Alexander Zverev, Petra Kvitova Win Madrid Titles - Mondays with Bob Greene

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Alexander Zverev beat Dominic Thiem 6-4 6-4 to win the Mutua Madrid Open men’s singles at Madrid, Spain

Petra Kvitova beat Kiki Bertens 7-6 (6) 4-6 6-3 to Mutua Madrid Open women’s singles at Madrid, Spain

John Millman beat Bernard Tomic 6-1 6-2 to win the Open Du Pays D’Aix in Aix En Provence, France

Rebecca Peterson beat Dayana Yastremska 6-4 7-5 to win the Open de Cagnes-sur-Mer in Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France

SAYING

“All in all, I’m just really happy with how I played, that I could win my third Masters. So far it’s been pretty good for me on clay this year.” – Alexander Zverev, after winning the Madrid Open for his second straight title.

“I love to play finals because of the trophy. That’s what we are fighting all week, for the trophy.” – Petra Kvitova, following her Madrid Open victory over Kiki Bertens.

“Of course, it really hurts right now. I think you can see that. Maybe already tomorrow or next week or in a few weeks I can really look back on a great week and know I’m on the right way.” – Kiki Bertens, after losing the Madrid Open final to Petra Kvitova.

“I won 50 straight sets on this surface. Today I lost the match. It was not my day. But that’s part of this sport.” – Rafael Nadal, when his clay-court winning streak was broken by Dominic Thiem.

“It is a win, we deserved it. But it is not as sweet as it could have been if we had played the whole match.” – Nikola Mektic, after he and Alexander Peya won the Madrid men’s doubles when Bob Bryan injured his hip, forcing the Bryan brother to retire.

“Look, there are obvious things that are not working well for me. But I have to keep working on them and pray that – and hope that my game will get stronger, get better as definitely as the matches … go the distance.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing his second-round Madrid Open match to Kyle Edmund.

STRONG PERFORMANCE

At the age of 21, Germany’s Alexander Zverev has joined the ranks of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. They are the only five players to win at least three Masters 1000 titles. Zverev joined the elite group by crushing Austria’s Dominic Thiem in straight sets to win the Madrid Open. He did not face a single break point and led from the opening game when he beat Thiem, who earlier in the week had upset top-ranked Rafael Nadal. Zverev broke Thiem to open both sets, then closed out the victory on his first match point when the Austrian’s forehand sailed long. “The last 10 days have been pretty good, winning two titles in this time. One in Germany and this one here is massive,” Zverev said. “It’s been unbelievable. I’m not going to lie.” Zverev refused to allow Thiem to move forward and attack inside the court, the tactic the Austrian used so successfully against Nadal. The German kept Thiem on his back foot, crowded the baseline and imposed his authority off the ground. Zverev now has won a tour-leading 26 matches this year. “Hopefully I can continue this kind of streak in Rome,” Zverev said. “Obviously the altitude fits me a little bit with my serve, with how I play, with me playing a little bit more aggressive than maybe others. That definitely fits me. But I just feel confident and comfortable right now.”

STILL TRIUMPHANT

Continuing her best season yet, Petra Kvitova became the first woman to win the Madrid Open three times while capturing her fourth title of 2018. “You meet the best players in the final, so it’s always putting lots of effort to win,” Kvitova said. “It’s always a big fight, which is nice. … That’s why I love to play tennis. It’s extra motivation.” She had to be extra motivated against Kiki Bertens, who had beaten Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova on her way to her first Premier Mandatory final. Five of the opening eight games went to deuce and, fittingly, the first set was decided by a tiebreaker. After Bertens leveled the match at one set apiece, the pair split three straight breaks of serve with Kvitova leading 4-2 and again at 5-3. She then held serve for the victory. “She played great tennis,” Kvitova said of Bertens. “It was a big fight. We both should be very proud of this beautiful final we played today.” A tearful Bertens agreed. “It was a great final,” the Belgian said. “I had some chances in the beginning of the third but didn’t take it. Petra was playing some unbelievable shots there. So, year, credit to her today.” By winning a third Madrid title, Kvitova surpassed the two each won by Serena Williams and Simona Halep.

After winning in Madrid, Kvitova withdrew from this week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia, citing a right hamstring injury. “I’m so disappointed to withdraw from Rome, especially after missing it last year,” Kvitova said in a statement. “After this incredible two weeks of tennis my body is in need of rest and recuperation.”

SENIORS STOPPED

When Bob Bryan injured his hip while appearing to land awkwardly, it ended the bid by he and his brother Mike to become the oldest doubles pair to be ranked number one in the world. The American twins were trailing Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya 5-3 when the Bryans were forced to retire. “Very mixed emotions right now,” Peya said. “We are very happy that we won the tournament, but it is not the way you want it to end. I think we played a great match until that moment.” The Croatian-Austrian duo began the championship match by breaking the Bryans in the opening game. After Bob Bryan had treatment on his leg, they played one more point before retiring. Had the Bryans won their 39^th Masters 1000 title, they would have moved ahead of Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo at the top of the rankings. The Bryans have reached the final in all four Masters 1000 events this year, finishing runner-up at Indian Wells and Madrid, while winning in Miami and Monte-Carlo.

STREAK HALTED

Rafael Nadal’s record-breaking winning streak on clay has come to an end. After winning 50 consecutive sets on clay, Nadal fell to Austria’s Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters. “He played well and I didn’t play well,” Nadal said. “We’re not playing a game where the differences are big or massive. The differences are very small.” Nadal’s run surpassed John McEnroe’s 1984 record of 49 consecutive sets won on the same surface. Thiem had been the last player to defeat Nadal on clay, at the Italian Open in Rome last year. “Whenever he plays really well, it’s very difficult to stop him,” Nadal said of Thiem. The upset came a fortnight after Thiem was crushed by Nadal. “Two weeks ago in Monte Carlo, he killed me love and two,” the Austrian said. “It was very important I went in with a positive attitude, with an attitude to win. I should go into every match like this against him.”

Nadal’s loss drops him to number two in the world in the rankings, trading places with Roger Federer.

STUMBLING

Former world number one Novak Djokovic has stumbled in third sets this year. Britain’s Kyle Edmund pulled off the biggest win of his career when he beat Djokovic 6-3 2-6 6-3 in the second round of the Madrid Open. Twice a champion in Madrid, Djokovic has not won a third set this year, suffering final-set losses to Martin Klizan, Dominic Thiem and Taro Daniel besides Edmund. Edmund broke his Serbian foe in the eighth game of the decider before closing it out with a love service game. “It was a great experience to beat Novak, he is a legend of the game,” Edmund said. “It’s time to try and beat these guys and I was pleased how I managed my game.” Hampered by an elbow injury, Djokovic has not reached the last eight of a tournament since last year’s Wimbledon.

SAYING GOODBYE

After one more tournament, Roberta Vinci is saying goodbye to her career. “It’s true I’m retiring, no second thoughts,” the former US Open finalist said. “There is no particular reason – physical tiredness, mental fatigue, the desire to do something else It was time to look inside and make a decision.” Currently ranked 191^st in the world, the 35-year-old is stepping down after this week’s Rome tournament. “The result matters little,” she said of her final event. “I’m curious to know what I’ll feel immediately after the last game. I imagine a mix of happiness and sadness. But it was right to finish here at the Foro Italico; it is the best way for me to greet and thank my fans and all the Italians.” Vinci won 10 WTA singles titles over a career that spanned two decades. But her biggest win was in 2015 when she upset Serena Williams in the US Open semifinals to end the American’s hopes of a calendar Grand Slam. Vinci went on to lose the final to fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta. Vinci reached a high singles ranking of seventh in the world in May 2016. She was ranked number one in the world in doubles, winning all four Grand Slam tournament titles with partner Sara Errani.

STANDS DOWN

Eugenie Bouchard withdrew from an International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in France before it began. Once ranked as high as fifth in the world, the Canadian withdrew from the Open de Cagnes-sur-Mer with an abdominal pain, an old injury that resurfaced just hours before her first-round match against Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. The competition would have been her first in more than a year on the minor-league ITF circuit and only her second in the last five years. According to journalist Stephanie Myles of Tennis.Life, Bouchard injured her abdominal muscles during a fourth-round match at Indian Wells, California, USA, in 2015 and has bothered her since. Going into the French tournament, Bouchard was ranked 118^th in the world.

SIGNED UP

Serena Williams will play in the Bay Area this summer at a new event. The former Stanford WTA tournament is being moved to San Jose State University for the first time. Williams plans to open her hard-court season in the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic running from July 30 to Aug. 5. The event was formerly known as the Bank of the West Classic. Besides Williams, others who have committed to the event include Maria Sharapova, Madison Keys and CoCo Vandeweghe.

SHOPPING AROUND

Chris Evert has put her home up for sale. The tennis legend is asking nearly USD $5 million for her Boca Raton, Florida, USA, estate. The main house has six bedrooms, while there are two guest houses on the 5-acre property. It also includes putting greens, a nine-car garage and lighted tennis courts, of course. The gated 12,000-square-foot estate includes a maid quarters, library, office, home theater, formal living room, dining room with butler’s pantry and high-end gourmet kitchen. She bought the home in 2003.

SCOTT SUSPENDED

Dylan Scott, a 24-year-old American, has been suspended for four years after testing positive for a banned substance. He had been provisionally suspended on Aug. 19, 2017, for violation of the anti-doping rules, and his four-year ban will be backdated to start then. The suspension will end on Aug. 18, 2021.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Aix En Provence: Philipp Petzschner and Tim Puetz beat Guido Andreozzi and Kenny De Schepper 6-7 (3) 6-2 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Cagnes-Sur-Mer: Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria beat Vera Lapko and Galina Voskoboeva 2-6 7-5 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Madrid (men): Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya beat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 5-3 retired

Madrid (women): Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina beat Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic 2-6 6-4 10-8 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Rome: https://ticketing.internazionalibnlditalia.com/

Bordeaux: https://tournoi-primrosebordeaux.com/

Heilbronn: www.neckarcup.de/de/home.html

Tmava: www.empireslovakopen.sk

Geneva: https://banqueericsturdzagenevaopen.com/

Lyon: http://openparc.com