How the players rated: Cincinnati

Published by Bastien Thorne

Are we about to witness the Golden Age of Garbine Muguruza? Photo: Getty Images
Garbine Muguruza shone brightest in a big week in Cincinnati. But who struggled at the last big event before the US Open?

Grigor and Garbine may have lifted the silverware, but they weren’t the only players who had a good week in Cincinnati. And wherever there’s a good week, there’s a bad week not too far away…

The finalists

Garbine Muguruza – 9/10
Given how very bad she was after winning the French Open, the fact that Garbine is able to lift some serious silverware following her Wimbledon win will come as sweet relief to the Spaniard. That she did it by beating Keys, Kuznetsova, Pliskova and Halep should merely add to the belief that the golden age of Garbi might well be upon us.

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Grigor Dimitrov – 8/10
Could it be? Is Grigor Dimitrov about to make good on the promise that everyone has been banging on about for years? A first Masters 1000 title and a jump into the world’s top 10 could really be the start of something special. Probably not, but let’s live in hope nonetheless.

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Simona Halep – 6/10
Yes, Halep did well to get to the final. But with the world No.1 in touching distance, the Romanian well and truly blew it. Her performance was so substandard that she apologised on social media, and the top spot remains as far away as ever.

Nick Kyrgios – 7/10
Where did that come from? After looking nigh on disinterested for the past couple of tournaments, Nick got his mojo back and reminded the world how good he can be. The win over Rafa was the undoubted highlight, but his first Masters 1000 final was a step in the right direction (let’s just hope he doesn’t take two steps back at Flushing Meadows).

An honourable mention to…
Sloane Stephens – 8/10. After the injuries and general malaise, Sloane seems to have rediscovered her fire. At times unplayable this week, she has turned herself into a genuine US Open threat.
David Ferrer – 7 / 10. Everyone’s second favourite Spanish ATP star, it was great seeing Ferrer doing his thing again.

Nowhere near the final

Alexander Zverev – 3/10
Way to back up the Rogers Cup win, Sascha. If, as Zverev opined after the fact, he was too tired to truly compete, then the simple fact is he shouldn’t have played. As it was, his defeat to Frances Tiafoe undid the momentum he had gained in the previous fortnight, and added fuel to the suggestion that he’s not physically ready to go deep at Slam level.

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Rafael Nadal – 5/10
The week of Rafa’s coronation as world No.1 was supposed to be a glorious affair. As it was, it turned into a bit of a horror show against Nick Kyrgios. Yes, the Aussie is a big-game player, and yes everyone has bad days at the office, but this was Rafa 2015: Nervy, error-prone and looking generally uncomfortable. The Spaniard could be in for a tricky trip to Flushing Meadows.

Jelena Ostapenko – 2/10
Maybe there’s something about winning Roland Garros that causes a players’ form to nosedive. It happened to Muguruza in 2016, and now it’s happening to Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian was all over the shop against qualifier Aleksandra Krunic, and her form at the moment is anything but that of a major winner.

An honourable mention to…
Kristina Mladenovic – 2/10. What has happened to Kiki? From force to farce, the Frenchwoman can barely buy a win at the moment.
Jo-Wildried Tsonga – 2/10. Did you even register the fact he was playing? Be honest now… Tsonga has looked cooked all season, but nobody quite knows why.

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