The year end finals in London featured most of the top ATP players, and it was Alexander Zverev, the world #5, who came out the victor, upsetting #1 Novak Djokovic and handing him a second straight final defeat 6-4 6-3 as Zverev was dominant on serve and broke Djokovic when needed.
Zverev, who had previously complained of fatigue due to the length of the season, fell to Djokovic in his first match of the round robin portion of play, but came back to beat Marin Cilic, John Isner, and Roger Federer to reach the final without dropping a set in three nip and tuck matches. Djokovic beat Cilic, Isner, and Kevin Anderson largely thanks to a superior return game to reach the final. He’ll enter the 2019 season as the favorite for the Australian Open given his strong form to finish the year. Zverev will be hoping that the season ending tournament win will boost him in 2019.
Bryan/Sock defeated Herbert/Mahut in the doubles final
In the final full field ATP event of the season, Russia’s Karen Khachanov stunned Novak Djokovic for the biggest title of his young career.The 22 year old Khachanov defeated Djokovic 7-5 6-4 capping off a dominant week where he sailed past Filip Krajinovic, and Matt Ebden, edged John Isner in 3 sets, and then upset both Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem to reach the final. Khachanov had a career year in 2018 and will look ahead to 2019 to post even better results in the Grand Slams.
Djokovic beat Joao Sousa, Damir Dzumhur, Marin Cilic, and Roger Federer (in 3 sets) to reach the final, he’ll finish the season with 7 finals appearances.
Granollers/Ram defeated Rojer/Tecau in the doubles final
The second year of the ATP Next Gen Finals in Milan saw Greek #1 Stefanos Tsitipas go undefeated in round robin play defeating Frances Tiafoe, Hubert Hurkacz, and Jaume Munar. Tsitipas then defeated Andrey Rublev and finalist Alex De Minaur in competitive contests to win the title of this exhibition style event. De Minaur was the other player to go 3-0 in round robin play, defeating Taylor Fritz, Liam Caruana, and Andrey Rublev to cap off a breakthrough 2018. His matches will be highly anticipated once the Australian swing fires up in January.
Final ATP Masters Of The Season in Paris Features Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The final full field ATP tournament of the season in Paris kicks off Monday as players look to either build for 2019 or finish 2018 in the best form. Here is your look at all the action from the Paris indoor Masters.
Nadal’s Quarter
Presuming he’s fit, Rafael Nadal will be favored against Fernando Verdasco/Jeremy Chardy, Richard Gasquet should be up in the third round at home, Gasquet will be favored against Denis Shapovalov and a struggling Jack Sock. Borna Coric should also make a run, Coric takes on Daniil Medvedev or Pablo Carreno Busta, if he gets past an in-form Medvedev it’ll be Dominic Thiem or Gilles Simon/Lucas Pouille. I’ll take Coric over Simon, with Coric facing Nadal in the quarters.
Alexander Zverev has reached consecutive semifinals, he’ll be heavily favored to reach the quarters in Paris as a path of Frances Tiafoe/Nicolas Mahut, and Diego Schwartzman (or Feliciano Lopez/Alex De Minaur) on deck. Zverev has the best form of anyone in this section and he could reach the quarters without dropping a set.
John Isner takes on Pierre-Hugues Herbert or Mikhail Kukushkin, while Kyle Edmund faces Karen Khachanov/Filip Krajinovic. Khachanov is in good form and I’ll back him to emerge into the quarters defeating Krajinovic, Edmund, and Isner before falling to Zverev.
After winning Basel, Roger Federer‘s path to the quarters looks clear with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Milos Raonic both in poor form and first up, while Fabio Fognini should get past Marton Fucsovics/Benoit Paire before falling to Federer in round 3.
Kei Nishikori just fell to Kevin Anderson in the Vienna file and they should matchup again as Nishikori has just Adrian Mannarino/Ugo Humbert in his way while Anderson has to defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili/John Millman. I’ll take Anderson over Nishikori for a spot in the quarters.
Novak Djokovic will start against Marco Cecchinato or Joao Sousa, with Stefanos Tsitsipas likely to defeat Peter Gojowczyk/Damir Dzumhur before facing Djokovic in round 3. Djokovic defeating Tsitsipas is the smart choice from this section, though an upset is possible.
I’ll back Roberto Bautista Agut to get past Steve Johnson, Grigor Dimitrov, and Marin Cilic to reach the quarters. Cilic and Dimitrov are struggling, though Cilic should still defeat Philipp Kohlschreiber/Robin Haase in round 2.
Predictions
Quarters
Coric d. Nadal
Zverev d. Khachanov
Federer d. Anderson
Djokovic d. Bautista Agut
Halep’s First Grand Slam Title: 2018 Roland Garros Women’s Singles Preview, Predictions Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
The clay season concludes with the second grand slam of the year. The French Open has arrived with Jelena Ostapenko looking to defend her crown whilst six players fight for the world number one. Will we see another shock winner, or will one of the elite step up to take the crown? Did I mention Serena returns? There is plenty to look at in our draw preview for Roland Garros.
Top Quarter:
The French Open has been the kindest grand slam to Simona Halep, but it has also been the cruellest. Twice a finalist, twice a runner-up, the Romanian will be hoping to go one further this year. Alison Riske is first up, but the first major challenge will come against Kristina Mladenovic in round three. The Frenchwoman is always dangerous in front of a supporting crowd, and she made the quarter final last year herself. Projected for the round of 16 is rising Belgian Elise Mertens who is fats becoming a staple in the top 20. The 16th seed has some tough matches in front of her, including a third round match against the tricky Daria Gavrilova should things go by the seedings. The Aussie has some tough names herself to get through such as Sorana Cirstea then the winner of Bernarda Pera and Elena Vesnina.
Caroline Garcia is one of the six player show can become worlds number one this tournament, and after a consistent clay court season she has is positioned to potentially go very deep at her home grand slam. The Frenchwoman struggled under the pressure here, but last year’s quarter final showing may have been a turning point. Garcia’s path is rather easy until the fourth round where she could face the in-form Kiki Bertens or Angelique Kerber. They are set to meet in the third round in what could be a good match between two of the tour’s best defenders. Garcia has had her struggles with both recently, but will the home crowd give her an edge should she meet one of them here?
A Halep vs Garcia quarter final on Phillipe Chatrier could be fireworks and I think we may head in that direction. The Frenchwoman has turned a corner in her home grand slam, but is it enough to go really deep? Halep may be the best claycourter in the world on her day and she may prove to be too tough of a hurdle for Garcia to pass.
Prediction: Halep def. Garcia
Second Quarter:
For Garbine Muguruza, the French Open brings back some fond memories. She announced herself on tour by thrashing Serena Williams here, then went on to beat her again in the final a few years later to claim her first grand slam crown. Her quest for a second Roland Garros title starts with a rough match against another former champion in Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian has not played much this year but she is still a difficult match to start with. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is the first seed the Spaniard could come across with big serving Coco Vandeweghe projected for round four. The American struggles on clay though, so she could be ousted in the first round by Laura Siegemund. This is a really open section of the draw and one where an unseeded player such as Kuznetsova or a returning Bencic could make some waves.
The second half of this quarter is where the major interest lies. Karolina Pliskova is the seed, but she is not the story as Maria Sharapova and a returning Serena (who ironically plays Kristyna Pliskova first) have also landed in this part of the draw. The sixth seed will likely meet Sharapova in the third round as both have a relatively light draw until that point. Julia Goerges is the projected fourth round for the winner, but the German has a tough opener against Dominika Cibulkova and a possible meeting with Serena in round three. Pliskova will need all her new-found clay court prowess to get through this draw.
And I believe she might. Sharapova has shown signs of improvement but she is still not the player she was, and we can not expect much out of Serena after a long layoff. Pliskova made the semi finals here last year, so we know she is capable at Roland Garros. The question is, who awaits in the quarter finals? A lot depends on which Muguruza turns up, and whilst that could decide the quarter, I am picking the safer option of Pliskova here.
Prediction: Pliskova def. Muguruza
Embed from Getty Images Third Quarter:
Elina Svitolina’s 2017 campaign ended in a heartbreaking way for the Ukrainian, so she will look to put that right when she aims not only to win Roland Garros but become number one in the world. As one of the steadiest players in the draw, Svitolina is a good bet as one of the contenders, but she has struggled for that grand slam breakthrough. The Ukrainian has a good draw to the quarter finals though with not many dangerous clay courters standing in her way. Madison Keys is projected for round four, but she will likely not even make it that far, which could leave the door open for Naomi Osaka to make the last 16. Svitolina is a huge favourite to get out of this section however, and it will be a huge shock if she loses before the quarter finals.
Awaiting the Ukrainian could be the defending champion Ostapenko. The Latvian shocked the world with her performance here last year, and she will be looking for a repeat when she defends her title. She has a much tougher round ahead than Svitolina as Victoria Azarenka could await in round two then Barbora Strycova projected for round three. With Johanna Konta’s and Venus Williams’ struggles on clay, we could get an unseeded player such as Petra Martic and Qiang Wang in the round of 16.
It will be very difficult for Ostapenko to defend her French Open title with this draw, and even if she does make the last eight, she will have to battle to get there. Svitolina has a relatively simple draw to navigate and I expect the Ukrainian to make it out of this quarter.
Prediction: Svitolina def. Ostapenko
Embed from Getty Images Bottom Quarter:
Caroline Wozniacki finally broke her Grand Slam duck in Melbourne, so for the first time ever the Dane enters a major as a grand slam champion. Clay ahs never been Wozniacki’s best surface though, even with her defensive orientated style of play. The world number two has a potentially tough round one against Collins with former finalist Timea Bacsinszky possibly awaiting Wozniacki in round two. The Dane could face a hostile crowd in round three as she is projected to meet Alize Cornet there, but she has former finalist Sara Errani then Pauline Parmentier in her two matches prior to a possible Wozniacki meeting. Round four could get very interesting with promising Russian Daria Kasatkina seeded to meet her in the round of 16. Kasatkina has the dangerous Kaia Kanepi in round one though with Kirsten Flipkens possibly awaiting in round two. Carla Suarez Navarro is the round of 32 projected opponent, but she has a tough draw too with Ana Konjuh and Maria Sakkari in her section.
Petra Kvitova has found some big form this season and even won the title in Madrid in the build-up to this tournament. The Czech’s draw looks pretty good with an out of form Anett Kontaveit projected for round three and not too many dangerous unseeded players lurking. Sloane Stephens has also landed in this section, but her form on the clay has not been brilliant. Anastasija Sevastova could await the American in the third round.
There could be some upsets in this section with a few of the seeds not being at their best on the clay. Wozniacki may be the biggest casualty as I could see her losing out to Kasatkina in round four, but I think Kvitova will not suffer that same fate and will make it to the semi finals.
It is a hard one to call as nobody stands out above the rest in this draw, but I am going with Halep to break her duck. Third time could possibly be a charm for her when it comes to French Open finals.
Goffin, Dimitrov, and French Stars Finish the 2017 ATP Season Strong Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
Goffin Makes a Big Run
Despite falling short in the Davis Cup final as a team, David Goffin had a great finish to 2017, as he won titles in Shenzhen and Tokyo, reached the semifinals in Basel, and then the final in the ATP World Tour Finals in London. After the US Open he scored wins over Richard Gasquet, Adrian Mannarino, Jack Sock, Dominic Thiem, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. In the Davis Cup final he defeated Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga but it still wasn’t enough.
France Captures Davis Cup
France finally won the Davis Cup, after losing a multitude of finals Tsonga and Pouille defeated Steve Darcis twice, and Gasquet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert defeated Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore in what turned out to be the critical doubles rubber. Pouille defeated his teammate Tsonga in the Vienna 500 final, while Tsonga won Antwerp.
Breakthrough for Sock
Jack Sock won the biggest title of his career at the Paris Masters, he won over a weakened field with wins over Kyle Edmund, Pouille, Fernando Verdasco, Julien Benneteau, and Filip Krajinovic. He qualified for the World Tour Finals by virtue of that victory and reached the semifinals after going 2-1 with wins over Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic.
Dimitrov and Del Potro Looking Strong Heading Into 2018
Grigor Dimitrov finished the year with 49 wins and 4 titles as he reached the final in Stockholm, and the final at the World Tour Finals in London, beating Pablo Carreno Busta, Goffin twice, Dominic Thiem, and Sock.
Juan Martin Del Potro reached the semis in Shanghai, the final in Basel, took a title in Stockholm, and finished the year with a quarterfinal in Paris.
Nadal and Federer Finish 1-2
Damir Dzumhur has 2 ATP titles to end the year as he won in both St. Petersburg and Moscow, while Hyeon Chung won the Next-Gen finals over Andrey Rublev. Nadal won Beijing and lost the final in Shanghai, shutting down his season at the World Tour Finals due to injury concerns but still finishing year end world #1. Federer won Shanghai and Basel to finish year end #2.
GABRIELA DABROWSKI CROWNED FRENCH OPEN MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPION The Ottawa native becomes the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam
Gabriela Dabrowski and Rohan Bopanna Celebrate (Photo: Peter Figura)
Montreal, June 8, 2017 – On Thursday, Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON) became the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam. The 25-year-old captured the mixed doubles title at Roland-Garros with her partner Rohan Bopanna of India. The pair defeated Germany’s Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Robert Farah of Colombia 2-6, 6-2,12-10 in the final.
Gabriela Dabrowski and Rohan Bopanna Celebrate (Photo: Peter Figura)
Dabrowski and Bopanna, seeded seventh in the tournament, advanced to the championship match without dropping a set. In the final, they saved two match points in the match tiebreak before claiming victory following a Grönefeld double fault after 1 hour, 26 minutes of play. This is the first Grand Slam title for both Dabrowski and 37-year-old Bopanna.
Dabrowski joins Daniel Nestor, Sébastien Lareau, and Vasek Pospisil as the only Canadians to win a Major doubles title.
2016 ATP Paris Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The final full field tournament of 2016 takes place in Paris as the 2016 season is coming to an end. Here is a look at the field with predictions as players look to shore up their year end rankings and build momentum for next year.
BNP Paribas Masters
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Paris, France
October 31-November 6, 2016
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize Money: €3,748,925
Top 8 seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Novak Djokovic (1)
2: Andy Murray (2)
3: Stan Wawrinka (3)
4: Milos Raonic (4)
5: Kei Nisihkori (5)
6: Dominic Thiem (9)
7: Tomas Berdych (10)
8: David Goffin (11)
Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils, Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic, and Alexander Zverev are the notable players absent from the final full field tournament of the season.
First round matchups to watch:
Mischa Zverev vs. John Isner
Isner has a h2h win over Zverev indoors, but he’s been struggling while Mischa has been coming on strong. The German reached the quarters in Shanghai and the semis in Basel, stunning Stan Wawrinka at his home tournament. He also posted quarterfinals in Shenzen this fall and looks set to be an ATP regular with his serve and volley game next season. Isner has just two wins since the US Open, and I predict Zverev will ease past the big serving American.
Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Jack Sock
Kohlschreiber is 3-2 in has last two outings, while Sock is 8-3 in his last three outings. Both players have shotmaking ability, and Sock’s forehand should win the day against the veteran German.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Fabio Fognini
PCB beat Fognini in a three set Moscow final and looks to be in good form. Fognini has his shot at revenge, but the Spaniard is the favorite.
Gilles Simon vs. (Q)Julien Benneteau
Benneteau has four career wins against Simon, while his French counterpart has five. In Paris these veterans will entertain the crowd as Simon has been in solid form, while Benneteau qualified and has been improving since returning from injury. Simon is the favorite, but Benny could pull an upset.
Djokovic’s Quarter
Basel semifinalist Gilles Muller should beat Nicolas Almagro to setup a match with the world #1 Djokovic, who is fighting to hang onto his year end world #1 ranking. Novak should face Grigor Dimitrov in round 3, presuming Dimitrov beats a struggling Marcos Baghdatis or Paul-Henri Mathieu. Dimitrov isn’t playing well enough to beat Djokovic right now and I see the Serbian in the quarters.
David Goffin and Marin Cilic are likely to face off in round 3 for what will possibly decide a spot in the World Tour Finals depending on how far Goffin goes after that. The Basel champion Cilic has been in better form but I have Goffin winning as he should be fresher. Cilic could also fall to Ivo Karlovic in round 2, presuming Karlovic beats Dusan Lajovic. The Croatian was a semifinalist in Vienna and would love to knock off his countryman. Goffin plays the winner of Nicolas Mahut/Martin Klizan, likely Klizan in round 2.
Wawrinka’s Quarter
Stan Wawrinka could face Zverev, who knocked him off in Basel, presuming Zverev beats Isner, and David Ferrer, who left Vienna with an injury that caused him to withdrawal in the semifinals. Wawrinka will face J.L. Struff or Illya Marchenko in round 2. I have Wawrinka over Zverev, because despite their Basel meeting, Wawrinka is the better player.
Richard Gasquet may not be healthy, but he should defeat a struggling Steve Johnson or Guido Pella. Dominic Thiem will face the Sock/Kohlschreiber winner, he’s trying to lock down a spot in London so I have him beating Sock and Gasquet to reach the quarters.
Raonic’s Quarter
Milos Raonic isn’t playing well, and I have him falling to Pablo Carreno Busta in round 2. This is a weak section of the draw as Pablo Cuevas gets a bye and faces the Benoit Paire/Paolo Lorenzi winner. I have Lorenzi vs. Carreno Busta in a surprising third rounder, as Cuevas and Paire are both struggling. PCB should prevail.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the finalist in Vienna, and Kei Nishikori, the finalist in Basel, look set to face off in round 3. Nishikori will face Viktor Troicki or Adrian Mannarino, while Tsonga will face Albert Ramos or Stephane Robert in round 2. Ramos and Troicki both come off of quarterfinals in Vienna, but Nishikori and Tsonga should win out, with Nishikori reaching the quarters.
Murray’s Quarter
Andy Murray has won his last three tournaments and should have no trouble against Fernando Verdasco or Robin Haase. Verdasco has lost four in a row and is in awful form, so Murray should beat the qualifier Haase, and then could face Lucas Pouille in round 3, presuming Pouille beats Feliciano Lopez or Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Since Lopez just beat Pouille though, I have Murray over the serve and volleyer Lopez in round 3.
Tomas Berdych will face Roberto Bautista Agut or Gilles Simon in round 3 with a London spot on the line, presuming he can break his three match losing streak and earn a win over Joao Sousa or Andreas Seppi. RBA faces the Simon/Benneteau winner in round 2, he’s been on a recent skid as well, so Simon over Berdych is my pick in round 3.
Dark Horse: Ivo Karlovic and Gilles Simon
Karlovic needs to knock off Cilic and Goffin but he could reach the quarterfinals and trouble Djokovic at that stage. Simon I favor to reach the quarters over the seeds Roberto Bautista Agut, and Tomas Berdych. The home Frenchman should perform well in Paris.
Predictions
Quarters Djokovic d. Goffin
Wawrinka d. Thiem
Nishikori d. Carreno Busta
Murray d. Simon
The four ranked favorites should prevail in the quarters unless Thiem or Simon shake things up.
Semis Djokovic d. Wawrinka
Murray d. Nishikori
The world #1 and #2 look set to face off despite Wawrinka and Nishikori’s best efforts.
Final Murray d. Djokovic
Normally I’d pick Djokovic, but Murray is playing so well right now I think he’ll get an elusive win.
It was a three-peat in Paris for world #1 Novak Djokovic who captured his sixth Masters 1000 title, and tenth overall title of the season, with a routine 6-2 6-4 victory over Andy Murray, the current world #3. It’s been the year of Novak as he moves to 78-5 on the season with one tournament left to play (the World Tour Finals in London), and reached the final of every tournament he entered, save the ATP Doha tournament at the start of the season. Djokovic also reached eight Masters 1000 finals (6-2 record in those finals), and is the first player to accomplish that momentous feat.
Djokovic faced a pair of tough matches before the final, winning his quarterfinal over Tomas Berdych in a pair of tiebreaks, and defeating his rival Stan Wawrinka with a third set bagel after a pair of hard fought sets. The win over Berdych was the first time Djokovic had won an ATP match without breaking his opponents serve. He also notched routine wins over Thomaz Bellucci and Gilles Simon in his first two matches.
Murray posted his best ever result in the Paris Masters with a pair of crushing wins over Borna Coric and David Goffin, followed by a nip and tuck three set win over home Frenchman Richard Gasquet and a straight set victory over an outmatched David Ferrer. Murray is now 9-0 after the US Open against opponents other than Novak Djokovic. The Brit will be leading his country in the Davis Cup final against Goffin and Belgium in just a couple of weeks.
Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo stopped the World Tour Finals qualification bid of Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil 2-6 6-3 10-5, as the veteran pairing made it three titles together on the season.
The singles players qualifying for the World Tour Finals in London are Djokovic, Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, and Kei Nishikori with Richard Gasquet as the first alternate in the #9 race to London spot. The youngest player is 25 (Nishikori) and four of the eight contestants are over the age of 30.
The doubles teams qualifying are Bob and Mike Bryan, Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau, Jamie Murray/John Peers, Dodig/Melo, Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini, Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut, Marcin Matkowski/Nenad Zimonjic and Rohan Bopanna/Florian Mergea, with Pospisil/Sock and Bruno Soares/Alexander Peya coming up just short. Only Bolelli and Fognini are top tier ATP singles players, and the rest of the contestants are best at doubles.
2015 ATP Paris Masters Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
It’s the final Masters tournament of the year, and the final ATP tournament for all but the top 8 (who have the World Tour Finals next week in London). With nothing to lose and everything to gain heading into next season, we’ll see who can put on a show in Paris, and who is ready for the season to be over. This tournament also concludes the European fall indoor swing, as the 2015 season draws to a close.
BNP Paribas Masters
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Paris, France
November 2-November 8, 2015
Prize Money: €3,288,530
Top 8 seeds (top 16 seeds receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Novak Djokovic (1)
2: Andy Murray (2)
3: Roger Federer (3)
4: Stan Wawrinka (4)
5: Tomas Berdych (5)
6: Kei Nishikori (6)
7: Rafael Nadal (7)
8: David Ferrer (8)
Only Milos Raonic and Tommy Robredo are notably missing out on this years BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.
Paire reached an ATP final (Tokyo), and a challenger final in France post US Open, and is playing some of the best tennis of his career, though he lost round 2 in Valencia. It’s been a rather forgettable year for fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils. Monfils did recently reach the semis in Vienna though and both of these crowd pleasing entertainers will have plenty of support in Paris. It’s their first ever meeting and I’m going with Paire’s good form to help him win this battle.
Fabio Fognini vs. Bernard Tomic
Fabio Fognini has continued his inconsistent play this Fall. The Italian has an ATP semifinal and an ATP quarterfinal post US Open, but was stunned by journeyman Mischa Zverev in Valencia. Tomic has crafted a solid season overall and posted a Quarterfinal in Shanghai recently, but he’s also lost three straight matches and is in the midst of a slump. Either of these guys could bomb out and lose easily, but I have Fognini finding the touch and control needed to get through this match.
Fernando Verdasco vs. Borna Coric
Two players looking for form in the final tournament of the season. Verdasco hasn’t won consecutive matches since Wimbledon as the Spanish veteran has been in a sharp decline as he ages. Coric is a rising youngster but he’s also suffered three consecutive routine defeats. Coric has a bright future ahead, while Verdasco is going to struggle to stay in the top 50 much longer, and thus I have the Croatian edging through.
Top Half:
Defending, and three-time Paris champ Novak Djokovic looks to be in unstoppable form at the moment. Djokovic is 72-5 this season and just one of those losses came at the hands of a non top 4 player. A winner of the US Open, and two tournaments on the Asian swing (Beijing and Shanghai), along with Masters tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Rome, look for Djokovic to blitz past Thomaz Bellucci, and the Paire/Monfils winner or Gilles Simon for a spot in the quarterfinals. Bellucci opens with a slumping Teymuraz Gabashvili, while the Paire/Monfils winner faces Simon. Simon was a quarterfinalist in Stockholm and a finalist in Metz, so his good form on indoor hard, especially in France, should help him through, before Djokovic buzzsaws him.
Two former Paris champions are likely to face off for a spot in the quarterfinals. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga opens with Pierre-Hugues Herbert or Moscow and Valencia finalist Roberto Bautista Agut, while Tomas Berdych will face Ivo Karlovic or Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The home Frenchman Herbert could well upset RBA, given RBA looked exhausted in Valencia, but Metz champion and Shanghai finalist Tsonga should win out regardless of who he faces. Berdych faces the tough task of Vienna and Basel quarterfinalist Karlovic round 2. Karlovic leads Berdych 3-1 in the indoor h2h, but Berdych won in Stockholm and should ride his good form to the third round.
Both Tsonga and Berdych are in good form, but Berdych has the World Tour Finals looming next week, and thus I have Tsonga breaking their 2-2 h2h tie on indoor hard, and reaching the quarterfinals to face Djokovic. Being a home favorite should also aid his chances.
Stan Wawrinka captured the Tokyo title and has a large h2h edge over Fognini, thus I have him winning his opening match (same holds true against Tomic), and then beating Feliciano Lopez or Jack Sock for a spot in the quarterfinals. Lopez gets a bye and he was a finalist in Kuala Lumpur. The red hot Sock opens with a struggling Viktor Troicki. Sock reached the semis in Basel, a final in Stockholm, and before that the quarterfinals in Beijing, as he has boosted his ranking inside the top 30. The young American with a gifted forehand could struggle against the serve and volleyer Lopez due to fatigue however, and Lopez also has an indoor h2h win in Memphis two years ago. No matter how this tournament goes, it’s been a career best season for Jack Sock. Wawrinka is 2-1 indoors vs. Lopez.
Rafael Nadal has played surprisingly well after an early exit at the US Open. He comes off a close finals loss in Basel to Roger Federer, and reached the final in Beijing and the semis in Shanghai as well. The question is, will Rafa have anything left in the tank for Paris. We’ll find out first against either Lukas Rosol or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, both Rosol and Garcia-Lopez are recent indoor hard court ATP quarterfinalists, but GGL is in slightly better form, and I see him winning that match before falling to Nadal. Shanghai and Vienna quarterfinalist Kevin Anderson is a step up in competition however. Big Kev will need to beat either a struggling Dominic Thiem or pedestrian Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in his first match, but I have him winning his first ever h2h meeting with Rafa after that (0-2 h2h). Nadal will want to rest up for the World Tour finals next week, and Anderson’s serve is dangerous on indoor hard courts.
Bottom Half:
Andy Murray has never made it past the quarterfinal stage in Paris, and he should be leery of the Coric/Verdasco winner in round 2, especially since Coric beat him in Dubai this year. The Shanghai semifinalist has the World Tour Finals, and the Davis Cup final coming up, and I wouldn’t blame him for making an early exit. With that said, his Davis Cup rival David Goffin would face off with him round 3, presuming Goffin can beat Nicolas Mahut/Dusan Lajovic in round 2. Goffin reached the quarterfinals in Basel so he should get to round 3, and if Murray is committed, I have Murray beating him for the quarterfinal spot.
Kei Nishikori has endured a difficult fall campaign, and doesn’t play a lot of matches on indoor hard, thus the #6 seed is susceptible to an early defeat, something one of two Frenchmen could hand him at home in round 2 as Jeremy Chardy opens with Lucas Pouille. Pouille has two ATP quarterfinals this fall (St. Petersburg and Moscow), while Chardy has one in Stockholm. Look for the young Pouille to post a bit of a breakthrough and defeat Chardy, and then upset Nishikori for a spot in the third round. I just don’t see Kei being able to give his best this week. Richard Gasquet, a Stockholm and Basel semifinalist, should be the beneficiary of the draw opening up. Gasquet needs only to defeat Metz semifinalist Martin Klizan/Leo Mayer, and then Pouille/Chardy or Nishikori to reach the quarters. Gasquet has a great draw at home he can do some damage in.
Basel champion Roger Federer also has World Tour Finals action looming, but the Swiss maestro should find his way past either Andreas Seppi or Pablo Cuevas in round 2. Cuevas reached the quarters in Valencia and Seppi is ice cold right now, so I have Cuevas winning that one and falling to Federer. John Isner should face him round 3, as Aljaz Bedene/Marcel Granollers aren’t difficult round 2 opponents. Isner posted a quarterfinal in Beijing but his pedestrian recent form suggests Federer has the upper hand and will reach the quarterfinals.
David Ferrer has taken the title in Paris before and he put together a magnificent Fall campaign to secure his place in the World Tour Finals. The Spanish veteran showed little signs of decline as he took titles in Kuala Lumpur and Vienna, along with a semifinal in Beijing. With his round 2 opponent, either Jiri Vesely or Alexandr Dolgopolov, struggling mightily, he should get through to round 3. Dolgopolov is on an atrocious seven match losing streak and isn’t healthy at the moment. Marin Cilic should pose a threat to Ferrer in the third round. Cilic has two quarterfinals, a semifinal, and an ATP title this fall as he’s been quite busy on tour. He’s likely to face a struggling Grigor Dimitrov round 2, and with Dimitrov finishing up a poor season, Cilic has the edge. I also have Cilic beating Ferrer as Ferrer has the tour finals to think about next week.
Karlovic can be lethal indoors with his huge serve and has a chance to oust both Berdych and Tsonga to get a shot at Djokovic. Coric could take advantage of Murray’s mind being elsewhere and breakthrough in the bottom half of the draw.
Predictions
Quarters Djokovic d. Tsonga
Wawrinka d. Anderson
Gasquet d. Murray
Federer d. Cilic
Djokovic is surprisingly 0-4 against Tsonga on indoor hard, but given their recent meeting in Shanghai I see him moving that h2h to 1-4. Wawrinka lost to Anderson last year in Paris but I see him getting his revenge given their recent US Open meeting. Gasquet has beaten Murray in Paris before (2007), and I see him stopping him once more in the quarterfinals. Federer should be too smooth for Cilic (5-1 h2h, previous Paris win).
Semis Djokovic d. Wawrinka
Federer d. Gasquet
Federer dominates Gasquet in the h2h 15-2, and Djokovic has looked to be unstoppable as of late, thus I see them colliding in the final.
Final
Djokovic d. Federer
With Djokovic in his current form it’s hard to see Federer being able to knock him off.
Djokovic Wins 3rd ATP Paris Title, Becomes 1st Player to Retain ATP Paris Title in Modern History
ATP Paris
Novak Djokovic won his third career ATP Paris crown with a decisive 6-2 6-3 dismantling of Milos Raonic in the final, which was rather uncompetitive. Raonic falls to 1-2 in ATP finals this season and is now 0-2 in his career in Masters level finals. Djokovic all but secures the year-end number one ranking by virtue of retaining his Paris title and he notched his sixth title of the season. He finishes 4-0 in ATP Masters level finals this year.
Djokovic’s path to the final emerged by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber, Gael Monfils, Andy Murray, and Kei Nishikori without dropping a set, as he was dominant in Paris all week long.
Raonic secured his place in the World Tour finals, alongside Djokovic, Federer, Wawrinka, Murray, Nishikori, Cilic, and Berdych. The Canadian number one beat Jack Sock in 3 sets, Roberto Bautista Agut in straights, Roger Federer in a straight set upset, and Tomas Berdych in 3 sets to reach the final. His serving was impeccable this week even on a rather slow surface.
The Bryans beat Marcin Matkowski and Jurgen Melzer for the doubles title as both the world number one singles player and the world’s number one doubles team capped the ATP World Tour Season off in style by lifting tournament trophies in Paris.
2014 ATP Paris Preview, Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
The season finale for all but the top 8 has arrived, as it’s time for Paris Bercy, the final Masters 1000 event of the season. Once again, I’ve greatly enjoyed covering all the action on the ATP World Tour this year for our readers, and we hope that you enjoyed it as well.
The 2015 season promises to be a special one and we hope you will keep browsing over to Tennis East Coast to get previews and recaps of all the action. Great things are in store for our site in the coming year.
ATP Paris
BNP Paribas Masters
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Paris, France
October 27-November 2, 2014
Prize Money: € 2,884,675
Top 8 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Novak Djokovic (1)
2: Roger Federer (2)
3: Stan Wawrinka (4)
4: David Ferrer (5)
5: Tomas Berdych (6)
6: Kei Nishikori (7)
7: Milos Raonic (9)
8: Andy Murray (10)
The top 16 seeds receive first round byes. Only Rafa Nadal and Ernests Gulbis, both of whom are injured, and Marin Cilic, are out in terms of active top 20 players. Otherwise, this is a strong field for the season finale for all but the top 8.
First round matchups to watch:
Gael Monfils vs. Joao Sousa
Monfils and Sousa have split meetings this year, both of which took place on indoor hard courts, and Sousa recently got the best of Monfils in the Metz semifinals, winning 6 and 2. That said, the Portuguese number 1 is carrying a four match losing streak, and he’s slumping to end the season with three losses to lower ranked opponents in his last three matches. Monfils hasn’t played since Metz, but judging by his practice photos, he appears healthy and motivated for the final event of the season on home soil. Expect some acrobatic shot-making and a lot of rallying between these two. Monfils should win this, in 2, maybe 3 sets.
Tommy Robredo vs. Vasek Pospisil
Robredo just lost another heartbreaking final to Andy Murray in Valencia, and he may already be on the ropes physically before his first ever meeting with Pospisil. Vashy lost to Grigor Dimitrov in round 2 in Basel as expected, but he’s had a good year overall and this should be a competitive match where either player has a chance at victory. I’d give a slight edge to Pospisil given Robredo should enter this match fatigued.
Jerzy Janowicz vs. (Q)Sam Querrey
Janowicz has never lost to Querrey (2-0 career head to head including a win this year in the Winston-Salem semifinals), but the American is on a long winning streak at the moment. Querrey has won 16 straight, all at the challenger or ATP qualifying level as he returned to the challenger circuit to help build up some confidence and wins. Still, Querrey has not faced an ATP level opponent on hard courts since the US Open, and Janowicz is a big step up in terms of competition. The Pole has lost four of his last five matches, but all of those losses are to quality or in-form opponents, so he has nothing to be ashamed about. JJ had that shocking run to the Paris final in 2012 and he seems to enjoy playing in Bercy, so I have him winning this match in a slight upset over Querrey, who simply has not faced tough competition as of late.
Dominic Thiem vs. Alex Dolgopolov
This match should feature some exciting shot-making, as Thiem and Dolgo will meet for the first time. Dolgo has only won one match since returning from a knee injury, but that was over an in-form Gilles Simon in Valencia, and he does have a chance to get hot and play well here for the last tournament of the season. Thiem is still looking to build his ranking on European soil and he is just 1-4 since the US Open, as he seems to be wearing down this fall. I’d give Dolgo a slight edge here, but you never know what is going to happen when he steps foot on a tennis court. He could surrender a bagel or give a bagel, and Thiem also has dips and peaks in his performance.
Richard Gasquet vs. (Q)Denis Istomin
With Gasquet slumping, this match has some upset potential. Istomin has gone 5-3 since the US Open, with his only losses coming to top tier players Raonic, Dimitrov, and Federer, and he pushed the eventual Basel champion Federer to 3 sets. He beat two quality indoor opponents to qualify in Paris, Nicolas Mahut and Gilles Muller, without dropping a set.
Gasquet is just 2-3 since the US Open and has not played a match since Shanghai in what has been an overall poor season for him. I question what Gasquet’s motivation will be here at the end of the year, even on home soil, and an in-form Istomin should snatch the upset. The hard court h2h is 2-1 in favor of Gasquet, and Gasquet has two wins over Istomin this season, including once at the US Open.
Top Half:
Two time Paris Masters champ Novak Djokovic will open with Philipp Kohlschreiber or Edouard Roger-Vasselin, but most likely Kohli. With neither of those players likely to pose a threat to the world #1, look for Djokovic to meet Gael Monfils or John Isner in the round of 16. I favor Monfils over Isner because Isner has lost two straight matches and the h2h is almost even, 4-3 in favor of Isner since 2007. If Djokovic is in the mindset to conserve his energy before the World Tour Finals, Monfils could pose a threat to him, but Djokovic is 9-0 on hard courts career against the Frenchman and he won a great three setter with him this year in Toronto, so the advantage goes to Djokovic to reach the quarterfinals at least.
Andy Murray, who survived a grueling Valencia final and has won titles in consecutive weeks. That pretty much assures him a spot in the World Tour Finals after a strong late push, now that Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the tournament. He opens with Julien Benneteau or Rendy Lu, but most likely Benneteau. Murray may be worn down from grueling consecutive weeks of tennis and could mail it in in Paris, falling to Benneteau. If he wins that match, I still have him losing to Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16. The Bulgarian has to reach the final in order to qualify for the World Tour Finals, and he will open his efforts against Pablo Cuevas or Leo Mayer. The Basel quarterfinalist, who fell to Federer, should win that, and then beat Murray/Benneteau/Lu in order to setup a meeting with Djokovic or Monfils in the quarters. Dimitrov has beaten Murray twice this year after losing to him three times prior, and given the fatigue and motivation factor, the match favors the Stockholm finalist Dimitrov by some margin.
Vienna finalist and Valencia semifinalist David Ferrer is also still in competition for the final World Tour Finals spot. He’ll need to put up a stirring performance against Lukas Rosol/David Goffin to get out of his first match. Given how well Goffin, a finalist in Basel, is playing, that still may not be enough, depending on the Belgian’s fatigue level. Ferrer, a former Paris champion, and Goffin are both hard working players and given they have both played a lot of tennis recently, I’m tipping Goffin to get through to the round of 16 in a bit of an upset. Goffin is rising while Ferrer is falling to some extent and the result should reflect that.
Below Ferrer/Goffin in the draw is Gilles Simon, who was playing very well before a shocking round 1 loss in Valencia, and also Donald Young, who qualified, and Fernando Verdasco. All three of these players can be dangerous. Simon and Verdasco have split h2h hard court meetings, but besides that freak Valencia result, Simon is playing the better of the two this Fall and on home soil I favor him to advance to the round of 16 and meet Goffin or Ferrer. Simon has never played Goffin and he beat Ferrer at the US Open this year, so I have Simon into the quarterfinals as a bit of a dark horse.
Kei Nishikori is at the bottom of the top half of the draw. He opens with Robredo/Pospisil, and then should meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the round of 16, assuming Tsonga defeats Jurgen Melzer/Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (two veterans who are playing poorly right now). Nishikori took some time off after Shanghai and should out-hustle Robredo/Pospisil, while the former Bercy champ Tsonga looks to find form having lost two straight and also not having played since Tokyo. Nishikori beat Tsonga in Paris last year and is 3-1 against him overall, so it should be Nishikori in the quarterfinals.
Bottom Half:
Shanghai and Basel champ Roger Federer, who also has a Paris masters title to his name, will open with a Frenchman, either Kenny De Schepper or Valencia semifinalist Jeremy Chardy in round 2. Federer, even if slightly fatigued, should cruise into the round of 16 and crush Ivo Karlovic again just like he did in the Basel semifinals. Karlovic opens with Frenchman Lucas Pouille, and then will face a slumping Fabio Fognini in round 2, who is unlikely to put in much effort into making the round of 16. Chardy shocked Federer this year on clay in Rome, but Federer beat him on hard courts in 3 sets in Brisbane at the start of the season, and he should avenge that Rome loss.
Milos Raonic, a quarterfinalist in Basel, will need to beat Jack Sock again in order to reach the round of 16 in Paris. Sock, who qualified, faces Valencia quarterfinalist Pablo Andujar, who upset Tomas Berdych there in round 1. Sock lost to Andujar at the US Open, but I have the result reversed in Paris and Raonic should win his seventh consecutive meeting against the American in what would also be his fifth win this season against him. In the round of 16, Raonic could face Moscow champ Roberto Bautista Agut, who has had a strong season but gave a walkover in Valencia, or the Gasquet/Istomin winner. If RBA happens to not be 100%, Istomin will have a nice shot at a good run, but as it stands it should be Raonic over Bautista for the quarterfinals. It would be their first head-to-head meeting.
Stan Wawrinka is really struggling at the moment, and I have him losing to the Thiem/Dolgopolov winner, no matter which of those players wins that round 1 matchup. Wawrinka has lost four matches in a row and with World Tour Finals action and the Davis Cup final looming, he may be looking to conserve himself for that.
Thiem/Dolgopolov/Wawrinka should meet Kevin Anderson or perhaps Mikhail Youzhny/Santiago Giraldo in the round of 16. Giraldo and Youzhny are both struggling right now, and Anderson is 2-0 career against Giraldo. Since Kev made quarters in Valencia and also beat Youzhny in Paris last year, he should be safe for the round of 16 where I have him beating Dolgopolov as he did earlier this year in Acapulco in 3 sets. The overall h2h between them is 1-1. Anderson also beat Thiem in Tokyo recently for a 2-0 overall h2h against him and he beat Wawrinka in Toronto earlier this year.
Former Paris champ Tomas Berdych is still in the race for the World Tour Finals along with Ferrer, Raonic and Dimitrov. After winning Stockholm, he played poorly in Valencia and will look to recover against Pierre-Hugues Herbert or Adrian Mannarino. Both French wild cards have played well indoors and Herbert played well in Paris last year. That said, a motivated Berdych should cruise to the quarterfinals over Feliciano Lopez/Sam Querrey/Jerzy Janowicz. Lopez should be his most likely opponent, though Janowicz is also a possibility. It’s a toss-up as to who makes the round of 16 among those three players.
Predictions:
Quarters:
Djokovic d. Dimitrov
Nishikori d. Simon
Berdych d. Anderson
Federer d. Raonic
Strange things tend to happen in Paris but Djokovic has beaten Dimitrov twice this year, including recently dominating him in Beijing, so he has to be the favorite. Simon and Nishikori have never met, but Nishikori is the superior player and the superior ball striker so he should advance. Berdych and Anderson have met multiple times every season since 2012, but Berdych has always come out on top because he is superior at the type of game Anderson plays. Raonic has a serious shot against Fed, but given the h2h favors the Swiss 6-0 including 2-0 this season, I’m not going to pick it.
Semis:
Nishikori d. Djokovic
Berdych d. Federer
Nishikori beat Djokovic at the USO and he has won the last two meetings against the world number one, though they have only met twice since 2011 surprisingly enough. Given that h2h though, including a win indoors, and how well Nishikori has been playing all year, and especially in the second half of the season, I feel an upset win in a Masters tournament would be well deserved for him, and I’m going out in a limb and picking him to prevail and reach the final. I’m picking Berdych over Federer because Federer has World Tour Finals and the Davis Cup final coming up and Berdych has seven career wins against Federer. The h2h is still in Federer’s favor but Berdych has proven he can beat Fed and they played a 3 set final in Dubai this year that Federer won. Given Berdych wants to make the World Tour Finals, and Federer has every reason to conserve his energy, such a result wouldn’t shock me at all.
Final:
Nishikori d. Berdych
Nishikori deserves a Masters title and I believe he will get one in Paris, it’s not an odds on pick but Paris, being at the end of the season, often yields underdog and breakthrough results, and given Nishikori is 3-0 on hard courts against Berdych he should be the favorite. I’d also pick him against Federer.
The World Tour finals participants should be Djokovic, Federer, Wawrinka, Nishikori, Cilic, Berdych, Murray, and Raonic. I feel Raonic will do better than Ferrer this week and that will secure him the final spot, with Murray and Berdych qualifying as well, and Dimitrov falling short unless he can upset Djokovic.
Tennis Atlantic 