US Open picks: Saturday, Sept. 2

Elina Svitolina
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Jessica Pegula  over Elina Svitolina
Talk about dozens of rallies, and which which way to go, as both of them know each other very well. They can be steady, and changed it up. Svitolina can try to hit it hard, early, and Pegula will be patient. They are both veterans, and they have beaten a number of the other top five players, as they can know which way to do. However, neither has won a Grand Slam yet, so at the U.S. Open, they really think that if they play well, they can actually grab it the second week.

Svitolina has had a very good season, when she added some interesting shot, but so has Pegula, who has really pushed herself, and she can accept that. As she said: “I just worked really hard at it. I think I became a lot more confident in who I was around 24 years old. If I mess up it’s on me, but this is my decision.”

The American will win the match in the third set, with some huge forehand, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Jannik Sinner over Stan Wawrinka
The older Swiss has had some fantastic shots at the U.S. Open, with his huge spin. Wawrinka has won it three Grand Slams, so clearly, he has been thoughtful, on court. He might be aging, and he will likely retired next year, but right now,he wants to go deep one more time at the Slams.

He must be, but the Italian Sinner is more forceful, and powerful, when he is playing. He does get angry, when he is missing way out, but at least during the summer, he is more consistent. Sinner has to know that they will play at least for two hours, or more, but either way, he is faster, when he is running, and also, with his his forehand. Sinner will take it 3-6, 6-5, 6-3, 6-2.

Alexander Zverev over Grigor Dimitrov
The German reached the final at the 2021 US Open, and he almost won it, but Dominic Thiem threw in some cool, tremendous shots. But now he will have another chance to win it for the first time, but Zverev  is still slightly recovering, as at the 2022 Roland Garros in the semis, he fell down and almost crushed his body. He could not play until January, and while he has looked better and better, but he is still is not 100 percent. He does have a lot of shots, but he can also back up.

Dimitrov seems to be playing very well, knocking out Andy Murray. He does have a cool one-handed backhand, and he also can chuck it in around. However, he is not in the top 20, and years ago, he could go very deep, but now, he might be fading. There, Zverev will win it 64, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6.

Madison Keys over Liudmila Samsonova
It is early enough for the American not to become hurt, on the court, so she can control what she has to do. Keys is a big hitter, off both sides, and when she has a chance, she can try to rake it. However, Samsonova can also rally, and she can go for the winner. She had a terrific week in Montreal, reaching into the final, knocking off a bunch of fine players. However, she is unpredictable, whether when she can find it in the corners, or she can miss it, a lot.

Keys  can do the same thing, currently, but she has gone deep at the Grand Slams, so on Saturday, she will win it in three, tough, sets, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4. 

Into the finals with Fritz, Zverev and Wawrinka

Alexander Zverev
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Once again, Taylor Fritz won another match, beating J.J. Wolf 6-3, 7-5, and now he is in the final at Atlanta. In early February, he won Delray Beach, and he looked very good, but then he went down, gradually. Now the 25-year-old is back on the hardcourts, and his confidence is rising. However, to play 100 percent, he will have to be substantially better, and he knows that. As he said:  “The Tour doesn’t reward consistency as much as it does boom by winning titles or bust when you lose in the first round. I started this year pretty strong and have had more consistent results than last year,” Fritz said. “I’ve gotten a lot more into a lot of tournaments this year, but I’ve let slip some matches that I maybe didn’t let slip last year.”

The same thing happened with Alexander Zverev, who reached into the final at the Hamburg European Open. He was in the top five, and he won a number of some huge events, but in 2022, he badly hurt his leg at Roland Garros in the semis, and he could not play for seven months. He did come back, but it takes him a good while. He is a forceful hitter, with his forehand and his backhand are very strong, but he can also disappear during the matches. He can be angry, when he is not playing well, but he can re-set it. He has won 19 titles, so it is time to grab it, again. He will face against the Serbian, Laslo Djere

“When I’m pain-free I enjoy tennis a lot. Yeah, the last year or so, not year yet, but since June there were a lot of times where that wasn’t the case. It took me a very long time to come back,” Zverev said. “ So even tournaments like Australia, I was still very limited to what I was able to do. I was still not completely pain-free, not being able to move the way I want to move. It’s definitely going into the other direction now.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion, Stan Wawrinka, has reached the final in Imag, Croatia. It is back on clay, after he lost at Wimbledon against Novak Djokovic in the third round, and the 38-year-old did not play, great. But when he is on, his one-handed backhand has so much spin, and he can control it. It would be amazing to win a Slam again, but that is highly unlikely. However, to win any tournament, that would be super special. But first, he has to beat the Aussie,  Alexei Popyrin, on Sunday, who will give it, all. So put it up, and drive, for it.

The Picks in Rome: Friday, May 12

Grigor Dimitrov
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Stan Wawrinka over Grigor Dimitrov
Is the Swiss ready to fly, again? Wawrinka has not had a great year, but the brilliant backhand can begin to roll, even though he is 38-year-old. He can push himself, deep in the corners and put it away.

The Bulgarian Dimitrov can also throw so many interesting rallies, and the one-hander can really mix it up, as well he can flat in out. His serve is OK, and at the net, he is pretty good, but not spectacular.  Dimitrov has had some wonderful matches, at the Slams, but he will likely not come back into the top 5 again. I might be wrong, but in order to do it, then he has to beat the former Roland Garros champion, Wawrinka. He won’t on the clay right now, as the Swiss will win it in three massive sets.

Novak Djokovic over Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Two years ago, the Serbian won Rome, beating Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas. He was playing great, when he was so steady, and he was almost perfect with his phenomenal backhand. He thinks a lot, on court, and he could miss once in a while, but he can recover.

Etcheverry is pretty young, and clearly, he is trying to improve his serves, at the net, and with more power. He did reach in the final in Houston and in Chile, this year, when he had some terrific matches. However, he has yet to beat the top 10 players, so the though that to stun Djokovic is a little bit crazy. The 21 Grand Slam winner Djokovic will win in two easy sets.

Sebastian Korda over Roman Safiullin
So many young people think that he or she believe that they are so good, on the court, and very soon, they will rise into the the top 20. Or the top 10. Or the famous No. 1. But the older they get, they realize that the other players are also very, very good, so that they will lose, which is difficult.

Korda knows all about when he started, and he would practice all the time. He knew that once he reached into the ATP Tour, he was ready to beat many players. He has done that, slowly. Unfortunately, Korda grew hurt after the 2023 Australian Open and he had to stop for a three months. He is in the top 30, and the 22-year-old can play extremely consistent, and he can also hit the ball on the lines. He grew up in Florida, so he does know what the hardcourts is, but in the clay, he still has to learn where to go. As we said about Safiullin two days ago, the Russian has had a decent year, and he did upset Marcos Giron in Rome. He must have bee thrilled when he made it to the second round, but Korda will pound him, and he will win it in three very long sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Marie Bouzkova over Caty McNally
Correct: Caroline Garcia over Ana Bogdan

Aryna Sabalenka over Sofia Kenin
Jessica Pegula over Taylor Townsend

Matt’s picks from Rome

3 out of 7, 42.8% correct

The Picks in Madrid: Friday, April 28

Carlos Alcaraz over Emil Ruusuvuori
The Finn has had a respectable year, with a few impressive wins, but he has yet to reach into the top 30, and maybe he will, eventually, but he has to change his strokes, here and there. At least Ruusuvuori played pretty well in Miami, beating Botic van de Zandschulp, and in Barcelona, he took down  Frances Tiafoe . Yet how will he stun Alcaraz, as the Spaniard just won Barcelona? He has only lost two matches this year, and he has been winning a lot of some very good players. He is almost jolly aggressive, and he can chuck it in with variety. Maybe he is mentally tired, but he is a teenager, so he will be fresh. Alcaraz will win it in three, engaging sets.
   
Andrey Rublev over Stan Wawrinka
The three-time Grand Slam champion is aging, and he is not as fast as he was, but on clay, he can really control him. Wawrinka has an amazing backhand, with a tremendous rotation, and also, he can nail it crosscourt, or down the line. When he is on, he can be great to watch him. However, Rublev is now more settled, on the court. He can try to pin him down, and swing so hard with his stout forehand and his backhand. Yes, Rublev still isn’t great enough on clay, but year after year, he can understand what he has to do. There for, Rublev will clip Wawrinka in the third set to win it, with some savage shots.

Martina Trevisan over Eugenie Bouchard
The Canadian Bouchard looked terrific years ago, almost 10 years ago in 2014 , when she reached the semis at the Aussie Open, then in the final at Wimbledon, and then, in the semis again at the US Open. She was trucking along, as her forehand and her backhand were huge. But then next year, she started to disappear, and she did get hurt, a bit, but then she did not know why she couldn’t hit the balls in the lines. Then she was essentially gone.  Bouchard stopped playing, and she also decided to go on TV. She is actually pretty decent. And then, she started playing again, so now she is trying to go upwards.

Someone can write a book, about why she was so good, and also, barely mediocre. The good thing was in Madrid, she qualified, and now she was to face Trevisan, who really likes playing on clay. Yes, the No. 20 has not had a very good year, but the Italian can spin her shots, and she can also mix it up. Even though Bouchard wants to go fast, and she also likes to play on the dirt, but it will take her a few months before she can really focus.  As a result, Trevisan will win it in three, bizarre sets.

Vika Azarenka over Alycia Parks
The two-time Grand Slam champ Azarenka is addicted on the hardcourts, but in Europe, over the years, she can be wild on the clay. She is used to it, but perhaps she has not won more Slams is because when she is on court, she can hit some sole points, way out. Azarenka does think about her life, and that is terrific, yet the 33-year-old won’t really change at the net, and also, her return, too. However, she can be intense, as does the American Parks, who is ready to crush the ball. On the hardcourt, she can move forward, and she can bend down, and shoot it up.  But she is not there, yet, on the lurking clay. Azarenka will win it, in two honestly, decent sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Dominic Thiem over Kyle Edmund
Correct: Aryna Sabalenka over Sorana Cirstea
Elina Svitolina over Aliaksandra Sasnovich

Matt’s picks this week

2 out of 3: 66.7% correct

The Picks on clay in  Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters: Wednesday, April 12

Stan Wawrinka
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Stan Wawrinka over Taylor Fritz
The American returns to play on the dirt, and while he really likes the hard courts, he had improved a lot, but during the clay last year, he has been so-so. Now it is time to measure up. Fritz can hit with his fast forehand, and his bashing backhand. He can also be patient, but others time, he can be to distracting.

Clearly, the 38-years-old Wawrinka is aging, but the Swiss has played some amazing matches, on clay, when he won the 2015 Roland Garros, stunning  Roger Federer. His one-handed backhand is so heavy, with huge spin, and his forehand is also hard, and at times, when it is flat. However, he is little bit slower, and he has lost a number of matches. But with that, now in the spring, he will make a huge effort to show the fans that he can actually turn it on. Yes, Fritz is the better players on the hard courts, but on the clay, it is still Wawrinka, who will win in three, jarring sets.

Holger Rune over Dominic Thiem
This is super interesting that Thiem played his best match this year, easily beating Richard Gasquet. The Austria grew up leaning how to play on the clay, and gradually, he improved his heavy forehand and his backhand. However, he was hurt, and he lost control. Yes, he is darn smart, on the court, but the former 2020 U.S. Open champion started to push the ball, rather than making the attempt to hit it close to the lines.

The 19-year-old Rune has not playing well, hardly at all. He has won some decent matches, but he has not reach into the final in 2023, losing early at Indian Wells and Miami. The good thing is that last year in the fall, he was on fire,  when he won Paris, stunning Novak Djokovic. This week, he has decided that even if he loses,  at least he can make some different strokes, and to be much more focus. Rune is trying to be confident again, which means that while he knows that Thiem can grind it, all over the place,  he can out hit him. The No. 9 Rune will win it in two brutal sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Novak Djokovic over Ivan Gakhov
Correct: Stefanos Tsitsipas over Benjamin Bonzi

Matt’s current week picks

2 out of 4: 50% correct

TennisReporters.net 2020 year-end review: top 16-20, men

Pablo Carreno Busta

20. Karen Khachanov
He loves to serve, and even without moving much, he can tear winners into the corners. The Russian had a classic match at the Australian Open, losing against Nick Kyrgios, 7-6(8) in the fifth set. They pounded it for many hours. Khachanov was so close, but he didn’t handle the returns, and needed to be faster when he is running around. In 2018, he won the ATP 1000 Paris, upsetting Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic en route to the title. But, he hasn’t taken a title since that year. In 2021, maybe he can some new shots with spin and trickery. He can easily stay within the top 20. The next step to the top 10 and consistently making  the second weeks at the Slams is quite possible but the 24-year-old needs to be more patient.

19. Grigor Dimitrov
He is now a veteran, as he won his first title in 2013 and captured the ATP Tour Finals in 2017. He has a lot of variety, and his a one-handed backhand can deliver a lot of twirl. However, this year he was toast. At the US Open, the Bulgarian lost in the second round, showing an incomplete game. There are times when he is on top of the world. Unfortunately, he has never won a major, even though the 29-year-old reached the Grand Slam semis three times. Yes, he can be a force, but he can become erratic. In 2021, he will have some great matches. But, I don’t see a return to the top-5.

18. Stan Wawrinka
How about this? The Swiss won three Grand Slams, beating Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic twice. He knows how to play on clay, and hardcourts. He doesn’t love Wimbledon, but he has made the effort. He has a divine backhand which he can return with depth. However, he has played for a very long time, and he looks to be slowing down. In the past two years, he was hurt a lot. Can Wawrinka return into the top-5 next year? I am sure that he will have some terrific wins. But, if he feels 100 percent, than winning another Slam is not out of the question. Bring it on.

17. Fabio Fognini
Last year, the 33-year-old won the ATP 1000 Monte Carlo, upsetting Nadal, Borna Coric, Zverev and Andre Rublev. The was his the best week ever. On clay, he can dig it and is so steady with a lot of crafty variety. However, during the rest of this year, he did almost nothing, ending tis years, with 6 wins and 10 losses. That is pretty lousy. On hardcourts, he is the not the same player and needs to be more consistent. In 2021, he must turn it around or he can lose quickly. It is his decision.

16. Pablo Carreno Busta
This was a very good year for the Spaniard, who can run all day, hit with a lot of spin, volley well and crack his returns. It is surpassing that he has four ATP Tour titles, three of which are on hardcourts. His career high was No. 10 in 2017 but injuries in 2018 and 2019 knocked him back down as low as No. 6x. His rise back into the top 20 shows the strength of his overall game and ability to plug on. Even though he is still in his prime at 29, you’ve got to wonder if younger and more talented players like Khachanov, Alex de Minaur and Felix Auger-Aliassime will pass him in the rankings.

US Open: Stan Wawrinka is back, and driving

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.

The fantastic Mr. Federer, back on clay

The last time that the fantastic Roger Federer played at Roland Garros was in 2015. He went down in the quarterfinals and he seemed done at this event.

He could certainly still win on grass, or on the hardcourts, but on clay, in Paris, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has only won it once during the last 15 years, while his great rival and Spaniard Rafael Nadal has grabbed it 11 times. 

The Spaniard locks in, he sprints around, he hits with a huge amount of pace and extremely heavy off the ground. Off the clay, he has also has his problems in recent years now, but on this surface he is still the man to beat.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion Nadal has bashed Federer a number of times in the 16th   arrondissement, as he attacks his backhand, extends points and runs forever on the dirt.

In 2015, Federer was shocked by his good friend, Stan Wawrinka, in the quarterfinals. He’d never lost to Wawrinka on hardcourts or grass, where they had played many, many times.  But that time, in Paris, on clay, Wawrinka’s monster backhand was on fire, and Federer could not control him.

Then came knee surgery in 2016, when he returned on the clay only to start having more physical problems and being forced to withdraw from Roland Garros. An incredible comeback followed in 2017 as he won the Australian Open, but he still was so cautious about clay that during the next three years, he said ‘No, I am not going to play in France, I just need to rest.’

So he waited, and he waited. But something inside him wanted to return to Paris in the springtime, to slide and sashay on a surface where he grew up. Following this year’s Australian Open, he announced that he would be playing a limited claycourt schedule — Paris, and a warm-up in Madrid.

At the beginning of April, Federer won Miami once again, and he was thrilled. But did it increase his odds to win the French Open?

He doesn’t seem to care whether it did. “I really want to go into the clay playing pressure-less, pressure-free,” Federer said. “If things don’t go well, then I can say maybe that was expected, and if they do go well, then I’m definitely excited. And then when the stakes get really important, I might be able to play some nice tennis on clay again.”

Federer will start in Madrid in a few weeks.  Even if he wins it — and it’ll be his first event on clay in three years — can he still snag Roland Garros? It is possible, but he will not be the major favorite. 

Nadal has been injured this year, but if he gets healthy, then he and the massive forehand he possesses will be favorite. The same goes with the No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who has won 15 Grand Slams, and three in a row: the 2018 Wimbledon, the 2018 US Open, and recently the Australian Open. He badly wants to do the Djokovic Slam again, so he can show the world that he might be the best player of all time.

Outside of those three, there are a few young players who are rising. Dominic Thiem, who won Indian Wells, is at his best on clay and the Austrian has reached the French Open final. The German Alexander Zverev is ranked No. 3, and he has won a few ATP 1000 Masters, but in the Grand Slams, he has yet to get beyond the quartefinals. But Zverev is a huge basher on both sides, and when he is confident, he can hang around in the rally for a very long time. Soon enough, he will go deep at  majors.

The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas is only 20 years old and recently cracked the top 10. Like Zverev, he can be patient, but anytime he has an opportunity, he can aim for the lines and touch them. Two other very tall youngsters are getting better all the time: Russians Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev, both of whom are in the top 15. And others, like Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime, are also coming up.

Ten years ago, in 2009, the now 37-year-old Federer won the French Open. The established champ Nadal was stunned by the Swede Robin Soderling, while Federer had to come back from behind against Germany’s Tommy Haas and Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro (who is still there, but is currently injured). In the final, the smart Federer out-thought Soderling to lift the Roland Garros title for the first time and complete the career Slam. He still looks at it as one of the best wins of his career.

Ten years ago, on clay, Federer was super confident. Perhaps he still is.  It is early to know exactly who he would play during two hard weeks at Roland Garros. But if Federer starts playing extremely well, then whoever goes up against him has to play at a top level to trip him up. If he does not, Federer will knock him down quickly.

After all, when he walks on the court, Mr. Roger Federer can be simply brilliant. And he likes to smile, too.

Roger Federer returns against Medvedev


The famous Roger Federer is back, playing in Shanghai, but in early September at the US Open, he was stunned by Aussie John Millman in four sets. That was a true shocker. It was in the fourth round, at night,  but it was still very  humid and thick. It was still so pretty hot. His body felt sick, and it was.  

The Swiss made so many errors that maybe he should have quit. But he continued to play, and he wasn’t running fast enough and he couldn’t really move.

Whatever the case, he lost,  but let’s not forget that Millman played incredibly well. He was smart and efficient. That was the best match he’s ever played.

Almost all players like Federer, and they want to play him.They appreciate his strokes. More importantly they want to play Federer because all the fans will come out and watch him. He is the most popular person in the world.  They know that all the fans will come out, wherever Federer is playing, because in the next few years, the 37-year-old will retire. And then they won’t be able to watch him anymore.    

So the young players want to make sure that when they walk on court, it will here the fans screaming in joy.

Coming up, in Asia, Federer will face Daniil Medvedev, the Russian, who just won Tokyo, beating Kei Nishikori in the final. The  6-foot-6 big swinger is only 22-year-old, which means that he is rising, put quietly. Win or lose, at least he will attack him.

Update: Federer worked hard to defeat Medvevev 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Medvedev told the ATP: “ATP 500 is definitely a different thing, beating indoor [great players] like Milos [Raonic], Denis Shapovalov and Kei in his hometown is something amazing. … You never win easy but doing this with easy scores, with amazing level of my game, I’m just really happy about myself and I hope to continue improving in this way.” 

The Russian added: “[Roger] was just destroying me [practicing],” but it’s going be good … because I know that straightaway from the first one I will need to try to put pressure on him also, because that’s what he does. If I stay passive, if I’m just going to try to put the ball in the court, that’s not going to work out. It was my dream probably to play him once, because we all know that his career will not last forever.”

Other Notes

Among the Americans: Sam Querrey will face the San Diego’s Taylor Fritz. Querrey played great last year, but now he is fading fast. He was No. 11 at the end of 2017, but now, he is ranked No. 57. Brutal.  

This week in Shanghai there is a few interesting young competitors, such as Aussie Alex de Minaur, South Korean Hyeon Chung, Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and  another American Mackenzie McDonald. Who will still be playing in the weekend? A toss up…

And let’s not forget that Alexander Zverev is there, ranked No. 5, and during the first half of this year, he played spectacular well — outside of the the Grand Slams — but he hasn’t put together any tournaments since July. Time to step up again …
 
Three notable players who just lost and are struggling: Stan Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock.

Federer overcomes Wawrinka: ‘I was clear with my game plan’


The 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer was angry. In the first tiebreak, he couldn’t swing the right way and Stan Wawrinka was on top of it. The Swiss Wawrinka was cracking the ball, deep and down the line.  Wawrinka won the first set tiebreak 7-6. in t

In the second set, Federer began to concentrate, move forward and he was pretty steady.
In the second-set tiebreak, the three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka blinked just a little bit, he missed a couple key swings, and all of a sudden, they were tied, as Federer took the second set 7-6 (6).
 
Then the rain came, in Cincinnati — again — and the thunder storm was gigantic. Eventually, more or less at midnight, they came back on court. Federer was even more self-assured, and Wawrinka was confused. He smashed his rackets on the ground.

Federer won 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-2 and he will play on Saturday. They are very good friends, but clearly, as Stan has said, “I can beat him on occasion, but Roger is better than me.”

“I got my energy back for the third set, a momentum shift was good for me. It was also good that I was serving first,” Federer said. “I played a cleaner third set. I was clear with my game plan.”

Federer will face David Goffin at night, while in the afternoon, Novak Djokovic will play Marin Cilic.
 
The Women
Every day, Aryna Sabalenka is getting substantial better. The 20-yearz-old has already reached the semis, and win or lose, at the US Open, she will be seeded for the first time. She is a big, strong player. Assuming she stays healthy, she will crack the top 10 next year and after that, she will charge even further. ..
By the way, she beat Madison Keys. The American is hurt a lot and she is hoping that she will feel healthy at the USO. Last year, she reached into the final, but she lost easily to Sloane Stephens. Can Keys play consistent and not get so frustrated?  That is way up in the air…

Simona Halep is so thoughtful and poised. She won Montreal last week and although she must be a little bit tired, still, she runs and runs. On Friday, she beat Ash Barty and then Lesia Tsurenko in straight sets. If she wins Montreal and Cincy, back to back, that would be unreal. The true No. 1…

Once against, Petra Kvitova is into it, beating Elise Mertens in three sets. She rarely backs off and she is faster than she did years ago. Plus, the two-time Grand Slam champion focuses. She will face Kiki Bertens, who is pretty solid. It will be the battle of forehands and who wants it inside the lines.