tennis gut

The spectacular final we got to witness in Cincinnati between Djokovic and Alcaraz felt like it put those two players into the stratosphere.  Can the field bring them down to earth?   First Quarter The big news of the draw reveal is that Carlos Alcaraz (1), Jannik Sinner (6), and Alexander Zverev (12) are in the same quarter.   Sinner was rated third or fourth by many commentators and odds-makers pre-draw, and Zverev fifth.   Having three of the top five favourites in one quarter should make for some exciting matches. However, I would have preferred a more balanced draw. Zverev and Sinner are slated to meet in the fourth round.   Both hit hard and consistent ground strokes and defend well.   Zverev leads the head-to-head 3-1.   But it is Sinner who just won the Canada 1000. Zverev beat Medvedev in Cincinnati, so both Sinner and Zverev are in form. Both players have three wins over Alcaraz.   The good news for Alcaraz is that he can face...

COCO!! Coco?   Wait, she’s still a teenager?   And she beat Swiatek last week…   First Quarter Iga Swiatek is world #1 and the defending champ.   She’s fast, she’s consistent, she’s got great groundstrokes.   She will be tough to beat.   Her first few rounds are manageable, but Jelena Ostapenko (seeded 20), possible fourth-round opponent, has a go-for-broke style that can beat anyone. Surviving that, the real test could be Coco Gauff (6). Gauff is the fourth favourite of the bookies, just like last year.   She’d been having a so-so year until she got to the summer American hard-court swing. Then she claimed titles at the Washington 500 and Cincinnati 1000. Odds-on pre-draw, Coco and Iga were my top two favourites, so I’m disappointed the draw has slotted them for the quarter-finals.   I’d like this to be a final.   Recency-bias has me favouring Gauff.   She’s had a hot summer and beat Swiatek last week. However, Iga had de...