MatchPlay 120: Week 3 update
We're now in week 3 of the Topnotch Tennis Tours MatchPlay 120, a series of 120 top-300 ATP and WTA matches. See the schedule and find your stream here!
Active locations: Boca Raton, FL; Columbus, OH; Newport Beach, CA (Palisades Tennis Club); and Orlando, FL (Gooding Todero Academy).
Asking Shelby Rogers anything
MatchPlay 120 competitor Shelby Rogers was kind enough to do an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) session on Reddit last week. Here are a few of the questions and answers we got to read.
Reddit: What is the hardest aspect of being a professional tennis player?
Shelby Rogers: I think one of the toughest parts of being on tour is traveling...and all year round! We don't get to spend much time at home with our families. There are so many logistics that go into traveling and itineraries... not to mention the jet lag! But dealing with delayed or cancelled flights, checked luggage, transportation timing, etc can be a hassle sometimes. Worth it when we get to the beautiful destinations though!
R: Has it been hard finding places to practice? And without tournaments, has practicing become mundane?
SR: I have been fortunate to have access to a few private spots where I can practice during this weird time. Practicing can definitely become repetitive but it's fun to get creative, try out some new drills, and also compete still! Drills have a whole new feel when you add scoring!
R: What is your favourite book?
SR: I love to read and there are so many good books! I would have to give you favorite ones by genre because there are so many! The one I finished most recently is called David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell (who also wrote Outliers).
Leaderboard
Players who have qualified by playing five or more matches are listed in bold.
Men's leaderboard
J.J. Wolf
Zach Svajda
Brandon Nakashima
Bjorn Fratangelo
Roberto Cid Subervi
Women's leaderboard
Claire Liu
Katrina Scott (WC)
Jennifer Brady
Caroline Dolehide
Jessica Pegula
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On court this week:
View the schedule and click through to the live streams here. You might recognize names like Jessica Pegula, Sam Querrey, Anna Kalinskaya, and Ivo Karlovic.
What to look forward to:
Monday
The night match from MatchPlay 120 Newport Beach puts ATP No. 63 and four-time ATP Tour title-winner Stevie Johnson against No. 102 Marcos Giron, in a SoCal battle between USC and UCLA tennis program alumni. This match will begin not before 7 PM EDT.
Tuesday
At noon, we head to Columbus for ATP No. 55 Tennys Sandgren vs. Danish star Mikael Torpegaard. Torpegaard has won two ATP Challenger Tour in Ohio and been a finalist at two others. Later in the day, we'll enjoy some doubles: Karlovic/Arvelo vs. Behar/Martinez in Boca Raton.
Wednesday
The 2 PM Boca Raton match pits world No. 112 Anna Kalinskaya against talented young Canadian Leylah Fernandez. Leylah was in exceptional form before the WTA season was interrupted in March, having won eight out of ten Tour-level matches.
Thursday
On Thursday, top-50 American Jennifer Brady takes to the MatchPlay Orlando courts again, facing hard-hitting Caroline Dolehide in the 10 AM match. Later, from MatchPlay 120 Boca Raton, WTA No. 80 Jessica Pegula takes on former French Open quarterfinalist Shelby Rogers.
Friday
Friday features six high-quality matches from four different MatchPlay 120 locations around the country. Former world No. 14 Ivo Karlovic kicks off the day at 9 AM vs. JC Aragone. The nightcap puts Wimbledon semifinalist and ten-time ATP Tour title-winner ATP No. 40 Sam Querrey against rising ATP star Brandon Nakashima.
Player spotlights
Leylah Fernandez
17 years old
Left-handed
5'4"
Canadian
Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez climbed nearly 100 spots in the WTA rankings to begin 2020, bolstered by a win over Sloane Stephens in March at her second-ever WTA event. She is currently ranked at No. 118.
Leylah loves puzzles and desserts, in particular Rubiks Cubes and molten lava chocolate cake, respectively. :)
Leylah will face Anna Kalinskaya (WTA No. 112) at 2 PM ET Wednesday and Shelby Rogers (WTA No. 113) at 4 PM ET on Thursday, both live from Boca Raton, FL.
Steve Johnson
30 years old
Right-handed
6'2"
American
“Stevie” began playing tennis at age 2 by using balloons and beach balls. It must have done the trick, because by the time he finished his collegiate career at University of Southern California, he had swept NCAA team titles in all 4 seasons and won 2 NCAA singles titles. He finished 2011 and 2012 as No. 1 college player and 72 straight singles wins.
Stevie is currently ranked ATP No. 63, off his career high of No. 21 in 2016.
Last week, Stevie played Escobedo and Nakashima, and heads into week 3 of the series 1:1. Stevie is competing at Newport Beach's Palisades Tennis Club.
We're live!
Check out our schedule and tune in to watch some great live tennis today!
