Tag: lobandsmash.com

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: The Canadian Open has been somewhat of a mess this year. To be fair to the event, part of the problem was that before the first ball was struck, many players had already withdrawn. But that could have been overcome with a format change and better planning. –> The Canadian Open has…

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: The same issue that has affected many tournaments in 2026 is also going to affect the Cincinnati Open. That is, many top players will not be participating because of injury, both short-term and long-term concerns. –> The same issue that has affected many tournaments in 2026 is also going to affect the…

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: Every player is going to have ebbs and flows, and for Alex Eala, one of her few low spots in the last two months came in the round of 16 at the Canadian Open when the Filipina was blitzed by Belinda Bencic. More specifically, Eala's serve was exposed by a skilled veteran.…

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: What many tennis fans feared would happen with Jannik Sinner has come true: The ATP No. 1 will not be playing at the Cincinnati Open due to a knee injury. Sinner's withdrawal is the latest in a series of top-player withdrawals from tournaments in 2026. –> What many tennis fans feared would…

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: Two in a row? Maybe. Alex Eala won her first-ever WTA title by winning the Citi Open ahead of the Canadian Open, but she has been playing well enough that she might also earn the title in Toronto. She is just four wins away from doing so. –> Two in a row?…

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: Maybe tennis fans should have been stunned by what unfolded in the first four games of the round of 16 Canadian Open match between Marta Kostyuk and Iga Swiatek. Both are excellent players, and Kostyuk is having the season of her young career so far, but both are elite at returning serve.…

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: Sometimes a tennis player simply gets in the zone, and that happened to Cam Norrie in the third round of the Canadian Open against Alex de Minaur. The latter was higher ranked and had a clear path to the title in Montreal. Norrie had other plans. –> Sometimes a tennis player simply…

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: Elena Rybakina has fully risen from a dip in form and health from a year and more ago. She is now WTA No. 2, with a real chance to reach No. 1 by the time the US Open is done in September. She needed to get past Ann Li in the Canadian…

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: If one were to check the official WTA site for head-to-head results between 18-year-old American Iva Jovic and 19-year-old Russian Alina Korneeva, one might assume the two players didn't know each other well. On the pro tour, Jovic had the victory in the only official meeting between the two. That's misleading. –>…

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa: The 2026 Canadian Open was struggling even before it started, especially on the men's side. Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic chose not to participate. Things have only gotten worse from there. The 1000 event did make one key decision, though: Putting Alex Eala in a position to save this year's…