Archives for August 2024

Also with Emma Navarro, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Diana Shnaider,and more 

During the doubles, Taylor Townsend can play terrific, but in the singles, she can miss it a lot. However, the 28-year-old can be very intense, and mix it up, a lot. She has grown up, on the court, and she can go very early, trying to touch it on the lines. She is ranked No. 71, which is mediocre, but maybe someday, she can go further, into the top 30. Or something else.

“Those type of days, where you have to go and play and just figure things out, I think it really works well for me. I’m just trusting the work that I’m putting in, and I’m having fun. I’m having a great time, and I’m just riding this wave,” said Townsend,  after she crushed Jelena Ostapenko  6-2, 6-1. 

Townsend is darn happy, but in the quarters, she has to face against another American, Emma Navarro. Both of them each other pretty well, and Navarro has had a fine year, and even last year, too, her strokes have improved a lot. She has said that she can throw it all around, and also, to be very intense.

“I love to scramble,” she said. “I love to get scrappy, as my coach says. It’s one of the things that I love the most about the game, that cat-and-mouse aspect of playing.” 

At the Olympic game,  Jessica Pegula  lost early, but now on the hardcourts, she can swell up again. She can be very steady, and try to mash the ball, but she has to be more nursling. She has been around for a long time, so now, she has a chance to win it in Toronto.  Nevertheless, she has to play against the other American, Peyton Stearn, a fast competitor. Yet if you look at her over the past 12 months, she has been so-so. Yes, she practices a lot, so maybe at some points, she can refine some new shots.

Do you rememberer that Amanda Anisimova almost reached into the top 20? Well, before she became hurt, physically, she was up and down, but now she is back, learning to play again. She can really hustle, and she can drive the ball, yet in her head, she can become very frustrated. Anisimova  has played a ton in 2024, so that was encouraging, but right now, she must be more aggressive, during the rallies. She has to face against the former Aussie Open champ , Aryna Sabalenka, a gigantic hitter. She will have to do it early, as Sabalenka can dominate it.

On Thursday, Diana Shnaider knocked Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-1. The 20-year-old  is a huge hitter, and the lefty has already won three small titles. But she can be thoughtful, and nail her forehand.

“I know Coco is very physically prepared for everyone on tour, and she’s running very well, she’s covering all of the balls and all the angles on the court,” Shnaider said. “So when there were long rallies and I was winning them I was like, ‘Wow, I just beat Coco in long rallies. I am good today’.”I mean, I tried to play it cool, but inside I was like, ‘Yes! I made it!'”

Shnaider, a power player, is currently No.24 — and rising. He will have to upset another player, 

Liudmila Samsonova, who is in the top 15. It will be a long, three setter,and the winner will find a cool, ace

The Olympics are over in Paris, and Novak Djokovic won it in an incredible match, but the same was on Sunday, here it was in Washington. The American , Sebastian Korda, won the title for the first time, and he was thrilled. He has been very good over the past five years, but he had not gone super deep, but this time, he drove, hard. Maybe now he is conscious, on the court, and he can except to add some different, excellent, shots. It is up in the air, as the No. 18 can be good and bad, but at least the Floridian will try to rise higher. This time, he was more calm.

“We’ve been joking this whole week, really just trying to enjoy the moment really of kind of where I am. I’ve been getting so lost and putting so much pressure on myself, I guess in a way caring too much. 

said Korda,  who beat Flavio  Cobolli 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the final. “Just constantly having tennis on my mind. If I’m not doing well, being in a bad mood.  Just really tried to change that around.”

He did, and now the 24-year-old can try to beat more of the top 10. This season, though, he lost against many different people, the top 10 people, a lot, but over the last six weeks, he looked impressive. It will be very interesting with the American men, such as Korda, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton.

“In a way I would say it’s healthy jealousy. When someone does a great result, the other guys want to do an even better one,” Korda said. “It’s really great all the Americans are close. All the Americans are playing really great tennis right now. Hopefully we can make a big push in the coming Grand Slam soon.”

Over in Canada, in the first round, he will have to face against the veteran,  Vasek Pospisil, which could be tough, but he will try to adjust it.

The Spaniard Paula Badosa won the event, the same area in Washington, beating Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Last year, she was ranked No. 2, but then she suffered a stress fracture, and then she couldn’t play for five months. She did come back, but it took her a while to feel the ball, into the corners, or down the line. Now she can, with some terrific topspin, and hustle, too.

“It’s a big difference now. Now I’m an athlete again,” Badosa said. “Especially I believe that the conditions here are the same as what I’m going to face in Toronto, Cincinnati and New York. At the beginning I wasn’t really sure about these conditions with my game. 

Finally this gave me a lot of confidence also to win these of battles, to win a title, because I never thought I was going to play good on this hard court, but really fast.  This proved me wrong. I’m looking forward for the next. Of course, this gives me a lot of confidence for the next challenges.”

She did win the first round  in Canada, and more than two years ago, she was ranked No. 2, winning a lot of matches. However, in the Grand Slams, the 26-year-old has yet to reach into the semis. Maybe she can try to really push it, as now she is more real, on the court.

“I tried to calm down. I think that also helped me a bit to release my emotions because I was really, really nervous,” she said. “Sometimes I want it so much that I can’t control myself. That’s a little bit wha I changed. I’m like, Paula, it’s a set, just give everything you can, try to play your game like at the beginning of the match that I think I started really well on that and I was quite calm.It worked pretty well.” 

She must have, as on Wednesday, Badosa beat   Clara Tauson  6-1, 6-4.  Badosa will face Jelena Ostapenko, in the next round, a powerful hitter… Naomi Osaka just smashed Ons Jabeur  6-3, 6-1, so she must be ready to rock and roll…Amanda Anisimova has come back, and maybe she can stay there for a long time. She has to face against the quality opponent, Daria Kasatkina… With the men in Montreal, the former U.S. Open final,  Kei Nishikori, won a match, but on Thursday, he has to play against  Stefanos Tsitsipas. Ten years ago, the Japanese was so  consistent, and he could be there for hours, but he got hurt, all the time, so now he is decent, but he is not fantastic anymore. We will see if he can lock it in, agains. …There should be a good match between  Paul against Brandon Nakashima, as they know each other pretty well. ..Jannik Sinner  is back and the No. 1 will try to eventually win the U.S. Open. However, first he has to beat a number of good people, especially this week. He will face agains Borna Coric, another very interesting player. As the Italian said, “I like to dance in the pressure storm.”

At Wimbledon in the quarters, Carlos Alcaraz beat Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. It may looked like that Alcaraz was playing fantastic, but  Paul folded, as he was very tired. There are no excuses, yet in the Grand Slams, if you have to play for many hours, then eventually, your body can break down, and it is gone. 

Cleary the Spaniard is a better player, as Alcaraz has risen so high, winning four Grand Slams, including the 2024 Wimbledon. He also won Roland Garros, too, so when he is on fire, he can do almost anything. 

Paul has also improved a lot, yet the Olympics Paris is going on, so on Thursday, there should be a terrific match. Paul has beaten him twice, in Canada, in the summer on the hardcourts, but  Alcaraz beat the American in Miami and Cincinnati. That is very close, but they have yet to face off on the clay, so the No. 3 Alcaraz is the favorite. 

Why? Because when he is feeling it, then he can race off. Plus, his forehand, his backhand, and at the net, is in control. Three weeks ago, he nailed it.

“He kind of dictated the points and ended up dictating the outcome. He played awesome and played quick,” the No. 13 Paul said. “It was hard for me to kind of get ahead in points. He played first-strike tennis better than I did. He got on offense way quicker. He moves unbelievably well. He’s probably the quickest player. It’s very hard to get the ball by him.”

That didn’t happen, even on the grass, but now, Paul will have to rally, during the points, and changed it up, early. Paul will have to use his first serve, and try to crush it, in the corners. He really wants to go deep, but he knows that if he can to try to grab the Olympic Gold, then he is going to have to fly into the moon. He might not win, but he can create it, and make it into the third set. And then, who knows? 

“When [Alcaraz]  starts building energy and building momentum,  it feels a little bit different than most of the other guys. He can play some seriously amazing, amazing tennis.”