Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Impressed and almost ready for clay season.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 Sunshine doubled: That’s a wrap on the Sunshine Double. Inclement weather plagued the beginning and the very end, but it’s over. Here’s what you may have missed:
ICYMI: Aryna Sabalenka def. Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Jannik Sinner def. Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4. Siniakova/Townsend def. Errani Paolini 7-6, 6-1. Bolelli/Vavassori def. Heliovaara/Patten 6-4, 6-2.
Records galore: Going into the finals weekend, there were three opportunities to win the Sunshine Double and all three — Sabalenka, Sinner, and Siniakova/Townsend — pulled it off.
A don’t: Don’t disrespect women’s doubles by moving them to the Grandstand after the rain delay so that the men’s final could get started on the Stadium. That move meant that they not only finished the match on a different court with different conditions, it also meant there was no commentary on that court, and the trophy presentation was inaudible.
🎾 Unbeatable: That’s how Jannik Sinner looks on a hard court these days. The world number two won the Sunshine Double without dropping a set. Let that sink in — a month of tennis without dropping a set. He’s the first to do that at Indian Wells and Miami. After defeating Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 in the final on Sunday, he admitted the conditions and the stop-and-start nature of the match were a challenge.
What he said: “I tried to stay solid in very different conditions today, it was very heavy, so it’s tough to go through the player,” Sinner said. “I tried to stay solid in important moments, and I’m very happy to take this [trophy] home with me.”
The numbers: Carlos Alcaraz remains the world number one, but with an early exit in Miami and a semifinal loss in Indian Wells, the gap has closed. Just 1190 points separate the two. But that’s going into the clay season, where Alcaraz typically mops up — and he also has a ton of points to defend.
🎾 To the dirt: This week, the tours move from the hard courts of the United States to the clay…around the world. That includes South America, North Africa, Europe, and a pair of tournaments in the U.S. If you’re looking for the strongest draw, you’ll find that in the WTA 500 in Charleston this week. But don’t sleep on the other events. This is when the world’s best clay courters get their start on the season.
🎾 One to watch: Mackenzie McDonald vs. Jenson Brooksby (1st round - ATP 250 - Houston): Watch this one for two Americans with something to prove facing off in the only ATP clay event of the year. With these two, grinding it out on the dirt will be an understatement. Who wins? Magic 8 Ball says, “Better not tell you now.”
The record: Jenson Brooksby leads the head-to-head record over Mackenzie McDonald, 2-1. But all three of those matches were played in 2022.
On the line: McDonald is in real need of wins to get back into the top 100. He’s only had one so far in the main draw of a tour-level event this year. Meanwhile, Brooksby is the defending champ in Houston, and he could drop well outside the top 50 with a first-round loss.
And that’s game.
