The Canadian Open continues this week as Danyana Yastremska faces Yulia Putintseva while Peyton Stearns goes up against Anna Blinkova in the round of 64. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 ATP Tour – WTA 1000
Canadian Open
IGA Stadium
Selected Ro64 matches – 6/7 August
6 August
Danyana Yastremska 31/20 | Yulia Putintseva 5/10
This match provides a fascinating clash of styles. Danyana Yastremska is a typical modern-day hardcourt player who adopts an extremely aggressive approach.
It is a mercurial style that reminds me of Jelena Ostapenko and it can result in plenty of unforced errors. But when it works: it works. And she rode that ultra-aggressive style to a career-defining semi-final run at this year’s Aussie Open (beating the likes of Vondrousova and Azarenka along the way).
But the Ukrainian has been largely ineffective since then and could really do with a strong North American hardcourt campaign. She has gone 8-11 since Melbourne and she desperately needs to address her erratic style.
Regularly measured as one of the most aggressive players on tour, the Ukrainian just hits too many errors. She could actually take a leaf out of Ostapenko’s book.
The Latvian is still bonkers crazy but she has learnt how to integrate more control in rallies over the last few years (and the consistency has followed).
This season has been a bit of a renaissance for Kazakh firebrand Yulia Putinseva. The Kazakh baseliner seemed destined to become a fringe WTA player, earning her career in the hinterlands of the tour.
She had lost some of her famous on-court sparks and just seemed a little jaded. But coach Matteo Donati helped to reinject some of that fire and the results have flowed this season.
She was robbed of her belongings on the eve of the ‘Sunshine Double’ and it appears as if that negative event somehow galvanized her. She reached the final 16 in Indian Wells before an excellent quarterfinal run in Miami. She continued the WTA 1000 momentum with another quarterfinal run in Madrid.
And she never lost any steam with the switch to grass, winning her first grass-court title in Birmingham before a 4th round run at SW19 (beating World No.1 Swiatek along the way).
The Verdict: Putintseva to win in straight sets 11/10
I was somewhat surprised to learn that this will be their first career meeting. A defensive baseliner by nature, Putintseva will look to frustrate Yastremska into her customary string of errors.
There’s always the chance that Yastremska blitzes the Kazakh from the back of the court. I just don’t see enough in the Ukrainian’s recent form to suggest she can challenge a very in-form Putintseva.
Peyton Stearns 44/100 | Anna Blinkova 7/4
2022 NCAA Champion Peyton Stearns has taken to life pretty quickly on the WTA Tour, reaching her maiden final last season before claiming a maiden title this year (at the Rabat Grand Prix).
She really caught the eye with a brilliant fourth round run at last year’s US Open and she will be hoping to draw on that experience as she gears up for this North American hardcourt swing.
She doesn’t really arrive in Toronto with much form to her name, losing two of her last six competitive matches. She participated in Washington last week, beating Ngounoue in her opener before a straight-sets defeat to Radacanu.
I anticipate that Stearns will grow into the summer, using that powerful forehand to great effect on these slick North American surfaces.
Big-hitting Anna Blinkova has always been a bit of an enigmatic talent. She has reached a few finals, winning the Transylvania Open in 2022 before a runner-up finish at last year’s Strasbourg event.
She actually reached a career-high ranking of 34 last year (aided by semifinal runs in Hobart and Hong Kong). This year has been quite underwhelming for the Russian and she also comes into this match with recent form stats of 2-4.
She did create a little bit of history with her phenomenal win over Elena Rybakina in this year’s Aussie Open. The third and final set of their second-round match went to a tiebreak and it would become the longest tiebreak in a Grand Slam singles match in the Open Era, with Blinkova somehow prevailing 22-20 (saving six match points in the process).
She has the ability to beat the best on her day, also taking down Jessica Pegula at Indian Wells. But she has only reached two quarterfinals all season as her struggles with consistency continue.
The Verdict: Stearns to win in straight sets 99/100
This will be the first career meeting between these two. I just have a feeling that Stearns is going to pick up some impressive results this summer.
She is accustomed to the tour now and I think her forehand will be a significant weapon on these surfaces. Blinkova has been far too inconsistent this season and Stearns should feel up to pace after competing in Washington last week.
