Pro Tour

Osaka shows no sign of weakness in China Open

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By Jason Barron

Naomi Osaka continues to impress after her dominant run to the US Open Title this past September. Meanwhile, her opponent in that Final across the net, Serena Williams has not played in a tournament since that tough and somewhat controversial loss to Osaka. But, I expect Serena to come back and play even better than what she has shown thus far. Osaka seems unfazed by her first of what should be many Grand Slam Titles as she continues to play in top form. The men’s and women’s tours are on their Asian swing, with Osaka previously playing in the her native Japan at the Japan Open, in Tokyo, where she reached the Final, but lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to Karolina Pliskova.

Since winning the US Open, Osaka has seen her ranking rise to 6 and will be able to cash in on her newfound fame when she signs a contract extension with Adidas that will expire at the end on 2018. Osaka’s new deal with Adidas is expected to pay her around $10 million annually, making her one of the highest paid female athletes in all of sports. Osaka is easily identifiable to tennis and non tennis fans alike because of her down to earth nature and her humility coupled with an intensity she exudes while competing in matches. Osaka is sincere, welcoming, and comedic. She also has an entertaining and powerful game that can make her a tennis superstar and the type of person that can even transcend the sports prism we often view athletes in, much like Serena has done with Nike. It should be a great investment for Adidas, as Osaka’s star and profile will only continue to rise with each tournament, and at only 20 she has not even reached her full potential.

Osaka most recently beat the 10th ranked player, Julia Goerges of Germany in straight sets 6-1, 6-2 in the Round of 16 at the China Open in Beijing. Osaka was quicker around the court and was really returning and seeing the ball well. Osaka was dominant on 1st serve, winning 93% of the points and saving 3 of 3 break points. Osaka overpowered Goerges converting on all 4 break opportunities en route to a relatively easy win. Osaka seems to be improving her game by making less errors and playing with more positive emotion and body language. If Osaka can continue playing this high level of tennis where she is able to overwhelm her opponents with powerful serving and punishing rallies then she could very well win this tournament in Beijing.

Osaka will next play Shuai Zhang of China in the Quarterfinals on Thursday, October 4th. Zhang ousted the 3rd seed, Angelique Kerber in 3 sets 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 to reach the Quarters. Osaka has a 2-2 record against Zhang having last beat her on clay earlier in the year. Osaka should be able to get past Zhang, as she is the higher ranked player and has more power in her game. Zhang will go into the match with a lot of confidence after beating Kerber in her native China, but Osaka should have too many physical and skill advantages that will likely result in another easy win for the Japanese superstar. The crowd might be against Osaka, as they will hope to see a Chinese player advance, but Osaka has proven that she can block out the crowd and play her game. This was apparent in the US Open Final when she held her nerve despite a pro-Serena crowd. If Osaka can continue to do well in tournaments abroad it will only increase her global brand, which is one of the great things about tennis. The sport is truly global and has fans all around the world, due in part to having both men’s and women’s tournaments played throughout the world. This increases tennis’ global footprint and allows the sport to grow its fan-base exponentially.

Pro Tour

Gauff wins first WTA title in Linz

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By Editorial Team

Cori “CoCo” Gauff made a huge turnaround at the Linz Open this week after losing in the final qualifying round to now reach the main draw finals.

Putting the “luck” in lucky-loser, CoCo was able to inherit Maria Sakkari’s draw and defeat the number one seeded, KiKi Bertens in straight sets 7-6, 6-4.

Coco was the favorite going into today’s final against Jelena Ostapenko, but it was not easy as Jelena had been playing inspired tennis over the last couple weeks after defeating Karolina Pliskova 7-5 in the third set at the R64 China Open last month.

CoCo had to grind out the win in three long sets to capture the final round against Jelena 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.

This was the first encounter for these two on tour, but CoCo had the slight advantage as the more steady player. Jalena is known for up and down roller coaster play from match to match making the former French Open champion the underdog in this final.

Jalena must now recover in Linz as she must face CoCo’s doubles partner, Caty McNally, next in the first round of the Luxembourg Open early next week. Its assumed that this doubles team (Linz Open semifinalists) will definitely be sharing notes on Jalena’s game over the next couple of days.

The key to CoCo’s success were mixed balls with flat power and slices, a high first serve percentage and being calm under pressure. With this win today, Coco became the youngest American WTA Tour title winner since Jennifer Capriati in Puerto Rico (1990).

Coco is sure to break more records while on her path to winning her first grand slam, but for now she can celebrate a huge Tour title win before she prepares for the holiday season.

When asked about her recent success in Linz, CoCo’s response was accurate and simply put,

“It’s crazy.”

Pro Tour

How Naomi Got Her Groove Back

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By Editorial Team

Naomi Osaka seems to have found her rhythm late in the season after letting go of her most recent coach, Jermaine Jenkins. After several rumors, now it appears that her Dad, Leonard Francois, has the right formula for success after winning two major WTA events in a row – Japan Open and China Open.

Naomi did it in dramatic fashion as she defeated the 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu and world number 1 Ashly Barty both in tough 3 set matches.

Many feared that coaching changes and off-court distractions may have ruined what appeared to be a great season for Naomi after winning the Australian Open in January. The sports community questioned the decision to part ways with Sascha Bajin after back to back wins in an abrupt fashion after leaving Australia with the championship trophy.

The general media was not informed of any scandal or rationale for the change. Jermaine was thought to have been a good substitute after being the right-hand man for Serena over the last several years on tour. But not all was peachy for Naomi as she was not able to fulfill her true potential under the direction of Jermain.

Rolling into the Asian swing, Naomi appeared to have been mailing it in and preparing for her next coaching transition heading into the 2020 season – choosing her Dad as a bridge.

It was evident that maybe Naomi needed time to unwind from the structure of a tradition coaching team. Unforced errors and patience were added to her stellar shot making ability especially down the stretch late in the third set.

Regrouping after being a set down and making adjustments when needed against the Tour’s top ranked players are definite signs that Naomi has her sights set on regaining her position as world number one.

The way forward should be filled with opportunity for Naomi. With a new home in Los Angeles, CA and some time off after the WTA Finals should enable her to totally regroup for the 2020 season.

Pro Tour

Osaka and Keys in QF at Japan Women’s Open

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By Editorial Team

Naomi Osaka is on pace for a much needed title after an early R16 loss in the US Open. Her quest for the first title of the year began with a win over Viktoriya Tomova 7-5, 6-3 today. With a inconsistent ground game, Naomi is looking to iron out weaknesses with new coach Wim Fissette who is a proven WTA professional with Azarenka, Kerber and Clijsters as former students of his. Recent news broke five days ago on Twitter announcing the split with Jermaine Jenkins after a slew of poor results in major grand slam events this season.

Sloane Stephens is also riding the coaching change wave after accepting Kamau Murray back into her team. The two have earned multiple titles in 2017/2018 so it can only be upside from here as she now faces Camila Giorgi in the R16 of the Japan Women’s Open. This will be a tough test for Sloane as the aggressive Italian has been on a roll with her most recent final run (losing to Magda Linette in 3 sets) at the New York Open that lead into the US Open late last month.

Update: Sloane fell 6-0, 6-3 to Camila in the R16 match which did not live up to the hype. Sloane will look to recover quickly as she prepares for the WTA Finals later this year.

Madison Keys is a favorite to win here in Osaka Japan, but she has to get past the high ranking vet, Angelique Kerber. Madison has a 8:2 win/loss record against Kerber and is healthy enough to get her third win against such a quality opponent. Madison most recently defeated Kerber in the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last month 6-4 in the third set.

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