Matteo Berrettini: Will he take a big leap forward at Wimbledon?

Matteo Berrittini
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Italian Matteo Berrettini can really go very deep at Wimbledon next week. There are some notable players, like Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal, but the quick-footed Berrettini really likes to smash the ball on the grass.

Last year at Wimbledon he beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarters and then he defeated Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals. In the final, Djokovic was super steady and he beat Berrettini in four sets.

However, the dogged Italian likes to go down really low, and he also can jump with some huge shots. He just returned to playing after wrist surgery this year, that sidelined him for three months.

Last week, he won Stuttgart, beating the three-time Grand Slam Andy Murray in three sets. And then, exactly one year ago Berrettini won Queen’s, beating Cameron Norrie in the final.

But he can be irritable on court.

“Sometimes in order to flip the match around or the energy level and your mindset, you have to scream. You have to do something that gets into your body, into your mental mindset in that moment,” Berrettini said. “I don’t feel comfortable throwing rackets or throwing balls, it’s not something I like to do. But sometimes screaming at yourself helps.”

Now he is ranked No. 11, and the 26-year-old is an inferno, finding the lines and corking it up.

“There are so many emotions,” Berrettini said. “The last thing I expected was to come back from surgery and win two titles in a row, defend my title here at one of the most prestigious tournaments we have. I don’t want to cry. Most of the job is thanks to my team and my family. I just can’t believe it.”

He has won seven titles, which is pretty good, but it was a bit odd that he has yet to win a hard court event. However, at the 2022 Australian Open, he reached into the semis, when he pushed back Gael Monfils in five sets. But, Nadal hit him into the wall. The 6’5” guy still has to improve before next week, because the Slam winners are ready to win another title. It is up to Berrettini to leap forward.

NOTES
Murray has improved the year in the singles, but in the three-out-of-five, he might not be able to go in the distance. He has won Wimbledon two times, but we all know that he almost retired due to his injuries. He has always been a grinder, but he needs to shorten the points. If he does not, he has no chance to win it again …

Ig Reilly Opelka is hurt, then maybe he eil pull out of Wimbledon. In April, he won Houston, when the tall man was playing super ball. But after that, he has gone two wins and seven losses. Is it mental, or something else? …

In Eastbourne, there are a number of the American players. There were three wins today by Brandon Nakashima, Tommy Paul and Maxime Cressy. Ousted were Opelka, Sebastian Korda (who just pulled out at Wimbledon), Frances Tiafoe and Jenson Brooksby. Tiafoe will be seeded at the Big W. But, he has lost many matches this year. He has to go to the net more on the slick grass …

The two top men cannot play at Wimbledon: the No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. (Wimbledon banned Russians and Belarussian players due to the war.), and Alexander Zverev (who is injured). Other than Djokovic and Nadal, there are a few very good players who can rush into the second week.

Here are 10 more: Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime, Hurkacz, Berrettini, Cameron Norrie, Jannik Sinner , Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov, Alex De Minaur and Nick Kyrgios. But of you want another one, throw in John Isner. Yes, he is aging, but his first serve is still called “Mr. Ace.”

Taylor Fritz: ‘My goal is to move into the top-10”

Taylor Fritz

In Indian Wells it is somewhat odd that so many people can go very deep

Of course the top 10 players can go up the charts. But the reality is that outside of the top 32, the chances are somewhat slim.

Eventually, someone will rise up and have a great show. The fans can watch in a terrific, fun match.

Except for one, the American players are now gone in California, including Reilly Opelka, John Isner, Jenson Brooksby, Tommy Paul, Steve Johnson, Frances Tiafoe, Cori Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Jennifer Brady and Danielle Collins.

The sole American standing is Taylor Fritz, who won two matches two days ago, winning third-set tiebreaks over Jaume Munar and Alex De Minaur. He  in the quarterfinals.
 
In January, Fritz began to mix it up a lot, and he almost beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australia, Open in a classic five setter.

When he lost, he was very upset. He should have grabbed it, but he missed on a couple of key errors.

“I think obviously chances were there. It was just one of those matches, like, literally was decided by a couple points here and there. I felt like I just need to put myself in those situations a little more so I can play better in those moments” Fritz said. “The level is there to hang with those guys. I feel like I can play at that level consistently. I just got to keep having that consistency, keep getting in those situations, and it will just get easier.”

It has this week, but physically, he might feel tired. He has to face Miomir Kecmanovic, the Serbian, who has had a fine week. Kecmanovic needed three sets to oust Matteo Berrettini in the round of 16.

Fritz believes that he has progressed because he been more comfortable, but it is more mental than anything else.

“I think just my level as a player has gone up. I think I’ve gone up several levels. I’m a way better player than I was when I was here last year and I think I’ve improved a lot. I expect a lot more of myself. Back then when I think I was ranked about almost 40 six months ago, however long ago this tournament was, and now I’m in between 15 and 20. I’m looking, my goal is to move into the top 10. So I definitely have a lot higher expectations.”

Reilly Opelka edged all of them, winning Dallas Open

Reilly Opelka

The American men had all four players in the Dallas semis, which has been unusual over the past five years. But the US guys are gradually improving. Maybe this year, they can go deep at the ATP 1000s. As Marcos Giron said at the Grand Slams, they can go higher and higher.

Reilly Opelka won all four matches and took his third title. He won all six tiebreaks at Dallas out of eight sets he played. Beating John Isner in the semis, he won the longest set tiebreak in ATP history, 24-22.

He has a massive first and second serves. Also, when stroking from the baseline, he can hit it like a storm. The downside is that he is 6-foot-11, so it is difficult to sprint left and right.

Without question, he practices a lot and he also competes in the tournaments nearly every week, so it is both good, and it could be bad.

When you are winning, you will want to play all the time. But, if you are losing early, it is a good idea to not play and really think about what you need to improve. He is ranked No. 20. Last summer, he reached the final at the ATP 1000 for the first time in Canada, upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas before he lost against current No. 2, Daniil Medvedev.

Clearly, to go into the top 5, Opelka would go jump so high and find a path to beat Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Medvedev.

In the quarters, Giron beat his good friend, Taylor Fritz, another tiebreak among many 7-6(3) in the third. On Saturday, in the semis, he went down 7-6(5) in the third versus the 20-year-old Jenson Brooksby.

Giron had a good week, and the former UCLA collegian is growing more consistent, aggressive and thoughtful. He is currently ranked No. 64.

Here is my recent story about Giron.

Last year, there were no U.S. men in the top 20. Now, there are two top 20s. That is critical, but can they reach the top 10 this year? Isner has done that before, but the rest have yet to do it. The No. 17 Taylor Fritz has a shot because he has improved a decent amount over the past year, and the No. 45 Brooksby is understanding what it takes to move up. The No. 34 Frances Tiafoe can be up and down, but he is more careful. Another young person, the No. 43 Sebastian Korda, is finding his solution.

In 2003, Andy Roddick won the US Open, which is a very long time ago. Back then, before the 2000s, a bunch of American guys grabbed the Slams in the 1990s, like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. They were locked in, most of the time. And we are not just talking about the serves, but they were super consistent and could play with a lot of variety.

In the next nine months, the US men will attempt to upset the big boys. Perhaps. As Giron said: “Anything can happen.”

Alize Cornet upsets Garbiñe Muguruza, but could retire soon

Alize Cornet

In 2006 at the Australian Open, Alize Cornet was ready to hop and start her Grand Slam career. She has never won a Grand Slam, but she has played the tournaments week after week when she was very good and mediocre.

On Wednesday in Melbourne, she played terrific, upsetting the No, 3 Garbiñe Muguruza 6-3, 6-3. After the match, she said that she played almost perfect. She was on top of the ball. Last week, as she said, she played awful Time is ticking now. So this year, she wants to have a lot of fun.

“Last week I played one of the worst match of my life in Adelaide. I was not free at all. I was, like, completely stressed,“ Cornet said. “I don’t feel this way yet maybe because it’s not so clear in my mind. I wish I could play relaxed like I did today on every match. That would make things so much easier.”

The 31-year-old might retire as the end of this year. She hasn’t decided yet. She is still pretty fast and she can scramble. Her forehand and her backhand are decent, but not fantastic. If she had better strokes, she would have gone into the quarterfinals at the Slams, but she hasn’t yet.

“This is pretty much how I feel that it’s going to go, playing a whole year, playing 100 percent, trying to beat this Grand Slam record of consecutive play in Grand Slam. After that I think it will be a good time for me to retire,” said Cornet who was won six titles. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to say it’s going to happen this way. I’m not closing any door to keep going. But I gave so much to this game and to this tennis life, yeah, I feel I’m pretty much ready for the next chapter. At least by the end of the year, I think I’ll be ready.”

There were some great days, and even months, when she understood how to play, the right way. However, when she was on the court, she could get nervous or angry when she misses. Her mental focus would waiver.

“There were definitely some tough times during my career, but I think it’s the same for everybody. Like everybody, I wanted to quit tennis many times because sometimes it’s just too painful to work and not to be rewarded for your work, to have some tough losses,” she said. “Sometimes you lose, for example, with match point. You go back to your hotel room and you go, ‘What’s the point of doing all that?’

“This is not an easy job. You’re on the road basically 10 months out of 12, so you never see your family. It’s really hard to have a love life. All these things around tennis make it complicated. But the love of the game has always been stronger. I’m telling myself that I’m playing probably my last year. I’m not sure yet. When I stepped on the court, I was like, ‘You know what, just enjoy the moment because you don’t know if you’re going to come back.’ I think that’s what made the difference.”

NOTES
Muguruza won the 2021 WTA Finals and it looked like the No. 3 was ready to win another Grand Slam. But not now. “It’s a tough day. I didn’t fell at all my game,” she said. “My serve wasn’t there. I think my shots weren’t there also. Tactically, I think I wasn’t doing the right decisions either. Yeah, a little bit surprised about my level. I am a little disappointed, too.” I would say so….

The 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is on fire, and he really wants to reach into the second week. He is already very good.

Roberto Bautista Agut had a huge blowout, crushing Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 6-0, 6-3. “You have to give of course a lot of credit to Roberto, which I think played absolutely solid and maybe kind of a perfect match. But in tennis there are always two people involved. His level was great, and mine was maybe poor.”

Reilly Opelka and Taylor Fritz are still in the tournament. Maybe in the second week? That would be huge, given in the third round they will have to play Denis Shapovalov and Bautista Agut, respectively The Americans are the underdogs.

Men’s first round at Australian Open

Reilly Opelka

Here are four men’s matches in the first round at the Australian Open, with the men.

Rafa Nadal vs. Marcos Giron
The Spaniard is back. In the fall, he couldn’t not play because he was injured. But last week, he won another tournament, his 89th victory. As always, he has a big first serve, his amazingly good with his heavy forehand, and at the net, he is so consistent. If he stays healthy over the next two weeks, he certainly has a shot to win another Grand Slam, as he is now the only former champion in the field with Novak Djokovic gone. That would be 21 majors, which would be a huge victory. Giron had a good 2021, and it took him years to understand how to win at this level. In order to win more matches, and to move up the ladder, he had to define what he really need to grow. Apparently, he did just that. However, to upset Nadal at a Grand Slam, the American has to play almost perfect. He will have some fine games, but to shock him, that is almost impossible.

John Isner vs. Maxime Cressy
The 36-year-old Isner says that he wants to stay this year and even more, even though he is aging. Well good for him. The big man will always throw in a huge amount of aces, and nail his hard forehand. He can be upset when he loses in close matches — especially at the Australian Open — bit when he wins, he can be super happy. Not many people know who Cressy is, but he reached the final last week, upsetting Reilly Opelka and Grigor Dimitrov, before he lost against Nadal, 7-6, 6-3. Very good. Last year, he was pretty decent, but not great. He is 24 years old, so he has lots of time to grow. But, on court at the AO, Isner will blast him in four sets.

Reilly Opelka vs. Kevin Anderson
The rising American improved a lot last year, with his huge serves and his forehand, too. He has improved his foot speed. The funny thing is when Opelka has to play against a gigantic server like Anderson, there will be few rallies. The South African — who does live in the United States — has aced so many times over the years, and believe it or, he improved his backhand and his return. He reached the Grand Slam finals twice, which is huge. Now he is aging, but he continues to push himself. The match should go into the fifth set, and the winner will be the player who returns more consistently. It looks like Opelka will do just that.

Cameron Norrie vs. Sebastian Korda
The young American Korda is rising. While he played a lot at the tournaments, he could be off, but when he is on, he can jump on the ball. At the start of 2021, he was ranked No. 119, and now he is No. 40. Clearly he was improving a lot. He does have a lot of different shots, which are all solid. So as long as he can produce, then he will continue to seriously improve. However, the Brit Norrie had a fine year. Now he is smart, on court, going for the shots, and to try to hit the lines. He has been disciplined, and stable. Korda will attempt to crack on him, but Norrie will stay there for a long time and beat him in five tough sets.

TennisReporters.net 2021 year-end review: top 30-26, the men

Reilly Opelka


30. Marin Cilic
At the 2014 US Open, the Croat won the tournament hitting so hard with his big first serve. He was steady and he was controlled. He hit No. 3 but that was three years ago. This year, he looked pretty decent at times. He won St. Petersburg and Stuttgart, which terrific, but at the Grand Slams, or the ATP 1000’s, he did not go far. He is aging and, at 33, will he find a second wind.

29. Karen Khachanov
The Russian is also pretty tall, and three years ago, he became No. 8, as he has a gigantic serve and he can blast the ball. In 2019, he went deep at Roland Garros, Montreal and Beijing. He was riding high. This year he did have a couple good tournaments at the Olympics and Tokyo. He can bash it on the lines, and also, he can be intelligent. The 25-year-old works a lot, on and off the court, and probably plays too often. Maybe he can add more spin and his improve his return.

28. Grigor Dimitrov

The Bulgarian continues to do so many things, playing with a lot of variety. However, he can be frustrated when he is hitting the ball too short. He does like to mix it up, and he can also attack when he sees the chance. At this point, if he wants to come back into the top 10, he is going to have to shorten the points, and go for it, win or lose. If he doesn’t, then he won’t be able to go super deep at the Slams.

27. Lorenzo Sonego
The 26-year-old Italian had a pretty good year, upsetting two excellent players Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev in Rome and reaching the semis. He won Cagliari, as he seems to really like on the clay. On the hardcourts, he was mediocre at best. He has yet to go into the top 20, and he is close. But, if he really wants to improve, then he should change a few things, like with his serves, and his backhand. Just swing harder.

26. Reilly Opelka
The tall American had a very good year. He improved his foot speed, his first serve and forehand, which are huge. Mentally, on various tournaments, he finally saw that to win more matches, he had to decide and stick to his tactics. Plus, he ws hitting deeper into the court. That is why he finally broke into the top 30. Yes, towards the end, he wore down, but if he improves his return and works on attacking the net during the off season, then he has a chance to go into the top 15 in 2022. Even further? Sure, why not.

Finding the fault lines: Djokovic wears down his opponents

Novak Djokovic

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. 

Medvedev on verge of Grand Slam success

Daniil Medevdev

Daniil Medvedev totally crushed Pablo Carreno Busta on Friday in Cincinnati. While he can be irritable, still, on court, he is now very patient. He has a huge serve, he cracks his forehand and he whacks his backhand. Three years ago, he wasn’t great at the net, and also, he wasn’t more thoughtful when he returns. But, week after week, when he continued to practice, he became more smarter in the matches. 

Medvedev has already captured big events, winning the ATP 1000’s such as four of them, including Canada. If he wins it in Ohio, when he gets to the US Open, then he will have a real shot to win to grab a Grand Slam.

For him, fortunately, he will be right there. The injured Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer pulled out and they are done for the rest of the year, as they are seriously hurt. They are both very popular, and for the younger players, the fans have to watch them and see if they like Medvedev. 

That is up to them, but the Russian is coming very strong. Listen to American, Reilly Opelka, who lost against Medvedev.

 “He’s a great returner. Medvedev is top three best returners in the world, you could say,” Opelka said. “I’d say especially for a big guy, maybe he’s No.2 behind Novak [Djokovic] for like a server like myself, because he’s long. He can afford to stand far back, because he’s lanky. He has a really long reach. He’s got a good wingspan. His grips are kind of traditional so he’s able to play, handle the ball well from back there, from that far back, because he’s pretty Eastern on his forehand. He’s fast. He’s a good athlete. He’s able to get out of the corners quick, he’s able to play deep back in the corner to me. It’s tough.” 

Medvedev blew out John Isner 6-2 6-2. Isner has put together millions of aces. But the Russian stepped in and he returned very smart, where it was going.

Andrey Rublev, who has reached the semis this weekend, is very potent & assured. Can he win an ATP 1000 sometime? He is ranked No. 7, but if he wants to be in the top 5, he has to step it up… 

Sebastian Korda can look pretty good, but the American got hurt so he had to pull out this week. If he can get healthy, he should have a at least one fantastic match in Flushing Meadows.

Today, and I am guessing, but here are five U.S. men can win at least one matches, and go to the fifth setters: Frances Tiafoe, Jenson Brooksby, Taylor Fritz, Brandon Nakashima and Mackenzie McDonald.

Danielle Collins: ‘It’s been wild’

Danielle Collins


In the last three weeks, Danielle Collins won Palermo and San Jose. In the San Jose final, the American beat Russian Daria Kasatkinaa 6-3 6-7(10) 6-1, hitting some huge swings, with 54 winners and 12 aces.

Collins has now won 11th straight, and now, she will be ranked No. 28. She was hurt last year, physically, which is a professional tennis hazard as almost everyone gets injured eventually. However, on court, she looks fast, steady and aggressive.
 
“I just had to really kind of lock into that mentality of being really patient with myself, and putting myself in an aggressive position consistently, but also accepting the fact that there were going to be some errors and mistakes along the way,” Collins said.

This week, Collins spoke about the former No. 1, Serena Williams, who is friendly with her. The 23-time Grand Slam winner says that when you are on court, it is important to play with the attitude.

“She always offers something and you can always learn something from watching Serena. I think that’s really important for the younger generations is seeing the emotions she plays with and seeing the consistent positive attitude and self-belief that she has,” Collins said.

The 27-year-old does believe that Serena is the best player of all time. However, the Australian Margaret Court won 24 Grand Slams, but the 39-year-old Serena helps the other players.

“I think it’s so many things but she offers so much to us emotionally and she has inspired so many generations of tennis by her accomplishments but also the great things she does off the court by giving back,” Collins said. “She’s an incredible figure that we are so lucky to have in our sport. Just to see her over the years and become the greatest player of all time, it’s been wild.”


NOTES
This week in Canada, Sorana Cirstea continues to play better this year than she as for years. She looks much smarter on court.

American Amanda Anisimova is really struggling, but she did win a match on Monday. Two years ago, she was ranked No. 21. Now she is ranked No. 86. Time to go upwards…

Another American Tommy Paul, qualified, and in the first round, he beat Vasek
Pospisil on Monday. The now consistent Paul is ranked No. 56, and he should be able into the top 40s, next week. That would be a career high.

Reilly Opelka beat Nick Kyrgios in three tough sets. By the US Open, he should be ranked in top 30. The Americans need it. Better than nothing.

San Diego man Taylor Fritz lost again, and he plays every week.. Why? He has so much talent. He must be tired, traveling, from Europe to the United States. He must be tired, mentally. Take a breath.

Summer swings into Washington & San Jose

Alison Riske

This week, in the United States, the hardcourt tournament continue in August. It very hot outside. The players know that in the summer, the heat is on.

The 17-year-old Coco Gauff is getting better all the time. Alison Riske said that Gauff hits a lot of terrific shots, and she is very powerful, as well as potent.

“I feel like women’s American tennis – I don’t know when it was this deep. I’ve been playing on tour for 12 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Riske said. “I couldn’t say enough amazing things about Coco. She’s an amazing competitor, and she has an amazing family behind her.”

In 2021, Riske has been hurt. She has been working to came back. It has been slow as she is trying to figure out what she has to do to improve. She has now played eight tournaments, and she only won three matches. Finally, this week, she is heathy.

She reached a career high of No. 18 in 2019, and at Wimbledon, she upset Belinda Bencic, and the No. 1 Ash Barty, before losing to Serena Williams 6-3 in the third set in the quarters. Pretty good, but she will be thrilled if she reaches a Slam semi before she retires.

How about the 23-year-old Reilly Opelka? He is ranked No. 36, and he wants to have a top 32 seed at the US Open. To do it, over the next three weeks, he has to go for it. The 6-foot-11 has a fine serve and backhand, but he is working on fixing his forehand. Also, in need of improvement are his net and return games. If he wants to eventually be at the top 20, or even the top 10, he has to find a focal point. On Thursday, he lost to John Millman. Time to pick it up.

NOTES
No. 26 Madison Keys was playing in San Jose, and she lost in the second round. The American did reach the final at ‘17 US Open, losing against Sloan Stephens, who is also playing in California. Keys has won Charleston, Cincinnati and Stanford. But then, she can check out. The big hitter Keys reached No. 7 six years ago, but the 26-year-old can play great, but she gets hurt a lot.

Lloyd Harris stunned Rafa Nadal 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in Washington. Nadal just returned after a long rest. So, in a couple weeks, he should look better. Harris is on fire…

Jenson Brooksby won some matches on the grass and now on the hardcourts. No doubt, the 20 -year-old will play Cincinnati, and then at the US Open.

That was a good win by Danielle Collins in San Jose when she beat Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. I am just not sure when Stephens will be more composed this year. Where is she?