tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82953192116820567362024-03-13T16:47:59.150-04:00Tennis Spin<center>A casual player and full-time fan's take on the competitors, the tournaments and the business of tennis</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1017125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-76269214727347438052021-09-12T19:41:00.003-04:002021-09-12T19:41:56.881-04:00History, Rewritten<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Champion status 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/dMbePkgano">pic.twitter.com/dMbePkgano</a></p>— US Open Tennis (@usopen) <a href="https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1437190471625891840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br />
I'm sure most people thought they'd be writing hugely different articles today.
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After all, the only thing anyone was talking about going into this year's U.S. Open was the chance Novak Djokovic had at making all kinds of history. The possibility of capturing the ever-so-rare <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html">Grand Slam</a>. Perhaps the even more impressive opportunity of scoring a never-been-done-before <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/21-in-21.html">21<sup>st</sup></a> Major title. The chance of cementing himself as the unequivocal #GOAT 🐐 in the sport, with plenty of time left to just add to his accomplishments. And as almost every promo airing on ESPN liked to remind you, he got one match away.
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But, as we know, <em>that</em> history was not to be, and an entirely different story will go down in the record books.
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Daniil Medvedev became the newest inductee into the Major championship club, stunning the world #1 in tonight's final in straight sets. There was almost never any question he was in control of the match, breaking in the very first game and pulling ahead two sets and two breaks to establish what would turn out to be an insurmountable lead. Even when he double faulted away championship point and was broken for the first time, trying to serve out the match, he was able to regroup and ultimately seal in the victory.
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Of course we shouldn't be surprised that Medvedev was able to win a Major -- he came <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/09/the-lasting-legacy-of-rafael-nadal.html">OHSOCLOSE</a> to doing it two years ago on this stage against Rafael Nadal, and with a win in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html#toronto">Toronto</a> this year and titles in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/on-courtand-off.html">Paris</a> and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/from-zero-to-hero.html">London</a> to close out last season, he's certainly established himself as one of the best hardcourt players on tour.
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But with his win today, he achieved something bigger. Medvedev became the first Next Gen player to beat one of the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/01/2020-vision-just-one-more-thingor-four.html#1">Big Three</a> en route to the title -- remember Dominic Thiem <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">got away</a> without facing any of them last year in New York. And that could signal a real passing of the torch is underway, with the Russian taking up the mantle of leader of the pack -- a group he could lead for a long time.
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So is it all over for Djokovic? Of course not -- he's still the #1 player in the world and playing at the top of his game. While he'll end the year <a href="https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1437191463125798928">tied</a> with Rafa and Roger at 20 Majors apiece, the next slate of Grand Slams is just around the corner, and given his <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/unstoppable.html">dominance</a> in Melbourne, he could very well add #21 to his roster in a matter of months.
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Going after the full Grand Slam again, that may be a little tougher, and for now Rod Laver's legacy remains intact. Come January 1, everyone starts at square one in their pursuit of that honor, and there's no reason to believe Djokovic won't give it another whirl.
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But now, he's going to have at least one more player nipping at his heels and trying to put his own stamp on history.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-84428830950349327122021-09-12T12:57:00.002-04:002021-09-12T12:57:50.158-04:00Stealing the Spotlight<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">An UNBELIEVABLE tournament for both teenagers 💕<a href="https://twitter.com/EmmaRaducanu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EmmaRaducanu</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/leylahfernandez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@leylahfernandez</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/XC7p73ZNJS">pic.twitter.com/XC7p73ZNJS</a></p>— wta (@WTA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1436822545630650369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
Someone wrote before yesterday's women's final that it was going to be hard for the ladies to stir up a lot of drama and excitement at the U.S. Open when there was so much history on the line for the men. But, boy, did these two rise up to the challenge, huh?
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There were so many firsts accomplished by Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez during their runs this year -- the youngest final since 1999, the first qualifier ever to reach a Major championship match, much less win it, just to name a few. But the achievements aren't just in the superlatives -- for two weeks, more for Raducanu, actually, these two demonstrated some of the best tennis has to offer, and their rise to the spotlight was more than well deserved.
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Now, I often spend the first week of a Slam writing about the young standouts or the big upsets, assuming that I'll have a chance to cover the favorites later. But that would not be the case this year, at least not on the women's side.
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<a name="fernandez" id="fernandez"></a>I'll start with the incredible run from Fernandez, who you <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#womenwinner">know</a> I've had my eye on for a while. From one <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/australian-open-2021-preview-round-by.html#women1st">Major</a> to the next, I'd been waiting for her to break through, and had been a little disappointed that it hadn't happened yet. She sure changed that in New York though -- she quickly dispatched a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/miami-heats-up.html#konjuh">tough</a> Ana Konjuh in her opener and then took out Melbourne <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/across-generations.html#kanepi">Cinderella</a> in straight sets.
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And that's when things started to get <em>really</em> interesting. In the third round against defending <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-champion-for-new-generation.html">champion</a> Naomi Osaka -- a woman who was riding a 17-match win streak at the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/the-year-of-naomi.html">Majors</a> -- the world #73 came back from a set and a break down to notch her first top ten win of the season and by far the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/09/the-day-that-shook-earth.html">biggest</a> win of her career -- at least until that point. She went on to defeat former world #1 and three-time Slam winner Angelique Kerber, Olympic <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html#women">bronze</a> medalist Elina Svitolina, and hard-hitting second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, each in three sets, spending nearly 13 hours on court to make the final. It's one of the most illustrious lists of victims we've seen in a long time -- certainly from so unexpected a source.
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<a name="raducanu" id="raducanu"></a>Raducanu, meanwhile, had a much easier run to the final, at least on paper. Originally <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/us-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#women1st">slated</a> to meet Australian Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/the-year-of-naomi.html">runner-up</a> Jen Brady in the first round, she got a bit of a pass when the American withdrew due to injury. Her fourth round opponent, Shelby Rogers, was coming off a monster defeat of top seed Ash Barty, and her semifinal rival, an <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#womennew">in-form</a> Maria Sakkari, had pulled off huge wins over <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2011/07/well-that-was-easy.html">two-</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/07/no-contest.html">time</a> Major winner Petra Kvitova, 2019 U.S. Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/09/back-in-game.html">champ</a> Bianca Andreescu, and Wimbledon <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/all-grown-up.html">finalist</a> Karolina Pliskova.
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Still, that shouldn't diminish her accomplishment. After her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/golden-opportunities.html#raducanu">breakout</a> at Wimbledon ended so <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/sports/tennis/wimbledon-emma-raducanu.html">abruptly</a>, she regrouped and recharged, making the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/waiting-in-wings.html#chicago">final</a> in Chicago last month and battling through qualifying rounds here. And the fact that, in only her second ever Major appearance, she made it through ten matches without losing a set shows she's got power and consistency far beyond her years -- and certainly that she's more mentally tough than any detractor might think.
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So after all that, we were left crowning the youngest Major champion in more than 17 years, but also having gotten a glimpse of what should be a bright future for women's tennis. It doesn't feel like Raducanu is going anywhere for a while, and Fernandez, while she may be disappointed that she wasn't able to walk away with the "right" trophy, certainly has a lot to be proud of for what she did this fortnight. Will their success here lay the foundation for a years-long rivalry to come? Well, we'll certainly see.
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But it sure feels like we've entered a new era -- and one that could be filled with a whole new level of greatness.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-68672095970451059182021-09-04T12:29:00.002-04:002021-09-04T12:29:58.635-04:00The Day That Shook the Earth<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Day 5 of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USOpen</a> play was absolutely ridiculous.<br><br>Recap the wild action 👇</p>— US Open Tennis (@usopen) <a href="https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1434043102579380226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
There have, as always, been a lot of surprises at this year's U.S. Open. From veteran Peter Gojowczyk making the first Major fourth round of his career after a decade of attempts to young Emma Radancu conceivably reaching her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/golden-opportunities.html#raducanu">second</a> Slam second week in as many showings, there has been no shortage of shake-ups in either draw.
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But perhaps no day has had as far reaching impact as yesterday, when some of the biggest contenders to not just go far, but to possibly win the title, were absolutely stunned on the biggest of courts.
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<a id="alcaraz" name="alcaraz"></a><a id="tsitsipas" name="tsitsipas"></a><b>Carlos Alcaraz d. Stefanos Tsitsipas (3): 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5)</b>
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It started in the early afternoon when 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz faced off against third seed and French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">finalist</a> Stefanos Tsitsipas. The young Spaniard has been on the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">radar</a> for a while, winning his first tour title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/first-time-charm.html#umag">Umag</a> earlier this summer before reaching the semis in Winston-Salem. But in his previous three meetings against top-ten players, he had yet to win even a set.
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Tsitsipas, meanwhile, found himself in a weird position. Suddenly cast as the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/02/tennis/stefanos-tsitsipas-us-open-toilet-break-spt-intl/index.html">villain</a> of these games (but perhaps for the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/17/tennis/stefanos-tsitsipas-covid-vaccine-spt-intl/index.html">wrong</a> reasons), he has kind of struggled since that Roland Garros loss. He was, of course, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#underdog">stunned</a> in the first round at Wimbledon, and though he made the semis in both Toronto and Cincinnati, he needed five sets to get past Andy Murray in the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/us-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#men1st">first</a> round here, and even dropped a set to Adrian Mannarino in the second.
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Against Alcaraz, he found himself in a hole early. The world #55 got a set and two break lead on the heavy favorite before Tsitsipas started to fight back. He even dealt out a bagel in the fourth, something I didn't think someone so inexperienced would have been able to rally back from. But rally back he did -- in a decider with no breaks of serve, Alcaraz kept his cool and prevailed in the nearly four hour match, by far the biggest of his career.
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Tsitsipas's elimination certainly opens up the bottom half of the draw, but it also gives a real opportunity to the young upstart. Alcaraz will next face Peter Gojowczyk, who as mentioned is also breaking new ground at the U.S. Open. The German has already spent some eight hours on court, so he's certainly not at his freshest. And if Alcaraz can manage the win to make the quarters, there's no telling what more he can do.
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<a id="tiafoe" name="tiafoe"></a><a id="rublev" name="rublev"></a><b>Frances Tiafoe d. Andrey Rublev (5): 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-1</b>
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The drama in the men's draw didn't stop there, of course. In the late-night match on Ashe last night -- literally, this one didn't end until 2am -- Frances Tiafoe, he of the aforementioned <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#underdog">stunning</a> of Tsitsipas at Wimbledon, looked for his second straight Major top-ten win against Russia's Andrey Rublev. The gritty American has been working hard this summer, taking out Denis Shapovalov as a lucky loser in Toronto and making the quarters in Winston-Salem.
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Rublev's had his share of successes too -- a quarterfinalist here last year, he stunned world #2 Daniil Medvedev on his way to a runner-up finish in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/waiting-in-wings.html#men">Cincy</a>, the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-big-breakthroughs.html#montecarlo">second</a> Masters final of his career. And as the fifth seed in New York, he was expected to go far.
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But Tiafoe had different plans. Though the two had never met on the ATP Tour, the 23-year-old underdog had scored a <a href="https://twitter.com/TennisTV/status/1433817217951535113">big win</a> over the then-#1 seed in the 2014 U.S. Open Boys' quarterfinals. And though this match would take a little longer -- another 3:45 to be exact -- it would ultimately end with the same result. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bigfoe1998/">Big Foe</a> dropped the first set, but fought back to take the next two and held tough in the decider to notch his third top-ten win of the year and to get to the second week for the second straight time.
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Things won't get much easier from here though -- next up is another young upstart, twelfth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. But though the 21-year-old Canadian has scored wins over Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev this year, he is notoriously inconsistent and eminently beatable. If Tiafoe can pull it off, he's got a little more room to run -- Tsitsipas, of course, has already been eliminated, and while second seeded Medvedev certainly looms large, we've already learned that truly anything can happen here.
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<a id="fernandez" name="fernandez"></a><a id="osaka" name="osaka"></a><b>Leylah Fernandes d. Naomi Osaka (2): 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4</b>
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But perhaps the biggest wow moment from Friday came in the first night session match on Ashe. Defending <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-champion-for-new-generation.html">champion</a> Naomi Osaka was taking on Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez in her third round match and was looking to rebound from a summer that brought her more headlines <a href="https://time.com/6077128/naomi-osaka-essay-tokyo-olympics/">off</a> the court than on it. Since withdrawing from the French Open, she was <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html#women">stunned</a> at her homeland Olympics and upset by a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/waiting-in-wings.html#women">feisty</a> Jil Teichmann in Cincy. Though she got a pass in her second round in New York when Olga Danilovic pulled out, she was looking in form to make a play for another title.
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But she would be stopped in spectacular fashion by the world #72. It's not that we shouldn't have expected big things from Fernandez -- she was, after all, one of my <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#womenwinner">players to watch</a>, beating Belinda Bencic at Fed Cup in 2020 and capturing her first title this year in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/never-give-up.html#monterrey">Monterrey</a>. But she'd been frustratingly underwhelming at the Majors, winning just one match this year against a lower ranked opponent.
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That was, of course, before the U.S. Open. She opened with an impressive win over <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/miami-heats-up.html#konjuh">dangerous</a> qualifier Ana Konjuh and then took out Melbourne <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/across-generations.html#kanepi">Cinderella</a> Kaia Kanepi in straight sets. She dropped her first set to Osaka on Friday night, but as the former world #1 -- who'd won her last <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/the-year-of-naomi.html">sixteen</a> Slam matches -- was serving for a win in the second, Fernandez was able to break for the first time and barely looked back since.
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The win earns Fernandez a fourth round date with another former champion, Angelique Kerber, who's been having a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/and-then-there-were-eight.html#kerber">strong </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/us-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#womensemi">summer</a> of tennis herself. It'll certainly be a challenge for the 18-year-old to pull off two straight wins against such high caliber opponents. But it wouldn't be the first time such a young talent took a tournament by <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">storm</a>. And why shouldn't we see it happen again?
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<hr width="75%">
Of course, there are plenty of top tier stars still out there fighting for the titles here -- top seeds Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty have been so far pretty dominant in their wins. And it's not like these results came completely out of the blue -- all these victors had demonstrated their talents well before these big wins.
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Still, the world looks a lot different than it did just 24 hours ago -- some of the favorites may be breathing a little easier as they see their draws open up, while a bunch of underdogs could start to believe they have a shot at pulling off their own monster upsets.
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And as we get close to kicking off Week Two at the Open, we certainly have seen that anything is possible.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-23443298959453168852021-08-29T11:12:00.001-04:002021-08-29T11:12:31.911-04:00U.S. Open 2021 Preview: Round by Round<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Smile if you won a 2020 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USOpen</a> title 🏆🏆 <a href="https://t.co/a97gdYWEgK">pic.twitter.com/a97gdYWEgK</a></p>— US Open Tennis (@usopen) <a href="https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1305564409167835136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center>
Well, guys, we've made it. The last Grand Slam of the year. And there is so much at stake in it.
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From a shot at making <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/21-in-21.html">history</a>, to opportunities for redemption, to the inevitable chance for a real breakthrough, it feels like anything is possible at the U.S. Open this year.
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The men's draw, of course, has had huge holes poked in it -- with the withdrawal of not just the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">defending</a> champ, but of two more <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/09/the-lasting-legacy-of-rafael-nadal.html">repeat </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2008/09/chasing-dream-or-destiny-of-roger.html">titleists</a>, you might think the door is wide open for Novak Djokovic, who'd <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html">been</a> so unstoppable for the first half of the year. But <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/waiting-in-wings.html">plenty </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html#toronto">others</a> are ready to derail his dreams.
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Meanwhile the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-champion-for-new-generation.html">reigning</a> ladies' champ, who's endured an inordinate amount of <a href="https://time.com/6077128/naomi-osaka-essay-tokyo-olympics/">attention</a> recently off the court, is still looking to get her feet back under her on them. So is former world #1 Simona Halep, whose injury-addled season has pushed her out of the top ten for the first time since 2014. And, of course, Serena Williams left another <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CS_rgN9Lpy4/">big hole</a> in this draw as well. All that could be a big boon for Ash Barty, who's had her own Djokovic-like <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/waiting-in-wings.html#women">dominance</a> this year.
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But, of course, nothing can be taken for granted. And the way things are going this year, it's perfectly reasonable to expect some big surprises right from the start. And while some of these potential match ups may be a little less than likely, there's certainly a chance that things could work out to make them a reality. And if that happens, we should expect more than a few fireworks.
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<center>
<table border="0"><tbody>
<tr><td width="250"><strong>THE WOMEN</strong>
<ul>
<li><a href="#women1st">First Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#women2nd">Second Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#women3rd">Third Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#women4th">Fourth Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#womenquarter">Quarterfinals</a></li>
<li><a href="#womensemi">Semifinals</a></li>
<li><a href="#womenfinal">Championship</a></li>
</ul>
</td><td width="250"><strong>THE MEN</strong>
<ul>
<li><a href="#men1st">First Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#men2nd">Second Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#men3rd">Third Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#men4th">Fourth Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#menquarter">Quarterfinal</a></li>
<li><a href="#mensemi">Semifinals</a></li>
<li><a href="#menfinal">Championships</a></li>
</ul></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />
<center><hr width="75%" /></center><br />
<b>WOMEN'S DRAW</b>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women1st" name="women1st"></a><u>First Round</u>
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<em>Bianca Andreescu (6) vs. Viktorija Golubic:</em> I'm frankly surprised to see the young Canadian is still ranked so high, but that's the beauty, I suppose, of these shutdown-protected rankings. In any case, Andreescu returns to New York for the first time since her 2019 <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/09/back-in-game.html">triumph</a>, but she's a much different player than she was then. Sidelined by injury all of last year, she seemed to be getting her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/on-solid-ground.html#andreescu">sealegs</a> back in Miami, but has only won four matches since. Golubic, meanwhile, was runner-up at two hardcourt events in early spring and made her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinals after beating Danielle Collins and Madison Keys at Wimbledon. At #45 in the world, she's currently at her highest career ranking, and if the former U.S. Open champ is still on rocky ground, the Swiss Miss might be able to score the upset.
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<em>Simona Halep (12) vs. Camila Giorgi:</em> It's still so hard to believe that Halep has fallen out of the top ten, but whatever her seed, this is an unlucky first round draw. Giorgi, of course, is coming off her biggest <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html">title</a> to date, having beaten six higher ranked players -- including Karolina Pliskova, Petra Kvitova and Coco Gauff -- in Montreal. She actually would have been seeded here if she'd been able to repeat a win over Jessica Pegula in Cincincatti, but as it stands she gets to play the former #1 right off the bat. But Halep is beatable -- having pulled out of the French Open and Wimbledon with injury, she won just one match at the two events she's entered since. If she's still struggling, there's every reason to believe the Italian might be able to get her momentum back in a big way.
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<em>Jennifer Brady (13) vs. Emma Raducanu (Q):</em> It feels like a long time ago, but remember this is the Slam where Brady had her first big breakthrough last year. Shortly on the heels of her maiden career title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/08/top-shelf-tennis.html#brady">Lexington</a>, the then-world #41 took out Angelique Kerber on her way to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-couple-early-predictions-ready-to.html#2">semis</a>, where she even took a set off eventual <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-champion-for-new-generation.html">champion</a> Naomi Osaka. She had even more success a few months later in Australia, where she earned her first Major <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/the-year-of-naomi.html">final</a>. She's been a little quiet since then -- hampered by injury, she lost her next three matches, skipped Wimbledon and withdrew at three of her last four events. Young Raducanu, meanwhile, has brushed off <a href="https://www.tennis.com/baseline/articles/andy-murray-fires-back-at-piers-morgan-for-harsh-emma-raducanu-take">idiotic</a> criticisms and has only seen her star rise in recent weeks. The <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/golden-opportunities.html#raducanu">surprise</a> fourth-rounder at the All England Club, she is coming off a runner-up finish at the Chicago 125 event and three straight qualifying round wins. Does she have another big win in her? Well, this seems like a pretty good opportunity to try.
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<em>Coco Gauff (21) vs. Magda Linette:</em> Early last month I <a href="https://twitter.com/TennisSpin/status/1412079908344545283">wondered</a> if Coco would win a Major before she turns twenty, which is still three years away, but she certainly seems hungry to make a move towards that goal ASAP. But Linette could certainly throw a wrench into that whole situation. The 29-year-old Pole, who got a huge pass when Ashleigh Barty retired from their second round match at Roland Garros, proved she wasn't just skating by when she beat Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon. She's been a little up-and-down on that hardcourts, but she did notch a nice win over top Cleveland seed Daria Kasatkina on her way to the semis this past week. It'll be interesting to see how she performs against someone who's sure to be the crowd favorite, but Gauff can't consider this opener a walk in the park.
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<em>Karolina Muchova (22) vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo:</em> Muchova quietly made her way to at least the quarters at <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-golden-opportunity.html#womentop">two </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/and-then-there-were-eight.html#kerber">Majors</a> this year, and that says a lot about her consistency on the big stage. But Sorribes has had some huge wins on the hardcourts, stunning top-ranked Ash Barty -- who was coming off that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/all-grown-up.html">Wimbledon</a> crown -- at the Olympics and putting up quite a fight in the Miami quarters. She's also fresh off a semifinal run in Cleveland. The Spaniard actually won the pair's only previous meeting, beating Muchova in the final of an ITF event in 2016, and she could cause some fireworks here, too.
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<em>Anett Kontaveit (28) vs. Sam Stosur:</em> Kontaveit has made a habit this year of doing well at events directly before Majors. She reached the final in the Grampians draw, which never got played because it ran up against the Australian Open, and she finished runner-up in Eastbourne days before Wimbledon. In the first instance, she followed up with a third round showing in Melbourne; in the second, she lost her very next match -- and three more after that. But she regrouped this past week in Cleveland, where she took out a solid Sara Sorribes Tormo before beating Irina-Camelia Begu in the final for her second career title. Will that give her the confidence she needs against Stosur, whose <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2011/09/drama-drama-drama.html">crazy</a> win here incredibly came ten years ago, or will she be too spent from the effort? Hopefully for her sake it's the former.
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<em>Madison Keys vs. Sloane Stephens:</em> It's a little weird that neither of these ladies is seeded here, especially given that both have had decent successes on the season. Stephens got to the fourth round at Roland Garros with wins over Karolina Pliskova and Karolina Muchova, while Keys started the year with a final in Brisbane and made it to the final sixteen in Wimbledon too. She lost early in her attempt to recapture the crown in Cincy, though, which pushed her down the rankings, and Sloane, too, has been a little lacking on hardcourts. Still it's a shame to see this rematch of the 2017 final in New York -- which, you'll remember, Stephens won -- so early in the draw this year, so hopefully whoever emerges the victor will be able to prove she's deserving of much more.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women2nd" name="women2nd"></a><u>Second Round</u>
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<em>Garbiñe Muguruza (9) vs. Andrea Petkovic:</em> The two-time Grand Slam champion came out the gates <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/when-numbers-lie.html">swinging</a> this year, but has really quieted down in recent weeks. She was upset at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon and lost her rematch of the Dubai final against Barbora Krejcikova in Cincy. Petko, on the other hand, though well off her career best ranking, did make the final in Hamburg and picked up her first title in <em>six years</em> in Cluj-Napoca. Yes, those victories came on clay, but there's something to be said for getting a burst of confidence. The German has also won all three of their previous matches -- albeit the most recent one was five years ago -- but if they meet up again, history could be on her side.
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<em>Maria Sakkari (17) vs. Katerina Siniakova:</em> Sakkari is having a solid year, making her first Major semi in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#womennew">Paris</a>, missing the final by just a hair, and stunning Naomi Osaka back in Miami. She may have lost early in her more recent events, but it was always too power players -- Elina Svitolina at the Olympics, Victoria Azarenka in Montreal, Angelique Kerber in an inexplicably unseeded first round in Cincinnati. Still her potential second round opponent, ranked fourth in the world in doubles, has been causing quite a storm herself on the singles scene. Siniakova got the win of her career over Serena Williams in Parma and then went on to the final in Bad Homburg and to upset Garbiñe Muguruza in Montreal. And after an upset of Shelby Rogers this past week in Cleveland, she pushed second seed and eventual champion Anett Kontaveit to three sets in the quarters. If she's anything like her doubles <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">partner</a>, she could ride success one week straight into a big showing this one.
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<em>Jelena Ostapenko (27) vs. Liudmila Samsonova:</em> The one-time French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#ostapenko">champion</a> has made her way back to her highest ranking in more than two years, but a lot of those gains came on what was a very <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#womensemi">strong</a> grass court season. Samsonova, meanwhile, the surprise Berlin <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#berlin">titleist</a>, also had her biggest successes on the lawn, but did get a solid win over summer <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#rybakina">standout</a> Elena Rybakina in Montreal, so she might be a little more primed for this surface. Of course, there's no guarantee this match will happen -- Ostapenko opens against an always-<a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards.html#womenhm">tough</a> Nadia Podoroska -- but if they make it, it could be a great opportunity for the winner.
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<em>Yulia Putintseva (31) vs. Ana Konjuh (Q):</em> These two have met a couple times already this year, with the qualifier notching the win on her way to the final in Belgrade, and the seeded Putintseva getting revenge in Budapest, where she picked up her second career title last month. Both those matches were on clay, though, and Konjuh -- though she's still ranked well below her career best -- arguably kicked her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/miami-heats-up.html#konjuh">comeback</a> into high gear on hardcourts like these. Will that give her an advantage this time? Well I'd certainly like to see her hard work through prelim rounds rewarded with something other than an early exit in the main draw. And if she can get past a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#womenwinner">tough</a> Leylah Fernandez in her opener, she could have a pretty good shot.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women3rd" name="women3rd"></a><u>Third Round</u>
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<em>Karolina Pliskova (4) vs. Alja Tomljanovic:</em> Not long ago, I wasn't giving Pliskova a lot of attention an the Majors, but she really got everyone back on board with a gutsy performance in the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/all-grown-up.html">Wimbledon</a> final. And, to her continued credit, she backed up that showing with a runner-up finish in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html">Montreal</a> and semi slot in Cincinnati. Those campaigns brought her back to the top five and made her one to watch in New York, the site of her first Slam final. Tomljanovic, meanwhile, also had a <a herf="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/golden-opportunities.html#tomljanovic">breakthrough</a> at the All-England Club, and while her run ended in the quarters, it'll be fun to see what she can do at her first Major since then, and if she can set up this showdown, it could be fun to watch.
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<em>Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Marketa Vondrousova:</em> I've said this before, and I'll say it again -- I'm really, <em>really</em> hoping to see the new <a href="https://twitter.com/ElinaSvitolina/status/1416487999198609417">Mrs. Monfils</a> have her breakthrough at a Major soon. She's come close, reaching the semis here and at Wimbledon in 2019, but recently, and especially when the field seems to open up for her, she can post some <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/something-old-something-new.html#podoroska">surprising</a> losses, too. That certainly seemed to happen at the Olympics last month, when all three seeds above her were eliminated by the quarters, and yet she still lost in the semis to, you guessed it, Marketa Vondrousova. The one-time French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/01/the-rematch.html">finalist's</a> attendance at the Tokyo Games was already <a href="https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/marketa-vondrousova-olympic-gold-medal-final-tokyo-belinda-bencic">controversial</a>, but her win over Svitolina -- after already having stunned Naomi Osaka in the third round -- not only helped her to the silver medal, but showed she still means business. Could the fifth seed avenge that loss in New York? Well, she's coming off a title in Chicago, her first of the season, so momentum could be on her side, and hopefully she can keep it going toward the big prize.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women4th" name="women4th"></a><u>Fourth Round</u>
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<em>Aryna Sabalenka (2) vs. Ons Jabeur (20):</em> For so long we'd been noting that Sabalenka -- suddenly ranked #2 in the world -- was probably the best player out there who hadn't made it past the fourth round of a Major. Well, she broke that seal at Wimbledon, finally making a semifinal. Was that a fluke, or can she do it again? Well Jabeur, who's quickly becoming one of the fan favorites in the women's sport, will certainly have something to say about that. The 26-year-old Tunisian <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/04/the-best-of-2020-breaking-through.html#jabeur">barrier-crusher</a>, who lost to Sabalenka in the quarters in London, has continued her strong season with a win over hometown favorite Bianca Andreescu in Montreal and a second straight victory over Iga Swiatek in Cincinnati. She does have a win over the on-paper favorite, having gotten the best of her less than a year ago at a delayed Roland Garros, and if they meet again, you can bet it's going to be a battle.
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<em>Naomi Osaka (3) vs. Coco Gauff (21):</em> These two have only met three times on court, but it sure feels like it's been a lot more than that, and it has certainly been only on the biggest stages -- twice at Majors and once just a week ago in Cincinnati. Osaka leads the head-to-head, but it's always been close. And with so much attention on these two -- for different, but similar reasons -- you know the pressure will be high if they meet. The defending <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-champion-for-new-generation.html">champion</a>, Osaka has been front-and-center in the headlines for reasons she surely <a href="https://time.com/6077128/naomi-osaka-essay-tokyo-olympics/">doesn't</a><a> want, and perhaps it's been weighing on her match performance -- after a 21-match win streak that </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/the-year-of-naomi.html">spanned</a> seasons, we haven't seen her make even a quarterfinal since March. Gauff, meanwhile, has been pretty consistent, making her first Major <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/and-then-there-were-eight.html#kerber">quarterfinal</a> on a surface you wouldn't expect. And considering how these two have traded off wins, if she makes it through early <a href="#women1st">challenges</a>, she could present a threat to Osaka here.
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<em>Barbora Krejcikova (8) vs. Victoria Azarenka (18):</em> I'm sure you all remember Vika's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best.html#womenru">comeback</a> run here last year -- after a kind of asterisked title at Cincinatti-cum-New York, she stunned Aryna Sabalenka, Elise Mertens, and, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-couple-early-predictions-ready-to.html#2">most impressively</a>, Serena Williams, on her way to the final, and even took the first set off Naomi Osaka 6-1 in the championship match. She's struggled a bit with injuries this year, but she has nevertheless notched victories over Elina Svitolina, Maria Sakkari and Angelique Kerber. Krejcikova, meanwhile, the super-<a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">surprise</a> winner at Roland Garros a few months ago, has more than shown that run was no accident, winning another title on the hardcourts in Prague and cracking the top 10 for the first time in the singles rankings. She lost the only time she played Azarenka solo, but something tells me if they meet again things may look different this time around.
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<em>Belinda Bencic (11) vs. Jil Teichmann:</em> Like with <a href="#women3rd">Pliskova</a> above, it wasn't long ago that I wouldn't have paid Bencic much mind, but after her Olympic <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html#women">gold medal</a> all that changed. She did, after all beat both of the French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">finalists</a>, as well as Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina. And she made her way to the quarters in Cincy too, which is very promising. But you know who she lost to there? Yup -- Jil Teichmann, who also picked off Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova on her way to the biggest <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/waiting-in-wings.html#teichmann">final</a> of her career so far. Will we see the same results if they meet again? Well, Bencic could face a rematch against Jessica Pegula first -- and the American <a href="#women1st">likes</a> to avenge losses, and the unseeded Teichman, could face the likes of Cleveland champ Anett Kontaveitt or Iga Swiatek. But a rematch sure would be fun to see.
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<em>Elena Rybakina (19) vs. Tsvetana Pironkova:</em> It's been a weird 18 months for Elena Rybakina. At the start of 2020, she was one of the most <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best-hot.html#womenru">consistent</a> players on tour, not only entering one event after another, but making it to the final one week to the next. She struggled with injury after the shutdown and seemed to be flaming out until having a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#rybakina">breakthrough</a> at Roland Garros, with a stunning win over Serena Williams in the fourth round. Since then, she beat Elina Svitolina in Eastbourne and took out Garbiñe Muguruza at the Olympics. She might be one of the most dangerous low seeds in the field. And Pironkova could be one of the most <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best.html#womenwinner">dangerous</a> <em>non</em>-seeds out there -- last year's surprise quarterfinalist in New York, she beat Garbiñe Muguruza and took Serena to three sets in her first tournament since having a baby. She's been a little more quiet this season, but if she can get through early tests -- Daria Kasatkina is her opening round and Svitolina looms two matches later -- it could be fun to see them face off against each other.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="womenquarter" name="womenquarter"></a><u>Quarterfinals</u>
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<em>Ashleigh Barty (1) vs. Jessica Pegula (23):</em> There's no denying that 27-year-old Pegula has had a strong year -- after a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/never-saw-them-coming.html#pegula">breakthrough</a> run in Melbourne, where she beat <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/01/what-happened.html">two-</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2013/01/d-vu.html">time</a> champion Victoria Azarenka and fifth seed Elina Svitolina, she made her way to the semis in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/unqualified-successes.html#pegula">Doha</a>, the quarters in Rome, and the final four again in Montreal. How does that set her up for a potential battle against the world #1? Well, there are certainly worse ways to prepare. Of course, Pegula would likely have to get past big threats like Olympic <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html#women">gold</a> medalist Belinda Bencic and last year's French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">champ</a> Iga Swiatek first. And while she did lose her only previous match against Barty, that was two years ago when she was a much different player. If these two meet again, I feel like we could get a real battle.
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<em>Petra Kvitova (10) vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (14):</em> Kvitova may not be at he very top of her game, but she has been one of the most consistently dangerous women on tour for years. The <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2011/07/well-that-was-easy.html">two-</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/07/no-contest.html">time</a> Wimbledon champ has played some solid ball this year, with wins over Garbiñe Muguruza, Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur, and even a title in Doha. She's also blessed with a decent draw this year -- the top seed in her section is Bianca Andreescu, who I <a href="#women1st">honestly</a> don't think can make it too far in her title defense. Pavs, meanwhile, is coming off the summer of her career, kicked off with an <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">impressive</a> but unlikely run to the French Open final and which includes a quarterfinal showing at the Olympics. She's got a few more challenges in her way -- Paula Badosa looms in the third round and a recently surging Karolina Pliskova could wait in the fourth -- but she's pulled off major upsets already this year. What's a few more?
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="womensemi" name="womensemi"></a><u>Semifinals</u>
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<em>Iga Swiatek (7) vs. Paula Badosa (24):</em> There was a moment this spring when I really, honestly thought that Badosa was going to win Roland Garros. She might not have gotten it done this year, but I do <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#womenhm">believe</a> a Major is coming her way in the not too distant future. And she's done a lot to prove that it doesn't have to be the French -- she made the fourth round at Wimbledon, the quarters in Cincy, where she beat Aryna Sabalenka in the second round, and took out <em>last</em> year's breakout <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">champion</a> on her way to the Olympic quarterfinals too. Swiatek, though, has <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-couple-young-guns-and-some-old-hat.html#adelaide">two </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#iga">titles</a> herself this year and is doing a lot to prove she's no flash in the pan. Still, she's got a pretty tough section of the draw, with Jessica Pegula, Cleveland champ Anett Kontaveit, Olympic gold <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html#women">medalist</a> Belinda Bencic, and -- <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/all-grown-up.html">no big deal</a> -- world #1 Ashleigh Barty to contend with. Badosa has a rough road too, in the same quarter as Karolina Pliskova and others, but she, frankly, has a bit of a better chance. Whatever the case, if these two meet in the semis, it could really be fun to watch.
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<em>Angelique Kerber (16) vs. Danielle Collins (26):</em> It feels like a while, but it hasn't really been <em>that</em> long since Angelique Kerber won a Major -- it was only, technically, two Wimbledons ago. And she claimed the crown here just before that in 2016. But the 33-year-old German has remained a stalwart in the sport over that time -- while she may be off her career best, she still made the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/and-then-there-were-eight.html#kerber">semis</a> at the All England Club last month, and she put up a nice fight vying for the final in Cincy too. Collins, on the other hand, has really just been hitting her stride in recent weeks -- seeded at a Major for the first time, she's reached the semis in Australia and the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/something-old-something-new.html#womenold">quarters</a> at the French before, but it wasn't until July that she won her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/first-time-charm.html#palermo">first </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/summer-standouts.html#collins">two</a> titles, running a twelve match win streaked, capped by a defeat of Simona Halep. To make the semis here, she'd likely face Aryna Sabalenka or Barbora Krejcikova, while Kerber is in the same quarter as Naomi Osaka and Chicago champ Elina Svitolina. But they've both overcome challenges before, and might just be able to pull off deep runs here again.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="womenfinal" name="womenfinal"></a><u>Championship</u>
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Okay, we know the chances of the top seeds making it to the final are slim, whatever the draws are, but this time, the opportunities if they do are pretty cool. Let's start with the potential championship match everyone wants to see.
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<em>Ashleigh Barty (1) vs. Naomi Osaka (3):</em> The potential showdown between the world #1, who has <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#stuttgart">pretty </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/waiting-in-wings.html#women">convincingly </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/all-grown-up.html">proven</a> why she's got that ranking, and the winner of the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-champion-for-new-generation.html">last </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/the-year-of-naomi.html">two</a> hardcourt Majors would be one for the ages. Fittingly, they've split their four previous matches, but they haven't met in nearly two years, and so much has changed since then. Osaka has really been the woman to beat at these big events, but Barty, maybe unlike her would-be final opponent, is clearly an all-court player. Plus she's running a hot streak, while Naomi has had a lot of unwanted attention recently. Hopefully, if they both make it this far, they'll be able to leave everything outside the sport off the court and make this one a real match.
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<em>Aryna Sabalenka (2) vs. Karolina Pliskova (4):</em> I'm not sure how I feel about Sabalenka usurping the second seed from Osaka -- which means I'm not happy about it -- but given her strong clay court season and her breakthrough <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/and-then-there-were-eight.html#sabalenka">semi</a> run at Wimbledon, I suppose she deserves it. Then again, she's only made it out of the fourth round of a Major once, so asking for her to do it twice in a row may be a lot. Still, if she can manage to make the final, it would be interesting to see her go up against the surprise Wimbledon finalist for the third time this year. Pliskova not only <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/all-grown-up.html">stunned</a> the heavy favorite at the All England Club last month, but did it again in the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html">Montreal</a> semis a few weeks ago. Sabalenka did not look happy with either of those losses, and I wonder how she'd compose herself if she wound up playing for the title against the former #1 and 2016 runner-up. I don't see her taking well to a third loss in a row.
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<center><hr width="75%" /></center><br />
<b>MEN'S DRAW</b>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men1st" name="men1st"></a><u>First Round</u>
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<em>Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Holger Rune (Q):</em> There is a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/21-in-21.html">lot</a> on the line for Novak Djokovic in New York, but before we start talking about his chances to win the title here, like everyone else, he's got to get through the first round. Sure, that's almost a given -- the last time Nole lost his opening match at a Major was in 2006, when he was 18 and ranked #76 in the world. But we know you can't take anything for granted these days, even if he's facing off against a qualifier who's playing in his first Major main draw. But the 18-year-old Rune is actually running quite a win streak -- he's coming off back-to-back Challengers titles in San Marino and Verona, both on clay, and three wins in the preliminary rounds. He's going to get quite the initiation to the big leagues here -- he's never even played anyone ranked in the top ten -- and no doubt all eye will be watching what this up-and-comer is made of. If he can put up a bit of a fight, or catch Djokovic <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html">off guard</a>, this one could get interesting.
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<em>Daniil Medvedev (2) vs. Richard Gasquet:</em> The second seed and former <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/09/the-lasting-legacy-of-rafael-nadal.html">runner-up</a> in New York has really solidified his standing as one of the best hardcourt players on tour, picking up his third title of the year and his fourth Masters crown earlier this month in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html#toronto">Toronto</a>. But the veteran Gasquet is a journeyman, with more match wins of any active player outside the Big Four. And he's not going away easily -- he picked up a win this past May over Diego Schwartzman in Lyon, made his 32<sup>nd</sup> career final in Umag, and this past week beat Dan Evans in straight sets in Winston-Salem. Does he have a shot against Medvedev? Maybe a very long one, but you know he won't go down without a fight.
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<em>Stefanos Tsitsipas (3) vs. Andy Murray:</em> Speaking of veterans vs. upstarts... The 2012 <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/09/i-dont-think-youre-ready.html">champion</a> here continues to be the sentimental favorite almost every time he steps on court and he always seems to give us a show. He's only played a handful of matches this year, though, so whether he'd be able to withstand multiple best-of-five contests is something of a question. So maybe it's a good thing we get to see such a high-stakes battle so early in the draw. Tsitsipas is coming off a roller coaster of a summer -- after that heart-breaking <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">loss</a> in the Roland Garros final, he was <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#underdog">stunned</a> in his opening round at Wimbledon. But he's been rebuilding nicely on the hardcourts, making the semis in both Toronto and Cincinnati. He's never faced Murray before, so it'll be interesting to see how he composes himself. And since every match could be the Brit's last, it's nice to know that this one has the potential to be really great.
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<em>Alex de Minaur (14) vs. Taylor Fritz:</em> It's been a rough couple months for Fritz who, you might remember, kicked off 2021 by nearly knocking Novak Djokovic out of the Australian Open and then beat Denis Shapovalov and David Goffin on his way to the Doha semis. But then a <a href="https://twitter.com/Taylor_Fritz97/status/1400881902236667904">knee injury</a> sustained in Paris put a damper on his season. While he managed to make the third round at Wimbledon straight off his comeback -- as well as the semis in Los Cabos and Atlanta -- he's lost his last three first rounds and has fallen out of seeding territory. That could make him a dangerous floater, but de Minaur is not one to be ignored. He's won <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/01/a-strong-opening-statement.html#antalya">two</a> titles already this year and is just a shade off his career high ranking. He did make the quarters here last year, so there's a lot at stake for the Australian. This one could be a good early test for either one.
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<em>John Isner (19) vs. Brandon Nakashima:</em> Somehow I always forget that John Isner is actually a good hardcourt player -- he's made the final of five Masters events on the surface, even winning the title in Miami in 2018. This year he followed up a sixth title in Atlanta with wins over Andrey Rublev in Toronto and Jannik Sinner in Cincinnati. Meanwhile, young Nakashima has been having a pretty strong summer season as well -- he made back-to-back finals in Los Cabos, where he beat Isner in the semis, and Atlanta, where he obviously lost the title match. Still, the 20-year-old is grinding, and who's to say he won't be able to turn the tables back in his favor when they meet again?
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<em>Karen Khachanov (25) vs. Lloyd Harris:</em> A couple years ago, I used to watch Karen Khachanov and think, "This guy's going to be a big threat." And he was, for a while, beating Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, and Novak Djokovic -- all in straight sets -- to win the Paris Masters title in 2018, reaching the quarters at Indian Wells and Roland Garros the year after, rising to #7 in the world. But he kind of hiccuped after the shut down and didn't score a lot of high profile wins through the first half of this year. That started to change at Wimbledon, though, when he survived a nearly four-hour match against Sebastian Korda to make the quarters and then very nearly notched a win over Denis Shapovalov too. His real success, though, came in Tokyo, where he beat Diego Schwartzman and Pablo Carreño Busta on his way to the silver medal. Harris, meanwhile, who <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/never-give-up.html#dubai">shocked</a> Thiem on his way to the Dubai final, scored an even bigger win over Rafael Nadal in Washington this month, so you know he can be a threat on these courts. He hasn't yet had a deep run at a Major, but maybe this is his chance to change that.
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<em>Cameron Norrie (26) vs. Carlos Alcaraz:</em> Norrie has really established himself as an all-court player this year, reaching the finals at Estoril and Lyon on clay as well as at Queen's Club on grass before finally bringing home that first trophy on the hardcourts of Los Cabos. And he's scored some nice upsets on the way -- he's beaten the likes of Dominic Thiem, Denis Shapovalov, and Grigor Dimitrov to name a few. Meanwhile, young Alcaraz, fresh off a semi run in Winston-Salem, is slowly inching his way to the top fifty -- he might just get there before play start in New York. The 18-year-old became the youngest tour champion since 2008 when he took the title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/first-time-charm.html#umag">Umag</a>, and it's just a matter of time before those wins start coming on bigger stages. This will be his first U.S. Open, and it'll be interesting to see how he adapts, but he's already tasted some victory at the Majors, and so one more here is not out of the question.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men2nd" name="men2nd"></a><u>Second Round</u>
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<em>Pablo Carreño Busta (9) vs. Sebastian Korda:</em> For all the attention we give Sebastian Korda, it's amazing to me that he isn't seeded at the Slams yet. But for all his <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">successes</a>, we haven't yet seen him get that really big win on the very biggest courts. Can that change now? Well, PCB is defending <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-couple-early-predictions-ready-to.html#1">semifinal</a> points at the Open, and with wins over Novak Djokovic <em>and</em> Daniil Medvedev on his way to Olympic <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html#pcb">bronze</a>, you know he's a threat on this surface. It's kind of a shame that these two would have to meet so early -- of course, that in and of itself is no sure think, as Korda opens against a barely unseeded Nikoloz Basilashvili -- but if they do, look for each to try setting the tone for something big.
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<em>Roberto Bautista Agut (18) vs. Emil Ruusuvuori:</em> Along with Norway's Casper Ruud, young Ruusuvuori is playing a big part in putting Scandanavia on the tennis map, and while he may not have climbed quite as high as his regional mate, he has still notched some big wins this year. He stunned Alexander Zverev in the second round of Miami, made the semis in Atlanta with a win over Cameron Norrie, and this week in Winston-Salem picked up victories over Alexander Bublik, Richard Gasquet and a suddenly resurgent Benoit Paire. RBA, meanwhile, has been a little more quiet -- though he did manage a monster upset of Daniil Medvedev on his way to the Miami semis, he failed to defend semifinal points at Wimbledon and has been a bit spotty on the summer hardcourts, pushing him out of the top twenty for the first time in two years. Add to that a tough first round against Nick Kyrgios, if he makes it this far, it could be an opportunity ripe for an upset.
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<em>Ugo Humbert (23) vs. Benoit Paire:</em> I guess there's something to be said for the rationale behind Benoit Paire's pretty bratty behavior on court since tennis fans were kept out of stadiums over the past year. After months of seeing little success -- he won exactly four matches between the lockdown and Wimbledon -- he finally seemed to be reinvigorated in Cincinnati, where the stands were again at full capacity. He got wins over John Isner and Denis Shapovalov there, and even took a set off Andrey Rublev in the quarters. So with crowds back in New York, will he be able to further revive his game? Well, the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-under-radar.html#menwinner">underrated</a> Humbert, who took out Rublev and Alexander Zverev on his way to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#halle">Halle</a> title and beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in Tokyo, will certainly have something to say about that. Still, it's a good opportunity for Paire to right his ship and prove all his bluster really meant anything.
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<em>Kei Nishikori vs. Mackenzie McDonald:</em> Well this one could be interesting. A long-ago <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/09/breaking-new-ground.html">finalist</a> in New York, Nishikori is well off the highs of his career, thanks to plaguing injuries that seem to knock him down every time he gets up. But in his third or fourth coming -- I've clearly lost track in the decade-plus he's been among the elite -- he's still putting up good numbers. He made the semis in Washington just the week after reaching the quarters at the Olympics, where the hometown crowd celebrated his first round upset of Andrey Rublev. McDonald, on the other hand, is trying to surpass his pevious career high ranking of #57 and if he keeps his solid hardcourt results coming -- he made the fourth round in Melbourne and the final in DC -- he could do it. Of course, he'll have to get past David Goffin to make this match happen, and whoever wins will likely face off against Novak Djokovic, but it'll be fun to see what either of them can do.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men3rd" name="men3rd"></a><u>Third Round</u>
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<em>Matteo Berrettini (6) vs. Ilya Ivashka:</em> This was the site of Berrettini's first big <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-flavors-of-moment.html#berrettini">breakthrough</a> two years ago, remember, when he rocketed to the semifinals with wins over Richard Gasquet, Andrey Rublev, and a then-#13 Gael Monfils, and picked up a lot of fans -- one very <a href="https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/29818930/matteo-berrettini-no-1-fan-finds-way-take-part-us-open-festivities">vocal</a> one -- in the process. I didn't give him a lot of credit at the time, but he sure has proven that run was no fluke with a runner-up finish last month at <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/21-in-21.html">Wimbledon</a>. He missed the Olympics with an injury, but got in a little match play in Cincy before making his return to the Big Apple. His form will be tested right off the bat though with an opening match against an always tricky Jeremy Chardy. Two rounds later he's slated to meet Fabio Fognini, but don't be surprised if we see an unseeded Ivashka make it through instead -- the 27-year-old Belarusian is actually just now at a career high ranking, having notched a huge upset over Alexander Zverev in Munich and this past week ousting top seed Pablo Carreño Busta on his way to the Winston-Salem title, the first of his career. The Italian did beat him at the All England Club, but he might be able to turn the tables if they face off again.
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<em>Casper Ruud (8) vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29):</em> A couple weeks ago I gave a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/summer-standouts.html">shoutout</a> to some of the players who've been really excelling this summer, and I somehow completely forgot to mention Casper Ruud, the 22-year-old Norwegian who went on a three-title win streak after Wimbledon last month. And I feel bad about that, but it bears noting that those, and his two other trophies, have all come on clay, and he hasn't beating many players ranked in the top fifty to get any of them. That's not to say he's not a threat -- he has wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman this year, again both times on clay, and he is now just a whisper outside the top ten -- but he does have a less than 50% career win record on hardcourts. ADF, on the other hand, did make a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#menhm">nice run</a> to the fourth round here last year before reaching the quarters at Roland Garros this spring. It's hard to bet against Ruud, but on this surface, this one could have the makings of an upset.
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<em>Jannik Sinner (13) vs. Gael Monfils (17):</em> It's been a big year for the barely-not-a-teen Sinner -- after ending last season by claiming his maiden title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/how-it-startedhow-its-going.html#sofia">Sofia</a>, he kicked off this one with a second at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne. He made the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-unlikeliest-of-results.html">final</a> in Miami and took another trophy in Washington earlier this month. If he doesn't end the year in the top ten, I guarantee he'll be pretty close. Meanwhile the new <a href="https://twitter.com/Gael_Monfils/status/1415974418392698882">Mr. Svitolina</a> finally seems to have his feet back under him after a rough post-shutdown run. After a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best-hot.html#menhm">red-hot</a> start to last season, he struggled with injury and form for months. But he finally won more than two matches in a row for the first time since <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/04/the-best-of-2020-winners.html#monfils">Dubai</a> <em>last</em> year in Toronto and did it again a week later in Cincinnati. Can he keep it up in a best-of-five situation? Well, I feel like I've seen more marathon matches featuring him than almost any other player -- <em><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2010/06/epic.html">almost</a></em> -- so if he can manage through the early rounds, this one could be fun.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men4th" name="men4th"></a><u>Fourth Round</u>
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<em>Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Jenson Brooksby (W):</em> Okay, I know it's asking a lot for the young Brooksby to make it all the way to the fourth round of a Major when he's only won one main draw match here before, but hear me out. Back in 2019, when he was just 18 years old, he battled through qualifying rounds in New York, then stunned former world #4 Tomas Berdych in what turned out to be the one-time <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2010/07/does-it-mean-as-much.html">Wimbledon</a> finalist's last pro match. Brooksby didn't play at all last year, but he's sure making up for lost time now -- after reaching the final in Newport, he stunned Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/summer-standouts.html#brooksby">DC</a> semis. He's also won a handful of Challengers titles to boot. It certainly seems like he's getting primed for the big leagues, and he's got to make a major move sometime, so why not now? And he's gotta start putting in the work against the big guys eventually, so why not start with the #GOAT 🐐 contender? Sure there are more immediate roadblocks -- Alex de Minaur, Aslan Karatsev, for example, lurk in earlier matches -- but it might be time to start shooting for the stars.
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<em>Denis Shapovalov (7) vs. Reilly Opelka (22):</em> Shapovalov first cracked the top ten after making the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/half-way-through-where-we-stand.html#mens1st">quarters</a> here last year, and he fittingly got back in it with an impressive <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/and-then-there-were-eight.html#shaps">semi</a> showing at Wimbledon, where he put up quite a fight in a tight three-setter against Novak Djokovic. But he hasn't won a match since, even losing in Gstaad to world #249 Vit Kopriva. Opelka, on the other hand, is OHSOCLOSE to becoming the top ranked U.S. player after making the final in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html#toronto">Toronto</a> with a come-from-behind win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. He hasn't had much success at the Majors yet, though, but perhaps that's about to change. Though Opelka is slated to meet a very tough Pablo Carreño Busta and Shaps is scheduled for a date with Karen Khachanov before this meeting can even happen, it's definitely one I could see going in favor of the American, and what a boost that would be for his career.
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<em>Felix Auger-Aliassime (12) vs. Frances Tiafoe:</em> Young FAA is really capable of big things -- he's got four top ten wins this year, including one over Roger Federer in Halle, an event the Swiss mister once <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/06/time-and-again.html#halle">dominated</a>, and perhaps even more impressively, one over Alexander Zverev at Wimbledon, where he became the surprise quarterfinalist. The problem, though, like with his compatriot above, is consistency -- the Canadian doesn't often win the next match after those milestones, and despite eight final appearances, he remains without a single tour title. Meanwhile Tiafoe has turned to the Challenger tour when he's found himself struggling, picking up a few trophies at those smaller events while working hard in the big leagues too. He's entered one event after another this summer, making the quarters in Winston-Salem last week, and of course, scoring that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#underdog">huge</a> win over Tsitsipas himself at Wimbledon. It may be a lot for him to make his second straight Major fourth round, especially with Andrey Rublev a potential opponent one match earlier, but if both these guys make it, this is kind of an upset I see happening.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="menquarter" name="menquarter"></a><u>Quarterfinals</u>
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<em>Hubert Hurkacz (10) vs. Aslan Karatsev (21):</em> Like many people, I'd written off Hubert Hurkacz's potential after a disastrous clay court season that saw him notch just one win. But the surprise <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-unlikeliest-of-results.html">Miami</a> champ surprised us again at Wimbledon, taking out Daniil Medvedev <em>and</em> Roger Federer on the way to his first Major <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/and-then-there-were-eight.html#hurkacz">semi</a>. He's done decently since, no long losing streaks anyway, so we should be prepared for his fast court talents to take hold in New York. Karatsev, meanwhile, has been a little quiet since his monster run to <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/never-saw-them-coming.html#karatsev">start </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/never-give-up.html#dubai">the </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#belgrade">year</a> -- he hasn't made it out of the second round of an event since Rome, and he's lost both matches he's played on the North American hardcourts. It sure would be amazing if he could find his game now -- though he'd likely have to get past Novak Djokovic, the man he stunned in Belgrade, again, and we know how likely that would be. Still, it would be nice if he could prove he was no flash in the pan and what better place to do it than here?
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<em>Diego Schwartzman (11) vs. Marcos Giron:</em> Schwartzman may be more of a clay court player these days, but don't forget, he's made the quarters here twice before and he's got some good results on the surface this year too -- he beat Dan Evans and Frances Tiafoe in Cincinnati, and all his losses during the summer have come in three sets. And he actually has a pretty decent draw to make some things happen -- his first big test, no pun intended, is John Isner, who may be, like, twice his size, but can defintely be outplayed. He could also face Casper Ruud, but as <a href="#men3rd">mentioned</a>, he might be a bigger problem on a different surface. Giron is certainly more of a pipe dream, but the 28-year-old American is near his career-high ranking, and he is coming off a quarterfinal run in Winston-Salem, where he beat tenth seed Federico Delbonis in the process. He'll have a lot more challenges here, of course, with Daniil Medvedev the biggest obvious threat. But the seeds in his immediate section -- Evans and Grigor Dimitrov, who retired from their fist round match at the French Open -- aren't playing their best, so he might have a shot at getting at least a few wins in. And some underdog has to make in through at these events, so why not him?
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="mensemi" name="mensemi"></a><u>Semifinals</u>
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<em>Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Pablo Carreño Busta (9):</em> This one could be interesting, huh? In what would be a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html#pcb">rematch</a> of the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-couple-early-predictions-ready-to.html#1">rematch</a>, it'd be interesting to see whose nerves are stronger. Nole, of course, infamously and weirdly defaulted during their meeting here last year, giving PCB entrée into his second Major semifinal. While Djokovic did win their next match at Roland Garros this spring, the Spaniard quickly thereafter dealt him the rarest of cards -- a second loss in a row in the Olympic bronze medal game. Will the pendulum swing back in favor of the world #1? Well, it wouldn't be the craziest thing to see this one play out -- Carre˜o Busta has established he can play on these courts, and scoring a few more upsets on them is certainly in his grasp.
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<em>Andrey Rublev (5) vs. Marin Cilic (31):</em> Okay, this isn't the most likely scenario, but there are reasons to think it could happen. Rublev hasn't been quite as prolific this year as he was in 2020 -- having <em>"only"</em> won one title versus <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards.html#menwinner">five</a> last year, but he's still had a ton of success, scoring wins over Rafael Nadal in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-big-breakthroughs.html">Monte Carlo</a>, Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rotterdam, and Daniil Medvedev in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/waiting-in-wings.html">Cincinnati</a>. He's reached the quarters here twice before -- the first time in 2017 when he was just 19, beating then-world #9 Grigor Dimitrov on the way. And Cilic, a one-time world #3 and a long-ago <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/09/breaking-new-ground.html">champion</a> here, is doing his best to still matter, winning a title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html">Stuttgart</a> and even, probably unintentionally, finding himself the subject of a simple but entertaining <a href="https://twitter.com/DidCilicWin">Twitter</a> account. Barely seeded, he'd likely face a lot of favorites for this match to even be possible, but we've seen bigger surprises before, and he's even been the one to pull some of them off. And what a comeback it would be if he were able to make it work.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="menfinal" name="menfinal"></a><u>Championship</u>
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Of course, when all is said and done, you have to put your money on the favorites to make it to the final, especially the way these guys are playing this year. And with so much on the line, if nerves don't get the better of them, there's no reason we couldn't see either of these scenarios play out.
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<em>Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (3):</em> Novak Djokovic may have lost his chance at completing the calendar year <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html">Golden Slam</a> but sweeping the Majors would still be an enormous feat. Not only would it accomplish something that no man has done since 1969, but it would <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/21-in-21.html">tie</a> him with Roger and Rafa for the most big titles in history and put him in good position to take the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/unstoppable.html">lead</a> all by himself in a few months time. But he's got seven matches to win before any of that becomes a reality, and since he's lost the last two matches he played -- something he hadn't done for nine years -- it'll be interesting to see how he rebounds. Tsitsipas, meanwhile, seems to have rebounded nicely from his <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">devastating</a> loss at the French Open. Though he <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#underdog">lost</a> his first match back at Wimbledon, he's made the semis of both Masters events he's played since and is now at a career-high ranking at #3 in the world. If he's able to make it to his second Major final, and his second facing off against Nole, it'll be interesting to see what he does with any ghosts, and if these guys can give us a reprise of that nail-biter we saw last spring.
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<em>Daniil Medvedev (2) vs. Alexander Zverev (4):</em> Of course, Nole's plans could be derailed at any point and that might create an opening for the two players who won each of the U.S. Open Series Masters events this year. Daniil Medvedev, who came <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/09/the-lasting-legacy-of-rafael-nadal.html">OHSOCLOSE</a> to beating Rafael Nadal in his debut Major final two years ago, picked up his fourth Masters title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html#toronto">Toronto</a>, giving him at least a final showing at every big post-Wimbledon hardcourt event since 2019. I'm a little surprised he didn't put up more of a fight in his second <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/unstoppable.html">attempt</a> to go for a Major crown, but if he gets a chance again, you can be sure things'll be different. Meanwhile, Zverev, as much as I <a href="https://racquetmag.com/2020/11/05/olyas-story/">hate</a> to admit it, has been on point as well, beating Djokovic on his way to Olympic <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html#gold">gold</a> and picking up his own fifth Masters title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/waiting-in-wings.html">Cincinnati</a>. Like Medvedev, he too came <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">OHSOCLOSE</a> to winning the title here in his first attempt last year, and if these guys get a chance to work out their frustrations against each other, you can bet it'll be a battle.
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<center><hr width="75%" /></center><br />
Outside these potential match-ups, there are a lot of players worth watching who I didn't get a chance to highlight at all.
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There's perennial dark horse Alizé Cornet, who made the fourth round here last year and is fresh off a runner-up finish in Chicago -- she opens against Ons Jabeur. And there are two more qualifiers worth watching -- Elina Svitolina's first round opponent Rebecca Marino, who stunned Madison Keys and Paula Badosa in Montreal, and Katie Boulter, who pushed Aryna Sabalenka to the limit at Wimbledon and starts her campaign against Liudmila Samsonova.
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There are some question marks on the men's side as well. Veteran Ivo Karlovic, 42-years-young, fought through qualifying rounds to earn a spot at what he <a href="https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Tennis_Interviews/100176/ivo-karlovic-i-think-i-ll-retire-at-us-open-but-i-might-change-my-mind/">said</a> will be his last event. He'll kick off his goodbye tour against Andrey Rublev, so we'll see if sentiment can carry the day. And 2017 finalist Kevin Anderson is back in the top hundred after a title in Newport -- he hasn't won a main draw match since then, but he might just be able to find his footing again here.
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Whatever happens, though, you know there are going to be a lot of great storylines that come out of this year's U.S. Open, and I can't believe I've even scratched the surface of them here. But here's hoping we're in for another great two weeks of tennis, and that whatever history we make, it's only the good kind.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-72665148494549513972021-08-22T18:36:00.004-04:002021-08-22T18:36:49.684-04:00Waiting in the Wings<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">VICTORIOU5.<a href="https://twitter.com/AlexZverev?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlexZverev</a> wins a 5th Masters 1000 title, defeating Rublev 6-2 6-3 in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CincyTennis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CincyTennis</a> final 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/plFmkk5E8C">pic.twitter.com/plFmkk5E8C</a></p>— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/TennisTV/status/1429558824311136260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
I admit I've been somewhat actively ignoring the steady ascent of Alexander Zverev over the last year or so for <a href="https://www.ubitennis.net/2020/06/alexander-zverev-caught-partying-alongside-millionaire-despite-vowing-self-isolate-covid-19-scare/">various </a><a href="https://racquetmag.com/2020/11/05/olyas-story/">reasons</a>, but while I've been trying to focus my attention elsewhere, it's becoming increasingly hard to deny the fifth-ranked German's emergence as one of the top contenders for the last Major title of the year.
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He, of course, made a pretty strong case for himself last year -- back when his biggest offense was his rather <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/the-new-normal.html#zverev">cavalier</a> attitude to COVID protocols. Playing in his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, he ran off to a two-set-to-love lead against Dominic Thiem and seemed poised to upset the Austrian's fourth attempt at capturing that big trophy. He came up <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">short</a> that time of course, but continued to plough through in the new season, so nearly getting to the final in Paris, somehow battling from two sets down to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semis to force a decider.
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But it's been on the hard courts where he's really shined. At the Tokyo Olympics last month, he <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html">thwarted</a> Novak Djokovic's attempt to win the rare Golden Slam, beating the world #1 in the semis on his way to capturing the gold medal. And this week in Cincinnati, he captured his fifth Masters title with wins over a red-hot Casper Ruud, a back-on-track Tsitsipas, and a surging Andrey Rublev, who was coming off his first ever win over Toronto <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html#toronto">champ</a> and second-ranked Daniil Medvedev.
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That gives Zverev his fourth title of the year and an impressive 11-match win streak heading into the U.S. Open, where he'll try to go one better after that disappointment from last year. And there may be no better chance for him to do it -- within the past week Thiem, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal have all said they won't be playing in New York, which gives the next generation a real chance to show us what they've got.
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Of course Djokovic will be there, too, looking for the "consolation" prize of "just" a regular old calendar year Slam, as will Medvedev, who's been one of the most dominant players on tour this year. But Zverev will certainly be a threat, and he's certainly shown he's got what it takes to step into the spotlight.
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<a name="women" id="women"></a><b>And For the Ladies...</b>
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On the ladies side in Cincinnati, Ashleigh Barty further solidified her spot at the top of the women's game, rolling to her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/on-solid-ground.html">fifth </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#stuttgart">title of </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/all-grown-up.html">the year</a> -- at least one each on every surface -- without dropping a set.
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<a name="teichmann" id="teichmann"></a>And as impressive as her accomplishment was, it's certainly worth highlighting the run by her final challenger Jil Teichmann, a wildcard at the Western & Southern who followed up a monster upset of Naomi Osaka with wins over Olympic <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html#women">champion</a> Belinda Bencic and Montreal <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/08/giant-slayer.html">runner-up</a> Karolina Pliskova. Then again, maybe we shouldn't be so surprised that he found success on the American hardcourts -- the 24-year-old Swiss did make the final last year in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/08/top-shelf-tennis.html#brady">Lexington</a> and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/08/and-so-it-begins.html#teichmann">beat</a> Danielle Collins when this event was played in New York a week later. Her success may not be enough to get her a seeding at the Open, but it sure should make her a dangerous spoiler in any section of the draw.
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<a name="chicago" id="chicago"></a>Oh, and, by the way, there was a WTA 125 going on in Chicago and, if you weren't paying attention, you might have missed the fact that Wimbledon <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/golden-opportunities.html#raducanu">Cinderella</a> Emma Raducanu hopefully silenced that British <a href="https://au.sports.yahoo.com/wimbledon-2021-piers-morgan-comments-emma-raducanu-205317153.html">dope</a> with a runner-up finish that began with a big upset of top seed Alison Van Uytvanck in the opening round. She did ultimately lose the trophy to fellow teen <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#womenhm">sensation</a> Clara Tauson, who picked up her first career title this past March in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/one-of-these-things-is-not-like-other.html#lyon">Lyon</a>, but the wins prove she was no flash in the pan and that she might just have what it take to stick around awhile -- regardless of what that guy says.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-20988564991966375412021-08-15T19:54:00.001-04:002021-08-15T19:54:11.332-04:00Giant Slayer<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="pt">Brava, Camila! 🇮🇹 🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OBN21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OBN21</a> <a href="https://t.co/LbiAwTj1yz">pic.twitter.com/LbiAwTj1yz</a></p>— wta (@WTA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1427002664420843521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />
It's been a long and winding road for Camila Giorgi the last few years.
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The 29-year-old Italian first caught our eye at <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/07/time-to-take-break.html#womentop2">Wimbledon</a> back in 2012 when, ranked #145 in the world, she stunned compatriot Flavia Penetta and former world #3 Nadia Petrova on her way to the fourth round. She scored some big wins after that, too, stunning Caroline Wozniacki at the U.S. Open in 2013, beating Maria Sharapova at Indian Wells a year later, and running to the quarters at the All England Club in 2018, her best yet performance at a Major and the catalyst for her career high ranking at #26.
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But she's been a little inconsistent around her successes. After making the final at the Citi Open in 2019, she lost the first round in Cincy. Another runner-up finish in the Bronx that summer was followed by an opening round exit at Flushing Meadows. She started this season ranked #76 and between August of last year and this past June she only won more than two matches at the same event once.
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Things may be changing for her though. Clearly most comfortable on grass, she stunned an on-fire Aryna Sabalenka in the Eastbourne quarters. And her switch to hardcourts has been rather impressive -- she took out Jen Brady and Wimbledon <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/all-grown-up.html">finalist</a> Karolina Pliskova on her way to the final eight in Tokyo. And that was nothing compared to what she did this past week in Montreal.
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Unseeded an low ranked, Giorgi was not dealt an easy hand at the Omnium Banque Nationale. She opened against ninth seed Elise Mertens and got the win in straight sets. She went on to take out 2020's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/something-old-something-new.html">surprise</a> French semifinalist Nadia Podoroska, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2011/07/well-that-was-easy.html">two-</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/07/no-contest.html">time</a> Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova, wünderking Coco Gauff, all without dropping a set. In yesterday's semi against Jessica Pegula, she avenged that loss in Washington two years ago, and today she scored her third win of the season over Pliskova, whose own run here got her a ticket back to the top five.
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It's quite an intimidating list of opponents she left in her wake, and for her efforts she was appropriately awarded with by far the biggest title of her career. But maybe more importantly, she proved she can be dangerous even off the surface we've come to believe is her best, and that could make her quite a threat as we count down to the final Major of the year.
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<b><a id="toronto" name="toronto"></a>Meanwhile...</b>
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Of course, it wasn't just Giorgi bringing home the hardware this weekend. World #2 Daniil Medvedev put even more distance between himself and #GOAT 🐐 contender Rafael Nadal -- who, incidentally, slipped behind Stefanos Tsitsipas this week after an early loss in Washington pushed him out of the top three. The Russian, who breezed past big-serving Reilly Opelka in today's final in Toronto, added a third Masters crown to his résumé and has now one, or finished <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/09/the-lasting-legacy-of-rafael-nadal.html">second</a> at basically every important second half hard court event since 2019.
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With Roger Federer <a href="https://www.si.com/tennis/2021/08/13/roger-federer-return-date-uncertain-us-open">out</a> of the U.S. Open, and Nadal's withdrawal from Toronto and Cincy putting his prospects in question, Medvedev may be the best positioned to thwart Novak Djokovic's quest for that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html">historic</a> calendar year Grand Slam. I've said that before, of course, but something tells me this time things could be very <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/unstoppable.html">different</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-23080592368704769582021-08-08T17:44:00.003-04:002021-08-08T17:44:48.375-04:00Summer StandoutsTennis has taken a pretty unusual front seat in the sports world over recent months, with headlines around historic <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/21-in-21.html">runs</a> -- and surprising <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/history-interrupted.html">disappointments</a> -- featuring front and center, not to mention the <a href="https://time.com/6077128/naomi-osaka-essay-tokyo-olympics/">platform</a> it's given issues surrounding mental health and elite sport.
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But while so many have focused on the high profile names, a couple players have been quietly plugging away on court and have put together some headlines of their own worth watching. They might not have ultimately walked away with the titles, but they sure have been showing us exactly what they've got week after week.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A new name you need to know 🎾<br><br>🇺🇸 Jenson Brooksby defeats Millman 6-1, 6-2 to reach his first ATP 500 semi-final!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NextGenATP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NextGenATP</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/CitiOpen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CitiOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/p1fhbzNlyz">pic.twitter.com/p1fhbzNlyz</a></p>— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/nextgenfinals/status/1423740725167067139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
<a name="brooksby" id="brooksby"></a>High on that list is 20-year-old Jenson Brooksby, who wasn't on many people's radar before Newport last month, but maybe should have been. A qualifier at the U.S. Open in 2019, he ended the career of former world #4 Tomas Berdych with a first round upset before injury kept him out of play last year. He picked up right where he left off this season though, claiming a trio of Challenger titles before rocketing to the final in Rhode Island.
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And he proved that run was no fluke this week in Washington. In a rematch of the Newport final against veteran Kevin Anderson, this time Brooksby came out the victor, and he followed up the win by taking out Wimbledon <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#underdog">Cinderella</a> Frances Tiafoe, second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, and John Millman to boot. He may have lost the semis to teen phenom Jannik Sinner, but something tells me he's going to feature prominently the rest of this year.
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<a name="nakashima" id="nakashima"></a>So, too, could 19-year-old Brandon Nakashima, one of my <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">players</a> to watch at the start of the year. The former UVA standout may not have made a big splash at any of the Slams yet, but he's picked up a couple Challenger titles himself and in recent weeks seems ready to graduate into the big leagues.
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Still ranked in the triple digits at the time, he beat both Sam Querrey and John Isner on his way to the final in Los Cabos and a week later took out Milos Raonic before losing to Isner in the Atlanta championship match. Finally in the top hundred now, Nakashima continued his run in DC as a wildcard, opening with a win over a very talented Alexei Popyrin and then ousting sixth seed Dan Evans in the second round. He ultimately lost to Denis Kudla a match later, but not without putting up a two-plus hour fight. And if he stays this consistent, there's no telling what he'll be able to do in the coming months.
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<a name="oldguard" id="oldguard"></a>Of couse, it's not just the newbies causing a stir in Washington. Former world #8 Jack Sock has been toiling for years to get back on top of the singles game and might finally be starting to get some traction -- he won a Challenger title in Little Rock in May, made the quarters in Newport, and this week put up a hell of a fight against Rafael Nadal in the third round. And former Citi Open champ Kei Nishikori, straight off a stunning upset of Andrey Rublev at the Olympics, got right back to work in DC and made the semis.
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<a name="petko" id="petko"></a>It's not all about the men, either. Veteran Andrea Petkovic may have fallen a bit down the rankings, but she's far from giving up the goat. Through Wimbledon this year she'd been 4-10 in main draw matches and failed to qualify for three events, pushing her down to #130 in the world. But <em>since</em> Wimbledon, she's turned on the gas, beating second seed Yulia Putintseva on her way to the Hamburg final and reaching the semis in Belgrade. This week at the inaugural Winners Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, she powered through a relatively wide open draw and earlier today took out Egypt's Mayar Sherif to win her first title in over six years.
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<a name="collins" id="collins"></a>And if Petko's return to glory wasn't inspiring enough, there's the continued run of Danielle Collins, who's performance the last few weeks begs the question -- where would she be now if she <em>hadn't</em> been dealing with <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/wta-tennis-news-size-of-a-tennis-ball-danielle-collins-reveals-heart-wrenching-endometriosis-surgery-ahead-of-french-open-2021/">health issues</a> all this time. The 27-year-old American, who picked up her (inexplicably) <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/first-time-charm.html#palermo">first</a> title last month in Palermo, is now riding a nine-match win streak with her run to a second straight final in San Jose.
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Seeded seventh at the Silicon Valley Classic, she's already beaten former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#rybakina">surpise</a> French Open quarterfinalist -- and Olympic semifinalist -- Elena Rybakina, and comeback <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/miami-heats-up.html#konjuh">queen</a> Ana Konjuh. For the title, she'll face off against Daria Kasatkina, who's having a strong comeback year herself, having won two titles already. And while the Russian has won the pair's previous two meetings, I wouldn't be surprised to see Collins ride her momentum to a win -- and maybe even farther than that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-31997904401007698412021-07-31T11:03:00.005-04:002021-07-31T11:03:57.420-04:00History, Interrupted<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">2 hours & 47 minutes.<br />6 match points. <br /><br />A fantastic bronze medal match. 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tennis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tennis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Olympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/JXOy0NrGpA">pic.twitter.com/JXOy0NrGpA</a></p>— ATP Tour (@atptour) <a href="https://twitter.com/atptour/status/1421400203089780739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br>
Novak Djokovic had a lot riding on his performance at this year's Olympics.
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After his stunning, and frankly brilliant, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">win</a> at the French Open, tongues started wagging that a Grand Slam and an even rarer Golden Slam were potentially in sight. And when he picked up a third straight <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/21-in-21.html">Wimbledon</a> title earlier this month, the countdown began in earnest -- just thirteen more match wins, and the #GOAT 🐐 contender would do what no man had ever before.
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But, sadly, it was not to be.
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Though Djokovic looked characteristically unstoppable in his early rounds in Tokyo this week, he ran into a surprising stumbling block in Friday's semi against Alexander Zverev. Down a set and a break, the German rallied to win eight straight games and stunned Nole for only his third win against the world #1, and his first since 2018.
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And after losing the bronze medal match today against Pablo Carreño Busta, the man whose only previous win against Djokovic came thanks to a bizarre <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-couple-early-predictions-ready-to.html#1">default</a> at last year's U.S. Open, and subsequently pulling out of mixed doubles, Novak walked away from the Olympics without any hardware, an outcome I don't think anyone would have predicted a week ago.
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It's the second time he's lost the consolation round at the Games -- in London 2012, he fell to Juan Martin Del Potro after losing to eventual gold medalist Andy Murray in the semis -- and one of the very few times he's lost two matches in a row. And it leaves Steffi Graf's legacy as the only person ever to win the Golden Slam in tact at least until 2024.
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Of course, this is far from the last we'll hear from Djokovic, and he has plenty of opportunity to still make history this year. While he did point to the <a href="https://www.tennismajors.com/others-news/tokyo-olympics/olympics-tokyo-djokovic-no-medal-hopes-fit-us-open-and-already-looking-ahead-to-paris-2024-440407.html">injuries</a> he's been dealing with, he's got a month to recover before the U.S. Open, where he'll still vie to become the first man since Rod Laver to win every Major in the same calendar year. And that's no small feat.
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And, who knows? Maybe now some of the pressure has been lifted form his shoulders he'll hit the courts again even stronger. After all, we've seen so clearly these last few months how much that can weigh on elite athletes, and with even a little of it taken away now, there's no reason to expect him to pick things up where he left off.
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There's still a lot of history for Djokovic to make, and this may be just a little break along the way.
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<b>Elsewhere in Tokyo...</b>
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<a name="pcb" id="pcb"></a>While all the Olympic tennis attention may have been on Djokovic, let's take a moment to shout out Carreño Busta who beat not just the world #1 on his way to the bronze medal, but also took out world #2 Daniil Medvedev in the quarters. He may not have won the biggest prize, but <a href="https://twitter.com/Tennis_Majors/status/1421467956417024002">to him</a> it's just about as good as gold.
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<a name="gold" id="gold"></a>Still <em>that</em> match, between Zverev and Russia's Karen Khachanov will be contested tomorrow, and while the fourth seed may be the heavy on-paper favorite, you can't count out an upset here too. Khachanov won the pair's last two meetings, albeit the most recent two yeas ago, and has notched victories over PCB, Diego Schwartzman and Ugo Humbert already this week. And given how topsy-turvy the draws have been, you never can tell what's going to happen here.
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<a name="women" id="women"></a>After all, who would have guessed Belinda Bencic, who'd racked up a mediocre 17-14 record so far this year, would walk away with the ladies' gold medal in Tokyo? But the world #12, who I thought for sure would drop her opener against the talented but unseeded Jessica Pegula, not only persevered, but went on to beat both of this year's Roland Garros <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">finalists</a>, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#rybakina">giant-killer</a> Elena Rybakina, and, in today's gold medal match, Marketa Vondrousova, who'd backed up her own stunning upset of Naomi Osaka by taking out eventual bronze medalist Elina Svitolina in the semis.
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It's certainly been an Olympics we'd never expected in so many ways, and with so much history -- not to mention patriotic pride -- on the line, that should be no surprise. But it's going to be three years before they get a chance to play the Games again, so here's hoping they're able to keep bringing the same fire again well before then.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-51446874777224393322021-07-25T18:17:00.002-04:002021-07-25T18:17:45.969-04:00First Time CharmAll eyes may be on Tokyo these days, and understandably so. In just the first two days of play there've been a ton of headlines -- from the singles withdrawal of two-time defending champion Andy Murray to the first round upset of world #1 and reigning <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/all-grown-up.html">Wimbledon</a> champ Ash Barty.
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But the Olympics aren't the only game in town, and at a handful of tournaments around the world this weekend a handful of players were able to accomplish something that eluded them so far in their careers. And whether they've been long toiling on tour or are still fresh to the top tiers of competition, you can bet their accomplishments are something they'll remember a long time.
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Collins showing off her new hardware 😎<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PLO21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PLO21</a> <a href="https://t.co/biY6KanEOj">pic.twitter.com/biY6KanEOj</a></p>— wta (@WTA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1419383987403857922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
<a name="palermo" id="palermo"></a><b>Palermo Ladies Open, Palermo, Italy</b>
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I'll start in Italy, where 27-year-old Danielle Collins was making up for lost time in a big way. After a strong start to the year, she'd missed the entire pre-French Open clay court season due to <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/wta-tennis-news-size-of-a-tennis-ball-danielle-collins-reveals-heart-wrenching-endometriosis-surgery-ahead-of-french-open-2021/">endometriosis</a> surgery, but hit the courts hard when she returned. She played four straight weeks since the start of Wimbledon, reaching the quarters in Hamburg and the semis in Budapest before making the trip to Palermo. And though she was tested -- and conquered -- by much lower ranked players at both those events, this week she made it to the final -- surprisingly her first at this level -- without dropping a set.
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In Sunday's match she faced off against qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse, the 23-year-old Romanian who was coming off her own maiden WTA final in Hamburg, where, also as a qualifier, she'd stunned veteran Andrea Petkovic to win the crown. She kept her momentum going with the help of a walkover from third seed Jil Teichmann, but scored a solid win over Oceane Dodin to reach her second straight chapionship match.
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Her impressive run would end eventually at Collins' hands, though, and it seems a fitting time for the relative veteran to have her breakthrough. We know, after all, how powerful Collins' game can be -- she stunned then-#2 Angelique Kerber on her way to the Australian Open semis in 2019, and last year scored wins over Garbiñe Muguruza and Ons Jabeur on her way to the Roland Garros quarters. This year, before her surgery interrupted her season, she'd taken out Karolina Pliskova and Ash Barty during the Australian swing and, happily, seems to have picked up right where she left off. She might not have had to pull off any huge upsets on her way to that all-important first trophy, but having now broken the seal <em>and</em> with her condition hopefully behind her, there's no telling what other big wins might be in her future.
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<a name="gdynia" id="gdynia"></a><b>BNP Paribas Poland Open, Gdynia, Poland</b>
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The stakes weren't quite so high in Poland, where changes of schedule for top seed Yulia Putintseva, who was hoping to ride momentum from her Budapest title to success at the Olympics, but retired in her first round, and second seed Tamara Zidansek, fresh off her first career trophy in Laussane, meant the highest ranked player in the field was world #71 Irina-Camelia Begu.
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That left things wide open for everyone else, which helps explain how Belgium's Marynka Zanevska, ranked #165, and Slovakian Kristina Cucova, at #150, were able to make the final. The former, who lost to Zidansek last week in the Laussane semis, this week upset ninth seed Nuria Parrizas Diaz, while the later was a winner over tenth seed Irina Bara in the second round. Both were playing for their first WTA title.
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And it was, ultimately Zanevska who walked away with the trophy, another 27-year-old making her breakthrough this week. Will it be just the start of big things for her? That's a little harder to tell, but after two of the best weeks of her career, it very well could be.
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<a name="umag" id="umag"></a><b>Croatia Open, Umag, Croatia</b>
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On the men's side, it was less a story of veterans finally getting their pay off and more one of next gen stars showing us what they got. In Umag, 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who scored his first tour-level win over veteran Albert Ramos last year in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/02/the-emerging-opportunities.html#rio">Rio</a>, repeated the feat, but this time it was in the semis and after a year that had helped him rise to #73 in the world. He'd also scored a win over third seed Filip Krajinovic, the runner-up in Hamburg just a few weeks ago, in the quarters, so he was clearly in a much more accomplished frame of mind.
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In the other half of the draw, veteran Richard Gasquet was working his way through the draw and ultimately reached his <em>38<sup>th</sup></em> carreer final, but his first since 2018. The 35-year-old, who hit his career high ranking of #7 in the world when Alcaraz was just four years old, was going for his 16<sup>th</sup> trophy and, maybe more impressively, his 561<sup>st</sup> career win, the most of any active player outside the Big Four.
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But this time youth would triumph over experience. In his first ATP final, Alcaraz saved all three break points he faced and won nearly 80 percent of his first serves to finish off the championship match in just under 80 minutes. The win makes the Spaniard the youngest champion on tour in over a decade, when then-18 year old Kei Nishikori claimed the trophy in Delray Beach. And it certainly seems Alcaraz is destined for even <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">bigger</a> things from here, and I wouldn't be surprised if we started seeing that soon.
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<a name="cabos" id="cabos"></a><b>Mifel Open, Los Cabos, Mexico</b>
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Slightly older than Alcaraz but still, as yet, undecorated was Cameron Norrie, who has nevertheless climbed his way up the rankings thanks to final showings in Estoril, Lyon -- where he beat Dominic Thiem, and Queen's Club -- where he beat Denis Shapovalov. The top seed in Los Cabos, he was hoping to finally break the seal and after a tight opening set against Mikael Ymer, he didn't lose more than three games a set on his way to the final, beating a very talented Taylor Fritz three-and-one in the semis.
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Meanwhile 19-year-old Brandon Nakashima was hoping to be the second teen champion of the weekend. Still ranked outside the top hundred, he had picked up a couple <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">Challengers</a> titles in his young career, but has mostly been an also-ran at the ATP level so far. If his performance in Mexico is any indication, that could be about to change, though -- after a straight set win over fourth seed Sam Querrey, he took out Jordan Thompson and then stunned John Isner in the semis, breaking his big-serving compatriot twice and dishing out twelve aces himself.
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But it wasn't enough against Norrie. The 25-year-old Brit was finally the more experienced one in the championship round and was able to prevail in his fifth final appearance. In another straight set match, he was able to score his 35<sup>th</sup> tour win of the season, tying him with none other than Novak Djokovic for the third most on tour. And with the consistency he's shown in this first half, there's no reason to believe he won't be adding more wins to the docket soon.
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<a name="gstaad" id="gstaad"></a><b>Swiss Open, Gstaad, Switzerland</b>
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The only place where we didn't see a first time champion this weekend was in Gstaad, where Casper Ruud, fresh off a win in the appropriately rhyming Bastad, picked up his third title of the year and his fourth overall. He's now running a seven match win streak since that surprise early exit and Wimbledon and could be making a play for the top ten before the year is out.
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But that doesn't diminish the accomplishment of his final opponent, twenty-year-old Hugo Gaston, who'd been, up to this week, a little quiet after that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">resounding</a> run to the fourth round last year at Roland Garros. So far at the Slams this year, he'd fallen to Richard Gasquet in his Paris opener and failed to qualify for Australia or Wimbledon, and he'd only won two matches elsewhere on tour.
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But he found his footing this week, stunning clay court specialist Federico Delbonis in the second round and then going on to beat Cristian Garin and Laslo Djere to make his first ATP final. While three straight three-setter may have left him too little in the tank to put up a fight against Ruud on Sunday, his performance certainly gave us hope that we haven't seen the best of him yet.
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And while the first time may not have been his charm, something tells me it won't be too long before he gets his.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-85561264019351926012021-07-11T13:06:00.005-04:002021-07-11T13:10:34.077-04:0021 in '21?<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The moment <a href="https://twitter.com/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DjokerNole</a> became <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon</a> champion for the sixth time <a href="https://t.co/5xN8ogWYYT">pic.twitter.com/5xN8ogWYYT</a></p>— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wimbledon/status/1414262376036196353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />
I really didn't think we'd get here so quickly.
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With Rafael Nadal <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/whats-your-number.html">edging</a> out Novak Djokovic last year at the French Open and pulling ahead of him in the Grand Slam race by <em>three</em> titles at the end of last year, I thought for sure we'd have a little longer to wait before Nole would catch up.
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I mean, Djokovic would <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/unstoppable.html">probably</a> win in Melbourne, but Rafa would surely dominate in Paris again, right? Claim a 21<sup>st</sup> Major title there and take the lead all by himself? Force the world #1 to win Wimbledon <em>and</em> the U.S. Open just to get within one big trophy of the top spot? The soonest Novak could draw even would be next year. Right? <em>Right?!</em>
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Well after Nole's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">stunning</a> victory at Roland Garros, one that featured one of the most spectacular wins of his career over Nadal, all that math went out the window. And today, on Championship Sunday at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic is writing history on his own terms.
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His win over Matteo Berrettini in the final didn't come easy. The Italian seventh seed put up one hell of a fight, breaking Djokovic when he was trying to serve out the first set and taking the early lead with a win in the tiebreak. He got down two breaks in the second, but stopped Djokovic's first attempt to serve that one out, too. But ultimately it was the two-time defending champion -- the man who'd already won five titles here total -- whose experience and extreme talent won out.
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The title, of course, puts him neck-and-neck(-and-neck) with Rafa and Roger Federer with twenty Grand Slam trophies each. But there's no question he's been the most dominant player over the last ten years, winning nineteen of them since 2011, compared to eleven for Nadal and "just" four for Fed. As he said after tying things up today, these two rivals have pushed him to be a better, stronger, smarter player, and they're all going to keep striving to be the first to hit blackjack.
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And there's every chance in the world it could happen for one of them in New York -- very and, honestly, most likely Djokovic, who could become the first man since Rod Laver to win the calendar year Grand Slam. He said himself he could envision that happening, and the way he's playing, that's not just hubris.
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After all, we've all got 20-20-20 vision now and are seeing things very clearly. This #GOAT 🐐 contender may have only just tied things up, but in the race for #21, he's got the lead all to himself.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-92132104632342343932021-07-10T12:33:00.001-04:002021-07-10T12:33:38.908-04:00All Grown UpTen years ago Ashleigh Barty won the Girls' singles title at Wimbledon, her first and only Grand Slam trophy on the Juniors circuit. And earlier today she became just the fourth woman ever to repeat the feat as a pro, claiming the Ladies' crown in a stunning display of cool and adding a second Major championship to her résumé.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ashbarty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ashbarty</a> <a href="https://t.co/JC25bcZp8X">pic.twitter.com/JC25bcZp8X</a></p>— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wimbledon/status/1413878884148383751?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
Her win was far from straightforward though. A heavy favorite in Saturday's final, she'd only dropped one set the entire tournament, taking out former Wimbledon champ Angelique Kerber and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">newly-crowned</a> Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets. But she was surprisingly tested by former world #1 Karolina Pliskova, who'd reached her second Slam final with a decisive win over a frustrated Aryna Sabalenka in the semis.
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After losing the first fourteen points and four games, the Czech made a match of things. She broke Barty late in the second set, when she was serving for the title, and displayed some pretty impressive play in the tiebreak to force a decider. But Barty proved stronger in the third -- she got up an early break and didn't look back, saving break point when trying to serve it out for a second time and converting on match point after just under two hours.
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The win earned Barty her fourth title of the year, now at least one on every surface, and cemented her place at the top of the rankings. And a second Slam title suggests she'll be one to watch for a long time to come. After all, there are plenty of people out there who are one-and-done, but Barty's consistency over the past few years -- even in a year in which she saw virtually no play on the tennis courts -- certainly puts her in a different league.
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And at a time when we're so ready to find out who among the next generation will take up the mantle of the tennis greats, Ash Barty has clearly stepped up to the plate. And she might just be the one to lead the new guard to even greater heights.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-95271949625731512021-07-07T16:49:00.001-04:002021-07-07T16:49:08.680-04:00And Then There Were Eight...Things are getting serious now.
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The first Wimbledon in two years has given us plenty of storylines, from the emergence of <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/07/golden-opportunities.html#raducanu">young</a>, sharp talents, to a couple guys chasing <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#menfinal">history</a> at the All England Club. But the trophies are now within reach -- just two wins away for the players still standing -- and there's a lot on the line for every one of them.
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<a id="men" name="men"></a><b>The Men</b>
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">2021 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon</a> semi-finals<br /><br />🇷🇸 Djokovic v. Shapovalov 🇨🇦 <br />🇮🇹 Berrettini v. Hurkacz 🇵🇱<br /><br />Who's going all the way? 🏆</p>— ATP Tour (@atptour) <a href="https://twitter.com/atptour/status/1412854293720272897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />
<a id="nole" name="nole"></a>Novak Djokovic hasn't seemed at all fazed by the high stakes that are following him into this tournament. With wins already at the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/unstoppable.html">Australian</a> and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">French</a> Opens this year, he's the heavy favorite to win the Grand Slam -- all four Majors in a calendar year -- something no man has done since 1969. And with the Olympics later this month, he could even match Steffi Graf's ultra-rare feat of the Golden Slam. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, he's also just two match wins away from equalling Roger Federer's and Rafael Nadal's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/whats-your-number.html">record</a> twenty Major titles -- (getting ahead of myself again) a record he could very well claim all by himself by year-end. And with all that on his shoulders, he's still been super dominant, winning his last fifteen sets and extending his streak at the All England Club to 21 straight match wins. With far more experience at this stage of play than any of the other men remaining, it's hard to see anyone stopping him before the week is up.
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<a id="shaps" name="shaps"></a>The first man who gets to try is Denis Shapovalov, who reached his first Major semifinal with a five-set win today over Karen Khachanov. The Canadian, whose previous best run at Wimbledon was the second round back in 2018, had to skip Roland Garros with a shoulder injury, but came back fighting strong, making the semis at Queen's Club and here beating two-time <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2013/07/its-new-world.html#murray">champion</a> Andy Murray and eighth seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, both in straight sets. Does he stand a chance against the world #1 and #GOAT🐐 contender? Well, with a 0-6 record against Djokovic, it's going to be hard. But here's hoping we at least get to see him put up a fight.
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<a id="Berrettini" name="Berrettini"></a>But the real opportunity may lie in the bottom half of the draw, where Matteo Berrettini is currently riding an impressive 10-0 record on grass -- he's 21-2 since 2019. The Queen's Club <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#london">champion</a> has had a pretty nice run to his second Slam semi, dropping sets only to Guido Pella -- who, you might have forgotten, made the final eight at Wimbledon in 2019 -- in his opener and to Felix Auger-Aliassime -- who, you probably remember, stunned Roger Federer last month in Halle -- in Wednesday's quarter. I've <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-greatest.html#menhm">admitted</a> I had doubts about his sustainability after that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-flavors-of-moment.html#berrettini">stellar</a> 2019 season, but he has more than proven me wrong, and with more wins than all but four men so far this season, he may be in good position to make his first Major final.
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<a id="hurkacz" name="hurkacz"></a>But he still has to get past Hubert Hurkacz, who's turned his season around in a big way over the last ten days. After a breakthrough run in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-unlikeliest-of-results.html">Miami</a>, where he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev -- not to mention Shapovalov -- on his way to the title, he went radio silent, losing five straight matches between Monte Carlo and Halle. I thought for sure he was heading for an early exit when he drew <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#men2nd">Lorenzo Musetti</a> in the first round, but not only did he win, he went his first three matches without dropping a set. That streak finally ended against second seed and Mallorca <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#men3rd">titleist</a> Daniil Medvedev, but he survived that challenge and then rallied for a stunning straight-set win over <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/07/seven-ages-of-roger.html">eight</a>-time champion Roger Federer earlier today. This semi run is by far his best showing at a Slam -- his previous high bar was the third round here in 2019 -- but so far he's shown no signs of nerves. Could he keep his run going even further? Well, he does have a win in his only match against Berrettini, and something tells me these two are going to leave it all out there.
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<a id="women" name="women"></a><b>The Women</b>
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The final 4⃣!<br /><br />🇦🇺 Barty vs. Kerber 🇩🇪<br />🇨🇿 Ka. Pliskova vs. Sabalenka 🇧🇾<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon</a></p>— wta (@WTA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1412457544048599047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />
<a id="barty" name="barty"></a>The ladies' draw has had its own share of surprises, but one thing has gone according to plan -- #1 seed Ashleigh Barty continues to prove her ability on any court. Though her French Open defense was cut short due to injury, she rebounded well when she hit the grass. Dropping just one set in her first five matches to <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#women1st">sentimental</a> favorite Carla Suárez Navarro in the first round, she's made it to her third Major semifinal, and first here, in top form. But while she did face off against the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">newest</a> Major champion in the fourth round, for the most part, she hasn't been truly tested -- the average rank of her opponents has been #76, #91 if you don't count Barbora Krejcikova, who was playing her first Wimbledon singles main draw. She's going to have to up her game now that we're really down to the wire.
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<a id="kerber" name="kerber"></a>After all, her next match is against 2018 Wimbledon champ Angelique Kerber who, after a title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/home-turf.html#kerber">Bad Homburg</a>, is running a ten-match win streak on grass. At #28 in the world, she may be the lowest seed remaining, but she's by far the most accomplished on these courts, having made at least the semis three times before. She's had a couple close calls already this event, enduring a three-plus hour battle against a surprisingly spry Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round and battling back from losing the first set to Aliaksandra Sasnovich, the woman who benefited from Serena's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#serena">retirement</a>. But she's been on point in her latest matches, beating both Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova in straight sets. She's split her last four meetings with Barty, the most recent of which was nearly three years ago, but she might just be able to get the advantage in this one.
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<a id="sabalenka" name="sabalenka"></a>Meanwhile in the bottom half of the draw, second seed Aryna Sabalenka has ended her Major curse in resounding form with a ticket to her first Major semifinal. The 23-year-old, one of my <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#womenfinal">favorites</a> to win the French, had only won one main draw match here before this year, and that was back when she was a qualifier in 2017. I didn't give her much chance at changing that after a weak lead-up season, but she's been able to overcome a few challenges at the All England Club. Down a set early to wildcard Katie Boulter and pushed to a third by Paris <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#rybakina">Cinderella</a> Elena Rybakina, she's been able to persevere, and against Ons Jabeur -- who, by the way, beat three <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2009/07/any-given-saturday.html">Major </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">champions</a> in a row on her way to the quarters -- she was able to come out on top. You have to like her chances at making that maiden final, as long as she's able to keep keeping her cool.
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<a id="pliskova" name="pliskova"></a>But the big surprise in the women's draw has to be Karolina Pliskova, whose #8 seed -- and #13 ranking -- feels a lot higher than what she's been delivering. Though she did make the final in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#iga">Rome</a> -- which she lost in a double bagel -- she'd been otherwise pretty lackluster this year, losing more matches than she'd won on the season. I <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#women1st">thought</a> for sure she'd get a run for her money in the first round against surprise French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#womennew">semifinalist</a> Tamara Zidansek and had my money on <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#berlin">Berlin</a> champ Liudmila Samsonova in the fourth. But she's gotten through her first five matches without dropping a set -- the only player left who's done that -- and is in the Wimbledon semis for the first time in her career. Like Barty, she hasn't faced the highest-ranked opponents, so playing Sabalenka could be a shock, especially as she's lost both their previous matches. But perhaps her familiarity with play on this stage will be an advantage, and maybe she'll be the one to prove us all wrong.
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<hr width="75%" />
We shouldn't be surprised that after such a long absence (absen<em>s</em>e?) from these courts we should get such big play from every corner of the draw. We might not have picked all these guys and gals as the last ones contending for the title, but there's no doubt that each of them deserves to come away with one more win.
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And with so much history on the line, it's going to be exciting to see which ones are able to pull it off.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-29110358034503547872021-07-04T13:37:00.001-04:002021-07-04T13:37:16.871-04:00Golden OpportunitiesWell now we're really getting down to it -- one week of Wimbledon in the books and one more to go, and as expected we've had some standout play. But as we start to get really serious in the second week, maybe it's time to reassess where we stand -- after all plenty of favorites are out of the mix and a couple of surprise standouts have really got a chance to do something big.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A breakthrough moment for 🇭🇺 Marton Fucsovics 👏<br><br>He scores a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4 win over No. 9 seed Schwartzman to make his first Week 2 appearance at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon</a> <a href="https://t.co/kxDal2pR9m">pic.twitter.com/kxDal2pR9m</a></p>— ATP Tour (@atptour) <a href="https://twitter.com/atptour/status/1411003450511433734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
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<a id="men" name="men"></a><b>The Men</b>
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Sure most of the favorites on the men's side are alive and well -- after dropping his first set to wildcard teen <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#men1st">Jack Draper</a>, defending champion Novak Djokovic has been unstoppable, Roger Federer rebounded from a pretty <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#roger">ugly</a> opening round and has sailed through his next two, even Daniil Medvedev, who's never made it out of the third round here, came back from two sets down to former <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#men3rd">finalist</a> Marin Cilic yesterday to reach the final 16. But there have been other standouts.
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<a id="hurkacz" name="hurkacz"></a>Seeded 14<sup>th</sup>, Hubert Hurkacz has basically done what he's supposed to so far, but for a Miami <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-unlikeliest-of-results.html">champ</a> who'd only won one match since that breakthrough performance, it's been a good reminder of what he's capable of. The 24-year-old Pole got to his first Major fourth round with surprisingly straightforward wins over teen <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#men1st">phenom</a> Lorenzo Musetti, resurging Marcos Giron, and underrated Alexander Bublik, becoming the only man who hasn't lost a set yet. That may change against second seed Medvedev tomorrow, but as stated the favorite was pushed to the limit in his third round and could be vulnerable now.
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<a id="korda" name="korda"></a>And Sebastian Korda, who was ranked outside the top two-hundred at this time last year, has so far been unintimidated by the grand stage of his first Wimbledon. After a four set win over Eastbourne champ Alex de Minaur, he went on to beat hometown favorite Dan Evans in the third round. And he's got a huge opportunity to make his first Major quarterfinal -- 25<sup>th</sup> seed Karen Khachanov has been a little quiet lately, and thanks to a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-curse-on-big-courts.html#underdog">stunning</a> win by Frances Tiafoe in the first round here, hasn't been an underdog in a match yet. Korda will still be the underdog tomorrow -- on his 21<sup>st</sup> birthday no less -- at least on paper, but something tells me he might be able to get the better of even the more experienced Russian. It sure would be a pretty nice way to celebrate.
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<a id="fucsovics" name="fucsovics"></a>Meanwhile Marton Fucsovics has been quietly hacking away at his part of the draw too. A fourth-rounder at two Grand Slams last year -- he took out Denis Shapovalov in Australia and then stunned Daniil Medvedev back when he was winless in Paris -- he's been ranked as high as #31 in the world, but often plays well above that level. He opened his campaign at the All England Club with a big win over wünderkind Jannik Sinner and then dispatched ninth seed Diego Schwartzman in the third round. For a spot in the quarters he'll face Andrey Rublev, certainly a hard ask, but he has won the pair's only previous five-setter, though that was four years ago. Still the Hungarian has a strong game, and I wouldn't be surprised to see his run continue.
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<a id="ivashka" name="ivashka"></a>But the real surprise has been Ilya Ivashka who, at 27, is one of the oldest first-time main drawers in the field. The Belorussian comes to Wimbledon at a career high ranking of <em>just</em> 79<sup>th</sup> in the world, thanks to a run to the quarters in Eastbourne, but he also has a win over Alexander Zverev and took a set off Rafael Nadal in Barcelona this year. He's had a pretty clear path so far, with his second round opponent having taken out Aslan Karatsev and his third having dismissed Casper Ruud for him, but that still got him what's already been his best Major performance by far. He'll next face Matteo Berrettini, whose <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#london">run</a> this year has honestly been so refreshing and will certainly be no easy challenge. Still, if there were ever a year for the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/never-give-up.html#dubai">late bloomer</a> to shine, it might be this one.
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<a id="women" name="women"></a><b>The Women</b>
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The ladies' side has seen a similar dichotomy. Former Major champions Ashleigh Barty, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/home-turf.html#kerber">Angelique Kerber</a>, Iga Swiatek, and even the most <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">newly-crowned</a> Barbora Krejcikova, playing her first singles main draw here, advancing without too much drama. And much-lauded upstarts like <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#coco">Coco Gauff</a>, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#birmingham">Ons Jabeur</a>, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#rybakina">Elena Rybakina</a>, and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#womennew">Paula Badosa</a> have all shown their recent successes were no fluke. But some others are making a run here and have a shot at really redefining their careers.
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<a id="sabalenka" name="sabalenka"></a>It may seem weird to start that conversation with a look at second seed Aryna Sabalenka, but when you realize the world #4 and ten-time WTA title holder has never made it out of the fourth round of a Major, you might see what I mean. After her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-reversal-of-fortune.html">stellar</a> run on clay, I gave her a pretty good <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#womenfinal">shot</a> at taking the French Open title, but she fell in the third round. She also lost her opener in Berlin and was <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/home-turf.html#giorgi">stunned</a> by world #75 Camila Giorgi in Eastbourne. She's been decently strong so far, coming back from a set down to British wildcard Katie Boulter before taking out teen <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/where-anything-can-happen.html#bogota">breakthrough</a> Maria Camilia Osorio Serrano in her Wimbledon debut. Next up for Sabalenka is Rybakina, who's turning her year around in a big way. The favorite may have won both their previous matches, most recently in the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/01/a-strong-opening-statement.html#abudhabi">Abu Dhabi</a> quarters, but we'll see if she can steel her nerves enough to finally break her curse.
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<a id="samsonova" name="samsonova"></a>Meanwhile wildcard Liudmila Samsonova is quickly proving her Cinderella run in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#berlin">Berlin</a> was legit. Ranked in triple digits just last month, her wins over five top-fifty players, including <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best.html#womenru">Victoria Azarenka</a> and Belinda Bencic told everyone she's a force, and her wins this week over Sloane Stephens and seeded Jessica Pegula really drove it home. She'll face off Monday against eighth seed Karolina Pliskova, who's been admittedly strong in her first week of play here. Samsonova may be the underdog in this fight, but I have to say, it's as good a shot as any she might have to reach her maiden Major quarter.
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<a id="golubic" name="golubic"></a>Also with a shot at reaching a milestone is relative veteran Viktorija Golubic, who's been quietly having a pretty solid year. A finalist at <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/one-of-these-things-is-not-like-other.html#lyon">two </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/never-give-up.html#monterrey">straight</a> tournaments during the spring and a winner over Belinda Bencic in Eastbourne, she'd cut her ranking in half already this year and is primed to go even higher. After a marathon first round against Veronika Kudermetova which went 11-9 in the third, she had a surprisingly easy time against Danielle Collins one match later and dropped just three games to Madison Brengle on Friday. She's up against Madison Keys next, certainly a bigger threat and one who scored a big upset of her own against Elise Mertens. Still it's a winnable match for the Swiss and could really open things up for her.
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<a id="raducanu" name="raducanu"></a><a id="tomljanovic" name="tomljanovic"></a>Of course, the big surprise in the ladies draw comes in the top quarter of the draw. Veteran Ajla Tomljanovic, who's struggled with consistency over the years -- she beat Aga Radwanska at the French in 2014 then lost in eight straight first rounds that year, she broke the top 40 in 2019 but was 5-12 last year -- seems to have found her footing in London again. She held tough against Alizée Cornet, who'd scored a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#women1st">huge win</a> over Bianca Andreescu in her opener, and came back against Eastbourne champ Jelena Ostapenko, someone I thought had the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/wimbledon-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#womensemi">potential</a> to go far. She'll face off against this event's clear Cinderella, British wildcard Emma Raducanu, an eighteen year old junior quarterfinalist here a few year's ago who's picked up a couple ITF trophies over her very short career. Her run in her Major debut, though, might suggest there's more to come -- she beat former French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#barty">finalist</a> Marketa Vondrousova and stunned an in-form Sorana Cirstea on Saturday. This match-up presents a huge opportunity for both women, neither of whom have even had a whiff of a quarterfinal before. Going forward, it'll only get harder of course -- the winner will meet one of the recent <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#barty">French </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">Open</a> champions -- but what a chance to put one of their names on the map.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-15418091346615879962021-06-29T19:01:00.000-04:002021-06-29T19:01:04.141-04:00A Curse on the Big CourtsIt's been two years since we last saw play at Wimbledon, and it seems like the goblins that lurk in the shadows of Wimbledon took it upon themselves to dole out punishments for that absense. In the first 48 hours of this year's event, we've already seen plenty of favorites get quite literally tripped up on the grass, some squeaking by the seat of their pants, and others not so lucky at all.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">We're heartbroken for you, Serena.<br /><br />Our seven-time singles champion is forced to retire from The Championships 2021 through injury<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon</a> <a href="https://t.co/vpcW1UN78s">pic.twitter.com/vpcW1UN78s</a></p>— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wimbledon/status/1409950267114758148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center> <br />
<a id="serena" name="serena"></a>The big shocker, of course, came late today when <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/07/wimbledon-wrap-up-from-start-to-finish.html#women">seven</a>-time champion Serena Williams was forced to retire in the seventh game of her first round match. She was playing well to start, but on a Centre Court that had already caused more slips and slides than we'd ever seen, she seemed to twist her knee while up an early break and never recovered. Though she returned from a medical time out, she was in tears trying to serve out her game and could barely move to the ball when returning. Within minutes she was at the net, ceding the win to world #100 Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
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Serena's exit means more than just another seed out of the Championships. While she may have <em>only</em> be seeded sixth, she was widely considered a favorite for the title. She had, after all, made at least the final here on her last four appearances, and with 98 match wins here, more than any woman other than Martina Navratilova, it seems clear she would add at least a little bit to her total. But instead she notched only her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/05/days-that-shook-earth.html">second</a> first round loss at a Major and her first Slam retirement since 1998. And, of course, her four year <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-serena-eyes-24but-there-are.html">pursuit</a> of that record 24<sup>th</sup> Big Title will continue at least a few more months. Did she just lose her best chance to get it? Well, it's probably too soon to say <em>that</em>, but you know chances are getting ever more remote these days.
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<a id="roger" name="roger"></a>As are the chances of Roger Federer, who survived his own set of trolls one match earlier on Centre Court. The <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/07/seven-ages-of-roger.html">eight</a>-time champion was not playing his best against Adrian Mannarino in his opening round, getting out-served in the second and third set and finding himself in a deep hole early. But the Frenchman, who had only taken one set off the legend in their previous six meetings, also lost his footing deep in the fourth. He watched a couple balls whiz past him before retiring himself after losing the set, allowing Roger to book his ticket for the eighteenth straight time.
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But the fact that he was tested suggests it's going to be a long road for the GOAT 🐐 contender to make it back to the final. Like Serena, he had good odds to win this title, but at a month away from 40, the window of opportunity to pick up Major #21 is closing quick. After a career where he saw thankfully few injuries for so long, he took more than a year off after losing in Australia in 2020 and hasn't been quite the force he traditionally was since his return. Hopefully, though, he'll be able to shake off the demons that plagued him in round one and make use of the opportunity that was given him.
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<a name="underdog" id="underdog"></a>Of course, for every favorite that was challenged, we have an underdog who got an opportunity. One-time U.S. Open champ Sloane Stephens, who's been <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/dropping-like-flies.html#sloane">mounting</a> a nice comeback this summer, stunned <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/07/no-contest.html">two-</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2011/07/well-that-was-easy.html">time</a> titleholder Petra Kvitova in straight sets on Monday. Andy Murray, playing at his first Wimbledon since 2017, shook off a seven-game losing streak in the third set to get the win over 24<sup>th</sup> seed Nikoloz Basilashvili. And Frances Tiafoe dealt a massive blow to French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">runner-up</a> Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, his first win over a top five player ever.
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But there's a lot of play left to go at Wimbledon, and there's no telling who the gremlins will go after next. But hopefully they've got the worst out of their system, and we'll be in store for only good surprises from now on.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-62321671898833869472021-06-27T14:42:00.002-04:002021-06-27T14:42:19.215-04:00Wimbledon 2021 Preview: Round By RoundWell, it's been quite a road to get to Wimbledon, this year more than usual.
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With the pandemic cancelling play at the All England Club last season, it's been a full two years since the last champions were crowned, and the world is a whole lot different than it was back then for so many reasons.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Your 2019 Champions 🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon</a> <a href="https://t.co/saAidwQlmN">pic.twitter.com/saAidwQlmN</a></p>— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wimbledon/status/1150600876123463682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />
And in the last few weeks things got really interesting. First there was the <a href="https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal/status/1405488173493456898">withdrawal</a> of Rafael Nadal, just days after his heartbreaking loss in the French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html#semi">semis</a>, followed quickly by the <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1405604923148996610">exit</a> of Naomi Osaka. And in the last few days we learned injury would keep both <a href="https://twitter.com/ThiemDomi/status/1408086811528810501">Dominic Thiem</a> and defending champion <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQiWVedD2kt/">Simona Halep</a> out of the draws as well.
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Add to that the fact that young standouts like Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, and Sebastian Korda haven't really played on these courts -- Swiatek's Juniors crown notwithstanding -- and you have a lot of opportunity for underdogs to shine. The <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html">lead up</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/home-turf.html"> tournaments</a>, after all, have already given us a glimpse of the former champions and resurgent workhorses who've been able to up their up their games on grass. And any one of them could surprise us over the next fortnight.
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Of course, it's going to be hard to stop the favorites, but if there's any year to do it, this might be it. So let's dive right in to the draws.
<center>
<table border="0"><tbody>
<tr><td width="250"><strong>THE WOMEN</strong>
<ul>
<li><a href="#women1st">First Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#women2nd">Second Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#women3rd">Third Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#women4th">Fourth Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#womenquarter">Quarterfinals</a></li>
<li><a href="#womensemi">Semifinals</a></li>
<li><a href="#womenfinal">Championship</a></li>
</ul>
</td><td width="250"><strong>THE MEN</strong>
<ul>
<li><a href="#men1st">First Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#men2nd">Second Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#men3rd">Third Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#men4th">Fourth Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#menquarter">Quarterfinal</a></li>
<li><a href="#mensemi">Semifinals</a></li>
<li><a href="#menfinal">Championships</a></li>
</ul></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />
<center><hr width="75%" /></center><br />
<b>WOMEN'S DRAW</b>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women1st" name="women1st"></a><u>First Round</u>
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<em> Ashleigh Barty (1) vs. Carla Suárez Navarro:</em> This is in part sentimental, as we know each tournament we see her at will be CSN's last, but don't forget the veteran fighter has had some good results here in the past, beating the likes of Sam Stosur, Genie Bouchard and Ekaterina Makarova over the years. It's asking a lot for her to take out the top seed, but it'll be fun to see her try. And who knows, she might just be able to take advantage if Barty isn't back in top form.
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<em> Bianca Andreescu (5) vs. Alizé Cornet:</em> The struggles of the former U.S. Open champ have been well documented, and though she's shown <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/on-solid-ground.html#andreescu">glimmers</a> of her former self, it's been hard for her to really find her footing. Cornet, meanwhile, has been pretty solid on the grass recently. She just beat Andreescu earlier this month in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#berlin">Berlin</a> before taking out Garbiñe Muguruza to boot and this past week she put up one hell of a fight against Victoria Azarenka in Bad Homburg, just barely losing the three-hour battle. There's no reason to believe she won't be able to pull off another upset here.
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<em> Karolina Pliskova (8) vs. Tamara Zidansek:</em> The former world #1 continues to confound me with her inconsistency. Though she looked strong in her return to the final in Rome, she was absolutely <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#iga">crushed</a> in that match, winning exactly zero games in the course of 46 minutes. She went on to lose the second round at Roland Garros and hasn't won a match on grass yet this season. And while I don't know a lot about how Zidansek plays on the lawn, the surprise French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#womennew">semifinalist</a> has nevertheless proven she's not afraid to be challenged. It's far from out of the question to think she could get a win here too.
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<em> Petra Kvitova (10) vs. Sloane Stephens:</em> It's always fun, and a little weird, when two Grand Slam champions -- not <em>that</em> far removed from their peak form -- meet in the first round of a Major. Kvitova has been a consistent force in this sport for over a decade and remains a threat to pick up her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/07/no-contest.html">third </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2011/07/well-that-was-easy.html">title</a> at the All England Club, just barely missing out in a spot in the Bad Homburg final this past week. Stephens, of course, has been a little more spotty, but a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/dropping-like-flies.html#sloane">solid</a> clay court season shows she's not willing to give up on the big prizes quite yet. I'm not sure she'll be able to score a win over someone who thrives on grass, but it'll be fun to watch her try.
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<em> Johanna Konta (27) vs. Katerina Siniakova:</em> Konta's done well at Wimbledon in the past, reaching the semis in 2017 and the quarters on her last outing, and while she's struggled a bit over the last few months, she was able to make a nice run to the title in Nottingham after an early exit at Roland Garros. But she can't ignore her first round opponent this go-round. Doubles specialist Siniakova, who stunned Serena Williams in Parma, is coming off a run to the title match in Bad Homburg, where she beat Jessica Pegula in the second round. And while it'll be quick turnaround for this match, she's seen her own doubles partner parlay one final run to a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">Major</a> win, so who's to say she won't be able to do it too? Okay, that's a lot to ask, but she could certainly get a win or two under her belt first.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women2nd" name="women2nd"></a><u>Second Round</u>
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<em> Ons Jabeur (21) vs. Venus Williams:</em> Venus played her first Wimbledon when Jabeur was just two years old. She won the first of her five titles here when she was five. And it was only four years ago that she made her most recent final here. We <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/2020-tennis-spin-awards-matches-of-year.html#womenwinner">know</a> better than to ever count her out. But Jabeur is making her own <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/04/the-best-of-2020-breaking-through.html#jabeur">history</a> these days, and after her maiden title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#birmingham">Birmingham</a>, she comes to the All England Club at a career-high ranking. She hasn't played here since her career really started going, so it will be exciting to see how her new-found star power matches up against a long-time legend.
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<em> Jessica Pegula (22) vs. Liudmila Samsonova (W):</em> Pegula has been one of the breakout stars of the year, making her first Major <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/never-saw-them-coming.html#pegula">quarterfinal</a> in Melbourne and scoring wins over Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, and Victoria Azarenka along the way. At 27-years-old, she's now at her best ever ranking and though she's never won a match at Wimbledon, she did make the quarters in Berlin -- beating Karolina Pliskova on the way, for the fourth time this year -- and expectations are high. Samsonova, meanwhile, is coming off her own monster run in Berlin, where, as a qualifier, she beat five hugely talented and way higher ranked players on her way to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#berlin">title</a>. The win knocked 43 spots off her then sub-100 ranking and earned her a wildcard here. But she might just be able to prove she deserves even more than that.
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<em> Angelique Kerber (25) vs. Ana Konjuh (Q):</em> Okay, first of all, Konjuh <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/miami-heats-up.html#konjuh">shouldn't</a> have had to play qualies to make this main draw. Second, she <a href="https://twitter.com/josemorgado/status/1408031783459987456">shouldn't</a> have had to play <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best.html#womenwinner">Tsvetana Pironkova</a> in the final round of the prelims. Third, it's a shame that she'll likely have to face 2018 champ and Bad Homburg <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/home-turf.html#kerber">titleist</a> so early here, and that one of the two will have to go home early. The 23-year-old Croat is still working her way back up the rankings, and it would be nice to see her make some headway. But Kerber is running a hot streak, and if the French Open taught us anything, it's that playing the week before a Major might be <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">good luck</a>, so she's unlikely to let it end now.
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<em> Alison Riske (28) vs. Ann Li:</em> Young Li came out the gates <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/big-wins-and-bigger-opportunities.html#li">swinging</a> hard this year, stunning Jen Brady to make the final at the Grampians Trophy and reaching the third round in Australia, but we haven't seen a lot of her since then. Riske has been even more MIA, thanks to injury, winning only two matches since last year in Melbourne and pulling out of the French Open last minute. She did make the quarters here on her last outing, though, stunning Ash Barty on the way, just after picking up a title in Den Bosch, so she's clearly comfortable on this surface. Plus, she might be hungry to avenge a loss to Li last year at the U.S. Open. Still, it would be nice to see the underdog make a bigger breakthrough on a bigger stage and this could be that opportunity.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women3rd" name="women3rd"></a><u>Third Round</u>
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<em> Sofia Kenin (4) vs. Danielle Collins:</em> Kenin has to be one of the most vulnerable top seeds in either draw, but she seems to have a way of surprising me when I start to count her out. Plus, she's one of those players who only hit her stride in the two years since we last played Wimbledon, so we don't have a lot of evidence of what she can do here. Collins, though, can't be overlooked. She had a strong start to the year and seems well recovered from the <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/wta-tennis-news-size-of-a-tennis-ball-danielle-collins-reveals-heart-wrenching-endometriosis-surgery-ahead-of-french-open-2021/">surgery</a> that cut her spring season short. And she has a 3-1 record against Kenin, just losing their most recent battle at last year's Roland Garros in three sets, so there's no reason to believe that if they meet up again she'll have many butterflies.
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<em> Victoria Azarenka (12) vs. Anett Kontaveit (24):</em> Vika hasn't had as many headline worthy wins this year as she did <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best.html#womenru">last year</a>, but she's done decently well this season even as she copes -- again -- with injury. She's not necessarily in the clear -- after a brutal three-hour battle with Alizé Cornet last week in Bad Homburg, she had to pull out of the quarters, so it's anyone's guess where she stands now. Kontaveit, meanwhile, whose only career title to date came on the gass of Den Bosch four years ago, is coming off a trip to the final in Eastbourne, where she beat Bianca Andreescu in the second round. She opens against 2019 French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#barty">finalist</a> Marketa Vondrousova, but I like her chances to set up this match and maybe even get the win.
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<em> Elise Mertens (13) vs. Madison Keys (23):</em> I've said before and I'll say again that Elise Mertens is <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-under-radar.html#womenwinner">underrated</a>. She's got a solid game and she's fun to watch, and she's really beeen delivering this year. And while she may have lost the only two matches she's played on grass this year, they were both whisper-thin losses and could easily have gone another way. Keys, meanwhile, has had some big successes on the lawn, reaching the quarters here back in 2015 and earlier this month stunning Aryna Sabalenka on the surface in Berlin. She's also won both of her prior meetings with Mertens, both at Slams and both in straight sets. It'll be fun to see if the on-paper favorite can channel her momentum to turn things around now.
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<em> Barbora Krejcikova (14) vs. Marta Kostyuk:</em> It's always interesting to see how a newly-crowned Slam <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">champion</a> does on her very next outing -- it often doesn't work out well for them, and working against Krejcikova is the fact that she's never even played a singles main draw at Wimbledon before, hasn't even played qualies since 2017. She <em>has</em>, however, had plenty of success on the doubles court, winning the title in 2018 and reaching the semis again a year later. Eighteen-year-old Marta Kostyuk is also untested in the solo sport here, but the former Australian Open Juniors champ showed she was ready for the big leagues when she made the fourth round at Roland Garros this month. She opens against 2018 quarterfinalist Kiki Bertens, who's on her farewell tour, but if she can eke out a win might be able to secure a showdown against Krejcikova. And with two players so new to this, it's hard to tell which one would be the favorite.
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<em> Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (16) vs. Camila Giorgi:</em> Pavs is also coming off the run of her careeer, having just made her first Major <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">final</a> in her record 52<sup>nd</sup> try. Can she keep her own momentum going? Well, she hasn't won a match at Wimbledon since her 2016 quarterfinal run, but if she can get in a couple here, she might set up a tough round against an unseeded Giorgi. The former top-thirty player, a quarterfinalist here in 2018, is coming off a solid run to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/home-turf.html#giorgi">Eastbourne</a> semis, where she beat Karolina Pliskova and Aryna Sabalenka. She'd likely have to get past Aussie <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-golden-opportunity.html#womentop">semifinalist</a> Karolina Muchova first, but if there's any Major where she's going to pull off big upsets, this is likely it.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women4th" name="women4th"></a><u>Fourth Round</u>
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<em> Aryna Sabalenka (2) vs. Elena Rybakina (18):</em> The second seed at Wimbledon has a fourth round problem -- as strong as she is, and as many top players as she's beaten, she's never advanced past that level at a Major. And you'd think this would be the year she should do it -- running a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best-hot.html#womenwinner">hot </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/01/a-strong-opening-statement.html#abudhabi">streak</a> into Melbourne, she lost in three to Serena Williams, excusable, but running and even <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#stuttgart">hotter </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-reversal-of-fortune.html">streak</a> into Paris, she dropped in the third to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, less excusable, though in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">hindsight</a>, fine. Can she break the curse now, at an event where she's only won one match before, and on a surface where she's been upset twice already this year? Well, Rybakina will certainly have something to say about that -- after a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#rybakina">stunning</a> win over Serena at the French, she beat Elina Svitolina on her way to the Eastbourne semis. While she's lost her only two matches against Sabalenka, they both went three sets and as she gets ready to make her main draw debut at the All England Club, you can be sure she'll try to make it a big one.
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<em> Elina Svitolina (3) vs. Karolina Muchova (20):</em> Svitolina has been consistently at the top of this sport for years, but as one of only two players in the top ten without a Major title, we keep waiting for her to have her big success. She's come close, making the semis in her last outing here, where she lost to eventual champion Simona Halep, and then again in New York that year, where she lost to Serena. Muchova, meanwhile, is still climbing her way up the rankings, taking a big step higher after her own semi showing in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-golden-opportunity.html#womentop">Melbourne</a> at the start of this season. But she first put herself on the radar on these very courts when she made the quarters with a win over then-#3 Karolina Pliskova in 2019. She lost her next match to, you guessed it, Svitolina, but if she can set up a rematch -- she might have to get through Camila Giorgi or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova first -- it could be a good one.
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<em> Serena Williams (6) vs. Coco Gauff (20):</em> Now this is the one we've been waiting for. Serena had already won six Majors -- two Wimbledons -- by the time Gauff was born, but these days all eyes are on the 17-year-old phenom. She made her first Slam quarter earlier this month in Paris, showing her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-flavors-of-moment.html#coco">standout</a> 2019 season was no fluke, and returns to the site of her first big breakthrough at a career-high ranking. She has two wins already against the elder Williams, but has yet to face Serena, who is <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-serena-eyes-24but-there-are.html">still</a> going for that record-breaking 24<sup>th</sup> Big Trophy. There is no guarantee this meeting will happen, of course -- while Serena has at least made the final at the All England Club on her four outings, she is slated for a third round match against Bad Homburg <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/home-turf.html#kerber">champ</a> and 2018 vanquisher Angelique Kerber. And Gauff could face <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#berlin">Berlin</a> finalist Belinda Bencic first, too. Still, with a little luck, we might just get this clash between generations and get a real sense of whether the torch has truly passed.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="womenquarter" name="womenquarter"></a><u>Quarterfinals</u>
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<em> Ashleigh Barty (1) vs. Daria Kasatkina (31):</em> Admittedly there are a lot of questions hanging over Barty. While my initial <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#womenru">skepticism</a> over her place at #1 has <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/on-solid-ground.html">been </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#stuttgart">erased</a>, injury <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/dropping-like-flies.html">hampered</a> the back half of her clay court season, so we don't know what kind of shape she's in. Kasatikina, meanwhile, is coming off a run to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#birmingham">Birmingham</a> final and a win over Iga Swiatek in Eastbourne. She also won her only previous meeting with Barty, right here on these courts on her way to the quarterfinals in 2018. She'd have to get past players like Jelena Ostapenko, who beat her last week in Eastbourne, and potentially Victoria Azarenka, but if she got a rematch with Barty, there's reason to believe she could pull off the win again.
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<em> Iga Swiatek (7) vs. Maria Sakkari (15):</em> Swiatek may have won the Junior crown at Wimbledon way back when, but she hasn't yet claimed a main draw win here, so it'll be interesting to see how she fares. She fell early in her only grass court outing this season and she has a tough draw -- one-time <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2010/07/why-vera-has-chance.html">finalist</a> Vera Zvonareva could be her second round opponent while 2017 champ Garbiñe Muguruza looms in the fourth. If she is able to make good on her seeding, though, she might get a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#womennew">rematch</a> against Sakkari, whose victory at the French Open earned her a first Major semi. But the Greek woman would need a little luck too -- her immediate section of the draw has unseeded threats like Shelby Rogers and Sam Stosur, but to mention Eastbourne semifinalist Elena Rybakina. And if she survives that, there's also the possibility of world #4 Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round, a woman who's won their last four meetings. Still it'd be nice to see what these recent standouts have on grass.
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<em> Belinda Bencic (9) vs. Paula Badosa (30):</em> Badosa was my <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#womennew">secret</a> pick to win the French Open, and given how crazy the draws worked out, I'm a little disappointed that she didn't do it. She's much less of a known quantity on grass, though, so hoping she'll make it all the way to the quarters -- especially with players like Elina Svitolina in her section of the draw -- is kind of a pipedream. It's not much more likely to see Bencic get through either -- though she's a much higher seed, she's slated to meet Coco Gauff in the third round and Serena Williams in the fourth. But she did pull off some nice wins on her way to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#berlin">Berlin</a> final and might be turning things around. That could work to her favor against Badosa, who's already beaten her twice this year. And if she wants to get revenge, this might be the best time to do it.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="womensemi" name="womensemi"></a><u>Semifinals</u>
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<em> Serena Williams (6) vs. Jelena Ostapenko:</em> Serena may be <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-serena-eyes-24but-there-are.html">coming up short</a> in her attempts to win that elusive 24<sup>th</sup> Major, but as mentioned above, she has made the final on her last four trips to the All England Club and come home with the title two of those times. And while there may be a few <a href="#women4th">challenges</a> in the first half of her draw, you have to believe she knows how to turn it on when it counts, here perhaps more than anywhere. If she makes it that far, she'll be a heavy favorite against whoever she meets, but don't count out Ostapenko immediately. The former French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#ostapenko">champion</a> has made the semis here before, and she's coming off a stellar run in Eastbourne, where she beat five higher-ranked opponents on the way to her fourth career title. She did lose her only match against Serena last year in Fed Cup, but those were a tight two sets and she might be in a good place these days to turn things in her favor.
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<em> Petra Kvitova (10) vs. Garbiñe Muguruza (11):</em> It may have been a while since these two were claiming victories here, but they're both due for another taste of big time glory. The Czech won her first Wimbledon crown with a stunning win over Maria Sharapova <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2011/07/well-that-was-easy.html">ten</a> years ago and her second three years <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/07/no-contest.html">after</a> that, but as mentioned <a href="#women1st">above</a> remains consistently strong, reaching the final at the 2019 Australian Open, the semis at last year's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/something-old-something-new.html#womenold">French</a>, and making a deep run just this past week in Bad Homburg. Meanwhile the Spaniard picked up lone trophy at the All England Club in 2017, and while there have been ups and downs since then, her run to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/02/sofia-kenin-under-radar-and-now-on-top.html">Melbourne</a> final and her stellar <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/when-numbers-lie.html">start</a> to this season show she's still got the magic. She might have a little harder of a time making the finals -- Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Ons Jabeur are all in her quarter, but if she plays as well as she can, she has a decent shot at playing for the title.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="womenfinal" name="womenfinal"></a><u>Championship</u>
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<em> Ashleigh Barty (1) vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2):</em> It's so rare that the top seeds make it to the final at a Major, especially on the women's side, but since both <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#womenfinal">failed</a> to do it at the French, where they were arguably more likely to find success, let's give them a shot here. It'll be tough, of course -- Barty's best run here has been the fourth round, while Sabalenka, <a href="#women4th">of course</a>, hasn't made it even to the third. But these draws are so wide open that it's entirely possible that their biggest threats get eliminated for them, and there's no shame in being the beneficiary of that.
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<em> Garbiñe Muguruza (11) vs. Coco Gauff (20):</em> But, because the draws are so open, it's also possible someone else entirely walks away with the title. Muguruza is certainly the more likely of these two, having played in four Major finals, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/07/wimbledon-wrap-up-from-start-to-finish.html#women">two</a> at the All England Club. But Coco might be ready for prime time now. At 17, she's by far the youngest player in the top hundred -- the top three hundred, actually -- and she's coming off a trip to her first Major <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#womennew">quarter</a>, losing to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova at the French. She's a far different player than she was at her only other appearance at Wimbledon -- that breakthrough event two years ago where she stunned Venus Williams on her way to the fourth round -- and if she can get past tests from Serena and potentially Elina Svitolina, looking for her to make the final is not that long a shot.
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<center><hr width="75%" /></center><br />
<b>MEN'S DRAW</b>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men1st" name="men1st"></a><u>First Round</u>
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<em> Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Jack Draper (W):</em> Okay, Djokovic is going to win this match, but let's take a moment to appreciate the accomplishments of the 19-year-old wildcard. Ranked outside the top three hundred at Queen's Club, Draper stunned fellow teen superstar Jannik Sinner in the first round and then took out Alexander Bublik in the second. This is his first ever Major main draw -- he failed in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon his last two tries -- and it's bad luck that he has to open against the man who is so heavily favored to win it all. But, still, it'll be fun if he can put on a show for us.
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<em> Stefanos Tsitsipas (3) vs. Frances Tiafoe:</em> Tiafoe has really gotten screwed in the first rounds of Majors over the years, drawing the likes of Roger Federer, Daniil Medvedev, Juan Martin del Potro, to name a few. But he always puts up a fight -- <em>seven</em> of his opening match losses have gone five sets. The French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">runner-up</a> is no stranger to five-setters, of course, but there's reason for hope. Tsitsipas' worst surface by far is the grass, and he's only made it out of the first round at Wimbledon once. Tiafoe, meanwhile, just picked up a title on the lawn at a Challenger event in Nottingham, the first American to do that since <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2010/06/seeking-mini-slam.html">Sam Querrey</a> in 2010. And while it's been a while since his last win over a top ten player, this might be the best chance he's had to do it in quite some time.
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<em> Alex de Minaur (15) vs. Sebastian Korda:</em> Speaking of unfortunate first rounds, it's going to be a shame to see either of these guys go home early. De Minaur will be at a career high ranking on Monday after a semi run at Queen's Club and a title this weekend in Eastbourne. Those solid grass results technically make this his best surface now, and he'll want to improve on that here. Meanwhile, we don't know a lot about what Korda can do on this surface. The 20-year-old hasn't even played qualifying rounds at Wimbledon before, and while he did notch an upset Roberto Bautista Agut, a former semifinalist here, in Halle, he was tested in his two rounds after that. Still, he's had some big wins this year, reaching the quarters in Miami and picking up his first title in Parma, so he's certainly not the kind of opponent anyone should take lightly.
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<em> Ugo Humbert (21) vs. Nick Kyrgios:</em> The <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-under-radar.html#menwinner">multi-talented</a> Frenchman had a bit of a slow start to the year, even <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/australian-open-2021-preview-round-by.html#men2nd">losing</a> to Kyrgios in the second round of the Australian Open in a long five sets. But he's riding a nice win streak right now, fresh off a title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#halle">Halle</a> where he beat both Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev, his first top-ten wins of the season. He's had nice results at Wimbledon, too, making the fourth round in his only previous outing with wins over Gael Monfils and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Of course Kyrgios has done well here too, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/12/the-2014-tennis-spin-awards-gentlemen.html#kyrgios">stunning</a> Nadal to make the quarters back in 2014. He may be a little out of practice, though -- we haven't seen him in action since Melbourne, and he responsibly laid low -- at least <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/53234886">on court</a> -- during most of last year too. We'll see if that serves as an advantage for the young Humbert as he tries for another deep run here.
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<em> Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (30) vs. Denis Kudla (Q):</em> ADF is coming off a monster run to the Roland Garros <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#menbottom">quarters</a>, during which he stunned Casper Ruud in a more than four and a half hour slugfest in the third round. The win earned him a career-high ranking and his first seeding at a Major. But we have literally no idea how he'll do on the grass -- he lost the only main draw match he's ever played on the surface, failing to qualify for Wimbledon or most other events. His first round opponent, meanwhile, may be well off his best, but he's at least had a chance to get his footing on the lawn -- a one-time fourth rounder at the All England Club, he made the final at a Nottingham Challenger earlier this month, and the next week beat former Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson in three sets. He hasn't dropped a set in qualifying, though, and might be in a place to notch an upset early.
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<em> Taylor Fritz (31) vs. Brandon Nakashima (Q):</em> Fritz is a fighter, man. After tearing his miniscus at Roland Garros and undergoing knee <a href="https://twitter.com/Taylor_Fritz97/status/1405216607404642304">surgery</a>, he's been rehabbibng for hours a day to <a href="https://twitter.com/Taylor_Fritz97/status/1405216607404642304">get </a><a href="https://twitter.com/Taylor_Fritz97/status/1405954926979608576">back</a> on court, and here he is, not even a month later. Bad ass. He opens his campaign against <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">talented</a> 19-year-old Brandon Nakashima, who beat veterans like Ernests Gulbis and Viktor Troicki in his qualifying rounds. It's a good opportunity for Fritz, who came <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-golden-opportunity.html#mentop">OHSOCLOSE</a> to beating Novak Djokovic in Melbourne, but also a chance to see what the future of American men's tennis could look like. And the winner will make a good case to take up the mantle.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men2nd" name="men2nd"></a><u>Second Round</u>
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<em> Denis Shapovalov (10) vs. Pablo Andujar:</em> Veteran Pablo Andujar had two of the biggest wins of his career in the last few weeks, first stunning Roger Federer on the clay of Geneva and then ousting two-time French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#thiem">finalist</a> in the first round in Paris. Does he have another upset in him? Well, it'll be much harder on grass, where he has a less-than-inspiring 2-15 record, but those two wins did come on these courts, in five sets each, so you never know. Shapovalov can't be discounted, of course -- he did make the semis at Queen's Club -- but he's certainly a less intimidating opponent than the Spaniard has faced in the past. If they get to this match -- no sure thing, as Andujar would have to get through former doubles champ Pierre-Hugues Herbert first -- it could be a good one.
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<em> Casper Ruud (12) vs. Kei Nishikori:</em> Ruud has not disappointed in his follow-up to that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#menhm">breakout</a> 2020 season, making his first Major first round in Melbourne and putting together a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#ruud">solid</a> run on clay. He's never won a match at Wimbledon, though, losing his first round to John Isner in 2019 and in qualifying the year before. Fan favorite Nishikori, on the other hand, has made the quarters here on his last two outings and just reclaimed his spot as Japan's top player. He'll open against a very talented Alexei Popyrin, but if he's able to get that win he might be able to use his experience to his advantage over the rising star.
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<em> Lorenzo Musetti vs. Marcos Giron:</em> The teen <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">phenom</a> has had a <a href="https://www.atptour.com/en/news/musetti-esquire-italia-november-2020">splashy</a> introduction to the tour, and while he may not have scored that maiden title like some of his contemporaries, he has notched some nice wins and is slowly climbing his way up the rankings. He scored his first top ten victory over Diego Schwartzman in Acapulco and then took out David Goffin in his first round in Paris before a slightly <a href="https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/roland-garros/2021/french-open-you-should-have-respect-lorenzo-musetti-shouldn-t-have-retired-v-novak-djokovic-becker_sto8362244/story.shtml">ignominious</a> meltdown in the fourth round against Novak Djokovic. He's never played at Wimbledon before, but opens against a recently struggling Hubert Hurkacz, who he beat in the first round in Rome. Meanwhile Giron who, at 27, is suddenly at his highest career ranking at #65 in the world. He hasn't won a main draw match at Wimbledon yet, but he is coming off a run to the quarters in Halle, and if he gets a shot, he might be able to get the better of Musetti too.
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<em> Felix Auger-Aliassime (16) vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga:</em> Here's another one you want to see just for senitmental reasons. Former world #5 and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2011/07/ladies-and-gentlemen-your-new-1.html#tsonga">two-</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/07/reversal.html#menbottom">time</a> Wimbledon semifinalist Tsonga has been dealing with a chronic back injury for the last several years and has only won one match since 2019. Though he has to get past a talented young Mikael Ymer first, the match I'll be watching is his next one against the young gun, who's put together a nice run on grass this year. FAA may still have trouble closing the deal, but he did make the final in Stuttgart and stunned Roger Federer in Halle a week ago. His 14-5 recod on lawn makes it by far his best surface. It'll be interesting to see what Tsonga can bring against the relative upstart, but it might be even more interesting to see what Felix can do with the opportunity.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men3rd" name="men3rd"></a><u>Third Round</u>
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<em> Daniil Medvedev (2) vs. Marin Cilic (32):</em> Well this could be interesting. The second seed has done a lot to put distance between himself and current #3 (😢) Rafael Nadal, upending his prior record at the French to make the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#medvedev">quarterfinals</a> and this week winning his first title on grass in Mallorca. He also had one of his first big wins on these courts, beating then-#3 Stan Wawrinka in the first round in 2017. Cilic, meanwhile, a finalist at Wimbledon that year, has been up and down this season, but won his first title since 2018 on the grass in Stuttgart and kept his run going until the quarters at Queen's Club. Medvedev does have an early date with young Carlos Alcaraz, but the teen <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">phenom</a> is probably more of a threat on clay, and if the on-paper favorite plays his best he has the added advantage of the win in his only previous meeting with Cilic. Still, it'll be fun to see how they do when they're both riding such hot streaks.
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<em> Roger Federer (6) vs. Cameron Norrie (29):</em> Roger has said the priority of his comeback was to do well at Wimbledon, and despite everything he's been through over the last year-plus, the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/07/seven-ages-of-roger.html">eight</a>-time champion (and four-time <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/07/wimbledon-wrap-up-from-start-to-finish.html#men">finalist</a>) remains a favorite to win the whole thing. But it will be a slog -- he was, after all, stunned in the second round at Halle, an event he'd won <em><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/06/time-and-again.html#halle">ten</a></em> times. Norrie, on the other hand, put up a nice fight in the final of Queen's Club, where he scored three upsets on his run. It's hard to know if he'll have the hometown crowd on his side against a legend like Federer, but for him to power through the pressure is certainly not out of the question.
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<em> Hubert Hurkacz (14) vs. Grigor Dimitrov (18):</em> Hurkacz has been super quiet since that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-unlikeliest-of-results.html">breakout</a> run in Miami, where he stunned both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev on his way to the title. He's only won one match since, with two losses to players outside the top 150, and he opens here against Lorenzo Musetti, the man he retired to in Rome. All that to say it's no sure thing he makes it to the third round, but if the seeds play out as expected -- when does that ever happen? -- he could meet former <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/06/fits-and-starts.html#murrayand">semifinalist</a> Grigor Dimitrov. The veteran Bulgarian may not be at his best right now, but he did make the quarters in Melbourne, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/never-saw-them-coming.html#dimitrov">stunning</a> Dominic Thiem on the way. If he's recovered from the injury that forced him out of the French, he might be able to make another deep run here.
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<em> Lorenzo Sonego (23) vs. Sam Querrey:</em> Here's another one where a recently struggling star seems to have found his footing again. Querrey, once a semifinalist here and twice a quarterfinalist, has beaten Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, and Andy Murray on these courts. And after a 2-6 start to the year, he reached the semis in Stuttgart and the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/home-turf.html#querrey">final</a> in Mallorca. Sonego, meanwhile, also made a final this week, coming up just short of his second grass title in Eastbourne with a three set loss to Alex de Minaur. Querrey will have to get past a tough Pablo Carreño Busta in the first round, so a meeting with Sonego is no sure thing, but if he can find the magic he's had here before, he might just be able to make a play for the second week.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men4th" name="men4th"></a><u>Fourth Round</u>
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<em> Andrey Rublev (5) vs. Jannik Sinner (19):</em> The higher-ranked Russian has made the quarters of <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/half-way-through-where-we-stand.html#men3rd">three </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/something-old-something-new.html#tsitsipas">different </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/across-generations.html#feli">Majors</a> over the last year and hopes to round out the pack doing at least that well here. He hasn't had a lot of experience at Wimbledon, though, but did make a trip to the final in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#halle">Halle</a> just a week ago. Sinner's even less experienced, losing his only qualifying match back in 2019, and getting <a href="#men1st">stunned</a> by fellow teen Jack Draper in his first round at Queen's Club. But both guys come to the All England Club at the top of their games and will be excited to test out these grounds. Sinner may have the harder road, opening against a very talented Marton Fucsovics and slated to meet Diego Schwartzman in the third, but those matches are both winnable for him, and if he gets to meet Rublev, he has the benefit of the only full match win in the pair's head-to-head.
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<em> Roberto Bautista Agut (8) vs. Andy Murray:</em> It has been a long road back for Murray, but it sure is nice to see him back on the courts of his hometown Slam again. The two-time <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2013/07/its-new-world.html#menfinal">champion</a> got a wildcard to play here and, while it's a lot to ask him to play multiple best-of-five matches, he's got a pretty nice draw to do it in. While he opens against Nikoloz Basilashvili and could face Denis Shapovalov, his biggest threat is RBA, the surprise semifinalist here back in 2019. The veteran Spaniard lost his opening round in Halle to Sebastian Korda, but he has scored wins over Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem, and Andrey Rublev this season. If makes good on his seeding, he could arrange for another big blockbuster between the two.
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<em> Aslan Karatsev (20) vs. John Isner (28):</em> This is another one that might be a little unlikely, but both these guys know how to surprise us. Isner may be best-known for <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2010/06/epic.html">that</a> Wimbledon match against Nicolas Mahut eleven years ago, but he played another epic against Kevin Anderson in the 2018 semis, just barely missing what would have been his first Major final. Karatsev, meanwhile, is playing his first Wimbledon main draw and barely has any record to speak of on grass so far. But he came from out of nowhere with that semi run in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-golden-opportunity.html#mentop">Melbourne</a>, picked up his first title at the age of 27 in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/never-give-up.html#dubai">Dubai</a>, and scored wins on clay over Daniil Medvedev, Diego Schwartzman, and Novak Djokovic in the spring. In order for this match to happen he'll likely have to get past Casper Ruud, and Isner is slated to face Queen's Club <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#london">champ</a> Matteo Berrettini, but as we know, stranger things have happened here before.
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<em> Feliciano Lopez vs. Mackenzie McDonald (Q):</em> Even more of a long shot would be this match up, but hear me out. Feli has made the quarters here three times before, and though his failure to defend the title at Queen's Club knocked him percipitously close to a triple-digit ranking, a win over Karen Khachanov in Mallorca earned him a milestone <a href="https://www.atptour.com/en/news/feliciano-lopez-reaches-500-match-wins-milestone-2021">500<sup>th</sup></a> career win. He opens against Dan Evans and may face Eastbourne <a href="#men1st">champ</a> Alex de Minaur too, but if he's in top shape, he might be able to do it. McDonald had to qualify for this main draw, but made the fourth round the last time he played here, so just maybe he can do it again. Sure that might be something of a pipe dream, but every tournament has to have a Cinderella, right? Why not one of these two?
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="menquarter" name="menquarter"></a><u>Quarterfinals</u>
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<em> Stefanos Tsitsipas (6) vs. Reilly Opelka (27):</em> It'll be interesting to see how Tsitsipas picks himself up after that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">narrow</a> loss in the French Open final, and while this has by far been his worst Major, nothing would prove his all-court potential -- not to mention his resilience -- better than a deep run right off the bat. As <a href="#men1st">mentioned</a>, he's got a tough first round, and he's in the same section as Eastbourne champ Alex de Minaur, so it won't be easy, though. Opelka, on the other hand, has a relatively easier draw, with his biggest threat being 2019 semifinalist Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round. But the suddenly top-ranked American is looking to raise the mantle for the U.S., and though he pulled out of Eastbourne last week with a hip injury, he might just be able to do it.
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<em> Alexander Zverev (4) vs. Matteo Berrettini (7):</em> Not that long ago, I would've been <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-flavors-of-moment.html#berrettini">surprised</a> if you'd told me Berrettini would still be in the top ten now. But the 24-year-old Italian who had his breakthrough on the New York hardcourts in 2019 has followed through with a clay court title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#belgrade">Belgrade</a> and one on grass at <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/going-green.html#london">Queen's Club</a>. Zverev, meanwhile, has been <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/on-courtand-off.html">frustratingly</a> strong too, nearly pulling off a win in the Roland Garros <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/a-striking-imbalance.html#menbottom">semis</a>, which would have earned him a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">second</a> Major final. A meeting between these two would be a rematch of their Madrid Masters <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#zverev">final</a>, which Zverev won in three tight sets. But on a court where neiter has made it out of the fourth round, we might just see a different outcome.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="mensemi" name="mensemi"></a><u>Semifinals</u>
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<em> Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Dan Evans (22):</em> There are lots of big name threats in Nole's half of the draw, but there are also plenty of potential spoilers. And while it's hard to imagine anyone but him making it out of his quarter -- he's made the semis all but two times since 2010 -- maybe the hometown crowd will help lift Evans out of the bottom one. The world #26 lifted his first career <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/australian-open-2021-preview-round-by.html#men4th">title</a> at the Murray River Open made the quarters at Queen's Club. He even dealt Djokovic one of his only <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/all-bets-are-off.html#evans">three</a> losses this year. It's a whole different animal at the Majors of course, but it'll be interesting to see if Evans can finally make a breakthrough there.
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<em> Roger Federer (6) vs. Casper Ruud (12):</em> In the bottom half of the draw, Medvedev and Zverev may be the on-paper favorites, but Roger's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/07/seven-ages-of-roger.html">eight</a> titles here certainly carries some weight, and while he faces some <a href="#men3rd">threats</a> early, he could very well make a play for his fourteenth semi here. Ruud, too, at 22 and at a career-high ranking, may be ready to break in to the second week of a Major for the first time in his career. He met Roger once, in the third round of Roland Garros back in 2019, but he hadn't yet truly found his game at that point. And the next meeting between the two, wherever and whenever it may come, will surely be much closer.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="menfinal" name="menfinal"></a><u>Championship</u>
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<em> Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Daniil Medvedev (2):</em> Okay, I usually try not to do this, but Nole is just so far and away the favorite for this title, that I have to put him in both my final picks. He truly has a real shot at winning the first three Slams of the year -- something that hasn't happened since Rod Laver won his Golden Slam in 1962. Of course saying that all but guarantees he'll lose early, but still. A showdown with the #2 seed would give us a rematch of that surprisingly one-sided Aussie <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/unstoppable.html">final</a> which Djokovic won while barely breaking a sweat. Still, Medvedev is running a nice win streak after that title in Mallorca, and we know that winning right before a Major worked for <em>both</em> <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/transcendent.html">French </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/from-out-of-blue.html">Open</a> champs this year. And with a decent record against the world #1, he's one of the few players who could potentially stop him in the final.
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<em> Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Roger Federer (6):</em> The other, of course, is Roger Federer, who's won more matches on these courts than anyone ever. A 51<sup>st</sup> meeting between these two GOAT 🐐 contenders no doubt favors the top seed, who currently has a 27-23 edge, head-to-head. But it really could go either way -- their nearly 5-hour marathon in the 2019 final is haled as one of the best matches ever, and if any players know how to bring the heat when the pressure is highest, it's these two. But of course, it's a long way to Championship Sunday, and who knows what could happen in the meantime.
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<center><hr width="75%" /></center><br />
Well there you have it, my very long lookahead to what could be a very strange, but super exciting Wimbledon fortnight. And as much as we think the last few weeks and months has informed us on what we can expect, the one thing we know for certain is that nothing is certain.
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But since we've been waiting so long for this return, let's just hope we get a chance to see the very best, from the very best.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-52444327106706740132021-06-24T18:06:00.006-04:002021-06-27T10:01:47.736-04:00Home TurfThe grass court season is such a short part of the overall tennis calendar that it's easy to forget who really thrives on it. And while, of course, the favorites at Wimbledon certainly can dominate the headlines, there are some more under-the-radar players who've had their best results on the surface. And they're doing their best to remind us of that in the final days before the next Grand Slam.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No seeds remain in Eastbourne 👀<br><br>Camila Giorgi knocked out the No.1 seed Sabalenka in three sets at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VikingInternational?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VikingInternational</a> ⬇️</p>— wta (@WTA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1408092669142700040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
<a name="giorgi" id="giorgi"></a>Camila Giorgi is one of those players. The 29-year-old first caught my attention back in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/07/time-to-take-break.html#womentop2">2012</a>, when as a qualifier she stunned Flavia Pennetta in her first round. Ranked #145 at the time, she made it all the way to the fourth round, but had even better results several years later when she reached the quarters, even taking a set off Serena Williams, in 2018. She's stuggled to stay consistent though and currently sits at #75 in the world. But this week in Eastbourne she's getting her groove back -- after an opening round upset of Karolina Pliskova she stunned top seed Aryna Sabalenka earlier today, eliminating the last seed standing and setting up a semi with Anett Kontaveit. She's still got a ways to go if she wants to pick up her third title, but she's looking fresher than she has in a while and could keep her run going.
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<a name="kerber" id="kerber"></a>Angelique Kerber has, of course, had even more success on grass. The former world #1 won the most recent of her three Major titles on these courts in 2018 and had reached the semis and final before that. But she's been a little more quiet recently, losing the opening round in each of her last three Slam showings and falling slowly out of the top 25. Still, she's bringing her A-game this week -- as the fourth seed at the inaugural Bad Homburg Open, she dropped just two games in each of her first two matches here. With most of play cancelled for today, she might have to endure a double-header on Friday, but first she'll have to get through former French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/01/2020-vision-just-one-more-thingor-four.html#anisimova">semifinalist</a> Amanda Anisimova, whose own recent struggles have dropped her out of the top <em>eighty</em>. If Kerber plays like she has been, though, she might be able to make quick work of her coming opponents.
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<a name="querrey" id="querrey"></a>Meanwhile in Mallorca we may be seeing the resurgence of one recently left-for-dead. One-time top-ranked American Sam Querrey, who's more known these days for <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/not-out-of-woods-yet.html">breaking</a> COVID protocols than for notching big wins on the court, has fallen well below his top ranking, spending much of the last few years in the low double digits. Still, he's one of few active players from the U.S. -- male ones, anyway -- with a title on the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2010/06/seeking-mini-slam.html">lawn</a>, and his semi showing at Wimbledon in 2017 -- where he beat then-#1 Andy Murray in his third-straight five-setter that tournament -- was by far his best shot at taking home a Major title. He'd won just two matches this year before the grass season, but made the semis in Stuttgart and this week beat third seed Roberto Bautista Agut earlier today. Up next he's got also unseeded Adrian Mannarino, who's been strong himself this season, but I, somewhat surprisingly, like his chances to get to the final.
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So what does this recent strength mean for these guys when they head to the big stage next week? Well it's certainly too soon to call for them to make a play for the titles, but at the very least they could be primed for an upset or two. And if they can make the most of the short time on grass, it might just give them all a shot at a second life.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-67867730399637281192021-06-20T13:51:00.005-04:002021-06-20T13:51:50.725-04:00Going GreenGrass, for lack of a better term, is a totally different animal than hard or clay courts, and with so few tournaments on the surface -- and this year, a two year gap since we saw any action on it at all -- it can take a lot of people by <a href="https://twitter.com/QueensTennis/status/1404502923686596617">surprise</a>.
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But for some players the lawn can be a real opportunity. Whether it's Johanna Konta, who picked up a title in Nottingham last week, her fist since 2017, or one-time Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic, who rode momentum from a trophy in Stuttgart to the quarters in Halle, we've already seen a couple turn around what had been fairly lackluster years. And this week, not only did we continue to see some comebacks, but we also got a few big breakthroughs.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🥳 🏆 FIRST WTA TITLE. 🥳 🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/Ons_Jabeur?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ons_Jabeur</a> gets the job done in straight sets over Kasatkina, 7-5, 6-4 in Birmingham.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VikingClassic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VikingClassic</a> <a href="https://t.co/l6SoDqjbFt">pic.twitter.com/l6SoDqjbFt</a></p>— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) <a href="https://twitter.com/TennisChannel/status/1406616759080267785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
<a name="birmingham" id="birmingham"></a><b>Viking Classic, Birmingham, Great Britain</b>
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Ons Jabeur has been quietly building on her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#womenhm">successes</a> of last season, climbing to a career high of #24 in the world after the French Open. But while she's had some <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-big-breakthroughs.html#charleston">deep runs</a> at events here and there, she's never been able to bring home that trophy for all her efforts. And with only one match win at Wimbledon in her last three attempts, I didn't give her much of a shot at changing things this week.
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But she really surprised us all in Birmingham. After early wins over some of the sport's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#womenwinner">up-and-coming</a> stars, she ultimately faced off against former top-ten player Daria Kasatkina in the final. The Russian may have been seeded lower, but with a quarterfinal run at the All England Club in 2018 and two <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-chance-to-rebound.html#kasatkina">titles</a> already this year -- not to mention wins in her both of her previous meetings with Jabeur -- she might have nevertheless been the favorite.
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But Jabeur persevered in the tight two-setter, staying ever so slightly stronger on serve and ultimately pulling off the win. It was meaningful for a lot of reasons -- not only her first career title, but also the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/04/the-best-of-2020-breaking-through.html#jabeur">first</a> won by a woman from the Middle East. She's now tied with Ashleigh Barty for most wins this season, not bad company to share. And as she gets ready for the third Major of the year, she's well made a case that she's one to watch.
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<a name="berlin" id="berlin"></a><b>Bett1Open, Berlin, Germany</b>
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The draw in Berlin wasn't quite as favorable for the favorites, with the top four seeds all losing their opening round matches. And that opened the door for a struggling Belinda Bencic to really up her game. Since making the final in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-couple-young-guns-and-some-old-hat.html#adelaide">Adelaide</a> at the start of the year, she's been pretty quiet, losing three first round matches and to Kasatkina in the second round of the French. But she got her game together in Germany, with wins over a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/comeback-stories.html#martic">resurgent</a> Petra Martic and a very talented Ekaterina Alexandrova. Plus she ended the run of another comeback story -- Alizé Cornet, who'd stunned both Bianca Andreescu and former Wimbledon champ Garbiñe Muguruza on her way to the semis.
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But Bencic's own momentum was no match for qualifier Liudmila Samsonova, who's so far had most of her success on the ITF circuit. Still ranked in triple digits, the Russian opened with a win over 2019 French Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#barty">finalist</a> Marketa Vondrousova and followed that up by taking out Charleston <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/where-anything-can-happen.html#charleston">champ</a> Veronika Kudermetova and one-time U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys, who was fresh off her own big upset of top seed Aryna Sabalenka. But her big win came in the semis, where she shocked former world #1 Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.
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The final was a seesaw of a match, with both ladies taking 6-1 sets off each other. But Samsonova got the early break in the decider and, though Bencic kept it close, she never looked back. The win, another first, was also the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/one-of-these-things-is-not-like-other.html#lyon">second</a> time this year a WTA qualifier went home with a trophy. Will it be enough to earn her entry into the Wimbledon main draw, the only Major she has yet to make the cut for? I suppose we'll find out tomorrow, but she certainly put up a nice argument for herself this week.
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<a name="halle" id="halle"></a><b>Cinch Championships, Halle, Germany</b>
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Elsewhere in Germany the seeds were similarly sanguine. With Daniil Medvedev, who clearly only <a href="https://twitter.com/TennisTV/status/1404775514359926786">enjoys</a> playing on hardcourts, losing his first round in Halle, and <em><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/06/time-and-again.html#halle">ten</a></em>-time champion Roger Federer getting stunned by protégé Felix Auger-Aliassime, there were plenty of openings for others to sneak through. And the one to do it was a highly-underrated Ugo Humbert -- after a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-under-radar.html#menwinner">breakthrough</a> 2020 season, the 22-year-old Frenchman has been a little quiet this year, scoring just one win the entire clay court season and amassing a losing record going into this week.
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But, not surprisingly, he started getting his game back on grass. A fourth-rounder at Wimbledon in 2019, where he beat FAA and Gael Monfils, he made the quarters last week in Stuttgart and in Halle scored his first top-ten win of the season over Alexander Zverev. He backed that up by taking out breakthrough <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">star</a> Sebastian Korda and FAA again to make the final against a very <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards.html#menwinner">prolific</a> Andrey Rublev, the only seed to make it out of the second round.
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And while the Russian was the heavy favorite, it was the unseeded Humbert who was able to seize the opportunity on Sunday. In the colossally close match, he was able to convert the only break of serve and took the second set in a tiebreak. The win gives him a perfect 3-0 record in tour finals and should give him a big confidence boost heading to the All England Club. And with much higher expectations on his head this time around, it will be interesting to see how he handles the challenge.
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<a name="london" id="london"></a><b>Noventi Open, London, Great Britain</b>
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Meanwhile, much closer to the upcoming action at Wimbledon, we saw one player really start to assert himself as a true all-court threat. Matteo Berrettini may have had his Major <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-flavors-of-moment.html#berrettini">breakthrough</a> on the hardcourts of New York, but he added to his <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#belgrade">trophy </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#berrettini">case</a> on clay this season and actually has his best record on grass at 13-5. He improved on that at Queen's Club this week, beating <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/06/time-and-again.html#queens">five</a>-time champ and sentimental favorite Andy Murray in the second round and then taking out Dan Evans and Alex de Minaur to boot.
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On Sunday he faced off against Cameron Norrie, who's having his own strong season with a win over Dominic Thiem on his way to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#men2nd">Lyon</a> final last month. The 25-year-old Brit had scored wins over <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/never-give-up.html#dubai">Dubai</a> titleist Aslan Karatsev and second seed Denis Shapovalov on the way to his third final of the year, and was hoping that this time he might be able to come away with his first tour-level crown.
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But as I said, Berrettini was on a mission to demonstrate his breadth. He didn't allow even a break opportunity in the nearly two-hour match, firing off an astounding 19 aces and winning more than 90 percent of his first serves. That's the kind of service game that should work well for him at Wimbledon. Will it make him a contender for the crown? Who knows, but it sure will make some of the favorites sit up and take notice.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-67189085866158171792021-06-13T17:34:00.201-04:002021-06-13T17:34:00.231-04:00TranscendentLet it be known that the gods of Roland Garros don't look kindly upon those who take out their <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/whats-your-number.html">king</a>.
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Back in 2009, when Rafael Nadal's 31-match win streak was <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2009/05/you-can-not-be-serious.html">shattered</a> in the fourth round by Robin Soderling, the then-#25 was able to ride his momentum to the championship match, but lost there in straight sets to Roger Federer, allowing the legend to <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2009/06/for-history-books.html">finally</a> capture the career Grand Slam, the first man to do so since Andre Agassi ten years earlier.
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In 2015, when a sort of struggling Rafa was <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/06/the-king-is-dethroned.html">ousted</a> in the quarters by Novak Djokovic, his vanquisher was again <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/06/erasing-past.html#men">denied</a> the ultimate prize, this time by Stan Wawrinka. It would take another year, one in which Nadal pulled out of the event before his third round with a wrist injury, for him to complete his own Major sweep.
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And today, another six years after Rafa's last loss in Paris, because appaently that's the cycle of these things, the powers that be tried their damnedest against Djokovic again. But this time their efforts weren't quite good enough.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reunited and it feels so good 🥰<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolandGarros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RolandGarros</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DjokerNole</a> <a href="https://t.co/vKibu8cEhr">pic.twitter.com/vKibu8cEhr</a></p>— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/1404132056938995717?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />
<a id="semi" name="semi"></a>It isn't surprising that Nole seemed to come out of the gates a little sluggish today. His semi against Nadal was <a href="https://twitter.com/MariaSharapova/status/1403462955774091265">widely</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/andyroddick/status/1403446328726888459">appropriately</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/andy_murray/status/1403438973054341126">heralded</a> as one of the best clay court matches of all time. The four hour, eleven minute battle featured some of the most brilliant shotmaking we've ever seen with, as one commentator pointed out, both players hitting multiple winners in every point. And while I'm still smarting from the outcome -- and might argue that it was Rafa who pulled the more awesome tricks out of his bag -- ultimately it was Nole who wore down the thirteen-time champion for a spot in the final, and it made sense he'd be a little worn down too.
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<a id="tsitsipas" name="tsitsipas"></a>And on Sunday the gods -- or Stefanos Tsitsipas, appropriately for the analogy, the first Greek to make a Major title match -- did their best to take advantage of that. The fifth seed had put together the best clay court record this season, winning 22 matches to get here and picking up two titles, including his first <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-big-breakthroughs.html#montecarlo">Masters</a>, along the way. I <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#menfinal">thought</a> he had a pretty good shot at winning the whole thing before play even got started in Paris, and after he took the first two sets in the final match, hoped he might just be able to pull it off.
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But we should all know better than to count Nole out of any match. He converted a break in a long game in the third set and it took the wind out of Tsitsipas' sails in a big way. Frustrated he wasn't able to hold, the 22-year-old was unable to regroup, never earned himself another chance to break, and despite a couple of good gets, failed to recapture the magic of those first few hours. And after a match exactly as long as his semi with Rafa, it was finally Djokovic able to hold the trophy up high.
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It takes something ultra special to overcome all the odds and pull off all that Novak did this week -- first to find the brilliance to beat Nadal on these courts and then to find the stamina to come back from two sets down against a supremely talented opponent suggests a strength not of the mortal world. The victory brings him his nineteenth Major trophy, drawing him ever closer to Roger's and Rafa's record twenty -- and with Wimbledon just a few weeks away and a real shot at winning the U.S. Open too, he might just pass them both before the year's over.
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It also earns him a <em>second</em> Career Grand Slam -- at least two trophies at each Major. He's the first man in the Open Era to have achieved that feat and joins Rod Laver and Roy Emerson as the only ones to hold that honor. With stats like that it's no wonder so many are eager to have the GOAT 🐐 conversation or that Djokovic has deservedly risen to the top of the contender list. And while it might still be a little to early to lock in that decision, it's clear that Novak is in a league very few will ever reach.
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And perhaps one that will ultimately be all his own.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-47738019932892654912021-06-12T17:34:00.162-04:002021-06-12T17:34:00.202-04:00From Out of the BlueParis has long been considered a place where magic can happen, and that may be no place where that's more evident than on the courts of Roland Garros.
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For the last half decade, five ladies have claimed their first Grand Slam titles here, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">some</a> of <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#ostapenko">them</a> coming fom seemingly out of nowhere to do it. And today, unseeded and relatively unheralded Barbora Krejcikova became the latest one to do it.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">First Kiss 😘<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolandGarros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RolandGarros</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/BKrejcikova?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BKrejcikova</a> <a href="https://t.co/lYBFblTWtZ">pic.twitter.com/lYBFblTWtZ</a></p>— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/1403736831921950721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
It's not that the 25-year-old Czech has been completely off the radar, but until last September almost all of her successes had come on the doubles court. A paired titleist with Katarina Siniakova at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2018, and a runner up in Melbourne this year, she's picked up eight titles in that specialty over the years and reached #1 in the world in those rankings.
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And while she remained in triple digits on the singles side of things, it was on these very courts last year that she began her ascent. A win over compatriot -- and fellow doubles standout -- Barbora Strycova in the second round and a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best.html#womenwinner">resurgent</a> Tsvetana Pironkova in the third got her to her first Major <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/wide-open-spaces.html#women3rd">sweet sixteen</a>, which she lost to that event's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards.html#womenhm">breakout</a>, Nadia Podoroska. The run, though, helped her climb to #85 in the world and, with a semifinal in Linz and a runner-up finish in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/when-numbers-lie.html">Dubai</a>, she's continued to climb. A title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#women2nd">Strasbourg</a> literally the day before play started at the French -- her first ever solo crown -- put her just outside of seeding territory.
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And the streak didn't stop there. After dropping her opening set in Paris, she went on to take the next nine, with straight set victories over the likes of fifth seed Elina Svitolina, 2018 <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#halep">runner-up</a> Sloane Stephens, and Parma <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#gauff">champ</a> Coco Gauff. She faced match point against <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/some-new-blood.html#womenNew">Maria Sakkari</a> in the semis, but powered through to reach the final in one of the unlikeliest of performances.
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<a name="pavs" id="pavs"></a>In Saturday's final she faced Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, another player who'd taken her time to reach this level. A three-time Junior Slam titleist, and a runner-up in the French Girls' draw in 2006, she made the quarters in Paris in 2011 but couldn't get out of the third round since. She was just barely seeded for this event, but pulled off wins just as impressive as Krejcikova's, stunning Aryna Sabalenka, one of my <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#womenfinal">favorites</a> for the trophy, Victoria Azarenka, and her Serena-<a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#rybakina">slaying</a> doubles partner Elena Rybakina on the way. It took her a record 52 tries to make her first Major final, and as the relative veteran in the final, seemed in a good position to take home the title.
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But Krejcikova had other plans. She ran away with the first set in about half an hour and, though things see-sawed in the second with Pavs able to rebound and force a decider, it was the on-paper underdog able to draw first blood in the third. After what had been a lop-sided start, it was encouraging to see things stay so close at the end, and while the Russian was able to save a couple championship points on her own serve, ultimately Krejcikova was able to serve it out and win the ultimate prize.
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That makes it a pretty nice three weeks for someone who'd only ever reached one singles final before this year. And, to further sweeten the pot, she's got a shot at picking up another doubles title with Siniakova tomorrow. She'd be the first person since Mary Pierce in 2000 to go home with both trophies. But win or lose Sunday, she's certainly proven the breadth of her talent over the last few weeks.
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And while this win may seem to have come from nowhere, it's exactly that talent that'll help Krejcikova stick around for some time to come. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-17264020090680033392021-06-10T18:24:00.002-04:002021-06-10T18:24:23.867-04:00A Striking Imbalance38-0.
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That's how many Grand Slam titles reside with each half of the remaining men's draw at Roland Garros. If that's not enough of an disparity for you, how's this? 56-1: the number of times each side has played a Major final. Or 73-5: how many semis. However you slice it, there is a huge difference in experience between the top and bottom halves of the draws. And while one may be brimming with opportunity, the other won't step aside that easily.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Final 4️⃣<br><br>🇷🇸 Djokovic vs. Nadal 🇪🇸<br>🇩🇪 Zverev vs. Tsitsipas 🇬🇷<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolandGarros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RolandGarros</a> <a href="https://t.co/0g2DWN6yDB">pic.twitter.com/0g2DWN6yDB</a></p>— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/1402744848650747904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
<a name="top" id="top"></a>When the draws were released nearly two weeks ago, we were all disappointed to see Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal -- not to mention Roger Federer -- on the same side of the bracket. It seemed like some credit should be given to Rafa's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/whats-your-number.html"><em>thirteen</em></a> titles here, even if he had ceded the #2 ranking. I mean, if these two should meet in Paris -- for the eighth time -- shouldn't it be in the final?
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And they have, unsurprisingly, played up to form over this fortnight. Djokovic, who claimed a title in his hometown of Belgrade just a day before play started at the French -- had a weird fourth round against young Lorenzo Musetti, dropping the first two sets in tiebreaks before steamrolling through the next two and a half, but was in top form against Matteo Berrettini in yesterday's quarter. Nadal, meanwhile, may have had his 36-set win streak here broken in the quarters here, but he continues to find his best game when it matters and remains undefeated since 2015.
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There's a lot at stake in their match tomorrow -- whoever wins will certainly take the advantage into Sunday's final, and a title there has historic implications. For Rafa, still the favorite no matter his ranking, two more wins earns him a record 21 Grand Slam titles, pulling him out of his current tie with Federer and potentially putting him in unreachable territory. But if Novak gets the win -- and he could, he was the last to actually beat Nadal on these courts -- he climbs within one Major of his rivals, and the way he's been playing <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/unstoppable.html">Down Under</a>, could fast establish himself as leader of the pack.
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<a name="bottom" id="bottom"></a>But does a win tomorrow necessarily guarantee a title at Roland Garros? Chomping at the bit in the bottom half, after all, is Stefanos Tsitsipas, who's been having one of the best clay court seasons out there -- 21 wins on the dirt so far, not to mention titles in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-big-breakthroughs.html#montecarlo">Monte Carlo</a> and Lyon, give him arguably a better run even than Rafa this year. He came pretty dang <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#barcelona">close</a> to beating him in Barcelona, too, so this could be the best chance he's had yet to not only make his first <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#menfinal">final</a>, but maybe even cause the upset of the century in it.
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Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev, who dropped his first two sets in Paris to qualifier Oscar Otte before going on a fifteen-set win streak, came OHSOCLOSE to victory in his <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">first</a> Slam championship last year. He also has a win over Rafa on clay this year, getting the better of him on the way to a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#zverev">Madrid</a> title last month. He's had a relatively easy path in Paris, though, without facing another seeded player yet, so let's see how he does when he's pitted against someone who's been so strong this year, because the winner of tomorrow's first semi will have a huge opportunity come Sunday.
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Of course, it's going to be hard for one of the Next Gen to have his breakthrough against the OG. The last person outside of the Big Three to beat one of them during his run to a Major title was Stan Wawrinka all the way back in 2016. And we know these guys only up their games when the stakes are highest.
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Still, the scales are going to start tipping in favor of these guys eventually, and if victory comes when the long-time champions are still at their prime, it'll only mean that much more. Because it seems certain that "0" at the top is going to tick up, and the only question is when.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-79671283481235027612021-06-07T18:30:00.001-04:002021-06-07T18:30:32.551-04:00Some New Blood With the quarterfinals for this year's Roland Garros now set, you might notice more than a couple newbies in the mix.
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The women's draw, shredded from the start, has just two players remaining who've ever reached the final eight at a Major before, and only one of those still standing is ranked in the top fifteen. And while most of the favorites have survived so far on the men's side, outside Nole and Rafa, even the top seeds have relatively little experience this deep into a fortnight.
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And all that might mean the fireworks have only just started.
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<b><a name="women" id="women"></a>The Women</b>
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2️⃣2️⃣ sets and counting 🙌<a href="https://twitter.com/iga_swiatek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iga_swiatek</a> keeps her streak alive while battling to victory over Kostyuk 6-3, 6-4 and claims the final slot in the QFs.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolandGarros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RolandGarros</a> <a href="https://t.co/PTUVu2Wxdq">pic.twitter.com/PTUVu2Wxdq</a></p>— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/1402003209347112960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
<a name="womenVets" id="womenVets"></a>We already knew things were going to be interesting on the ladies side of things, which so many withdrawals, upsets, and retirements in the early days, but that just makes the consistent performances we've seen so far that much more impressive. Defending <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">champion</a> Iga Swiatek, somehow the most accomplished of the bunch at just <em>twenty</em> years of age, pulled off a strong win today against eighteen-year-old Marta Kostyuk, who rode her first round upset over former titleist Garbiñe Muguruza all the way to the fourth round in a pretty impressive run. Meanwhile, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the relative veteran of the group -- she's not even thirty yet! -- has made it <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#pavs">back</a> to the quarters in Paris for the first time in a decade. But everyone else is charting new territory.
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<a name="womenNew" id="womenNew"></a>I've already <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#rybakina">extolled</a> the performance of Elena Rybakina, who rebounded from a sluggish start to the year to pull off the biggest win of her career in the fourth round, dismantling Serena Williams as she went for that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-serena-eyes-24but-there-are.html">still-elusive</a> 24<sup>th</sup> Grand Slam title. And I've also been a big <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#womenhm">cheerleader</a> for Paula Badosa -- with her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#badosa">title</a> in Belgrade and a win over 2019 French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/01/the-rematch.html">runner-up</a> Marketa Vondrousova in the last round, she's now riding a nine-match win streak and could be hard to beat. But there's also Maria Sakkari, the highest ranked first-timer, who ousted last year's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html#kenin">runner-up</a> Sofia Kenin earlier today. She's had trouble <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/08/the-hangover.html#sakkari">backing up</a> one big win with another, but she'll be trying to change that against Swiatek in the next round
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But we can't count out Tamara Zidansek who is having a true coming out party in Paris. About 30 spots off her career high ranking at #85 in the world right now, she's never made it out of the second round of a Major, and though she did manage a nice run to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/where-anything-can-happen.html#bogota">Bogotá</a> final, I wasn't giving her much of a shot here. But she followed up a first round upset of sixth seed Bianca Andreescu with wins over Serena's Parma slayer Katarina Siniakova and Istanbul <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#istanbul">champ</a> Sorana Cirstea. She's certainly the on-paper underdog, but we should know better than to count her out.
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And, of course, there's the match I might be most excited for -- seventeen-year-old Coco Gauff, the youngest woman to reach a Slam quarter in fifteen years -- Nicole Vaidisova, on these courts -- will take on Barbora Krejcikova, whose won a couple of Major doubles titles but has only even entered a handful of singles draws, in a battle of players riding <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#coco">nine-</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#women2nd">match</a> win streaks. Gauff has a huge opportunity here -- her win over Ons Jabeur helped secure her a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, while Krejcikova, who followed up an upset of fifth seed Elina Svitolina with a win over a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/dropping-like-flies.html#sloane">resurgent</a> Sloane Stephens, could get revenge for a doubles loss to Coco in Miami this year. But with a spot in her maiden semi on the line, it's great to see two unexpected superstars really stand out.
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<b><a name="men" id="men"></a>The Men</b>
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rafa ❤️ Chatrier<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolandGarros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RolandGarros</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RafaelNadal</a> <a href="https://t.co/bGsXJCouA6">pic.twitter.com/bGsXJCouA6</a></p>— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/1401961182706257920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
<a name="mentop" id="mentop"></a>Things went a little more according to plan on the men's side, but that doesn't mean a total lack of drama -- or of fresh faces. Nineteen-year-old Lorenzo Musetti looked experienced well beyond his years when he took the first two sets off Novak Djokovic earlier today before losing steam and retiring in the fifth set, and fellow Italian teen Jannik Sinner got off to a strong start against Rafael Nadal, but the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/whats-your-number.html">king</a> of clay was able to do what he always does best to pull out the win.
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The two favorites will take on two relative newcomers to the later rounds of Slams. Matteo Berrettini, whose ability to deliver I <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-greatest.html#menhm">questioned</a> for so long has happily proven me wrong, taking the title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html">Belgrade</a> and making the final in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#berrettini">Madrid</a>. He got a little lucky with Roger Federer <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/1401547332999692294">withdrawing</a> before their fourth round match, but that extra rest could help him against a tested Djokovic. And Diego Schwartzman, who's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#schwartzman">turned</a> around his clay court season in a big way, has yet to drop a set in his first four matches. Whether that gives him a shot at repeating his Rome <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#menwinner">revolution</a> against Rafa -- well let's just say it's good to see him winning again.
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<a name="menbottom" id="menbottom"></a>The real surprise for the men has come in the bottom half of the draw, which, with the only Grand Slam <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">titleholder</a> in it eliminated in the first round, seemed to hold a huge opportunity for the next generation's leaders to breakthrough. And they've admittedly done well so far -- my <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#menfinal">favorite</a> for the final, Stefanos Tsitsipas, is alive and well, dropping just one surprising set so far to John Isner, while Alexander Zverev has thrived after surviving an opening match scare and even Daniil Medvedev has <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/quite-turnaround.html#medvedev">found</a> his footing on clay.
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The standout, though, has been 21-year-old Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who's become a bit of a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#menhm">dark horse</a> over the last few months. Outside the top fifty at the start of the year, he beat Berrettini in the second round of Monte Rome and took out Grigor Dimitrov in Rome. Playing just his third main draw in Paris, he stunned Casper Ruud, one of my <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#menquarter">favorites</a> to go far, in the third round and followed it up with a win over <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#men2nd">sleeper</a> Federico Delbonis. He's lost both his previous matches to Zverev, but whatever happens in the next round, this could set the stage for a lot more to come in his career.
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<hr width="75%"><br>
Maybe we shouldn't be so surprised that so many twists and turns have come out of the French Open. But it's truly encouraging to see so many players breaking new ground over the last ten days. For the women, there's an unprecedented opportunity to claim a first Grand Slam title. For the men, while the odds still lie with the most decorated of the bunch, we're really going to see which next gen star has what it takes to step up.
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And there's no better stage than this on which to do it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-83712583502519398752021-06-06T13:38:00.004-04:002021-06-06T13:42:03.114-04:00Quite the TurnaroundThe draws this year at Roland Garros have gotten shaken up for a lot of reasons, the most recent of which being the sudden <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/1401547332999692294">withdrawal</a> of Roger Federer earlier this morning. But as disappointing as that news was, it's honestly not the most shocking -- Fed had long said the goal of his comeback was not the French, but Wimbledon in a few weeks time. So whatever he needs to get ready for the Major where he's reached the final twelve times -- as opposed to the one he's missed four of the past six years -- seems prudent.
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But outside of the withdrawals, the upsets, and the retirments, there's been unexpected pockets of strength, where even players who've struggled recently, or on these courts in particular, have pulled out big wins and erased opportunities for those who may have hoped to take advantage.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="nl" dir="ltr">Mischief Managed 😏🪄<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolandGarros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RolandGarros</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/DaniilMedwed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DaniilMedwed</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZFUs2EUafL">pic.twitter.com/ZFUs2EUafL</a></p>— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/1401560386055380997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
<a name="medvedev" id="medvedev"></a>Perhaps the biggest surprise is the success of world #2 Daniil Medvedev, who has made <a herf="https://tennishead.net/daniil-medvedev-exclusive-needs-stop-telling-everyone-hates-clay-alex-corretja-french-open/">no secret</a> of the fact that he's no fan of the red clay. He's lost almost two matches for every win he's had on the surface and before this year had never gotten out of the first round at Roland Garros. Facing a barely unseeded Alexander Bublik in his opener, I wasn't giving him much of a shot at changing that, but he got the win and went on to defeat 2015 French Boys' champ Tommy Paul and big-serving Reilly Opelka, who was coming off a semifinal run in Rome. Today, Medvedev got revenge for his Madrid third round loss to clay specialist Cristian Garin, firing off fourteen aces and winning more than 80 percent on his first serve. He's got a much tougher task in the quarters against Monte Carlo <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-big-breakthroughs.html#montecarlo">champ</a> and Barcelona <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#barcelona">runner-up</a> Stefanos Tsitsipas, but the young Russian may have finally found his footing on the dirt and could use that to his advantage.
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<a name="schwartzman" id="schwartzman"></a>Diego Schwartzman, on the other hand, has always thrived on clay but was starting to show some signs of rust this year. After his <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/when-in-rome.html#men">stunning</a> win over Rafael Nadal in Rome last year and a trip to his first Slam semi in Paris, he should have been in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#menwinner">peak form</a> coming into this season, but he hadn't been much of a force on clay in 2021. Though he picked up a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/one-of-these-things-is-not-like-other.html#buenosaires">title</a> in Buenos Aires -- his biggest test in that run was world #42 Miomir Kecmanovic -- he lost his first rounds in Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, and Lyon. But he's seemed to have recovered his magic a bit in the first week of the French, advancing through his first three rounds without losing a set. For a spot in the quarters he'll face off against Jan-Lennard Struff, a man who beat Andrey Rublev in his opener and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">wünderkind</a> Carlos Alcaraz yesterday, so his ticket is far from booked. But a win would certainly go a long way in putting his year back on track.
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<a name="pavs" id="pavs"></a>Also finding her groove again in Paris is veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Though she burst onto the scene over a decade ago, beating then #2 Jelena Jankovic and Aga Radwanska in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2009/03/march-madness.html">Indian Wells</a> in 2009 and reaching the quarters at the French and U.S. Opens in 2011, she went a long stretch with middling results at the Majors and little success there outside of Australia. She didn't play much on clay before Roland Garros this year, but she started to make a statement in Madrid -- ranked #41 in the world, she upset four top 25 players, including sixth seed Karolina Pliskova and eleventh seed Jen Brady on her way to the semis. And this week in Paris she not only avenged that loss in Spain, taking out one of my <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#womenfinal">favorites</a> for the title, Aryna Sabalenka, but went on to defeat former semifinalist Victoria Azarenka, who had also been putting together quite a comeback the first week.
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<a name="rybakina" id="rybakina"></a>The upset earned Pavs a quarterfinal date with a woman who is staging her own turnaround in Paris -- one who also happens to be her doubles partner here. Elena Rybakina was one of the young <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/04/the-best-of-2020-winners.html#rybakina">standouts</a> of early 2020, reaching one final after another and barely taking a week off in between. She slowed down a bunch after the shutdown, losing early in New York and Paris, and while she made the quarters to start this season in Abu Dhabi, she didn't win more than one match at any event after that. That's changed in a big way this week, though -- after ending the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/06/dropping-like-flies.html#vesnina">comeback</a> of Elena Vesnina in the third round, today she pulled off the win of her career, dismantling Serena Williams in straight sets in just over an hour, doubling her on aces (albeit only four to two) and breaking serve five times. It'll be her first Major quarterfinal, her best performance by far, and couldn't have come at a better time, given her slow start to the year.
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Of course, there's still a long road to go for any of these players to get the big win in Paris, and their biggest tests still lie in front of them. It'll be a lot to ask any of them to come away with the titles, but their performances so far sure suggest they're ready to take on the challenges.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-54475532253239407072021-06-03T14:01:00.001-04:002021-06-03T14:01:26.908-04:00Dropping Like FliesIt's been a dramatic start to the French Open this year, both on and off the court, and day after day it's seems we're hit with one more exit we weren't expecting. And whether it's because of physical or mental form, that's left some gaping holes in the women's draw.
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Of course the big news was the <a href="https://twitter.com/naomiosaka/status/1399422304854188037">withdrawal</a> of Naomi Osaka on Monday -- after the bold decision not to participate in press conferences at the event, she pulled out of Roland Garros and said she was taking a break from competition entirely. The move brought into focus the mental health of athletes in a way that hasn't been done before, and whether or not you agree with the way everything was handled, here's hoping she comes back stronger and fitter in more ways than one.
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But it wasn't just Osaka's early departure that rocked the brackets. Petra Kvitova, who ironically injured her ankle on the way to her own first round press conference, had to withdraw on Tuesday, and earlier today top seed Ashleigh Barty, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#barty">one</a> of <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">two</a> defending champs on the ladies' side, stopped her match short due to a nagging hip problem. Combine that with Simona Halep's pre-tournament <a href="https://twitter.com/Simona_Halep/status/1395666060054044672">bow out</a> and losses by Bianca Andreescu, Karolina Pliskova, Belinda Bencic, and Garbiñe Muguruza and more than half of the WTA's top thirteen are missing from Round 3.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Feel better, Champ. <br><br>Just hours into play on Day 5 and there is plenty to catch up on. Get the latest on Barty's retirement and other action around the grounds.👇 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolandGarros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RolandGarros</a></p>— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/1400413002604683265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
So the question then becomes, of course, who benefits most from all this? The obvious answers are last year's French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">finalists</a>, Iga Swiatek and Sofia Kenin, the latter of whom was desperately looking to turn around her year and has done so so far, with wins over 2017 <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#ostapenko">champ</a> Jelena Ostapenko and qualifier Hailey Baptiste. She'll face a challenge from fellow American Jessica Pegula in her third round, though, so any potential comeback could be stopped short soon.
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But there are others, too.
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<a name="top" id="top"></a>Barty's exit makes Elina Svitolina the highest ranked player left in her quarter, and with an easy win over a talented Ann Li today, she's playing at a level that could help her go far. She will face a challenge in her next match though, as Strasbourg champ Barbora Krejcikova is now riding a seven match win streak she'll be loathe to give up. And Coco Gauff, who just reprised her Parma final win over Qiang Wang today, might be breathing easier now that she won't face Barty in the fourth round. She still has to get past Aussie <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/the-year-of-naomi.html#brady">runner-up</a> Jen Brady, who beat her last year in Lexington, but on this surface I'm giving the teen the edge.
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<a name="sloane" id="sloane"></a>A little more under the radar is Sloane Stephens, the 2018 <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#halep">runner-up</a> in Paris, who lost her first four matches to kick off the season. She seems to have gotten her footing back on clay, though, reaching the quarters in Charleston and the semis in Parma. In her early days here, she won an <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/french-open-2021-preview-round-by-round.html#women1st">emotional</a> first round against a retiring Carla Suarrez Navarro and earlier today pulled off that big upset over Karolina Pliskova. While Melbourne <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-golden-opportunity.html#womentop">standout</a> Karolina Muchova will be a much tougher challenge in the next round, despite the fact that she's still ranked lower than the former world #1, I'm encouraged by Stephens' return to form and wouldn't be too surprised by an upset.
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<a name="vesnina" id="vesnina"></a>In the bottom half of the draw, where things were wide open from the start -- Osaka, after all, may have been seeded second, but she had never gotten past the third round in Paris -- we have some more potential beneficiaries. One surprising one may be Elena Vesnina, who here won her first singles match since giving birth in 2018, dropping just one game in her first round. She was scheduled to face Kvitova yesterday, but instead will meet a struggling Elena Rybakina in the third round tomorrow, a wholly winnable match that could get her to her first ever fourth round at the French.
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<a name="badosa" id="badosa"></a>Less of a long shot to go far, though, is Paula Badosa, the barely-seeded but <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#badosa">red-hot</a> Spaniard who's made at least the semis of every clay event she's played this year. She's one of just two seeds left in her quarter -- 2019 <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/01/the-rematch.html">runner-up</a> Marketa Vondrousova likely looms in the fourth round -- and while there are some big hitters still left -- <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#istanbul">Istanbul</a> champ Sorana Cirstea, Serena's Parma vanquisher Katerina Siniakova, to name a few -- you have to like her chances to get at least to the semis.
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<a name="sabalenka" id="sabalenka"></a>And of course there's Aryna Sabalenka, trying to get past the fourth round at a Major for the inexplicably first time in her career. A <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#stuttgart">final</a> in Stuttgart and a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-reversal-of-fortune.html">title</a> in Madrid have given her a solid foundation for this clay season. And while she's got potential match-ups against Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams in her future, it seems she is well on course to break the seal and make it to the next level.
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So with two rounds in the books, there's certainly a lot of opportunity to make a big statement, and with the stakes so high, you know everyone's eager for it to be them. All that remains to be seen is who is willing and able to step up to the plate.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-55962994885905825712021-05-29T14:38:00.002-04:002021-06-07T13:45:51.391-04:00French Open 2021 Preview: Round by RoundIt's been just over seven months since we crowned the last <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/whats-your-number.html">king</a> and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">queen</a> of Roland Garros, and yet, on the eve of the 2021 French Open it somehow feels like it's taken such a long road to get back.
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After all, it's been a dramatic clay court season, with surprising <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/all-bets-are-off.html">upsets</a>, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-reversal-of-fortune.html">stunning </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#stuttgart">statements</a>, and pretty impressive <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#mcos">breakthroughs</a>.
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Rafael Nadal has proven he is <em>not</em> <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#zverev">invincible</a> on clay. Perennial powerhouse Simona Halep had to <a href="https://twitter.com/Simona_Halep/status/1395666060054044672">withdraw</a> due to a calf injury. And for the first time, possibly in history, we have <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">two </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#barty">defending</a> women's champions back to keep their win streaks here going -- and they've both made pretty <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-reversal-of-fortune.html">good </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#ladies">cases</a> for themselves.
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As the draws shake out, we have the opportunity to see some fierce match-ups, and the surprises could start coming right at the get go. So here's a look at some of the possibilities and the potential battles that could really make things interesting at Roland Garros this year.
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And, as with the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/australian-open-2021-preview-round-by.html">last time</a>, I'm essentially resetting the draw after each pairing -- someone who had to be eliminated for one match to take place may show up later in another one. It's only because there have been so many standouts this season that there's no other way to cover it all.
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So let's dive right in.
<center>
<table border="0"><tbody>
<tr><td width="250"><strong>THE WOMEN</strong>
<ul>
<li><a href="#women1st">First Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#women2nd">Second Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#women3rd">Third Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#women4th">Fourth Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#womenquarter">Quarterfinals</a></li>
<li><a href="#womensemi">Semifinals</a></li>
<li><a href="#womenfinal">Championship</a></li>
</ul>
</td><td width="250"><strong>THE MEN</strong>
<ul>
<li><a href="#men1st">First Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#men2nd">Second Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#men3rd">Third Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#men4th">Fourth Round</a></li>
<li><a href="#menquarter">Quarterfinal</a></li>
<li><a href="#mensemi">Semifinals</a></li>
<li><a href="#menfinal">Championships</a></li>
</ul></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />
<center><hr width="75%" /></center><br />
<b>WOMEN'S DRAW</b>
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Barty takes the lead!<br /><br />🇦🇺 <a href="https://twitter.com/ashbarty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ashbarty</a> d. 🇵🇱 Swiatek 7-5<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MMOPEN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MMOPEN</a> <a href="https://t.co/O4gizncm8A">pic.twitter.com/O4gizncm8A</a></p>— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/MutuaMadridOpen/status/1389280982273077261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women1st" name="women1st"></a><u>First Round</u>
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<em> Aryna Sabalenka (3) vs. Ana Konjuh (Q):</em> Well this is a tough first round for both players. The heavy favorite Sabalenka is at a career-high ranking and is pretty fresh off picking up the biggest title of her career in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-reversal-of-fortune.html">Madrid</a>. She also made the final in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#stuttgart">Stuttgart</a> and, of course, has been putting one of the strongest <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best-hot.html#womenwinner">win </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/01/a-strong-opening-statement.html#abushabi">streaks</a> out there. <em>But...</em>she has never made it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam. Konjuh, meanwhile, made the quarters at the U.S. Open years ago, and after a long recovery from injury is finally back in form. She scored wins over Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/miami-heats-up.html#konjuh">Miami</a> and successfully pivoted to clay with a final run in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#mcos">Belgrade</a>. Still at #144 in the world -- she was sub-300 in Miami -- she had to fight through qualies to get here, but she could put up quite the fight against someone many consider a potential champion.
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<em> Sofia Kenin (4) vs. Jelena Ostapenko:</em> Last year's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html#kenin">runner-up</a> opens her point defense against 2017's recently <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/wide-open-spaces.html#ostapenko">resurging </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#ostapenko">champion</a>, and I'm not sure I like her chances. Kenin has struggled with injury and form and has only won one match since the Australian Open. Meanwhile, Ostapenko is coming off a quarterfinal showing in Rome. But the young American has a <a href="https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/i-just-need-some-time-for-myself-sofia-kenin-on-coaching-change">new coach</a> and has shown that she's more than capable of shaking off <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/when-in-rome.html#women">bad losses</a>. Still, this one is going to be close.
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<em> Carla Suarrez Navarro vs. Sloane Stephens:</em> CSN's farewell tour was disrupted first by COVID and then, tragically, by cancer, but she's back for one last hurrah at Roland Garros and all sorts of sentiment is one her side. It's hard to tell what condition she'll be in (though her social profile <a href="https://twitter.com/CarlaSuarezNava/status/1394623242955108355">suggests</a> she's in fighting form), but she'll certainly face a challenger at the outset. Suarrez's first round opponent is the 2018 <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html">runner-up</a> in Paris, and while Sloane famously rides a roller coaster in terms of performance, she may be on the upswing -- she made the quarters in both Charleston and Parma, with wins over favorites both times. Still, the Spaniard, twice a quarterfinalist here, has had some <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2009/01/matches-of-moment.html">career-defining</a> wins over the years, and hopefully has a few more left in her.
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<em> Veronika Kudermetova (29) vs Amanda Anisimova:</em> The on-paper favorite has had a strong year, with a run to the final in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/01/a-strong-opening-statement.html#abudhabi">Abu Dhabi</a> and her maiden title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/where-anything-can-happen.html#charleston">Charleston</a>. It's bad luck that she'll open her campaign here against 2019's surprise <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#barty">semifinalist</a>. But it's been a tough two years for the young American -- after suffering the death of her father during her breakout year, she kicked off this season with a COVID diagnosis and an ankle injury and she's struggled to gain traction ahead of her return to Paris. Still, at only 19, she's probably got a lot of room to surprise us, and she's beaten much more formidable opponents on these courts before. If she's playing at her best, this one could be a battle.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women2nd" name="women2nd"></a><u>Second Round</u>
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<em> Bianca Andreescu (6) vs. Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Q):</em> The former U.S. Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/09/back-in-game.html">champ</a> doubled her 2019 win record on clay with her performance in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/one-last-shot.html#strasbourg">Strasbourg</a>. Unfortunately, that means she still only has two wins on the surface this year. She cut her run short last week to take care of an ab injury, and she'll be tested pretty quickly on the big stage. MCOS, after all, has been racking up wins this season -- the 19-year-old picked up her first title as a wildcard in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/where-anything-can-happen.html#bogota">Bogota</a>, made the semis the next week in Charleston, and picked up in Europe with a run to the semis in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#mcos">Belgrade</a>. That got her into the top hundred -- not soon enough to have her avoid qualifying rounds, but she breezed through those without dropping a set. She's faced Andreescu what feels like years ago, in the final of an ITF event in Oklahoma, and only won one game, but something tells me things will be different this time around.
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<em> Serena Williams (7) vs. Arantxa Rus:</em> Rus has had some huge wins on big stages over the years, stunning then-#2 Kim Clijsters at Roland Garros in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/06/more-than-just-luck.html#women2nd">2011</a> and then-#5 Sam Stosur at <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2012/06/days-that-shook-earth-part-ii.html#stosurrus">Wimbledon</a> a year later. But that was a long time ago, and she really never came to much after that. She <em>did</em> upset second seed Jessica Pegula this past week in Strasbourg, though, and came OHSOCLOSE to beating Williams last year in "Cincinnati" too. Could she seal the deal this time? Possibly -- as Serena <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-serena-eyes-24but-there-are.html">continues</a> to go for that elusive 24<sup>th</sup> Major, she's hit one roadblock after another, and she hasn't really found her footing on clay this year. She'll put up a fight, of course, but everyone should know by now that she's far from invincible, and if both these ladies make the second round, Rus certainly has a shot at an upset.
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<em> Garbiñe Muguruza (12) vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo:</em> I was all aboard the Sorribes bandwagon in the early spring -- the 24-year-old was impressive in her run to a maiden title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/golden-swing-glory.html">Guadalajara</a> and even <em>more</em> impressive in her <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/on-solid-ground.html#andreescu">quarterfinal</a> fight against Bianca Andreescu in Miami. Strangely, for a Spaniard, she's been a little quiet on clay. Her compatriot, meanwhile, was the champion here five years ago and is a far <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/when-numbers-lie.html">better</a> player than her ranking suggests. It's a tough early round for both, but one that could spark some fireworks.
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<em> Ekaterina Alexandrova (32) vs. Barbora Krejcikova:</em> Krejcikova is a decorated doubles star, with a couple Major trophies over the years -- she and Katarina Siniakova won both the French and Wimbledon in 2018 and were runners-up in Melbourne earlier this season. But she's really started gaining traction on the singles scene over the last few months, making the fourth round in Paris last fall and the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/when-numbers-lie.html">final</a> in Dubai in March. But Alexandrova is no slouch either -- she beat Simona Halep and Iga Swiatek in the Gippsland draw to start the year -- and I'm perennially shocked to see how "low" her ranking is. These two have met twice already this year, with the seed getting the win at the Australian Open and Krejcikova pulling off the upset this past week on her way to the title in Strasbourg. Given the surface, I wouldn't be surprised to see that outcome play out again.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women3rd" name="women3rd"></a><u>Third Round</u>
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<em> Naomi Osaka (2) vs. Paula Badosa (33):</em> This is where things get interesting. Osaka isn't the best player on clay -- she's never made it out of the third round here, and she lost early in both Madrid and Rome -- and her draw got a whole lot harder on Friday with the withdrawal of 27<sup>th</sup> seed Alison Riske. That's because it elevated Belgrade <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#badosa">champion</a> Paula Badosa into seeding territory, and the red-hot Spaniard already has wins over Ashleigh Barty and Belinda Bencic on clay this year. Badosa had before been in the Sabalenka/Serena quarter, but even as the lowest seed things are looking a lot better for her now, and if she can pull of a win here, it might be hard to stop her until the semis.
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<em> Jennifer Brady (13) vs. Coco Gauff (24):</em> Brady may be the more seasoned player here, and she may have some impressively deep showings at the most <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-couple-early-predictions-ready-to.html#2">recent </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/the-year-of-naomi.html">Slams</a>, but this is a whole new court, and Coco's been the one grabbing all the headlines on it. A semifinal run in Rome and not <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/ready-to-take-over.html#coco">one</a> but <em>two</em> titles in Parma brought her to a career high ranking of #25 in the world, and a couple wins here will certainly drive her even higher. Of course, this match-up is not a sure thing -- Gauff could face Melbourne <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/never-saw-them-coming.html#hsieh">Cinederella</a> Su-Wei Hsieh in the second round, while Brady may have to get through clay <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/08/a-little-rusty.html#ferro">specialist</a> Fiona Ferro herself. But if they both make it, I feel like the edge goes to the younger phenom.
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<em> Nadia Podoroska vs. Sorana Cirstea:</em> This potential battle would require a couple upsets early on -- Cirstea opens against 2019 French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#barty">semifinalist</a> Johanna Konta, while <em>2020</em> French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/something-old-something-new.html#podoroska">semifinalist</a> Podoroska will start her point defense against tenth seed Belinda Bencic. But there's plenty of reason to believe both can pull off the wins. Cirstea, a one-time <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2009/06/bracket-busters.html#cirstea">quarterfinalist</a> at Roland Garros -- <em>twelve</em> years ago! -- has her groove back after a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#istanbul">title</a> in Istanbul and a second place finish in Strasbourg, while Konta has only scored three match wins this year. And Podoroska, who stunned Serena Williams in Rome, could easily get the better of a recently-spotty Bencic. In any case, I'm excited to see these two face off and can't even begin to pick the favorite.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="women4th" name="women4th"></a><u>Fourth Round</u>
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<em> Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Karolina Muchova (18):</em> Svitolina is a solid clay court player and has had a lot of success on the courts of Paris, making the quarters three times. But while she's had some decent wins this year -- Petra Kvitova in Miami and Stuttgart, Garbiñe Muguruza in Rome -- she hasn't really had a standout moment in a little while. After all the upsets at the French last year, she was for a brief moment a favorite for the title, but then got <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/something-old-something-new.html#podoroska">crushed</a>> by Nadia Podoroska in the final eight. Muchova, on the other hand, had her coming out party a few months ago, beating Karolina Pliskova and Ashleigh Barty on the way to her first Slam <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-golden-opportunity.html#womentop">semi</a> in Melbourne. And about a month ago she beat Naomi Osaka en route to the Madrid quarters. She's slated for a rematch with her compatriot, a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/french-open-2020-predicting-final-four.html#women2nd">three</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#swiatek">-time</a> finalist in Rome, but I wouldn't be surprised to see her make another attempt at a deep run now.
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<em> Petra Kvitova (11) vs. Danielle Collins:</em> Collins may only be ranked #50 in the world, but she is no slouch on clay, having reached the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/something-old-something-new.html#womenold">quarters</a> last year with wins over Ons Jabeur and Garbiñe Muguruza along the way. She's had some big successes this season too, taking out Karolina Pliskova at the Yarra Valley Classic and Ashleigh Barty in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-chance-to-rebound.html#collins">Adelaide</a>. But she had to undergo a pretty <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2021/05/28/danielle-collins-interview-cyst-size-tennis-ball-removed-ovary/">harrowing</a> surgery for endometriosis last month and hasn't been seen on court in a while. She says she's playing without pain and more consistently now, though, which could make her an even bigger force than she usually is. While she might have to get through Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams first, she could very well set up a showdown with last year's semifinalist at the end of the first week. Kvitova is one of those consistent favorites, though, and always seems to up her game when you least expect it. I imagine this could be a fun one.
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<em> Maria Sakkari (17) vs. Jessica Pegula (28):</em> Sakkari is one of those players I really want to see big things from, and she gets so close to making that happen so often. Last year she pulled off a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/2020-tennis-spin-awards-matches-of-year.html#womenhm">massive</a> win over Serena in "Cincy", but <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/08/the-hangover.html#sakkari">lost</a> the next round; this year she stunned Naomi Osaka in Miami, and again dropped a match later. Pegula, on the other hand, has had a little more follow through, even when she's a far bigger underdog. After stunning Victoria Azarenka in the first round of the Australian Open this year, she went all the way to the quarters. Then as a qualifier, for some reason, in Doha she made her way to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/unqualified-successes.html#doha">semis</a>. And while she did lose to Sakkari in Miami, she followed up a win over Osaka in Rome to make the final eight there. Seeded at a Slam for the first time, she might have to make it past last year's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html#kenin">runner-up</a> Sofia Kenin first, but if there's one thing we should know about Pegula by now, it's that she's more than capable of pulling off one upset after another.
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<em> Petra Martic (22) vs. Shelby Rogers:</em> Not that long ago I wouldn't have given Martic a second glance, but the 2019 quarterfinalist here, coached now by former French <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2010/06/from-first-to-final.html">champion</a> Francesca Schiavone, seemed invigorated in her run to the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/comeback-stories.html#martic">semis</a> in Rome. But Rogers has made the quarterfinals in Paris before too, and she'll want to avenge her loss to Martic in the first round in Rome. It won't be easy for either of these two to get the rematch -- Martic is slated to face Garbiñe Muguruza in the third round, while the American could run up against the defending most-recent <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">champ</a> Iga Swiatek even sooner -- but it'll be interesting if they're able to make it.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="womenquarter" name="womenquarter"></a><u>Quarterfinals</u>
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<em> Serena Williams (7) vs. Victoria Azarenka (15):</em> Okay, okay, I know, this one's a long shot. Neither of these ladies has been playing her best recently, Serena getting upset in both Rome and Parma, while a persisent back injury forced Vika to pull out of matches in Melbourne, Doha, <em>and</em> Madrid. But, for old time's sake -- not event that old -- let's just say they're able to return to form again. I mean, <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best.html#womenhm">remember</a> that match last year in New York? Wouldn't it be fun to see that again? And if anyone can pull off the comeback, it's these two.
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<em> Elise Mertens (14) vs. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Q):</em> Okay, <em>now</em> we're talking about long shots, but hear me out. Mertens has been one of the most <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-under-radar.html#womenwinner">under-the-radar</a> but consistent players on tour the last several months, reaching at least the quarters in <em>ten</em> of her last 15 tournaments and picking up a title in Gippsland too. On clay she beat Veronika Kudermetova in Istanbul and Simona Halep in Madrid, so you know she's comfortable on this surface. Schmiedlova, meanwhile, may be far removed from the career-high ranking she hit half a decade ago, but with a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/wide-open-spaces.html#women3rd">win</a> over Azarenka here just last year she's more than capable of an upset or two. Can she, as a qualifier, make it all the way to a <em>quarterfinal</em>? Well she's got some big obstacles in her way, starting with Iga Swiatek in the third round and Garbiñe Muguruza one after that. But what fun would sports be if we didn't get a few surprises?
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="womensemi" name="womensemi"></a><u>Semifinals</u>
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<em> Ashleigh Barty (1) vs. Iga Swiatek (8):</em> It doesn't happen very often that you have two simultaneously <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/making-it-look-easy.html">defending </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#barty">champions</a> at a Major, but as COVID kept Barty from traveling to Paris last fall, Swiatek was able to gloriously take up the mantle in her absense. Their only previous meeting in the fourth round of Madrid was disappointingly straightforward, with the earlier titleist getting the win in straight sets. But while the world #1 has a field-leading 13 wins on clay so far this season, the younger Swiatek stormed back onto our radars with a trophy in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#swiatek">Rome</a> and seems primed to make a potential second meeting a little closer -- and possibly raise the bar for how two champions should compete.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="womenfinal" name="womenfinal"></a><u>Championship</u>
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<em> Ashleigh Barty (1) vs. Aryna Sabalenka (3):</em> There is a lot that can happen over the course of the next two weeks, but it seems fitting that the two winningest players this season could face off in another final. They already split their title contests in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#stuttgart">Stuttgart</a> and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-reversal-of-fortune.html">Madrid</a>, so why <em>not</em> add Paris to their rivalry? I admit, I've been <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#womenru">skeptical</a> about Barty's staying power in the past, but she's really <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/on-solid-ground.html">proven</a> she's deserving of that #1 ranking. Sabalenka may have a little more work to do, though -- despite a career-high ranking and a long and impressive <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best-hot.html#womenwinner">win </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/01/a-strong-opening-statement.html#abushabi">streak</a>, she's never gotten out of the fourth round of a Major. And with a tough <a href="#women1st">first</a> round here she'll be tested off the bat. But in a half that's really wide open, I'd expect something big from her now.
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<center><hr width="75%" /></center><br />
<b>MEN'S DRAW</b>
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="und">😋🏆😁<a href="https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RafaelNadal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IBI21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IBI21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tennis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tennis</a> <a href="https://t.co/eM3Goky9pi">pic.twitter.com/eM3Goky9pi</a></p>— Internazionali Bnl (@InteBNLdItalia) <a href="https://twitter.com/InteBNLdItalia/status/1394306563473645573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men1st" name="men1st"></a><u>First Round</u>
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<em> Daniil Medvedev (2) vs. Alexander Bublik:</em> I'll save the complaints about Medvedev's second seeding for <a href="#mensemi">later</a>, but regardless, there's no doubt he's had one of the strongest <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best-hot.html#menwinner">twelve</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/unstoppable.html#medvedev">-month</a> stretches out there. Still, he's not a fan of the clay -- something he's made very <a href="https://tennishead.net/daniil-medvedev-my-game-doesnt-suit-clay-i-hate-everything-around-me/">clear</a> over the past few months. He's one just one of three matches on the surface the year -- and has a barely better record for his still-young career -- and has never won a round at Roland Garros. It'll be hard to change that against the barely unseeded Bublik, a player I continue to believe is better than his ranking. The Kazakh isn't <em>that</em> much better on dirt, but he did manage to make the quarters in Madrid, with wins over Denis Shapovalov and Aslan Karatsev. Whether he makes a big statement here, I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him get at least this upset.
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<em> David Goffin (13) vs. Lorenzo Musetti:</em> The seeded Goffin has had a couple of pleasantly surprising results this year -- taking the title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-couple-young-guns-and-some-old-hat.html#montpellier">Montpellier</a> and stunning Alexander Zverev in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/all-bets-are-off.html#goffin">Monte Carlo</a> -- but outside of that, he's been pretty quiet. Nineteen-year-old Musetti, on the other hand, has <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">continued</a> to climb the rankings, making the quarters in Cagliari and the semis in Lyon. I'm kind of calling for the upset here, but what a confidence boost it would be if Goffin could get a win over this up-and-coming/already-arrived star.
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<em> Emil Ruusuvuori vs. Mackenzie McDonald (Q):</em> McDonald is still well off his career high ranking, but a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/across-generations.html#mcdonald">fourth</a> round showing in Melbourne and a Challengers title in Nur Sultan have helped boost him a little. He still had to play qualies here, though, but made it through without losing a set. For his efforts, he gets a shot at the 22-year-old Finn whose name I had to learn how to spell after a solid defeat of Alexander Zverev in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-unlikeliest-of-results.html">Miami</a>. It's certainly a winnable match for the young American, but not one he should take for granted. And if he can pass the test, it could help launch him back where he belongs.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men2nd" name="men2nd"></a><u>Second Round</u>
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<em> Dominic Thiem (4) vs. Federico Delbonis:</em> Thiem is a two-time <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#thiem">finalist</a> here and a fairly-newly-minted Grand Slam <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">champion</a>, but a nagging knee injury has really hampered his effectiveness this year. While he managed a decent run in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#zverev">Madrid</a>, he's been upset more than he's been winning. Delbonis, meanwhile, has been pretty active all spring, playing week in and week out, upsetting Pablo Carreño Busta in Spain, reaching the quarters in Rome, and this past week reaching the semis in Belgrade. He's never had a lot of success at the Majors, only made the third round once at the Australian Open five years ago, but this might be the best chance he's had in a while.
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<em> Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) vs. Sebastian Korda:</em> It wouldn't be a Major if we didn't see at least a few popcorn matches right at the start, and this could be one of them. Twenty-year-old Korda has been slashing his ranking all year, reaching the final in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/01/a-strong-opening-statement.html#delray">Delray</a>, the quarters in Miami, and this past week picking up his first tour-level title in Parma, ousting top seeded Lorenzo Sonego on the way. Tsitsipas, meanwhile, has two clay titles of his own this season, including his first Masters crown in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-big-breakthroughs.html#montecarlo">Monte Carlo</a>. The two have a huge opportunity here, in the half of the draw with just one Grand Slam title -- compared to the top half with <em>fifty-nine</em> combined -- and it's a shame that one will have to go home early. But you can be sure they'll both be battling to make sure they're not that one.
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<em> Lorenzo Sonego (26) vs. Cameron Norrie:</em> The 26-year-old Italian is another one who's been climbing up the rankings in recent months. Since that <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-biggest.html#menwinner">miraculous</a> win over Novak Djokovic last year in Vienna, he's gone on to win a title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/where-anything-can-happen.html#cagliari">Cagliari</a> and score wins over Andrey Rublev and Dominic Thiem in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#men">Rome</a>. Norrie notches his own upset of Thiem on his way to the Lyon final and also came in second in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/the-unlikely-leader.html">Estoril</a>. He has yet to bring home that maiden title, but he's certainly finding his footing on the clay. The winner of this match will have a tough road ahead of him -- Rafael Nadal likely awaits in the third round -- but it certainly will make a case for potentially bigger runs over the year.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men3rd" name="men3rd"></a><u>Third Round</u>
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<em> Andrey Rublev (7) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (Q):</em> Here's another potentially explosive early match-up. Rublev has followed up nicely on his <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards.html#menwinner">breakthrough</a> season, reaching the quarters of his last three Majors, picking up another title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/one-of-these-things-is-not-like-other.html#rotterdam">Rotterdam</a>, and absolutely <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-big-breakthroughs.html#montecarlo">stunning</a> Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo. Eighteen-year-old Alcaraz's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">successes</a> have been on a much smaller scale, but a semifinal run in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/where-anything-can-happen.html#marbella">Marbella</a>, a Challengers title in Oerias, and a perfect record in the Roland Garros qualies, gives him a nice winning streak coming into the main event. He'll likely face Munich and Doha champ Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round, but sparks may really start to fly if he can set up the match with the top-ten Russian -- and it could give us a good taste of what the future of tennis will look like.
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<em> Diego Schwartzman (10) vs. Aslan Karatsev (24):</em> This one pains me. After a late-in-his-career <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#menwinner">breakout</a>, which included a win over Rafael Nadal last year in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/when-in-rome.html#men">Rome</a>, Schwartzman's been pretty quiet in 2021, losing his opening round four times. I am somewhat mollified by the fact that he did pick up a title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/one-of-these-things-is-not-like-other.html#buenosaires">Buenos Aires</a> and that his losses came against talented players, but it's still not a precedent you like to see. Karatsev, on the other hand, has been virtually unstoppable. Since his Cinderella run in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-golden-opportunity.html#mentop">Melbourne</a>, he picked up his first title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/never-give-up.html#dubai">Dubai</a> and scored wins over <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#belgrade">Novak Djokovic</a>, Daniil Medvedev, and, yes, Diego Schwartzman. I wouldn't be surprised if things go his way again, but I'm hoping the Argentine is able to find his magic again.
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<em> Roberto Bautista Agut (11) vs. Kei Nishikori:</em> It's been a long time since we've seen fan-favorite Nishikori at the top of his game, but this could be the best chance he's had in a <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/09/breaking-new-ground.html">while</a> to make a statement at a Slam. At his lowest ranking in nearly a decade thanks to yet <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2011/12/2011-tennis-spin-awards-men.html#nishikori">another</a> battle with injury, he's still able to get the better of his opponents. He beat David Goffin in Dubai, Karen Khachanov in Madrid, and Fabio Fognini in Rome. RBA can't be overlooked though -- he's reached finals in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/a-couple-young-guns-and-some-old-hat.html#montpellier">Montpellier</a> and Doha this year, beating Andrey Rublev and Dominic Thiem at the latter, and the semis in Miami, with a win over Daniil Medvedev there. But clay is weirdly <em>not</em> his best surface, which could crack open the door a bit for the man from Japan.
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<em> Jannik Sinner (18) vs. Albert Ramos-Viñolas:</em> Sinner is another one of those youngsters <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards.html#menhm">quickly</a> making a habit of beating top-ranked players. A <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/the-new-normal.html#zverev">quarterfinalist</a> at the French last year, he won two titles to bridge the seasons and made a play for the big leagues with a run to the final at the <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-unlikeliest-of-results.html">Miami</a> Masters. Ramos has been pretty busy himself, quietly amassing 17 wins on clay this season and claiming a title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/the-unlikely-leader.html">Estoril</a> to boot. He'll have to get past Gael Monfils in the first round, but with the Frenchman having only won match in the last year-plus, his bigger challenge will likely be against the wünderkind, and that one could be fun to watch.
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<em> Reilly Opelka (32) vs. Tommy Paul:</em> It's easy to overlook the Americans on clay -- especially the men -- but these guys have been putting up some nice results over the past few weeks. Big-serving Opelka is coming off a run to the semis in Rome, where he took out Lorenzo Musetti and Aslan Karatsev, and could make a play to become the top-ranked man in the States. Paul is a little further down the rankings, but he pulled off some nice wins this past week in Parma, beating Jiri Vesely and Jan-Lennard Struff on his way to the final four. He's suppsed to face Daniil Medvedev in the second round, but as I've <a href="#men1st">mentioned</a>, that's not a guarantee -- nor is beating Alexander Bublik, to be honest -- but if he makes it, a battle against his countryman would give someone a little bit of bragging rights.
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<em> Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Arthur Cazaux (W):</em> This one might take a little bit of doing, but it's not the craziest of thoughts. ADF has followed up nicely on his strong <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-most.html#menhm">2020</a> season, making the quarters in Monte Carlo and the semis in Estoril. And while likely second round opponent Hubert Hurkacz scored the biggest-yet win of his career in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-unlikeliest-of-results.html">Miami</a>, he's been less impressive on clay, winning just one match so far against world #171 Thomas Fabbiano in Monte Carlo. Eighteen-year-old Cazaux is playing his very first Major main draw -- he lost first round qualifying in Paris last year to Aslan Karatsev -- but he has scored wins this year over Sebastian Korda and Adrian Mannarino. And we <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-ones-to.html#menhm">know</a> how well French wildcards can do at Roland Garros. Cazaux would likely need to get past super-surging Casper Ruud -- more on that <a href="#menquarter">later</a> -- to set up this one, but stranger things have happened.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="men4th" name="men4th"></a><u>Fourth Round</u>
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<em> Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Marco Cecchinato:</em> During those <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-its-going-to-be-big-year.html">years</a> I'd stopped writing and paying attention to every twist and turn in the tennis world, something very strange happened -- Novak Djokovic stopped winning Majors! After locking in the Career Grand Slam at the French in 2016, he went on a two-plus year stretch without earning another big title. And one of the biggest surprises during that run came at the hands of <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html">Marco Cecchinato</a>, who stunned him in the Paris quarters in 2018. Then it was the Italian's turn to start losing -- eight straight Major first rounds as his ranking dropped back out of the top hundred. He may be getting back on track, though, reaching the final this past week in Parma. It's not crazy to think he might be able to engineer a rematch -- the first seed he'd face is Alex de Minaur, who's only ever won one match here, and the second is David Goffin, who might not make it even <a href="#men1st">that</a> far -- though expecting a repeat is probably a little less likely. Still, it'd be fun to see him try.
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<em> Roger Federer (8) vs. Matteo Berrettini (9):</em> Now this one scares me. It's been over a year since we've seen Roger at a Major, and his performance <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/the-return-of-roger.html">since</a> has been spotty at best. He drew the short end of the draw stick, with both Rafa and Nole in his half of the bracket, and the other Grand Slam <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/09/breaking-new-ground.html">champion</a> in this section, Marin Cilic, is his probably second round opponent. Meanwhile, Berrettini has been <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2019/12/2020-vision-flavors-of-moment.html#berrettini">suprisingly</a> impressive of late, winning a title in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#belgrade">Belgrade</a> and making the final in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#zverev">Madrid</a>. Fed has won their two prior meetings in 2019, but if the seedings play out as expected early, things may go differently this time around. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="menquarter" name="menquarter"></a><u>Quarterfinals</u>
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<em> Dominic Thiem (4) vs. Daniel Evans (25):</em> Weirdly, it might be the lower-rated Brit that has the better chance of setting up this match. Evans, who kicked off this year with his first career <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/australian-open-2021-preview-round-by.html#men4th">title</a> at the Murray River Open, may have scored the win of his career when he <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/all-bets-are-off.html#evans">beat</a> Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo. That certainly makes him more of a factor on a surface that's not traditionally his best. Thiem, though, who usually <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/05/roland-garros-rewind-2016-2019.html#thiem">thrives</a> on clay, has been a little more spotty post injury and has <a href="#men2nd">plenty</a> of challenges on his route. So does Evans, of course, but if he survives, this one could be fun.
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<em> Alexander Zverev (6) vs. Casper Ruud (15):</em> In an alternate universe <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#zverev">Madrid</a> champion makes good on his seeding, beating Evans in the third round, and <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#ruud">Geneva</a> titleist Casper Ruud, who also took out Stefanos Tsitsipas in Madrid, overcomes Thiem too, setting up what may, in the end, be a more likely quarterfinal. I <a href="https://racquetmag.com/2020/11/05/olyas-story/">begrudgingly</a> admit Zverev has remained a force despite his <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/11/on-courtand-off.html">off-court</a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/the-new-normal.html#zverev"> drama</a>, and with some easy early rounds, should make it through relatively unscathed. And Ruud, who's sitting at a career-high ranking, is due for a Major breakout. There's no reason this can't be it for him.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="mensemi" name="mensemi"></a><u>Semifinals</u>
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<em> Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Rafael Nadal (3):</em> It's not often that these two face off outside a final, especially at the French, so the fact that they're doing so now has plenty of people up in arms. After all, it's a pretty big injustice that Nadal is seeded third here -- sure, you can argue that he's had a quieter 12 months than <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-best-hot.html#menwinner">world #2</a> Daniil Medvedev, but given the latter's obvious <a href="https://tennishead.net/daniil-medvedev-my-game-doesnt-suit-clay-i-hate-everything-around-me/">disdain</a> for the surface -- and the former's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/whats-your-number.html">dominance</a> on it -- you'd think there could be some leeway. There are plenty of reasons for Rafa fan's to be nervous -- the last time he took on the Djoker before the final Sunday in Paris did <em><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2015/06/the-king-is-dethroned.html">not</a></em> go his way, and he's been <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#zverev">less</a> than perfect this clay court season. Then again, so has <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/one-last-shot.html#djokovic">Nole</a>. And given how close their <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#rafa">last</a> meeting was, you know this one is going to be close. Whoever wins, though, if they're not completely spent from the battle, you have to think comes away with the title.
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="menfinal" name="menfinal"></a><u>Championship</u>
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<em> Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (5):</em> This pick may not be what the seedings predict, but given this clay court season it would be the most appropriate. Rafa, of course, will have to make it through a half which contains all of the Big Three, with a combined 58 Grand Slam titles between them -- adding in 2014 U.S. Open <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2014/09/breaking-new-ground.html">champ</a> Marin Cilic makes it 59 -- not to mention a potential quarterfinal against Andrey Rublev, the man who beat him in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/the-big-breakthroughs.html#montecarlo">Monte Carlo</a>. Tsitsipas, on the other hand, with a season-leading 16 wins on clay this year, compared to Nadal's 14, has it relatively easy, with just <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">one</a> Major title in his half. He's never reached a final at this level though, falling just short at last year's <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/something-old-something-new.html#tsitsipas">French</a>, but there's no question these have been the two <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#barcelona">best</a> players on the surface this year. And given how close their previous matches have been, if they get a chance to play for this crown, you know it's going to be a good one.
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<em> Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Alexander Zverev (6):</em> In another alternate universe, hearts are broken and justice is not served, but two very strong clay courters nevertheless reach the final. Djokovic made up for his slow start to the clay season, bringing home a title at the second Belgrade Open earlier today. And if there is anyone who'll be able to recover in time for a Slam, it's him. He doesn't often get the better of Nadal on these courts, but he's got what might be the best shot he's had in a long time this year. After all, he only barely lost the title to him in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#men">Rome</a>, and that after a double header the day before. Zverev, meanwhile, has his own <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/a-few-more-in-mix.html#zverev">win</a> over Nadal at a clay Masters and an arguably easier road to what woud be his <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/fourth-times-charm.html">second</a> Slam final. If this is the championship we get, you know I'll be all in for Nole -- but Zverev seems destined for a trophy soon, and this might just be his time.
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<center><hr width="75%" /></center><br />
Well there you have it, the matches I hope or believe we'll see over the next two weeks at Roland Garros. Of course, we can't bank on anything at the Majors, and as much as we know we should never count out Rafa here, there are plenty of others ready to take up the mantle, and a lot more primed to make a big splash.
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And as we kick off the second Grand Slam of the year, let's hope we can make it a good one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295319211682056736.post-4051255589891578002021-05-24T16:53:00.001-04:002021-05-24T16:53:18.663-04:00One Last ShotIt's not all that often you see the sport's top players in action so close to a Major, but there's nothing all that common about much these days. And with a host of early <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/all-bets-are-off.html">upsets</a> and various measures taken around the still-not-completely-eradicated global pandemic, it's no wonder a couple stars are looking for any opportunity they can get to notch a few wins before heading to Paris.
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Back in business 💪<a href="https://twitter.com/Bandreescu_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bandreescu_</a> secures her first win on clay in almost 2 years! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IS21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IS21</a> <a href="https://t.co/N3zsFNwXcl">pic.twitter.com/N3zsFNwXcl</a></p>— wta (@WTA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1396812495470284801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center><br>
<a name="andreescu" id="andreescu"></a>Bianca Andreescu seemed, finally, to be getting her game back on track in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/03/on-solid-ground.html#andreescu">Miami</a> before injury forced her to retire during the final. Things got worse from there, when she tested positive for COVID in Madrid and was forced to skip Rome due to continued safety protocols. So this is the first time we've seen her on a clay court in almost exactly two years, and it's no wonder she wants to get some practice in.
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The 2019 U.S. Open champ hasn't had a ton of success on these courts, winning her opening round during her breakout year before withdrawing against Sofia Kenin a match later. In years before, she didn't even qualify -- understandable, considering she's still only twenty years old. But, in part thanks to the protected ranking system, she came to Strasbourg this week the top seed and the sole entrant in the top 25. She opened her campaign with an encouragingly straightforward win over qualifier Andrea Lazaro Garcia, dropping just three games and will face another qualifier in the next round.
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Of course things get harder from here, with a potential quarterfinal against Istanbul <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#istanbul">champ</a> Sorana Cirstea or sixth seeded Shaui Zhang. And second seed Jessica Pegula is coming off a run to the quarters in <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/comeback-stories.html#martic">Rome</a>, where she got the better of Naomi Osaka in the second round -- she would be a more-than-formidable opponent should they meet in the final. But even if she doesn't make it that far, getting a few more wins under her belt will be crucial if she wants to have an impact next week.
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<a name="djokovic" id="djokovic"></a>Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has also had an uncharacteristically quiet clay court season. As the man who might have actually become the <em><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/10/whats-your-number.html">second</a></em> best clay courter on tour -- he's got five titles in Rome, three in Madrid, two in Monte Carlo, and of course that <a href="https://www.si.com/tennis/2016/06/05/french-open-final-novak-djokovic-beats-andy-murray-career-slam">Grand Slam-completing</a> crown at Roland Garros -- you usually expect him to win a title or two on clay each season.
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That hasn't happened this year, though. After his stunning <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/all-bets-are-off.html#nole">upset</a> at the Rolex Masters, he <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/04/back-on-top.html#belgrade">bowed out</a> early again at the first Belgrade event in his homeland of Serbia. While he did manage to make it to the Rome final, having to play a double header before the championship match in which he rallied from a set-plus-break deficit to Stefanos Tsitsipas and survived a tight three setter against his Vienna <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/12/the-2020-tennis-spin-awards-biggest.html#menwinner">vanquisher</a> Lorenzo Sonego, he eventually <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/05/deja-vu.html#men">ran out of steam</a> against Rafael Nadal and currently has a paltry-for-him one title on the season.
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He's looking to get his momentum back as he returns to Belgrade this week. He'll open against lucky loser Mats Moraing, who pulled off a nice win over a tricky Egor Gerasimov today, and will then likely face either veterab Pablo Cuevas or Federico Coria in the quarters. With #2 seed Gael Monfils, the biggest on-paper threat in the draw, winning just one match in the last fifteen months, Novak is the clear favorite for the title -- whether he sticks it out to the end or takes a break after a couple matches remains to be seen. <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/08/us-open-2020-predicting-final-four.html#women4th">That </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/australian-open-2021-preview-round-by.html#women4th">strategy</a> has, after all, certainly <a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2020/09/a-champion-for-new-generation.html">worked </a><a href="http://www.tennisspin.net/2021/02/the-year-of-naomi.html">before</a>.
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Win or lose this week, it's clear both these guys are looking for a little more real match play before hitting the courts at the big event. Because, as we know, everyone in the field is going to be bringing their best and there's no time to waste getting warmed up. So a couple wins now could really pay big dividends in the near future.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0