Tuesday was a watershed day for this Big Top Tournament in L’il Mason. I say ‘watershed’, because that’s when the humidity started to drop out of the region as the action at the Western & Southern Open heats up.
First, the bad news: Defending champ Vika Azarenka withdrew, citing a right knee injury. Oddly, when the announcement came over the PA system late this morning, the fans didn’t seem to feel cheated or even worried at all. There are just too many players and too many matches going on here to let that get anyone down.
Lucky Loser Mona Barthel, who took Azarenka’s place, quickly dropped the first part of the title and was a Loser to Barbara Zahlavova Stryckova, 7-5 6-0.
On the men’s side, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was the big bummer du jour. The Toronto champion was heavily fatigued in a meltdown of an effort from the Frenchman, falling 6-1, 6-4 to Mikhail Youzhny.
Notable Men’s Winners included James Ward, Steve Johnson, Ernests Gulbis, Novak Djokovic…
Stan Wawrinka:
Stan Wawrinka almost got away from me at the Western & Southern Open after the French press hogged him for five minutes. The world #4 talks to me momentarily about his win over Benjamin Becker and looks forward to the US Open.
Andreas Seppi:
Andreas Seppi scored a comeback win over Santiago Giraldo in Mason today. After giving away the first set with 4 double faults, he settled down to win 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. He was pretty excited today when I spoke to him after the match, especially since he’s never done well here in Cincinnati. He faces Youzhny tomorrow instead of the expected Tsonga, due to Youzhny’s win over the Toronto champ today.
Robby Ginepri:
American veteran Robby Ginepri is a Wild Card Bubble Boy. He needs all the wins he can get these days as he basically auditions for a Wild Card to the US Open. He got one today over upstart Dominic Thiem to pad the WC resume. Ginepri gets Milos Raonic tomorrow, should he want to find himself over-qualified for the wild card.
and Vasek Pospisil.
After a first round three set win over Radek Stepanek in Cincinnati today, Pospisil was relieved to get through as he continues a very successful summer tour in the US Open Series. He particularly enjoyed having the crowd behind him throughout the match and said he “fed off” them to get through.
Which brings me to my in-post gripe of the day. I notice that every time publicists from the USTA ask Vasek Pospisil anything, it’s about how Jack Sock really fires him up to play better. It’s always about doubles, Sock, doubles. And how awesome is it to play with our player. Forget that Pospisil was the DC finalist ten days ago. Big American Tennis wants him forever known as part of a highly marketable duo down here South of the Border. I should just print up ‘US: Hands Off Vasek Pospisil’ stickers. But he is a good player and friendly guy, so I can see why any country would want to plant their flag on Vashy.
Pospisil will play Roger Federer tomorrow, and I’m thinking this will be much more competitive match than anyone imagined three months ago.
ORDER OF PLAY – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014
CENTER COURT
Starting at 11:00 am
ATP – [8] Andy Murray (Great Britain) vs. Joao Sousa (Portugal)
Not before 1:00 pm
WTA – [1] Serena Williams (USA) vs. Samantha Stosur (Australia)
ATP – [2] Roger Federer (Switzerland) vs. Vasek Pospisil (Canada)
Not before 7:00 pm
WTA – [7] Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) vs Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
Not before 8:30 pm
ATP – Gael Monfils (France) vs. [13] Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain)
GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
WTA – [3] Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) vs Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)
ATP – [11] John Isner (USA) vs [Q] Marinko Matosevic (Australia)
Not before 3:00 pm
WTA – [4] Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) vs Kurumi Nara (Japan)
Not Before 7:00 pm
ATP – [5] Milos Raonic (Canada) vs. [Q] Robby Ginepri (USA)
ATP – [4] Ivan Dodig (Croatia) / Marcelo Melo (Brazil) vs. Robert Lindstedt (Sweden) / Marcin Matkowski (Poland)
COURT 3 start 11:00 am
ATP – [7] Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) vs Jerzy Janowicz (Poland)
ATP – [WC] Sam Querry (USA) vs [16] Tommy Robredo (Spain)
ATP – [15] Fabio Fognini (Italy) vs. Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
WTA – [Q] Taylor Townsend (USA) vs [13] Flavia Pennetta (Italy)
Not Before 7:00 pm
WTA – [9] Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) vs [WC] Christina McHale (USA)
COURT 9 start 11:00 am
ATP – [4] Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) vs Yen-Hsun Lu (Taipei)
Not Before 1:30pm
WTA – Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) vs Sloane Stephens (USA)
ATP – [6] David Ferrer (Spain) vs Phillipp Kohlschreiber (Germany)
ATP [9] Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) vs [WC] Steve Johnson (USA)
WTA – [8] Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) vs [Q] Annika Beck (Germany)
COURT 4 start 11:00 am
WTA – [6] Angelique Kerber (Germany) vs Ekaterina Makarova (Russia)
WTA – [14] Sara Errani (Italy) vs Sabine Lisicki (Germany)
ATP – [14] Marin Cilic (Croatia) vs Fernando Verdasco (Spain)
WTA-(after suitable rest) [1] Sara Errani (Italy) / Roberta Vinci (Italy) vs Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) / Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic)
WTA – [3] Kveta Peschke (Czech Republic)/Katarina Srebotnik (Slovakia) vs Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) / Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic)
COURT 6 start 11:00 am
ATP – Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) vs Andreas Seppi (Italy)
WTA – [15] Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) vs [Q] Pauline Parmentier (France)
WTA – [16] Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) vs [Q] Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan)
WTA – Klaudia Jan-Ignacik (Poland) / Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) vs [6] Timea Babos (Hungary) / Kristina Mladenovic (France)
COURT 7 start 11:00 am
ATP – Feliciano Lopez (Spain)/Jurgen Melzer (Austria) vs Eric Butorac (USA) / Raven Klassen (Russia)
ATP – Julien Benneteau (France) vs [Q] James Ward (Great Britain)
WTA- (after suitable rest) Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) / Alicja Rosolska (Poland) vs [5] Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) / Elena Vesnina (Russia)
Not Before 3:00pm
WTA (after suitable rest) – Samantha Stosur (Australia) / Shuai Zhang (China) vs Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) / Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain)
ATP – Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) / Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) vs [3] Daniel Nestor (Canada)/Nenad Zimonjic (Serbia)
COURT 10 start 11:00 am
ATP – Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) / Horia Tecau (Romania) vs [7] Marcel Granollers (Spain) / Marc Lopez (Spain)
Not Before 12:30pm
WTA – [Q] Karin Knapp (Italy) vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia)
WTA – Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) / Yaroslava Shvedova (Kahzakhstan) vs Andrea Petkovic (Germany) / Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia)
ATP – [6] Julien Benneteau (France) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) vs Juan Sebastian Cabal (Colombia) / Tommy Robredo (Spain)
ATP (after suitable rest) – [5] Leander Paes (India)/Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) vs Vasek Pospisil (Canada)/ Jack Sock (USA)
Results – Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Men’s Singles – First Round
[9] Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) d Ivan Dodig (Croatia) 76(8) 76(4)
Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) d [12] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 61 64
[13] Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) d Martin Klizan (Slovakia) 62 46 75
[14] Marin Cilic (Croatia) d Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 63 64
Vasek Pospisil (Canada) d Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 75 61 76(4)
Andreas Seppi (Italy) d Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 46 62 75
[WC] Robby Ginepri (USA) d Dominic Thiem (Austria) 63 57 75
[WC] Steve Johnson (USA) d [Q] Benoit Paire (France) 64 61
[Q] James Ward (Great Britain) d Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 62 36 61
Julien Benneteau (France) d [LL] Blaz Rola (Slovenia) 76(7) 63 76(7)
Men’s Singles – Second Round
[1] Novak Djokovic (Serbia) d Gilles Simon (France) 64 46 64
[3] Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) d [Q] Benjamin Becker (Germany) 63 76(5)
Men’s Doubles – First Round
Juan Sebastian Cabal (Colombia) / Tommy Robredo (Spain) d Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) / Gael Monfils (France) 57 63 10-3
Vasek Pospisil (Canada) / Jack Sock (USA) d Rohan Bopanna (India) / Aisam-Ul-Haq-Qureshi (Pakistan) 75 62
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) / Santiago Giraldo (Romania) d Fabio Fognin (Italy) / Mariusz Fyrstenberg (Poland) 36 64 10-3
Marin Cilic (Croatia) / Santiago Gonzalez (Mexico) d Treat Huey (Czech Republic) / Dominic Inglot (Great Britain) 63 36 10-5
Robert Lindstedt (Sweden) / Marcin Matkowski (Poland) d [Alt.] Jamie Murray (Great Britain) / John Peers (Australlia) 57 63 10-3
Women’s Singles – First Round
[14] Sara Errani (Italy) d [Q] Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 75 36 76(2)
[15] Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) d Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 63 16 62
[16] Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) d Venus Williams (USA) 67(2) 63 64
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) d Camila Giorgi (Italy) 64 67(4) 63
Sloane Stephens (USA) d Andrea Petkovic (Germany) 63 63
Kurumi Nara (Japan) d Romina Oprandi (Switzerland) 60 62
Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) d Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 62 62
Sabine Lisicki (Germany) d Roberta Vinci (Italy) 63 26 62
[WC] Christina McHale (USA) d [Q] Nicole Gibbs (USA) 46 63 61
[Q] Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) d [Q] Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) 76(4) 76(5)
[Q] Annika Beck (Germany) d Garbine Muguruza (Spain) 63 26 63
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) d [L] Mona Barthel (Germany) 75 60
Women’s Singles – Second Round
[2] Simona Halep (Romania) d Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) 64 62
[5] Maria Sharapova (Russia) d Madison Keys (USA) 61 36 63
[12] Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) d Shuai Zhang (China) 62 63
Women’s Doubles – First Round
[6] Timea Babos (Hungary) / Kristina Mladenovic (Russia) d Julia Goerges (Germany) / Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) 62 63
[8] Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) / Anastasia Rodionova (Australia) d Hao-Ching (Chinese Tapei) / Yung-Jan Chan (Chinese Tapei) 64 64
[WC] Melanie Oudin (USA)/ Taylor Townsend (USA) d Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) / Klara Koukalova (Czech Republic) 06 60 11-9
Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) / Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) d Casey Dellacqua (Australia) / Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Croatia) 36 61 10-3
Martina Hingis (Switzerland) / Flavia Pennetta (Italy) d Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) / Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 76(8) 16 10-6
Tennis Atlantic 