Belinda Bencic – TennisReporters.net

The picks at Wimbledon: Sunday, July 9

July 8, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Andrey Rublev over Alexander Bublik

The Russian continues to try at the Grand Slams, not only that he can crush the ball, but also, over the past two years, he has been more intelligent. Yes, Rublev can play some bad mistakes, but he can nail with his heavy forehand, and with his backhand, to put it down the lines.

Believer it or not, they just played against each other in the final, at Halle, when Rublev edged the other Russian, Bublik, 6-3 in the third set. Yes, the tall man can knock his first serve and his forehand, but he isn’t quite fast when he is running. For sure, he has had a very decent year, but not enough, so Rublev will win it again, in four tough sets.

Iga Swiatek over Belinda Bencic
This should be an intense match. Both of them can split the ball, and they can also jump early to try to put it away, fast. Swiatek recently said that on the grass, she is feeling much more comfortable than she did recently. Swiatek is very please after she won Roland Garros, recently, but that is on the clay, not on the switch grass. But now she can go low and find where she will go, low and hard.
As she said,“ I feel like last year was a little bit different, especially coming back after winning Roland Garros. It wasn’t the easiest moment for me. I try really not to come back to that. I’m just taking experience from just this period of time of playing on grass, and that’s all. It’s just a totally different chapter.”

Bencic can beat anyone when she is feeling good. Her serve isn’t that great, but her forehand and her backhand can be jolly sharp. The Swiss does believe that she can finally win a Grand Slam, and maybe she can, but how can she out-last versus the Polish person? She does have a chance, but Swiatek returns better, as does her serve, so once again, the No. 1 will win it in three brute sets.

Novak Djokovic over Hubert Hurkacz

It is pretty clear that Serbian better than him, beating Hurkacz all five times. In 2019 at Wimbledon, Djokovic lick him in the third round, in four decent sets. He is just faster, and his backhand might be his best ever. Djokovic can mix it up a lot, and he can stay there until he has a real shot to put it away.

Hurkacz has had a decent year, but not great, losing pretty early. Djokovic will win it in four easy sets.

Elina Svitolina over Victoria Azarenka

This is risky, as Azarenka has beaten Svitolina all five times. Certainly, when the two time champion Azarenka is totally bolted, and she can hit some cruel shots, down the lines, and cross court, too. However, Azarenka has retired a lot over the past few years, which is why she has not won a big tournament since 20? Yes, Azarenka destroyed Svitolina at the 2023 at the Australian Open, but she was just returning. There is no doubt that when Azarenka is totally shut it in, she can find the lines. However, Svitolina looked very good on the clay, at Strasbourg and Paris. She absolutely has to be very consistent, and drove her back. As the Ukraine said: “I will go out there and put the fighting spirit on and just really fight for every single point.” She will, when Svitolina will defeat Azarenka in three tough sets.

Matt’s recent picks at Wimbledon

~~Andy Murray over Stefanos Tsitsipas~~

Matt’s picks from Wimbledon

3 out of 5, 60% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Bublik, Andrey Rublev, Belinda Bencic, Elina Svitolina, Hubert Hurkacz, Iga Swiatek, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, victoria azarenka, wimbledon

The picks at Wimbledon: Thursday, July 6

July 6, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

These picks were written before play started. Due to a technical error, these picks were not posted on Wednesday, July 5.

Andy Murray over Stefanos Tsitsipas
The Greek finally grabbed it right at the end, when he beat Dominic Thiem 7-6(8) in the fifth set. He almost lost, but he hung in there, so on Thursday, his legs will be tired, but he really wants to win. He has been struggling, but his strokes can be consistent, so against Murray, he must be super patient.

When Murray won Wimbledon, twice, his return was very deep, his first serve was banging it, and his backhand was fantastic. However, he is not that fast now, as not only that he us aging, but he almost retired due to his broken legs. He knows that, and he is trying to bring home again, but he may not as he was not won an event since 2019. As he said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt sort of physically this good coming into Wimbledon. The last few years have been very challenging. I’m hoping I’m fit and ready for a good run.”

Tsitsipas can play amazing on the hardcourt, but on the grass, he is still wheezing on the slippy grass. There will some long rallies, yet Murray will rise once again at Wimbledon, and he will win it in five, dramatic sets.

Sloane Stephens over Donna Vekic
The once great American player now has become slightly better, trying to powder the ball. Stephens looked pretty good at Roland Garros, which was somewhat surprising, as she lost a number with some sole matches. However, she has gone deep at a variety of events, so when she is feeling good, she can be highly consistent.

Vekic has had a somewhat solid year, when she reached into the final at Berlin, but also, on clay, she was so-so. She can be aggressive, and she can mix it up, but not often enough. Vekic does think that eventually, she can actually win a Slam for the first time, but she will have to prove it. Stephens has been before, so she will do it again, and win it in three tremendous sets.

Belinda Bencic over Danielle Collins

The Swiss can look that she is going into the sky, touch it, and then go backdown and nail with a damn fast winner. Bencic can really hustle, and she can also grind it until she has a chance to hit the lines. However, when she backs up, she can throw in some strange errors. Collins had a good year in 2022, but over the past nine months, she has lost pretty quickly. Maybe she is confused, or it is possible that she doesn’t know where to go. Bencic will find it, and she will win it in two big sets.

Frances Tiafoe over Dominic Stricker
All of a sudden, Tiafoe actually knows how to play on the grass. Over the years at Wimbledon, he looked cluttered, and he wasn’t going to go the right way. But he just won Stuttgart, so apparently, he could see how he can play, with his strokes. He might be 22- years-old, but he does think that he is a little more sold. Stricker is also very young, as he is 20-years-old, and he his rising, slowly. He is briskly fast, and the Swiss can bash his forehand. However, Tiafoe will be more patient and he will win it in three long sets.

Matt’s picks this week

Correct: Belinda Bencic over Danielle Collins
Correct: Frances Tiafoe over Dominic Stricker
~~Sloane Stephens over Donna Vekic~~

Matt’s picks from Wimbledon

3 out of 4, 75% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Andy Murray, Belinda Bencic, danielle Collins, Donna Vekic, Frances Tiafoe, Matthew Cronin, sloane stephens, Stefanos Tsitsipas, wimbledon

The Wrap: Madrid ruled by Sabalenka

May 10, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Each couple weeks, you can play fantastic and win it constantly, but in another few weeks, you can collapse, or play poorly. That is all about the tennis, on the court, and off. They can be happy, or sad. It is not just playing, but also, many of the players are learning what they can do. In order to practice all the time, to eventually reach at the WTA or the ATP, it is rare that they can go to school. Or even if they did it, by high school, and you sit there for hours, five days a week, then they have to deal with the excellent players, and often, you will love. It is very rare.

Also, mentally, you can see that a few of the players are upset, and worried. You can look at Amanda Anisimova and Garbine Muguruza, both just decided to take the time off. On court, they are bored, or frustrated. Hopefully, soon enough, they will come back, eventually, but to do very deep at the big events and the Grand Slams, that is a legitimate question.

However, Aryna Sabalenka had a terrific tournament in Madrid, beating Iga Swiatek in three, super intense sets. She had lost five times with the Polish person, Swiatek,most of it on the clay, but this time, Sabalenka decided not just to crush the ball, but to react. A few years ago, she did not love clay, but now, she is finally much more core.

“I really enjoy playing on clay, because I have extra time. It’s not super fast, so I can go for my powerful shots, because I have not so many but I have a lot of time here,” Sabalenka said. “Yeah, that’s why I really enjoy clay, because it’s longer rallies. It’s like not just bomb, bomb, you know. You have to work for every point, and that’s really amazing.”

She now rarely gets tired, as she can run for ever. Even when she plays, at an event, she knows that if she can consistently as much as she can, then she will gradually remedy. As she said,“I was working really hard in my fitness, so I’m able to play these long rallies and play these long matches and not getting really tired. So I was feeling fine.”

Swiatek and Sabalenka and are No. 1 and No. 2. Last year in Rome, Swiatek destroyed Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1. Now it will be totally different, on clay. They might play in the final in Rome, or maybe not. Also. Roland Garros is also coming up. There will be some nervous at times, but both of them know that if they play great, then they feel that they can beat anybody.

NOTES

Petra Kvitova, Belinda Bencic, Zhang Shuai and Simona Halep, whom we don’t know who will return. She is waiting, soon. … Other than Sabalenka and Swiatek, there are some who will reach into the quarters, at least. Here are 15 more people who can win a few matches and then, in Rome, they will be pumped up such as Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, Carolina Garcia, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Mayar Sherif, Victoria Azarenka (who won the doubles) Paula Badosa, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Martina Trevisan , Beatriz Haddad Maia, Anastasia Potapova, Barbora Krejcikova, Sorana Cirstea, and the — the last one, who finally began to rise with Zheng Qinwen. She is coming up.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Aryna Sabalenka, Belinda Bencic, Iga Swiatek, madrid, Matthew Cronin, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, wta, Zhang Shuai

The Picks on clay in Charleston and Estoril: Saturday, April 8

April 8, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Jessica Pegula over Belinda Bencic
A few years ago, she was outside of the top 60, and she was somewhat consistent, but she was not aggressive enough. Then she had decided that win or lose, this time, when she has a real chance to jump on the ball, she would go for the lines. But that can be risky. Pegula is going to have to do it, because the Swiss Bencic can be outstanding, and then, she will make some crazy shots. Bencic will bring into the third set, and she will really run, but Pegula will beat her with her consistent backhand.

Ons Jabeur over Daria Kasatkina
You can say that many of the players are struggling, physically, but in a sense, it always happens to almost everyone. The Russian Kasatkina has had a few fantastic wins this year, but once again, she is strugging in 2023. However, when she is on, she can punch the ball. This is the same thing with Jabeur, who almost won a Grand Slam, but she lost in the final at the 2022 U.S. Open, and after that, she just stopped on the court with some wacko shots. Hopefully, the No. 5 Jabeur will wake up and smell the roses. It is time, and the Tunisia Jabeur will cut down Kasatkina in two long sets.

Casper Ruud over Quentin Halys
This is not a good year by the Norway, who is ranked No. 5, but he has won a few matches. Of course when he is locked in, he can dive near on the ground, and throw in some wonderful strokes. Last year, he was so authentic, but currently, he might be panicking. Ruud will eventually calm down, if he really wants to. The Frenchman Halys has yet to reach into the top 60, and there is no doubt that he is desired to finally go into the top 50. He is 26-years-old, which is a perfect time to make a huge move. He might be able to do it, as he played very well in Miami. Halys is enthusiastic, but Ruud will knock him down in three sets.

Miomir Kecmanovic over Marco Cecchinato
Kecmanovic can lose, but last year, he really improved a lot of the past year and a half. He is fit, his forehand is pretty darn good, and his backhand is decent, but in order to eventually reach into the top 20, then he has mix it up more. Also, his second serve is marginal. He has not played well this year, and he has lost a lot, but the No. 40 wants to turn it around. Four years ago, the veteran Cecchinato reached No. 16, looking very good, but currently, he was just two matches this year. Apparently, he was hurt, but the Italian Cecchinato is mentally straining, so Kecmanovic will win in two sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, Casper Ruud, charleston, daria kasatkina, Estoril, Jessica Pegula, Matthew Cronin, Miomir Kecmanovic, Ons Jabeur

The Picks on clay in Charleston and Marrakech: Friday, April 7

April 7, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Jessica Pegula over Paula Badosa
Every week, the American is trying to plan whether should she be more aggressive, or stay back until she can nail a difficult winner. She is almost very consistent, and on court, she can really think, until she can figure her opponents. This time, though, Pegula does know who Badosa is, and her specific style. Both of them love to do the rallies, and where down the opponents until she becomes exhausted. The Spaniard Badosa needs to decide that if she wants to go into the top 10, then she has to improver her serves, and at the net, too. However, in the past year, Pegula became a terrific doubles player. Pegula will win in two tough sets.

Belinda Bencic over Ekaterina Alexandrova
Without a doubt, this is a toss- up. The Swiss is so into when she is feeling good, and the Russian can feel that if her forehand is locked in, then she can beat anyone. Bencic is still trying to win another huge event, which she did a 2015, when she won in Toronto. Just like last year, she won Charleston, and she is close to be in the top 3, but the great players can out hit her. Alexandrova beat Bencic at Indian Wells, in a close match, but she was more stable, and she really mixed it up, too. The match should go into the third sets, with some huge rallies, and and this time, Bencic will bash the Russian, tired or not.

Lorenzo Musetti over Alexandre Muller
The young Italian had a fine year in 2022, but this year, he has done absolutely nothing in the past three months. Of course they want to rise up again, and at Naples, he won the tournament, beating Matteo Berrettini in the final during the fall. And then, Musetti upset Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz, so when he started in 2023, it appeared that the current No. 21 would go further. But he did not, perhaps because he started to be confused. He is going to have to turn it around, as the Frenchman, Muller, had a couple very good week, reaching the quarters in Doha, before he lost against Andy Murray. Muller has yet to be in the top 100, and he certainly wants to, but he is not there, yet. Musetti will win in it in two sets, finally.

Andrea Vavassori over Daniel Evans
The Brit is another person who has lost so many matches this year, even though in 2022, he put together some fine wins. But in 2023, he has won three matches and nine losses. Maybe Evans is physically tired, as like a number of people, he plays constantly, week to week. He is very consistent, and the 32-year-old can throw in a number of terrific shots. However, when he is out of sorts, his backhand and his forehand can be short. Vavassori did have a wonderful win when he upset Taylor Fritz at the 2023 Australian. The fans where screaming for him. The Australian from Sydney appears to becoming better, gradually, and the tall person will knock out Evans in three sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Ons Jabeur over Caroline Dolehide
Correct: Ekaterina Alexandrova over Julia Grabher
Ben Shelton over Dominic Thiem
Hubert Hurkacz over Bernabe Zapata Miralles

Matt’s current week picks

6 out of 10: 60% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Andrea Vavassori, Belinda Bencic, Jessica Pegula, Lorenzo Musetti, Marrakech, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin

Maxime Cressy almost won, but Jannik Sinner grabbed it

February 15, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Maxime Cressy, Jannik Sinner, Yibing Wu, John Isner, Belinda Bencic, Anastasia Potapova, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Montpellier, Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open — Mal Taam/MALTphoto

The much improved Maxime Cressy almost won Montpellier. In the final, he could not grab the break, and the better player Jannik Sinner edged him 7-6(3) 6-3. The Italian had no problem when he served into the corners for a very tough service holds. They did had some fine rallies. But the American could not slam past him, so in the next few months, he has to return better.

Sinner is close to reach into the top 5 this year. Still, he can become damn angry on court. He is still young. Perhaps he will be more sound and thoughtful. He has beaten many top players in the ATP 250s, but if he is playing in the 1000s or a Grand Slam, he might be very good, but he is not yet to be nearly perfect. The 22-year-old is currently ranked No. 14. If he wants to chop down the excellent players, then he has to improve a lot.

Cressy has become more stable, mixing it up and pushing himself. He comes into the net a lot, and his first serve can be huge. In the semis, he upset Holger Rune 7-5 6-7(3) 7-6(4). That was a fantastic day.

Cressey, an American/Frenchman, has reached the top 40. Apparently, if he wants to reach into the top 32 at the Slams for the first time, then he has to be much more stable and consistent each week.

In Dallas, it was almost out of nowhere Yibing Wu beat John Isner 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(14-12) to win his first ATP title. Talk about the drama. The veteran Isner now has played more than 500 tiebreakers, which is remarkable. Sadly, he has never won a Grand Slam, and he probably won’t. But, at least the 37-year-old won in Miami, and he did reach in an ATP 1000s final four more times. Those were some crazy, terrific matches. But his return has never been good enough.

The Chinese Wu came up big and moving into the spotlight. His forehand and his backhand are now so rising and he is pretty quick. He was decent over the past few years, but now, the 23-year-old thinks that when he is on the line, he aims to bash the ball. He played so good in the semis when he edged Taylor Fritz. Wu will be there for a long time.

Seriously, Belinda Bencic looked mind blowing. At other times, she can blow her match. But last week, she won the title, in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open and she beat Liudmila Samsonova 1-6, 7-6, 6-4. That was a long, long match, fighting off three match points. She is a warrior. When she is so intense, then she can continue to blend it up with many different styles. She has yet to win Slam, but she still does have a legitimate chance to win one, as long as she can serve better and improve her net play.

There are so many Russians who continue to play on the court, and some of them are very good. You could look at dozens of people over the past 20 years, and they just keep coming on.

In Linz, Anastasia Potapova crushed Petra Martic 6-3 6-1 in the final. The 21-year-old could eventually win a Slam, like the Russians did, such as Svetlana Kuznetsova or Anastasia Myskina. But Potapova will have to climbing into the mountain, and stay there.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Anastasia Potapova, Belinda Bencic, Jannik Sinner, John Isner, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Maxime Cressy, Montpellier, Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, Yibing Wu

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

December 22, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Four picks on Thursday at the US Open

September 1, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Grigor Dimitrov vs Brandon Nakashima
Is it possible that the Bulgarian can reach the semis at a Grand Slam once again? The cool backhander did go deep at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open. In 2017, he was ranked No. 3, winning the ATP Finals. It was clear that each year, with his terrific strokes, he did say that yes, I certainly will win a Grand Slam. Unfortunately, he hasn’t yet, and he is starting to slow down. However, can still rock the boat. Yet American Nakashima is trying to gain speed but his shots were not deep enough. He has had some good wins, but the 21-year-old is ranked No. 69, so he has continue finding new gears. It is so hard to tell how Dimitrov will play, but in this match, he will sweep the American and win it in three sets.

Iga Świątek vs Sloane Stephens
When No. 1 Świątek starts in a point she can hit it so hard, with her forehand and backhand. She will go for it almost immediately. Yes, Ash Barty retired after she won at the Australian Open, leaving the top ranking open. Then Świątek won match after match. However, when she easily won at Roland Garros (she just lost one set) but then she began to slump a little bit, losing three tournaments a row. Look, you cannot win all the time, it is impossible, even with great players such as Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Swiatek has won two Grand Slams at RG. So, this year, she has won six titles — excellent titles — but she is not in their class yet. Stephens won the USO, but she pulled back after that. Still, she is not in the top 32. Of course, she can be super consistent, still, but she hasn’t improved enough. When she is happy, on court, then she thinks about what to do, she can snap back into form. Once again, there will be some bewitching points, but Świątek will storm early and win it in three sets.

Borna Coric vs Jenson Brooksby
The Serbian just won Winston-Salem. He said he wasn’t sure that when he came back after his surgery, he will not win a lot all the time. But slowly, he started to be consistent and really go for it. So, in the past 10 days, he was much more dependable. The 21-year-old American Brooksby has put together a number of very good wins. However, in three months, he was very solid, but after Miami, he began to slump. Yes, here and there, he can be very good, but in the last three tournaments, he was confused, and he lost quickly. Of course, he can rip it with his forehand and backhand, but he can also miss a lot. Coric won a long five-setter in the first round and will have to find ways to break down Brooksby. Coric will win in four difficult sets.

Belinda Bencic vs Sorana Cirstea
The Swiss can look amazing, running around and mixing it up, but then she would lose control. She can be thrilling, and then she can also look lazy. She has always been a fascinating person, but Bencic still doesn’t understand who she is. The veteran Cirstea is also trying to reach into the top 20 before she retires. Ten years ago, she did reach to the No. 21, and then she fell back. Currently now, the Romanian has had some OK wins, but not a lot in 2022. Maybe she can change it up and try to something new. Perhaps she will, but Bencic will out hit her with some incredible shots to win in straight sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, Brandon Nakashima, Grigor Dimitrov, Iga Świątek, Jenson Brooksby, sloane stephens, us open

TennisReporters.net 2021 year-end review: top 25-21, women

December 16, 2021 by Matthew Cronin

25. Jennifer Brady
Right out of the gate in 2021, the veteran sprinted early, reaching the final at the Australian Open. She played spectacularly versus Karolina Muchova in the semis. In the final, she went down to Naomi Osaka in straight sets. Yes, the Japanese plays amazing deep in the Slams, but at least the American looked very good, even though she could have returned better. After that, she did little the rest of the year, likely because she was injured, and she stopped playing after August. She can hustle, and she is very stout, so when she starts again, in 2022 she will have to rehab and look ahead.

24. Leylah Fernandez
Almost out of nowhere, at the U.S Open, she went ga-ga. She was on fire, smashing the ball from both sides, and she was totally intense. Following up on her Monterrey victory, she ran and ran, into the corners, deeper, and very concentrated. She is only 19, so in the next few years, she will continue to grow, to understand how that the other players tend to hit the ball. The older she becomes, the smarter she will be off and on the court.

23. Belinda Bencic
The Swiss can look fantastic, and other times, she mentally went down. She is darn good, and she also had some fun variety. She plays a lot, and when you watch her, she can be pissed off. Yes, a few years ago, her body was very hurt, so she stopped for months. When she came back, it was almost zero, and she had to rethink her path. She does look sharp at times and get back into the top 10. She is going to have to much more find a bigger game or she will never win a Grand Slam.

22. Coco Gauff
The 17-year-old had a very good year, growing up quickly on the court. Sure, she has a lot of learning to do, but she gets better all the time. Her forehand and her backhand are strong, and she can flatten it out or spin it when she has to. Her first serve is pretty good, and, she is decent at the net. She is climbing up the hill of the rankings. However, she has lost a number of matches this year due to inexperience and lack of focus when the match isn’t going her way. In 2022, she will be even more intelligent, and thoughtful.

21. Elise Mertens
This player from Belgium put together some high level tournaments early on, but later, she collapsed, here and there. The veteran can be very consistent, or she can hit the ball when it is too short. She does like to hustle, and also in the doubles, she returns very well. But really, if she wants to go to the Grand Slam final for the first time, she is going to hang it out.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, coco gauff, Jennifer Brady, Leylah Fernandez

Finding the fault lines: Djokovic wears down his opponents

September 8, 2021 by Matthew Cronin

At what point can you take down Novak Djokovic in a 3 out of 5 setters? At the four Grand Slams in 2021, he has won 25 matches, so if you want to find a way to out-hit the Serbian, you would have to play almost perfectly.

On Monday, Djokovic beat Jenson Brooksby 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-2. In the first set, the American played as well as he could, and he hit the corners. With his forehand and backhand, he was striking the ball and sprinting around the court. But, in the second set, it began to change. Djokovic knew that it he could continue with some long rallies, then he thought that Brooksby would eventually tire, even if just a bit. Djokovic believes that each hour, many of the players can mentally sink. Their legs begin to wobble. So, running back and forth, Brooksby is not fast anymore.

Eventually, Djokovic won it, and he was pleased. The 20-year-old Brooksby has had some terrific wins over the past two-and-a half months. During the fall, he will gain ground and continue to move up the rankings.

That was quite a long, long match when Maria Sakkari edged Bianca Andreescu 6-7(2) 7-6(6) 6-3 in three-and-a-half hours. Sakkari rarely gets tired — at all — but in the third set, Andreescu began to cramp. She kept trying, but the Greek was cheering, running, bending down and smashing the ball. Last year, she began to change, not about her speed, but what she had to do something different. Years ago, she could not break into the top 20, because she would get frustrated and she would back up. In time, though, she began to move forward and hit it harder

On Wednesday, she will likely to do it again, but can she pull it off one more time? She will know, one way or another.

NOTES

Carlos Alcaraz looked worn out in his quarterfinal match versus Felix Auger-Aliassime. But, not worn out to approach the net to retire at 63 31 (ret). The 18-year-old Spaniard had both legs wrapped during the match and cited a leg injury for retiring. Auger-Aliassime becomes the first Canadian man to reach a US Open semi.

In another teenage coming-of-age stage, Leylah Fernandez prevailed over Elina Svitolina 6-3 3-6 7-6(5). The Canadian, who turned 19 just yesterday, cracked numerous down-the-line forehands for winners. She got a break on the penultimate

point, as her pass bumped off the net cord. Svitolina, who continues to find obstacles in her pursuit of her first Grand Slam final, can only wonder why she can’t find clear sailing in a draw opened up by numerous upsets. …

Alexander Zverev is so consistent, each time now, and this year, his return is now deeper and he can mix it up. He took down Jannik Sinner 6-4 6-4 7-6(7), which was a tough match, but he focused, which is why he won. …

The U.S. men and women are gone now, including Reilly Opelka, who lost to Lloyd Harris. Opelka has had a fine year, but he needs to return substantially better. If he wants to reach in the ttop 10, he has to improve day after day. The reason why
Matteo Berrettini had moved up, into the top 10, because the Italian knew he had to be more aggressive with his return. …

It was very impressive that Belinda Bencic was thoughtful and powerful, when she beat Iga Swiatek. You would think that if she sticks with a plan, then maybe she can go much further, maybe in the final? …

Another teenage shocker is Emma Raducanu, who came out blasting, and crushed American Shelby Rogers, who was erratic and also exhausted. However, Brit Raducanu is young and she is very patient. Plus, she can find the lines. She will be around for a long time. …

Karolina Pliskova likes the hardc ourts, and she beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Still the question persists if the former No. 1 can take home a major. Later in the second week, she has to step it up, and be more steady. Once, she reached the US Open and this year’s Wimbledon finals, and she was close, but in the third set, she was so-so. If you get there again, grab it.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, Elina Svitolina, Jenson Brooksby, Leylah Fernandez, Maria Sakkari, Novak Djokovic, Reilly Opelka, us open