Hey, Tennis Pro! It's finally Fridaaay!

Felix in Firenze. Our favorite Canadian on tour made his debut in Italy today with a fierce three-set win over Germany's Oscar Otte. Felix is ​​coming off a finals drought since Marseille in February, where he lost the last instance against Rublev. I believe the Firenze Open is an excellent opportunity for the North American to break this bad streak of more than eight months without reaching a final. I also see a great chance of even lifting the title (why not?), considering the early departure of Berrettini, the number two seed.

Just this Monday we got the news that Taylor Fritz had reached his all-time high ranking of number 8. Almost instantly, I realized that the final was played precisely against his compatriot Francis Tiafoe, who had also just made an outstanding US Open, reaching the semi-final against champion Carlos Alcaraz. Then I thought of Tommy Paul, Reily Opelka, Brandon Nakashima and I said to myself… here's something.

I started to get the data and, indeed, the Americans are on the rise. After a brief stage in which those from the United States shone by their absence, hand in hand with an imposing presence of The Big Three and the nascent Next Gen 100% made up of Europeans, it seems that the country of hamburgers and hot dogs had lost relevance.

No more.

Here we see the exponential growth of the main American representatives on the tour, all marked by youth and a style of play that is fast, agile and with excellent serves. America is back!

Alexander Bublik: the 100th win man

Al-ex-an-der Bu-blik! How no to love him? A Kazakh who is characterized by his good humor, mind blowing trickshots and one of the most powerful forehands on tour. Watching Bublik play is a guarantee of entertainment, both in the quality of his tennis on court, and in his occurrences inside and outside the match.

On this occasion, we recognize his 100 victories on the tour at the age of 25, while also reaching his first championship just this year in Montpellier. Cheers for 2022, Alex!

However, I have always believed that Bublik still has a lot of talent to show, but sometimes his discipline and playful style of play could get in the way. When you notice him really locked in the match, I have seen him reach levels of play worthy of the last stages of Grand Slams. Then a bad point shows up or he gambles a lousy game and he usually lowers the intensity, soon falling into downplaying the game and letting it fall from his hands due to lack of focus.

Alexander is a very talented player and I have no doubt that he will continue to reap more and more victories. Let's hope he can channel that energy and creativity into his style of play, combined with discipline, and reach his full potential.

Yesterday’s Spotlight

🔝 ATP 250 Firenze Open

🇹🇷 A. Çelikbilek / 🇺🇸 B. Nakashima [3/6, 4/6]

🇮🇹 L. Musetti / 🇪🇸 B. Zapata Miralles [6/3, 6/0]

🇨🇦 F. Auger-Aliassime / 🇩🇪 O. Otte [6/4, 6/7, 6/2]

🔝 ATP 250 Gijón Open

🇦🇷 F. Cerúndolo / 🇫🇷 M. Guinard [7/6, 6/2]

🇬🇧 A. Murray / 🇦🇷 P. Cachín [2/6, 7/5, 7/6]

🇷🇺 A. Rublev / 🇧🇾 I. Ivashka [6/3, 5/7, 6/4]

🇺🇸 S. Korda / 🇪🇸 R. Bautista Agut [5/7, 6/4, 6/4]

What’s cooking today…

🔝 ATP 250 Firenze Open

🇰🇿 A. Bublik / 🇺🇸 J.J. Wolf

🇮🇹 L. Musetti / 🇺🇸 M. McDonald

🇨🇦 F. Auger-Aliassime / 🇺🇸 B. Nakashima

🔝 ATP 250 Gijón Open

🇦🇷 F. Cerúndolo / 🇦🇹 D. Thiem

🇬🇧 A. Murray / 🇺🇸 S. Korda

🇷🇺 A. Rublev / 🇺🇸 T. Paul