2017 ATP Atlanta Preview and Predictions (@bbtatlantaopen)

Posted by Admin on July 24, 2017
Posted in: Atlanta, ATP, BB&T Atlanta Open, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2017 ATP Atlanta Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Tennis Atlantic is happy to provide week long credentialed coverage of the 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open, as ATP tennis again returns to the biggest city in the South.

BB&T Atlanta Open
ATP World Tour 250
July 24-30, 2017
Atlanta, GA, USA
Prize Money: $642,750
Surface: Hard

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Jack Sock (18)
2: John Isner (19)
3: Gilles Muller (22)
4: Ryan Harrison (49)

With so many Americans in the field, and three of the four top seeds Americans, it’s likely the BB&T Atlanta Open will produce another American champion.

Top Half:

Jack Sock has been great on hard courts this season and will be happy to return to the surface where his forehand can shine. Presuming a healthy Dudi Sela defeats Konstantin Kravchuk he should face off with Sock. Sock should overpower the Israeli battler to reach the quarters. Marcos Baghdatis serves a bit of a dark horse in this section of the draw, he could catch fire with his shotmaking, but Kyle Edmund is the favorite to defeat Baghdatis round 1. I’ll pick an in-form Peter Gojowczyk to defeat dirtballer Guido Pella, and Edmund before falling to Sock in the quarters.

It looks like Ryan Harrison‘s time to return to form in the second section of the draw.  The athletic Frances Tiafoe isn’t in good enough form, even if he defeats John Millman, and although Jared Donaldson should beat Ernesto Escobedo, Harrison is the most accomplished player in this section for a reason. Young gun Taylor Fritz plays local favorite Chris Eubanks and could get knocked off, as he’s struggled this year on tour. Harrison over Donaldson is the pick for the quarters.

Bottom Half:

With three ATP Atlanta titles in his trophy case, and a new trophy from Newport all in the back of his mind, local favorite John Isner looks set to take out fellow big server Vasek Pospisil, and then Donald Young in the quarters. Young opens with Bjorn Fratangelo, Lukas Lacko and Thomas Fabbiano are also in this section, while Pospisil opens with Bjorn Fratangelo.

Fresh off his run at Wimbledon, Gilles Muller returns to the ATP tour as a favorite against either Stefan Kozlov or Quentin Halys, both young qualifiers. Look for the talented young gun Hyeon Chung to run past Tommy Paul, and either Malek Jaziri or big server Reilly Opelka to setup a big quarterfinal match. Muller’s serve and volley should be good enough to earn him the win.

Dark Horse: Hyeon Chung

Chung is quite talented, but hasn’t quite put all the pieces together yet. This tournament presents a great opportunity for him to make a big breakthrough, as he has a reasonable path to the final if he can return big servers well.

Predictions

Semis
Sock d. Harrison
Isner d. Muller

In what should be an all-American final, America’s two best players should face off in the Atlanta final. Isner loves playing in Atlanta and should be able to keep up his pace from Newport to get another title.

Finals
Isner d. Sock

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2017 ATP Hamburg Preview and Predictions

Posted by Admin on July 24, 2017
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2017 ATP Hamburg Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Hamburg is on the calendar again this year, it’s a 500 level stop, meaning making a deep run can meet quite the rankings boost.

German Tennis Championships
ATP World Tour 500
Hamburg, Germany
July 24-30, 2017
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €1,499,940

Top 4 seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Albert Ramos (24)
2: Pablo Cuevas (26)
3: Karen Khachanov (32)
4: Gilles Simon (39)

Top Half:

Spain’s Albert Ramos should get past Leonardo Mayer, a lucky loser, and either J.L. Struff or Evgeny Donskoy, Fernando Verdasco is the favorite in the top section though. He reached the semis in Bastad and presuming he can get past a tough opening round match with Jiri Vesely, he should ease past Horacio Zeballos or wild card Daniel Altmaier.

David Ferrer just won his first title in two years, he should continue his form on clay and defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili, Federico Delbonis, presuming Delbonis defeats Carlos Berlocq, should pose trouble in round 2, but I’ll tip Ferrer. and he should also beat Karen Khachanov, who is having a great season. The Russian opens with Rudolf Molleker, making his ATP debut, then should face Aljaz Bedene, presuming Bedene defeats Rogerio Dutra Silva.

Bottom Half:

Pablo Cuevas will face Andrey Kuznetsov to start off,  and I’ll back the in-form Kuznetsov to get the upset. Marco Cecchinato should be next up for Kuznetsov, Florian Mayer is also a possibility. Diego Schwartzman is the favorite for the quarters above, he opens with Andreas Haider-Maurer, a qualifier, either Cedrik-Marcel Stebe or Damir Dzumhur will follow.  I’ll back Kuznetsov to reach the semis.

Everyone but Umag champion Andrey Rublev has struggled in the third quarter of the draw, Gilles Simon and Philipp Kohlschreiber have plenty of elite experience, but are not playing well, Max Marterer is a wild card, Tommy Haas and Dmitry Tursunov are aging veterans in poor form, Benoit Paire lost in the opening match of his last tournament, and Nicolas Kicker has yet to make real inroads on the ATP tour. I’ll back Kohlschreiber over Paire at home in the quarters, as Rublev should be gassed.

Dark Horse: Andrey Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov should score the early upset against Cuevas, and go as far as the final from that point.

Predictions:

Semis
Verdasco d. Ferrer
Kuznetsov d. Kohlschreiber

I can’t predict Ferrer to go back to back in consecutive weeks given his age, Kuznetsov is playing well enough to make the final, but Verdasco should be a slight favorite in Hamburg.

Final
Verdasco d. Kuznetsov

2017 ATP Gstaad Preview and Predictions

Posted by Admin on July 24, 2017
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2017 ATP Gstaad Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The ATP World Tour stops for another tournament in Switzerland, the 250 on clay in Gstaad.

J Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad
ATP World Tour 250
Gstaad, Switzerland
July 24-30, 2017
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €482,060

Top 4 seeds (Top 4 seeds receive first round byes) (ATP rankings in parentheses)
1: David Goffin (13)
2: Roberto Bautista Agut (18)
3: Feliciano Lopez (27)
4: Fabio Fognini (31)

Top Half:

David Goffin opens with Mikhail Youzhny or Radu Albot, Bastad finalist Alexandr Dolgopolov opens with Thiago Monteiro, Renzo Olivo or Robin Haase will follow. Dolgopolov tends to be highly inconsistent in terms of form, but I have him falling to Goffin in the quarters.

Feliciano Lopez opens with either qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, or Facundo Bagnis. Lopez should win that matchup given his decent enough form on clay. Home Swiss player Henri Laaksonen should defeat Thomaz Bellucci and either Santiago Giraldo or Joao Sousa, Sousa is in terrible form, and Laaksonen has been playing well as of late. I have Lopez reaching the semifinals.

Bottom Half:

Umag finalist Paolo Lorenzi should be safe to defeat Marco Chiudinelli, an inconsistent Ernests Gulbis should beat Daniel Brands, before falling to Lorenzi on clay. Look for Fabio Fognini to put away Taro Daniel or Norbert Gombos, then defeat a fatigued Lorenzi to reach the semifinals.

Roberto Bautista Agut has an easy start against either Gleb Sakharov/Antoine Bellier, RBA should then dispatch Dusan Lajovic in the quarters. Lajovic faces Dustin Brown, then Lorenzi Giustino or Denis Istomin. Istomin has been in terrible form as of late.

Dark Horse: Henri Laaksonen

Laaksonen is 15-10 on clay this year, the 25 year old is flirting with top 100 tennis,  and has more tour wins this year, than he’s had in any other season. This home hero could be in for a great run.

Predictions

Semis
Goffin d. Lopez
Fognini d. Bautista Agut

I’ll go with Fognini to have a big week on clay, Goffin and RBA should have a bit more trouble adjusting, and Fognini seems due.

Final

Fognini d. Goffin

Veterans Ferrer and Isner, Young Gun Rublev Claim ATP Titles

Posted by Admin on July 23, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Bastad, Newport, Steen Kirby, Umag. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Veterans Ferrer and Isner, Young Gun Rublev Claim ATP Titles
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Bastad

David Ferrer grinded his way to his first ATP title in two years, claiming a third career Bastad title 6-4 6-4 over Alexandr Dolgopolov, who also sorely needed the ranking boost gained from reaching an ATP final, even at the 250 level. Ferrer’s record turned positive this year overall after wins against Federico Delbonis, Dustin Brown, Henri Laaksonen and Fernando Verdasco, as since reaching the third round of Wimbledon he’s looking much better in terms of form.

Dolgopolov also went above .500 this season overall, he defeated Leonardo Mayer, Horacio Zeballos, Karen Khachanov, and Andrey Kuznetsov, looking healthy in the process.

Julian Knowle and Philipp Petzschner defeated Sander Arends and Matwe Middelkoop in the doubles final.

ATP Newport

Overall, John Isner would have preferred more from his grass court season, but the 32 year old won Newport, and in the process gained his first ATP title in two years. His victims at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships were Sam Groth, Dennis Novikov, Bjorn Fratangelo, and surprise finalist Matt Ebden 6-3 7-6.

Ebden, a 29 year old qualifier, reached his first ever ATP final, Rajeev Ram, Lukas Lacko, Tobias Kamke, and Peter Gojowczky were the players he defeated en route, as Newport has a habit of generating interesting upsets. Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi and Rajeev Ram beat Matt Reid and J.P. Smith in the doubles final.

ATP Umag

Andrey Rublev was much more than a lucky loser in Umag, he now wears the title of champion, as he won his maiden ATP title over Paolo Lorenzi  6-4 6-2. Rublev defeated Carlos Berlocq, Andrej Martin, Fabio Fognini, and Ivan Dodig as well last week. Lorenzi beat Aljaz Bedene, Jiri Vesely, and Alessandro Giannessi, it was his second ATP final this season, although he’s lost both.

Guillermo Durán and Andres Molteni defeated Tomislav Draganja and Marin Draganja in the doubles final.

.@CitiOpen Adds More Firepower: Halep, Dimitrov, Raonic Nab Wild Cards

Posted by Admin on July 19, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Citi Open, Washington, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Milos Raonic (Photo:Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots for TennisEastCoast.com)

Milos Raonic (Photo:Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots for TennisAtlantic.com)


HALEP, DIMITROV, RAONIC, STEPHENS ACCEPT WILD CARDS; ADDS NEXT-LEVEL PRESTIGE TO CITI OPEN®

New additions bring WTA Tour No. 2, two Top 10 Players on the ATP World Tour and Women’s Singles Past Champion to the Capital Tennis Tradition

WASHINGTON (July 19, 2017) — Simona Halep, currently ranked No. 2 on the WTA Tour, ATP World Tour No. 9 Milos Raonic, ATP World Tour No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov, and 2015 Citi Open Champion Sloane Stephens have all accepted wild cards to the Citi Open® Tennis Tournament. The Capital Tennis Tradition will be held July 29-August 6 at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center.

Halep will compete in the Washington tournament for the first time in her career, following her impressive run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. She also reached the French Open finals earlier this year, for the second time in her career. She has a total of 15 titles, returning to her career-high ranking of No. 2 this year, after first reaching the ranking in 2015.

Stephens is making a comeback to tennis, after an injury kept her sidelined following the 2016 Olympics. She won her first WTA Tour title at the Citi Open in 2015.

With the addition of Raonic to the roster, the tournament now boasts four of its most recent men’s singles champions competing for the title. The tournament has previously announced that three-time champion Juan Martin del Potro, defending champion Gael Monfils, and 2015 champion Kei Nishikori will return to Washington this summer.

Raonic returns to D.C. following his impressive run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. In 2014, he prevailed over Vasek Pospisil at the Citi Open, in the first all-Canadian ATP World Tour final. Meanwhile, Dimitrov is back for the fifth time following a successful run to the Australian Open semifinal earlier this year and winning two Tour titles so far in 2017.

Dimitrov and Raonic add to a total of four ATP World Tour Top 10 players in this year’s field, including World No. 7 Dominic Thiem and World No. 8 Nishikori.

“As the title sponsor of the Citi Open, we are thrilled to see such an exciting and competitive field take shape in both the women’s and men’s events,” said Dermot Boden, Chief Brand Officer, Citi. “In addition to bringing world-class tennis to Washington, D.C., these quality players will draw more attention to the tournament, which means greater awareness and fundraising for the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, allowing us to help expand the WTEF programs to give children in Washington, D.C. a safe place to build their future.”

The additions further elevate the highly competitive player field, which also includes World No. 11 Alexander Zverev, 2015 finalist John Isner, Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig, Canadian starlet Eugenie Bouchard, American fan favorite Steve Johnson, and top American Jack Sock.

—S. Pegarido, Citi Open

Richest Purse in Tennis: Qualifying For @USOpen Main Draw Now Worth $50,000

Posted by Admin on July 18, 2017
Posted in: ATP, US Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

US Open 2015
2017 MARKS MILESTONE YEAR FOR PLAYERS AT THE US OPEN AS TOTAL COMPENSATION TOPS $50 MILLION FOR FIRST TIME

Each Singles Champion to Receive $3.7 Million Payout

US Open Qualifying Jumps Nearly $1 Million with $2.9 Million Now on the Line

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 18, 2017 – The USTA today announced that the prize money for the 2017 US Open will increase by more than $4 million, bringing the total purse for the tournament to a record $50.4 million, a 9 percent increase over the 2016 US Open prize money totals. With those increases, the US Open becomes the first tennis tournament in history with total prize money compensation topping $50 million. Once again, the tournament will provide the richest purse in tennis history.

Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will earn $3.7 million, the largest payout in US Open history. The average increase per round for the singles competition is 7.5 percent above the 2016 US Open. Similar to the past two years, the largest percentage gains by round are in the first and second rounds of the tournament. Both the men’s and women’s doubles champion teams will earn $675,000, the highest in US Open history, and overall doubles prize money has been increased by 8.6 percent. The US Open Qualifying Tournament will offer more than $2.9 million in prize money, an unprecedented 49.2 percent increase over 2016.

“Five years ago, we committed to the players that total player compensation for players would reach $50 million at the US Open, and we are honoring that commitment,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Katrina Adams. “In addition to unprecedented prize money increases, players also will see a host of new amenities at this year’s tournament including upgrades to Player Dining, a more generous meal allowance, upgrades to all player workout facilities, and additional quiet room space. Our goal is to make every experience at the US Open, whether for the players, our fans, or our partners, the best, world-class experience possible.”

Twenty years ago, the US Open was transformed by the introduction of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The new centerpiece of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Arthur Ashe Stadium providing the game’s greats – and its greatest fans – with a stage unmatched in the sport’s annals. Boasting a capacity of more than 23,000, Arthur Ashe Stadium became the largest tennis-only stadium in the world, allowing the Open to welcome more than half a million more fans than when its namesake won the men’s singles championship in 1968. Best of all, the stadium has grown with the times. In 2016, it added a retractable roof, banishing rain delays to the historical record and ensuring that the US Open’s loyal legion of supporters could continue to experience the grandeur of US Open tennis regardless of the weather. Today, Arthur Ashe Stadium stands as the ultimate showcase for the world’s finest players to complete the toughest two weeks in tennis.

This year’s US Open is scheduled for August 28 through September 10, with the US Open Qualifying Tournament beginning on August 22. The USTA is continuing its transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with a new Louis Armstrong Stadium in 2018.

—USTA

Roger Federer Concludes Another Magical Run With Wimbledon Title #8

Posted by Admin on July 16, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Steen Kirby, Wimbledon. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Roger Federer Concludes Another Magical Run With Wimbledon Title #8
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Roger Federer hasn’t dropped a set since he began his run to the title in Halle, and he just finished up the grass court season with Wimbledon title #8, and Grand Slam title #19 (his second of the season), thumping Marin Cilic in another magical performance 6-3 6-1 6-4 in less than two hours. Cilic, playing in a second slam final, was never really in the match, he was broken twice in the first set, twice in the second set, and once in the third set. By contrast, he only generated one break point chance the entire match, and that came early in the first set, as the Croatian seemed nervous facing the 35 year old legend, while Federer eased his way into the match and finished smooth as silk, with 23 winners. Federer won three quarters of his points on serve, while Cilic’s own serve was much weaker in the match, despite serving him well all tournament.

Federer moved to 31-2 on the season, as his tournament run saw straight set wins against Alexandr Dolgopolov, Dusan Lajovic, Mischa Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic, and Tomas Berdych, who was playing well defeating Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem in previous rounds. Cilic beat Philipp Kohlschreiber, Florian Mayer, Steve Johnson, and Roberto Bautista Agut, Gilles Muller required five sets, and Sam Querrey required four for him to reach the final.

Muller had upset Rafael Nadal in the previous round, clearing a possible hurdle for Federer, while Querrey knocked out defending champion Andy Murray, who didn’t appear fit, and succumbed to Querrey’s powerful groundstrokes.

Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo won a classic doubles final, 13-11 in the fifth set over Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, as the veterans celebrated with the joy of first time pros after their victory.