Serena williams – Page 2 – TennisReporters.net

Notes on a draw sheet: Serena, waiting for Wimbledon

February 25, 2021 by Matthew Cronin

No. 2 Naomi Osaka won the 2021 Australian Open, beating Jen Brady in the final. We talked a lot about both of them, playing with some amazing points during seven matches. Now, it is better to talk about other people, to see how well they did, and what is ahead.

Ash Barty just lost to Danielle Collins, which means that she isn’t quite right now and has withdrawn from Qatar. She will recover, eventually. Essentially, she is anxious. Click here for a piece I wrote about her a couple days ago.

Let’s talk about the three terrific veterans who have won the Slams:
Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Garbine Muguruza. Serena looked very good at times in the Oz Open, but she also had so many errors. Instead of waiting and getting into long rallies, she should nail a few winners with her forehand down the line. The 23-Grand-Slam winner sort of knows that, and she does have another chance, to grab No. 24 major. But not at Roland Garros on clay. Serena loves to play on grass, so here it is, waiting at Wimbledon. The tension starts mounting now.

When it just before at the AO, it looked like Azarenka said that she was feeling very good and slightly improved. You just had to watch her, because when she is calm and focused, she can smash her forehand and backhand. But, other times, she is irritable, she loses an important edge and starts complaining. The 31-year-old Azarenka loves to give a speech at press conferences. When she first started her career, she could be mean and she didn’t want to talk. Silence. Even though she isn’t playing great on the court, she finally has become a super nice person.

Muguruza is playing fancy once again and she almost downed Osaka, but she lost 7-5 in the third. Had the Spaniard captured the match, she could have won another Grand Slam. But, she did not, because she hesitated. At Roland Garros, if she goes for it, then she could win. Her forehand and backhand are potent.

A few more notes: Karolina Muchova is so competitive, and very quick. … Bianca Andreescu is finally back. She didn’t play at all in 2020 and, if she is healthy, then she will go into the top-5. She can be spectacular. … Where is Karolina Pliskova going this year? No one really knows. …The same goes for Jo Konta, who hasn’t won a lot of matches over the past two years. Maybe because she gets injured a lot, or she isn’t really thinking. … American Madison Keys is stuck, currently, and if she can get back into the top 10, then she will have to find her forehand again. Or she hopes.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: ash barty, Australian Open, Garbine Muguruza, Serena williams, victoria azarenka, wimbledon

TR rewind from 2018: the cool Naomi Osaka beats Serena

February 17, 2021 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Naomi Osaka, the Japanese who lives in Florida, won the US Open, and arrived as one of the best players this year. Yes, the 20-year-old wasn’t perfect, but slowly, she got better and better though the fortnight. At the US Open, she fought. Her big serve was unbelievably good, her forehand was powerful, and her backhand was vicious. She returned pretty well, too, and she hustled.

Even in the last game, when it was 5-4, and Osaka had to serve it out, she wasn’t very nervous and took her time. She won match point with a hard serve into the corner. Yes, she cried, because there were a lot of people who were booing, but at the end, she smiled, a few times. The now No. 7 could win a number of majors over the next 15 years. Osaka is that good.

The Others

Serena Williams
At the US Open, Serena played six matches, and she looked darn good, knocking off a bunch of strong players. But in the final, against Osaka, she was mediocre, half and half. She served OK, but it’s not like she needed to bring in her massive first serves, and her second serve was up and down. She rarely came into the net, which she should have. When she belted her backhand and forehand, they would fly out, and there were a number of errors.

Obviously, Serena was very angry during the match. She was very, very ticked off. She yelled, she screamed, she busted her racket, she was very frustrated. She argued with the chair umpire, asking for an apology, time and time again. The fans were surprised by the code violation. They didn’t really know why. But many people love her, so they booed with the the umpire.

Serena lost it, on court and off court, she argued some, and she defended herself. OK, yes, it’s all about tennis, and she really wanted to win. But, if she stopped yelling, after a few minutes, and played, it could have had a different outcome. She had to be super calm, but she couldn’t, and perhaps she would have overcome Osaka.

As Serena said, Osaka played great and she deserved it. Good for Serena for saying that. But she has to be honest, and should have said, “Sorry, I messed it up, apologies.” She hasn’t done that yet. We will see whether she dowa it during the fall— if she is going to play for the rest of the year. Everything is questionable now. Ugh.

Anastasija Sevastova
The 29-year-old Sevastova showed off her incredible variety, upending Elena Svitolina and Sloane Stephens before going down versus Serena pretty quickly. But, her amazing drop shots, her very quick feet and variety were in full display. Yes, she needs to improve her serves, and her returns, but she will remain dangerous.

Madison Keys
For the most part, Keys played well, even better, because from January through most of August, she was so-so. But at the USO, she was aggressive, more accurate and she focused, a lot. However, Osaka served huge, and Keys couldn’t break her. She has to find some consistency. Hopefully, during the fall, she will be healthy and move up the ladder.

Carla Suárez Navarro
The veteran Spaniard beat Caroline Garcia 5-7 6-4 7-6(4), then she beat Maria Sharapova in straight sets. She did lose against Keys in the quarters, but still, the-30 year-old decided to hit her shots hard and deep, spin it, slice it, and smack the ball when she had an opportunity. She has been around for a long time, and she has yet to win a major, and maybe she won’t. But, given that she has been better this year, the No. 22 has a long shot at a Slam.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: anastasija sevastova, Carla Suarez Navarro, madison keys, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, naomi osaka, Serena williams, us open

Will Serena and Sloane dominate in Lexington?

July 18, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

Next month, the players will begin to play at the important tournaments — finally. At Lexington, Kentucky, Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens will be there, two Grand Slam champions. Serena has 23 majors, while Stephens has ‘only’ one.

Serena has won everything: the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Stephens also won at Flushing Meadows. Clearly, everyone wants to play real matches because over the past fourth months, no one could play at the events, due to the contentious coronavirus.

In August, hopefully, it could begin to fly away, but no one really knows. Let us just assume that day after day, everyone will understand what to do when you go outside and battle the coronavirus.

On court, the WTA and the ATP players love to compete, and that is why they managed to become pros and play at the Grand Slams and any other events. In August, the players will be healthy and ready to go.

Serena does have an opportunity to win another major, this year or next. She isn’t as fast as she was 20 years ago, but the 38-year-old can still crack the ball off of both sides. Usually, she is so intense, but here and there, she can get frustrated and angry. Fortunately for her, Serena can recover. If they are going to upend Serena, then other players have to focus all the time.

A few have, such as SofiaKenin, who won the 2020 Aussie Open, knocking off Ash Barty and Garbine Muguruza. The 21-year-old American can look tremendous, but she also can panic. The No. 4 can win a bunch of tournaments, but right now she is still trying to figure out what she should do, minute after minute. She has no choice. She has to find a balance and keep her focus under control.

That is exactly what Stephens has to do, too. In January through early March, she went 1-5. That is pretty awful for someone with her talent and athletic ability. Last year, in 2019, after Roland Garros, Stephens did almost nothing on grass and on the hard courts. Something was going on, or it was. When she is bold, she is incredibly consistent. But, when she is a little bit off, she gets negative. And she gets down on herself, slowly. Then, she disappears. Now the 27-year-old has to lift herself and move.

We have already discussed Madison Keys and Alison Riske. But, how about the 18-year-old Amanda Anisimova, who reached the semis at Roland Garros. She does seem to be lethal, but she can also over-hit. She has lost to a variety of people. But, since the passing of her dad and coach, Konstantin last August, she seems settled. So, assuming that, she will get better and better, Anisimova be more rational. She was working with the famous coach, Carlos Rodriguez, but she parted ways. Then Anisimova hired with Andis Juska, a former player from Latvia. He has a lot of work to do to make her the champion she can be.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Lexington, Serena williams, sloane stephens, Sofia Kenin

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

The big 8 players: Who is improving now?

May 23, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

With no one playing tournaments due to the coronavirus, the question is: Are they are improving, on court and off court? The great thing is that it has been almost two-and-a-half months at home, so they can heal any injury issues.

At this point, they feel very good with their legs, knees, arms, backs, etc. Actually tennis players are rarely 100 percent healthy because they are playing all the time. They play month after month, from January all the way into November. Basically, the entire year.

A schedule of tournament after tournament means too much wear and tear. For the foreseeable future, this isn’t going to change on the ATP and WTA tours.

Right now, all the players have said that they want to come back ASAP, because they miss it.

Of course they do, because the reason why they managed to reach the top 10, top 100 and top 200 was playing constantly, learning how to hit the ball properly.

But, as the top players say, they always have to improve. No one is perfect. Here are eight players who are great, but what are they currently doing to get even better?

Novak Djokovic
The Serb can crack his backhand, forever. His serve, his returns and speed is outstanding and his forehand is much better than when he started. However, he has to flatten out his forehand and nail it down the line. Get rid of the spin.

Rafa Nadal
The Spaniard is so efficient, with his heavy and hard forehand, his deep returns, his first serve, and volleys. Plus he has lot of confidence when he gets to the net. However, his backhand is O.K. — which is much better then he started winning his first Slam in 2005 — but it can fall short, and he needs to nail it cross-court.

Roger Federer
The Swiss can do so many things: his phenomenal forehands, his tricky serves, his intelligent returns, and he bangs down so low that he can kiss the net. He has won 20 Grand Slams, which means that right now, he is the best player ever. However, while he has improved his one-handed backhand, he still needs to leap on the ball and hit it close to the lines. If he is going to upend Nadal and Djokovic, who have beaten Federer many times, the 38-year-old has to take a huge amount of risks to win one more Slam.

Andy Murray
Yes, Brit Murray hasn’t played much over the past two years because he was seriously hurt and he almost retired. But the three-time Grand Slam champion is a darn good player. If he can become healthy again — which will be very difficult — then, at some point, he can reach into the top 10 again. The 33-year-old loves watching tennis, playing tennis and thinking about tennis. That is his life, at least or now. For him to go deep again, he cannot continually grind it out, the way he used to. He has to go for his shots pretty early or he can become wounded once again.

Ash Barty
The Australian No. 1 Barty has won a Slam at Roland Garros. Since she returned a few years ago from a try at cricket, she became much better month after month, with confidence and more court sense. She has a tremendous variety, and she is so steady. However, she needs to improve her serves, especially her second serve. Or else, players will attack and knock her way back in the court.

Serena Williams
She has the best serve, forehand and backhand, But Serena needs to come in more at the net and put the ball away. She is 39 years old and just getting older. Can she can win one more Grand Slam? When will she do it? Does she still have the mental strength to take a slam final? I have no idea, but she can do it, and finally retire with a phenomenal 24 majors.

Sofia Kenin
At the start of this year, the American won the 2020 Australian, her first Grand Slam. She is very strong, young, and she pushes herself forward with huge swings. She took down Ash Barty and Garbine Muguruza to win it. She can be very combative, her forehand has a lot of spin, and she slaps her backhand. But she can be inpatient If she wants to become No. 1, she has to clam down. But she is already on her way there.

Bianca Andreescu
The Canadian is young. But, last year, when she rose up quickly, she nailed so many winners that it was so clear she would reach the top 10 immediately. She did, because she was never afraid and she won the 2019 US Open, blasting everyone. She does get hurt a lot, which is not good, but hopefully she can figure it out. If she is going to improve, she needs be more consistent in the rallies.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Andy Murray, ash barty, Novak Djokovic, rafa nadal, Roger Federer, Serena williams, Sofia Kenin

Sloane Stephens believes, shocks Serena

March 29, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

We started TennisReporters.net in May 2001, 20 years ago. We have posted well over 1,500 articles.

As coronavirus began to strike the tennis world, Indian Wells cancelled the tournament on March 9. Right after that, the tournaments pulled out quickly, including Miami, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. Now, the WTA and the ATP have shut down until June 7. Or even further. No one really knows.

However, if you love tennis, you can reminisce with TennisReporters.net. We are resurfacing many of our best stories, written by Matthew Cronin.

MELBOURNE – There was almost no one going into Sloane Stephens’ quarterfinal at the Australian Open against the great Serena Williams who thought she had a serious shot to pull an upset.

Oh sure, the 19-year-old Stephens had played her tough enough in a straight-set loss in Brisbane two weeks ago for analysts to think she could stay competitive for two sets.

But an upset of a five-time Australian Open champion who was on a 20-match winning streak, who had won the last two majors, and the Olympics, and who had only lost one contest since late May?

Nearly unthinkable.

Except to Stephens and her USTA Player Development coaches David Nainkin and Troy Hahn. “I think deep down she believed she had a shot and so did I,” said Nainkin after Stephens 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 stunner over Williams in the quarterfinals. “Everyone thought if she played well she’s going to push her, but you can’t just orchestrate that kind of win overnight. That goes back to the practice courts, going over shots time and time again, getting your body strong and eventually it happens. But you can’t just give someone a pep talk the night before and expect that kind of win to happen.”

Stephens had put in the hard yards in the off-season at theUSTA Training Center – Westin Carson, Calif. For more than two months, six days a week from Monday to Saturday, she did fitness, drilled and played practice matches. Nainkin said that if it rained or she happened to miss a day for any reason, she would have to show up on Sunday.

She didn’t miss a day.

Stephens’ talent level has been obvious since she reached the third round of the US Open in 2011. But she has had trouble staying healthy and missed the entire fall of 212 season nursing an abdominal injury. So Nainkin and the USTA fitness crew first made sure she was healthy and then they worked on polishing up her very bright and sharp gem of a game. Stephens is very fast and has ample power, and has a lot of variety for her age.

But she needed a better understanding of how to win matches. She had to develop a Sloane Stephens-style of winning. Nainkin’s approach was appropriately general,getting her to dictate with her forehand, being more aggressive with her second serve returns, and coming to net more.

“She’s great to work with,” he said. “She doesn’t have any weaknesses so to speak. It was giving her a clearer idea what to do with her game and keeping it simple.”

When Stephens stepped on court against Williams, she began to listen to the PA announcer listing Serena’s many titles. But she did not lose her focus like young Assume Bernard Tomic said he did early against Roger Federer. “I was like, Do they really have to read all of her championships?,” Stephens said. “I literally was thinking in my head, ‘Is he seriously reading every single tournament she’s won? It was okay. I thought about it for two seconds, but it was fine.”

Serena started fast, but Stephens stayed with her off the ground in the first set. She couldn’t find a way to break her, but patiently waited for an opportunity and it came when Williams aggravated a back injury in the second set. Stephens grabbed the set as Serena had trouble serving and the teenager was running everything down and sending it back with authority.

In the third set as Serena began to recover, Stephens didn’t back off. When they met in Brisbane it was Serena who kept coming forward and who took control of the match. On Wednesday in Melbourne Stephens wanted to show her Fed Cup teammate that she could be use her legs to defend and be fierce on offense. Nainkin pointed out two things he wanted Stephens to do in the match: hit her second serve bigger, which she did as she averaged a respectable 91 MPH, and try and take over the net, which she did brilliantly, converting 18 of 20 of her approaches. “I wanted her to come forward to the net as far as bringing an intimidation factor, so she could put pressure on Serena,” he said.

As she always does, Williams battled gamely and as her back injury began to feel better in the later stages of the third set, she took it right to Stephens with a massive ground attack and big retruns.“Serena raised her level and Sloane responded 100 percent,” Nainkin said.

Williams actually broke the youngster to 4-3, but Stephens didn’t quiver as she was winning most of their forehand battles and was more consistent off then ground. It’s nearly impossible to get a ball past her when she’s on.

Three games later, a mentally tired Serena committed slew of errors and at 19 years, 10 months and three 3 days old, Stephens became the youngest American to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal since Serena advanced to the 2000 Wimbledon semifinals at 18 years, 9 months and eight days old. After she came off court, she and Nainkin exchanged a hearty high five.

“Last night I was thinking about it and someone asked me, ‘Do you think you can win? I was like, Yeah, I think so,’ but I wasn’t like too clear about it,” Stephens said. “Then this morning when I got up, I was like, Look, dude, like, you can do this. Like, go out and play and do your best.”

Stephens may have played like a veteran, but when later discussing the win, she went into teenager mode Her twitter followers had more than doubled from 17,000 followers to more than 35,000 in a matter of a few hours.

Singer John Legend tweeted her as did NBA standout Dirk Nowitski. “I’m just excited,” she said with a wide smile. “I want John Legend to sing at my wedding. I was like, Oh, my God. He tweeted me.’”But there is business to be taken care of on Thursday, as she has to face defending champion Victoria Azarenka in the semis. Back- to-back wins over Serena and the world No. 1 would be mind blowing. Stephens said she’s going to do what she does best Nainkin thinks that the quick turnaround won’t bother her.“She won’t lose her focus,” he said.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: 2013 Australian Open, Serena williams, sloane stephens

The Australia Open Final: Gabriñe Muguruza versus Sofia Kenin

January 31, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

There are some saying it is surprising that Garbiñe Muguruza and Sofia Kenin are in the final at the Australian Open on Saturday. But, in reality, Muguruza has already won two Grand Slams. So, her emergence can’t be too big of a surprise, not matter how poorly she has played in the last year.

While Kenin might be unknown to many fans, she has a long record of dominance in the US juniors. Plus, her focus is flawless.

Last year, Muguruza was out of it, physically and mentally. But in the off-season, she practiced all the time, she became stronger, she running quicker, and put the ball away when she has a real opportunity. In 2019, she was frustrated, she was tired about playing, and she couldn’t find a way to lock inside her brain. Over the past 12 days, she looks terrific, she grew, she was thoughtful. By the second week, she knew that she liked the sport again.

In the semis, she out-thought Simona Halep 7-6 (8), 7-5. They both have won two Slam. At this tournament on the Melbourne hard courts, Muguruza was a little more aggressive and going into the net, and putting volleys away. Halep could not.

The Spaniard Muguruza is slightly favored to win it again, and she won’t be nervous, because she won Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The pressure was there, but she pushed it aside, and she rose into the sky. Twice.

In front of thousands of fans, Kenin stunned the No. 1 Ash Barty 7-6 (6), 7-5. The 21-year- old Kenin slammed her forehand and backhand, very hard, and pretty deep. She gritted her teeth. She punched it into the corners. She kept staying in there, even when Barty kept chipping her backhand. Kenin finally nailed her shots, and she won it.

The Floridian is thrilled. But, in the final, she has to pretend that no one else is there and it is all about her.

“I’ve dreamed about this moment since I was five years old. I just feel like I’ve always believed in myself,” she said. “I’ve worked hard. I’ve pictured so many times being in the final, all the emotions, how it’s going to lead up into the final. I feel like I’m doing good keeping my emotions. I feel like everything is just paying off. I see all the hard work I’ve been putting is really showing now.”

She could be right. So many U.S. women have won the Australian Open since the 1980s: Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Sharapova is another winner who came over from Russia when she was just 7 years old. And she still lives in Los Angeles.

Kenin’s parents are also from Russia, but Kenin came over to the United States just when she was very young. She started playing when she was only 3+ years old. She never stopped. Both she and Sharapova wanted to battle, all the time.

At the Australian Open on Saturday, if Kenin jumps on the ball immediately, and knows exactly what to do, she can win it. Sharapova won her first Slam when she was only 19 years old. If Kenin can go after everything, right then and there, she will win it in Melbourne. But if she begins to make errors, then Muguruza will seize the day. Hopefully, it will be a tremendous three-setter. Everyone will like that.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Australian Open, gabine muguzura, Jennifer Capriati, lindsay davenport, maria sharapova, melbourne, Serena williams, Sofia Kenin

Australian Open predictions: women

January 20, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

Who will reach the quarterfinals next week? There are some very close choices, and also, easy picks. Here it goes…

No. 1 Ash Barty is under a lot of pressure in Australia. She need three sets to oust Lesia Tsurenko in the opening round. She can be calm though, and it is likely that she will out-steady Petra Martic in the fourth round. She is so thoughtful and concentrates. That’s why she won Roland Garros last year.

Madison Keys looked very good last week, and assuming that she will continue to be healthy, she will have to go up against the two- time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. The Czech, who destroyed Katerina Siniakova in the first round, is favored, slightly. If Keys attacks early, and doesn’t get so upset, then the American can pound her forehand in the third set. And win.

Last year at the Aussie Open, Naomi Osaka won it all. While she has been up and down since, the Japanese is incredibly powerful and her first serve is huge. Assuming that Sofia Kenin will win three matches, then the American will be pumped up. Osaka is a better player, still, and she will trip her up.

Serena Williams hadn’t played for four months and last week she finally walked on the court, winning Auckland. Now she is back, and even though she is aging, she is almost perfect when she is secure. In the fourth round, she could face against her good friend Caro Wozniacki. Can you imagine that, especially has the Dane has announced that this is her final tournament? One way or another, Serena will beat her, punching her forehand.

Both Osaka and Williams were straight-set winners on Monday.

Belinda Bencic is very unpredictable; she is great when she is very consistent, but when she becomes tired, then she gets mentally lazy. However, she is pushing herself in the backcourt, she can hit a vast amount of winners. The same goes with Aryna Sabalenka, who can be swinging away, very hard, and she can best anyone. But she also can be angry and miss the ball a lot. In the fourth round between those two, whoever will win it must understand where she is going, and how to mix it up a lot.

You never know about Simona Halep, who is very consistent, running back and forth. She rarely gets tired, but she also can become injured and then she cannot smack the ball. Regardless, over the past few years, she stopped being scared and now she does have a chance to win her third major. In the fourthth round, she likely will face the young Czech Karolina Muchova. So many Czech women are so good. So Halep has to move it all around the box. And the Romanian will.

Will Elina Svitolina finally win a Grand Slam? At some point, yes, but not this one at the AO. However, she will win three matches, and then she will lose against the enthusiastic American Amanda Anisimova. Ms. AA is getting better every second.

At some point, Karolina Pliskova will win a major, when she is consistent over seven matches. Will she do it at the AO? She is defiantly close. However, though, she has to take down against the very good young player Marketa Vondrousova. Pliskova can edge her, but she has to be very smart. Super smart.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: ash barty, Australian Open, caro wozniacki, Caroline Wozniacki, Karolina Pliskova, melbourne, naomi osaka, Serena williams, women

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

US Open: Stan Wawrinka is back, and driving

September 2, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Who would have thought that Stan Wawrinka would rise up at this point in his career? After all, over the past year, he wasn’t really there. He was injured, he had to stop, and then the three-time Grand Slam champion lost a lot of matches.

But almost everyone kept trying, even though it takes time. You have to be steady, and powerful, and hit the ball deep into the court.

Wawrinka knew that against No. 1 Novak Djokovic, that he had to be very patient. Plus, to beat him, everything has to work, depending on the day. Luckily, in a sense, the Swiss didn’t have to play 100 percent, because Djokovic was hurt, and in the third set, he retired, down 6-4, 7-5, 2-1. The Serb was not happy, he has really irritated.

But that happens with almost everyone. So now Wawrinka has a chance to win the US Open once again. That it possible, but he will have to win it over three more matches. In the second week, at the Slams, it can be a blast, but it is depends who you are playing and whether you are sharp.

Wawrinka’s very good friend, Roger Federer, easily won. He hasn’t had to sweat. Federer has beaten Wawrinka so many times on hardcourts. He will be favored, but he doesn’t know that yet, because the Swiss Wawrinka has to face against Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday. The Russian is playing fantastic ball over the play six weeks. Finally, he is intelligent and he goes for the lines. I would imagine that it is a toss-up.

Believe it or not, Federer will have to face Grigor Dimitrov, who had to stop over the last few years because his body was messed up. Even this year, he has been losing a tremendous amount, but now, the former ATP Finals winner is back. If he doesn’t get hurt again, he has a chance to shine. Both Federer and Dimitrov have a lot of different shots, so to watch the match on Tuesday, it could be fascinating. But, clearly, Federer is a better player. That is why Federer has won 20 Slams, and Dimitrov has won zero.

NOTES
It was a huge win by Wang Qiang who stunned Ash Barty 6-2, 6-4. Qiang was consistent, while the Aussie Barty made a ton of mistakes. … Brit Jo Konta is playing substantially better, and she took down Karolina Pliskova 6-7(1), 6-3, 7-5. I don’t know that whether she can win it, but Konta did win Miami two years ago so maybe she can focus this week, and not get so fearful.

Who figured that on Sunday, Elina Svitolina would knock out American Madison Keys, 7-5, 6-4. While Keys has been better at the Grand Slams, but right against each other, Svitolina really hustles and she can switch it within a second. Yes, Svitolina has played some awful matches in the Slams, but now the No. 5 seems to be staying secure. If she can keep dominating with her serve, she has a real chance in New York.

Serena Williams is just so good when she focuses, and right now, she is. Serena beat Petra Martic 6-3, 6-4. While she has won 23 Grand Slams, that doesn’t mean that she can automatically grab it again. She lost in the final last year. This time, Serena will have to mix it up even more.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Elina Svitolina, Grigor Dimitrov, jo konta, Roger Federer, Serena williams, Stan Wawrinka, us open