Cincinatti Open

[jimlosaltos]

WTA side; 17 year old Mirra Andreeva keeps sprouting up, beats world 13 Emma Navarro 2 and 2.

[stroke]

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).

PCB is a very good player, a tough out. No doubt a bit of RBA in him.

[stroke]

Marozsan very impressive in taking out an in form Dimitrov, after losing the 1st set.

[jimlosaltos]

Better to win ugly than lose prettily ?

WTA side: Big upset, Leylah Fernandez halted No.4 seed Elena Rybakina's return to action in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, triumphing 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 from double match point down in the second set.

Candid comments: "I think it was an ugly match from the both of us, it clearly wasn't the best tennis," Fernandez said. "Clearly our service games weren't going well, too many unforced errors. I was just lucky that today I got the good end of the stick.

Paula Badosa's back seems improved, if not well. Perhaps treatments are working. Takes out 13 see Kalinskaya 3 and 2

In a match of two recently-ex college players, Diana Shnaider thumps Asley Krueger 5 and Bagel. Krueger had previously taken out Olympic silver medalist and Wimby semifinalist Donna Vekic.

[stotty]

Stefanos crashes out to Draper. It was never going to be easy against Draper, a decent lefty, gunning for his backhand from start to finish, but Stef really has gone backwards in my view. He certainly hasn't improved any of the weaknesses he's had for years now. Tennis is not a game where you can standstill anymore. You have to endlessly try to improve things. Not sure where Stef goes from here. He needs a technical coach as oppose to a tour coach right now.

[jimlosaltos]

Stefanos crashes out to Draper. It was never going to be easy against Draper, a decent lefty, gunning for his backhand from start to finish, but Stef really has gone backwards in my view. He certainly hasn't improved any of the weaknesses he's had for years now. Tennis is not a game where you can standstill anymore. You have to endlessly try to improve things. Not sure where Stef goes from here. He needs a technical coach as oppose to a tour coach right now.

Agreed. Hope Stef finds the right person.

[stroke]

I like Tsitsipas but I don't think he will ever get that bh sorted out to where it needs to be for a top 20 player. He is unquestionably to me one of the best athletes on the Tour, his forehand is one of the very best on Tour. He can take the ball on so early, like Fed used to. Stef did serve for match at 5-4 3rd set, a very tough loss. A completely uncalled for time violation at 0-30 in that game was not helpful to his cause. It cost him his first serve, then he double faulted to 0-40. For the match, Stef had 1 bh winner, 13 errors off that side.

[stroke]

Speaking of backhands, I saw the ATP Shot Quality backhands rankings on Tour for this season thus far. Sinner had just eclipsed Novak for 1 and 2. In the top 10, only one hander in there was Gasquet.

[jimlosaltos]

This amuses: La Monf upsets Carlitos, who once again had the break points but just didn't convert.

ATP: "Gael Monfils earned his biggest win in more than two years on Friday at the Cincinnati Open, where he stunned World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 to capture the ninth Top 3 victory of his career. In windy conditions, Monfils was the more consistent in the decider to inflict just an eighth defeat of the year on Alcaraz. The 37-year-old saved all four break points he faced and rode the momentum he had gained in the second-set tie-break to earn his first Top 3 win since he beat then-No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Daniil Medvedev in March 2022 in Indian Wells.

Monfils has little time to celebrate, let alone recover, since he'll have to play Holger Rune later tonight.

[stroke]

This amuses: La Monf upsets Carlitos, who once again had the break points but just didn't convert.

ATP: "Gael Monfils earned his biggest win in more than two years on Friday at the Cincinnati Open, where he stunned World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 to capture the ninth Top 3 victory of his career. In windy conditions, Monfils was the more consistent in the decider to inflict just an eighth defeat of the year on Alcaraz. The 37-year-old saved all four break points he faced and rode the momentum he had gained in the second-set tie-break to earn his first Top 3 win since he beat then-No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Daniil Medvedev in March 2022 in Indian Wells.

Monfils has little time to celebrate, let alone recover, since he'll have to play Holger Rune later tonight.

Great win for Gael, but it would never have happened vs the 3.

[stroke]

Sheldon looked very good vs a very tough Marozsan. Marozsan really takes the ball early off both sides and is formidable. Next up for Ben, an in form Zverev.

[stotty]

Great win for Gael, but it would never have happened vs the 3.

True...it's a bummer though as I was hoping for a Sinner v Carlos showdown in the final.

[jeffreycounts]

Monfils has little time to celebrate, let alone recover, since he'll have to play Holger Rune later tonight.

Monfils almost did it again. Got the first set against Rune but probably ran out of gas. Gael is one my all time favorites and the win over Alcaraz has to be a career highlight for him.

[jimlosaltos]

Monfils almost did it again. Got the first set against Rune but probably ran out of gas. Gael is one my all time favorites and the win over Alcaraz has to be a career highlight for him.

Great showing by La Monf. Tough ask at 38 yo to have two matches in one day

[jimlosaltos]

That's two big, back-to-back wins by Jack Draper.

ATP: "Draper advanced to his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and first in two years (2022 Montreal) with a hard-fought 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime. The lefty, who upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round after the Greek served for the match, won his third consecutive three-setter.