Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️
Today’s tennis mood: Amused + anxiously awaiting.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 ICYMI: With multiple time zones, the Olympics, and the Super Bowl, you may have missed how last week’s tournaments concluded. Here’s how that action shook out:
WTA 500 Abu Dhabi: Sara Bejlek def. Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6, 6-1
WTA 250 Ostrava: Katie Boulter def. Tamara Korpatsch 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
WTA 250 Cluj-Napoca: Sorana Cirstea def. Emma Raducanu 6-0, 6-2
ATP 250 Montpellier: Felix Auger-Aliassime def. Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-6
🎾 Double fault on break point: Brad Gilbert made his thoughts known on Bad Bunny performing at the Super Bowl a couple of days ago. He then doubled down during the halftime show. And now he’s trying to make nice. As a public figure, sometimes it’s worth reserving such vocal public judgment on things you don’t understand. Because many times, somebody’s there to explain it to you.
🎾 One to watch: Michael Zheng vs. Sebastian Korda (1st round - ATP 500 - Dallas): It’s a rematch! These two just played an epic match at the Australian Open in which Zheng went up two sets to love before winning in five. Korda might have a slight advantage this time, given the indoor scenario. But you would have thought the 100+ spots separating them in the rankings was an advantage, too. Either way, expect an entertaining match.
The record: Michael Zheng leads the head-to-head record over Sebastian Korda 1-0.
On the line: There’s little doubt that Korda, ranked 100 spots above Zheng, believes he has a score to settle. And, to be sure, the pressure is on him to perform. For Zheng, this is about proving his 7-2 record on the year isn’t a fluke.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
And that’s game.
