia Kenin

The top 10: the men after the U.S. Open

September 14, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Here is my list of the men with the biggest impact from the US Open.

1. Novak Djokovic
Clearly, at this point, he is the best player, ever, now winning 24 Grand Slams. He is ahead of Rafa Nadal (22) and Roger Federer (20). The Swiss is retired, and the one thing is that possibly next year, the Spaniard Nadal will return and play in the 2024. Can he win another Slam again, maybe at the Australian Open, and of course, with Roland Garros, who has won it 14 titles. He has to be totally healthy, but his body is breaking down, gradually.

With Djokovic, he almost never gets hurt, which is why he can just raise his game, in the matches, and chase it up with his forehand, his backhand, his serve, his return, and with the net. Yes, he can make a few errors, but beyond that, he can re-set it again, open his eyes, and bash the ball. He has had an incredible year, but let us see if he continues to win more titles during the fall.

2. Daniil Medvedev
The Russian had a terrific tournament at the U.S. Open, but in the final, he did not push himself closer to the net. In the second set, he was so thick, but in the tiebreaker, he backed up, and the Serbian jumped on him. Yes, Medvedev can win another Slam, but there are a couple things that he needs to do, such as going closer to the baseline, and also, to work on the volleys. If he goes, he will have a chance to go deep once again.

3. Carlos Alcaraz
The young Spaniard was playing fantastic, until the semis, and then he started to throw in some odd shots. He has won two Slams, and clearly, he is darn good, but he needs to be a little bit more calm, when he is playing. The 20-year-old will continue to improve, just like Djokovic when he was adding with some new volleys.

4. Ben Shelton
The American came out of nowhere, in the semis, as after he looked very good at the Australian Open, but after that, he lost a lot, all the way until August. Then in Flushing Meadows, he looked much stronger and more potent. He could not handle Djokovic, but he really does want to catch him, and beat him, pretty soon. That is a vast challenge.

5. Taylor Fritz
He looked pretty good, although into the quarterfinals, and then he stopped thinking exactly what to do. There were moments at times against Djokovic, but he missed so many basic shots. He can be a darn good player, but if he wants to go further, into the top 5, he was to return better, his second serve, and also, at the net.

6. Frances Tiafoe

He is another person that he lost early during the summer, and then once he came into the U.S. Open, he was fresh and ready to dance. He did, all the way in the quarters, and then against Shelton, he looked pretty decent, but when he was way to the right and on the left, he was there, and he is thought he could put away, close to the lines, but he missed a lot. Then he was gone. He can smile a lot, and he has improved over the last two years, but will he actually win a ATP 1000 at some point? Possibly, but who knows.

7. Andrey Rublev

The other Russian can look so efficient, and he can also be forceful, but then he will to start sliding. He has beaten a lot of very good players, but not against the top ones. Maybe he is good enough, but not to win a Slam.

8. Alexander Zverev
It is almost impossible to see where he is going. He played some wonderful matches, but then in the quarters, he looked really tired, again. Sure, he can play great, but in the fall, he is going to have to attack early, and try to stick it away, or just sit there, point after point, and hope he can grind them down. Maybe he will, but if the German does the same things, he might never win a Slam.

9. Jannik Sinner
The Italian can look spectacular, and he is a huge hitter, but in the fifth set against Zverev, he lost himself. He is only 22-years-old, and in August, he won Toronto. That was a big positive, but he need to be much more fitting in the fall.

10. Alex de Minaur
The Aussie had a solid summer, winning Los Cabos, reaching into the final at Toronto, and then in the quarters at the U.S. Open, he was pumped up, but in the last two sets, Medvedev crushed him. Good bye, and quickly. He is rational and he has to improved his return and his backhand, but if he can reach into the top 5 next year, he must think about where he should go, and trick the other people.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alex de Minaur., Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz, daniil medvedev, Frances Tiafoe, Jannik Sinner, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, us open

US Open pick: women’s final

September 9, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Coco Gauff over Aryna Sabalenka
The last time that the American women won at the U.S. Open was Sofia Kenin, who won it. She was spectacular. However, she started to slip, and she almost disappeared, but on Saturday, and other American, Coco Gauff, will have a chance to win a Grand Slam for the first time. Without a doubt, she has a very good chance to grab it. However, she has to beat the soon to be the No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, who is a huge hitter, side to side. She almost lost in the semis against Madison Keys, but she continues to smash her forehand and her backhand, and she won it, 0-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (10-5) . Yes, she was satisfied, but she is going to have to play better, almost each point, because the 19-year-old Gauff has improved her forehand and with her return. Yes, the Floridian is rising, each month, but she has only won five titles, which is good, but if you look at the great Serena Williams, she was only 18-years-old, she won the 1999 US Open. Then, she won 73 titles. Darn, good, huh?

In the semis on Thursday, Gauff edged Karolina Muchova 6-4, 7-5. Yes, she missed some odd errors, but she managed to be more congruent, in the end. Now, can she do it against the Belarusian Sabalenka? She shore can, as they have played each other five times, and Gauff has won it three times. However at the Indian Wells in March in the quarters, Sabalenka beat here 6-4, 6-0. As she said: “I honestly don’t like to think about that match. From that match to the current one she improved a lot and she will be a different player. I think I should concentrate and prepare for another fight.”

Yes, it was a bad day for Gauff, but both of them are thinking about it, on the hardcourts, and how she should decide exactly what to do? Does she attach early? Should you be patient, until she can see that touch the lines, very hard? Can you chip it, or slice it? Last year in Toronto, Gauff beat Sabalenka 7-6 (4) in the third set. Obviously, it was wildly close, but Sabalenka finally won a Grand Slam when she won the 2023 Australian Open. Both of them are so much more mature, on court.

It is true on Saturday, there will be some amazing rallies, but in the third set, Gauff will dig deep and win the 2023 U.S. Open 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. Another new Grand Slam champion.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Aryna Sabalenka, coco gauff, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, us open

US Open picks: women’s semifinals

September 7, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Coco Gauff over Karolina Muchova

This should be a very tight match, as the American is playing as well as she has over the past two months. Rapidly, Gauff improved her forehand, her first serve, and her return. After she lost against her good friend, Jessica Pegula , 7-5 in the third set, she continued to focus, and then, she rose.

Yes, she is on the blaze, but she still has to understand what she has to do, point to point. The great Serena Williams did, and that is why she has won 23 Grand Slams. Gauff has won five titles, but no Slams, yet. It is time to try, again.

Believe it or not, in Cincinnati, in the final, Gauff beat Muchova 6-3, 6-4. It was some what close, but the Czech missed a bunch of easy shots. However, at least she made the final at Roland Garros, and she nearly beat Iga Swiatek, but she lost 6-4 in the third. Close, but no cigar.

She has only won one title, a small place, so while she is much more suitable, she can lose control.
Because of that, deep in the third set, Gauff will hit a few gigantic winner and she will win 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Madison Keys over Aryna Sabalenka

At Wimbledon in the quarters, the Belarus took her down, somewhat easily 6-2, 6-4. She will attack early, and with her forehand and her backhand, she will rein. Yes, the new No. 1 can still throw in a decent amount double faults, but it is a lot better now, this year.

Keys knows that if she wants to beat her, she has to jump her early, and while the American can assault her immediately, it also is that when she is running, side to side, and she hits it, then she will try to hit it on the lines. Keys has gone deep before, reaching the final the 2017 U.S. Open, and she lost against Sloane Stephens, but she did have a terrific event. As she said: “I think I just find another gear when it comes to Slams. Part of it is that I put a little bit more pressure on myself, which is a good thing and also a bad thing sometimes. But I’ve just peaked at the right time. I haven’t had too many disappointing exits at Slams.”

Can she beat Sabalenka on Thursday night? I would say yes, a real upset, winning it 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Aryna Sabalenka, coco gauff, Karolina Muchova, madison keys, Matt Cronin, us open