Tennis Atlantic

2013 @BBTAtlantaOpen Main Draw Preview, Predictions
Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com

BB&T Atlanta Open
ATP World Tour 250
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
July 20-July 28, 2013
Prize Money: $546,930

Here is a full preview of the main draw for Atlanta, the first stop on the Emirates US Open Series.

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes)
1: John Isner
2: Kevin Anderson
3: Ivan Dodig
4: Igor Sijsling

First round matchups to watch:

(wc)Denis Kudla vs. (wc)Rhyne Williams

A battle of the rising Americans, Kudla and Williams have surprisingly only met twice. The first time was at a futures event all the way back in 2008 (won by Kudla in straights) and most recently back in December at the AO WC playoff (Williams won in 3 sets). It’s odd that they haven’t seen more of each other, since they have been mainstays on the USTA Pro Circuit and US events in general. Both have had their share of successes, but with Williams coming off semis in Binghamton, he may be fatigued.

Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs. (7)Lleyton Hewitt

Bogota doubles finalist ERV will take on Hewitt, who last made the Newport singles final. The styles of this match should be interesting, and though ERV has had North America hard court success this year, with fatigue being a factor I give a slight edge to Rusty.

(6)Mardy Fish vs. Michael Russell

Mardy Fish will make his anticipated return to the ATP tour against a now-controversial Michael Russell. The h2h is 2 each between the 30+ American vets, but surprisingly, they have never played on hard courts against each other. This match is not easy to pick, given Fish is a total wild card in terms of what form he is in, and Russell is usually consistent. You never know. Take a wait and see approach with this match.

Isner’s Quarter:

Newport semifinalist and local favorite John Isner will get either current Bogota finalist Alejandro Falla or wild card Christian Harrison in Round 2. If he advances, he could find himself against Evgeny Donskoy for the 3rd time this year (if the 23 year old Russian can beat Rajeev Ram), and a qualifier or James Blake.

Dodig’s Quarter:

The steadily improving Ivan Dodig will play Ricardas Berankis or a qualifier. Dating back to April, Berankis, who is still a promising talent at 23, has lost 7 of his last 8 matches and will be looking to hard courts to turn his game around.

The Kudla/Williams winner will face the ERV/Hewitt winner in Round 2.

Sijsling’s Quarter:

Roger Vasselin’s doubles partner, Igor Sijsling, also coming off the Bogota doubles final, will play Marinko Matosevic or Ryan Harrison in the 2nd round. The quarterfinalist of that will face Fish/Russell or Jack Sock/Santiago Giraldo. Giraldo made quarters in Bogota, while Sock actually has a nice chance to do something with this section.

Anderson’s Quarter:

Bogota semifinalist Kevin Anderson will face a qualifier or get a rematch with the man who just beat him in that Bogota semi, Ivo Karlovic. It was a 3 set loss. That would be a huge Round 2 match if it occurs.

5 seed Rendy Lu faces a qualifier and then Denis Istomin/Lukas Lacko in a section I’m sure any of the qualifiers would most like to be placed.

Dark Horse: Jack Sock

Sock, with his big forehand and aggressive hard court game can deal with his draw. But in this hot Atlanta sun, fitness will be the big question. Giraldo is consistent but not dynamic and Fish/Russell are hard to predict right now. Sijsling may be tired. Matosevic hasn’t been great recently, and Harrison has also not been at his best.

Predictions

Quarters:

Isner d. Donskoy
Hewitt d. Dodig
Sock d. Sijsling
Karlovic d. Qualifier

I’ll take Isner in the rubber match over Donskoy, mainly because of the home fans and home environment, though Big John has not had the best of years. I think Hewitt ekes out his section, though Kudla/Williams could do the same, and I like him over Dodig on a hard court.

Sock is the dark horse, and Sijsling may be fatigued. Karlovic has looked so good between Newport and Bogota (long as the serve is working, he is dangerous against anyone) that I like him to beat Anderson again.

I picked an unnamed qualifier for the quarters because I like that better than the other names in the section.

Semis:
Hewitt d. Isner
Karlovic d. Sock

Hewitt beat Isner in IW and Newport (4-1 overall h2h).

I’ll say he does it again, and Karlovic is again predictable yet unpredictable. Hopefully, he’s not too worn out from the past 2 weeks. Big servers had success at Atlantic Station last year (Isner, Gilles Muller, Andy Roddick), so that bodes well for Karlovic.

Final:
Karlovic d. Hewitt

Karlovic is career 4-1 against Hewitt, though they have only played once in the 2010s, with Karlovic beating Hewitt on grass last year. This final could go either way, but I’ll go out on a limb and pick Dr. Ivo the whole way.