Fritz, Sonego Win First Career ATP Singles Titles - Mondays with Bob Greene

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Karolina Pliskova beat Angelique Kerber 6-1 6-4 to win the Nature Valley International women’s singles in Eastbourne, Great Britain

Taylor Fritz beat Sam Querrey 6-3 6-4 to win the Nature Valley International men’s singles in Eastbourne, Great Britain

Lorenzo Sonego beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-7 (5) 7-6 (5) 6-1 to win the Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya, Turkey

DAVIS CUP

Asia/Oceania Group III at Singapore: Vietnam and Sri Lanka advance to Asia/Oceania Group II in 2020

Africa Group IV at Brazzaville, Congo: Ghana and Cameroon advance to Africa Group III in 2020

SAYINGS

“All week I was playing quite perfect. But not all the matches were as easy (as) the score says, especially today.” – Karolina Pliskova, after winning in Eastbourne.

“She played well. The chance that I had, I couldn’t take it.” – Angelique Kerber, who lost to Karolina Pliskova in the Eastbourne final.

“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.” – Taylor Fritz, who won the Nature Valley International men’s singles by beating Sam Querrey.

“I know how to play tennis.” – Serena Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam tournament titles, including seven Wimbledons.

“I don’t like the big stage. I don’t like to be on there. If a couple of people are watching, I feel better than in a full stadium.” – Kiki Bertens, noting she prefers being anonymous even though she’s ranked fourth in the world.

“I don’t really know what would be a successful tournament or not. I do know that if I could get some momentum and get comfortable, I can be very, very dangerous.” – John Isner, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year.

“My dad said to enjoy it and these matches might be a tale you can tell when you’re older.” – Cori Gauff, a 15-year-old who plays 39-year-old Venus Williams in a first-round Wimbledon match.

“To play at home, it’s the best feeling. I’ve played many years in Fed Cup and the best feeling is to be at home with all the people that come to support, and also away you have to manage the emotions and the pressure.” – Simona Halep, who says she will not play Fed Cup under the new rules.

“Even though my mind wants to do it, the limits of my body have prevented me to maintain and play at a consistent high level as I expect from myself. Especially the last two years have been very difficult for me with recurring injuries and pain.” – Marcos Baghdatis, announcing he will retire after this year’s Wimbledon.

“It’s rest, it’s time off court, it’s also carefully monitoring how many balls I hit when I do get back on court, particularly with serving. It’s an injury I’ve had since I was 16 years old and at certain times of the year I need to be more careful with it.” – Ashleigh Barty, on the injury that forced her to skip the Eastbourne tournament.

SIZZLING

Karolina Pliskova could do no wrong at Eastbourne. The Czech did not drop a set all week and claimed her third title of the year, dominating Angelique Kerber in the final. It is the third straight year that Kerber has been runner-up in the Wimbledon warmup event. Pliskova, on the other hand, won her second Eastbourne crown, slamming 33 winners and seven aces against her German foe. “Angelique for sure is one of the best grass-court players,” said Pliskova, who broke Kerber’s serve three straight times in the opening set. “It’s my third final, and in two of them I have won. I just enjoy myself here.” Kerber is the defending Wimbledon champion. “I tried my best but you deserved to win today,” Kerber said in the post-match ceremony. “Going back (to Wimbledon) as a defending champion, it will be a special moment stepping onto Centre Court again.” Pliskova’s best Wimbledon result was last year when she reached the fourth round.

SNARES FIRST TITLE

In an all-American battle, Taylor Fritz won his first ATP title in Eastbourne, beating Sam Querrey in straight sets. “It’s so amazing,” Fritz said. “I almost can’t even believe it. I’m still trying to take it in.” Fritz was playing in only his second final, but dominated the majority of the baseline rallies. Fritz made his ATP Tour debut at the tournament in 2015 when it was held in Nottingham. Querrey was playing in his first tournament since April due to an abdominal injury and in his first final since the New York Open in 2018.

SONEGO VICTORIOUS

Lorenzo Sonego of Italy staved off a match point before capturing his first ATP Tour title at the Turkish Airlines Open. The 25-year-old faced a match point at 6-7 (5) 4-5 30-40 when he came up with a huge first serve. He held, then won the tiebreaker before racing through the third set to beat Miomir Kecmanovic. “It is the first title and I am so happy for my family, for my coach, for all the people who support me,” Sonego said. “I like, so much, playing on the grass. It was fun and now I am ready for Wimbledon.” Sonego upset two seeded players – Adrian Mannarino and Pablo Carreno Busta – on his way to the final. Kecmanovic also was seeking his first tour-level trophy.

SIXTH TIME A RECORD

Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans made Wimbledon history even before the tournament’s main draw started. The 31-year-old qualified for an Open era record sixth time at The Championships by beating American Donald Young 6-4 6-4 6-1. Bemelmans had been tied for the qualifying record with Alejandro Falla, Ken Flach, Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Jimmy Wang. Two years ago, Bemelmans reached the third round at Wimbledon, losing to Kevin Anderson. Last year, he lost a second-round match to John Isner.

SPECIAL MATCH

The first day of Wimbledon has Cori Gauff playing her dream match against five-time champion Venus Williams. At the age of 15, Gauff is the youngest player to qualify for the main draw. At 39, Williams is the oldest player in the women’s singles and had won Wimbledon twice before Gauff was born. “At the Miami Open I lost in the second round and I was more disappointed because I would have played Venus next,” Gauff said. “To play either Serena or Venus it would be a dream come true.” After qualifying for the year’s third Grand Slam tournament, Gauff said her first memories of tennis were watching Serena and Venus Williams on television. While being the youngest to gain a spot in the main draw through qualifying, Gauff will not be the youngest to play Wimbledon. Laura Robson was 15 when she played as a wild card in 2009. And fellow American Jennifer Capriati was 14 when she reached the fourth round in her Wimbledon debut in 1990. Capriati was coming off a semifinal run at the French Open.

SENIOR DEBUT

At the age of 31, Giulia Gatto-Monticone will finally play Wimbledon. The Italian played Wimbledon qualifying for the first time this year although she played her first professional match in 2002, two years before Cori Gauff was born. She said the realization that she was “not so young any more” was the key to her recent success. “I started to think better, to do martial arts, mindfulness, to make physical changes in my rapidity,” she said, noting that her “total passion” for the sport is what has kept her going. Gatto-Monticone qualified for the French Open in May, making her the oldest Grand Slam tournament debutante since 43-year-old Renée Richards played at the 1977 US Open. In her final qualifying match, Gatto-Monticone rallied from a set and 1-4 down to defeat Oceane Dodin of France 3-6 7-5 6-1. “It’s a dream come true,” the winner said.

SISTERS DOING IT

Latisha Chan westernized her name. Her sister, Chan Hao-ching, kept the Asian style, putting the last name first. The one thing that hasn’t changed is how they play winning tennis as a team. The sisters combined to win the Eastbourne women’s doubles, defeating Kirsten Flipkens and Bethanie Mattek Sands in a battle. “The first set they were playing very aggressive, and then they were playing very well,” said Latisha, who once was ranked number one in the world in doubles. “We were just staying focused, concentrating, and we knew we would have our chance to come back, and we just played our tennis, not play the score.” “Their tennis” prevailed as the Chan sisters won Eastbourne for the second time. In 2014, they beat Switzerland’s Martina Hingis and Italy’s Flavia Pennetta. In 2017, Latish paired with Hingis to win the Wimbledon grass-court warmup event.

SAYONARA

Wimbledon will be the farewell tournament for Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. “I wanted to take the time to write to you all and let you know that this upcoming Wimbledon will be my last tournament as a tennis professional,” Baghdatis, once ranked as high as eighth in the world, said in a statement. “I am extremely grateful to the All England Club for granting me a main draw wild card … and giving me a chance to say goodbye to the sport that I love so much and has been such a big part of my life for the last 30-+ years. The decision was not an easy one. It has proven tough for me, especially physically, to come back to where I feel like I belong.” The 34-year-old right-hander has not played since the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in February. In 2006, Baghdatis reached the Australian Open final, losing to Federer, and the Wimbledon semifinals, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. Baghdatis is married to former WTA player Karolina Sprem and the two have two daughters with a third child on the way.

Lilia Osterloh-Snape also has picked Wimbledon to announce her retirement. The difference is the American hasn’t played a professional match in nine years. Currently a tennis coach in Naples, Florida, USA, Osterloh-Snape returned to Wimbledon for the first time since her playing days. “I mean, Wimbledon has so many great memories, from juniors, reaching the Wimbledon junior doubles final, and then reaching the third and fourth rounds,” she said. “It’s just all come full circle, having gained all of these new perspectives as I’m coaching now and after playing about 15 years on tour and one year at Stanford.” As a freshman at Stanford, Osterloh-Snape won the NCAA women’s singles title.

SERBIAN HELP

The defending Wimbledon champion is now getting help from the 2001 winner. Novak Djokovic’s latest addition to his coaching staff is Goran Ivanisevic. “This is a huge recognition for me as a coach because Novak doesn’t choose coaches just like that, he needs to see that someone can help him,” Ivanisevic said. Djokovic’s lead coach is Marian Vajda. Ivanisevic has coached Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic.

SICK CALL

A right arm injury kept French Open champion Ashleigh Barty from the grass-court tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain. The Australian, who won a grass-court event in Birmingham, Great Britain, the week after her clay-court triumph in Paris, said it’s a “injury that we’ve had to manage since I was 16 years old. … We know how to manage it but it’s important to get on top of it straight away.” Barty said she believes she will “be fine for Wimbledon.”

Canada’s Bianca Andreescu is skipping Wimbledon because she needs more time to recover from a shoulder injury. The 19-year-old was seeded 22^nd when she withdrew from Roland Garros ahead of her second-round match against Sofia Kenin. At the time, she complained of a right shoulder problem. Andreescu won the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, USA, in March, becoming the first wild-card winner and second-youngest to claim the title. She started the year by reaching the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, after upsetting Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams and Hsieh Su-wei,

Borna Coric has pulled out of Wimbledon because of a back injury. The Croatian retired from his Halle quarterfinal battle against Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert with the injury but hoped to be ready for Wimbledon. In his four Wimbledons, the 22-year-old’s best result was his first year when he reached the second round.

SLAMMED

The Fed Cup is following the Davis Cup with a new tournament format, and Simona Halep doesn’t like it a bit. Starting next year, the women’s international team event will be a six-day tournament in April with 12 teams playing in Budapest, Hungary. In announcing the change, the International Tennis Federation said the event would have a prize of USD $18 million. “We have consulted and listened to stakeholders and worked with the WTA and its Player Council to make sure the new format represents the interests of the players,” ITF president David Haggerty said in a statement. Halep, a former world number one, disagrees. “I love the Fed Cup and I would never change that,” Halep said. “If Fed Cup changes, I won’t play anymore. I like the format now, so if they change it will be tough because Fed Cup means to play home and away.” Halep has played 19 ties and led Romania to the semifinals this year where they lost to France. “If the ITF ask me, I will say my opinion,” Halep said. Agreeing with Halep was France’s Alize Cornet. “Good job on killing the competition just as they did with Davis Cup,” Cornet said, “and nobody even bothered to ask the opinion of the players whatsoever.” Under the new format, one team will be offered a wild card entry into the final and Hungry is guaranteed a spot as host. Two teams that have qualified for next year are Australia and France, which will play in this year’s Fed Cup final in Perth in November.

SHE’S EXPECTING AGAIN

Two years after giving birth to a son, Flavia Pennetta and her husband, Fabio Fognini, are expecting again. Pennetta won the US Open in 2015; Fognini is currented ranked 10^th in the world.

SPLIT?

One-third of the ATP Player Council’s voting members have resigned after former ATP executive Weller Evans was elected to fill a vacancy on the board. Dutchman Robin Haase was the first to withdraw from the Council, followed by Dani Valverde, the coach’s representative, and Jamie Murray, a doubles specialist from Great Britain. Then Sergiy Stakhovsky stepped down from a position he has held only since January. “The matters which will come to light in time completely discredit our structure and free will to perform our obligation and our duty to represent the players,” Stakhovsky posted on Twitter. “It is very sad to see that personal gain and vendettas are at the heart of such a big disconnection in the player’s council.” Tensions on the council great after current ATP president Chris Kermode was not renewed for another term. Novak Djokovic is president of the council.

SMASH

When Akira Santillan of Australia lost his second-round Wimbledon qualifying match, it was his racquets that took the brunt of his wrath. After losing to Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans, the 22-year-old Santillan walked to the back of the field and one after the other destroyed all of the racquets in his bag. “He left with a trail of destruction in his wake,” one Twitter user wrote. Ranked 215^th in the world, Santillan has won only USD $2,600 in prize money this year.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Antalya: Jonathan Erlich and Artem Sitak beat Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek 6-3 6-4

Eastbourne (men): Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah beat Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos 3-6 7-6 (4) 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Eastbourne (women): Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching beat Kirsten Flipkens and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 3-6 6-3 10-6 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Wimbledon: https://www.wimbledon.com/index.html

Båstad: https://women.swedishopen.org/

Contrexeville: www.grandest-open88.fr

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (first week)

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK