Benoit Paire has turned into Superman, pulverizing Pablo Carreno Busta 76 61 60, winning 16 of the last 17 games. The talented French powerhouse has suddenly instilled a new weapon into his formidable arsenal – emotional adrenaline. Paire dominated the court with his power and his presence, often flexing a “I am the king of the court” fist pump or uppercut. Paire is in a different zone now, a different world and thus he’s a different player. If only Richard Gasquet is taking notes. Lucas Pouille is attempting to give France the commanding 2-0 lead home court lead vs Spain’s Agut. The two have split sets.
USA has been trounced in day one singles in Croatia, with Steve Johnson and Frances Tiafoe going down in flames in straight sets. Tiafoe was dominated by Marin Cilic 61 63 76 while Borna Coric was too much for Steve Johnson 64 76 63. One can’t imagine John Isner, Jack Sock or Sam Querrey faring any differently. It’s another disappointment for Captain Jim Courier who has enjoyed minimal success at the helm.
Home court has been a key advantage in Davis Cup history but that will change next year in the new format, much to the dismay of Lleyton Hewitt who crusaded to maintain the Davis Cup’s 16 team World Group draw. Hewitt’s Australian team is down 0-2 in Graz to the Austrians with his combatants Jordan Thompson losing to Dominic Thiem in three sets and Alex deMinaur falling in four sets to Denis Novak.
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1 2 Next »Hartt · September 14, 2018 at 12:21 pm
It’s always interesting to see which players step up at Davis Cup. Paire is such an emotional player that perhaps the situation worked to his advantage.
It’s less than 4 hours before I get to see the Canada vs Netherlands tie. The stadium is a medium size, 7000 seats, so I should have a good view. Milos plays de Bakker and then Shapo faces Haase. From what he’s said, the Dutch captain is not thrilled his team is up against Milos, who has a 10-1 record in home ties. He hasn’t played for the last 3 years, mainly because of injuries, but at one time Milos was the backbone of Canada’s team.
Denis could have a tough time against Robin, they are 1-1 in their previous meetings.
Am also looking forward to seeing Nestor and Pospisil’s doubles match tomorrow. It is Daniel’s last match before retirement, and they are going to have a ceremony to induct him into Canada’s Tennis Hall of Fame.
If there is a dead rubber on Sunday I wonder if Felix will get to play. I’ve only seen him live once, when he won against Pouille at the Rogers Cup. I was in the cheap seats then, so it would be great to see the youngster close up.
Scoop Malinowski · September 14, 2018 at 12:37 pm
Hartt, Paire has really stepped up in his Davis Cup debut, his spirit has a different look now. Gasquet is riding the bench. Paire has shown us many flashes of brilliance and superstar tennis over the years and he could be entering a new stage of his career. At his best he looks like a major title contender, at his worst he looks like a journeyman ranked 64 in the world playing on court 14 against a qualifier. Davis Cup could be the stimulus that triggers Paire into becoming an elite ATP player finally.
Hartt · September 14, 2018 at 2:06 pm
Although I think it’s great that Paire played well, I won’t hold my breath for it to have any carryover to the regular season.
In the meantime, I’m off to cheers for the Canucks!
Scoop Malinowski · September 14, 2018 at 2:20 pm
Hartt, there is no reason why Paire can’t awaken at a later age like his pal WAwrinka did. Stan first showed he was an elite star in the 2008 OLY doubles when he carried Federer to gold. He was the best player on the court and then that triggered and launched Stan, he had never reached a major QF up till that OLY and then he made QF at US Open in 2010 and Australia in 2011 and then won Aus in 14. Paire looks to be emerging this weekend and if they win this tie and the Cup I think Paire can become an elite player too, top five.
Scoop Malinowski · September 14, 2018 at 2:22 pm
Canada should rout Netherlands 4-1 or 5-0. Again, Hartt, try to not scream and cheer to loudly unless of course Canada gets into unforseen trouble then you should scream and yell at the top of your lungs 🙂
Jg · September 14, 2018 at 6:02 pm
I only saw a few games of the third set in the Tiafoe Chilc match, but what was with Tiafoe’s slice or chip forehand, what a lame shot, it did no damage, he should have watched DeMinauer play Chilic, even DeMinauer lost it was a close five setter, and that was on a hard court, Poor showing not to at least get a set or 2 on clay.
Hartt · September 14, 2018 at 11:55 pm
Shapo made his match against Haase so exciting that I was doing lots of yelling, but I don’t think my voice registered over the general commotion of thousands of cheering Canucks, not to mention several drums, cowbells, and other noisemakers.
With Milos’ win over de Bakker, I am hoping Nestor and Pospisil win the doubles tomorrow. If they do, there will just be a 3-set dead rubber on Sunday. I think they will have Felix play that, the way Denis played the dead rubber in Halifax a couple years ago.
Also on Sunday will be Nestor’s induction into Canada’s Tennis Hall of Fame.
Hartt · September 17, 2018 at 7:54 am
I had a great time at the Davis Cup tie, it was like having a 3-day holiday. It was a good result for Canada, winning 3-1, although hardly unexpected. Milos came through, winning both his matches. He now has a 12-1 record in DC home ties. We fans had hoped for a dead rubber with Felix playing, but the Dutch team had to agree, and they didn’t. Many players had to fly off to other tourneys, so perhaps that was understandable.
As so often happens with DC, it is an unexpected player stepping up who is a big story. Yesterday it was the Dutch player, Scott Griekspoor, ranked No. 222, who had to replace an injured Robin Haase. He and Milos are virtually the same age, Milos is just 2 weeks older. But while Milos is a top player, competing for big titles, Scott’s natural habitat is the Challenger tour. I was probably one of the few non-Dutch fans who had even heard of the guy, and that was only because I saw the Blois Challenger final, where he beat Felix.
Scott played very well. Milos had over 20 aces, but Scott returned the Raonic serve often enough to get into some rallies, and there he held his own. He also made some very nice passing shots. But Milos’ serve and net game, plus Scott’s nerves, were too much in the end, and Griekspoor played a poor service game late in the third set, was broken, and Milos served it out, winning the match with 2 aces in a row.
During the on-court interview Milos complimented Scott, saying it’s not easy to play your first DC match, and asked the crowd to applaud Griekspoor. The Canadian fans (and the handful of orange-clad Dutch fans) were happy to oblige, appreciating the Dutchman’s fine effort.
Before the match there was a ceremony to celebrate Daniel Nestor’s induction into Canada’s Tennis Hall of Fame. Typical of Danny, he did not talk about himself, but rather praised Tennis Canada and the strong DC team that Canada will field. He thanked captain Frank Dancevic for choosing him to play, Vasek Pospisil for being his partner, and Felix (whose spot he said he may have taken) for not complaining.
There was a charming video outlining Nestor’s career, including of course his big DC win over then No. 1 Stefan Edberg when Danny was just 19. The video had brief appearances by Edberg and Fed, Isner, Andy Murray, Vasek and Milos, all of whom poked some good-natured fun at Nestor. The common theme was that Danny may be a “senior” player but he was more like a 13-year-old in the locker room.
As a big Nestor fan I did manage to hold back the tears, but some fans did have wet cheeks.
I feel so sad to know that this is the last real Davis Cup tie that will be played in Canada. I agree with those who say this is no longer Davis Cup and a new name and trophy are in order – perhaps the Pique Cup, or one that is very apt -the Lucre Cup.
Scoop Malinowski · September 17, 2018 at 8:59 am
Hartt, nice report. Canada prevailed as expected. But it was a special event with lots of dramas. Nestor’s farewell was very emotional and he bit his tongue to hide it all. Always liked Nestor, he was a great player for so many years with so many gigantic wins, even in singles. Once ran into him on a subway in Wimbledon, by himself going back to London, Interviewed him any times. He loved the Tour life, funny witty guy with a dry sense of humor, he really enjoyed the life of the tennis pro and he is one of the greatest doubles players of all time. He will surely stay involved in the sport and will be a fine coach.
Hartt · September 17, 2018 at 9:17 am
Yes, Daniel Nestor was special. I think Milos put it well when he said the most important thing about Daniel wasn’t even his great results, but rather his love for the game.
From what Nestor has said, it is likely that, after a bit of a break, he will work with Tennis Canada, rather than being a coach for an individual player. And, although he was clear that he did not want to take over the DC captain’s job when Laurendeau left, he obviously would like that role in the future.
catherine · September 18, 2018 at 5:59 am
Titbits from Tokyo: Sloane Stephens slumps to Donna Vekic, Barty bts doubles partner Coco in 3.
Interesting little tournament. No big guns but Muguruza there trying to show that everything’s fine with her game.
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2018 at 8:30 am
Bouchard has lost again, third 1R loss in a row since US Open, lost to Riske this time. She’s using a Yonex racquet now.. The Kournikovication of Bouchard’s career continues.
Hartt · September 18, 2018 at 8:51 am
That’s great news about Barty. She plays Azarenka (who beat Nara) next.
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2018 at 9:36 am
Maybe getting that first major doubles title after four final failures will spark Barty, now she knows she’s a grand slam champion. This could spark her singles as doubles success sparked Kuznetsova and Stosur and several others.
Hartt · September 18, 2018 at 10:45 am
I hope Barty does have lots of success in singles. She is a fun player to watch and is an appealing young woman.
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2018 at 10:50 am
She has a classical aesthetic game too, and her story of quitting and coming back to the sport is also inspirational. I saw her last match before she quit, it was at US Open qualies, Kokkinakis was watching it for a bit, it was right after I interviewed Kokkinakis about Facing Nadal. Can’t remember who Barty was playing, maybe Gibbs or someone like that. Amazing comeback by Barty after quitting tennis.
Hartt · September 18, 2018 at 11:28 am
I am not super optimistic about Genie but, to give her credit, she did play qualies to get to the main draw. I think it’s a shame she hasn’t added some variety to her game, but I do think she is very serious about tennis, and will continue to play qualies and small tourneys if that is what is necessary to try to improve her ranking.
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2018 at 11:55 am
Bouchard’s motivation is probably very different at a major and at a non major in some smaller city around the globe. She gets excited for the big events but the smaller events are less exciting to her. She’s a superstar and superstars struggle to get motivated for minor events. There is a saying in boxing from Angelo Dundee: “The great champions have trouble getting motivated for mediocre fights.” It applies to Bouchard IMO.
catherine · September 18, 2018 at 12:33 pm
You’ve said this before Scoop – but Genie Bouchard a ‘superstar’ ? A ‘great champion’ ? Great champions don’t have to play qualifying.
What evidence do we have that Genie’s ever got motivated enough to do well at a major event ? (she was punching above her weight in that W’don final)
I agree with Hartt – her game just does not have enough variety to bother more highly ranked players and win her a decent ranking.
The sands of time are running out for Genie….
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2018 at 1:50 pm
Catherine, she got to a Wimble final and top five in the world. She was doing something right, she knows how to play. Even if her game is rather predictable, she knows, pardon, knew how to win matches. But she’s fallen off the path. Maybe it was some of her personal life decisions which contributed to the nosedive. There are some juicy rumors out there about her busy personal life.
Hartt · September 18, 2018 at 3:05 pm
I doubt we will ever know just why Genie went so low. One suggestion is that her game depends on confidence, and once she lost her confidence, she struggled. And she was incredibly unlucky. Just when her game was showing signs of life she fell at the USO and suffered that concussion, which kept her off the courts for a long time. I didn’t think suing the US Open was a great idea, and there were times when having to deal with the court case did interrupt her schedule.
And she has had a series of injuries, especially abdominal ones. She would win a couple matches and then get injured again, so she couldn’t maintain any momentum.
Every once in a while she plays a terrific match. At Fed Cup this year she played extremely well in both her matches, despite betting injured during the first one. So she is still capable of playing well, just not often enough.
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2018 at 5:39 pm
Hartt, it’s like Sock, Gulbis, they were top ten and then somehow it all just fell apart and they became journeymen level players. All it takes is that fraction loss of commitment, dedication, lack of improvement, stagnation, complacence and it can all fall apart. It’s about fractions. Tennis careers are fragile, both physical and mental.
Hartt · September 18, 2018 at 7:45 pm
Gulbis is the one, it seems to me, who is in the worst situation, because he is 30 and has not won a tournament since May, 2014. On another site we have what is basically a “Gulbis watch,” rooting for him and hoping he can make some headway. But he is ranked No. 149 now, so things aren’t looking good.
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2018 at 10:28 pm
Gulbis had a bad loss at US Open qualies first round to Christian Harrison, after he won the first set he fell apart. Wouldn’t count him out yet though. He’s determined.
catherine · September 19, 2018 at 2:01 am
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/19/umpire-suspended-for-helping-nick-kyrgios-at-us-open
This incident was unfortunate but I agree with the suspension. Not professional behaviour.
catherine · September 19, 2018 at 2:30 am
A gem from Julie Heldman’s book, showing that nothing changes –
Julie (at the handshake to Virginia Wade):
‘If you call me a cheat again I’m gonna kill you.’
Hartt · September 19, 2018 at 5:53 am
I saw a few games of Osaka vs Cibulkova. Naomi won in about an hour, 6-2, 6-1. She was playing so well that poor Domi did not stand a chance. So no let-down post USO or apparent nerves playing in Tokyo.
catherine · September 19, 2018 at 6:27 am
Hartt – The title’s Naomi’s I think.
Also, I can hardly be bothered to type that Muguruza lost to Riske 1-6 2-6. Garbine’s now just another so- so baseline banger.
And Garcia must be near the record for playing 3 set matches – squeaked past Pavs in Tokyo.
What’s the betting Serena won’t play again this year ?
catherine · September 19, 2018 at 6:53 am
Naomi served 10 aces and won all her service games. She plays Kontaveit or Strycova next and I can’t see her losing to either.
Hartt · September 19, 2018 at 10:04 am
If Naomi keeps playing at that level it’s hard to see anyone beating her. I hope she really is the top player we’ve been waiting for, someone who wins a Slam and continues to play well in her next matches.
Have to admit I am more focused on the men in St. Petersburg than most of the women’s matches. Shapo managed to win the first set TB, but then played very well in the 2nd set to win it 6-2.His opponent was a Spanish player – was not familiar with him and he has one of those long Spanish names, so I just called him AM-M. Denis will play Berrettini next.
Right now Khachanov is playing Wawrinka, but the audio on my stream is not working, so I’m finding it hard to stay involved. I hate not hearing anything, but especially the sound of the ball.
catherine · September 19, 2018 at 10:29 am
Ha ha this is women’s tennis Hartt – you should know better than that. We’ll see what happens in Wuhan and Beijing when the gang’s all there.
I love it when the commentary’s in Vietnamese or something like that and I don’t have to turn the sound down 🙂
catherine · September 20, 2018 at 2:22 am
Strykova/Kontaveit Tokyo – on match point for Strykova shot from Kontaveit was clearly out (shown in tv)but because S had used up all her challenges the incorrect call was allowed to stand. Barbora pulled herself together and won the match but can you imagine the implosion from certain other players ?
Didn’t seem very fair to me but rules are rules I suppose.
catherine · September 20, 2018 at 8:10 am
Tokyo – if anyone cares – out go Barty to Azarenka, Konta to Vekic and Wozniaki to Giorgi.
I know Scoop doesn’t agree but I think Ashleigh’s hit the wall in singles. She’s just not getting the wins when you’d be expecting them.
As for Johanna – she was leading 4-1 in the 2nd set – I reckon Stan was coaching long distance – I’m sure that was bud in Donna’s ear 🙂
Hartt · September 20, 2018 at 8:32 am
Barbora has a pretty fiery temper herself, so did she restrain herself after the bad call?
One of the posters on Match Call Migrants is a huge fan of women’s tennis, so he keeps us up to date on the scores, and what is happening in Tokyo, etc. But you have different info, such as the situation with Barbora, so am glad to see your posts.
I just saw a very good match between Shapovalov and Berrettini, at least the first two sets were close. The first set went to a TB that Shapo won, then Denis was broken at the end of the 2nd set. But he found his groove for the 3rd, and won it 6-0. When Denis is on, there isn’t much an opponent can do.
I enjoyed watching Berrettini, however. I’ve only seen him a couple times and was impressed with his play today.
Denis is fluent in Russian, so it was fun to see the on-court interview. Fortunately, the interviewer translated into English because I’ve forgotten all my Russian. Denis will play Klizan next.
catherine · September 20, 2018 at 8:56 am
Hartt – I saw Denis won 6-0 in the final set. I think it’s on Youtube highlights so I’ll have a look.
Barbora controlled herself well – she just sort of sat there on the court and you could almost read her mind but then she got up and put it aside and won.
Other notes – Garcia has changed her serve – not the robotic action now. It’s better. Woz looked as though she had her mind on her wedding list. Japanese crowds love blondes so Giorgi got plenty of applause.
Petko reaches the sf in Guangzhou !
Speaking of Denis and your Russion – I knew German once but it’s long gone so I like to listen to German players to see how much I can pick up. Andrea’s German is very clear with a nice lilt, Julia talks very fast and Angie quite relaxed – you see her relief when the interview switches away from English. Steffi spoke with a pleasant South German accent.
Hartt · September 20, 2018 at 9:32 am
Good for Barbora, that must have been hard for her.
Am glad to hear that Petko won.
I can pick up just a few words of Russian in those interviews, but I love listening to the language, it is so soft, such a lovely sound. As you said about Angie, it is interesting to see how some players show a different side of themselves depending on what language they are speaking. It doesn’t even have to be their native language. Some players use their hands more, for example, when speaking French, even if it isn’t their native tongue.
A guy named Oleg S. said on twitter that Denis murdered Berrettini in the third set, which is an apt description. He also commented that Denis, when asked about which player he looked up to, said “Fedya”, Roger’s nickname in Russia. I bet the Russian fans love the youngster.
Scoop Malinowski · September 20, 2018 at 12:04 pm
Everybody loves Shap, young and old, this is one of the remarkable qualities of him. The ability to attract and appeal to all age groups. There is something special about his skills and his energy that has such wide appeal.
Hartt · September 20, 2018 at 1:09 pm
Yes, Shapo does have charisma. I still remember the USO a year ago when the fans embraced the youngster, who was still very new on the tour. The officials made the mistake of putting him on a smaller court for his first main draw match and chaos ensued. And most of those fans had to be Americans.
Along with his energy and skills there is the fact that he is different, plays an attacking style and is fearless. Sometimes I wish he would play some shots with more margin, but attacking will always be his preferred style. Although with experience he is making better decisions on the court.
There is also the way he shows his emotions, especially his excitement, and tries to draw the crowd in. When he shows frustration he is usually good about getting his focus back and forgetting about the last point.
I also wonder if his relatively small size is part of his appeal. Despite the power of his shots and his fierceness on the court, you feel somewhat protective of the youngster. And Denis isn’t afraid of being different. I can’t imagine another player having a toy animal, an Arctic wolf named Storm, for his mascot. Storm is there for every match.
Hartt · September 20, 2018 at 1:15 pm
I just watched the last match of Mikhail Youzhny’s long career. I so wanted him to win today, to reach match win #500, but he lost in 3 sets to RBA. So he will end his career with 499 match wins. He has said he did not care about getting to 500, but many fans wanted that for him.
He played well overall in the match, and of course Bautista Agut is a tough opponent. Sadly, a DF in his last service game gave RBA the break, and RBA successfully served out the match.
Mikhail had the same coach, Boris
Hartt · September 20, 2018 at 1:22 pm
I pressed the wrong button, so to continue about Youzhny.
He has had the same coach, Boris Sobkin, since he was 10. That must be some kind of record among today’s players. They often showed Sobkin during the match and it looked like he was playing the points along with his plaer. Youzhny’s wife, Yulia, was also watching intently.
They had a celebration of Mischa’s career, including a video of highlights, but my stream ended then. Hope it is on YouTube soon.
catherine · September 21, 2018 at 8:08 am
Looks like Tokyo final will be Osaka v Ka Pliskova with Osaka winning.
Vekic is aiming for a higher ranking than Stan 🙂
Hartt · September 21, 2018 at 9:05 am
Good for Vekic! 🙂
Hartt · September 21, 2018 at 9:11 am
A disappointing match from Shapo today. He cruised in the first set, winning it 6-3. Then served for the 2nd, was broken and then broken again, for Klizan to win it 7-5. Denis never found his form again. It was frustrating that he did not change his play earlier. He kept serving out wide and Klizan started to return those serves easily. Denis finally started serving down the T, and won those points. But he was still going for too much on his returns, etc.
Klizan won the St. Petersburg title in 2012 and has not played there since. So after today’s match he is undefeated in the tourney. He did well to overcome his frustration after the first set and to up his level.
catherine · September 21, 2018 at 9:30 am
Saw that score and wondered what happened. Is Denis getting tired at this time in the season ? Does he just get impatient when his tactics don’t work ?
I watched Vekic beating Garcia earlier and it seems Caroline is stuck in a rut. She doesn’t have a plan B, doesn’t approach the net or change gear once in a while. I caught her playing a couple of years ago for France in the Fed Cup where she beat Kvitova and she looked a better player then. And totally happy representing France. Autre temps…
Maybe different coaching input needed,(like Scoop’s always pushing for Denis !). Torben Beltz has certainly made a difference with Vekic who used to be awful. It’s funny to see his stubbly face in the box where he was for so many years as Angie’s coach.
catherine · September 21, 2018 at 9:46 am
Wang bt Petko in front of an almost empty stadium in Guangzhou. There were about 6 people there. Must be like playing on the moon. And Guanzhou (Canton ?) is not exactly a backwater.
Tokyo has been pretty full, and packed for Naomi. Great atmosphere.
catherine · September 21, 2018 at 10:28 am
Sorry – Garcia bt Ka Pliskova not Kvitova. No matter. She probably wouldn’t beat her now.
Hartt · September 21, 2018 at 11:29 am
Catherine, Denis has been more patient than he used to be, but there are still times when I am yelling at the computer screen for him to keep the ball in the court, he doesn’t have to go for so much. But his instinct is to go for the big shot and when that works he looks brilliant and when it doesn’t, not so much.
It was interesting in the Davis Cup match where he was down 2 sets to 0. He was terrible in those 2 sets. Then, about halfway through the third, he started playing with more margin, with more height over the net and more topspin. I don’t know if captain Frank Dancevic gave him that advice or if he figured it out on his own. I’d hoped that he would transfer that game plan to other matches when he wasn’t getting his shots in. But I guess the youngster is still learning.
Scoop Malinowski · September 21, 2018 at 1:07 pm
Was Martin Laurendeau at the Davis Cup tie?
Hartt · September 21, 2018 at 6:07 pm
I did not see Laurendeau at the Davis Cup tie. He is still having back issues – it is a disc problem, so it sounds serious. Denis had hoped Martin would be back with him by now, but the current goal is for the off season.
catherine · September 22, 2018 at 2:54 am
Simon Briggs, who’s probably got a freebie to the Laver Cup, is bigging up the idea of the ‘elite’ players taking over tennis and sorting out everything that’s wrong. Federer is going to do it all apparently. I hope he’s got deep pockets.
A couple of things spring to mind: first, even elite players get old, and second, organizations are around forever and players are not. Players didn’t force Open tennis in 1968 – the LTA and the AEC did.
Reading Julie Heldman’s book reminded me how many wheezes have come and gone in the game – which basically remains the same in its tournament circuit structure because that’s what suits tennis. And people get sick of watching the same players all the time.
(Kevin Mitchell hasn’t commented because he’s more interested in the Joshua fight tonight. Scoop will be following this too – easy for Joshua is the betting.)
Meanwhile the Wuhan draw is out – return to action for Simona and the worst opener in the world for Kerber who plays Keys first match. On to Beijing.