Taylor Fritz – Page 3 – TennisReporters.net

Jordan Thompson stuns Stefanos Tsitsipas

March 11, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

INDIAN WELLS – Players can overjoyed, especially they are hitting their shots very deep from both sides. Also, strong returns and the ability to chip it when you are going into the net can be a big assets on these courts.

Jordan Thompson did, upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5) in the third set. Tsitsipas missed two key shots, and the Aussie Thompson finally rose.

“I have been on a bit of run of matches. I felt confident, even playing against a top-10 player I felt comfortable in my own skin and what I was doing, and just snuck out a win,” Thompson said. “It feels unbelievable.”

The first and second rounds can always be tricky. Players who have not played yet at this tournament can be unsure of the surroundings. However, many of the players have done it for years and years and know you have to adjust, and fast.

Three veterans won on Friday: Jelena Ostapenko, Barbora Krejcikova and Petra Kvitova. They hope they can bang into the second week. They all have won a number of big events, but they can also be ineffective if they are not feeling right.

Kvitova and Ostapenko will face off in the round of 32. The last time they played was on the Eastbourne grass last year, with the Czech veteran winning easily. But in California on hard courts, Kvitova will try to hit big immediately, with her first serve, backhand and forehand. However, her foot speed has dropped a little bit.

Kvitova said, “I think you can expect quick game, one, two shots max. We played final of Eastbourne before I lost on the hard court from the match point against Jelena. We practiced few times as well. We know each other pretty well. Yeah, it will be quick game for sure. I will not have a time to think where I’m going to put my ball. Any times I gonna feel it I will go there.”

There are some amazing matches already in the desert. On Thursday night, Sofia Kenin somewhat easily beat Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-1 late at night. Kenin was very good — finally — bending down and blasting her forehand and backhand. A few years ago, the former Roland Garros champ Stephens was so steady, but now she is mentally down, and she has yet to add a few more shots. She went from being steady, but currently she is so erratic.

Emma Raducanu, who beat Danka Kovinic, is trying to get back into the top 10 this year. She looked very decent, and she is more aggressive, yet she does need to get a string of victories.

American Emma Navarro took down Caty McNally in three sets, when it was very late and cold. She was steady, while McNally was frustrated.

On the court, Ben Shelton is so enthusiastic and he celebrates all the time. When he is on, then he can attack, and he can be steady. He crushed Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-1. However, in the next round he has to play Taylor Fritz, who won the tournament last year. On the big stadium, in the afternoon, the sun will be very warm, and they will sweat hard in what should be an excellent matchup.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Ben Shelton, indian wells, Jordan Thompson, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Petra Kvitova, Sofia Kenin, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz

Always lurking: Taylor Fritz is moving up, again

February 23, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The ATP 250 Delray Beach has had some incredible matches over the decades

On the Florida hardcourts near the ocean, Taylor Fritz beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 in the final. There were some wild shotswith some fine variety. Finally Fritz’ forehand and backhand were sailing deep and were more challenging. Yes, the No. 7 still can be up and down week to week. Whenhe is pushing himself, and he can mentally center and beat anyone. Well, most of them.

Kecmanovic lost but he really has improved a lot of the past year and a half. He is fit, his forehand is pretty darn good and his backhand is decent. In order to eventually reach into the top 10, he has mix it up more. Also, his second serve is marginal. The good thing for the 22-year-old is he has reached the top 30. If he can add to some new shots, then he can upset some of the very excellent players.

Daniil Medvedev had an odd year in 2022, playing a few spectacular events. After lost the 2022 Australian Open final in a classic five-setter against Rafa Nadal, Medvedev began to slip. After that, he started to make a lot of errors, which is unusual for him. He could not take down Novak Djokovic at all.

All of a sudden, Medvedev is back into it. He was so solid, with his consistent forehand and his backhand that he hits pretty flat. He managed to win the Rotterdam title, beating Jannik Sinner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

The Italian Sinner can really pop the ball and can also mix it up. When the Russian Medvedev is locked in and goes for winners, he is again among the four best players in the world.

Even at the 2023 Aussie Open, American Sebastian Korda beat Medvedev, in just three sets. Korda was jumping on the ball while the Russian was so unfulfilled. And then, a month later, he not only beat Sinner, but he also took dwon Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semis. Then, the fans were almost stunned that he could move it all around the box.

Now, he is back into the top 10 at No. 8. Can Medvedev eventually go into No. 1 this season? Perhaps, but he is not ready yet.

Sinner has won six in the 250s, but in the 500s, he won it only one time, back in 2021 at Washington. A couple years ago, when he reached the final in Miami, it looked like that when he continued to rise, all the time. Now 21-year-old serves and returns better. His volleying is even improved. His forehand and backhand are very . Mentally he can be slips, which is his downfall. Sinner will attempt to mature on the court. Hopefully, he can go much further at the ATP 1000s and the Grand Slams. He really has to be totally honest with himself.

Carlos Alcaraz has not played since he became injured at the 2022 ATP Masters 1000 Paris in the beginning of November. He was happy to be back on the court in Buenos Aires. You’ve got to figure it will take a while to be very good again. Then, in the last couple matches, he was pretty darn good, sliding around on the clay. He was quick, and he swung very hard. In the final, he edged Cameron Norrie 6-3, 7-5.

He became No. 1 when he won last year’s US Open along with Miami on hardcourt and also grabbing five tiles on clay. His biggest title was on the dirt in Madrid.

Alcaraz is only 19 years old. Sometimes the Spaniard can forget exactly what he has to do. Yes, if he is healthy, he will win many titles, just like Rafa Nadal has. Alcaraz can follow Nadal’s career who played all the time when he was young. He also knew he had to improve with his backhand, second serve and net game. Then eventually, he did it.

Nadal has won 22 Grand Slams. Can Alcaraz do the same? Who knows, but if he can continue to Still Djokovic is No. 1 right now.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: buenos aires, Carlos Alcaraz, daniil medvedev, delray beach, Jannik Sinner, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, rafa nadal, Rotterdam, Taylor Fritz

Will the Americans go into the top 5?

February 5, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

We can talk about Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal and then we will find out who has more Grand Slam winners. It is tied, 22 huge wins, but they cannot play until June, at Roland Garros. So that is months from now. Instead, it is more important to find out who can try to reach into the top 5 this year, and beat the those nearly untouchable players.

No. 8 Taylor Fritz does has a chance to repeat at Indian Wells in March and Frances Tiafoe have another opportunity to win his first ATP 1000. The No. 15 Tiafoe has been better over the past year and a half, but he also can be inconsistent.

Fritz looked very good going into the Australian Open, after he beat four good players. But in the second round in Melbourne, he went down against Alexei Popyrin. That was a big shocker. If he can re-set immediately, then he can start to turn on the jets. Coming up, he will play in the Dallas Open,

Tiafoe, who looked stellar in Melbourne until the third round, when he went down to the resurgent Karen Khachanov.

Another American, Tommy Paul, had a fantastic two weeks at the Australian Open, as he reached into a Grand Slam semi for the first time. He has so locked in, and his forehand and his backhand were more than muscular. However, in the last two sets, Djokovic wiped him out. For Paul, he finally made it into the top 20, and for sure, if he wants to leap into the top 10, then he will have to continue improving.

The American men have not won a Grand Slam since 2003 when Andy Roddick grabbed the US Open. That is almost 20 years ago. Eventually, someone will, but this year at RG, Wimbledon, and the US Open? That would be a somewhat astonishing, such as beating Djokovic, Nadal, and the teenager Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. Or you can throw in Stefanos Tsitsipas who reached the Aussie Open final. In the two out of three, it is possible to play great and upset the opponent, but in the three out of five, then you have to sit there for hours. If you get tired, or you become nervous, then you can slip in the fifth set. It has happened so many times.

This week in Dallas, there are lots of players competing such as Brandon Nakashima, John Isner, J.J. Wolf, and Marcos Giron. Whomever wins can think that when he eventually goes to Indian Wells, he will be totally pumped up and ready to chop down everyone.

Breakthrough: Alycia Parks wins first title
Speaking of which, who would have thought that Alycia Parks won her first WTA singles title in Lyon, upsetting Caroline Garcia, 7-6(7), 7-5? Last year, the American was going up and down, winning and losing a lot. Yet in the fall, the 22-year-old kept going into the net, and putting away losts of volleys. Plus, she is fast, and her strokes go deep. Last year, she beat Karolina Pliskova and Maria Sakkari in Ostrava. After that, she knew that she could be much more daring on the court.

“I think the key was to stay focused and take my time,” Parks said. “Every time I passed myself, I kind of lost points, so I told myself to slow down. All this week I’ve been kind of chilled this week and just kept playing my game and getting into it.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alycia Parks, Frances Tiafoe, Matt Cronin, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul

2023 Australian Open favorites

January 15, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The women

With the women, clearly, the favorite is No. 1 Iga Swiatek. But, she has never won in Melbourne. She can be very aggressive on the hardcourts. Last year, Ash Barty won it and then retired. However, one of the Americans, Sofia Kenin, won it in 2020, but then she went straight downhill. Maybe she will get going again but she has to turn thing around quickly, because she has to face Vika Azarenka in the first round. Azarenka won it twice in 2012 and 2013. Now she is playing decently, but she is not great right now. Both of them are super fierce and then they can go for the lines. Sometimes they miss it, the other times they can control play in the backcourt. But, to win it, that would be very surprising.

Three American women should reach the second week or to get into the final: Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, and Danielle Collins. But 18-year-old Gauff, who reached into the final at Roland Garros, would have to beat Świątek in the quarters if they both advance to that round.

Keys is a former US Open finalists and Collins reached that level at the Australian Open. No one won, but at least they played were tough outs all the way to the finals. Maybe something occurred, either they were too nervous, or maybe they were not strategic.

Another veteran, Jessica Pegula, is ranked No. 3, which means that she has been much more assertive with her ground strokes. She won Guadalajara in the fall and that was her best tournament ever. However, she has yet to go deep at the Slams, so this will be a huge challenge for her to show she can dominate in a major.

There are others who can win a Slam for the first time: Caroline Garcia, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, Daria Kasatkina, Belinda Bencic and Amanda Anisimova. The big question is: Does anyone here have a real shot?

The men

To win the Australian Open, you have to be super patient and also mash the ball. Novak Djokovic has won it eight times,and Rafa Nadal grabbed it twice. Serena Williams also won it many times, but she retired last year. Naomi Osaka, took it twice, but now she is not playing because she is pregnant.

There are some people who can win a major for the first time. How about the men? Yes, Djokovic and Nadal, who won it last year, are the favorites,. But, there are more than a few who can win it for the first time like Nick Kyrgios, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini and Americans Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda and Frances Tiafoe.

Here is what is odd: among active men only Djokovic, Nadal and Stan Wawrinka have won Aussie Open in the past 25 years. Repeat: no one managed to grind it and nail the shots. Plus, those three really understand what to do during the matches. Plus, their strokes, serves and returns are fantastic. Medvedev managed to reach the final against Nadal last year. He was so coherent all the time, but in the finalps fifth set, Nadal threw some astonishing shots and he beat him 7-5. The Russian can look so steady, but after that he was mentally down. If he rises again, then perhaps he can be much more solid.

The Aussie Kyrgios is one of the hardest hitter on court. He can slug his forehand, he can clip his first serve and he really likes to be creative during the points.

There are some who have a real chance to control matches and go deep at the Slams, such as the basher Andrey Rublev, the thoughtful Casper Ruud, the hustling Felix Auger-Aliassime and the Mr. Variety Matteo Berrettini. Now there are three American men who are seeded and can go deep too: Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Sebastian Korda. Fritz won Indian Wells last year, upsetting Nadal. At the ATP Finals, he looked very good, but it will be different at the Slams. Tiafoe reached the 2022 US Open semis and he was spinning around, and he hit some unreal shots. So if he can go into the semis, then perhaps he can take the gloves off. Korda’s dad, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open. So, if Sebastian can lock in early, then without a doubt, he can reach into the second week — or further.

Three players have outside chances to the final at Melbourne, such as Andy Murray, Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem. They have all won a Slam — not on the Australian Open — but they have took it on the hardcourt. It is possible that they can win more than a few matches, but to win it all, that would be almost shocking.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Andrey Rublev, Andy Murray, Casper Ruud, coco gauff, Dominic Thiem, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Frances Tiafoe, Iga Świątek, Jessica Pegula, Marin Cilic, Matt Cronin, Matteo Berrettini, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, rafa nadal, Sebastian Korda, Taylor Fritz

Coco Gauff wins, preps for Australian Open

January 10, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The 18-year-old Coco Gauff had a stellar week in Adelaide, winning the tournament and easily beating Rebeka Masarova 6-1, 6-1 in the final.

When she gets going, Gauff can be forceful and reactive. She can move forward when she is feeling good. Last week, she rarely went backwards. She has yet to win a huge tournament, but she has now won three small events in Linz, Parma and now the 2023 Auckland.

Next week, she will still be ranked No. 7. When she arrives at the Australian Open, she will be thinking that she can take a huge shot of winning a Slam. She is not quite there yet. If she keeps her focus in the first week, then should could power through to a title. However, at the AO last year, she lost to Carolina Garcia, the current No. 4. If they match up again, then Gauff is going to have to play almost 100 percent to win it, as the Frenchwoman can be spectacular.

Speaking of another American, Sebastian Korda was so close of beating Novak Djokovic, but he came short, losing when the Serb 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4. That was a marathon, yet Djokovic kept changing, hitting his astounding backhand, solid volleys and big spin in his forehand.

Korda played a wonderful week, not because he lost, but he was very patient and mixed it up a lot. He also knew that to win the match, he had to try seriously hard, and many times over the past few years, he would slide into mediocracy. He was so-so last summer, but in the fall, he began to rise. For the first time, at the Australian Open, he will be seeded.

Djokovic is clearly on fire again. He has now won 92 career titles, which is a huge amount. He has won the Australian Open eight times, and in Melbourne, he is favored again. But he is not a huge favorite, just by a slight edge, Last year he arrive in but then was asked to leave Australia because he hadn’t taken the COVID-19 vaccine. When he is on the court, in a match, there will some fans who will boo him. That is a fact.

American men and the women won the United Cup with Jessica Pegula, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Madison Keys. Clearly, they played very consistently and made sure they dominated. All of them were having a great time.

None of them have reached the final at the AO, and of course, they really like the hardcourts. So they have a realistic shot to beat down the excellent players. Pegula has never gone deep at the Slams. Tiafoe reached the US Open semis when he played terrific last year, but, in the fifth set against Carlos Alcaraz, the Spaniard rose way high. Tiafoe will have another chance to prove himself. He actually lost to his friend Fritz and the San Diego resident won 2022 Indian Wells, the best he had ever played. He has yet to win a Slam, a big test.

Keys has put in a few wild and fun matches at Melbourne, and she went into the semis twice. She can mash the ball, but when she cannot run that fast, then she can lose when she is mentally down. Keys looked very good until the semis, and then the former No.1 Ashel Barty crushed her.

Aryna Sabalenka just won an event, beating newcomer Linda Noskova. The former No. 2 Sabalenka can rock and roll, but she can throw in a lot of double faults. If she can hit a lot of first serves then sure, she has a chance to win it all.

There has to be at least 10 women who can grab the Aussie title, given that Barty retired.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Auckland, Australian Open, Frances Tiafoe, madison keys, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Sebastian Korda, Taylor Fritz, United Cup

TennisReporters.net’s top 32 in 2022: men 10-6

December 27, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

No. 10: Hubert Hurkacz
Hurkacz won the ’21 ATP 1000 Miami and looked like he was going up in the rankings. The Pole beat five very good players, knocking down over Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner. After that, he was thinking that he is ready to beat everyone in the biggest tournaments. At Wimbledon, he served huge and punched the ball as jard as he could, and he threw in many winners. He outlasted Daniil Medvedev and then he knocked off the great competitor Roger Federer. Yet in the semis, Matteo Berrettini fooled him, and he could not understand how to break him down. And then he lost. This year, he was pretty good but the top players have beaten him a number of times. He had some success, winning Halle, over Medvedev and he reaching the final in the ATP 1000 at Montreal. Yet in the fall, he lost that momentum. In seven tournaments after that, he won eight matches and lost six. That is not good enough. He does look like a fine person, but if he wants to reach into the top 5 next year, he has to add some quality shots.

No. 9: Taylor Fritz
As the American said, he just wanted to be consistent. He found that effective strategy, but not all the time. In January, he began to mix it up a lot, and he almost beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open in a classic five setter. When he lost, he was freaked out. He should have grabbed it but he threw in a couple crucial errors. He won Indian Wells in March, upsetting Rafael Nadal in the final, and his strokes were spot on. He did little on clay. He went to England and won Eastbourne on grass. A week later, he was ready to win Wimbledon, to get down low, and mash the ball. However, Nadal was there in the quarters, and the Spaniard edged him 7-6 in the fifth set. Fritz was tense and he did not play well over the next two months, but finally won Tokyo. Then, he was back. He reached the ATP Finals and he look very solid. In the semis, the 21-Grand-Slam champ Djokovic beat him 7-6, 7-6. It is all about the tiebreaks. In 2023, like everyone says, they want to win a Slam. The last time an American man won a Slam was in 2003 when Andy Roddick took the US Open. That will be 20 years ago, a long, long time. Fritz has the best shot to break that disappointing streak.

No. 8: Andrey Rublev
At times, the Russian can be excellent, hitting the ball hard and he can nail the lines. He has won 12 titles, but he has not won any ATP 1000s or Grand Slams. He came close in 2021, in Monte Carlo and Cincinnati, but he could not pull it off. The 24-year-old hits some tremendous forehands and backhands. He is also somewhat fast. However, when he is feeling very good, then he can swing hard and take off the gloves. He won Marseille, France, Dubai, Belgrade, Serbia (over Djokovic) and Gijon. But those are not the biggest events. If he wants to reach into the semis for the first time at the Grand Slams, he has to reach up into the sky. As he said, he has to be more thoughtful on the court. “If I want to be a better player, I need to improve a lot mental part because this is the main thing I’m doing worst compared to top five players. That’s the main goal.” Then, do it.

No. 7: Daniil Medvedev
The ‘21 US Open champ grabbed the ATP 500 Vienna Open, stepping past Denis Shapovalov in three sets. The Russian has had a strange year, winning and losing here and there. At the ATP Finals, he lost all three matches, and believe it or not, he went down 7-6 in third sets. Now that was pretty odd, almost bizarre. When he is mentally sound, he can pound the ball all the time. He can sprint, he can slap it down the line and he can blast the ball cross court with both sides. He is tall, and he can be consistent, but he rarely goes into the net and put it away. His return is somewhat mediocre. He can be a great player in 2023 if he can win another Slam. To do that he has to make his shots.

No. 6: Felix Auger-Aliassime
In the fall, he won three tournaments, Florence, Antwerp and Basel. He lost early at the US Open, but then he suddenly turned it around. He hits some fabulous serves, and his forehand and his backhand are very effective. Currently he is the hottest player on tour. Before last year, when he was serving, his first serve didn’t do very much and his second serve would be pretty flat and predicable. But now, he is much more intelligent. The confidence is there, and when he played the ATP Finals in Italy, he had a real chance to reach the semis, but he lost to Fritz and Casper Ruud. Auger-Aliassime is ready to win Grand Slam for the first time in 2023. The 22-year-old needs to return better and throw in lots of spin. Simply, he has to go for the lines, quickly, and grab the winners right there.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Andrey Rublev, daniil medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Taylor Fritz

Weekend winners: Félix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev

October 31, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

By winning in Basel Félix Auger-Aliassime has taken three crowns in a row. He has been hitting some terrific serves. Last year, when he was serving, the first serve was effective, but the second serve proved to be pretty flat and predicable. But now, he understands how to vary speed and placement. During his winning streak, he knows which way to go.

His confidence is soaring. Now, he has a solid shot to make the ATP Finals in Turin.

Imagine that? The 22-year-old is convinced he finally understands the combinations and how to succeed with his big forehand, consistent backhand and hard returns hard into the corners. Plus, he can thrown in lot of spin, and he change it up. Also, he is very fast.

Perhaps the Canadian can beat all of the top players, eventually. But, right now, the challenge is to win an ATP 1000 or a Grand Slam. He has not done it yet, even though that he upset the No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semis in Switzerland.

“It’s been an amazing week,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Once again in the final, not getting broken all week. … [It’s been] a long year, a long stretch of wins, and it’s not over. So hopefully I can keep going, but right now I’m feeling all the good emotions that come with winning a tournament.”

Medvedev takes Vienna

The former 2021 US Open champ Daniil Medvedev won again, this time he grabbed the ATP 500 Vienna Open, stepping past Denis Shapovalov in three sets. The Russian has had a strange year, winning and also getting upset. So it is still hard to say that when he arrives in Paris, will he be pumped up or a little bit wild on court?

However, last week he was locked in. When he is mentally sound, then he can pound the ball all the time. He can sprint, he can nail it down the line, and he can dominate cross court with both wings.

Medvedev does not smile that much, on court, but when he hits an amazing winner, then he cheers, with the fans. The No. 3 is growing up.

“I like to play indoor hard courts at the end of the season,” Medvedev said. “I feel that I do a great job with my team not to arrive burnt out. I am looking forward to the last two tournaments of the year which are really important and I usually play well.”

Last year in Paris, he lost in the semis to Novak Djokovic. The Serbian will play along with Rafa Nadal, too. But if Medvedev goes deep indoors he could go up against Auger-Aliassime. That could be a fantastic match.

The only U.S. man who have change to play on the ATP Finals is Taylor Fritz. But it is almost impossible to pull it off unless he plays lights out and wins Paris. At least he has a very good year.

The American men are in Paris are Frances Tiafoe, Sebastian Korda, Brandon Nakashima, Tommy Paul, John Isner and Maxime Cressy. They are all in the top 51. That is good, but for many fans, they want all of them to crack into the top 10. Next year, they hope.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: atp finals, Basel, daniil medvedev, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Taylor Fritz, Turin, Vienna

Emma Raducanu: ‘I’m just trying to stay on one path’

August 18, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Emma Raducanu might be the US Open champion again, if she manages to clean it up on court. On Tuesday, she easily beat Serena Williams in Cincinnati, 6-4, 6-0. She was injured — and many people have in the summer — but currently, she is getting better. The next day, she blew out Vika Azarena, 6-0, 6-2, another Grand Slam champion.

Over that last 11 months, that might have seemed impossible, but she was so impressive in this tournament.

When Raducanu is on, she can be very fast, and she can also bang the ball. Her first serve is very big, and her return is muscular.

Against Serena, she was so excited to take her down, even though she thinks that she is the best player ever.

“I think that a big part of the match today was definitely the mental side, to not be intimidated by all her achievements. That was what I was focusing the most on, really present and thinking of my game, thinking of what I needed to do. Physically I held up pretty well” said Raducanu, who will face against Jessica Pegula next. “Like there were some longer exchanges, I held up well and I scrapped. I made her work. I feel good right now.”

She was also against Azarenka, who can crunch her forehand and her backhand, but her serve is still marginal. Plus, Azarenka is not a super quick runner. However, Raducanu can sprint.

The brit does want to win at Cincinnati or go deep. Still, on the mind of this 19-year-old was her run to US Open glory.

“I think that at this level, you play anyone, it’s a really difficult match. Each of those wins kind of build confidence regardless of the level you’re playing, every single win counts,” she said. “But, of course, this one more so, because you’re playing like the greatest. But I’m not trying to get too high or too low right now. I’m just trying to stay on one path and trajectory, because I know like I kind of feel like I have been on both ends of that, and, yeah, I’m just happy, proud of myself, but just moving on.”

By the way, she wants to play Simona Halep – that would be their first matchup – because “I think she all around is like, for me, all around the most complete player. She moves extremely well. She’s aggressive. She can defend. She makes you work so hard for every point. Could be like a slow, painful like she gets you (smiling).”

NOTES
Karolina Pliskova lost today. Yesterday, she said that “I’m 30 and I’m still like here. I don’t really want to like quit at the moment. So, I think I just want to see how it’s gonna go like this year, next year. Then I will make decision.” She still does like playing tennis, so maybe she can run up at the US Open. She reached the final in 2016.

Taylor Fritz stepped on Nick Kyrgios in two sets. Kyrgios wants to rest, and his body wore down, but the American played terrific today. He is No. 13, and he has been saying that he wants to be in the top 10 ASAP. Well, then he can do it this week, as long as he will not freeze up.

Where did Ben Shelton come from? His dad, Bryan, also played in the tour, winning Newport, twice. The 19-year-old Ben just upset Casper Ruud, so he must be very good, already. John Isner had two very good wins, beating the No. 10 Hubert
Hurkacz. The 37-year-old may not win Cincinnati, but if he can return better than he usually does, Mr. Ace may go further.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: cincinnati, Emma Raducanu, John Isner, Karolina Pliskova, Taylor Fritz

Let Taylor play!

July 7, 2022 by Ron Cioffi

When I was the Atlanta Open media director, one reporter who was new to tennis asked, “What’s a lucky loser? How can a loser be lucky?”

I explained tennis’ practice of letting qualifiers who lose in the final round of qualies move into the main draw if a main-draw player withdraws before play starts. The rule gives more players a chance to play and advance into the tournament. Plus, it gives the fans an extra match to watch.

So, why not do that with the main draw? Let’s let Taylor Fritz advance into the Wimbledon semifinals.

Rafael Nadal, who downed Fritz in the quarterfinals, announced today he would not play his next match. He was scheduled to face Nick Kyrgios on Friday in the semis.

But, there are no lucky losers in the main draw or in any tennis tournament. If a player withdraws, his/her upcoming opponent gets a walkover. No opponent, no match.

What is the alternative?

Just like the advantages to give a lucky loser a slot in the main draw, the advantages of moving a loser further in the tournament are the same.

The fans, especially those who spent a whole lot of English pounds at Wimbledon, will get to see two semifinals instead of one.
The losing player will be pleased to get another match and can continue in the tournament.
No opponent would have one less match than another. In the upcoming Wimbledon singles final, Kyrgios goes in having played only five matches while his opponent will play six matches.

Oddly enough, there is a rule that allows Fritz to advance. If Nadal had decided to retire during the match (as seemingly he was encouraged to do by his camp), then Fritz would have been the winner. So, to a certain degree, it was the timing when Nadal decided to stop that means a Wimbledon semifinal won’t be played. Explain that to the fans and TV networks.

As happens when a player pulls out of a Grand Slam before the first round, both players would get a payday. To make sure giving up the match was not too attractive, the player withdrawing could get a small slice of the money. How about 25 percent?

What happens if Fritz is already on a plane to the U.S. when Nadal announces his withdrawal? Undoubtedly, he would return to London. But, what if this happens in a $25K low-level tournament and the player has arrived in the next city? Well, no penalty to the player if he/she decides not to play the match.

I’ve read criticism that allowing a loser to advance goes against the core of competitive tournament structure and it could contribute to intentional losing or, even worse, the temptation to have the player who would benefit influence the player withdrawing. All these are fair arguments.

There’s nothing wrong with questioning the tournament structure and making improvements.

Let’s discuss about how we can make tennis more attractive. If you have any thoughts on this rule change, please email me at cioffi@tennisreporters.net.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Rafael Nadal, Taylor Fritz, wimbledon, withdrawal

Retiring at the top: No. 1 Barty says she is ‘spent’

March 23, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

On Wednesday in Australia, No. 1 Ash Barty waved goodbye, once again. As she said on TV this morning she did everything over the past few years. After she won the 2022 Australian Open, she was gone. She looked fantastic on the court, but she did not want to travel anymore. She pulled out of Indian Wells and Miami, and she did say that she needed to rest. But then, she thought about it a lot. Last year after she won 2021 Wimbledon, she was almost ready not to play after that. However, she wanted to try and see how she feels. It turned out to be fine, but the start of this year, after she finally won the Aussie Open, she had nothing left.

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” the 25-year-old Barty said. “Wimbledon last year changed a lot for me as a person and for me as an athlete. When you work so hard your whole life for one goal, to be able to win Wimbledon—which was the one true dream I wanted in tennis—that really changed my perspective. I just had that gut feeling after Wimbledon and had spoken to my team quite a lot about it. There was just a little part of me that wasn’t quite satisfied, wasn’t quite fulfilled. And then came the challenge of the Australian Open. I think that for me just feels like the most perfect way, my perfect way, to celebrate what an amazing journey my tennis career has been.”

In 2014, Barty was mentally out of it, saying in her video with friend and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua that she was “spent.? She could not win anything. So she stopped, she paused and started to play cricket. She played pretty well, but by 2016, she was back again playing tennis. It took her for a while to really feel all the right shots. Eventually, she matured and began to crack the ball, with her forehand, serve and at the net. Barty could always hit her one-handed backhand, with an amazing variety. She could beat anyone when she was in form on the hardcourts, on the grass and the clay. She was one of the best players since she came on tour.

Barty has said that she wants to focus on something else, and it looks like she may not return again. That is her decision. However, Barty was very popular and many the fans would watch her, at the events or on TV. But now, the WTA workers have to reset and hope that the fans can listen and hope they will like a different style.

Indian Wells results

At least Iga Świątek has improved a lot, winning Indian Wells when she took down Maria Sakkari in two easy sets. She can get down so low, and she can hit it pretty deep, with her forehand, backhand and first serve. Plus, this year when she plays, she can lock it in. She can be very intense. She is ranked No. 2 and since Barty has retired, it looks like that Swiatek could be No.1. According to reports, it’s up to Barty whether she will ask to be removed from the rankings, leaving the top spot open.

At what point did Taylor Fritz rose way up high? A year ago, in fact, even in January, he was rising, but he couldn’t put it all together. Finally, at Indian Wells, he played fantastic, upsetting Rafa Nadal 6-3 7-6(5). Yes, the 21 Grand Slam champion was hurt. The Spaniard injured his ribs in the semis on Saturday when he edged the terrific teenager Carlos Alcaraz in more than three hours. He had to get up the next day and battle again. He was frustrated at times, but Fritz get chugging, and he smacked with his powerful forehand and backhand. His first serve was impressive, taking his

first ATP Masters 1000. Finally, he is darn good. Plus, the last time that an American men won in the ATP 1000 was almost four years ago when John Isner won Miami. Nadal said that Fritz finally won it all, plus a couple other Americans are impressive.

Nadal said, “It’s a great victory for him. First Masters 1000. Big day for him. Victory like today helps. He played well. He went through some great matches during this week, especially yesterday [when he beat Andrey Rublev ]. A lot of credit to him on the victory because he had much tougher opponent in front yesterday than today I think.

“But he already played great matches in Australia against Tsitsipas. It’s obvious that he is improving. With this victory, it’s a great start of the season for him. He will have chance to be very close if not in the top 10 very soon. Going to be a big battle there for these numbers because there are a lot of young and great players fighting for these spots. Yeah, Brooksby is another kind of player. I saw him play a couple of times. He does a lot of things very well, with a special style, but doing things very difficult, doing very difficult things easy. Probably he going to have a great future, too.”

Yes, that was Fritz’s biggest championship for the current No. 13. If he develops mentally, then maybe he can go very deep at the Grand Slams. But before that, he and the others are already in Miami. Winning these two 1000 tournament back to back would be almost impossible. Or is it?

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: ash barty, Iga Swiatek, Taylor Fritz