Belinda Bencic – Page 2 – TennisReporters.net

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

US Open preview: Is this Pliskova’s opportunity?

August 30, 2021 by Matthew Cronin

Almost everyone wants to read about Novak Djokovic, who has a chance to win four Grand Slams this year. He is so consistent, and rarely strings together many errors. Once in a while, he does, but he is powerful, and he has a wide-ranging variety. He can smash his serves, he can return from the baseline and at the net. He is the top dog.

However, Djokovic is not the only person in New York. There are more than a few who want to reach the second week, or even further, such as Kei Nishikori, Alex de Minaur, Matteo Berrettini, Jenson Brooksby, Jannik Sinner, Denis Shapovalov and Reilly Opelka. But, the big challenge could be in the semis when Djokovic has to face Alexander Zverev. The German is flying high, he finally likes to be move and to smash it down the lines. He can go cross-court, and he can shatter it into the middle which can be very deep. He has finally matured a good amount. He hasn’t won a Grand Slam yet, but he was very close in the US Open last year. So in the fifth set, he can lock it in and then he can snag it, finally.

The No. 1 Ash Barty has only won ‘just’ two Grand Slams. This year, the Aussie has played fantastic, with her variety from her forehand and her backhand to take Wimbledon. It is hard to know where she is going, which is why she has beaten lots of excellent players. But can she win another Slam, this time in Flushing Meadows? She has grown a lot, and she is more intelligent. Without a doubt, she can push down almost everyone.

But, there are a number of players who think that when they are playing excellent, they have a shot to upset Barty.

In the first and second quarters, it could be Karolina Muchova, Jennifer Brady, Belinda Bencic, Jessica Pegula, Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa, Maria Sakkari and Bianca Andreescu.

Plus, Karolina Pliskova wants to try to win the US Open for the first time. She has reached the final once, but could not pull it off. It’s all about her will. Pliskova thought it about it and she responded, “The next Grand Slam, I’m going to try to play like I was playing here from the first round to the last one.”

Hopefully, not early. Later.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alex de Minaur, Alexander Zverev, ash barty, ashleigh barty, Belinda Bencic, denis Shapovalov, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, Jennifer Brady, Jenson Brooksby, Jessica Pegula, Karolina Muchova, Karolina Pliskova, Kei Nishikori, Maria Sakkari, Matteo Berrettini, Novak Djokovic, Paula Badosa, Reilly Opela

TennisReporters.net 2020 year-end review: top 11-15, women

December 18, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

15. Garbine Muguruza
When she is on, she can be so darned dominant. She has two Grand Slams based on her ability to crush a bunch of winners. When she goes for it and finds her range, she can be one of the world’s best players. Her forehand and her backhand are very husky. When she loses, which is a decent amount, she gets frustrated and mournful. She can be very dreadful. The best thing in 2020 was the start of the year, when she advanced into the final at the Australian Open. She upset Simona Halep, but on Saturday she went down to Sofia Kenin in the final. That was more than respectable, but while she did win a lot matches, she could not win a title. In Rome, on clay, she was more than respectable, beating Jo Konta and Vika Azarenka. Against Halep, she was challenged and lost 6-4 in the third set. Where was her mental game? In 2021, Muguruza will be around, but will she be consistent for the entire year? That is a huge questio

14. Johanna Konta
The Australian/Brit is almost the same thing, when she is focused, and she digs in, then she would be very ground zero. She has a lot of coaches, say four, which is a lot, but she does like to listen. I am not sure why she really listens. In the last few months, she was muddy. She can back off, and she can shove the ball. She really is a cool player, but she has to change it up, at least a little more. Konta will be 30 years old, and, if she does go deep in tournaments, the fans will have to pay attention. On occasion, Konta wants to break out of her patterns. But, can she?

13. Victoria Azarenka
Ten years ago, she was No.1. She actually was the best player for a few months. She could beat anyone, winning so many matches. She won the Australian Open twice, on her march to the top. She lived on her massive stokes, with her influential forehand and backhand. She always tried to make shots on the lines. At the 2020US Open, she reached the final, beating Serena Williams in three sets in the semifinal. But, in the final’s third set, Naomi Osaka climbed up and the won 6-3. Azarenka was mentally tired. The Belarus can be very pissed off, and she was dejected . At 31 years, Azarenka can be irritable. She can best great players in 2021, or she can become distracted.

12. Belinda Bencic
It is possible that if she wasn’t hurt so much, she could have already won a Slam. But, she hasn’t reached that pinnacle. But, the Swiss was able to scrape back into the top 15. She can really grind it, and when she is feeling very well, then she can knock off most players. However, it was not a good year in 2020. When it was done, she was only 8-8. That is so mediocre. In 2015, she won Toronto during the summer. Then, she was so confident. She can drive herself, or she can nearly pop it back.

11. Serena Williams
The American has won 23 Grand Slams, so clearly, she is one of the best players on the planet. She has won so many titles, on hardcourts, clay and grass. She has almost every shot imaginable, with her massive serve, her heavy forehand, her slick backhand, and with a potent return. Williams is so rugged. However, now she is 39 years old, and she is aging. At the US Open, she lost Azarenka in the semis in three sets. That was a shocker, and then she had to wake up. Maybe in 2020, she will play here and there. But if she wants to win Slam No. 24 to tie Margaret Court, she has to break her four-match major final slide. Her footwork is no longer nimble and reaching for low balls is a major flaw. Even though she has been an all-in greatest event, it’s now time to get going again. It’s all about the commitment.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, Garbine Muguruza, jo konta, victoria azarenka

2008 US Open finalist Jankovic may return: ‘The door is open’

June 20, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

In the fall of 2008, Jelena Jankovic become No. 1. During the US Open that year, she knocked down Elena Dementieva in the semis. However, the super consistent Jankovic looked pretty good in the final versus better player, Serena Williams, and she was somewhat close. But, the American went for the lines, she hit some huge returns, and then won it again.

Serena now has 23 Grand Slams, while Jankovic is one of a handful of No. 1s who has never won a Slam. Without a doubt, the strong Serbian has been a dominant player and has won 15 titles. But, three years ago, she hurt her back and she couldn’t play at all. She had played week after week, all over the world, and she rarely stopped, except for the fact was she was hurt a lot and she would complain about it. Many of the players did not like her and some people though that she was cocky. When she was very young, it was all about her.From a journalist’s point of view, she was a delight. If you want to talk to her, she will about anything.

Perhaps she has grown up a lot. Currently, the 35-year-old hadn’t played since 2017, and now, she might play again on the WTA Tour, but she isn’t sure, yet.

Last week, she finally started again at an exhibition in Belgrade, with Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov and Nenad Zimonjic, among others.

She did not play fantastic, but good enough. To go back on tour, well, that is a huge tossup.

“This is the first time I’ve held a tennis racket in a very long time. I was sidelined by a back injury which not only hampered my tennis career, it was so bad I couldn’t walk properly or sleep,” Jankovic said. “I’ve made a full recovery but I don’t know if this is a comeback. The door is open, I never officially retired, but I am living a different life now.”

Her dangerous backhand was a weapon going down the line and crosscourt. She had great touch, too. She was always very fast, and she hustled all the time. But, her forehand was never great, and her serve was spotty. So, if she happens to come back in the WTA, hopefully, she has improved — finally. She needs to raise her game, one way or another.

“Making a tour comeback is a very different matter and a painstaking process.” Jankovic said.

FALL SCHEDULE, US OPEN PICKS
This week, the ATP and the WTA announced their schedules from August through November, including Cincinnati, the U.S. Open,Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros, among others. Obviously, they are thrilled to play again in six weeks. Still, right now, no one has any idea if they will be healthy n August. Athletes in many American sports are currently coming down with the virus. The international contingent in tennis just puts more and more players at risk.

Let’s just assume that everyone is healthy. That brings us to two big questions: Who will play the US Open and who will win. It’s still too early to answer the first question but the chances are high that both draws will contain many of the best players a very full fields. Even though they haven’t played in the big tournaments since early in March, eight people can reach the quarters in Flushing Meadows.

My [crazy] picks for the women: Ash Barty, Karolina Pliskova, Sofia Kenin, Bianca Andreescu, Belinda Bencic, Serena, Naomi Osaka and Alison Riske.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: ash barty, Belinda Bencic, Bianca Andreescu, flushing meadows, Jelena Jankovic, Karolina Pliskova, naomi osaka, Serena williams, Sofia Kenin, us open

Top 20 in 2019: Women, 10-6

December 19, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

No. 10: Serena Williams
In 2019, she played 31 matches, which is OK, but the 38-year-old needs to compete more. Yes, she is one of the best players ever, and she could win another major. Then she will tie with Margaret Court, with 24 Slams. I am sure that she wants to do it, but she is aging. While she still crushes the ball, she isn’t quite as fast anymore and she will continue to slow down. That happens to everyone. However, there are things she can go to compensate, like when she has an opportunity, she can rush into the net. To win a Slam again, she has to push herself. To run back and forth, it is difficult to out-run the young, excellent players. In 2019, she did not win an event, even though she reached in the finals at Roland Garros and US Open when Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu twisted her around. Obviously, Serena has a serious chance to win Slam in 2020. But when? My guess, I would say Wimbledon, if she can through in a bundle of aces.

No. 9: Kiki Bertens
The tall Netherlander had a solid year, hitting harder, and becoming more patient. A couple of years ago, she won Charleston, Cincinnati and Seoul, and it was clear that she was leaping up. In 2019, she has been respectable, winning Madrid, upsetting Petra Kvitova, Sloane Stephens and Simon Halep on clay. Sadly, at RG, she became hurt and she has to retire in the second round. After that, she was decent, but not spectacular. At least she made the final at Beijing, and then she was on the verge of ousting No. 1 Ash Barty. But, she went down 7-6(7) in the third. Talk about close. In 2020, if she gets better, then she will push into the top 5, but not for No. 1.

No. 8: Belinda Bencic
You have to wonder whether the 22-years-old will win a Slam in 2020. The Swiss finally rose up in the spring, and over the months, she upset Naomi Osaka at the US Open, and she beat Karolina Pliskova, Elena Svitolina and Simona Halep, at different tournaments. When she beats the top 5 players (and she can), then it is so clear that she can grab a major. Her forehand and backhand are big and convincing. She hustles, and she is enthusiastic. However, she plays too much, and in 2019, she was forced to retire here and there. One of the reasons was that four years ago, she was winning all the time. But, she got hurt for many months. When she returned, she had to re-start again. It wasn’t instantaneous, but she was pretty patient, and this year, she finally grew. If she goes deep at the Slams, she will be knocking at the door.

No. 7: Petra Kvitova
The Czech has won Wimbledon twice, and she was very close to win the 2019 Australian. But, in the final, she lost 6-4 in the third to Naomi Osaka. That was a terrific contest with huge swings by both of them. Had she found a way to trip up Osaka, then she would have been incredibly happy. But she could not, so Kvitova will have an opportunity in 2020. She has to bear down, and concentrate, all the time. She will be 30-year-old and the best thing for her is not to play a tremendous amount now. How long she will continue to play in the next few years in up in the air. If she is playing great, she will stay there, but if she is mediocre, month after month, then she will stop, and retire. Just like Caro Wozniacki recently said that in January, that is the last time she will play tennis because that will be it and she will wave goodbye. They are the same age. At the 2020 Australian Open, Kvitova will be thinking about her path forward, which would be to improve her second serve, her return and net play. All of it, slightly, and then she can win it at Melbourne.

No. 6: Elina Svitolina
The good thing about the Ukraine is that this year, she finally reached the semis at the Slams, twice, at Wimbledon and the US Open. But, the bad news is that on court, in front of thousands of fans, she backs off and she went down, to Halep and Williams. Clearly, it is not easy to beat the fantastic players, but she has to shake it off and concentrate. Svitolina has won 13 titles. In 2017, she grabbed in Dubai, Rome and Toronto, three Premier 5s. She is super strong, fast on her feet, muscular and ambitious. However, she has done everything, except win a Slam. In 2020, Svitolina has to be tranquil. If she does, she will reach a Slam final somewhere, and grind her opponent into the ground.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, Kiki Bertens, Petra Kvitova, Serena williams

WTA Finals: Eight great players, but who will win?

October 26, 2019 by Jeff Frank

Over the past 25 years — or even longer — it usually looked like the No. 1, or the No. 2 were serious favorites at the WTA Finals. But this week coming up, in the eight-player, round-robin event in Shenzhen, China, almost all of the competitors will have a shot to win. That is almost unheard of. There will be a bunch of three-setters, surprises and complicated group calculations. Whoever wins the event, she has to step up and produce top-level tennis.

In the Red Group, it will be Ash Barty, Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova and Belinda Bencic.

In the Purple Group, it will be Karolina Pliskova, Bianca Andreescu, Simona Halep and Elina Svitolina.

The odds
Although Barty, Andreescu, and Osaka all share the same odds going into the Finals, I believe that perhaps that Pliskova has a decent chance.”

Red Group
Will Barty stay at No. 1? Probably, because she has a big lead in points. But while the rankings are important, the Australian still wants to win the event. She has improved a tremendous amount this year, staying patient, and she really mixed it up a lot. But, at times, she should become more aggressive.

Yes, Barty won Roland Garros, her first victory at a Grand Slam. In the final, she showed no fear. Then at the US Open, she exited in the fourth round against Qiang Wang and couldn’t hit it into the corners often enough.

She reached the semis of Wuhan and at the Beijing final, so she enters the event in good shape. But, in her group is the player who won Beijing, Osaka, who beat Barty in three sets. Osaka usually goes for it as soon as she can and Barty likes to work her way into the points. So if the Aussie wants to win it, she has to go for her shots, immediately.

In the fall, Osaka turned around her play. She had won the Australian Open, but then slumped, on clay, grass, and the US Open. She is a terrific hitter, but the pressure affected her mentally and she wasn’t focused. Now she comes in with wins at Osaka and Beijing, and if she can find her rhythm, she’s another one who can win it for the first time.

Talking about being up and down, there’s also Kvitova. The Czech can be fantastic, jumping on balls with her massive forehand and cracking first serve. She can scramble, she can re-set, and she can be very competitive until the final ball. But, the two-time Grand Slam champion can also unravel mentally when she can’t get her game going. So does the 29-year-old, one of the most popular and friendly players off the court, really want to win the tournament badly? To do it, she must be totally focused, day after day.

At the start of the year, Bencic didn’t look like she’d be among the top eight at China. A few years ago, she cracked the top 10 and beat a lot of top players with her variety and tactical ability. But, she had a few injuries, and took at least a year-an- a-half to become good again. Right now, she is patient or aggressive as she needs to, and is winning against the biggest names again. To win the tournament this week, though, will be difficult with all the quality opposition.

Purple Group
Pliskova can play fantastic ball. Her first serve is massive, she can go down the line with her forehand and backhand, and she is pretty good when she goes up into the net. But, she has yet to win a Grand Slam. She has been at the top for years, and she has got fairly close, darn close. But, in important moments, she backs off, mentally. Also, the Czech is not very fast, and opponents can break her down. If she immediately starts to roll, she can bash the ball, put together a ton of winners and win the WTA Finals. The No. 2, though, is not the favorite; there are very solid players in the field who can run her around.

Where did the Canadian Andreescu come from? Yes, the teenager looked very good in the juniors. But, to join the WTA and then almost immediately win a few huge events, such as Indian Wells, Toronto, and the US Open, was a shocker. Of course, Andreescu is very young, but she already knows the right way to play. While she isn’t very tall, she is super agile, has a huge amount of shots, and she can move forward regularly. She can surely win a Grand Slam again, assuming that she stays healthy, and she can become No. 1. But she hasn’t played before at the WTA Finals, and many of her opponents haven’t played that much against Andreescu, nor she has played against them. They will have to adjust. One way or another, she’s one of the favorites to win the WTA Finals.

You never know with Halep, a true grinder who now competes hard. In 2018, the Romanian won a major for the first time at Roland Garros, which took a lot of pressure off her. The 27-year-old she stopped being so nervous and she dug deep.

Halep is one of the best returners and, she can run side-to-side forever. Plus, she is pretty good tactically, so in the final at Wimbledon, she locked in and only missed a couple of shots. It was possibly her best match ever, crushing Serena Williams in the final. But since, she hasn’t done much at all. Halep was frequently hurt in the run up to this week, and to win the Finals, she would have to hit the lines constantly. Right now, though, she might just want to go back home.

Svitolina is also in question. Having won the WTA Finals in 2018, she looked like she had a real chance to next win a major. She did improve a bit, reaching a pair of semifinals, but she has yet to reach a final at the Slams.

She is a very strong player, running back and forth, and side to side. Physically, when she is healthy, she can beat everyone, but Svitolina can be frustrated on court. Winning a second straight title will be tough.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: ash barty, Belinda Bencic, Bianca Andreescu, Karolina Pliskova, naomi osaka, Petra Kvitova, Purple Group, Red Group, Shenzhen, Simona Halep, wta finals

Former No. 1 Kim Clijsters will unretired, again

September 13, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

The 2019 US Open is over, it is done, until 2020, when Flushing Meadows opens up again.

Let’s start with the women, those who went deep, and those were the good players who lost, and who were very disappointed.

But first, the three-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters announced that she will return, on court, even though she is 36 years old. Of course, she loves to play, and that is why she will return in January.

She retired seven years ago, she won two US Opens and the Australian Open. She has won so many events, “only” 41 titles. She won on different surfaces, but when she competed, she liked the hardcourts much better.

Clijsters was always very fast, side-to-side especially, her forehand and her backhand was hard and deep, and towards the end, she mixed it up better. She is bright, she can focus and she can really think, on court and off. She now has three children, and they are old enough to see her watch the match.

But can Clijsters win another Grand Slam? Sure, she can, but it will be difficult, as the young players have become better, and they will take on anyone. They won’t be afraid. Just like the Belgian, when she start playing on the court, she will go for the lines and slide so close to the ground. And off the court, she will laugh, because when she started at the WTA 20 years ago, she would always smile. She will do it again.

We already covered Bianca Andreescu, who won the 2019 US Open title. She is just so powerful and thoughtful. As I said before, if she stays healthy, she will reach No. 1 early next year…

In the semis, she out-hit Belinda Bencic, which was a little bit surprising, because I always thought the Swiss would win the title. When she is feeling great, she can swing away, left and right, and she can be very patient. But she isn’t quite there yet. There are times when she gets frustrated, and she over-thinks. We will know next year, but as long she doesn’t get hurt, she will be right there again.

There are two players who have a chance to becoming No. 1, the No. 2 Karolina Pliskova and the No. 3 Elina Svitolina, but they have yet to win a Grand Slam yet. So many times, it looked like the huge-hitter Pliskova was going to grab it, and then she falls back. She can look fantastic at times, but at the majors, she checks out at some point. ..

Svitolina is younger than Pliskova, so perhaps next year the Ukranian will reach the final at a major. She reached the semis last week, and it looked like she was going to seriously push Serena Williams, but the American destroyed her. Yes, Williams can play terrific, and she did during the match, but Svitolina was very erratic. She has to keep her head up …

The former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki lost pretty early in the third round, losing to Andreescu. At the end of the tournament, then we knew that the Canadian is a darn good player, but if you look at this year, Wozniacki hasn’t won much. Clearly, she has been hurt over the past year, but before that, the 29-year-old played all the time. Every week, just abpuy. Eventually, her body begins to break down. How long will Wozniacki will continue to play, or retire? That is very hard to say. She just got married this season (to the former NBA basketball player, the American David Lee), so maybe she will want to have a child. She has always loved playing tennis. She is sort of the same with Clijsters: they both just want to crush the ball, as a winner, of course.

It should be mentioned that the No. 1 Ash Barty has had a fantastic year, and I would think that she could finish No. 1, in October, when it ends. Yes, she lost at the US Open, put she also won Roland Garros. That was gigantic, and be with her as the first important step in her career.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, Bianca Andreescu, karolina, Kim Clijsters, Pliskova

Belinda Bencic is bashing the ball, takes down Osaka

March 12, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

FROM INDIAN WELLS, MARCH 11, 2019 – More and more, Belinda Bencic is becoming much more confident and knowledgeable. The Swiss was really struggling over the past few years, because she was hurt a lot, and when she returned, she needed to re-think her game.

She played a lot of tournaments in 2018, playing whenever she could. She knew that eventually she would feel her legs. When she swings, and where she returns, she is blasting her shots.

Back in 2016, she cracked the top 10. She won Canada, beating a bunch of excellent players. It looked like she could eventually become No. 1. But, she hasn’t … yet.

Can she return to the elite? On Tuesday, she looked the part and crushed No. 1 and defending champ Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-1.

Bencic takes a little more time, and she likes some long rallies, but she has to push herself in front. Osaka does, and that is why she has won two Grand Slams. Bencic has not, so in order to even further, she has to mix it up more and then when she has a chance, she can crack the ball.

After her win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, the Swiss said about playing Osaka, “Definitely a big opportunity. I always like to play on the big courts, I like to play the big players. I really enjoy that, and that’s what I work for. We try to push each other. One is doing well, so you’re motivated to do well again.

“We are all different players, but still, the ’97 generation, it’s so strong. Everybody has their own timing. So sometimes it takes longer; sometimes it takes faster. Definitely, [Osaka is] a great player. I’m just super happy to be on the big court at 6:00 p.m.”

It will be, on Tuesday, assuming it will stop the rain. The good rain, except for tennis:)

Some other good wins today including Venus Williams, Karolina Pliskova, Angelique Kerber and Aryna Sabalenka. Mona Barthel, a veteran who plays all the time, almost every week, and she has lost so many matches over the past few years, but now, she hangs in there and battles. Almost six years ago, she was ranked in the top 25, winning a couple events. Now she is ranked No. 97. Is she ready to leap forward? We will find out next week.

NOTES
Milos Raonic barely escaped the American Marcos Giron 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. He looked a little timid, but in the third set, he finally took over the corners. That was a fun win by the Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka, edging Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 in the third. That was darn close. … Alexander Zverev apparently is sick, so he went down easily against Jan-Lennard Struff. Everyone is ill. … After he struggled in South America, Dominic Thiem is playing better and now he could reach semis.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, indian wells, naomi osaka

The excellent Swiss: Belinda Bencic, 18, rising up again

January 12, 2016 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

APIA INTERNATIONAL SYDNEY, Jan. 12, 2016 – Belinda Bencic is only 18 years old, but last year, the Swiss was already rising fast and she managed to beat the unthinkable Serena Williams and the super steady Simona Halep to win Toronto.

However, even when she was only 17, she felt like she was pretty much right there and able to compete with the best. She has tremendous variety, she has beautiful strokes, she is fairly strong and she can be ambitious. She can get mad – very mad during a bad day when can’t keep the balls inside the court – but she keeps improving and seems to listen to her parents and coaches.

The former junior champion came right out of the box. On the start of 2014 season, she was ranked No. 187 and then she moved quickly. She qualified at the Aussie Open, and lost to the now-retired Li Na. She qualified in Charleston, reaching the semis after she stunned Sara Errani in the quarters on green clay. At the US Open, she shocked Angie Kerber and Jelena Jankovic before she lost against Shuai Peng – quickly. She could get tired at times, winning a few terrific matches and then falling because she couldn’t run at her fastest. But she was young and, eventually, her body would get stronger and stronge, As long as she is working out, she wouldn’t be exhausted unless she had to play for multiple hours.

Last January she was ranked No. 33 but she couldn’t get going for the first five months. She did nothing at all, on hard courts or on clay. But then once she got on grass, she decided that she would be more consistent, more aggressive, more patient and lethal. She reached the final of Netherlands, she won Eastbourne and then she lost against Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

She won Toronto, beating Genie Bouchard, Wozniacki, Sabine Lisicki, Ana Ivanovic, Serena and Halep. She lost to Venus Williams in the third round at the US Open, but she did reach the final in Tokyo. Her legs were strong and she could mix up her attack. Then, everyone knew she could really play.

But, in Beijing, she had to retire with a hand injury. She wanted to continue and reach the WTA Finals, but she couldn’t.

However, she became healthy during the off-season and with the start of year, she said she is feeling wonderful.

Maybe Bencic will reach the top 10 very soon. But, as she said, she doesn’t want to think about – yet.

“I am not trying to find out where the counting points are, or the points are automatically,” she said. “I still have a lot of time, if it’s top 10 it doesn’t matter now or later, but I hope some day.”

Bencic laughed that the only good thing about Australia in 2015 was thatshe doesn’t have to defend the points because she couldn’t win anything, meaning there won’t be any pressure on her this year. But if she goes super deep in the next two and half weeks, everyone will pay attention again.

In Sydney, she has to face Ekaterina Makarova in the quarterfinals – a very tough match – perhaps against the Aussie veteran Sam Stosur in the semis, or maybe against No. 2 Simona Halep or the tall and rising Katarina Pliskova in the final.

If Bencic wins that title, the pressure will be intense once again.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Belinda Bencic, Sydney

The WTA top 32’s in 2015: former No. 1 Ivanovic slides, Bencic could win a Slam (No. 16-13)

December 16, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

WTA from Nos. 16 through 13

No. 16

Ana Ivanovic

The Serbian is better than that. She reached No. 1 in 2008, winning Roland Garros, and even before that, she took down a number of her contenders, including Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Nadia Petrova and Maria Sharapova, among others. She was improving all the time, and hitting her phenomenal forehand as hard as she could. It looked like she would stay inside the top 5 forever.

But alas, she was unable to be consistent enough and, while she has attempted to improve overall and change her tactics, she is still up and down. This season, she woke up at RG, reached the semifinals and went down 7-5 7-5 against Lucie Safarova. She was so close, but yet so far. After that, she tumbled, managing to reach the semis of Beijing, but other than that, she lost very early.

Can the 28-year-old go very deep at another major once again? Sure she can, but to win another one is another question. For the first time, I would say that I would be very surprised. She has a very long road once again.

No. 15

Roberta Vinci

Without a doubt, the Italian played her best season ever by far. With the entire world watching, she stunned the famous Serena Williams in the semifinal of the US Open, not backing off or becoming afraid. She went into the zone. A few weeks later in Wuhan, she knocked out Petra Kvitova and Katarina Pliskova to reach the semis, going down 7-6(7) in the third against Venus. She may have lost, but at the very least, she pushed as hard as she could.

The 32-year-old Vinci says that she will retire at the end of 2016, but the wicked slice backhand could keep her in the top 20 all year-long. Sure, she has been competing for the past 16 years, which is a very long time, but if she is still healthy, maybe she will think that she can go further.

No. 14

Belinda Bencic

If the 18-year-old Swiss hadn’t been hurt early in October, she could have ended in the top 10. However, after Beijing she had to stop, which is good because she is super young and has miles to go. Without question, she is already intelligent and wise, plus she can smoke the ball and mix it up.

She has upset a number of fine competitors over this year, but just one of the tournaments made the fans turned and stared: Bencic beat Genie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Sabine Lisicki, Ivanovic, Serena and Simona Halep to win the Toronto title. Right there, you knew that she is coming incredibly strong. If Bencic is healthy and she improves a little bit, she could win a major in 2016. She is that good.

No. 13

Carla Suarez-Navarro

From February through May, the Spaniard was on a roll. She reached the final at Miami, beating Aga Radwanska and Venus before Serena drilled her. She reached the quarters at Madrid and at Rome, she bested Kvitova and Halep before falling against Maria Sharapova in three sets.

But in Paris, she lost in the third round to Flavia Pennetta and, after that, she went on the boil. She managed to reach the quarters at Birmingham on grass, but then, she lost seven matches in a row. She was done.

However, the Spaniard with a one-hand backhand can dominate inside the baseline. She is super strong, but mentally, she has to be in much more control.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Ana Ivanovic, Belinda Bencic, Carla Suarez Navarro, roberta vinci