#WTA 2021: Garbiñe Muguruza annexes Chicago

Several hours ago at Chicago, world number nine Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain annexed her second title of the year via a 3-setter, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in an hour and 45 minutes.

The match was a see-saw affair for the first two sets as both players took a set each until a decider was played that only showed the class of Muguruza, and the limitations of Jabeur.

Slices are just no match against power strokes unless you keep them low and not place the ball on the same spot or manner ‘all the time’.

The Value of Coaching Chemistry

While it’s understandable to seek coaches with experience at the highest level (as many top players also do), as we have previously said, ‘player-coach chemistry’ is hard to find. The fall of many promising players including Grand Slam winners and aspirants is proof that success is more than just wisdom (or experience) — it’s about chemistry.

An experienced coach may know how to maneuver in certain situations but if s/he doesn’t know how to push the right buttons (including motivating, understanding and sincerely caring for ‘the person’) — you guys may not get the right results, so much so, through the long haul.

Tennis is not rocket science, so it doesn’t matter if your coach is your father. In fact, it’s so much better than having a traditional coach, again, for chemistry reasons. What’s important is he understands the sport, the work it takes, and the competition you have; thence, he could create the best tactics, offer the right advices, provide the needed training and inspire you all at the same time.

Stability: Having a good ‘father-coach’ is one of the advantages that Leylah Fernandez has.

If traditional coaches (even the best ones) are indeed the way to go, then why do top players keep changing their coaches? Even funnier is that many ‘top’ coaches has even transferred from one top player to another. Why? If you believe you already got the best, why change or get someone who has even been ‘discarded’? See. The difference between playing at the highest level and a so-so level simply lies in ‘intensity’. Nothing else.

Playing in the final or in a Grand Slam is what makes the air intense. If you’re not yet in the final or it’s not a Grand Slam, playing against top players is how things become intense. If you’re not playing a top player, playing under an inspiring coach helps you be intense and focused.

That’s the value of a ‘great’ coach. He helps you bring out your best whether you’re in a Grand Slam or not, whether you’re in a final or not, and whether you’re playing against your neighbor or Naomi Osaka.

#WTA 2021: Alison Van Uytvanck rallies past Yulia Putintseva for Astana Open title

After two hours and 21 minutes of ball whacking in Nur Sultan, Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck took away the trophy from local favorite Yulia Putintseva to the tune of 6-1, 4-6, 3,6 as the Belgian maintained her unblemished finals record.

It was actually the first time Van Uytvanck won against Putintseva, who held a 4-0 head-to-head lead against the Belgian coming into the match. And with the tournament being held at Putintseva’s home soil, everything was simply pointing to a Kazakh win — especially after she rolled over Van Uytvanck in the first set.

As much as possible — lose anywhere but not at home. This is where everything begins, where you grow your fans that mushroom worldwide. And it’s not to pressure you but to give you strength.

But to the bewilderment of the audience, Van Uytvanck kept her composure and made a comeback to the heartbreak of the home crowd. Now although there were just a few aces, the match actually had a high percentage on serves, so it was basically a clean match from familiar protagonists with the theme of just ‘outlasting the other’. That explains the more than two hours of tennis.

Heartbreaking as it was for Yulia Putintseva, the loss should only drive her to do better next time around — and remember, that when old plays no longer work, adjust your game.

Latest on Indian Wells

With the Indian Wells just about to begin, it’s noteworthy to know that a number of players including Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka would not be participating in what is considered as the tour’s fifth Grand Slam.

This is obviously important because of the seeding and of course, the depth of the tournament. But with the emergence of Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, excitement would no longer be wanting but in fact, build up as the tourney progresses.

Of course, the Spice Girls has got to back up their US Open performance. And we expect that they would be up to the challenge, after all, they are now the torch bearers of the sport.

Incidentally, it is also good to note that Raducanu is a seeded player (18th) despite the wildcard. For can you imagine if she faces first seed Aryna Sabalenka or rival Spice Girl Leylah Fernandez right in her first match?! That would be weird — as organizers just then took away the excitement, the anticipation.

Breaking News: Aryna Sabalenka tested COVID-19 positive and would be out of the Indian Wells tournament.

Lessons from the Spice Girls

When you are tagged as favorite (to win the Australian Open or whatever), ‘deflect the favorite tag’, just as Raducanu did. That way you ease your way into just playing your game.

Being teenagers who would be facing older opponents, all they need ‘right now’ is to improve more on their physicality — strength, stamina, speed.

When up against tough opponents or whoever — ‘Trust my game and go for my shots’ as how Fernandez stated when asked how she did her thing.

When you feel overwhelmed — ‘I wanted to put on a show for everyone here’ as how Fernandez embraced pressure (or nervousness or what have you) and turned it into her favor.

Young as they are, these statements alone says they are ready to paint the town red and lead tennis to greater heights.

#WTA 2021: Anett Kontaveit outplays Maria Sakkari for Ostrava title

It was a final where familiar foes met for the 11th time in their careers; and this time, after Maria Sakkari won their last two meetings for a 6-4 head-to-head count — Anett Kontaveit came roaring back in Ostrava to win 6-2, 7-5 in 92 minutes that closed their gap to a 6-5 tally.

Indeed, it was a destined meeting between the Greek and the Estonian that stemmed from their weeklong terrific plays, with Kontaveit downing the likes of Olympic champion Belinda Bencic and former Grand Slam winner Petra Kvitova — and Sakkari outmuscling two former French Open champions in Jelena Ostapenko and Iga Swiatek, on their way to the final.

In the final, while there weren’t so many aces, there was only one double fault in the match which was incidentally committed by eventual champion Anett Kontaveit. Still, the Estonian simply showed the way in all departments with the most glaring coming from the receiver points won, 32-15.

True, it may be a straight sets victory but the clinching set especially was a battle — of wits, of placings, of will.

Other Developments

Who wants to see Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez take the court again? Of course, just about every tennis fan save for diehards of other players.

Well, while we could see Leylah Fernandez come Indian Wells, US Open champion Emma Raducanu is said to be undecided if it’s going to be Indian Wells or the Kremlin Cup. Everyone just wants a piece of her yet she may even need a wild card to play at the Indian Wells.

Emma Raducanu-Andrew Richardson split: While seeking experience from other coaches is good, ‘good’ chemistry is hard to find.

At any rate, it would obviously be better for her to be in the bigger or more renown tournament as much as possible, as it would be a better follow-up to her US Open success. Besides, fans just can’t wait to see another Raducanu-Fernandez meeting. Can’t blame them, what with the excitement these two players generate!

There’s no denying that Raducanu and Fernandez absolutely possess that ‘stage presence’ that we haven’t seen since the heyday of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. While Raducanu could light up the stadium with her infectious smile, Fernandez is the master showman, err, show woman. Hey, have you seen anyone in this tennis generation that could egg the crowd like she could? Nope. Not even close. Wow.

‘Crowd pleaser’ Leylah Fernandez: The Spice Girl that we have been waiting for.

Nervousness? They don’t even know the word. We all saw how they plastered the opposition with great fundamentals, grit and athleticism just weeks ago; yet they are more than that. Raducanu and Fernandez are not only top-notch players, but entertainers that bring more excitement to the game…

And that is the future for you.

#WTA 2021: Clara Tauson outguns Jelena Ostapenko in Luxembourg final

In Luxembourg, an interesting weekend of women’s tennis following the historic US Open saw Clara Tauson of Denmark outduel Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 for the championship. Meanwhile, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini grabbed her first WTA singles title by beating American Alison Riske, 7-6(4), 6-2 in Portoroz.

Ostapenko who was trying to defend the title the last time Luxembourg was played succumbed to four double faults, while allowing Tauson to tally eight aces tried to make it tight — but the Dane just stepped up at the right moments and collared her second WTA title after two hours of labor.

Jasmine Paolini is all smiles after conquering Portoroz for her maiden WTA singles title.

Tauson, after defeating the likes of Marketa Vondrousova and Ekaterina Alexandrova, looked confident enough to turn back whatever rally the former French Open champion would come up with. This is good for her blossoming career, what with the entry of Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez to the limelight. She really can’t afford to dilly dally if she intends to be a significant part of the future, and so, we expect her to try to go deep in just about every tournament she joins.

Indian Wells Primer

Would we start seeing Tauson’s magic come Indian Wells? That’s just in a matter of two weeks.

Meantime, big tournaments like the Indian Wells is an opportunity for global stars like the recent US Open finalists — Raducanu and Fernandez — to step on the gas toward the real changing of the guards. For while we expected Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu to carry the torch, they just couldn’t thoroughly deliver for issues we all know.

Thence, for a peek at the future, it would be interesting to see a matchup between Emma Raducanu and world number one Ashleigh Barty, whom Raducanu was supposed to play against in the US Open if Shelby Rogers didn’t knock out Barty in round three. Key question: How much longer could the Australian remain on top? On the other hand, it would be intriguing to witness top Canadian stars in Fernandez and Andreescu go head-to-head this coming Indian Wells. Key question: Does Andreescu still have it or is she ‘gone’ for good? Meanwhile, another Coco Gauff versus a ‘stable’ Naomi Osaka (or any of the top 10 players) match would be good. As we’ve said, turnover in sports is fast; if you’re not serious and ready, you’ll soon be irrelevant.

Raducanu and Fernandez, ready to follow through and take over.

Victories even by only Raducanu and Fernandez could formally usher the turnover of women’s tennis to the Spice Girls.

#WTA 2021: The Case for WTA’s Spice Girls

As the roar of the just concluded US Open still linger in the air, fans and pundits have started to go through the Slams of 2021 and ponder on the coming 2022 season.

Like, who had the best season to date? Should we just base it on their win-loss records? We say No. Instead, we should base it on the impact that the player has made. Say, if she had a 50-win season but never won a major, then it’s nothing compared to someone who won lesser matches but won a Slam along the way. Meantime, winning streaks only matter if you have won at least 15 matches in a row. Else, if you neither won a Slam nor made 15 successive victories, then there’s not much impact made.

Tennis is about competition. Thence, you can not just hide yourself especially when you are called out, challenged or what b.e.c.a.u.s.e. ‘tennis is competition’. If you hide, then it’s a sign that you should not be in sports or any competitive setting. After all, handling pressure is what makes a champion.

The future of women’s tennis is not all about age groups or peer groups — it’s about who could truly make an impact. And we can not single out just one player to be the future as she would need a rival(s) to carry the torch of excitement.

And so we have picked out the Spice Girls of women’s tennis. The most promising girls to date.

WTA’s Spice Girls and the Future

See. Turnover in sports is fast, particularly those that require physical activity. Thus, discipline (and desire) is a must. Peer groups can not be limited to just those of your age, but a plus-minus 2 years should be applied. Meaning, if you are 19 (or you were born in 2002), your peer group ranges from 17-21 years old (or those born between 2000-2004) as there is really not much difference in terms of athleticism among you. Unless, of course, one of you is a super athlete from Mars.

In our previous article, we picked out Emma Raducanu, Leylah Fernandez, Coco Gauff, and Marta Kostyuk as the Spice Girls of WTA. Yet some may argue, why not Clara Tauson instead of Marta Kostyuk or even Coco Gauff? For Gauff, we already elaborated her case on age or peer groups above. For Kostyuk, it’s because she (just like Gauff who made the fourth round of the Wimbledon and third round of the US Open, both 2019 at 15) already achieved some sort of high when she reached the third round of the 2018 Australian Open as a 15-year-old. Tauson has yet to do something special.

If that’s the case, why isn’t Iga Swiatek part of some Spice Girls when she was only 19 and won the French Open last year? Because during her famous run, nobody in her plus-minus 2 group was really making an impact, but most were just erratic. And remember, you need a rival(s) to be remembered as ‘great’. Therefore, Swiatek is a lone star. Say, a Britney Spears.

So again, while the potential of Tauson is there — as we have previously said, turnover in sports is fast. And so, you got to prove yourself early (to have a shot at greatness), else, you would be lost in the shuffle and become irrelevant. In this case, let’s say Kostyuk is ‘scared’ of pressure and does not accept the challenge — like, see their performance and social media — then she would just be replaced by Clara Tauson as the Dane’s potential would vouch for her.

While we try to manage expectations, we can not back down from challenges. Dreams propel us and Pressure is where greatness lies. (Photo: Clara Tauson)

Think about this. Spice Girls, pressured? Ridiculous. Hey, none of the Spice Girls can have ‘stage fright’. They should be ready for center stage, they are the torch bearers!

Looking towards 2022

In three months time will be the start of the 2022 season and the first Grand Slam of the year — do you think the Spice Girls could make at least the quarterfinals? We say, at least one of them will, though it’s too early to tell who would take home the trophy. Preparations, injuries, competition and all should be monitored.

And with the rise of Raducanu and Fernandez, the women’s ranks are surely on their toes. And so, we got this early notion that it would not be a first-timer who’d be champion this time, but a previous Grand Slam winner that would win the 2022 Australian Open.

Spice Girls, prove us wrong.

#WTA 2021: Emma Raducanu claims her place in history at the US Open

Yes, we now have a new US Open champion in Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu after she beat fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez of Canada, 6-4, 6-3, in nearly two hours.

The battle was just epic that we wished it took three sets to finish, but who cares? Two hours of fantastic tennis is like a 3-setter, anyway. Action-packed that was just reminiscent of the last time two teenagers met in the finals — 1999 US Open between 17-year-old Serena Williams and 18-year-old Martina Hingis.

Exciting times ahead for women’s tennis, courtesy of Emma Raducanu.

How did Emma Raducanu do it?

Her service game was more accurate than that of Leylah Fernandez. Her defense practically set-up her offense. Her game plan was key.

Considering a noticeable difference in their double faults — Raducanu 1, Fernandez 5 — could have the Canadian buckled under pressure? While we have seen Fernandez to be as tough as nails, in this finals, she was facing an old foe who beat her some three years ago while at the Juniors. A haunting memory that must have came back at some point in the match.

Did Leylah Fernandez finally feel the pressure in this finals, considering her opponent?

Okay, Raducanu had to go through the qualies, but in her run, the most notable players that she faced were only Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari. Thus, if you really think about it, Fernandez was the real giant slayer here — beating Naomi Osaka, Angie Kerber, Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka — on her way to the finals; so why wasn’t she able to defeat Raducanu?

Familiarity.

They know how each other plays, but Fernandez didn’t have a counterpunch. She either didn’t have a game plan, or she failed to adjust her game during the match. Now, while Raducanu was an unexpected champion, we did see a first-timer as the US Open champion, what with the unpredictability of these top seeds. And so surely, with her grit and determination, Raducanu deserves to be the new champion — the Emma ‘Granger’ not only of Wimbledon but in all of women’s tennis.

The Future

A couple of years back, we saw Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu and Dayana Yastremska as the future of women’s tennis. But that seems to be a ‘what could have been’ now.

While Osaka has actually been doing well with four Grand Slams in her pocket, she’s been dealing with issues that has prevented her from continuing her dominance in the tour. On the other hand, injuries and lack of matches has definitely derailed Andreescu to win more majors. And with her slow progress, this has obviously taken the fire out of the 2019 Andreescu that we know. Meanwhile, Yastremska just didn’t develop to be the force that she could have been.

Coco Gauff now has company for the future of women’s tennis, and she better step up fast, or be totally left behind.

Now comes the saviours of women’s tennis — Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez. Who would have thought that both these girls would even make a Grand Slam finals this early and win ahead of the much talked about Coco Gauff? Hey, them three plus another promising teen (*Marta Kostyuk, if she could get things together ASAP) could be the Spice Girls of women’s tennis!

The excitement is only beginning.

#WTA 2021: Elina Svitolina grabs Chicago

The weekend finals was a day of hard fought tennis, both in Chicago and Cleveland, as Ukrainian Elina Svitolina upended Frenchwoman Alize Cornet in a wrenching Chicago final, 7-5, 6-4; while Estonian Anett Kontaveit willed her way against Romanian Irina Begu, 7-6(5), 6-4 to claim Cleveland.

Incidentally, both finals hovered around two hours of tennis with sort of similar statistics, from the final tally to its breakdown as while the losers had better results in their first serves, the winners made the difference in the second serve. Here, just about everything in both matches were a close call that either of players took, that the only storyline in their stats was actually the total points won in favor of the winners.

Can Anett Kontaveit bring her Cleveland fighting spirit to the US Open?

Of course, unless you didn’t see either of the matches as how they were played, then you must have missed some good weekend action in women’s tennis.

US Open Developments

Meantime, in case you haven’t heard it yet, the US Open would be missing Sofia Kenin who caught the virus and the Williams’ sisters, Venus and Serena, both of which are harbouring injuries. While Kenin would surely be back in the coming majors, could this be end for the legendary sisters?

Still, even with their absence, this final Grand Slam is loaded and with every top player checking in. It’s now a matter of who are truly ready. And just as we mentioned in our previous article, don’t be surprised if most of the top players themselves exit even before the quarterfinal.

Is Coco Gauff still too green (and so, predictable) to win this year’s US Open?

Tennis is changing — and more than style, it only favors the truly hungry.

#WTA 2021: Ashleigh Barty wallops Jil Teichmann in Cincinnati final

After 73 minutes of tennis, Ashleigh Barty once again proved why she is world number one as she sliced Jil Teichmann in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1 to pocket a loaded Cincinnati tourney and register her fifth title of the year.

With the win, the Australian also became the first player to get to 40 wins for the season, and strengthen her hold on the top spot as she enters into her 90th straight week. So, has Barty erased the disappointment of her Olympic performance with her Cincy victory? Well, it’s easy to take the Olympics for granted and have other big tournaments heal you; then again, the Olympics come only once in four years, so if you really think about it, it’s just as prestigious as a Grand Slam so to speak.

Do you think Ashleigh Barty is now ready to win a hard court Grand Slam?

On the other end, the Swiss who’s also on a tear had gotten big wins herself — subduing Naomi Osaka, Belinda Bencic and Karolina Pliskova — over the week and could just be getting started in her US Open preparation.

US Open Primer

And so, with just about a week to go before the final grand slam of the year, prudence should be the battle cry of every player whether she’s participating in Chicago or Cleveland — or just resting for the coming major. One can’t just overdo things and get injured or fatigued — or be lackadaisical and get rusty. Year in, year out, that’s just how it is.

So, who’s your US Open bet?

A streaking Ashleigh Barty? A vastly improved Danielle Collins? The rising Jil Teichmann? Sentimental favorite Naomi Osaka? A recovering but still tenacious Simona Halep? Comebacking Jennifer Brady?

If Jil Teichmann has learned from her Cincinnati final’s experience, then she could be a dangerous opponent to face.

We’re not even mentioning most of the Top 10 players as they ‘could likely’ fall even before the quarterfinals once they battle determined and hardworking opponents. Would we see another first-timer win a Grand Slam?

#WTA 2021: Camila Giorgi is Montreal’s new champion

Italy’s Camila Giorgi is back in the winner’s circle as she slipped past Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5 to take her third WTA singles title in Montreal.

If there are players who knows Pliskova well, then Giorgi is one of them. Coming into the match, Pliskova was leading Giorgi, 5-3, however, the last time the Czech won over the Italian was back in the 2019 Australian Open. With the win, Giorgi has not only narrowed the head-to-head gap with Pliskova, 5-4, but has actually established some sort of mastery over Pliskova as Giorgi has now won the last three matches against the Czech.

It’s always been speed against poise with service playing a key role, but this time the ace master was outdone by the Italian machine, 7-4 in her department — with first and second serve points as well as break points all in Giorgi’s favor, as Pliskova was often sent scrambling for the ball.

One of the more intriguing matchups in women’s tennis as Camila Giorgi snatched Montreal from Karolina Pliskova.

It’s been a while since we saw Giorgi with a trophy and this time, after 100 minutes of action, she made sure she’d get the iron — the biggest title of her career yet.

Montreal’s Comebacking Stars

While Bianca Andreescu survived Harriet Dart in the first round, her lack of matches showed in her second round loss against Ons Jabeur — especially in that third set 6-1 beating. Meantime, Simona Halep just ran into an in-form Danielle Collins in the first round and just couldn’t put it together in her three-set loss. Montreal also saw the end to Collins’ streak as she got beat by Jessica Pegula in a draining 148-minute, three-set loss. Perhaps it’s time for a short break for the tennis-weary American…

Though Cincinnati would be a good preparation for the US Open.

#WTA 2021: Danielle Collins pockets second career title in San Jose

Everything seems to be humming right now for American Danielle Collins as she topped Russian Darya Kasatkina in the final at San Jose, 6-3, 6(10)-7, 6-1 after two hours and 18 minutes of inspired tennis.

This was the second WTA singles title for Collins after bagging her first in Palermo just two weeks ago — as we are now witnessing the best tennis of her career.

Danielle Collins just clicking on all cylinders, and perhaps on her way to the Top 20 soon.

On her way to the finals, she defeated experienced and favored players like Sloane Stephens and Elena Rybakina, while Kasatkina herself overcame the likes of Elise Mertens and Caroline Garcia. The American had her chances to end the story in the second set, but the Russian herself is no pushover and a big-time player herself as she fought back and won the tiebreaker to send it into a decider. In the third set, Kasatkina surprisingly lost her touch and Collins just took advantage to win the title. San Jose, indeed, provided some depth that not only entertained the crowd but a crown Collins should be proud of.

Hours before the Collins conquest, German Andrea Petkovic only took an hour to plaster first-time finalist, Egyptian Mayar Sherif, 6-1, 6-1 to take Cluj Napoca.

The best is yet to come for Egypt’s Mayar Sherif.

While the finals was close to wearisome, the Cinderella story of Egypt’s first player to reach the quarterfinals was a narrative worth taking into account itself — and whatever Sherif would accomplish afterwards was simply icing on the cake, so as they say, the rest is history.

Montreal Shuffle

Back are the likes of Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu in Montreal. But what could we really expect from a recovering Halep? Or could we, at least, see the fire that Andreescu used to have?

Missing in action no more as ‘Miss Intensity’ is back.

For their fans and the talent they possess, a recovering Halep should at least make the quarterfinal, while the ‘unpredictable’ Andreescu should at least make the semifinals. After all, an injury deserves more leniency compared to some kind of ‘attitude’ problem.

It’s about time for some great tennis.