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Tennis & Bagels Podcast
Leylah Fernandez leads Canada to FIRST Billie Jean King Cup title - with Crina Mustafa
Crina Mustafa, basketball and tennis content creator, comes over to Tennis and Bagels Podcast to chat (and cheer) with Andre about Canada's history-making moment with the Billie Jean King Cup title in Seville.
Leylah Annie Fernandez, the 21-year-old dynamo who's been making waves since her epic run to the 2021 US Open final, took on the role of leader of the Canadian team despite her young age, and did not disappoint. She went undefeated in 2023 in Billie Jean King Cup competition in both singles and double combined, making it a total of 8-0 for the year. After tough matches and near-misses, Fernandez fended off Ysaline Bonaventure in the Vancouver qualifiers in April after being a set and a break down to send Canada to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals stage. There, her way was no simpler, having to go down the trenches against Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain in a three-hour, two-tiebreak battle, then getting her first top 10 win against Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of Czechia in three sets in the semi-finals. Against Italy, the title was sealed with a straight-forward win over Jasmine Paolini.
Another young star seems to be being born in Canadian tennis, as Marina Stakusic left her mark in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The 18-year-old, who has done incredibly well in the ITF World Tennis Tour, coming off of a win at the Tevlin Challenger in Toronto, lost only one match the whole week, going down against former Roland Garros champion and former World No. 2 in two sets, but winning every other match against players much higher ranked than her. Her incredible performance gave Canada the courage and belief necessary to go all the way, as Stakusic also went relatively untroubled against former Roland Garros semifinalist Martina Trevisan in the first singles against Italy.
Rounding up the team, US Open women's doubles champion Gaby Dabrowski partnered up with Fernandez in the critical match against Czechia to defeat multiple Grand Slam champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova to send Canada to the final.
Rebecca Marino and Genie Bouchard also left their hearts on the court, with Bouchard taking on to the court in doubles.
At the end of it all, Heidi El Tabakh also got her much awaited and deserved triumph with Team Canada as the team captain. The cheerful, but calm and focused captain's actions and critical decision making led Canada to be at its optimal state to finally lift the coveted trophy for the first time in the competition's history.
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Follow Crina Mustafa!
Twitter: @crinamm
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Andre Rolemberg @RolembergAndre
Vansh Vermani @vanshv2k
Owen Lewis @tennisnation
Check out Popcorn Tennis!
Twitter: @Popcorn_Tennis1
Website: popcorntennis.com
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180. Wimbledon Recap - Acaraz downs Djokovic again (With Steve Flink)
01:08:45||Season 5, Ep. 180At just 21 years old, Carlos Alcaraz adds a fourth Grand Slam title to his name, and a second Wimbledon no less. Though taking on a diminished, post-knee-surgery Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz still proved why he is at the top of the game, and even though Djokovic had enough in him to reach his first final of the year after a major scare at the French Open, it would take nothing but his best to beat the Spaniard.Join Steve Flink and Vansh for the recap of the tournament!Talk to us on social media :)Follow Tennis and Bagels: Twitter @TennisAndBAGELSAndre Rolemberg @RolembergAndreVansh Vermani @vanshv2kOwen Lewis @tennisnationOwen's The Golden Rivalry: follow all chapters as they are released on substack!Check out Popcorn Tennis!Twitter: @Popcorn_Tennis1Website: popcorntennis.com179. Roland Garros Recap with Steve Flink - Sinner and Alcaraz era, Swiatek stand alone
01:21:33||Season 5, Ep. 179Vansh sits down with his traditional post major chat with Hall of Famer Steve Flink to recap all things Roland Garros. They discuss Carlos Alcaraz’s incredible achievement of winning a major on all surfaces at the age of 21 and dissect the 2 sets to 1 comebacks against Sinner and Zverev in the semifinals and finals. Other topics include a discussion on will Zverev ever win a major, Djokovic’s uncertain future and his escapes against Musetti and Cerundolo, Jannik Sinner’s tournament and his rivalry with Alcaraz, and thoughts on Rafael Nadal at the Olympics. They also discuss Iga Swiatek and where her 5th major title triumph puts her in tennis history, an analysis of the Osaka-Swiatek R2 epic, thoughts on Coco Gauff, and a look ahead to the grass season for the WTA. A plethora of topics jam packed into a great tennis discussion that you don’t want to miss.178. Madrid Open - Rafa Nadal's farewell, and epic women's tournament
01:12:03||Season 5, Ep. 178The Madrid Open is known for being the clay court tournament where big hitters and big servers get a chance to beat the best clay court players. And it seems like Aryna Sabalenka was right on that path, beating Iga Swiatek in the 2023 final and clawing her way into the 2024 final again vs the World No.1 - but this time, the Pole had an answer.The epic women's tournament in Madrid held the entire thing together, to be honest. The men's side was hampered with many withdrawals and injuries, including champion Andrey Rublev's illness which almost cost him the title. In what was probably the match of the year (with still a good number of great tournaments to come) Iga Swiatek was able to overcome the powerful Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion and two-time defending champion in Madrid. Swiatek did not have it easy, though: three match points came and were erased by a clutch Siwatek before she finally was able to cross the finish line after three hours, 20 minutes of pure drama and tennis of the most exquisite quality. Now, Swiatek has completed her clay court set, winning the only big clay tournament that was left for her, having won Rome two times and Roland Garros three times.For the men's while things looked a little less exciting (and downright worrying) due to injuries and withdrawals, we still got to experience some good stories, matches and drama. Firstly, Rafael Nadal, who is likely in his farewell tour, reached the fourth round with majestic wins over Aelx De Minaur and Pedro Cachin before succumbing to a flawless Jiri Lehecka. Is there still something special in the King of Clay for 2024?Secondly, while Alcaraz was clearly hindered by some injury in his arm he still gave everything he had, beating Jan Lennard Struff in a rematch of last year's final, and pushing Rublev to three sets. maybe the effort was too much though, as he is not playing in Rome, and is still a question mark for Roland Garros.Finally, we cannot forget the heroics of Andrey Rublev, who overcame many an adversity to win his second ATP Masters 1000 title, arguably the greatest of all coming in the final match: a quite debilitating illness, and a healthy and fresh Felix Auger Aliassime, who himself enjoyed a particularly odd way to the final with two mid-match retirements and a withdrawal (Jannik Sinner, no less). While no match of the year, at least the fans were entertained by a good fight in a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 win from Rublev.177. Clay Season: Alcaraz, Swiatek still leaders? Rybakina, Ruud, Tsitsipas rasing their game
01:00:41||Season 5, Ep. 177This week, Vansh and Andre have a chat about their thoughts on the current clay season progress. Notably, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud have reached the Monte Carlo and Barcelona finals back to back, with the Greek winning Monte Carlo and the Norwegian taking the Barcelona crown for his biggest title to date. On the women's side, Elena Rybakina fought hard to win the Stuttgart indoor clay title, with a win over two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in what was possibly the best match of the week.With Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawals due to injury, Novak Djokovic's current lack of proper form (and a title in 2024,) ths ATP side of things is looking rather intriguing ahead of Madrid, and, most of all, Rome, as it is the closest in conditions to Roland Garros. Who will emerge as the top contender? Can Rafael Nadal find yet another title on the Parisian clay?And though Iga Swiatek lost, it's still the same: Rome will define who is truly in the best form for the French Open - although so far we feel pretty confident in the 3-time Roland Garros champion to win the title. That is, if one of Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff don't step up to dethrone the World Number 1, or even a rising star in potentially Marta Kostyuk and a finally stable Emma Raducanu.We also have a quick look back into the achievements and career of Garbine Muguruza, who just announced her retirement from professional tennis in a press conference this past week. Happy retirement!Talk to us on social media :)Follow Tennis and Bagels: Twitter @TennisAndBAGELSAndre Rolemberg @RolembergAndreVansh Vermani @vanshv2kOwen Lewis @tennisnationDownload the TennisONE APP for scores, stats, news, videos, player content, fan contests, and more https://t1.app.link/VanshOwen's The Golden Rivalry: follow all chapters as they are released on substack!Check out Popcorn Tennis!Twitter: @Popcorn_Tennis1Website: popcorntennis.com176. Sunshine Double 2024 final thoughts - We're Back!
01:01:01||Season 5, Ep. 176A bit of tennis fatigue and other personal stuff had us MIA for a while. But we're back, and just in time for the Clay Season!Looking back at the Sunshine Double results, including the Iga Swiatek - Carlos Alcaraz double, Maria Sakkari's and Daniil Medvedev's great runs to the finals in Indian Wells, and of course, the players of the moment and Miami champions: Danielle Collins and Jannik Sinner. With one just starting the best of his career and the other bidding farewell with a dream season, the contrast in their careers right now is just a sign that anything can happen in tennis.We also have a nice little chat with Vansh, as he talks about his experience covering tournaments on-site for the TennisOne app! Download below :)Talk to us on social media :)Follow Tennis and Bagels: Twitter @TennisAndBAGELSAndre Rolemberg @RolembergAndreVansh Vermani @vanshv2kOwen Lewis @tennisnationDownload the TennisONE APP for scores, stats, news, videos, player content, fan contests, and more https://t1.app.link/VanshOwen's The Golden Rivalry: follow all chapters as they are released on substack!Check out Popcorn Tennis!Twitter: @Popcorn_Tennis1Website: popcorntennis.comNaomi Osaka 2.0 - What matters MOST for her comeback in 2024
17:09||Season 5Naomi Osaka reached the quarterfinals at the Qatar WTA 1000 event, winning her first match over a top 30 opponent in Caroline Garcia, also avenging the Australian Open loss. She also won back-to-back matches for the first time since Miami 2022.While her tennis truly has seen great improvement from Brisbane, and the rust is starting to fall off, what really is great to see in Osaka right now is that she seems to be enjoying the game - a great contrast from when she was suffering with depression back in 2021 and 2022. Then, she wanted to be anywhere but in front of a crowd and on a court. Now, she seems to truly be enjoying it.But can Naomi Osaka win a big title in 2024? Can she break into the Top 30? Who knows. What truly matters, though, is that she continues to enjoy her time on court. Then, the sky is the limit.Talk to us on social media :)Follow Tennis and Bagels: Twitter @TennisAndBAGELSAndre Rolemberg @RolembergAndreVansh Vermani @vanshv2kOwen Lewis @tennisnationOwen's The Golden Rivalry: follow all chapters as they are released on substack!Check out Popcorn Tennis!Twitter: @Popcorn_Tennis1Website: popcorntennis.com175. ATP Season - the best tennis content EVER?
41:34||Season 5, Ep. 175Netflix's Break Point cost millions, took months to be completed, several of the most talented people in the industry, and still can't hold a candle to the ATP Season, a comedic 5-minute parody of what the tennis season is like. Players pretending that everything we see is fake, and some of the best acting from your favourite players like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Gael Monfils. What is missing to the multi-million dollar production by the entertainment giant? What did Netflix miss? For starters, we think that they should get rid of the F1: Drive to Survive thinking and find their own mission statement.We also talk about the most controversial coach in modern tennis, Patrick Mouratoglou. Who is he really? A great coach? A PR genius with a way to make people talk about himself? A... clown? We don't quite believe in this last option, but the true merits of Mouratoglou as an elite tennis coach are a good topic to be explored - one that might bring about an entire episode of its own.Touching briefly on some of the WTA matches this week, Andre recommended the Abu Dhabi semifinals, but obviously these are over by now. So if you can, go watch a replay of Rybakina vs Samsonova and Haddad Maia vs Kasatkina! Both of these were amazing. And don't forget to catch the final on Sunday!Finally, we ended up having to chat about Saudi Arabia's involvement in tennis. What to expect? What to do as fans? How can we still enjoy good tennis, and at the same time keep in mind that Saudi Arabia is far from being a role-model of a country, being a quite brutal dictatorship with many shortcomings when it comes to human rights? Ultimately, though, money talks for the big players.Talk to us on social media :)Follow Tennis and Bagels: Twitter @TennisAndBAGELSAndre Rolemberg @RolembergAndreVansh Vermani @vanshv2kOwen Lewis @tennisnationOwen's The Golden Rivalry: follow all chapters as they are released on substack!Check out Popcorn Tennis!Twitter: @Popcorn_Tennis1Website: popcorntennis.com174. Australian Open - men's tournament review with Steve Flink
01:11:37||Season 5, Ep. 174Join us in this captivating episode as tennis historian, writer, and hall-of-famer Steve Flink returns to dissect the thrilling moments of the Australian Open men's tournament. In an insightful conversation with our host Vansh, they delve into the triumphs and tribulations of the players who left their mark on the iconic tournament.The spotlight is on the phenomenal ascent of Italian sensation Jannik Sinner, who emerged victorious in a historic showdown against the formidable Novak Djokovic. The 10-time Australian Open champion faced his first-ever defeat in the semi-finals, leaving fans in awe of Sinner's prowess and determination as he valiantly came back from a two-sets-to-love deficit against Daniil Medvedev to win his maiden Grand Slam title. Djokovic's shocking performance also left Flink and Vansh intrigued, wondering if this will affect the rest of the season for the Serbian.Flink and Vansh navigate the twists and turns of Daniil Medvedev's journey, exploring his resurgence and reaching the final for the third time in Australia. The duo revisits Medvedev's past challenges, including a heartbreaking loss to Rafael Nadal at this same stage in 2022, and examines the improvements that have transformed him into a more promising and formidable player. From adjustments in his net game to strategic shifts in his return position, could Medvedev's evolution bring him back to being one of the most dangerous players on tour?As the episode unfolds, the hosts speculate on the future prospects of Sinner and Medvedev, pondering whether they will secure victories in the remaining Grand Slam events of 2024. The burning question lingers: Can either of them rise to the pinnacle and claim the coveted World No. 1 ranking?Tune in for a riveting discussion filled with expert analysis, tennis insights, and a glimpse into the potential future of these tennis titans. Whether you're a die-hard fan or a casual observer, this episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about the world of tennis. 🎙️🎾173. AO Review - High on Aryna Sabalenka
01:29:09||Season 5, Ep. 173A deeper dive into the happenings of the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, as it came to an end this Sunday, January 28!Owen makes a case for Aryna Sabalenka to be the true best player in the world. What are her weaknesses? If not for her own on-court frustrations and nerves kicking in, there are no real vulnerabilities to exploit in her game, no matter on which surface.The WTA's current Top 3 plus Elena Rybakina also seems consolidated and increasingly distancing themselves from the rest of the pack. Is a new domination era starting? How many Grand Slam titles will Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina win in the next 5-10 years? Exciting battles look very possible on the horizon.And we did not forget Qinwen Zheng, who finished runner-up at the Australian Open. How far does her potential go? Which areas can she improve on her game? After a hard fought final, though ending in a straight forward loss, Zheng now enters the Top 10, and has much material to look into as she seeks to follow on the footsteps of fellow Chinese player Li Na, the 2014 Australian Open champion. On the ATP side, more questions than answers. How high is Janni Sinner's ceiling? Is the World No.1 ranking in the cards for this year? Another major title? And what about Medvedev - now that he is happy and motivated, can he finally add another Grand Slam title to his trophy room? It will depend on how well he can implement the changes he needs in his game, and how long he can sustain his best level, though another 2-0 lead is blown at the Australian Open. Looking into Novak Djokovic, we were left puzzled by his performance. Although, while we do not consider his decline to be so sudden as to cause his level to drop so much in just two days, it seems something was not quite right. And he sure needed a much higher level to beat Sinner.Talk to us on social media :)Follow Tennis and Bagels: Twitter @TennisAndBAGELSAndre Rolemberg @RolembergAndreVansh Vermani @vanshv2kOwen Lewis @tennisnationOwen's The Golden Rivalry: follow all chapters as they are released on substack!Check out Popcorn Tennis!Twitter: @Popcorn_Tennis1Website: popcorntennis.com