Weekend Tennis Roundup

World No. 2 Karolina Pliskova has become the first player with four WTA titles in 2019, toppling Petra Martic 6-3, 6-2 in Zhengzhou Open final for the crown number 15 overall. This brings the underachieving (or is it over?) Czech uncomfortably close to being No. 1 again, still having never won a major title.

In the first all-Japanese WTA final in 22 years, Nao Hibino downed Misaki Doi to win the Hana-cupid Japan Women's Open, 6-3, 6-2. After each Japanese woman had upset two seeded players en route to Sunday's championship, both unseeded compatriots, currently ranked outside the Top 100 but with career-best rankings in the Top 60, were looking to win their first WTA title in four years.

No.5 seed Rebecca Peterson stormed to her maiden WTA title at the Jiangxi Open with an emphatic 6-2, 6-0 defeat of No.4 seed Elena Rybakina in exactly one hour. 

Stefanos Tsitsipas, on the last day of Davis Cup 2019 in Athens pic.twitter.com/RsZabV7zsg

— angie (@ultravoxing) September 14, 2019

I think the men were busy with some Davis Cup stuff this week, although I'm still unclear how it works. Some results are HERE.

Meanwhile, tennis's latest gimmick, the ATP Cup, is set to launch in January. Do we really need Hopman Cup, Laver Cup and now the ATP Cup to distract from the already neutered Davis Cup?

SportsBusiness writes;

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have all committed to play in the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia next January, in a significant boost for the new nation-based event. The ATP announced the first 19 countries to qualify for the team tournament following the first-round deadline last Friday. Qualification is based on the current ATP men’s singles rankings, although host Australia has been given a wild card. Great Britain has qualified by virtue of Andy Murray’s protected ranking of number two in the world. The ATP said every member of the top 10 in the men’s rankings and 27 out of the top 30 players have committed to the $15m (€14m) tournament which will take place in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from January 3-12 2020. Five further teams will be added after the second entry deadline on November 13 taking the number of teams to 24 overall. Teams will be allowed up to five players with their qualification determined by their world ranking after the November deadline.

And in Challenger Land, Damian and I were pretty glued to the TV this past week because we realized all the guys we love -- Noah Rubin, Tommy Paul, Kevin King, etc. -- were playing in the event in Cary, N.C. Top seed Andreas Seppi ended up beating American Michael Mmoh 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 on Sunday to claim the singles title of the Atlantic Tire Championships. 

And thanks to a diligent reader I also learned about Enzo Couacaud of France, who lost to the eventual champ in three sets.

If you missed the end of the Chris Eubanks - Noah Rubin match last night, check it out. Kristie Ahn said it was "The best handshake I've ever seen." 😂❤️ pic.twitter.com/aQR898SHQg

— Chad (@CCSMOOTH13) September 14, 2019

And we'll never forget this classic "handshake" between Chris Eubanks and little Noah!

This week things are looking good in Russia:

ATP writes: Nitto ATP Finals qualifier Daniil Medvedev and World No. 9 Karen Khachanov lead the St. Petersburg Open, an ATP 250 event. Matteo Berrettini and Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 finalist, will also be looking to make a deep run in Russia as the ATP Race To London heats up.

And around the net ...

Oh, boy(s) ...

Cue "All the Lovers" ...

Maybe hot trainer Martin Nosko couldn't straighten Karolina Pliskova out because he's the type of guy who gets married barefoot ...

Robert Farah was busy showing off "his dog" again ...

Evgeny Donskoy: Yes, please ...

Michael Venus's pal Marcus Daniell has Saturday 'Stache potential!

Why don't I ever get invited to these hot Balkan brunches?

Tommy Haas won at the Dirk Nowitzki Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic in Dallas.

 

If Luca Pouille's results were commensurate with his looks he'd be in the Top 10 ... 

Andy Warhol would have liked 15 minutes with Neal Skupski ...

Ryan Harrison and Cesar Ramirez make a hot mixed-coloring couple ...

John Millman captioned this: "Mind the gap" ...

Marton Fucsovics can't stop driving me wild ..

FYI: I captioned this: "It's even bigger than I imagined" but he's yet to post it.

And last but certainly not least, do you think Borna Coric is especially guilty of being a cocktease? 

(With wire services)

Weekend Tennis Roundup

I don't know what upset me more, that John Isner won the title in Newport (for the fourth time) -- beating 22-year-old Alexander Bublik, 7-6(2), 6-2 -- or that the Republican gland freak is actually growing into his looks to the point that I had to admit he looked kind of handsome. (At one point Bublik pulled a Kyrgios hitting a tweener for no reason and it got me thinking maybe the ATP is right to fine players for not giving 100 percent.)

Reuters reports that Chile’s Nicolas Jarry joined his grandfather in the ATP title-winners club on Sunday, beating sexy Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero 7-6(7) 6-4 to clinch his maiden crown at the Swedish Open.

 Jaime Fillol, who claimed six tour-level titles between 1971-1982 and drove me wild with his curly hair, introduced the sport to his grandson in Santiago and the 23-year-old repaid the faith with a breakthrough title in his third career final. “He’s one of the best Chilean tennis players. He taught me the sport since I was little. He took me to great tournaments,” Jarry said about his grandfather, who reached a career-high ranking of number 14 in 1974.

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina became the 10th player to collect a maiden WTA Tour title this year as she strolled past Patricia Maria Tig 6-2, 6-0 in the Bucharest Open final on Sunday. Reuters reports that the 20-year-old, who is ranked 106 in the world, was in complete control against Romanian home favorite Tig as she fired 30 winners against only 14 unforced errors. The unseeded Rybakina did not drop a set throughout the claycourt tournament, becoming the fourth player to achieve that feat this season following Sofia Kenin in Hobart, Ash Barty in Birmingham and Karolina Pliskova in Eastbourne. 

Still, a great effort for the 25-year-old Tig who is returning from a series of injuries and having a baby in November, fathered by her 42-year-old coach.

Fiona Ferro claimed her first WTA singles title after stunning French compatriot Alize Cornet in the Swiss Open final Sunday. ESPN reports that No. 98 Ferro overcame defending champion Cornet 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 in one hour and 40 minutes. It was the first all-French WTA final in 10 years and Ferro clinched the crown with her seventh break of serve from nine chances when Cornet sent a forehand long. "I'm very happy and very relieved," Ferro told the reporters after the final. "It was a very tough match against a fellow French player and a friend -- it was very difficult to stay calm and to stay in the moment.

And in the most noteworthy final of the weekend, 29-year-old Serbian Dusan Lajovic notched another milestone on Sunday at the Croatian Open in Umag when he claimed his maiden ATP title ...

beating Hungarian qualifier Attila Balazs 7-5, 7-5 in what could only be described as the BATTLE OF THE BUBBLE BUTTS.

Around the net ...

I would say this "celebratory" tweet had something lost in translation. But poor Karolina Pliskova probably hasn't had a moment's rest having to keep one eye constantly on her CAD HUBBY. 

Anything-but-flat Stan is looking VERY JUICY.

Maybe Stan would like some company in Nikola Mektic?

Diego Schwartzman and five of his closest friends look like they had a GREAT TIME in Mexico.

Normally I hate when "influencers" try to sell me stuff, but ...

Oh, Daddy!

Sorry to see that Matteo Berrettini isn't perfect anymore.

Woof!

And last but not least: Was sad to hear about the passing of Peter McNamara, who like me used a Prince Woodie in his heyday. The handsome Aussie who joined forces with Paul McNamee to become one of the best doubles teams of the early 1980s, winning three Grand Slams crowns, and reached the singles Top 10 in the ATP Rankings died on Saturday, at his home in Sonthofen, Germany, after a long and private battle with prostate cancer. McNamara had coached Mark Philippoussis and Grigor Dimitrov, and more recently Matthew Ebden and Wang Qiang. RIP.

(With wire services)

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Taylor Fritz made his first ATP Tour final at 2016 Memphis as a 145th-ranked wild card when he was just 18. In the more than three years since, that’s been on his mind. The American -- who is the daughter of former American star and department store heiress Kathy May and is already a daddy(!) -- has wanted to take that next step and lift his first tour-level trophy. 

Fritz finally earned his maiden triumph on Saturday, defeating compatriot Sam Querrey 6-3, 6-4 in 61 minutes to win the Nature Valley International in Eastbourne. It’s almost fitting that the 21-year-old did it at this ATP 250 tournament, at which he made his ATP Tour debut in 2015 when it was held in Nottingham. 

"It's so amazing. I almost can't even believe it. I'm still trying to take it in," Fritz said. "I've wanted to win a Tour title ever since I made the final of one when I was 18. It feels like I've just been waiting so long. I'm so happy."

Meanwhile, Karolina Pliskova continued her streak of only winning finals when I don't want her to, outclassing Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber 6-1 6-4 to win her second Eastbourne title in style. Just a week ago the Czech lost a shaky match to her much-lower-ranked twin sister! 

For those curious about my Wimbeldon predictions, my gut is telling me it's going to be a "classic" fortnight, with Roger Federer and Serena Williams going home winners.

Around the net ...

I'm sure this was just a coincidence ... 

How do I get this job? And look at dat ass behind him!

Not only is Jan-Michael Gambill looking better than ever, he is a new cat dad!

I do like my mixed-height thruples ...

   

You can't fault Stan for stalking Bastian Baker ...

Follow on Instagram HERE.

Novak Djokovic pulls a Scooter LaForge on Karen Khachanov!

Kiss me (or him), Guido!

Benoit, as always, knows what he's doing ...

And Tracy gets in a good one. Anyone else remember this incident in Toronto?!!!!

(With wire services)