Weekend Tennis Diary

Dominic Thiem got slammed by Nick Kyrgios for defending players at the controversial Adria Tour, but managed to put the controversy behind him while hosting his own event in Kitzbuhel. 

Although the guys didn't seem to carry on the way they did in the Balkans, I didn't see a lot of mask-wearing in photos leading up to the event. (I also didn't see any of it on TV because God forbid the Tennis Channel show live tennis.)

In the end, Andrey Rublev was the winner -- perhaps making up for his final being canceled in Covid Open in Zadar -- battling past Thiem 6-2, 5-7, 10-8 in the final of the Thiem’s 7 exhibition tournament. The young Russian defeated Matteo Berrettini in the semis while the Austrian defeated Roberto Bautista Agut.

More photos  HERE.

Meanwhile, Berrettini found time to return to Nice, France, to hold off Stefanos Tsitsipas to seal UTS crown.

While I never did quite get the hang of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown format, I did learn about something far more intriguing. 

His name is Holger Vitus Nødskov Rune. The Great Dane is just 17 years old, so I will leave it at that (for now).

Around the Net:

I don't care what threat it poses to the national security, Vasek Pospisil's legs have persuaded me to buy a Huawei cellphone.

Judy Murray isn't perving over nothing

Big boy Lorenzo Claverie makes a strong case for Venezuelan men being so arrogant

Could have been Nice or Kitzbuhel ...

What do you guys think, should Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska be fully or just half-canceled?

Is Christian Harrison cheating on Cesar? 

Stevie Johnson's jizz pays dividends

Happy to see Borna's on the mend

Karen flaunts it in Greece

Stefanos is one to talk -- he needed one before the coronavirus!

Action got under way last night at the Greenbrier in West Virginia for a one-stop World Team Tennis season -- with fans. 

Here's hoping everyone stays healthy.

Damir and the boys

Rivaled only, perhaps, by Alex Robein & Co.

How does Ruivo Jordan play tennis carrying that around?

Dominic continues to break Rico's heart.

Marius Copil shared photos from his daughter's baptism

I like Johnny Millman's friend ... 

And am available for caddy duties.

Who wouldn't kill to taste Lloyd Glasspool's meat?

Yannick Hanfmann defeated Oscar Otte in a hunky exhibition in Germany, 7-6, 6-1.

But I'd hardly call Oscar a loser.

Jan-Michael goes for a socially distant swim

DVR set for this: Previous Gen vs Next Gen

And last but not least, German's Milos Drakulic posed naked HERE.

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Let me preface by saying I didn't have time to write this yesterday -- before the start of the U.S. Open -- and "World No. 1" Simona Halep has already lost in the first round (again). (By "defending" her points, she'll remain number one.) When I saw Chris Evert the other evening she "reluctantly" picked Halep to win it and this is exactly why. [Sigh.]

Daniil Medvedev beat Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in the Winston-Salem Open for his second career ATP World Tour title. The 22-year-old Medvedev, ranked No. 57 in the world and unseeded in the event, didn't drop a set in six matches in the final U.S. Open tuneup event.

Meanwhile in New Haven, rising Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka capped off a massive summer in emphatic fashion, lifting her maiden WTA title at the Connecticut Open with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Carla Suarez Navarro -- rocketing up to the WTA’s Top 20 ranking. Despite being unseeded, Sabalenka was one to watch coming into the tournament after a string of big wins over names like Caroline Wozniacki, Karolina Pliskova, Julia Goerges and more during the U.S. Open Series.

I wonder if the USTA is hiring inexperienced massage therapists?

Here's a fun group on Arthur Ashe Kids Day ...

Diego Schwartzman never disappoints ...

Weekend Tennis Roundup

That week after Wimbledon is always kooky, with the grass-court "season" continuing for one more tournament -- in the U.S.! -- while the clay-court "season" sort of begins ... again. Although we didn't make it to Newport this year -- congrats Michael and Helena! -- I certainly would have enjoyed seeing Stevie Johnson capture his fourth ATP title, this time beating first-time finalist Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-5, 3-6, 6-2. 

For a second there it looked like the 23-year-old from Chennai might pull it out -- between Johnson's taking a dive and injuring his right shoulder and the fact that the tournament has been dominated by Indians in the past!

But in the end, Ramanathan was no match for Mr. Saturday 'Stache.

Fabio Fognini won the Swedish Open title on red clay in Bastad, defeating France’s Richard Gasquet 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. 

The draw was littered with hot Italians -- Simone Bolelli, Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Sonego were all in action -- but by Sunday Mr. Flavia Pennetta was the last man standing.

And speaking of hot Italians, third-seeded Marco Cecchinato further elevated his breakthrough year by winning the Croatia Open final on Sunday, beating Guido Pella of Argentina 6-2, 7-6 (4) in their first meeting. Tennis reports that Cecchinato recovered from 4-2 down in the second set on outdoor red clay. The the 25-year-old won his first ATP title in April in Budapest, as a lucky loser, then knocked out Novak Djokovic en route to the French Open semifinals. He was the first Italian male Grand Slam semifinalist in 40 years.

Two years after being thrashed by Simona Halep in the Bucharest Open final, Tennis reports that top-seeded Anastasija Sevastova returned to win the title in straight sets on Sunday. Sevastova prevailed 7-6 (4), 6-2 on clay over fourth-seeded Petra Martic of Croatia, who was playing in her second career WTA final, six years after losing her first.

And last but not entirely least, top-seeded Alize Cornet won her sixth career title by beating Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 6-4, 7-6 (6) in the Ladies’ Championship Gstaad final on Sunday. Minella, playing in her first final on tour at age 32, was seeking to become the third mother to win a WTA singles title in the past year, but came up short against the 28-year-old Frenchwoman.

The men's rankings still look very odd -- Rafael Nadal now has a HUGE lead over Roger Federer, plus Alexander Zverev still has a hold on the No. 3 spot(!) -- but at least Novak Djokovic is finally getting back in the mix. 

Speaking of which, it looks like Zverev has turned to Ivan Lendl for some guidance ...

Chucky's in love ... again.

And it appears Karolina Pliskova got married to her HOT PIECE.

Shouldn't Dominic Thiem be practicing on hard courts?