Christopher Eubanks – TennisReporters.net

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

October 7, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Caroline Wozniacki wins first match in Montreal

August 9, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The former No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki, is back, in Montreal, which is a little bit odd, given that she retired. It appears that she just wanted to play again and win, a lot. She has won 30 titles, which is huge and her backhand was extremely good, but the reason why she only won one Grand Slam is because her forehand was so-so, and her her second serve, too.

Today, she beat Kimberly Birrell 6-2, 6-2, and she was thrilled, as she has not play for three and half years ago, a long time.

However, the 33-year-old Wozniacki was so consistent, and fast. But why did she decide to retire, thinking that it is time to go, forever. And then, gradually, she would think sure, I can hit the ball, have some sets, have some fun, and then go home. But one day, she would wake up, and then say, alright, now I can to win another Slam. Something that is really important.

“Can I win the US Open? I think so,” said Wozniacki, who has two young children. “Can I win the Australian Open [again]? I think so. That’s why I’m doing this. And I guess we’ll see what happens.”

I would say so, but she has only won one match this week. She has to work on the shots, gradually.

Or maybe she won’t come back into the No. 1 ever again, or even into the top 10. Look at another four-times Grand Slam winner, Kim Clijsters, who came back, but she could not win a match. On court, she was a wonderful player, but then she was just too slow. So then she retired again. That it a tough pill to swallow.

However, the former Wimbledon winner, Frederik Lochte Nielsen, said about Wozniacki, “I’ve always said, never underestimate Caroline. She wouldn’t compete if she didn’t feel she could.”

How did Milos Raonic win a match on Monday in Toronto? Yes, long ago, he looked very good, winning eight titles, and he reached in the final at the 2016 Wimbledon. Even though he lost against Andy Murray, it was possible that eventually, he could grab it, and become No. 1. But he could do it, not just because he started to be injured a lot, but also, he wasn’t that fast, running, and his return was spotty.

But now, the Canadian finally came back, and the 32-year-old look very impressive when he beat Frances Tiafoe 6-7(12), 7-6(4), 6-3. He was thrilled, but it is just only one match. Or more.

Back in 2013 in Canada, Raonic reached the final, beating Juan Martin del Potro, and then he lost against Rafa Nadal. But in Canada, he was thrilled.

“I felt I was able to do my things well,” said Raonic, who won twice San Jose, in California. “I don’t feel I’m that far off from playing tennis that was reminiscent from two or three years ago. But it doesn’t mean that those things just click and transfer to matches. I still have to continue working hard in those moments and hopefully those things do come together.”

That it true, and maybe when you are more mature, then you can adjust it when you are playing in the matches. Not only did he win eight contests, in the ATP 250s and the 500s, but he reached into the 1000’s, three times. The last time was in Cincinnati in 2020, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas before he lost against the great player, Novak Djokovic, quickly. But that is how it does.

The American men had a tough day, when Gael Monfils played terrific in the third set, when he was very confident again, beating Christopher Eubanks 7-6(3) 6-7(4) 6-1. Eubanks has had a good year, but he will has to be more efficient on court.

But Monfils looked excellent, in the third set, but the former 2008 Roland Garros semifinals became injured all the time, each year. He has never won a Grand Slam before, but he is older, so to win a Slam or an ATP 1000 would be shocking. However, in the third set Toronto, the very fast runner hit some blasting shots, including his fine forehand. Whether he can stay the rest of the year, with his sore legs, is questionable, but he had a cool at night.

“Every moment are tough. When you get on the court, it’s tough,” Monfils said. “Then when you know your tactic is not working, it’s tough. And then I don’t know what is worse, to miss completely the game when I was about to serve it out [in the second set], or when I choke with this forehand on the match point, or when I couldn’t even get this double break. So are tough. And at the end, the easiest one is when I won and I shake his hand. I never take granted any moment. So I just tried to stay the most positive that I could and try to be as cool as I can. And to be honest, it’s amazing. After 20 years, I can choke in a way. It means so much for me to win one match. And it was actually fun.”

Grand Slam before, but he is older, so to win a Slam or an ATP 1000 would be shocking. However, in the third set Toronto, the very fast runner hit some blasting shots, including his fine forehand. Whether he can stay the rest of the year, with his sore legs, is questionable, but he had a cool at night.

“Every moment are tough. When you get on the court, it’s tough,” Monfils said. “Then when you know your tactic is not working, it’s tough. And then I don’t know what is worse, to miss completely the game when I was about to serve it out [in the 2nd set], or when I choke with this forehand on the match point, or when I couldn’t even get this double break. So are tough. And at the end, the easiest one is when I won and I shake his hand. I never take granted any moment. So I just tried to stay the most positive that I could and try to be as cool as I can. And to be honest, it’s amazing. After 20 years, I can choke in a way. It means so much for me to win one match. And it was actually fun.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Caroline Wozniacki, Christopher Eubanks, Gael Monfils, Kimberly Birrell, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, milos raonic, Montreal, Toronto

Taylor Fritz in Atlanta: ‘He needs to be stronger, more explosive’

July 27, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The American men are now playing the hellacious hard courts. The grass is finally finished, and while there are some other players who went back again on the clay, for the next three weeks, but many other people want to grab and go in the United States.

None of the guys have won Toronto or Montreal, or Cincinnati, or the U.S. Open. Yes, they have won some of the ATP 250s in the summer, but they could not win the ATP 1000s. Well good luck, once again.

Here they are, ready to hop again, such as Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda, the top 30 players. Fritz is playing in Atlanta this week, but they other players decided not to. However, the rising Christopher Eubanks is there, as he is ranked in the top 31. That is really good, considering that last year, he was out of the top 100. He has improved a lot.

Since Fritz reached the semis in Monte Carlo in early April, he lost against Andrey Rublev on clay, and he didn’t win hardly at all after that. On the tough grass, at Wimbledon, he lost in the second round, darn early. But while he was struggling, he knew that he needed to really train, very hard. His fine coach, Michael Russell, also played on the tour for many years. There were some tough moments, but he just kept going, and he added some new shots. Really, as Russell said, each week, you can be intense and drive, again. Here is what he said on ATPTour.com: “We’re looking to have a good hard-court season coming up. He trained really hard after Wimbledon, and I think that’s given him a lot of motivation,” Russell said.

“On the grass the margins are so fine; a few of the matches he lost were so close. It can come down to a couple of tie-breaks and a couple of shots. But in general, I feel that he’s been playing well and his fitness is getting better, which is the main thing. He needs to be stronger, more explosive.”

At least Fritz won the 2022 Indian Wells, an ATP Masters 1000, but again, in 2023 in the summer, he didn’t win enough with some key matches. At the U.S. Open, another American in the first round, against the new, young player, Brandon Holt. One was happy, and the other was sad.

Fritz will face against Wu Yibing on Thursday. Also, in Atlanta, J.J. Wolf will face against Maxime Cressy. That could be a very close match, a wild, three-set encounter.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: atlanta, Christopher Eubanks, Matthew Cronin, Sebastian Korda, Tommy Paul, With Frances Tiafoe

The picks at Wimbledon: Wednesday, July 12

July 11, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Elena Rybakina over One Jabeur
Exactly one year ago Rybakina found her forehand, and she came back, and grabbed the Wimbledon title, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 over Jabeur in the final. Can she do it again? Perhaps, but Jabeur played fantastic when she clubbed Petra Kvitova easily.

The former seven-time major champion, Mats Wilander said that Rybakina is on fire, “When she starts getting going we realize ‘Oh okay, here we go again.’ She’s perfect for the grass with the big serve and then the confidence from last year. So out of the three, you most probably have to put Rybakina half a step ahead in terms of being the favorite.”

They have played each other four times and they have split. Jabeur has so much variety, and she can slice it, spin it and flatten it out. When she is feeling good, she can throw in her terrific drop shots. However, she can hit it too short and her serve is so-so.

Rybakina can be nervous at times, but she can also really think about the different strokes. There are times when her forehand goes off, and her second serve can be too short. But on the grass, she believes that eventually, she can jump to grab her winners. For the second time at Wimbledon, Rybakina will edge Jabeur in another fun three-setter.

Aryna Sabalenka over Madison Keys
They have split their match, one to one, with Sabalenka winning almost five years ago in Cincinnati on the hard courts and Keys grabbed it in Berlin two years ago 7-5 in the third. Sabalenka won a Slam for the first time this year, taking the Australian Open.

Keys has not done it yet, but she has gone very deep at all the four Slams.
She thinks when she is healthy, she can beat almost anyone. She can mash her forehand and her backhand, and her first serve is extremely powerful, but her second serve can be weak. She will hustle, and she also will try to put it into the corner and put it away.

Yes, the same goes for Sabalenka, who hops on balls very early and she will swing it very hard. She can blitz her forehand and her backhand, and while she is returning, she can over-hit. Yes, she has matured a lot of the past year, and she is much more secure. Without a doubt, Keys wants to go even further, but in the third set, the No. 2 Sabalenka will win it in three massive sets.

Daniil Medvedev over Christopher Eubanks
It was predictable that Eubanks was going to lose against Stefanos Tsitsipas, but he did not. Last year, the former Georgia Tech star was unable to beat anyone of the top 20 at all. But he realized eventually if he can hit the ball even harder, and then he can crush the balls off both sides. The 27-year-old changed it up, and his first serve became more consistent. “It’s a bit nuts right now. It’s crazy to see my social media feed that I’m just used to kind of going to, seeing it’s a lot of me,” he said. “I’m like, What is this? This is weird. The entire experience all together has just been a whirlwind. It’s been something that you dream about. But I think for me I didn’t really know if that dream would actually come true. I’m sitting here in it now, so it’s pretty cool.”

That is darn cool, but he has to something that he can reject Medvedev. The Russian has had a strange year, winning a lot, and then, almost out of nowhere, he over-hits. Yes, the former No. 1 really likes his brutal forehand and his heavy backhand, and also, when he returns, too. He doesn’t love at the net, but it is pretty darn good, yet here and there, he can mentally check out. However, on the grass, in London, Medvedev will swell up, and he will step on the top against after the American. Medvedev will win it in four interesting sets.

Carlos Alcaraz over Holger Rune
These two have tied, one to one, which is interesting, but not really. The first time was in 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals in Italy, and Alcaraz, won it easily. Then in the fall, last year in 2022, in Paris indoors, Rune won it when Alcaraz retired, due to an injury. So really, that was important, yet the 20-years-old still haven’t played each other enough, and because of that, it is all most even.

It is pretty clear there will be some long points, down the line, and crosscourt. They can mix it up, and they can also rush into the net. They are very potent, and while they are still young, they have played a lot since they started, so they know how to hit the ball, intelligently.

As Alcaraz said: “If I have to take some weapon from him, I’m going to say the backhand. I’m not saying that my backhand is bad, no. I think he has a great backhand. He has a lot of passion; he loves the game. He’s a very competitive guy, as well. I could describe him like this.”

It is highly unlikely that they will go into the glorious five-setter, and while Rune wants to win a Grand Slam, he will miss a few shots at the end. Alcaraz will win it with four awesome winners.

Matt’s yesterday picks at Wimbledon

Correct: Novak Djokovic over Andrey Rublev
Correct: Jannik Sinner over Roman Safiullin
Iga Swiatek over Elina Svitolina
Jessica Pegula over Marketa Vondrousova

Matt’s picks from Wimbledon

11 out of 17. 64.7% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Christopher Eubanks, daniil medvedev, Elena Rybakina, Holger Rune, madison keys, Ons Jabeur, wimbledon

The picks at Wimbledon: Monday, July 10

July 9, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Stefanos Tsitsipas over Christopher Eubanks

The hard-running Greek Tsitsipas is finally playing very well, outstanding when he beat Andy Murray in five wonderful sets. He has been there before, but the American Eubanks has suddenly become much better. Over the years, he could not beat the top players, but this year, he has become much more powerful. He is the only American who has made it into the second week at Wimbledon. When they started to play at the event, they thought that they had a chance to go very deep, but they all went down, day after day. But not Eubanks, who is thinking on court, and really to go for it. However, he might be aggressive. Tsitsipas will push forward, and change it up with his massive forehand and his potent backhand. Tsitsipas will win it in four stellar sets.

Petra Kvitova over Ons Jabeur
The two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova is barreling again with a tremendous confident. On the hard courts, she can look wonderful, but she can also play awful. But, not now, as she is running all over the place. She can be so rugged, and she will scream after she just slapped a terrific winner.

Jabeur finally began to guess on the court again. Clearly, she has so much variety, and she also loves to hit drop shots. She also likes to spin it and fool her opponents. However, Kvitova knows exactly how to play against her. Yes, she can mentally check out, but right now, she has checked in. As she said: “I love playing on grass, for sure,” said Kvitova. “When my serve is working I love it even more. I don’t think it was the case today but somehow I found a way, which I’m very happy with.” Kvitova will win it in three demanding sets.

Madison Keys over Mirra Andreeva
The 16-year-old Andreeva came up really fast, as she knocked out Anastasia Potapova to reach in the fourth round. Some people knew that she can swing away, and she can sprint side to side. Clearly, she has a lot of work ahead, but she is very focused, even at her age.

“Honestly, after Paris I just had quite a long talk with myself, just me and myself, and that’s it. I talked to myself. I just talked,” Andreeva said. “I don’t know, just in my head I realized some things. I took some decisions that I think are now important for me.”

She might, but Keys really likes to shorten points on the grass. When she puts it in her first serve, then she sets with the points. She has been around for a while, and she has become hurt,physically, but when she is healthy, she can go very deep, like when she did at the Australian Open and the US Open. Keys is hard to read, but at least over the past eight days, she is secure again. Therefore, Keys will beat the young player in two tight sets.

Carlos Alcaraz over Matteo Berrettini

This is almost a standard analysis that the Spaniard believes that he can win every match. Even if he misses some odd points, when it can go for a few hours, he will change it up and not to try and nail down the line all the time. Alcaraz is growing, not just that he runs so fast, but week after week, he can see what he is really doing.

The Italian Berrettini can be darn hard opponent, and his backhand can also be strong as he bashes it down the line. However, he was hurt a lot this year, and while he has had a few very good wins here, he is not ready to rise up, yet. Alcaraz will win it in three physical sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks at Wimbledon

Andrey Rublev over Alexander Bublik
Iga Swiatek over Belinda Bencic
Novak Djokovic over Hubert Hurkacz
Elina Svitolina over Victoria Azarenka

Matt’s picks from Wimbledon

7 out of 9. 77.7% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Carlos Alcaraz, Christopher Eubanks, madison keys, Matt Cronin, Matteo Berrettini, Matthew Cronin, Mirra Andreeva, Ons Jabeur, Petra Kvitova, Stefanos Tsitsipas

The Picks in Miami: Thursday, March 30

March 30, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Notes: Due to the rain, yesterday, most of the women’s matches were canceled. Assuming that the rain will stop, we already wrote about Petra Kvitova over Ekaterina Alexandrova, as well as Carlos Alcaraz over Taylor Fritz, http://www.tennisreporters.net/archives/20281 – while Jessica Pegula will face Elena Rybakina today.

Elena Rybakina over Jessica Pegula
Yes, Rybakina won the 2022 Wimbledon, totally crushing the ball, she returned terrific, and she put it away, early. In January, she also reached the final at the 2023 Australian Open, and she lost in three dramatic sets against Aryna Sabalenka. She was sad, but within a couple days, she rose again. At some point, she will become No. 1, if she is healthy, and also, she just won Indian Wells, and off course, jumped on Sabalenka for the first time. “It’s not only physically but also kind of like experience, because even being not fresh, you still need to push yourself to find these moments in the match where it can turn around, which is not easy to always to do, but I think for now I’m managing.” Yes she is.

Now, Rybakina can slip, here and there, but she keeps chugging. However, she has to face against Pegula again. They have played just two times, and the American won it, at Miami two years ago, and also, at the end of the year. Pegula beat her 4-6 6-3 7-6(2) in Guadalajara. In Mexico, Pegula eventually won it, and the 29-year-old has pocked it just two times. At that point, it looked like at some point that she could actually win a Grand Slam, but not yet. However, her forehand and her backhand are massive when she is on, and she will mix it up a lot. As she said, ‘She’s been playing some great tennis. It’s going to be a great test and I think a deserved semi for a tournament like this.” Yes it will, but this time, Rybakina finally hoped it down and she won it in three wild sets.

Daniil Medvedev over Christopher Eubanks
The American Eubanks almost came out of nowhere, upsetting the very good players. It took the Atlanta man for years to improve, and now, his backhand is much better, and also, with his return, too. However, Medvedev has been playing great over the past two and half months, beating almost everyone.
The Russian won three events in a row, in Rotterdam, Doha and Doha. At Indian Wells, he reached the final and finally, he lost, going against the No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz. But here, he is there again, into the quarters. Medvedev has said that when he isn’t playing great, he can just be more stable, and move it all around. His backhand and his forehand are almost perfect when he is playing terrific, and he rarely makes a lot of errors. This is a great day for Eubanks, and the fans will be cheering for him, but the American will be confused during the match. Because of that, Medvedev will win in straight sets.

Karen Khachanov over Francisco Cerundolo
Karen Khachanov upset Stefanos Tsitsipas with some massive strokes, and while the Greek appeared was a little bit injured, the Russian hit the balls very deep and hard. Maybe he is turning it around, as he did reach the semis at the 2023 Australian Open. However, he is ranked No. 16, which is good, but he certainly wants to go into the top five this year. They all do. He can blast the ball, but his return is still so-so.

His opponent, Cerundolo, has had a so-so year, not going deep, until he landed in Miami. The Argentine was struggling, all the way back in July, and he reached the semis in Hamburg, but after that, he did not do it again, in eight months. Cerundolo is only 24- year-old, so he did say that currency, he is going to have to try to rip the ball, when he can, and he did upset Felix Auger-Aliassime in Miami. Now he is calm, and leaping on the ball. Maybe he will, to return a lot, and serve into the corners, so he can out-last Khachanov on the hardcourts. This really is a toss-up, but deep in the third set, in a tiebreaker, Khachanov will nail him and win it.

Wednesday picks

Correct: Jannik Sinner over Emil Ruusuvuori
~~Aryna Sabalenka over Sorana Cirstea~~

Matt’s Miami picks

14 out of 23: 60.9% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Christopher Eubanks, daniil medvedev, Elena Rybakina, Francisco Cerundolo, Jessica Pegula, karen khachanov, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, miami