Cincinatti Open

[jimlosaltos]

Cinci's main draw starts today, but it's top seed Jannik Sinner is doubtful for his scheduled Thursday debut. Apparently, his hip was hindering him in his somewhat strange loss to Andrey Rublev Sunday.

Alcaraz is opposite Jannik in the draw, and Djokovic is skipping, understandably after his Olympic gold match.

The men's draw is at this link. What pops out to me, Gio aka G. MPETSHI PERRICARD meets Zhang in the first round. Nice to see Gio can now enter main draws directly. Shelton meets Ophelka. Today, hot Coboli vs Tommy Paul.

Berrettini - Rune in first round. Matteo is back atop the ATP rankings of best servers. Rune lost early again in Rogers Cup.

Women's draw is here.

Is Sabalenka's shoulder healthy? Didn't serve like it in losing to Amanda Aniisimova last week.

Navarro vs Mirra Andrea first round popcorn match.



Here's Jannik from his presser:

His discomfort continued even after the match halted due to rain and resumed later, where he kept holding his leg. Therefore, after the clash, in a press conference, a reporter asked the World No. 1, “Just to be sure, physically everything is okay?” The 22-year-old responded, “Yeah, it’s all okay. You know, I think these kinds of things are a bit more mentally than the physical for sure. Even if I know that my body is not as strained as I would like to because of last week, but it was also mentally for sure.”

[stroke]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/syVxucjQfHMXexZb6

Odds to win Cincinatti.

[jimlosaltos]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/syVxucjQfHMXexZb6

Odds to win Cincinatti.

Interesting to see Korda that high and also Berrettini on the odds-makers' minds after all this time.

[jimlosaltos]

Interesting suggestion by Randy Walker of TennisPublisher:

"CincyTennis has been around for 125 years, but you don't get a big feel of "history" there...How about changing that a bit and naming the Stadium Court after the greatest player to ever come out of Cincinnati.... Tony Trabert"

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[jimlosaltos]

Home hopes Tiafoe, Michelsen advance in Cincinnati

ATP:

Tiafoe: "put together a high-quality first-round display to down Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6(6). Tiafoe produced some moments of magic, particularly off his forehand wing, to improve to 9-2 in opening-round matches on hard courts this year.


Michelsen powered 36 winners, including 10 aces, against Griekspoor according to Infosys ATP Stats. After notching his third Masters 1000 match win of the year, the big-serving American has risen six spots to a career-high No. 51 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, while he has also consolidated second place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Michelsen is chasing his second straight appearance at the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

[stotty]

Interesting suggestion by Randy Walker of TennisPublisher:

"CincyTennis has been around for 125 years, but you don't get a big feel of "history" there...How about changing that a bit and naming the Stadium Court after the greatest player to ever come out of Cincinnati.... Tony Trabert"

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Good idea. I'd vote for that one.

[stotty]

I see Alexei Popyrin won the Montreal ATP Masters 1000 event. Now Rafa and Novak are fading and playing less, these 1000 events will be up for grabs like never before.

[stroke]

I see Alexei Popyrin won the Montreal ATP Masters 1000 event. Now Rafa and Novak are fading and playing less, these 1000 events will be up for grabs like never before.

It is mind boggling to review what the 3 did at the Masters 1000's since the mid 2000's. Their number of titles each pretty much says it all. Together they won 104.

[jimlosaltos]

Gambling is starting to rear its ugly head, and it looks as if the ATP, blinded by all the money it hopes to rake it, is totally unprepared for predictable bad effects.

From an online thread on Twitter about fans not just heckling players but doing so to the extreme in order to affect the outcome of matches. This from ongoing Jordan Thompson match.

"This thread details an increasingly common scene at tennis tournaments stateside: Fans sitting courtside and heckling players because they have bet money on the opponent. As sports gambling gets legalized state by state this will only intensify.'"

Denis Shapovalov joined the discussion asking when the ATP would act. You might recall he got bounced for yelling obscenities at a belligerent fan recently.

[stroke]

Fritz goes out in 3 long sets to Nakashima, 1st round. Today, Tsitsipas vs Struff, Sinner vs Michelsen, Berrenttini vs Rune, Musetti vs Tiafoe.

[stroke]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/L5wdN6XYLND5iGZQ8

Struff wins 1st set 6-4, peppering the Tsitsipas bh.

[stroke]

Tsitsipas stayed calm, fought to take the 2nd set with some judicial use of the slice bh, and took control of the match in the 3rd set.

[jimlosaltos]

Sinner barely escapes young Alex Michelson.

ATP:

Sinner saves 8 break points to beat Michelsen in Cincinnati

Jannik Sinner bounced back from a hip-injury scare and a quarter-final exit in Montreal with a battling opening win Wednesday at the Cincinnati Open. The Italian saved all eight break points against him in a 6-4, 7-5 victory against #NextGenATP American Alex Michelsen on centre court.

In the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, the 19-year-old Michelsen was bidding for his second Top 10 win after beating Alex de Minaur earlier this season in Los Cabos. The American took the match to Sinner at times and was vocal as he wriggled out of two tight service games late in set two. But after Sinner forced deuce for the third straight time on the Michelsen serve, the pressure yielded the decisive break.

"For sure not 100 per cent yet [physically], but I'm trying to get used to these kind of conditions," he said.

[jimlosaltos]

Tsitsipas stayed calm, fought to take the 2nd set with some judicial use of the slice bh, and took control of the match in the 3rd set.

Tennis Insights agrees with you!
Shot quality improved toward end. Look at that forehand. Hot.

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#

[stotty]

Sinner barely escapes young Alex Michelson.

ATP:

Sinner saves 8 break points to beat Michelsen in Cincinnati

Jannik Sinner bounced back from a hip-injury scare and a quarter-final exit in Montreal with a battling opening win Wednesday at the Cincinnati Open. The Italian saved all eight break points against him in a 6-4, 7-5 victory against #NextGenATP American Alex Michelsen on centre court.

In the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, the 19-year-old Michelsen was bidding for his second Top 10 win after beating Alex de Minaur earlier this season in Los Cabos. The American took the match to Sinner at times and was vocal as he wriggled out of two tight service games late in set two. But after Sinner forced deuce for the third straight time on the Michelsen serve, the pressure yielded the decisive break.

"For sure not 100 per cent yet [physically], but I'm trying to get used to these kind of conditions," he said.

I still haven't seen enough of Sinner (probably 4 or 5 matches) but he seems to have some Novak qualities. He can absorb pressure and, conversely, knows how and when to apply it himself.

I just watched Busta play Korda. I find Busta a bit dull to watch but he's tough cookie out there and hard to beat. Reminds me of RBA...same mould (mold in your language I believe).