Busy Month on ATP Tour Sees Federer Claim Title #100, Monfils Return to Form

Posted by Admin on March 4, 2019
Posted in: Acapulco, ATP, Australian Open, buenos aires, Cordoba, Delray Beach, Dubai, Marseille, Montpellier, New York, New York Open, Rio, Rotterdam, Sao Paolo, Sofia, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Busy Month on ATP Tour Sees Federer Claim Title #100, Monfils Return to Form
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

After Novak Djokovic claimed the Australian Open title, the ATP season roared into February with multiple 500 level events and a number of 250s on clay and hard courts across the globe. Here is your look at all the action for the month that was.

ATP Montpellier

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Veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won an all French final in this indoor 250 6-4 6-2 against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The veteran beat Gilles Simon, Jeremy Chardy and Radu Albot in consecutive matches to reach the final, overall he defeated four French players to win the tournament. PHH upset Denis Shapovalov and Tomas Berdych to reach the final.

ATP Sofia

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Bulgaria’s only ATP event was won by the in-form Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-3 against Marton Fucsovics. Fucsovics had a breakthrough after upsetting Andreas Sepi and getting a walkover against Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarters (then edging Matteo Berrettini in the semis). Medvedev got past Gael Monfils in the semis and prior to that he scored wins against Robin Haase and Martin Klizan in consecutive matches. Medvedev’s win helped him reach the top 15, he’s now 1-1 in ATP finals this year.

ATP Cordoba

On clay in Argentina home hero and wild card Juan Ignacio Londero won his first ever ATP title prevailing against Guido Pella 3-6 7-5 6-1 in a huge moment for him. Londero’s breakthrough pushed him to a new career high in the top 70 and he beat clay courters Nicolas Jarry and Federico Delbonis most notably to make the final. Pella had a good month edging Paolo Lorenzi, Diego Schwartzman, Albert Ramos, and Pablo Cuevas to reach the final in what was a tough path for a 250.

ATP New York

The first ATP 250 in the States this year saw Reilly Opelka lift his first title in three sets 6-1 6-7 7-6 against maiden finalist Brayden Schnur, a Canadian. Opelka also upset top American John Isner, while Schnur edged Sam Querrey in the semis. Opelka’s powerful serve was a difference maker and he should be a factor in Indian Wells and Miami coming up.

ATP Buenos Aires

The 250 on clay in Buenos Aires resulted in Marco Cecchinato’s third career ATP title 6-1 6-2 against home player Diego Schwartzman. Schwartzman upset Dominic Thiem and also beat Aljaz Bedene and Albert Ramos to reach the final. Cecchinato beat Christian Garin, Roberto Carballes Baena, and Guido Pella to reach the final, three accomplished clay courters. This was a great result for Cecchinato outside of Europe.

ATP Rotterdam

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Gael Monfils returned to form winning his 8th career title 6-3 1-6 6-2 against fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka. It was a thrilling moment played in good spirits and filled with joy for both players who have overcome injuries and adversity to return to the top of the game. Monfils 500 level title included wins against Daniil Medvedev, and David Goffin. Wawrinka upset Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov, and Kei Nishikori before falling short in the final. Both players would love to contend at the slam level again.

ATP Rio

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The Rio 500 on clay was the top event on the Golden Swing and Serbia’s Laslo Djere claimed his first title 6-3 7-5 against young gun Felix Auger-Aliassime. FAA played well but Djere was the player of the week, as he upset Dominic Thiem and also claimed wins against clay courters Casper Ruud and Aljaz Bedene to reach the final. FAA defeated Fabio Fognini, Christian Garin, Jaume Munar, and Pablo Cuevas to reach the final, showing his all court talent that is set to make him a top 20 player in the near future. Djere broke into the top 40 with the win, the tournament was filled with upsets.

ATP Marseille

Young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas found form and got past Mikhail Kukushkin 7-5 7-6 in the final after defeating David Goffin, and Sergiy Stakhovsky in the late rounds to reach the final. Kukushkin upset Denis Shapovalov and Andrey Rublev before getting a winnable semi against Ugo Humbert. This indoor hard court 250 saw some early round upsets but in the end the #1 seed Tsitsipas won his second career title.

ATP Delray Beach

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Radu Albot made history, winning his first career title and breaking into the top 60 with a 3-6 6-3 7-6 win against Dan Evans in a battle of journeymen in the Delray 250 hard court final. Evans edged John Isner in the semis and upset Frances Tiafoe in round 1 while Albot got past big servers Ivo Karlovic and Nick Kyrgios before nipping Americans Steve Johnson and McKenzie McDonald to reach the final.

ATP Dubai

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Roger Federer won his 100th career title at the Dubai 500 6-4 6-4 on hard courts against the in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas. Federer found form late in the tournament after dropping sets against Philipp Kohlschreiber and Fernando Verdasco in the first two matches. Marton Fucsovics and Borna Coric were his quarterfinal and semifinal opposition, while Tsitsipas had a relatively easy path until Gael Monfils was his semifinal opponent and he prevailed in that match in a third set tiebreak. The young Greek played well but Federer was just too good.

ATP Acapulco

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The Acapulco 500 was won by the struggling big server Nick Kyrgios 6-3 6-4, as he defeated Alexander Zverev in a battle of talented finalists. Kyrgios was focused on the week, edging John Isner in the semis, Rafael Nadal in the second round, and Stan Wawrinka in the quarters while Zverev had a smooth path that included Alex De Minaur in the quarters and Cam Norrie in the semis. Kyrgios has always had the talent to be an elite player, if he can keep this form he will contend in both upcoming Masters tournaments, but that can’t be predicted.

ATP Sao Paulo

Argentina’s Guido Pella won his first ATP title, winning the 250 on clay to close the Golden Swing 7-5 6-3 against Christian Garin. Pella edged Laslo Djere in the semis, while Garin upset Ruud. Pella didn’t have the toughest draw (Roberto Carballes Baena and Marco Trungelliti) but it was still a massive accomplishment to win his first title.

A-Listers @AshBar96, @SabalenkaA, Anastasija Sevastova Added to All-Star Field @VolvoCarOpen

Posted by Admin on February 20, 2019
Posted in: Charleston, Volvo Car Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Aryna Sabalenka, 2018 Connecticut Open, (Photo: Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

Aryna Sabalenka, 2018 Connecticut Open, (Photo: Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Volvo Car Open has added three top 15 players to its 2019 field – Aryna Sabalenka, Anastasija Sevastova and Ashleigh Barty. They join a strong international player field featuring Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki, Kiki Bertens, Madison Keys, Julia Goerges, Elise Mertens, Danielle Collins and Jelena Ostapenko. The 2019 tournament is scheduled for March 30 – April 7 on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina.

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“We are ecstatic to announce that Aryna, Anastasija and Ash have entered the Volvo Car Open,” said Eleanor Adams, Volvo Car Open Tournament Manager. “Ash is one of the most well-rounded players on the tour, Anastasija is a returning VCO semifinalist and Aryna is making her Charleston debut!”

World No. 9 Sabalenka will compete in the Volvo Car Open for the first time in 2019. The 20-year-old has had a strong start to her season, winning the title in Shenzhen and reaching the semifinals in St. Petersburg. The Belarusian also won two titles in 2018, in Wuhan and New Haven, reached the finals in Eastbourne and Lugano and the semifinals in Cincinnati.

Ranked World No. 11, Sevastova recently made the fourth round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals in Brisbane. She won the title in Bucharest last season and reached the finals in Beijing and Mallorca. She was a semifinalist at the 2018 US Open, as well as in Moscow, Charleston and Brisbane. The 2019 Volvo Car Open will be the Latvian’s sixth time competing in Charleston, where she also reached the quarterfinals in 2017.

Barty is ranked World No. 12 in singles and World No. 6 in doubles. Already in 2019 she made a splash in her home country of Australia, when she reached the finals in Sydney and the quarterfinals in Melbourne at the Australian Open. Last season she won the title in Zhuhai and Nottingham and reached the semifinals in Wuhan, Montreal and Strasbourg as well as the final in Sydney.

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Earlier this month, all three players helped their respective countries win the Fed Cup World Group first round to reach the semifinals.

The nine day Volvo Car Open is the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America and attracts an average of 90,000 attendees and more than 100 of the top singles and doubles tennis players.

—A. Alpino, VCO

Reilly Opelka Wins Maiden ATP Title @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on February 17, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Reilly Opelka Wins Maiden ATP Title at New York Open
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

American Reilly Opelka triumphed in the New York Open final, defeating first time ATP finalist Brayden Schnur, a young Canadian, 6-1 6-7 7-6 in 2 hours of tennis. The final two sets were decided by 9-7 tiebreaks, with Schnur taking the second set breaker but losing the third. Opelka’s 43 aces were the difference maker as he won 88% of his first serve points (with Schnur winning almost 7 in 10 of his service points). Schnur generated no break point chances in a tight match after the runaway first set for Opelka. Schnur saved break points in two different second set service games and saved a match point to force a third set.

In the third set Schnur faced three more break points at 1-2, and despite holding on and forcing a tiebreak he couldn’t hold his nerve. Opelka squandered three more match point chances but finally went up a minibreak 8-7 and served it out 9-7 to win his first ATP title.

The result moves Opelka into the top 60 for the first time in his career, while Schnur moves to world #107, just outside the top 100 after he made the final as a qualifier.

The German pairing of Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies combined to take the doubles title against Santiago Gonzalez and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.

It’s Hardware Sunday @NewYorkOpen, and A Maiden Title On the Line for @ReillyOpelka & @BraydenSchnur

Posted by Admin on February 17, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

It’s Hardware Sunday at New York Open, and A Maiden Title On the Line for Opelka, Schnur

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)
Reilly Opelka, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

It’s been a great week for both American Reilly Opelka and Canadian Brayden Schnur. Tonight, one of them will have a “1” in their little stats column on your ATP scoring app as one will pick up their first ATP tour-level singles title at the New York Open in Uniondale, New York. I looked at the odds on my phone before yesterday’s matches, and Betfair had the odds of this final matchup at 10-1. Savor this rare moment of upset tennis in the men’s game, because it comes with the bonus of watching a first-timer hoist the hardware. In this case, it’s a giant abstract painting, but you get the idea.

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Reilly Opelka got there by beating a familiar nemesis in John Isner, and the man in whose house Opelka watched the Superbowl just two weeks ago. Opelka had shocked Isner in Melbourne at the Australian Open in January, and Opelka didn’t let any nerves get to him even after he’d lost the first set tiebreak. Two more tiebreaks that did go his way landed Opelka in the final after shaking off six match points from Isner. The performances by the pair, 6’10 and 6’11, was as bold and pugilistic as the gentlemen’s size. In the arms race that has become professional tennis, these players are the heavy artillery of the game, with popping returns and 136 mile per hour serves the normal. 81 aces made for a record-breaking but very boring night of tennis. It’s the most aces combined in a best of three match since they started tracking these things in 1991. Generally speaking, it paid the bills but wasn’t easy to watch.

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Brayden Schnur got here on the local train. He ran through 17-year-old Long Island native Cannon Kingsley and up-and-comer Alexei Popyrin to qualify before earning the first ATP win of his young career over Columbia University sophomore Jack Lin. It all started to click for Schnur when he saved 2 match points and came back from a 5-2 third set deficit to knock out #3 seed Steve Johnson last Wednesday.  Friday saw him survive a marathon against veteran Paolo Lorenzi in three sets against another player who was playing on another level this week. That all made yesterday’s upset of #6 seed Sam Querrey less surprising than his other results of the week,

I’m sure some tournament organizers were in agony last night, as it might be less attractive for a casual fan to bundle up and take the Long Island Railroad out to see the Opelka-Schnur prize-fight. An Isner-Querrey final would have been preferred by the marketers and branders, none of which are in short supply in New York. Last year’s Anderson-Querrey final shouldn’t be the norm. The top seeds fly out of ATP 250 tournaments so often that you can’t often tell the difference between a Newport and a Challenger. For a true fan, there can be nothing more exciting at a 250 than being guaranteed to see a young player win his first pro level title.

Here’s to Super Sunday. The doubles final of Santiago Gonzalez and Aisam-Ul-Haq against Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Andrea Mies goes live at 2:00 p.m. and the singles final starts at 4:00 p.m.

Schnur Stars in Semifinal Saturday Upset Win @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on February 16, 2019
Posted in: ATP, Canada, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Schnur Stars in Semifinal Saturday Upset Win at New York Open
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

The fans finally showed up on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the New York Open after sparse crowds earlier in the week, and they were treated to an early semifinal that showcased the dazzling talent of Canadian Brayden Schnur.

Sam Querrey was a 4 1/2-1 favorite over Brayden Schnur at the start of the match after opening at 3-1 last night.  Schnur held his first serve at love and you had a feeling this one was going to be a tiebreak affair. And the first set tiebreak was a grand affair. Neither player was perfect, but the unexpected return of a Querrey slam down the line changed the balance. Schnur won three challenges in the first set and seemed to be extremely relaxed on court, even fake-celebrating an ace that he knew was a let. He fist-pumped with a sheepish grin, and moved on to the next serve. He later admitted that he was “extremely embarrassed” that he didn’t realize the serve was a let.

After Schnur broke Querrey in the second game of the second set, it seemed as if it were the veteran American who was frazzled and the 23-year-old Canadian in control. It was as if Querrey simply wasn’t expecting Schnur to return so many balls.

Then, nerves set in and Querrey was content to let Schnur make unforced errors. Querrey finally got a break back and then another to take the match to a third set with the momentum in his favor.

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Or so Schnur wanted us to believe. Schnur was lucky to be able to serve first in the final two sets and jumped to a second consecutive 3-0 lead. This time, though, Schnur would not be broken back and propelled by a small crowd of Schnur fans, he held tough all the way.

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Schnur, a 3 time All-American at the University of North Carolina, picked up some fans this week, people he’d never met before. At match’s end, he made sure to acknowledge them.

“The second set got off to a good start but there was a little bit of a letdown,” he said. “Sam played some good tennis. In that third set, you guys got me through so I’ve got your tickets tomorrow. “

World #9 @JohnIsner, @FilaTennis Extend Partnership

Posted by Admin on February 12, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment
John Isner, 2019 New York Open

John Isner, 2019 New York Open

FILA Extends Partnership With Top Ranked American Male, World No. 9 John Isner
 
(FILA Global) – FILA announced today it has extended its partnership with the top ranked American male, World No. 9 John Isner. FILA has been a partner of Isner for the past three years, and during that time he has risen to a career-high ranking and captured six titles – including his first Masters 1000 singles crown at the 2018 Miami Open.
“The progress John has made in the last three years, elevating his game to become a top 10 ranked player in the world, is impressive,” said Gene Yoon, Global Chairman at FILA. “We are confident John has a lot of great tennis ahead of him and are thrilled to support him moving forward.”
Isner is fresh off his career-best season in which he earned three titles – two in singles (Atlanta and Miami) and one in doubles (Indian Wells). He also registered impressive performances in the Grand Slams, reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon and quarterfinals at the US Open. At the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston, John joined an illustrious club by reaching 10,000 career aces and in the process passed Roger Federer for second all-time. He finished the year by competing in the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals in London, the first appearance of his career. Isner currently holds 19 career championships – 14 in singles and 5 in doubles.
“My relationship with FILA has been tremendous and I am excited that we are going to continue working together,” said Isner. “The team at FILA goes to incredible lengths to make sure I have the best apparel and footwear, and that has been instrumental to my performance the last few years.” 

Exclusive Interview: Bernard Tomic Notches First Tour Victory of 2019 at @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on February 11, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Bernard Tomic was on court a full five minutes before Lukas Lacko sauntered into his first round main draw match on Grandstand court this afternoon just before 2:30. Early bird Tomic sent Lacko packing in 53 minutes, 6-4, 6-2, and will face top seed John Isner on Wednesday night at the New York Open.
On facing Isner, I got a great quote out of him: “I think it’s gonna be pretty easy, no?”

Bernard Tomic, 2019 New York Open
Bernard Tomic, 2019 New York Open

Seriously though. “We’ve played a couple of times,” he told me after the match. “Last time I had a chance to win. I lost 7-6 in the 4th (set) in Davis Cup. You know, he has one of the best serves in the world. There’s not much you can do sometimes. I have to go out there and try to play the way I did today.”
Tomic appeared on Australian Television last week and described the poor treatment he received from former US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt during the early days of Tomic’s career.

“There’s a lot of pressure in this sport and you learn how to deal with it,” Tomic told me. “I had a lot of pressure when I was young. I’ve played really solid and really well so far in my career. I mean I haven’t won slams and that, but maybe that’s something I can do in the future. But 10 years in this career, maybe 8-10 years still in this career. I still feel super young. I’m 26 and there’s guys who are 38, 37, 39 and still playing. It’s been a long journey, but got to keep going and do what I do and hopefully one day it’ll pay off.”

—S. Fogleman