2014 Izmir, Meknes, Trnava, Campinas & Quito Challenger Previews
Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
Turkey, Morocco, Slovakia, Brazil and Ecuador will provide the venues for this week’s Challenger events, with all of them except for Izmir in Turkey (hardcourt) being played on clay.
Izmir Cup
ATP Challenger Tour
Izmir, Turkey
15-21 September
Prize Money: €106,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Malek Jaziri (96)
2: Filip Krajinovic (107)
3: Alexander Kudryavtsev (132)
4: Evgeny Donskoy (135)
5: Ante Pavic (138)
6: Marsel Ilhan (142)
7: Iliya Marchenko (148)
8: Alexander Zverev (150)
The last direct acceptance is Mirza Basic, ranked 304th.
First round match-ups to watch
(1) Malek Jaziri – (PR) Philipp Petzschner
Petzschner comes off his best week after coming back from injury, reaching the semi-final of the Istanbul Challenger, where he lost in three sets to Tatsuma Ito. Jaziri, on the other hand, lost in the first round of that same tournament to #310 Fabrice Martin 6-4 6-2. We may well see the top seed leave the tournament in the first round for the second week in a row.
Ilija Bozoljac – Borna Coric
Coric is rumored to carry a minor knee injury, but he played a Davis Cup match this weekend on clay, losing in straights to Robin Haase. Prior to that he had a great result on hardcourt, however, reaching the second round of the US Open after beating world number 27 Lukas Rosol. With Bozoljac anything could happen, but a lot of people are hoping Coric will prevail to set up a second round match with another 17 year old: Alexander Zverev.
Top Half
This is a tricky half to predict, with a lot of outsiders having a chance to make a deep run. I’d rate #4 seed Evgeny Donskoy the favorite, but he doesn’t have an easy draw with Mirza Basic, Konstantin Kravchuk/Hiroki Moriya and Ante Pavic being on his path. In the top section, I have the feeling Petzschner will upset top seed Jaziri, making a run to the semi-final to face off with Donskoy.
Bottom Half
A second round match-up between 17 year olds Alexander Zverev and Borna Coric would be really interesting, but Coric has a tricky opener against Ilija Bozoljac. #3 seed Alexander Kudryavtsev also had a bad draw, facing off against Egor Gerasimov in the first round, against whom he lost in straight sets only two months ago. In the bottom section, #2 seed Filip Krajinovic should be able to get through, although Ruben Bemelmans is a dangerous floater when he is on his game. If Krajinovic does well at this tournament, it could mean he enters the top 100 for the first time.
Predictions
Semis:
Donskoy > Petzschner
Krajinovic > Zverev
Final:
Krajinovic > Donskoy
Krajinovic is the player who looks the most consistent and stable at the moment, which should get him through this tournament and into the territory of direct qualification for main tour events. He comes off a great Davis Cup weekend, where he beat Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri to secure a 3-2 victory for his team, so his confidence level should be high.
Morocco Tennis Tour Meknes
ATP Challenger Tour
Meknes, Morocco
15-20 September
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Pablo Carreno Busta (74)
2: Albert Ramos-Vinolas (75)
3: Damir Dzumhur (113)
4: Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (163)
5: Roberto Carballes Baena (213)
6: Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (218)
7: Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (222)
8: Lucas Pouille (225)
The last direct acceptance is Yannik Reuter, ranked 295th.
First round match-ups to watch
(8) Lucas Pouille – Gerard Granollers
Pouille comes off a good run in Szczecin, where he reached the semi-final and fell to the eventual winner Dustin Brown. Granollers just fell short in his last two first round matches, losing in three sets both times. However, with 42% of his ranking points to defend in the remainder of the year, Granollers desperately has to make something happen.
Top Half
Top seed Carreno Busta is back for more after his victory in Seville last week and I see no reason why he shouldn’t reach another final here. The other seeds in this half are Lucas Pouille, Adrian Menendez-Maceiras and Roberto Carballes Baena, whom I can’t see threatening him. That shouldn’t be a surprise, given that the ranking of #4 seed Menendez-Maceiras is about 100 spots worse than Carreno Busta’s.
Bottom Half
What Carreno Busta is to the top half, Ramos-Vinolas is to the bottom half. The only one relatively close to his ranking is Damir Dzumhur, but he played Davis Cup on indoor hardcourt this weekend, so his form remains to be seen. Ramos faces Matteo Viola, last week’s Biella winner, in the second round, which could be a challenge, but he should be able to get through. Ramos lost to Viktor Troicki in a very close encounter in the final of the Baja Luka Challenger last week, so his form is good.
Predictions
Semis:
Carreno Busta > Menendez-Maceiras
Ramos-Vinolas > Dzumhur
Final:
Carreno Busta > Ramos-Vinolas
Arimex Challenger Trophy
ATP Challenger Tour
Trnava, Slovakia
15-21 September
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Robin Haase (70)
2: Blaz Rola (93)
3: Pere Riba (110)
4: Albert Montanes (111)
5: Andreas Haider-Maurer (118)
6: Adrian Ungur (134)
7: Marton Fucsovics (140)
8: Victor Hanescu (143)
The last direct acceptance is Arthur de Greef, ranked 250th. Last week’s Biella semi-finalist Benjamin Balleret entered the tournament as a special exempt. Jan Hajek, Miloslav Mecir and Karol Beck entered the tournament on a wild card.
First round match-ups to watch
(PR) Steve Darcis – Marco Cecchinato
An interesting encounter between two players who could have well been seeded. Cecchinato picked up his form a bit as of late, reaching a quarter and a semi-final in his last two tournaments. Darcis played Davis Cup on indoor hardcourt this weekend, so it remains to be seen how he will adapt.
(5) Andreas Haider-Maurer – (SE) Benjamin Balleret
Will Balleret be able to continue his form after his unlikely lucky loser run to the semi-final last week? After losing to the world #1616 in qualifying, he got another chance and perhaps should’ve given himself more than a semi-final spot, considering he missed a match point in that match. Haider-Maurer comes off a tournament victory and a semi-final last week, so that’s not an easy customer to try and continue your form against.
Top Half
Top seed Haase should make it to the quarterfinal, but there Darcis, Cecchinato or Ungur will be a tough opponent against whom he could potentially lose. In the bottom section, Haider-Maurer should be able to continue his good form with another semi-final, especially considering #4 seed Albert Montanes isn’t playing his best tennis at the moment.
Bottom Half
#2 seed Blaz Rola ran into Viktor Troicki last week, and here his draw isn’t that pleasant either. In the second round he could face last week’s Biella runner-up Filippo Volandri, after which Mate Delic could wait for him, who had a solid Davis Cup weekend. In the top section, #3 seed Pere Riba has lost his previous two first round matches and is desperately looking for a turnaround. A lot of dangerous unseeded players are lurking here, among them Andrea Arnaboldi and Jason Kubler.
Predictions
Semis:
Haider-Maurer > Haase
Rola > Fucsovics
Final:
Rola > Haider-Maurer
Rola and Haider-Maurer played each other earlier this year on clay in Panama, with Rola winning 7-5 6-3.
Campeonato Internacional de Tenis de Campinas
ATP Challenger Tour
Campinas, Brazil
15-21 September
Prize Money: $40,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Diego Schwartzman (85)
2: Facundo Bagnis (98)
3: Facundo Arguello (116)
4: Gastao Elias (139)
5: Guido Andreozzi (166)
6: Axel Michon (179)
7: Guilherme Clezar (189)
8: Andre Ghem (194)
The last direct acceptance is Fernando Romboli, ranked 409th.
First round match-ups to watch
(7) Guilherme Clezar – Gonzalo Lama
Lama entered the top 200 for the first time this month and is well capable of upsetting the seed here. Clezar had a great semi-final run at San Marino last month, but has been a bit shaky in his last couple of matches.
Top Half
Top seed Diego Schwartzman is having a great year, which saw him enter the top 100 for the first time. He should be a fair favorite to advance in this half, although players like Clezar, Facundo Arguello and Guido Andreozzi could pose a threat if they’re on their game. The safest bet here is a Brazilian or Argentinian advancing, since there are only two players with another nationality in this half.
Bottom Half
Second seed Facundo Bagnis is a bigger favorite to reach the final than Schwartzman. Perhaps a dangerous floater like Christian Lindell can trouble him, but I expect Bagnis to reach the final fairly comfortable. Fourth seed Gastao Elias comes off a Davis Cup tie in Russia and hasn’t been in the best of forms lately, so I don’t expect him to pose a threat.
Predictions
Semis:
Schwartzman > Arguello
Bagnis > Ghem
Final:
Schwartzman > Bagnis
XX Challenger ATP Trofeo Ciudad de Quito ‘Diario El Comercio’
ATP Challenger Tour
Quito, Ecuador
15-21 September
Prize Money: $40,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Victor Estrella Burgos (69)
2: Joao Souza (103)
3: Horacio Zeballos (112)
4: Guido Pella (158)
5: Austin Krajicek (164)
6: Chase Buchanan (168)
7: Juan Ignacio Londero (186)
8: Nikola Mektic (230)
The last direct acceptance is Juan Carlos Spir, ranked 433rd.
First round match-ups to watch
(3) Horacio Zeballos – Martin Cuevas
The younger brother of Pablo Cuevas will try to make something happen against the much higher ranked opponent here. Zeballos started the year inside of the top 70, but hasn’t been performing up to that level and now sits at #114.
Top Half
Nobody expected it to happen, but Victor Estrella Burgos even managed to hold his own at the main level this year, at the tender age of 34. With third rounds at Washington and the US Open and a semi-final at Bogota he has performed extremely well and posted a career high ranking of 69. In this field one has to mark him a favorite, especially considering he is 2-0 against #3 seed Zeballos, with both matches ending in straight sets. Perhaps fifth seed Austin Krajicek can cause another surprise, after winning Medellin Challenger out of nowhere two weeks ago. Last year Estrella won the title here, so he should feel really comfortable coming back.
Bottom Half
Second seed Joao Souza lost the final of the Medellin Challenger to Krajicek and in this half he should be favored to reach another final. He is likely to face Guido Pella in the semi-final, but he hasn’t been in great form and should be beaten quite easily by Souza. None of the other players in this half have been displaying a good enough form to be able to beat Souza, so any of them rising up to the occasion would be a big surprise.
Predictions
Semis:
Estrella Burgos > Zeballos
Souza > Pella
Final:
Souza > Estrella Burgos
Hard one to predict, since it can go either way. Souza leads the head to head 3-2, with three of those ending in three sets and one with Estrella retiring in the second set.
