ATP
All eyes on Pegula
COULD it be America’s year at the US Open?
Certainly in the women’s singles it could be with Jessica Pegula hitting form at the right time in Canada this past week.
Pegula Tok advantage of an out-of-sorts Iga Swiatek at the Canadian Open with a 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 win.
And the match wasn’t without incident, the most amusing being in the second set when rock classic ‘Cotton-Eye Joe’ suddenly rang out across the Montreal Stadium.
Pegula was 4-3 up in the set and tried to hit a lob over Swiatek as the ball hit the court to be greeted by the loud music.
The point was immediately suspended as cameras caught Pegula in disbelief.
“I just thought it was funny,” Pegula said.
“I’ve never had that happen, let alone with ‘Cotton-Eye Joe.’ I was, like, is this really happening right now? Of all the songs. It was just, like, what is going on?”
The point was replayed and served as a turning point for the Pole who then won 12 straight points to take the set.
But it wasn’t enough as Pegula took out the decider and the match to make a big statement ahead of Flushing Meadows.
Most telling was the fact that Pegula broke her opponent’s serve four times in the first set, four times in the second set, and three times in the final set.
The American multi-millionaire, fourth seed in Montreal, looks ready for a deep run in New York.
“It feels great,” Pegula said after her win. “No better way to earn it, right? It was tough match. I felt like I was in control.
“But as the world number one does and a champion, she played some really great tennis at the end of the second set and in the third. So, she made me earn it.”
If she is to win in New York, she will have to maintain the level of aggression shown in this match many times over.
- Her opponent in Montreal as we write, is still unknown as rain forced the postponement of the second semifinal between Elena Rybakina and Liudmila Samsonova. The match to be played later today (Sunday).
WORLD No.1 Carlos Alcaraz was caught on camera giving the middle finger to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on live TV in Canada.
The top seed gave fellow Spaniard the middle finger during a brief catch-up between matches as Davidovich Fokina walked past Alcaraz as he was warming up on an exercise bike.
A knock on the window and a middle finger response.
Davidovich Fokina had the last laugh, winning his match against Mackenzie Mcdonald while Alcaraz crashed out against Tommy Paul, his first defeat in two months.
ANDY Murray is hoping the injury he picked up in Toronto last week will not affect his chances at the US Open.
Murray withdrew from his match with Italy’s Jannik Sinner with an abdominal strain.
“I had a very similar issue last year in the tournament in Stuttgart before Wimbledon which forced me to miss the Queen’s Club tournament and I was able to play Wimbledon,” Murray said.
“It took me about 10 to 12 days before I was feeling good again.
“This is not as bad as that but obviously the danger if you compete and play on it is you make it worse.
“So, I’ll need to see how it develops over the coming days and hopefully feel better in a few days.”
ALCOHOL is playing a large part at the US Open, after Maestro Dobel Tequila’s partnership with the toutnment was announced on Thursday.
You will see “Dobel Tequila” signage around the courts with fans above to taste the liquor at concession stands, restaurants and private hospitality spaces.
Mexican in origin, and distilled from agave plants to a centuries-old recipe, Maestro Dobel is described as a modern expression of tequila.
The brand has also partnered with Taylor Fritz, Aryna Sabalenka and Dana Mathewson, the highest-ranked American wheelchair tennis player.
MADNESS in Montreal as Maria Sakkari and Danielle Collins went head to head in another debate over player recklessness.
World No.8 Sakkari was criticised by Collins at the Canadian Open after hitting a ball into the crowd.
The Greek smashed the ball into the ground and it bounced up into the stands, prompting American Collins to question the move to the umpire.
“Did you just see that? Did you see what happened?, Collins shouted at the chair umpire.
Sakkari replied: “It didn’t even hit anyone. It was on the ground.”
Collins then hit back: “Shut your mouth, shut your mouth.”
Sakkari responded: “What’s your problem? I didn’t hit anyone. I framed the ball.”
But it wasn’t over as Collins retorted: ‘You hit the ball into the stands, Maria. You almost hit someone.”
The umpire managed to calm it before Collins went on to win 6-4, 6-2, with the pair shaking hands at the end.
IT was a solid return to court for Danish wildcard Caroline Wozniacki in Montreal on Tuesday as she easily won her match against Australian qualifier Kimberly Birrell 6-2, 6-2 at the Canadian Open.
“It just feels great to be back out there competing,” Wozniacki, who won this event in 2010, said afterwards.
As she walked on to court Neil Diamond’s famous Sweet Caroline song blared through the speakers.
AS expected, Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the US Open last week, citing ongoing injury issues.
“Heartbroken about the US Open, will be back….my wrist is not ready yet to compete. But may I remind people that I have a protected ranking of 21. When I choose to be back, I will be back where I belong,” Kyrgios said on Instagram.
German Jan-Lennard Struff also withdrew, leaving the way for Argentines Facundo Diaz Acosta and Diego Schwartzman to replace them.
REMEMBER this?
Probably not… Rod Laver jumping over the net after winning the 1969 US Open Tennis Championships final against Tony Roche.
With that win Laver became the first player to achieve an Open Era ‘Grand Slam’.
Alexander Zverev on Thursday made a long-sought after return to the Shanghai Masters semi-finals, booking his first final four at the event since 2019, defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4.
The 2027 year-end No. 1 last got this far as the Covid pandemic began to surface in China in 2019. The event was not played 2020-2022, with the German making modest progress here over the past three editions since resumption.
After winning his 62nd match of the season, the 29-year-old was pleased with his performance.
“I think it was a huge step up. From just being on the court I felt both of us were playing really well.
“I was, a lot of the time, outhitting Alex, which is difficult to do from the baseline because he is so fast and he loves this kind of court speed here.
“I felt good and I’m happy with the step up from the past couple of matches.”
Zverev advanced in 78 minutes, sending over 10 aces as he defeated the Australian for the ninth time in their 13 matches.
Added the reigning Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows Grand Slam champion: “I’ve been handling pressure quite okay this year. In a way you play a bit more relaxed.
“Once Jannik (SInner) unfortunately announced he won’t play for the rest of the year, I’m 4,000 points ahead of everyone else, so I trust myself enough that I’m going to win [enough matches].
Zverev will play for the final to wrap up the Asian swing as he takes on Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who advanced when Arthur Gea quit their quarter-final with injury.
Alexander Zverev marked his new status as sure-thing year-end No. 1 by reaching the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday by posting a fighting 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (1) victory over Alexander Bublik..
The 29-year-old German whose two Grand Slam titles this season and the absence of injured Jannik Sinner helped him into the top spot for the first time, needed to save four early set points and deal with an ank;e issue on his journey into the last eight.
Zverev moved through in just under two and three-quarter hours to set up a match with last week’s Beijing finalist Alex de Minaur, The Australian booked his spot over Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4.
Zverev will be playing in his 40th quarter-final in a Masters 1000 and is on the hunt for an eighth trophy this season.
He said his ankle was giving problems – but not enough to affect the match outcome.”It was kind of understandable because I have been playing a lot of tennis, which is kind of a good sign because I have been playing well.
“I’m starting to feel my body more and more but happy to get through. It was a difficult match because he has been playing amazing tennis,” he said after coming from a break down in the deciding set.
De Minaur has bounced back nicely in Shanghai after quitting the Tokyo final against Carlos Alcaraz with an adductor muscle injury.
Stefanos Tsitsipas willed himself to a 401st Tour win on Monday, with the Greek advancing to the Shanghai Masters 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, over world No. 12 Taylor Fritz to reach the fourth round.
The win leaves the Greek with a 5-2 record against the American in a series dating back nine years.
The cerebral Tsitsipas credited the victory to some simple mental gymnastics.
“I was manifesting today’s match and trying to put myself in a victorious situation,” he said.
“I’ve always had big fights against him. Some of my biggest matches were played facing him on the other side of the court. I had to up my level.
“Once I started doing that, a lot of doors were open and I was really able to unleash my biggest potential out there.”
The match ended on an unusual note as the ball twice fell from the pocket of Fritz, causing each of the points in question to be replayed.
Tsitsipas missed on three match points in the mistake-marred game but secured the fightback victory a game later after two and a quarter hours.
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