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ATP Finals day 6: Alcaraz over Medvedev, Zverev over Rublev

November 16, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Carlos Alcaraz over Daniil Medvedev
Will Carlos Alcaraz beat Daniil Medvedev for the second time this year and advance into the semis? That is possible, although Alexander Zverev took him down in the first match. He looked a little bit erratic, with his forehand and his serves, yet against Andrey Rublev, he recovered.

Now, the two time Grand Slam has to play even better, as the Russian, Medvedev, is super steady, again, and his forehand down the line is terrific. He knows that on the fast hard courts, he has to bring him down. At the U.S. Open, in the semis, Medvedev played as well as he could, beating him in four sets. Alcaraz will have to changed it up

“Medvedev is one of the best players in the world. … You have to play very well tactically, be patient and aggressive at the same time. It’s very difficult to beat him,” Alcaraz said. “You have to wait for the opportunity, but run and be calm, and get five or six shots in per point until the chance comes, while being aware that often it won’t.”

Of course, he realizes that the Spaniard can get enthusiastic, and bash his backhand. Or is he could, he can kiss it on the net. Alcaraz did beat him in the semis at Wimbledon and the Indian Wells, so he will be ready to face off.

Medvedev might changed it up, and surprise him.

“I’m going to try my best to play Carlos,” said Medvedev. “The moment you relax and say to yourself, ‘Maybe this match I can go easier,’ you can lose all the rhythm. That’s how tennis is. … So I need to play fast.”

Alcaraz has had a good fall, but not specular. Medvedev has also been up and down, but on Friday, he will hit some phenomenal winners, in the third set, and he will take it 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Alexander Zverev over Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev has not had a good week, at all. Not all the times, but too frequently. Alexander Zverev did beat Alcaraz, so from the backcourt, he slammed a number of winners. He has yet to win a Grand Slam, even though he has come close, and Zverev really does think that if he can be healthy, then he will have a chance next year.

The big thing, though is that Zverev has won the ATP Finals twice, in 2018 and 2021. That was very impressive. One way another, at night, he has to win, or go home.
The German will win, 7-5, 6-3.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, atp finals, Carlos Alcaraz, daniil medvedev, Matthew Cronin, Turin

ATP Finals day 3: Rune over Tsitsipas, Djokovic over Sinner

November 14, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Holger Rune over Stefanos Tsitsipas
Holger Rune played over three hours, and in the third set, he was capable of upsetting Novak Djokovic, but he could not, as the No. 1 Serbian was more intense. The young player Rune looked terrific at times, doing down the lines, toe-to-toe with there backhands, yet he could not shake it off.
Perhaps on Tuesday, he will have to recover, and then when the match begins, be can push Tsitsipas. Of course, at the ATP Finals in front of the crowds, almost everyone wants to show themselves.

The Greek has had some fascinating matches, this year, very good, with a lot of top spin, but also, he can trip himself. He lost somewhat easily when he went down versus Sinner, as he did not serve and the return deep enough. Because of that, he will do it again,and the Danish Rune will win it 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.

Novak Djokovic over Jannik Sinner
This is the first time that the No. 1 Djokovic and Sinner have played in the hardcourts. Yes, they have had some cool matches, especially at Wimbledon, twice, on the grass, and while the Serbian out-hit him, but the Italian was somewhat strong. Yes, Djokovic has a better backhand, and with his serve, and also, when he throws in a bunch of winners at the net. Really, to beat Djokovic, he will have to take a long of risks, inside the court. He has to push early, and try to attack him when he gets a real chance. He has had an excellent fall, as Sinner began to be more consistent. Plus, he has also become more quicker, when he runs, and he also can mix it up, a lot.

As Sinner said, “You know, staying humble and working hard and everything, for me, are the main reasons why I am here. And I know we’ll continue to do this. And obviously in my mind, I know that I can improve.”

Of course he can upset him, at one point, but Djokovic is still more thoughtful, point to point. Djokovic will win it 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: atp finals, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Turin

ATP Finals begins in Turin, Italy

November 12, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Both predictions were written before play started.

Jannik Sinner over Stefanos Tsitsipas
On Sunday, at the ATP Finals, two of them will start in the first match when Jannik Sinner will face Stefanos Tsitsipas. It will play in Turin’s Pala Apitour, in Italia. It will be very interesting, during eight days, whether the court is respectable, and very intense.
Clearly, the No. 1 Novak Djokovic is favored, but he has lost once and a while, during the year, so any the seven players can play excellent, and up set him.

They will start though in the first match when the Italian, Sinner, will continue to rise even smarter. He has had a terrific fall, smashing his forehand, his backhand, and with his hard first serve. However, the 22-year-old has beat Tsitsipas two times, but he also lost five times, so with the rallies, he has to much more consistent.

Yes, the Greek Tsitsipas has had a good, but not great year, but when he is healthy, he can really turn it on.

“Hopefully it’s something positive for me trying to have a great connection with the crowd and hopefully I can handle it and handle the situation with the right mentality, because I feel I have a little bit more pressure, which is a very positive sign for me,” Sinner said. “His strength is the serve and his high intensity. He puts a lot of intensity on the court.”

Tsitsipas came so close to win a Grand Slam, but he has yet to do it. Perhaps, next year, he can improve at the net, and his return, with more depth. What he has done, though, it when he is locked in, he can bash the ball, point after point. Four years ago, in 2019, he won the ATP Finals champion in London, and he played tremendous. He has to do it again, quickly. The 25-year-old, Tsitsipas, thinks that Sinner has matured, a lot.

“He tends to play very fearless tennis and he moves very well,” said Tsitsipas. “He has improved his movement a lot and his consistency in his shots. I do believe that he’s a very athletic player. Not very [muscular], not very heavy. He has that lightness about him when he covers the court. He has very good abilities and talent when it comes to feeling the ball and getting behind it.”

Sinner won’t try to do that, however, in Italy, on the court, he might be extremely nervous, to start. But he does know that when he can really focus, and really control it, then in the third set, be will attack on the lines. Sinner will win it 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Novak Djokovic over Holger Rune
It is hard to say whether Rune is feeling healthy on the court. Without a doubt, when he is feeling really terrific, and then he can control it, and mix it up, too. However, Djokovic knows almost everything, and he has played for many, many years. He has beaten everyone, the top players, time and time again. However, they have played each other four times, and Djokovic and Rune split it.

In Paris, he beat him 6-4 in the third in the quarters against Rune. He looked pretty good, as on the clay and the grass, the 20-year-old Dane won some impressive matches, but on the hard courts, he skidded. He is still getting better, this year, and his return and his first serve needs to improve, but his backhand is fantastic.

He will jump up and down, and try to attach with his heavy forehand, but Djokovic is still better, and he will win it 6-3, 6-4.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: atp finals, Holger Rune, italy, Jannik Sinner, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Turin

The WTA Finals: Jessica Pegula over Iga Swiatek

November 6, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

When Iga Swiatek is running, and she catches it, she will bend down, a little bit, and then she will make an attempt to kiss it in the lines. Sometimes, she will be patient, but when she sees that she can attack it, and knock it on the lines.

She beat the No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2, as she knew that if she could blast her forehand and her backhand, she was comfortable. Her first serve were close on the lines, and also, she mixed it up. Swiatek has had a very interesting year, when she was beating everyone, but when she was mentally down, and she became pretty frustrated. However, in Cancun, she totally locked in.

However, on Monday, she has to face against Jessica Pegula, who easily beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-1. The last time in Montreal in the semis, she beat Swiatek. The American is playing much better, as the same time in 2022 at the WTA Final, she lost all three matches. Incredibly, this week, she actually won three matches, punching past set after set.

Swiatek knows that she has to play point after point.

“Jessie (Pegula) is a great player, and she fully deserves to be in the final of any tournament,” Swiatek said. “I know it’s not going to be easy. There’s a lot to think about. I’m just going to focus on myself tomorrow. She’s really solid and can handle everything mentally. I’ll try to do my best and give 100%. That’s all I can do.”

Pegula has won two 1000 big titles, in Guadalajara, and Montreal. Plus, two weeks ago, she won Seoul. As she says, she is purchasing power.

“I managed to get my act together at the end of the year,” Pegula said. “I’ve done a good job of resetting coming here. It’s not fun leaving (at the 2022 WTA Finals in Fort Worth) 0-6. I’m glad I’ve turned the tables. I found a way to make it work. I’m feeling confident going into the finals.”

She has to be, as Swiatek will try to mover her forehand, and jump on the second serve. Pegula has really improved going down the lines, and she is also when she is on the net.

Swiatek is ranked No. 2, but if she beats Pegula, she will become No.1 again. However, the American will not fold, early, but in the third set, it will be very tight. This time, Pegula will hit some amazing forehands down the line, and she will win it 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

NOTES

Here he was again, as Novak Djokovic won another ATP 1000, when he beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in Paris. That is now he has won 40 ATP 1000s. Talk about a record. He backhand is nearly perfect, crosscourt, down the line, in the middle, flat and spin. Last week he won it against some very good players, but he was comfortable to handle it. He did, and now he will go to the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.

He is No. 1, and when it finishes, maybe can catch Carlos Alcaraz, but he is way ahead. The Spaniard has to win all five matches, and Djokovic has to win none. That is almost impossible, but really, it is more important who can actually win the tournament. Or to play each other, then that will be a fascinating match. Later this week, we can talk about the other six players who will play, such as Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev and more.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Cancun, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, wta finals

WTA Finals: Elena Rybakina vs. Aryna Sabalenka

November 3, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

There should be a terrific match, when the No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face against Elena Rybakina. Their match is suspended due to rain and will restart today with Sabalenka ahead 6-2, 3-5.

They are tied 1-1, so whoever wins, she will get into the semis. Both of them can hammer their forehand and their backhand, and they can also leap on the second serve. Sabalenka did lose against the American, Jessica Pegula, because while she did nail some fine shots, but she did not serve well enough. Sabalenka can screech, and she can nail it off the court, and put it away. However, sometimes she can forget, where she is hitting the ball, exactly, which way to go?

She will have to, but so will be Rybakina, a real competitor. She doesn’t chop it much, but she can also angle it. Her backhand is super solid, but her forehand is pretty hard, yet she can miss it when she cannot control it.

This year, they have played each other three times, with Sabalenka beating Rybakina 6-4 in the final at the Australian Open. There was joy, and also, sad. However, Rybakina beat her twice in a row, winning Indian Wells, and also, recently, she knocked her down in Beijing. As she said: “I think this year I was more consistent, especially in the first part of the year. In the second part was a bit unlucky with the health issues, some sickness. Overall I think I improved a lot.”

The Kazakhstan won the 2022 Wimbledon, so she can rise up when she is comfortable. This time, in Cancun, Rybakina will nail it in the corners and beat Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

That was a solid match on Wednesday when Ons Jabeur beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-3. In her first match, she couldn’t hit the ball anywhere, and she lost immediately, but today, she brought in with her terrific strokes. Now she is back again, so on Friday, she will be there, pushing it hard, and determining.

How about when Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff 6-0, 7-5? Yes, Swiatek can play amazing, especially in the corners, but even though she has had some excellent matches, especially when she won the US Open, but currently, Gauff is still working to improve her up and down forehand. But she will, year after year. Swiatek has won two matches, and she will play in the semis, against… who knows?

In the second match, Jessica Pegula will play Maria Sakkari. Pegula has won two matches, while Sakkari is eliminated. The match, though, should be engaging. What, why and who?

ATP
Both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev both won in Paris and it looks like that they will qualify in the ATP Finals in Turin. … Tommy Paul lost, so he is now eliminated in the ATP Finals. Casper Ruud is also gone, but Holger Rune is still there, but he has to go very deep to get into the top eight. Rune has to defend1,000 points. Ouch.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka, Cancun, coco gauff, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, Matthew Cronin, Stefanos Tsitsipas

Sabalenka: “I think the best season in my life so far”

October 31, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Jessica Pegula finally played terrific at the WTA Finals, beating the intense player, Elena Rybakina in two sets. However, on Tuesday she has to face against the No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, who crushed Maria Sakkari.

They have played each other five times, and Sabalenka beat her four times, mostly on the clay, but at this tournament last year, she beat her 6-3, 7-5 on the hard courts. The Belarussian also really likes on the hard courts, winning the Australian Open. Her forehand and her backhand are massive, and her return is super aggressive. However, she can get frustrated on the court, over hitting the ball, and not coming into the net. She can be a brilliant player, but also, she can check out in the third set, occasionally.

Pegula believes that when she can go for it, and also to risk it, rather than just to put it on play, then she can actually grab a lot of winners. Years ago, she was decent, but she wasn’t been able to out-hit against the top players. Now she is, and to win this match, she has to change it up more, and push her into the wall.

Sabalenka knows that she has to be patient, and to jump it when she is returning. As she said, two days ago: “It’s just super great season, I think the best season in my life so far. Hopefully this is just the beginning: with every year I’ll play better and better. I use this year as a motivation for me to keep working hard, to keep pushing, and see where is my limit are. ”
Sabalenka will make some odd error, but towards at the end, she will hit some massive first sets and she will win it 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

Surpassingly, Rybakina did now play well enough on Sunday against Pegula, when she lost. Yes, the American was so consistent, but the 2022 Wimbledon champ has had a solid year, but she only won one ever, in Rome. She certainly has beaten all the top players, but her forehand can be spotty. The Russian Rybakina is a huge hitter, and she can return pretty well, but if she wants to win another huge event, then she has to raise quickly.

Sakkari is one of the best rallies, hitting hour after hour. She can be so steady, but she plays all the time, and in the fall, she looks very tired. Yes, she does want to show that she is still there, in the matches, but she is not hitting the ball deep enough, which is why Rybakina will win the match 6-4, 6-1.

Notes: the women and men

On Monday, two of the former champs, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, won easily, so they are in it.

In Paris, Taylor Fritz won a match, and he said that his body is so-so. If he wins a couple matches, then he has a solid chance to play in the ATP Finals. Or maybe not:

“It’s something that’s been bothering me for a little bit… I didn’t think it was anything too bad going in [to this match], but one where I slid out and sliced that forehand, I felt like I did something that I had never done to it before,” said Fritz. “Like maybe I tore something or pulled it. So I’m going to have to get it checked out and see what’s going on.”

The other American, Tommy Paul, won a marathon, beating Richard Gasquet 0-6, 6-2, 7-6(6). He has to win the tournament to qualify, but it is almost impossible. But at least he will try…

He may be ranked No. 7. but last year in Paris, Holger Rune won it, but now he is defending 1,000 points. He does have a chance to qualify, but he has to go very deep to do it again. He has not played very well since Wimbledon, so he is going to have to recover, immediately. Rune is only 20-years-old, so over the next couple years he will get better, here and there, but he has to think about it all of the time. They all must do.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Cancun, coco gauff, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, wta finals

Who will reach the ATP Finals?

October 19, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

“I could keep positive self-talk and then keep the belief until the end.”

How did Hubert Hurkacz win the tournament, in the ATP 1000 in Shanghai? He looked good, but at times, he is decent, but not fantastic again. But in the final, he beat Andrey Rublev 7-6 in the third set, grabbing it. He was so intense, when he had to.

“Andrey was playing some really good tennis, and I knew, you know, I got to produce the shots, so I was just trying to stay out there and compete as hard as I could and to keep positive self-talk and then keep the belief until the end. At the end of the day, it’s a final, and you want to just give it all you got out there,” Hurkacz said.

The Pole has now won two ATP 1000s, when the 26-year-old won Miami in 2021. He would really reach into the top 8, as he has yet to do it, but in the fall, he does have a decent change to snag it. Right after he won, the huge hitter went to Tokyo, and he lost in the first round, but he must have been tired, after so many shots in Shanghai. He still can qualify into the top 8 in the ATP Finals in Torino, but to do that, he is going to have go super deep in Paris in November. That is a massive challenge.

Rublev is close to qualify, and he really wants to win Paris, indoors, and to go into the ATP Finals again. He does have a decent shots, and he is very close with his terrific players, but he has to do something different with his strokes. Not everything, but some totally different.

Grigor Dimitrov had a very good tournament reaching the semis, beating Carlos Alcaraz in three sets. The Spaniard pulled out of the Swiss Indoors in Basel due to injury, so the chance of end of the year is slim, although the No. 1 Novak Djokovic hasn’t decided to play Paris in singles, but he will, as last year, he reached the final, so he gained 600 points. If he does not go, in the singles, he actually will drop, and then what? He will play singles, too, with out a doubt.

Dimitrov has had no chance to get into the ATP 8, but he has had a decent season, so now in 2024, he can push himself, more consistently. … With the men, Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda, are playing much better, and next year, the two young men will go further up in the charge…

Taylor Fritz just lost in Tokyo, and he is staining again. In Paris, if he reaches into the quarters, the No. 9 could go in the top 8, and qualified, but that is a big if. … What happened with Frances Tiafoe, who looked so good,but now, he is losing a lot. Is he is confused? … Maybe, just maybe, the No. 12 Tommy Paul can go berserk, win Tokyo and Paris and qualify for the ATP Finals. That would be a stunner.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story

Sebastian Korda upsets Daniil Medvedev, Shelton over Sinner

October 11, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

At some point, each month, one of the players will climb, in front of you, and he be super consistent. How about Sebastian Korda, who upset Daniil Medvedev 7-6(8) 6-2. Then he beat Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 7-6 (6).

He has been so close over the last few years, but he has yet to reach into the top 20. He can be steady, and he smashes his forehand, but also, Korda can trip up. But in Shanghai, when he beat the No. 3 Medvedev, it was the first time that he beat a top fiver. That was really important.

“I think one of the things that maybe disrupts him is just being an aggressive player, going to the net, slicing the ball, bringing him in. I think I do that really well, and I think it gives him a little bit of trouble,” Korda said.

He has not gone very deep at the ATP 1000s, but now it is time to do it. Not to win, but perhaps into the semis or the final, but he has to identify it.

Speaking of Ben Shelton, who reached in the semis at the US Open, he is rolling again. On Tuesday, he beat the Italian Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), who just won Beijing, China. He was playing so much better now, after he won at Toronto, just before at the U.S. Open, and after he lost against Alexander Zverev, he re-set, and in China, last week, believe it or not, he beat Medvedev in the final. He is now ranked No. 4, and finally, on the court, he can mix it up, a lot. He is maturing, and more thoughtful, when he is returning. Against the young, strong man Shelton, he was pretty patient, but the American grabbed it in the tiebreaker, hitting some wonderful strokes. Each month, he is thinking more, on the court. Believe it or not, he will face against Korda on Thursday. That will be very close, again. It is a toss-up, but Korda will snag it 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the third set.

Frances Tiafoe lost again, and he may not reach into the top 8 at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. He is ranked No. 14, so to have any chance, he will have to go super deep in Paris, coming up. He has had an odd season, this year… Since he reached into the final at Roland Garros, then Casper Ruud fell down fast, but now it looks like he is trying to play well again. He really has to, but he lost against,losing against Fabian Marozsan 6-4 in the third set.

The American No. 12 Tommy Paul beats the 19-year-old Arthur Fils 6-4 in the third set. Paul has had the best year, ever, and he has a chance to reach into the ATP Finals, but he has to go unlimited in Shanghai, Paris and another couple of events. Here he has to go against Andrey Rublev, who is a very tough player. He will where him down in the third set. He will upset Rublev 5-7, 7-6, 7-6…

J.J. Wolf is back, and he is healthy, again. He beat Matteo Arnaldi 7-6 in the third, also a young player from France. On court, Wolf can really be angry, but he is very intense. However, he has to face against another Frenchman, Ugo Humbert. The No. 34 will trip Wolf in two, muscular sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud, daniil medvedev, J.J. Wolf, Jannik SinnerTommy Paul, Matthew Cronin, Sebastian Korda, Shanghai

Kudermetova: ‘It was not an easy time for me … but now really happy’

October 4, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The Russian Veronika Kudermetova won a tournament at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, cracking over Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-1. She has had some fine days, but there are also some negative events. Perhaps now, that each week, she will be more intense, on the court.

For example, she beat the 2023 US Open Coco Gauff in Doha in February in the quarters, and then the four time champ Iga Swiatek smoked her 6-0, 6-1, fast. Then in the semis at Madrid, the Polish person, she smashed her 6-1, 6-1. Then it looked like that Kudermetova was panicking. Yes, she can mash the ball, both sides, but then, she can throw in some many strange errors. After on the grass, and she was decent, but not great, and then in the next five tournaments, she lost very early. However, last week, she rose up, finally stopping Swiatek 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Right after that, she upset the No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6, 6-7, 6-3. That was almost a miracle.

”I’m really happy because before, it was not an easy time for me, it was really tough moments,” Kudermetova said. “Now I’m really happy and I have a lot of motivation for the next weeks.”

They are playing in the Beijing Open, and while it is not easy to play great again, she will battle. Sabalenka has had a interesting year, as she has improved her serve, and she is more solid. However, she does not like to get up to the net in the singles, and maybe she should, and make some different shots. Of course her forehand and her backhand are terrific, and her return is spot on. However, she has not won an event since Madrid during May, and while she has gone deep a lot, she can also be confused. In the final the U.S. Open, she look pretty darn good, but in the third set, she went down, and she lost versus Gauff 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. However, she wants to be motivate.

“I’m a world No. 1 right now, but it’s not just about become world No. 1, I think it’s about finish the year as world No. 1 and stay there as long as you can,” Sabalenka said. “It was good that I was able to achieve this goal, but there is another goal. I’m super motivated right now. My biggest takeaway was that I need to learn how to finish the points on the net. We worked a lot on my volley game. [In the U.S. Open final] I got over-emotion there. I wasn’t controlling myself. I was thinking all over the place in that second set. So, yeah, that’s was the biggest takeaway. I have to, no matter what, stick to the plan and just do what I have to do on court, just kind of like shut down all those thoughts. Also, it’s not like I don’t know how to play volleys. I used to play doubles a lot. Just to be brave to go there, you know? We worked a lot after US Open on that. I took couple of days off just to switch off and forgot about tennis because it was a really tough, tough loss for me. It was super emotional. Yeah, took couple of days off, then I start working again.”

There she is, motivation. In the first round, she just destroyed the American, Sofia Kenin. Maybe she is ready to take down everyone in China, but almost all the players are there. Ons Jabeur just won the Ningbo Open, in China. So now she is happy again. Many people think that the 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva of Russia is darn good, as she just upset Barbora Krejcikova, and excellent player. In another year, if she is healthy, then she might be in the top 30 and then we will know how good she is.

It did take Gauff a couple years to improve her forehand and her return, and currently, she are better now. She could win China, as long as she can snap the lines.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Aryna Sabalenka, China Open, coco gauff, Iga Swiatek, Matthew Cronin, Veronika Kudermetova

Carlos Alcaraz is ready to rock, again

September 29, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The No. 1 Novak Djokovic is not playing now, but in the next two months, on the court, he will be there. When and where? Who knows?

Yes, the No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is playing this week in Beijing at the China Open. He does have a chance to finish No. 1, but he has a lot more work to do. However, he still is psyched. He will also play in Shanghai, next week, an ATP 1000.

“We have really beautiful battle for the No. 1 spot after the great performance Djokovic had in the American season, let’s say. He’s the No. 1 right now,” the Spaniard said.

“I’m coming here with extra motivation to try to recover it in the Race, of course, in the ranking. It’s something that I have in my mind every time that I practice, in every tournament. Is not obligatory for me to recover that, but of course you have to put the goals in the year. So for me No. 1 spot is one of the main goals for me.”

The 20-year-old Alcaraz has won 12 titles, including in the 2023 Wimbledon, on the grass, and also in Indian Wells on the hard courts, as well as Madrid on clay. Over the past couple years, he has gone deep all over the place, but he has not won in Asia, or China. But he is ready to go.

The former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev is there, in the tournament, and the Russian will push himself again, or he hopes, so. At the U.S. Open against Djokovic in the final, he looked very good in the second set, but in the tiebreaker, he missed a really important shot, with a set point, and then he collapsed. In the third set, he was done. He has played against Alcaraz three times this year, at Indian Wells and Wimbledon, when he lost, but in the semis at the US Open, he played a great show, and he beat him.

“If we face each other, we are both happy, we are both in the final. That’s a good goal, to try to make this happen,” the Russian said. “At the same time, as I said, so many good players. It’s tough. … It’s going to be interesting to see who copes up better. I think we’re going to see a lot of different results where the seeded players can lose and stuff like this because first rounds are never easy.”

What he means it that there are so many very good players in the top 20 in Beijing, including — and there are a lot, such as Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Jannik Sinner, Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev, who just won a title in Chengdu. The No. 13 Tommy Paul will face against Medvedev, and to reach into the top 10 for the first time, he will be so satisfied. But can Paul win it in three sets against the Russian in Beijing? Possibly, but he is going to have to drag him down.

Rune was very honest, saying that the No. 4 played it to much this year. Now the 20-year-old feel much better.

“I was struggling with back injury for a while now. I got it fixed,” the Dane said. “I played a lot of tournaments with a lot of pain in my back. But then I was like at the end, Okay, I got to stop and fix it, not come back to playing tournaments until I’m hundred percent. That’s also why I’m here…Maybe a few tournaments too much where I should have maybe rested. Also to be maybe more ready for the biggest tournaments. But that’s the past. Now I have to look at now and forward.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Beijing, Carlos Alcaraz, China Open, daniil medvedev, Holger Rune, Matthew Cronin