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The Picks in Madrid: Friday, April 28

April 27, 2023 by

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

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The Picks in Barcelona, Stuttgart, Munich: Sunday, April 23

April 22, 2023 by
Iga Swiatek
Mal Taam/MALT photo

Stuttgart
Iga Swiatek over Aryna Sabalenka
You have to wonder how  the No. 1 Swiatek became so excellent, again. Maybe it is during this week, when she is in the amazing clay, as she did win Roland Garros, twice. However, this year, she has been up and down, with her hard strokes.

She does know that against the 2023 Australian Open Sabalenka is mighty with her forehand and her backhand, that she can kick down anyone. However, on the hardcourts, she can control what she has to do, and she can also decide if she wants to switch it. At times, she can, but while she knows on the dirt for years, she would over hit, with a lot of errors. Sabalenka has certainly improved her serve, but it is mediocre. That is why Swiatek will be more patient, and also, she will hit some ridiculous shots. The Poland person will win in two, long, sets.

Barcelona
Carlos Alcaraz over Stefanos Tsitsipas
The Spaniard just said that he is feeling great, on court, and he is playing so steady. Alcaraz  grew up when he first started how to play on clay and on the hardcourts, and it took him a while,  but he did it very quickly. He is just so fast when he is running, and he can do almost everything, with his forehand, his backhand, his serve and at the net. Yes, Alcaraz will likely become No. 1 again, but he still isn’t perfect, yet. Maybe in a few years, but he is young, so he still has to conclude exactly the right shots.

Tsitsipas is playing darn well, and he can look great, but then he hits some odd errors. However at least he really concentrates, and he can also seriously alloy it with his one-handed backhand. His forehand is very sturdy, and his first serve is rap good.
However, Alcaraz  has beaten him all three times, including in Barcelona last year, winning in three sets. He will do it again, in another three sets, when Alcaraz hops in the line and put it away, again and again.

Two quick pics
Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Andrey Rublev over Dusan Lajovic
The Serbian veteran Lajovic has had a surprising week, but apparently, he is playing wonderful ball. However, the Russian Rublev is much more secure again, and he will win it in straight sets.

Munich
Holger Rune over Boticvan Van de Zandschulp
That could be a very long match, and while Rune has played insane over the past two weeks, yet he is still not playing as well as he can. However, he is rising quickly, but Van de Zandschulp also playing very devout, taking down against Taylor Fritz. The Netherlands seems to think that he can chop him down, but Rune  will out steady him in a bizarre three sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Iga Swiatek over Aryna Sabalenka
Correct: Carlos Alcaraz over Stefanos Tsitsipas
Correct: Holger Rune over Boticvan Van de Zandschulp
Andrey Rublev over Dusan Lajovic

Matt’s picks this week

15 out of 18: 83.3% correct

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The Picks in Barcelona, Munich, Stuttgart: Thursday, April 20

April 20, 2023 by

Dan Evans
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Picks written on Wednesday, before play started.

Barcelona

Daniel Evans over Karen Khachanov
This is somewhat surprising  that Evans has a 3-0 head to head, not because that he can be so steady, but also, he found away to trouble him. Khachanov is ranked No. 11, and he has gone somewhat deep at the big tournaments on the hard courts, but he cannot figure him out on the clay. They have played only on the hard courts, so this time, it will be on the dirt. Because of that, there will be long rallies, and while the Russian can crush the ball, he can fall down. With that, the veteran Evans will win it again, with two, odd, sets.

Munich

Alexander Zverev over Christopher O’Connell
You never now how the German stands up, on the court and off.  There has to be thousands of fans, watching Zverev, on the court, hitting some tremendous shots, and throwing in a number of winners. Yes, he can be angry when he is not playing well, but now he is more patient with his thoughts.

The Australian O’Connell has had a mediocre year, losing a lot, but at least he upset over Roberto Bautista Agut in Doha, and then believe it or not, in Dubai, he beat Emil Ruusuvuori. Then he tried to shock Zvereva, but he went down  7-5, 6-4. Not so bad, but it was gone. O’Connell can be steady, yet  Zverev really knows how to play, and he will win in two, simple sets.

Stuttgart

Coco Gauff over Anastasia Potapova
The American Gauff somehow came over from the ocean and apparently, she wasn’t tired, so in the court, she won it 7-6 in the third set over Daria Kasatkina.  She is a teenager, so she rarely gets tired, but this time her legs can start to crumple, but not that time. She did reach into the 2022 Roland Garros final,  and then she lost, but her backhand was tremendous.
 
The 22-year-old Potapova is rising, as each month, she is improving her volley. Last year, she had some solitary matches, but on clay at Istanbul, Turkey, she won it all, not against the great players, but good enough. The Russian is so intense, on the court, and while at Indian Wells and Miami, she lost against Jessica Petula, twice, but it was super close. This is a toss up, as they are both want to win a gigantic tournament, yet right now,  Gauff will edge her in three, very long, sets.

Elena Rybakina  over Beatriz Haddad Maia
The Russian Rybakina played a terrific tournament, winning Indian weeks, and at Miami when she reached the final, beating Jessica Petula in the semis. She did lose in the final, but she played so hard with some incredible strokes.  She never really became tired, which means she is incredible shape.
However, even though Rybakina won at the 2022 Wimbledon, she has yet to understand on the clay, when you have to totally change it up. 

Believe it or not, the Brazilan Haddad Maia beat in Abu Dhabi in February, in the quarters, in three crazy sets. Maybe  Rybakina  was mentally tired, but Haddad Maia  had some insane shots. She is fast, and steady, but there are times when she becomes confused. Because of that, Rybakina wants to revenge her, and she will win it in three, fun, sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Marcos Giron over Alexander Ritschard
Correct: Novak Djokovic over Luca van Assche

Matt’s current week picks

7 out of 7: 100% correct

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While WTA supports Peng Shuai, lack of info still unsettling

December 6, 2021 by
Peng Shuai

Everyday, many people will think, ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ The Chinese player has possibly retired this year, and she went home…we think.

But three weeks ago, she disappeared, in the public view. Peng accused former high-level Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. The Chinese governments has said a few things, that she is around, but she does not want to talk, yet. Unfortunately, that is pretty weak.

Peng played for years, in the singles and the doubles, and connected with many in the tennis world. After her match was done, she would come into the press riin and talk with some good expressions.

On court, in the singles, she was good here and there. In doubles, she was darn good, and she became No. 1.and also won Roland Garros and Wimbledon with Hsieh Su-wei.

As many people wrote, or texted, including the players, the coaches, the broadcasters, and the journalists, just how did Peng disappear and why?
 
In the boldest move so far, WTA CEO Steve Simon suspended all tournaments in China, including Hong Kong, in 2022. There has been universal support for his initiative and courage and we agree with putting pressure on China.

No. 1 Novak Djokovic, supported the WTA move to halt Chinese tournaments, calling it a “very bold and very courageous.” Former No. 1, Serena Williams, decided to tweet, saying, “This must be investigated and must not stay silent.”

No. 2 Daniil Medvedev just said that maybe he might not go to China. “If there was a tournament in China next week, nobody would be comfortable,” he said. “What we all want is to see that Peng is fine, which we do not know 100 percent.”

In 2005, in July and Augustin California, Peng was on a roll. She upset three excellent players including Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina and Kim Clijsters.

The Belgian was started. “She has a great future ahead of her,” Clijsters said. “She’s the best player I’ve played in a long time; everything together, the groundstrokes and the movement. I think she can definitely become top three. She’s one of the hardest hitters I’ve played. She hits incredibly clean, especially from her backhand side.”

Peng was a cheery sort who’s always smiling. Then, she was the first Chinese player who had shown real top-flight potential. Peng was ready to dance way up high.

“A Grand Slam title is every player’s dream but I really just want to try my best,” she said. “I told myself if I got chances to believe in myself.”

She did then, but in the singles, she was up and down for a long time. In 2011, she topped out with a career high of No. 14. Three years later at the US Open she reached the semis beating Agnieszka Radwanska, Roberta Vinci, Lucie Safarova and Belinda Bencic. Then she cramped and had to retire against Caroline Wozniacki.

Those were some great days. Maybe the 35-year old will eventually come out and talk again in December. The world awaits more information to come out and not hindered by the Chinese government.

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2017 top players: women’s 11-15

December 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment

 

TennisReporters.net will review 2017’s top 30 women and men, our annual feature.

No. 11: Kristina Mladenovic
As the Frenchwoman said, she was great from January through June, and then, she totally collapsed. She says that the pressure came on and she couldn’t shake it. She couldn’t think anymore, and she became very frustrated. In the first five months, she was unbelievably good, on hard courts and on clay. She is super strong, plays with a lot of variety, either way back on the baseline and putting away at the net. If Kiki gets her head on straight, she could actually reach the Grand Slam final. If not, she can disappear once again.

No. 12: Svetlana Kuznetsova
The Russian has been playing for eons, having won the US Open in 2004 when she was very young, confident and she believed in herself. That was 13 years ago and now, she plays tournament after tournament, playing fantastic, and the next week, she gets mentally down and then she plays flat. That is Sveta, who loves to talk —which is a very good thing — but she got hurt towards the end of the year and now, she cannot go to Australia in 2018. Hopefully, she will returns in February, and she will be fresh. And maybe next year, she will win her third Grand Slam [she also won Roland Garros, on clay, in 2010] and then, she will be thrilled and continuing on forever. There is no doubt that she will become a coach someday.

No. 13: Sloane Stephens
A couple years after she started on the WTA Tour in 2010, the American looked like she would win a major pretty soon. She was so fast, so steady, and pretty smart overall. But then when she was close to winning the Slams, at the Aussie and Wimbledon, she backed off. Then she fell down mentally. Hello, 2016! She underwent surgery and could not play for nine months. When she returned, and for the first time, she went for it. She had an amazing summer, and eventually, she won the US Open. After that, she was exhausted and failed to win a match in Asia, and even at the Fed Cup final. In 2018, she can certainly win another Grand Slam. She is that good. 

No. 14: Julia Goerges
What a great year by the German, who did very little against the big guns before this year. In 2017, she raised her head and rarely backed off. Another veteran, she realized that if she can actually push forward, be aggressive, and be patient, then she would have a legitimate chance to go deep. And she did. Can she crack the top 10 for the first time? Sure she can. She wants it badly.

No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
The “other” Russian is another veteran, who plays great at times, and then she gets down on herself and she checks out. However, in 2017, she finally became more consistent, which is why now, at four different Grand Slams, she has reached the quarters. In 2018, perhaps she will reach the semis for the first time? Hmmm

 

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2017 top players: women’s 16-20

December 6, 2017 by Leave a Comment

TennisReporters.net will review 2017’s top 30 women and men, our annual feature.

No. 16: Anastasija Sevastova
I was pretty surprised that the Latvian finally broke into the top 20. After all, she is 27 years old. Four years ago, she quit because she was depressed and her body was very sore all the time. But she returned and at the US Open, she hung in there, stunned Maria Sharapova, and she nearly upended Sloane Stephens. Could she crack the top 10 for the first time? Sure, why not; she loves tennis once again.

No. 17: Ashleigh Barty
The Aussie has improved so much this season. In 2016, she just returned after taking off almost two years, quitting because she was emotionally exhausted and tired of tennis. But she wanted to come back. Now, not only is Ash so strong, but she added consistency to her strokes and she is no longer being shaky. Without a doubt, she can reach  the top 10, and possibly, go very deep at the Grand Slams.

No. 18: Elena Vesnina
The Russian has been around for a long time, and she also loves playing the doubles and, with Ekaterina Makarova is one of the best. In singles, she finally understood that she needs to be aggressive to win. Obviously, she is fast, and at the net, she can bend down and she softly puts it just over the baseline. She rarely gives up winners. Can she win a major? I would be very surprised.   

No. 19: Madison Keys
This American had some excellent matches, but overall, she gets bruised, frequently. Yes, she has a huge first serve, and she can crush her forehand and her backhand. Downsides are: she isn’t incredibly fast, she doesn’t love the net, and she can get very angry emotionally when she isn’t playing well. Look, she has reached the Grand Slam semis and clearly, she is still young and very talented. However, in 2018, she has to stay healthy and be soothing — on court, that is.

No. 20: Magdalena Rybarikova
The Slovakian is 29 years old. Over time, she found out that she has to be more patient. She is a big hitter, especially with her forehand. She did reach the semis at Wimbledon, which is fantastic, but after that, she slid. In 2018, maybe she should stop playing almost every week? I would say, yes.

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2017 top players: women’s 21-25

December 2, 2017 by Leave a Comment

TennisReporters.net will review 2017’s top 30 women and men, our annual feature.

No. 21: Angie Kerber
This was not a good year for the German. In 2016, she grabbed two Grand Slams. This season, she won absolutely nothing. Still, she is a fantastic player. Next season she has to shake it off. When she is running around on court with her great speed, she cannot overthink. She has to lock in and stay there.

No. 22: Serena Williams
Strange to see that ranking for the best woman in tennis history. The now-famous mom won the Aussie Open but didn’t play much in 2017. The 36-year-old is extremely happy where she is right now, practicing while on her honeymoon. The question is: Will Serena actually return and play again? I would think so that she will, but it will take her months to get into shape. And then …another major?

No. 23: Barbora Strycova
The Czech Strycova has a lot of variety, and when she is into it and she plays well, then dance and mix it up all over the place. However, she plays all the time, and during certain weeks, she loses her drive. But in 2018, she will push into the top 10, at least for a week or so.   
 
No. 24: Daria Kasatkina
The Russian is coming up pretty quickly, and she is only 20 years old. Cracking the top 25 is very good, considering that few of the youngsters can beat the great, older competitors. Daria already, beating two Slammers, Venus Williams and Angie Kerber. She has won on hard courts and on clay; you know she is confident, anytime, anywhere. In 2018, if she stays healthy, she can actually win a major soon.    

No. 25: Daria Gavrilova
The Aussie Gavrilova had a very good year. Yes, she hasn’t won a major yet, nor has she won a gigantic title, but she tries hard every time she walks on court. This season her goal must be to crack the lines, rather than pushing the ball and merely being steady. She could go deep at the 2018 Australian Open. The fans love her.

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Are six-tournament weeks needed?

February 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This is a six-tournament week, one of the primary reasons why non-hardcore tennis fans get confused about hat the hell is happening in the sport. While there are reasons to be holding tournaments on four different continents (it

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