Recaps

Australian Open:  Completed 2/1
(Selected Matches.)  Women's 3rd Rd, #1 Sabalenka barely got by Potapova 7-6, 7-6.  Young American Iva Jovic defeated Paolini, 6-2, 7-6.  Reversing her previous loss in '25 at Indian Wells.  Jovic now faces Putintseva in the 4th Rd Sat.  Men's 3rd Rd, Aussie De Minaur over American Tiafoe in 3 sets.  4th Rd Sat, #1 Alcaraz faces American T Paul.  Some play was delayed per extreme heat.  Forecasts were 40+ C, which is 104+ F.

Men's 4th Rd.  Alcaraz over American T Paul in 3 sets.  Alcaraz now faces De Minaur in the Quarters.  (Alcaraz won in 3 sets.)  Djokovic got a walk over win over Mensik and faces Musetti in the Quarters.  Men's Quarters.  Zverev ended American Tien's run in 4 sets.  Top seeded Sinner faces American Shelton.  Women's Quarters,  Sabalenka downed American Jovic in straight sets, and faces Svitolina the Semi's.  Evitolina defeated Gauff in straight sets.  Also in the Quarters, American's Pegula and Anisimova square off.  Pegula holds a 3-0 match advantage over Anisimova, but Anisimova's considered the favorite.

Finals.   Mens Singles;  #1 Alcaraz - #4 Djokovic.  In the semi's, Djokovic downed #2 Sinner in 5 sets.  Can he recover?  (Add-Alcaraz needed 5 sets to best Zverev in the semi's, so it depends on how you look at it.)  Doubles;  the lone American Harrison teaming with Stupski #6, against Aussie's Kubler/Polmans.  Women's Singles;  #1 Sabalenka - #5 Rybakina.  The latter is playing well again.  Doubles;  #7 Danilina/Krunic - #4 S Zhang/Mertens.   We were hesistent of calling the upset in the quarter's of #1 Townsend/Siniakova, but we'll call it here with Danilina/Krunic in 3 sets?  We've seen Danilina play, and only seen Krunic practice in the past, but she was impressive.  Check the Official Site for Updates;  www.ausopen.com and www.tennis.com

Tournament Winners;  Men's Single's;  #1 Alcaraz over #4 Djokovic, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.  Giving Alcaraz a career Singles Grand Slam.  Men's Doubles;  #6 (American) Harrison/Stupski in straight sets.  Women's Singles;  #5 Rybakina in 3 sets.  Women's Doubles;  #4 S Zhang/Mertens in straight sets.

BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells: 
(Edit:  Women's Singles Semi's were on Fri.)  We're down to the final 2 days.  Saturday's lineup:  Men's Semi Singles;  #4 Zverez - #2 Sinner and #1 Alcaraz - #11 Medvedev.  Women's Semi Singles;  #3 Rybakina - #9 Svitolina and # 1 Sabelenka - #14 Noskova.  Women's Doubles Final;  #3 Townsend/Siniakova - #5 Danilina/Krunic.  Men's Doubles Final;  Guinard/Andreozzi - Vacherot/Rinderkench.  Mixed Doubles Final;  #1 Dabrowski/Glasspool - Cobolli/Bencic.
Medvedev was playing well, so we'll see how that translates vs Alcaraz.  One of our favorite Doubles team is Danilina and Krunic, so they'll have a chance to earn a win against the tough duo of Townsend and Siniakova.  We'll find out. 

Finals Sun.  Women's;  #1 Sabalenka - #3 Rybakina.  Men's;  #11 Medvedev - #2 Sinner.  Sabalenka is a slight favorite over Rybakina.  But, the latter beat her in the Australian Open, and past tournaments on Google show Rybakina winning 3 of the last 4 meetings.  Sinner has been cruising and is a fairly strong favorite over Medvedev.  However, the latter was also an underdog to Alcaraz.

Slow hard courts rewards patience and weight of shot.  The Main Event is IN Progress, with plenty of sunshine and great play.  One of the busiest times is the 1st Weekend.  The Center Gardens area is a great place to hang out, and so are the practice cts.  A top facility.  Tips;  Digital Ticketing, you'll need a mobile device.  Clear bag policy.  Bring sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat.  Stay hydrated; there's drinking fountains near restrooms, and you can refill water bottles.  There's also concessions.  It's cashless transactions, like credit card and debit.  Visit their site for Order of Play, Practice Cts and Draws.  www.bnpparibasopen.com

MonteCarlo Masters:   Clay court event.

Wimbledon:  Fast grass rewards first strike tennis and slice variety. 

US Open:  Hard court event in New York.  Features Day and Electric Night atmospheres.