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Fuck Ben Rothenberg (a weekly rant)
Double Up Roundup Of The Last Two Weeks
Why I Hate Jannek Sinner
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NEWS
In a real shocker Ben Rothenbergāwho thinks heās tennisās answer to Ronan Farrowāhas doubly clutched his pearls over the supposed rampant ātoxic masculinityā on the ATP and WTA legend Martina Navratilovaās support of banning transgendered athletes againstĀ actual female athletes. Of course he would be. Heās as emasculated as any ācolumnistā (or whatever the fuck he does other than tweet) today. So, he doesnāt approve that many of these guys are actually to the right of the (insufferable) Andy Murray, and heās shocked and appalled that an actual lesbian doesnāt express knee-jerky solidarity with biologically-born men with mental health issues. (Facts are facts, feelings are feelings.) Fuck him.
š¾ ACES
Liudmila Samsonova, winner, Libema Open
Defeating Bianca Andreescu (once again on the comeback trail) on a marathon day (four sets, two matches) to win the fifth tournament of her career, first of the year and her second title on grass, the 25 year-old maybe reminded us sheās one of the best in the world to have never won a major or even made a Grand Slam final. Currently #15 with a ranking bound to rise before Wimbledon, sheās always been a tough out for a long time and too anonymous. Without a Google Iād have no idea if she were Russian, Estonia, Belarus, Czech or whatever. Her on-court personality is absolutely low-key and if not for her bland uniform she would hardly stand out. Yet sheās been a fave or mine for a long time, and I have a stubborn belief in her power baseline prowess. Maybe it can come together in a couple of weeks.
Katie Boulter, winner, Nottingham
As with Samsonova, Boulter had to wrap up a semifinals on the same day she could claim a title, also playing four competitive sets. Twice #30 rallied to beat her opponents over six sets.
Her semis win over Emma Raducanu included losing a banger of a first-set tiebreak 6-7(13), which was one of the best of the year. She went on to subdue her Brit rival 6-3, 6-4 in a suspended match that stretched over two days and more than 3 hours.
The English rose then overtook Karolina Pliskova to defend her title at the Rothesay Open and notch her second of the season and third of her career.
Jessica Pegula, winner, Berlin
Welcome back (missed the entire Euros clay court circuit with a rib injury) and back to the winner circle. First title since 2023 Seoul (a symbolic, emotional victory because it was the birthplace of her mother), first on grass and fifth overall. Iām a big fan, so her career has always been frustrating. Every time she gets momentum going sheās derailed by injuries. And I personally find her backstory more compelling than that of the Williams sisters. Okay, they came from Compton and surmounted all odds. But if you were the scion of a great fortune would you be compelled to do anything?!? Sheās no nepo baby. You would probably aspire to be another socialite like Paris Hilton than actually try to accomplish something based upon your own merit. Hereās hoping she can have a run at Wimbledon.
Yulia Putintseva, winner, Birmingham
Another of my long-time favorites, even if she is sometimes so spunky that it spills over into the damn obnoxious. A true sucker for all the Slavic types, Iāve always been her simp,Ā delighting in her matches.Ā Putintseva seems to have been around forever, and though a tough out, never could seem to put it all together. But she did this week, against the willowy, enigmatic Ajla Tomljanovic. First career on grass in her first ever grass final. Is she a threat at Wimbledon? Probably only to decorum.
š¾ DOUBLE FAULTS
Karolina Pliskova, runner up, Nottingham
You canāt besmirch a second place struggle, especially if the player has been struggling for ages. Yet Pliskovaās faltering against Boulter is another reminder of how sheās fallen in recent years. Of how quickly it can occur in tennis. It seems ages ago that Pliskova vanquished Serena Williams to reach the U.S. Open finals, and though she lost, it seemed inevitable that the Czech power server had destiny on her side. She went No. 1. She lost a Wimbledon final that seemed hers and thenā¦Now her career is almost as indistinguishable as her twin sisterāsāwho hasnāt been seen on the W.T.A. main circuit since TikTok became a thing.Ā
Anna Kalinskaya, runner-up, Berlin
Gosh, this pains me. Sheās exquisite. Sheās one of the few big time female tennis players who actually has a female coach. She has that shy Russian thing going for her, just like Elena Rybankina. And did I write that sheās exquisite?
But, gosh did she blow the second final of her career. Pegula saved five match points in her 6-7(0), 6-4, 7-6(3) victory.Ā
Kalinskaya is No. 24 in the world and yet she never seems to have any traction.Ā
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Week before Wimbledon!