Big wins for Sinner and Sabalenka. Full report, plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW.
This weekend we were reminded of who the best male and female players are in 2024.
Jannik Sinner produced a commanding display against Novak Djokovic to lift his Tour-leading seventh title of 2024 on Sunday at the Shanghai Masters. The Italian did not blink in a 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph, becoming the first man to win more than six titles in a calendar year since Andy Murray won nine in 2016. Sinner clinched a high-octane first set by improving to 24-8 in tie-breaks for the year, before surging to an ultimately unassailable 4-1 lead in the early stages of the second set.
Not terribly surprising that at 37 Djokovic has slowed down. (He says he's content having won just the gold medal this year, which seems poetic.) But I read somewhere that he hasn't even been able to create a single break point against the last few times he's played Sinner, which is a surprise.
In doubles, Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic took another strong step towards securing their ATP Finals qualifications Sunday by capturing their fourth title. The duo brought some of their most clinical tennis to edge past Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match, saving 100 percent (6/6) of break points faced during the contest.
Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka became the first player to win the Wuhan Open three times with a hard-fought win over Zheng Qinwen in Sunday's final. The 26-year-old Belarusian was taken to three sets by China's Zheng in a thrilling rematch of this year's Australian Open final, in which she also claimed victory. Sabalenka clinched her fourth women's singles title of the year 6-3 5-7 6-3 and remains undefeated in Wuhan.
In the previous round, Sabalenka defeated Coco Gauff, in what can only be described as another worrying performance by the American.
Of course the week before, things were looking up for Gauff, when she won her first singles title since January -- and second career WTA 1000 championship -- with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 victory over Karolina Muchova in Beijing. Gauff has a new coach -- and there's talk of adjusting her grip -- but only time will tell if it pays off in the long term.
Elsewhere around the net ...
Manly Monegasque Hugo Nys made a new friend
J.J. Wolf's sock buddy also has an ass
Andrew Harris is very proud of James Duckworth for winning the Challenger in Hangzhou. (Does James get to take him home?0
Sexy Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow see the finish line
Another Challenger crown in the bag for cutie Camilo Ugo Carabelli
after a hard-fought win over De Jong 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in Villa María, Argentina
Jan-Mike looking fit in Hawaii
No sets dropped in Valencia for Pedro Martinez
... as he captures the title with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Jaime Faria
Jakub Mensik enjoyed a great run in Shanghai
Juan Carlos Ferrero with two of the best tennis players of all time
Thanasi Kokkinakis further sullies his beautiful body
(How will this generation explain to their kids that they had no personalities?)
Where do you even begin?
Holger Rune and his big Danish "friend"
Stockholm Syndrome poster boy Christian Harrison
Manspread Monday: Casper Ruud
Gender-confirmation surgery for Seba?
Filip's fluffy hair
Tomas Machac apologizes for beating Carlos in Shanghai
The cutest farewell to Rafa!
Robert Farah does the Twist again
Who's treating who?
Follow HERE.
Robert Cardenas in black
How do you say LOL in Czech?
Because I know just the bottom-heavy man to model it.
Loving Garbiñe's beard
Peek-a-boo
Arthur Cazaux strikes again
Jan-Lennard shows off his flexibility
Neal Skupski assumes the position
Another sweet farewell
Matias Descotte likes what he sees
Speaking of flexible
All the hot boys want to be around Vasek ... and vice versa
SMH. Never in my life
Terence Atmane: Taking the high road or passive-aggressive lunatic?(!)
Juan Betancourt reminds Paula Badosa what she's missing
Our other husband reached a Challenger final ...
Adam Jones is dying to be an American
Siesta time for Carlitos
Cute partners alert: Matt Summer and James Story
Hashtag Balkan muscle
The Italian job
Yes, players have never been hotter. But even Kenny Rogers could tell you they've always been easy on the eyes!
Has Andre Agassi been reduced to informercials?
When you're right you're right
Grigor admires Jack Kramer's wood
The list grows ...
And last but not least: This one's for Damian, who has never met a Murray brother he didn't love.
No comments:
Post a Comment