–

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – As it does nearly every season at this time, the fickle finger of WTA coaching fate continues to flip in Guadalajara.

And that means that some familiar faces are in the house as 2022 wraps up, and the players begin to look ahead for 2023 and a new voice, a new spark.

First and perhaps most notably, there is Dmitry Tursunov.

Tursunov worked with Emma Raducanu over the summer. And – as has been the pattern with Raducanu’s coaches – was gone by fall.

Many thought he was let go although there was no evidence of that, really. The official word was that he was already going to work with another player.

And he is – he’s in Guadalajara with Belinda Bencic.

Big Sascha returns

As for Sascha Bajin, the 38-year-old who has worked as a hitting partner and coach with Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Kristina Mladenovic, Dayana Yastremska, Karolina Pliskova and – most notably – Naomi Osaka (we might have forgotten a few), the carousel continues.

Bajin is in Guadalajara with … Jelena Ostapenko.

Which is about as odd a coach-player couple as you are going to see.

Here’s what it looked like on the practice court Sunday.

Who knows? It could be magic.

As well, American Ann Li is working with Frenchman Romain de Ridder, who was the travelling coach for Leylah Fernandez for several years as she rose through the ranks.

De Ridder, who was on a trial this summer with Camila Osorio, has also worked with Amanda Anisimova and Yastremska.