Stan Wawrinka and Agnieszka Radwanska Top Latest Tennis Winners and Losers
Late September is sending the ATP and WTA tours to the Far East where Agnieszka Radwanska has the early jump in winning a title. More of the other big stars will slowly trickle their ways into selected mid-major draws and two Masters 1000 opportunities.
There was resilience but also disappointment for veterans who are entering their 30s. The biggest setback pegged Stan Wawrinka, who must now battle back from an ankle injury as he looks to peak for November's World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London.
On the up, the tea leaves show rising star Belinda Bencic and her charge to enter the top-10 rankings. How close is she?
Who sticks out as a winner, and who feels the disappointment of a loser as we roll along with our weekly commentary and outlooks for tennis stars?
Winner: Jelena Jankovic
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Veteran and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic has all but fallen off the WTA map since her last title over two years ago. Now she is back in the winner’s circle after a crushing 6-2, 6-0 final win over upstart Denisa Allertova at the Guangzhou International in China.
At 30 years old—a common age for late-blooming stars in these times—Jankovic is hanging on with her No. 25 ranking, but is no longer considered a major contender.
However, with the recent U.S. Open including a finals showdown by veteran Italian ladies Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci, it’s a reminder there could be one more push from a talented veteran like Jankovic.
She no doubt feels great that she can finally hold up another title trophy after a long drought, so a little recognition from the rest of us is well earned.
Loser: Tomas Berdych
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This was not how the year was supposed to end for Tomas Berdych.
Since his high-energy win over Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open and early-season finals appearances at Doha, Rotterdam and Monte Carlo, his subsequent efforts have marked a gradual decline. He crashed in the fourth round of the other four majors in 2015, and he has no titles.
His latest struggle was falling as the No. 1 seed to Simone Bolelli at St. Petersburg.
Although ranked No. 5 in the world and seemingly a shoo-in for the mid-November WTF extravaganza that plays off the world’s best eight players, Berdych looks listless, lifeless and sometimes shiftless. His energy and countenance are lagging as if tennis has ground the fun out of his job.
He’s a nice person to root for and the kind of player tennis fans would love to see succeed. There must be time for the 30-year-old to have at least one major and career highlight as he winds down a fabulous career that perpetually sees him hit the wall when he gets close to greatness.
For next week, he will move on to Shenzhen, China as the No. 1 seed. I like his chances to win that trophy, and I would be happy to do a “winner” slide for him.
Winner: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
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France’s own Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his country’s civil-war final in the Moselle Open at Metz against compatriot Gilles Simon 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-2. It was a nice week particularly when Tsonga really did not play his best tennis.
He survived and moved on by winning a few tiebreakers and three three-set matches. Though streaky, Tsonga showed more composure to play his way out of difficulties. It was also no easy feat to turn back Simon in the third set after getting hammered 1-6 in the second.
It’s a little late to expect that Tsonga can make a run at London’s WTF final in November, but he is not encumbered by injury like last year, and could step in and win a big title down the stretch.
Is there time enough for the 30-year-old to eventually grasp that elusive major which seemed within reach following his surprise run to the 2008 Australian Open final?
For now he’s enjoying his 12th career title.
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Loser: Vasek Pospisil
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Maybe this is really how it is for the vast majority of tennis professionals, but I can’t help but be a little disappointed that Vasek Pospisil appears to have plateaued as he enters the prime phase of his career.
Pospisil is a 25-year-old Canadian with a long, athletic body, great reflexes and excellent strokes. He is smooth with just about everything he does; it almost looks too easy. He’s the evolutionary version of Richard Gasquet. On top of that, he might be the best doubles player in the world had he chosen to do this exclusively.
What Pospisil needs, which is usually true of any player ranked from about No. 20-50, is more aggression and a reliable weapon he can win with over and over. The greatest players have their foundation for winning points, always creating the edge they need for tactical adjustments.
So it may or may not happen for No. 44 Pospisil, who has otherwise settled into a fine tennis career. He lost to No. 35 Martin Klizan in his second match at Metz this past week, which shouldn’t be an upset, but we have to wonder if this is about as good as it’s going to get.
Winner: Belinda Bencic
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Belinda Bencic had another great week even if she got diced up by Agnieszka Radwanska in the final at Tokyo’s Toray Pan Pacific Open. The 18-year-old Swiss star had defeated fellow phenom Garbine Muguruza and No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki (fourth time in as many meetings in 2015).
Had Bencic won this title, she would have leapfrogged a logjam of players standing just ahead of her at No. 14. She could have passed seven players to land ahead of Muguruza for No. 7. Regardless, she is right in the thick of the Road to Singapore, and she has been one of the hottest players on tour since winning Canada’s Rogers Cup.
Now she must continue her momentum with the maturity and consistency that has been hard for younger players to find. She might want to sit down and talk with Eugenie Bouchard and then take the opposite approach.
Winner: Agnieszka Radwanska
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Quietly working her way back into the Top 10 and landing at No. 7 is Agnieszka Radwanska. Her easy final win to capture the Toray Pan Pacific Open seems to signal that she could be back competing at the top-five level.
Maybe her Wimbledon semifinal appearance was the real turnaround, because she has been steadier and more patient in executing her renowned variety of shots. Her maturity was very evident against the less-experienced Belinda Bencic.
With many other younger stars trying to take that next step into the top 10, the 26-year-old can produce crafty tennis that will take advantage of any weaknesses or hastiness in her opponents. Maybe now is the time for her to exploit a younger tour, even with emerging and powerful talent.
Right now she is in pole position for the top-10 fringes of players battling to make the year-end tournament at Singapore.
Loser: Stan Wawrinka
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It’s always a great year for any player who wins a major, but Stan Wawrinka is hoping to do more than limp down the final stretch of the tennis year the way he did in 2014.
Right now limping is all he can do after he hurt his ankle in a second-round win against Dustin Brown at Metz. He had to withdraw from his next match.
The world No. 4 would certainly love to be at his best and perhaps win London’s showcase WTF. The 30-year-old and the other stars might not have to battle through Andy Murray, who might opt to withdraw from the London event to prepare on clay for his country’s Davis Cup final, and last year Wawrinka nearly ousted Roger Federer in the semifinals.
Take a step back and appreciate Wawrinka in 2015. He was a semifinalist at Melbourne and New York, a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and the French Open champion. It would be a shame if the ankle injury turned more serious, so maybe this week’s setback could be used as a positive way to gather more rest and energy.
Winner: Milos Raonic
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Good for Milos Raonic. Maybe the Canadian has finally recovered from the foot injury and surgery that has plagued him since Madrid back in May.
This week, the 24-year-old he took a small title at St. Petersburg, but the best news was he could overcome a few fine baseliners in Tommy Robredo, Roberto Bautista Agut and Joao Sousa.
His confidence is higher and he said as much in ATP World Tour: "It would be special [to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals again], especially with the health issues I’ve had. It is something that will require a lot of winning the rest of this year, but I believe I can do it."
His serve is always lethal and his ground game is not bad. He’s improved his movement and has worked hard on his net game. If he is now healthy and can build on his best tennis, maybe he can contend for a major in 2016.
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