Good / Bad week: Young guns rise to the top

It goes without saying that Elina Svitolina and Alexander Zverev had standout weeks at the Rogers Cup. But who else joined them in the Good Week group, and who will be hoping to do better with Cincinnati just around the corner?

Good week…

Elina Svitolina: She might be knackered now, but when Elina Svitolina looks back on this week she will be very, very happy. It’s not so much that she became the first woman in WTA history to win three Premier 5 titles in the same season that stands out, it’s who she beat to do it. Venus Williams, Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki were all dispatched, with only Muguruza posing any sort of a threat. Yep, it was a statement week indeed.

Alexander Zverev: The boy is becoming very, very good. After a breakout season in 2016, Alexander ‘Sascha’ Zverev is consolidating – and then some – this time around. The 20 year-old, who has historically struggled with backing up strong performances, looked peerless at times during his run to the Rogers Cup title. Handing Roger Federer just his third defeat of the season in an utterly dominant performance merely underlined how good he is at the moment. The future is looking bright, and for that the ATP will be breathing a sigh of relief.

Denis Shapovalov: It’s been quite a year for 18 year-old Denis Shapovalov. After nearly taking the head off an unsuspecting umpire in February, the Canadian earned his reprieve with a thrilling run to the Rogers Cup semifinals. The standout victory was, of course, against Rafael Nadal, but arguably the win over Adrian Mannarino was more impressive. Fatigued, and on a natural comedown after the highs of the night before, the teen dug deep and found a way to win. It’s a fighting spirit that bodes well for the future.

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An honourable mention to…
Roger Federer: The No.1 is in touching distance after his run to the Rogers Cup final.
Caroline Wozniacki: The Dan had not won a match in Toronto before this week. A run to the final – and a first win over a world No.1 – soon put that stat right.
Sloane Stephens: Wowsers – where did that come from? After her injury struggles there was a general malaise… then an extraordinary run to the Rogers Cup semifinals. A sign of things to come?

Bad week…

Milos Raonic: So often the darling of the Canadian crowd, Milos Raonic faced unfamiliar waters this week as he was thoroughly outshone by ‘young gun’ Denis Shapovalov. It’s true: this season has not been kind to Raonic. But the Canadian could have – and should have – done better against Adrian Mannarino on home soil. A disappointing 6-4 6-4 defeat in his opening match merely underlined how far away he is from his previous peak performances.

Dominic Thiem: Is it malaise? Is it fatigue? Is it injury? Whatever happens to Dominic Thiem in the second half of the season appears to be happening again. For a moment on day two of the tournament it looked like he might find a way past a belligerent Diego Schwartzman. But as match points came and went, the Austrian slipped into a mire and ultimately surrendered the match. Because he was so bad at this stage of the 2016 season his ranking is relatively safe. However, if he ever wants to be a serious alternative to the ‘Big Five’ he needs to figure out this second half of the season malaise.

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Angelique Kerber: Angie Kerber has got to find her form at some point, surely? After the rigours of the clay court season were over, she was supposed to come good on the grass. When that didn’t happen, the US hard courts – where she will defend her Flushing Meadows crown – was surely the place of her renaissance. Sloane Stephens, who has been battling injury demons all season, put paid to that with a 6-2 6-2 demolition that lasted less than an hour. Will Angie find her form? It’s looking less and less likely as every week ticks by.

An honourable mention to…
Maria Sharapova and Vika Azarenka: Both out of Cincinnati, but for very different reasons. Their respective comebacks are no longer not going according to plan, they’re simply not going at all.
John Isner: North American hard courts are his thing. After two straight tournament wins and a week away from the Tour, the big man was outplayed and outgunned by Delpo in the opening round of the Rogers Cup.