kaia kanepi – TennisReporters.net

TennisReporters.net, the top 32, in 2022: women 32-26

December 11, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

32. Kaia Kanepi
She is 37 years old and she still is a darn good player. She has never gone too deep at the Slams. In at least in four of them, she has reached all the quarters. That is a fair accomplishment. However, even though she is very strong, a huge hitter, she does not have enough variety. Next year, if she wants to reach into the top 20, she has to be much more aggressive.

31. Karolina Pliskova
The Czech was so close to winning the US Open and Wimbledon,. But her mental game disappeared. When she is playing amazing, she can crush her first serve, her forehand and her backhand, but unfortunately, she is not very fast. That is too bad, but after she finished her match, when she talks to the press, she is so honest and real. Just turning 30, when she walks on the court, and she has to realize that pretty soon she will retire. In 2023, at the important tournaments, then she has to go for the lines. Maybe she can push herself at the net, as she has rarely done it. So, do it now.

30. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
She seems to really like clay, going somewhat deep at Rome and Roland Garros. She is even-keeled. There are other times when she loses early and she is upset. She has been around for 10 years. If she wants to knock down the excellent players, then she must attack very early and then try to clip the lines. Try to rip it.

29. Elise Mertens
She can really hustle. The Belgian plays all the time, and certain weeks, she is thoughtful, but other times, she loses her control. It is hard to know why she is doing. She can play great, or she can play mediocre, at best. Perhaps next year she can try to hit the ball harder, because when she does it, here and there, she can be very tough to beat her. That is up to her.

28. Martina Trevisan
Here is another young player who is rising now. The Czech is only 20 years old, and she started the year ranked No. 81. She took down a number of good players, like Jessica Pegula and Caroline Garcia. She actually won Prague this year and she wants to win when it is extremely important. She knows that, and next year she can meld it around. Finally, she can pop the ball.

27. Qinwen Zheng
Another 20-years-old who has reached the top 30, Zheng is certainly climbing up the later. Maybe she is not that powerful, but she is very quick, and steady. On court, her eyes are locked in. She started the year No. 108, and now when she starts in January, it is very possible that she can be seated at the Australian Open. If she wins a few matches, then the fans will go to watch her. She has some wonderful variety, and she has to use it all the time.

26. Victoria Azarenka
The so-called ‘Vika’ is one of the most powerful players over the past 12 years. Yes, when she started, she was very shy, and she realized that to grow, and she had to really listen, on court and off. Finally, she did, not only banging her forehand and backhand, but in some key moments, she locked in, winning two Grand Slams. However, that was a long time ago, so the 33-year-old has to find out what is working for her. She still needs a couple pieces so she can have one more shots at a huge event.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Elise Mertens, kaia kanepi, Karolina Pliskova, Martina Trevisan, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Qinwen Zheng

Sloane Stephens finds her footing on clay but falls to Garcia

May 17, 2018 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

American Sloane Stephens said this week that she understands how to play better on clay now. She used to get frustrated at times, but now she is learning what she needs to succeed. However, she has to be more tolerant. On Wednesday in Rome, she knocked down Kaia Kanepi 6-0 5-7 6-4.

But, she couldn’t extend the magic against Caroline Garcia, losing 6-1 7-6(7). Garcia has improved huge amount over the past year — in the singles, that is. Both of them can sit back and rally for ages. They are both very accurate, rarely missing some easy shots. Eventually, however, they can swing hard and try to kiss the lines. This match can go for two and half hours. At the end, whomever is willing to go for it and not push the balls back, she will take it, with Stephens or Garcia.

Simona Halep smoked Naomi Osaka pretty quickly and then got a walkover when Madison Keys pulled out. That will keep her atop the WTA rankings.

Venus Williams overcame Elena Vesnina 6-2 4-6 7-5, as the Russian faltered in the last games. But Anett Kontaviet took down Venus 6-2 7-6(3) in the third round. Kontaviet aslo knocked Venus out of Madrid last week.

The amazing thing is for the first time, or very rarely, over the past 20 years, that Venus decided she could play doubles without Serena. Unfortunately, she picked Keys, who withdrew from singles and doubles, citing a rib injury.

On the rise is Maria Sharapova, who dispatched Gavrilova in straight sets. There was no doubt that Sharapova would find her form. Now, the question is can she get back into the mix of the top 5. If Sharapova wins a few more matches, she will be in the top 32, which will help at Roland Garros.

Here is a marathon when Daria Gavrilova took out Garbine Muguruza 5-7 6-2 7-6(6). Muguruza had a few match points and she couldn’t convert. She rarely chokes, and Gavrilova kept pushing her. I am just not sure that the former RG champ Muguruza can take the Paris title again.

Two other notable matches with the guys on Wednesday: Kei Nishikori beat Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(4) 5-7 6-4 in nearly three hours. Good for Nishikori, staying in there, going backhand versus backhand, hitting it hard down the line. Nishikori continued to show he is improving when healthy, pummeling Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1 6-2 in the third round.

Props to Fabio Fognini, who out-hit Dominic Thiem and then sailing through Peter Gojowczyk. Next up is Rafa Nadal who had no problem with Canada’s newest top player Denis Shapovalov. They have had some classic matches over the years, and they might do that again.