Tennis Atlantic

It’s a Monsoon of @CincyTennis Press Conferences
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

It’s been a very rainy year for pro tennis and I hope you weren’t expect anything different at the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio on Tuesday. Nearly four inches of rain fell in a 30-hour span between Sunday and Monday, and Andy Murray perfectly jinxed the place in his afternoon presser today. When asked about his exhaustion following the marathon gold medal match, he replied, “Hopefully, we’ll get a few days of rain here.”

Typical British humor, but a pox upon this house.

Murray got another zinger in when I asked him if he’d brought the gold medal to Cincinnati. “I came directly here. I wasn’t going to leave it in Brazil”, he responded in perfect Muzzerese.

With more rain, it was a good day to sit around in an interview room as the players provided the entertainment while seated. But it was an even better day to be Juan Martin Del Potro, who nabbed a wild card to the U.S. Open. After Steve Johnson suggested yesterday that it would be America’s loss if the silver medalist gained direct entry, Rafael Nadal summed up the other players thoughts perfectly: “He’s a U.S. Open winner. He deserves it.”

Kei Nishikori and Andy Murray also agreed that the Delpo decision was a just one. Nishikori was the first up in the main interview room on the third floor of the stadium. He was in high spirits, though it’s always so subtle. I asked him if he had the bronze medal with him. He responded that he had stopped at home, presumably in Florida, and left it there and followed it up by saying “I hope nobody takes it.”

That’s Nishikori in a very, very good mood.

It’s simple: If Angelique Kerber wins the Western & Southern Open, she’s the #1 player in the world for the first time in her life and a new #1 for the first time in 183 weeks. Serena William’s withdrawal makes all of this possible, and remember, Williams accepted a wild card here likely in large part to stay ahead of Kerber in the rankings. 

The German silver medalist discussed an Olympic-heavy variety of topics in her press conference.

Tournament officials have done a nice job of getting in every possible point of tennis in the extremely bad weather. Much of the parking at the event has been rendered useless due to mud that’s reminiscent of Woodstock, if I only I was there.

I had to have my car pushed out of the mud twice by guys with no shoes on successive days, since their footwear had become lodged in the mud while pushing out other vehicles earlier in the day. 

God Bless Tournament Director Andre Silva on his maiden voyage of the Good Ship Cincy. It’s been heavy seas, but he’s kept the action running whenever and wherever it can run. Today’s forecast could also be problematic, but conditions should improve for Thursday.

Here’s today’s slightly ambitious order of play and yesterday’s results:

RESULTS – Tuesday, August 16
ATP Singles – First Round
[9] Gael Monfils (France) d Pablo Carreno Busta (Spain) 6-3 6-4
[11] David Goffin (Belgium) d [Q] Nikoloz Basilashvili (Georgia) 7-5 6-3
[13] Richard Gasquet (France) d [LL] Adrian Mannarino (France) 7-6(2) 3-6 6-1
[16] Feliciano Lopez (Spain) d [Q] Mischa Zverev (Germany) 6-3 6-1
John Isner (USA) d Fabio Fognini (Italy) 6-3 6-2
Steve Johnson (USA) d Federico Delbonis (Argentina) 6-4 7-5
[WC] Fernando Verdasco (Spain) d Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spain) 7-6(5) 6-4
Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) d Vasek Pospisil (Canada) 7-5 7-5
Bernard Tomic (Australia) d Joao Sousa (Portugal) 6-4 6-3
[Q] Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) d [WC] Taylor Fritz (USA) 6-1 6-3
[Q] John Millman (Australia) d [Q] Malek Jaziri (Tunisia) 6-4 5-7 6-3

WTA Singles – Second Round
[15] Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) d Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) 6-4 6-1

WTA Singles – First Round
Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) d [Q] Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 6-4 6-0
[LL] Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) d Daria Kasatkina (Russia) 6-1 6-1
[Q] Alize Cornet (France) d Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 7-6(1) 6-3
[Q] Alison Riske (USA) d [Q] Varvara Flink (Russia) 6-4 7-6(6)
[Q] Timea Babos (Hungary) d [WC] Louisa Chirico (USA) 6-4 6-4
[Q] Annika Beck (Germany) d Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) 6-2 6-3

WTA Doubles – First Round
Sara Errani (Italy) / Carla Suárez Navarro (Spain) d Raluca Olaru (Romania) / Renata Voracova (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-2
Maria Irigoyen (Argentina) / Oksana Kalashnikova (Georgia) d Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukraine) / Nadiia Kichenok (Ukraine) 6-4 2-6 10-3

ORDER OF PLAY – Wednesday, August 17
CENTER COURT – 11:00 am start
WTA – [Q] Annika Beck (Germany) vs [3] Simona Halep (Romania)
[WC] Jared Donaldson (USA) vs [2] Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) 62 03 To Finish
ATP – [4] Milos Raonic (Canada) vs John Isner (USA)
ATP – Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) vs [3] Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Not Before 7:00 pm
WTA – [Q] Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) or Kristina Mladenovic (France) vs [2] Angelique Kerber (Germany)
Not Before 8:30 pm
ATP – [1] Andy Murray (GBR) vs Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) or [PR] Juan Monaco (Argentina)

GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
ATP – [Q] Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) vs [5] Kei Nishikori (Japan)
Not Before 1:00 pm
Andrea Petkovic (Germany) vs Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 11 to finish
WTA – [Q] Donna Vekic (Croatia) vs [10] Johanna Konta (Great Britain)
WTA – [4] Garbine Muguruza (Spain) vs C. Vandeweghe (USA)
Not Before 7:00 pm
ATP – [6] Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) vs [Q] Jiri Vesely (Czech Republic) or Marcel Granollers (Spain)

STADIUM 3 start 11:00 am
ATP – [Q] John Millman (Australia) vs [8] Dominic Thiem (Austria)
ATP – [7] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) vs [WC] Reilly Opelka (USA)
ATP – [9] Gael Monfils (France) vs Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus)
ATP – [14] Nick Kyrgios (Australia) vs Borna Coric (Croatia)
Not Before 7:00 pm
WTA – [5] Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) vs Andrea Petkovic (Germany) or Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic)

COURT 9 start 11:00 am
WTA – [6] Roberta Vinci (Italy) vs [LL] Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria)
WTA – [LL] Johanna Larsson (Sweden) vs Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) 00 to finish
ATP – [16] Feliciano Lopez (Spain) vs Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
WTA – [Q] Alison Riske (USA) vs [7] Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
WTA – [LL] Johanna Larsson (Sweden) or Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) vs [8] Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia)

COURT 4 – 11:00 am start
ATP – [Q] Yuichi Sugita (Japan) vs Alexander Zverev (Germany)
ATP – Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) vs [PR] Juan Monaco (Argentina) 46 35 to finish
WTA – [17] Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) vs [Q] Daria Gavrilova (Australia)
ATP – [11] David Goffin (Belarus) vs Bernard Tomic (Australia)
ATP – Kevin Anderson (South Africa) vs [13] Richard Gasquet (France)
ATP – [Q] Yuichi Sugita (Japan) or Alexander Zverev (Germany) vs Nicolas Mahut (France) or [15] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)

COURT 6 – 11:00 am start
WTA – [13] Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) vs [Q] Timea Babos (Hungary)
WTA – [LL] Viktorija Golubic (Switzerland) vs [Q] Kurumi Nara (Japan)
WTA – [Q] Alize Cornet (France) vs [9] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP)
Not Before 2:00 pm
REMAINING FIRST ROUND WTA DOUBLES TO BE ARRANGED

COURT 7 – 11:00 am start
WTA – [LL] Misaki Doi (Japan) vs [WC] Christina McHale (USA)
WTA – [Q] Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) vs Kristina Mladenovic (France) 67(1) 01 to finish
WTA – [14] Samantha Stosur (Australia) vs Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic)
WTA – [12] Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) vs Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine)
Not Before 2:00 pm
REMAINING FIRST ROUND ATP DOUBLES TO BE ARRANGED

COURT 10 – 11:00 am start
ATP – Nicolas Mahut (France) vs [15] Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain)
[Q] Jiri Vesely (Czech Republic) vs Marcel Granollers (Spain) 33
ATP – Steve Johnson (USA) vs [PR] Julien Benneteau (France)
ATP – [WC] Fernando Verdasco (Spain) vs [12] Marin Cilic (Croatia)
WTA – [LL] Viktorija Golubic (Switzerland) or [Q] Kurumi Nara (Japan) vs [16] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia)