Archives for July 2024

Coco Gauff vs. Emma Navarro

The so-called “news” is playing very well, as Navarro has gone somewhat deep throughout the events, and now she is ranked No. 17, pretty good. However at the start of the year, in the Auckland, New Zealand, she lost against Gauff 6-3, 6-1, in the semis. Cleary, the huge hitter Gauff is the favorite. Or maybe not.  Navarro just edged  Diana Shnaider 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, who she lost against her last weeks. Now she must be out of the moon. “In this sport you deal with a lot of emotions,” she said. “It’s high stress at times. So it’s something that obviously I have to deal with, but I would say that calmness, I’ve always had.”

On the court, on Sunday, she is going to have to link  to try to nail it, crosscourt . The former U.S. Open champion Gauff can crush her backhand, and she can also put it away at the net. However, while she has gone deep in 2024, but she has only won one tournament. Now she needs to try it again, and perhaps, to be rehabilitant. Gauff will win it in three, tremendous sets.

Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton

The American won another five setter, so when it is very deep, he really concentrated. He is darn swift, and he can try to wreck it both sides, but this year, he has been so-so, here and there, so the young player has to be locked in. 

The problem is that the No. 1 Sinner is much more fitting, and now he rarely gets angry, to lose control. Now he can throw in some errors, but the next point, he tries to forget it, and move on. The Australian Open champion has evolved his return, and at the net, too. Without a doubt, Shelton loves the big stage, but currently Sinner is better than Shelton is, at least for now, and the Italian will win it in four, leathery  sets.

Jasmine Paolini vs. Madison Keys 

She is almost 30-years-old, and Keys has gone deep a lot, but she has yet to win a Grand Slam. On the hardcourts, she is super powerful, and she can crush her forehand and her backhand, but she is not that fast, running. In a  sense, she cannot do much now, because the older you get, you can’t really fix it. However, Keys can insert  some very good shots, with her serve, at the net, and being willingness, too. Keys did reach into the 2017 U.S. Open in the final, and she lost, but she still has a chance to make it again, and maybe to win it. But Keys hasn’t yet, and maybe she never will, but she does have a legitimate shot. 

Now though it is in Wimbledon, on the grass, and Keys does like it, when she doesn’t have to play with the long rallies. Last year, she reached into the quarters, which was decent, so this time, she has to chop down against Paolini.

However, the Italian has had a stunning year, not that Paolini isn’t solid, but this year, at certain events, she decided to hit the ball, very hard. Yes, she can just shove it, but whenever she gets a chance, she can rake it. She reached the final at Roland Garros, and she was on fire, but then, she was so nervous, and she lost, quickly, against Iga Swiatek. Now Paolini is enthusiastic, but really, before this week, she had not won a match here, ever. The 28-year-old Paolini   will battle, but Keys will out-hit her in three sets, and win it with unbroken, shots.

Emma Raducanu vs. Lulu Sun 

Clearly, Raducanu is playing terrific, and here, she could crush Sun with less than an hour.  Raducanu has won a Grand Slam, but Sun is ranked outside of the top 123, and while she is playing better for sure, but over the past one year, she has beaten inside the top 70, until this week. Then she stunned the No.8 Zheng Qinwen 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. At the end, she finally rose.

The 23-year-old New Zealand did look good when she went to the University of Texas, but it will still take a while to upset the excellent competitos. 

Raducanu is having a great time, on the Center Court, and she is wandering on the ball. The Britain is still not playing 100 percent, but she is healthy, and each day, her confidence is uprising. Raducanu will win it in two, easy sets.  

Daniil Medvedev vs. Grigor Dimitrov

Clearly, the Russian has beaten Dimitrov seven times, and three losses. Medvedev has won the 2022 U.S. Open, and the former No. 1 loves to rally, on the hardcourts. But on the grass, he gets caught, when the ball is. He can beat anyone when he is playing astonishing, but he can also panic, inside his head.

There are some wonderful points from Dimitrov, who can mix it up with his one-handed backhand. He has gone deep over the past 12 years, but he has also collapsed, and he lost against even the medicare players. But right now, they do want to win Wimbledon, so they are going to attack, and skip into the net. They have played on the grass, just once, in Queen’s Club in 2017, and Dimintov won it in three sets. Maybe he can try it again, but Medvedev beat him at Indian Wells in March, so he knows how to play. It will be tight, and it will  go into the fifth set. Then, Medvedev will survive, 6-4 in the fifth set.

Tommy Paul vs Roberto Bautista Agut 

The Spaniard Bautista Agut  beat Paul  three times in a row, but then, the American began to add his strokes. Paul played a lot, all the time, and he lost quite a bit, but two years ago,  he changed with the rallies. Yes, he can go for a long time, but he can push closer to the baseline and try to touch it into the corners. The 27-year-old Paul is now  in the top 13, beating a lot of prime players. He then beat Bautista Agut twice, later, and this season at the Australian Open, Paul beat him in four tight sets.

Bautista Agut  plays all the time, week after week, but the 36-year-old rarely gets tired, so there is no question that he really likes to play, even when he is sleeping. Hahaha? However, Paul will take him down, going versus  forehand versus forehand, and the first serve to. Paul  will take it 6-4 in the fourth set.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Frances Tiafoe

The American scored two fine wins, and while Tiafoe has not had a good year, but soon, he will rise again. That is, if he really does. However, Alcaraz is such a tremendous hitter, with his blasting forehand and his heavy backhand. He won Wimbledon last year, so clearly, he understands on the the low grass.  

The Spaniard just crushed Aleksandar Vukic, so he is already rocking. Tiafoe will try to go for it, early, and  drag him on the heels, but Alcaraz will be patient, and come up into the net, frequently. Therefor, Alcaraz will take in four, fun sets.

Ugo Humbert vs. Brandon Nakashima

Who would have thought that the American, Nakashima, is still there? He has not had a good year, but he does try to re-think about how he hits it. He can be steady, but at times, it is too short, and it is hard to attack.

The Frenchman Humbert can play terrific, and he is currently No. 13, but over the last four months, he has done very little. At least in February, he won Marseille, and also, in Dubai, beating the two Slammers, with Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev, on the hardcourts. Then he disappeared. However, Humbert can leap on the ball, and punch it, side to side. There will be some fine rallies, but Humbert will touch it on the corners and win it in four, savage sets.

Tommy Paul vs. Alexander Bublik

Paul had a very tough match, with five severe sets, but he survived, yet now, he has to face against Bublik. He had a solid couple month, winning Montpellier, and reaching into the final in Dubai. He was the same thing, when in March, he started to lose, early, for four months. At least Bublik has been somewhat befitting, year after year, and in 2023, he won a number of wins, winning Halle, on the grass, just before Wimbledon. So if he can ratch it up, with his forehand, and try to hop on his return,  then he could really blend it up. Both if them are very close, but in the fourth set, Paul will throw in some impressive forehands, and he will win it, in three hours, plus.

Emma Navarro vs. Diana Shnaider 

Who would have seen that when Navarro would stepped on the former No. 1 Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-1?  Maybe Osaka doesn’t like on  the grass, but the American Navarro is flying, high. She is on fire, yet Shnaider is also doing the same thing. 

The 20-year-old Shnaider destroyed Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-1, and she is ready to beat almost everyone. She just won Bad Homburg, beating Navarro in the semis, which was close. They have actually play the doubles, together, and they are friends. But on the court, they have to put it away.

“We had a lot of fun playing doubles together.She plays very courageously, and she goes for her shots, which I think is a big part of her game,” Navarro said.  “She’ll go for it.  Obviously she’s a lefty, which makes it tough. But I feel just excited for the challenge.”

Yes it will be. Navarro does know how Shnaider plays, but the most important thing is to really try to split her forehand, and to keep it in. This is a toss up, but on grass, Navarro will trip up Shnaider right at the end, and in the third set, the American will win it 7-5.

Coco Gauff vs. Sonay Kartal

The Britain Kartal had a couple wins here, but she is not ranked in the top 200, and while she has been solid in the ITF’s, she has a long way to go. But not Gauff, who has had a pretty good year, but not tremendous, yet. Yes, she is ranked No. 2, which is passional, but she has only won one event, back in the beginning of January in Auckland. After that, she would go deep, but not enough. Maybe she will in the next 10 days, but right now, she has to swing away, especially with her up and down forehand. Her backhand is excellent, almost all the time, so against Kartal, she will ruin her, in two, quick sets.

Maria Sakkari vs. Emma Raducanu

The Greek Sakkari can really hustle, and she can play for many hours. She has been in the top 10 for a while, and she is fast, and bring it back. However, she isn’t that tall, so it is hard to shatter the ball. Either way, she will be very excited to go on the court against the famous Britain,  Raducanu. If you watch her, now, her strokes are better, and her revolt. But really, the former 2021 U.S. Open still has work to do, a lot. However, in Eastbourne, Raducanu beat Jessica Pegula, one of her best wins this year. In front of all the fans, she will out hit 

Sakkari 6-4 in the third set. What a win!

Iga Swiatek vs. Sofia Kenin

This is supposed to be an excellent match, I would think in the Center Court, or Court 1. Regardless, there might be a terrific match, as both of them have won in the Grand Slams. But not at Wimbledon, so both of them have to change it a little bit, this time. The No. 1 Swiatek has it all together, on the clay, and in the hardcourts, but here, on grass, she was somewhat frustrated. Maybe she is ready to truly understand what she has to do.

The No. 38 Kenin can look so darn good, and then she is so out of it. During this year, she has lost against a lot of opponents, not the great players, but the mediocre players. She did win the 2020 Aussie Open, but then, she fell down. Now it is happening again, we think. She played against Swiatek in the start of the year at the Aussie Open, and the Polish person beat Kenin 7-6, 6-2. That was somewhat close, but Swiatek will win it 6-4, 6-2. She is simply prime.

Novak Djokovic vs. Vita Kopriva

Will the Czech Kopriva have any chance to shock Djokovic? Probably not, as he has been around for a while, and he has yet to reach into the top 100.  However, at least he was able to qualify, so he must be thrilled, on the Center Court. 

Djokovic has won the Grand Slams so many times, but the former No. 1 became hurt, so he had a have a surgery, but he did say that he is feeling better, everyday. If he does, he will have another shot to go super deep, anyway he wants to. 

Kopriva will try to show the fans that he is very talented, and maybe he will, but he just isn’t that good, so Djokovic will win it in three, decent sets.

Sebastian Korda vs.  Giovanni Mpetshi Pericardi

The Frenchman Mpetshi Perricard is only 20-years old, and he has had an impressive year. He won the ATP Lyon, and even before that, he beat many people at the Challenge Tour. Clearly he is getting better, all the time.

But the American, Korda, has played extremely well over the past couple months, and now, he finally was able to go into the top 20. Once again, he is ready to dance, finally. As long as he can try to crack his forehand and his backhand, early, on the slippery grass, then he can put  together a lot of winners. Korda is rising up. and he will out-stroke Mpetshi Perricard in four, fun sets.

Taylor Fritz vs Christopher O’Connell

The American Fritz just won a tournament, in Eastbourne, so he is on fire. Last year, he was up and down a lot, but currently, he is smarter, and also, his return is better. He needs that.

O’Connell is a veteran, and there are times when he is very steady, and also, he will try to were them downs. However, at the start of the year, in Adelaide, on the hardcourts, Korda beat him 6-4, 6-4, so he was unable to find out where he should have gone. He did not,  so this time on the grass, Korda will do it again, even when it is fast, as he will take it in four, interesting sets.

Jessica Pegula vs Ashley Krueger 

She looked very good when she won Berlin, and Pegula was sharp. At times, she can back off, and she can also be afraid, but currently, she is super dapper. She has yet to go deep at Wimbledon, but that does not mean that she can. 

The 20-year-old American, Krueger, is still learning how to strike the ball. She is good, but she has lost against a number of various people. She has been close, in the matches, yet she can overlook it. Last year in October, she faced against Pegula, and she lost 6-3, 6-1. Yes, Krueger will get fancy for sure, but Pegula is more suitable and she will win it in two sets.  

Elena  Rybakina vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse 

It almost always that when she is locked in, Rybakina can win another Grand Slam. But with her, you never know. She has won two events, this year, but then when it is close, she can make some second-class errors. However, the Russian keeps moving on. 

The Romanian Ruse has had some decent wins, but not good enough to play more consistently. She has yet to reach into the third round, at any of the four Grand Slams, which means that she has to get splendid. Therefore, Rybakina will win it, in two, easy sets.