jcgatennismom
Hall of Fame
Popcorn match tomo in Qualis if you have TC plus and are an early riser. Kypson and JJ Wolf play in Qualis 2nd rd. I think this is the 1st time they played since Spitgate 2018 when PK put college tennis in national news for all the wrong reasons. Prior to that in 2017 Kypson beat Wolf in the Kzoo boys 18s in 5 sets to earn the US Open WC. These guys are around 25 now so I imagine the drama will just be in dirty looks and loud fist pumps but still could be interesting. Hope Wolf wins. He has had a tough 2024: 1-6 in ATP MDs, even lost in 1st rounds of some Challengers. He withdrew from AO 1st rd with hip injury after his dynamic win stretch in 2023 AO. Now he is out of top 100 after a CH of 39 last year. Wolf seems to be a friendly down to earth guy-son warmed him up at ATL 250 last year but also had seen him play college tennis. Hope JJ is able to turn his 2024 around before the US Open HC swing...
Speaking of collegians on clay, does playing college hurt their clay game or do the better clay players at 18 playing Futures self-select not to play college tennis. I ask because former collegians this year with the exception of Borges who reached R16 in Rome have played poorly this year at the higher level ATP clay events. In Madrid 0 out 9 former collegians won their R128 matches playing against other non-seeds. It wasnt just the Americans (Eubanks, Nakishima, Giron, Kovacevic) losing the in 1st rd MD but also Rinderknech, Borges, Koepfner, Hanfmann, and Vukic. I think Norrie and Shelton lost in R32. Then in Rome, only 5 out of 12 collegians again playing other nonseeds won their R128. Giron was the only non-seeded American to win a single round. Hanfmann and Vukic won 1 rd, Koepfer 2 rounds, and then Borges outshined them all making it to R16 to face Zverev and he had a close 2nd set losing 5-7. Now today Shelton #4 in the Geneva 250 lost in 2nd rd after winning 1st set and up a break in 2nd, managed to lose 2nd set TB 1-7 and then fall apart in 3rd 2-6. Is there hope for post collegians in clay 1000s/Slams besides Borges? Hopefully after Madrid, Rome, and Geneva, the post collegians will be game ready for Garros...
Speaking of collegians on clay, does playing college hurt their clay game or do the better clay players at 18 playing Futures self-select not to play college tennis. I ask because former collegians this year with the exception of Borges who reached R16 in Rome have played poorly this year at the higher level ATP clay events. In Madrid 0 out 9 former collegians won their R128 matches playing against other non-seeds. It wasnt just the Americans (Eubanks, Nakishima, Giron, Kovacevic) losing the in 1st rd MD but also Rinderknech, Borges, Koepfner, Hanfmann, and Vukic. I think Norrie and Shelton lost in R32. Then in Rome, only 5 out of 12 collegians again playing other nonseeds won their R128. Giron was the only non-seeded American to win a single round. Hanfmann and Vukic won 1 rd, Koepfer 2 rounds, and then Borges outshined them all making it to R16 to face Zverev and he had a close 2nd set losing 5-7. Now today Shelton #4 in the Geneva 250 lost in 2nd rd after winning 1st set and up a break in 2nd, managed to lose 2nd set TB 1-7 and then fall apart in 3rd 2-6. Is there hope for post collegians in clay 1000s/Slams besides Borges? Hopefully after Madrid, Rome, and Geneva, the post collegians will be game ready for Garros...
