The 2018 Rogers Cup final should be long remembered for the emergence of Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas on the ATP’s biggest stage. Tsitsipas reached his first Masters 1000 final (likely the first of many) with four top 10 wins in a single tournament. Against Rafael Nadal he put in a tremendous effort only to fall in straight sets 6-2 7-6(4) in an hour and 43 minutes. Nadal won all but 2 points on his first serve and was only broken once despite Tsitispas best tennis in the second set. Nadal got off to a smooth start, overwhelming Tsitsipas with two breaks to take it with ease. In set 2 Nadal broke in the first game and looked set to run away with it, but Tsitsipas battled back breaking for 5-5. He had a set point to force a third set at 6-5 but he lost it by a netcord and then lost the ensuing tiebreak.
It’s the 4th Rogers Cup for world #1 Nadal, his 5th title of the season, and his first hard court title of the season. Nadal dropped just one set in the tournament, easing past Benoit Paire and Stan Wawrinka before being pushed to 3 sets against Marin Cilic. In the semifinals Nadal took on young gun Karen Khachanov and defeated him in straight sets.
Tsitsipas claimed early wins against Damir Dzumhur and Dominic Thiem, then he stunned Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Kevin Anderson in consecutive three set matches his last four wins coming against an extremely high level of competition. Tsitsipas reached the semis in Washington last week and has been in tremendous form this Summer.
Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, and Juan Martin Del Potro Vie for 2018 Rogers Cup Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The 2018 Rogers Cup in Toronto is the first of two ATP Masters 1000 tournaments on North American Hard Courts this Summer. Here is your look at all the action.
Nadal’s Quarter
Rafael Nadal hasn’t played on a hard court for months but he’s put together a great season overall and has to be one of the favorites in Toronto. Nadal should ease past Jared Donaldson or a struggling Benoit Paire. The section just below Rafa is interesting. Marton Fucsovics faces Joao Sousa, Stan Wawrinka will face Nick Kyrgios. Every player in the section is struggling, and Kyrgios hasn’t been fit. This seems like a good opportunity for Wawrinka or Kyrgios to find a run of form, but Nadal will be favored to prevail in the section.
Marin Cilic will have an interesting matchup with countryman Borna Coric in the second round. Coric will have to beat home favorite Vasek Pospisil in round 1, while Cilic will be favored into the third round. Sam Querrey will be favored against Adrian Mannarino while I have Kyle Edmund reaching round 3, with Edmund defeating Diego Schwartzman, and Querrey before falling to Cilic.
Juan Martin Del Potro gets a brutal round 2 matchup against Kei Nisihkori, presuming Nishikori defeats Robin Haase. With Del Potro having reached the final in Los Cabos he will probably edge Nishikori before facing either home favorite Denis Shapovalov or Fabio Fognini, who defeated him in Los Cabos. Shapovalov opens with Jeremy Chardy, while Fognini faces Steve Johnson. Fatigue could impact this section as I have Shapovalov upsetting Fognini before falling to Del Potro.
John Isner played a poor match in Washington but he looks set to rebound in Toronto. Isner will face Albert Ramos or Pierre Hugues-Herbert. Isner should reach the third round to face off with Pablo Carreno Busta. PCB opens with Yoshihito Nishioka, then an interesting match with Karen Khachanov (or Filip Krajinovic) awaits. A surprise could emerge from the section but Isner over pCB seems sensible.
Kevin Anderson returns to tour after a great run at Wimbledon. Anderson could be challenged by Washington semifinalist Andrey Rublev, presuming Rublev defeats countryman Evgeny Donskoy in round 1. Anderson will be favored against Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round, presuming Bautista Agut can get past a tricky match against Ryan Harrison, and then defeats Yuichi Sugita/Ilya Ivashka.
Milos Raonic will be the favorite as he returns to Canada to face David Goffin in the opening round. Goffin has not been consistent lately. Raonic should also ease past Marco Cecchinato/Frances Tiafoe. Fernando Verdasco should beat Peter Gojowczyk before falling to Grigor Dimitrov. Raonic over Dimitrov, who has been poor lately, is a good third round projection.
Washington champ Alexander Zverev should dominate David Ferrer or Bradley Klahn if he’s fit. I’ll back another Canadian in the draw, young gun Felix Auger Aliassime to upset Lucas Pouille before facing off with either Daniil Medvedev or a struggling Jack Sock. Zverev over Medvedev is my pick for the third round, though Auger Aliassime should surprise.
Novak Djokovic will face off with Hyeon Chung, Matthew Ebden should defeat Peter Polansky before falling to Djokovic in round 2. Dominic Thiem will take on Washington semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas , as Tsitsipas should defeat Damir Dzumhur. Djokovic over Thiem is the wise third round projection.
2017 WTA Rogers Cup Preview, Predictions Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
The North American hard court swing is now in full effect as the tour heads to Canada for the Toronto Premier event. Here is a rundown of the draw for the upcoming tournament.
Top quarter:
Karolina Pliskova is back in action as the number one player in the world, and she will be aiming to seal that ranking with another Premier title. The Czech has a first round bye and will face either Alize Cornet or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round. Anastasija Sevastova is projected for round three, and the Latvian has a good draw with Lauren Davis first followed by the winner of an all-qualifier match. Sevastova has a winning record against Pliskova, so that could be an interesting third round match-up.
Caroline Wozniacki’s stellar year has seen her re-enter the top ten, but the Dane has yet to clinch a title in 2017. Can she go all the way in Toronto? After an opening round bye, the sixth seed will face a qualifier in round two. Agnieszka Radwanska is projected for round three, but the Pole has struggled this season with nagging injuries and could face an early exit to Coco Vandeweghe. It looks likely that the American will be Wozniacki’s third round opponent.
Angelique Kerber’s defense of her number one ranking did not go as planned, and with the US Open title defense looming, the German needs form and needs it fast. The third seed could open against Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard in the second round, which could be a tough match-up. Petra Kvitova is the seeded player in her section and we could see an all-lefty battle in the third round. The Czech faces Carla Suarez Navarro first though, then either Sloane Stephens or Yulia Putintseva.
Johanna Konta is in search of her second Premier title of the year, but she has a difficult draw ahead of her. The Brit faces either Ekaterina Makarova or Shuai Peng first, with Dominika Cibulkova the first seeded player in her section. The Slovakian opens her tournament against Lesia Tsurenko before facing Lucie Safarova or Francois Abanda. Cibulkova and Konta have met twice before and each share a straight sets victory.
Elina Svitolina continues her quest to finish the year as the world number one, and winning the Toronto title would go a long way to achieving that goal. The Ukrainian faces either Daria Kasatkina or Roberta Vinci. Venus Williams is projected for round three, and this is one of the more anticipated round three matches in the draw. The American has a decent draw to the third round with Katerina Siniakova being the toughest possible opponent.
Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza has looked in decent form since winning the SW19 title, a contrast to the pressure she felt after winning the French Open last year. The Spaniard could rematch Ana Konjuh, who she beat in Stanford in the second round. Elena Vesnina is projected for the third round, but the Russian could have a difficult time with Alison Riske and Oceane Dodin. It is overall a good draw for Muguruza and she should make the last eight.
Bottom Quarter:
Simona Halep is also battling for the right to be called the world number one, but after retiring in Washington, is the Romanian at full fitness for Toronto? The second seed has a tough opener against a big hitter in either Madison Keys or Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Kristina Mladenovic is the third round seeded opponent, but the Frenchwoman’s early season form has halted with a back problem. Therefore she could struggle to get past Barbora Strycova in the first round. Daria Gavriova will likely await the winner.
Svetlana Kuznetsova will stand as a dark horse for the title like she is in most tournaments, but the Russian has some tough players in her draw. Julia Goerges and Cici Bellis both showed good form last week and could be a tough second round for the eighth seed. Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko has landed in this section, and whilst a qualifier in round one should not be much trouble, Caroline Garcia in round two will be a stern test for the 12th seed.
I am backing the world number one to lift the Rogers Cup, but it is not a confident prediction. The draw is stacked and very well balanced, meaning there are many feasible winners of the tournament.
Novak Djokovic laid claim to a fourth ATP Masters 1000 title this year, and also a third career Rogers Cup title (his first since 2012) as he defeated Kei Nishikori in routine fashion 6-3 7-5, completing his utter dominance of the 2016 Rogers Cup in Toronto, where he didn’t drop a set, and only played one match that could be considered somewhat poor.
Despite losing early at Wimbledon in a shocking defeat, Djokovic sh0wed few weaknesses and no signs of stress back on hard courts as he slipped past big server Gilles Muller, and serve and volleyer Radek Stepanek in the first two rounds, despite their best efforts. In the business end of the tournament, Djokovic had to take out three credible top players, Tomas Berdych, Gael Monfils, and Nishikori. He didn’t drop a set against them, and only against Berdych did he display weaknesses in his game, weaknesses the Czech lacked the confidence to exploit, as he continues to struggle against the ATP’s elite in h2h matches. Nishikori gave it his best effort on Sunday afternoon, but his level simply could not match Djokovic, who heads to the 2016 Rio Olympics as the presumptive favorite for the Gold medal in a weakened field.
Nishikori reached his second Masters final this year, the other coming in Miami where he was also swept aside by Djokovic. The Japanese #1 defeated Dennis Novikov and Rajeev Ram early on, then needed three sets against Grigor Dimitrov, who had his chances, but was poor enough on serve he couldn’t pull the match out. Nishikori faced an improved Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals, but Wawrinka continued his somewhat disappointing season as he lost in straight sets, and was breadsticked in the second set after a competitive battle in the first set.
Credit also goes to semifinalist Gael Monfils who has now won nine of his last ten matches. The Frenchman won Washington, and followed that up with wins over David Goffin and Canadian #1 Milos Raonic most notably to reach the semifinals, although he was unable to knock off Djokovic this time.
Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo beat Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares for the doubles final, as it was a battle of the #3 seed team vs. the #2 seed team.
2016 ATP Rogers Cup Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The summer hard court season will kick into high gear with the 2016 Rogers Cup ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto, as many ATP players make their final preparations for the Olympic games in Rio that are coming up in August. Here is a preview and predictions.
Rogers Cup
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
July 25-July 31, 2016
Toronto, Canada
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $4,089,740
Top 8 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Novak Djokovic (1)
2: Stan Wawrinka (5)
3: Kei Nishikori (6)
4: Milos Raonic (7)
5: Tomas Berdych (8)
6: Dominic Thiem (9)
7: David Goffin (11)
8: Marin Cilic (12)
Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Ferrer, and a host of other top 30 players are skipping Toronto this year, making this one of the weaker Masters 1000 fields, while also creating more opportunities for those in the top 50 who are playing.
A first time meeting between this fan favorite pairing. Paire should prevail, but Stepanek is a difficult opponent to defeat when he rushes the net well, and Paire is dependent on his backhand clicking to win matches.
Ivo Karlovic vs. Taylor Fritz
Fritz looked a bit overwhelmed and overmatched in D.C., it won’t get any easier against the big serving Karlovic in Toronto. Ivo is the heavy favorite, but it will be interesting to see if the young Fritz can fight hard and show some bounce back in this match.
(11)Nick Kyrgios vs. (WC)Denis Shapovalov
Kyrgios is far and above better than the young Wimbledon junior champ Shapovalov in this one, but the Canadian will have home support, and both guys play aggressive battlers tennis. If Kyrgios loses the plot, Shapovalov has the strokes, especially with his one handed backhand, to notch an upset, however Kyrgios serve should dominate play. Expect to see more of Denis in the years to come.
Both players are veterans in poor form who badly need a win, and with Anderson’s penchant for playing (and as of recently losing..) tiebreaks, expect a close battle that is likely to go to three sets. Anderson gets a lot of points this time of year, but if his poor play continues he’s going to drop out of the top 50 sooner than you’d expect. The h2h is tied 1-1.
Donald Young vs. Alex Dolgopolov
Young found some decent form as of late and he hasn’t lost his opening match at a tournament since Roland Garros. Dolgopolov is a tricky shotmaker who could dominate Young in this one, or show signs of weakness and give the American an opening. At a very minimum these two will battle and hit some great shots from the baseline.
Novak Djokovic hasn’t won the Rogers Cup since 2012, but with all of the recent champions absent this year he’s the favorite to improve on his 46-4 record on the season and take home the title. He should ease past Newport finalist Gilles Muller (who opens with a struggling Dmitry Tursunov), then defeat most likely Washington quarterfinalist Benoit Paire in round 3. Paire opens with Stepanek with either Peter Polansky or Tim Smyczek to follow. He’s unpredictable, but he’s likely to win a pair of matches, then bow out meekly to Djokovic.
John Isner and Tomas Berdych look set to meet in the third round for the right to face Djokovic in the quarters, Isner fell in the quarterfinals of Washington, but his form should still be good enough to dispatch Dudi Sela and either Andrey Kuznetsov or in-form qualifier Ryan Harrison to reach round 3. Wimbledon semifinalist Berdych will face either Borna Coric or Ivan Dodig in his second round match, Coric is a solid young player, but didn’t play well enough in D.C. to suggest he will upset Berdych. Berdych over Isner is my pick, given Berdych’s power game should edge Isner matchup wise, although it will be close and could go either way.
Milos Raonic is set for a tricky second round match against Washington semifinalist Alexander Zverev, who is rising quickly up the ranks on all surfaces. Zverev needs only to defeat Rendy Lu in round 1. The home hero Canadian should be bailed out by crowd support and his big serve to prevail however, and likewise Steve Johnson is a difficult opponent in the third round, but Raonic is the favorite to prevail. Johnson knocked off John Isner in Washington and reached the semifinals, showing he can deal with big servers. He’s in great form and should defeat Umag champion Fabio Fognini, and either Jared Donaldson or John Millman to reach round 3. A spot in the quarterfinals would earn Raonic his 20th hard court win of the season.
The fates of Gael Monfils and Sam Querrey are somewhat up in the air, while David Goffin is the player that gets a bye. Goffin has a pair of semifinals in the hard court Masters this year and would face the Wimbledon and Washington quarterfinalist Querrey in round 2, presuming Sam dispatches Frank Dancevic. Querrey is playing some of the best tennis he’s ever played, and his power could be too much for Goffin. They met in Montreal last year and Goffin advanced in a close straight setter. Goffin is my pick though, as he’s proven his mettle in Masters tournaments this season, and likely has the clutch factor.
The Washington champion Monfils should defeat Joao Sousa and then Jeremy Chardy or Vasek Pospisil, both of whom are struggling in recent months. Fatigue could play a factor for Monfils, but he’s playing so well right now I have to pick him over Goffin for the quarterfinals. His movement and serve were exceptional in Washington, while Goffin hasn’t played a match in weeks.
Nishikori’s quarter:
Kei Nishikori and young Frenchman Lucas Pouille look set to do battle in round 3 as Kei would be bidding for 40 match wins on the season. Federico Delbonis or Dennis Novikov should provide little resistance for the efficient Nishikori while the Wimbledon quarterfinalist Pouille faces qualifier Emilio Gomez with Ernests Gulbis or serve and volleyer Rajeev Ram to follow. This smooth path for Pouille will abruptly end against Nishikori, and although the Frenchman is a great young player, on hard court Nishikori should have the shots he needs to advance.
The Kyrgios/Shapovalov winner will face either Yuichi Sugita or a continually struggling Grigor Dimitrov in round 2, for the right to face most likely Marin Cilic in round 3, although Washington finalist Ivo Karlovic, or Fritz are also possible opponents. Karlovic has been dominant on serve in recent weeks, but fatigue will likely catch up to him at his age, while Cilic was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and has a great opportunity in this Masters tournament with some of the big names absent. Cilic’s power should get him past Karlovic, and Kyrgios, who is good enough to defeat Dimitrov, but likely below Cilic’s level, despite Kyrgios win in Marseille this year indoors.
Wawrinka’s quarter:
Stan Wawrinka looks set to face Jack Sock in the third round, presuming Sock defeats struggling fellow American Denis Kudla and the Young/Dolgopolov winner, a tricky but favorable prospect. Wawrinka is 14-3 on the season on hard court, and either Mikhail Youzhny or Stephane Robert are unlikely to provide much resistance in round 2, although a match with Youzhny would treat fans to a battle of great one handed backhanders. Sock was a quarterfinalist in Washington, and I wouldn’t put an upset of Wawrinka past him, but Stan is the favorite in his section with Dolgopolov serving as a bit of a dark horse. Sock’s great forehand will clash with Wawrinka’s great backhand.
Dominic Thiem crashed out of Kitzbuhel, a home tournament for him, in singles, and he has a tough round 2 match on tap with Troicki/Anderson with the winner set to face Bernard Tomic, presuming a streaky Bernie beats qualifier Alejandro Gonzalez, and either Kyle Edmund or wild card Steve Diez. Thiem is 14-5 on hard courts on the season, and he’s played a brutal schedule that may have left him a bit winded recently. With neither Troicki nor Anderson playing well, Thiem over Troicki is my pick, and then Thiem over Tomic, although Bernie could really use a confidence boosting upset on hard court such as that. Thiem beat Tomic earlier this season in Acapulco.
Querrey will need to upset Goffin, and Monfils to reach the quarters, but if he does, even Milos Raonic should be on alert. The American is playing freely right now, and that serious but relaxed attitude is doing his game wonders. Karlovic is unbreakable on serve right now, fatigue likely catches up with him but he could defeat anyone in the draw right now if he can win tiebreaks, and he could reach the quarters.
Predictions
Quarters: Djokovic d. Berdych
Raonic d. Monfils
Cilic d. Nishikori
Thiem d. Wawrinka
Djokovic, despite his shock loss at Wimbledon, is far and above better than Berdych, Raonic vs. Monfils is a tough match to predict, but given the fatigue factor, Raonic likely edges Monfils in a close one. Nishikori could have a better tournament than the quarterfinals, but Cilic should be hungry, and his power likely gives him the edge. Thiem vs. Wawrinka is a battle of one-handers, Wawrinka hasn’t been super impressive this year, and Thiem will look to continue to make his move into the ATP’s elite with some of the other big names absent this tournament.
Semis: Djokovic d. Raonic
Thiem d. Cilic
It’s a bold and gutsy move to go with Thiem in the final, but the Rogers Cup looks likely to produce a few surprises. Djokovic should break Canadian hearts and defeat Raonic with his superior return game given their result this year in the IW final.
Final: Djokovic d. Thiem
In ATP Masters 1000’s right now I can’t go against Djokovic, he’s simply the best player in the game right now, and in best of 3 there is little margin of error for his opponents to defeat him unless he has a bad day, and that’s rare for him.
2015 WTA Rogers Cup Toronto Preview and Predictions Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
US Open preparations are now in full swing with the Rogers Cup next on the WTA calendar. The event is held in Toronto this year after being held in Montreal last season. The Premier event rotates between the two major Canadian cities, with the ATP event being held on the same week in the alternating city.
A whole host of all-time greats have won the Rogers cup. Chris Evert and Monica Seles lead the way with four titles each, followed by Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams with three. Agnieszka Radwanska in the defending champion.
The Rogers Cup
Tier: Premier
Location: Toronto, Canada
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $2,377,305
Date: August 10th- 16th 2015
Top eight seeds who receive a first round bye (ranking)
1. Serena Williams (1)
2. Simona Halep (3)
3. Petra Kvitova (4)
4. Caroline Wozniacki (5)
5. Ana Ivanovic (6)
6. Agnieszka Radwanska (7)
7. Lucie Safarova (8)
8. Garbine Muguruza (9)
All the top players are here except Maria Sharapova, who withdrew due to a right leg injury.
First round matches to watch:
(14) Venus Williams vs Sabine Lisicki:
A big serving battle between Sabine Lisicki and 14th seed Venus Williams would have undoubtedly caught the eye of tennis fans across the world, and for good reason. This one has potential to be a barn burner if both are playing well, and could be an awesome display of power tennis.
Venus’ stint in Istanbul lasted all of one match as she would be upset by Kateryna Bondarenko in the opening round. Having not played on the American hard courts since the swing started, the world number 15’s form is unknown. The 35 year old has never won this event, but did make the final in Montreal last year.
Lisicki’s US hard court season started out with a disappointing loss to 44 year old Kimiko Date Krumm in Stanford. You never know what you will get from Lisicki, but her record in North America has been good this year with some good runs in Indian Wells and Miami.
The German leads the head to head 2-1 with the last meeting being in Beijing 2013. This match is a definition of a toss-up with the form of either player unknown, but it could turn out to be one of the best matches of the year if they both play to their capabilities.
Belinda Bencic (Photo: Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots)
Eugenie Bouchard vs Belinda Bencic:
Eugenie Bouchard will look to get out of her slump when she faces talented teenager Belinda Bencic the opening round of her home tournament.
Bouchard will undoubtedly have the support of the Toronto crowd, but her form has been nothing short of shocking this year. After lighting the tennis world up with her deep grand slam runs in 2014, the Canadian has slumped in 2015 winning only one of her last ten matches.
Bencic on the other hand continues her rise up the world rankings, and will look to prepare her US Open semi-final defence with a good run in Toronto. The Swiss won her first title in Eastbourne, and followed it up with a fourth round run at Wimbledon. She recently feel early in Washington however.
Bencic leads the head to head 1-0 with hr victory over Bouchard in Eastbourne. The 18 year old is the favourite going by form, but the home crowd could boost Bouchard back in to form. Can the Canadian find herself again, or will the slump continue?
Victoria Azarenka vs Elina Svitolina:
Two of the best unseeded players in the draw have had the misfortune of facing each other in the opening round, as former world number one Victoria Azarenka plays rising youngster Elina Svitolina.
Azarenka saw her 2014 season plagued with injury, and now with that behind her the former world number one is looking to regain her position amongst the elite. The Belarusian was scheduled to play Washington, but pulled out prior to the tournament. Therefore she has not played since losing a tight quarter final to Serena at Wimbledon. Hard courts suit Vika more than any other surface, but she has never won this event.
Svitolina will be riding fairly high after a semi-final run in Stanford. She was routine by Angelique Kerber in the final four, but it was still a good form booster for the 20 year old. The Ukrainian has aspirations of winning all four grand slams (her words), and a good start towards achieving that would be to beat a two time Australian Open champion.
Azarenka was taken to three sets in their only prior meeting in Doha earlier this year. The world number 19 ran out a 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 winner that day, though she will hope this match will be more routine. Svitolina will look to avenge that loss as she continues her ranking ascension. It should be a great battle especially in the backhand rallies which is both players’ biggest weapon. Which one will hold up best?
Draw Analysis:
World number one Serena Williams is returning to action since playing only the single match in Bastad a week after Wimbledon. The top seed is preparing for an historic US Open where she could potentially achieve the calendar year grand slam and win her 22nd Grand Slam title. Williams will receive a first round BYE courtesy of her seeding and will play either Flavia Pennetta or Gabriela Dabrowski in the second round. The other seed in this mini section is Andrea Petkovic who is coming in off a loss to compatriot Mona Barthel in Stanford. The German will look to get the ‘Petko dance’ going against home favourite Francois Abanda in round one and a qualifier in round two before her likely showdown with Serena in the third round.
Seventh seeded Lucie Safarova failed to really build on her run to the French Open final during grass season, but now back on hard courts the Czech can start to re-find that Roland Garros form. Like Serena, Safarova receives an opening round BYE due to her seeding and will begin her campaign in round two against Sam Stosur or Daria Gavrilova. The Aussie showed good form in her title win in Bad Gastein, though a loss to Sloane Stephens in Washington might have dented that confidence. Karolina Pliskova- who is fresh off an excellent week in Stanford is the other seed in this section of the draw. She faces a qualifier in round one with Roberta Vinci or Karin Knapp awaiting the Czech in the second round. It is possible we could see an all Czech encounter in round three with the winner possibly facing Serena in the quarter finals.
Former champion Caroline Wozniacki is one of the bigger beneficiaries of Sharapova’s withdrawal having been granted a fourth seed as a result. Bouchard or Bencic will await the Dane after a first round BYE in one of the more anticipated second round potentials. Venus could be the third round opponent. The American has a tough draw however with Lisicki in round one and the winner of Varvara Lepchenko vs Barbora Strycova in round two.
Ana Ivanovic will be trying her hand at a new coach this week. The first test of their relationship will be against either a qualifier or Irina Begu, who has had a solid year so far. Ekaterina Makarova is the projected third round opponent, though Alison Van Uytvank could pose an interesting challenge in round two. Makarova vs Ivanovic will most certainly be a tight one.
2012 champion Petra Kvitova had a disappointing defence of her Wimbledon crown, but the third seed is back to get her season on track. She could potentially have a blockbuster round two against Azarenka if the Belarusian can survive the tough test of Svitolina in the first round. A potential for a top seed to drop out very early there. Sara Errani will look to take advantage though Kristina Mladenovic could easily spring a surprise in round one. The winner of that should make the third round, but it hard to see them going any further.
All eyes will be on eighth seed Garbine Muguruza who is playing her first tournament since making the Wimbledon final. How will she cope with the added pressure on her shoulders? First indications will be seen in the second round against a qualifier, but the first major test will come in the third round where she is projected to face Timea Bascinszky who is having a great year. Muguruza has won their two meetings this year.
Simona Halep originally planned to skip this event, but due to her bad form in recent months the world number three has taken a wildcard and will be the second seed. She will have a first round BYE, but could have a troubling second round against the winner of Caroline Garcia vs Jelena Jankovic. Angelique Kerber will be the favourite the make it out of this section, but the German could be tired after a long final in Stanford. She should make round three with both her opening two rounds being qualifiers, but fatigue and the bad form of Halep could open the door for Garcia or Jankovic to make a surprise run.
That could also open the door for sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska to make the semi finals. The Pole has got her season back on track after an impressive grass season which has seen her re-enter the top 10. Zarina Diyas or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will await in round two, both of which could be troubling in different ways. Carla Suarez Navarro is the projected third round opponent but the winner of Sloane Stephens vs Dominika Cibulkova could easily upset the Spaniard.
Sorana Cirstea Tears Through Toronto to Reach 1st Final in 5 Years #RogersCupTo
She’s been on the radar to some degree for a while now. This year alone, she made the semis at Pattaya and Stanford, the quarterfinals at Birmingham, and the Round of 16 at Charleston and Miami. Now everyone knows her name, but they still can’t pronounce it.
Today, Cirstea (Keer-stay-uh) advanced to her first final in five years in a solid 6-1, 7-6(5) beating of Na Li at Rogers Cup in Toronto. Tomorrow, she’ll face either Agnieszka Radwanska or Serena Williams in her first ever Premier 5 Final.
Cirstea was ranked #26 to begin the week, and will move into the top 20 as a result of trashing the Toronto field. She has torn through Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic, Petra Kvitova and Na Li, and that’s just since Monday. If anyone can stop the unstoppable Serena Williams, she has the best chance. Serena does have a 2-0 H2H against Cirstea, with Serena dominating both contests at 2012 Stanford and this year at Roland Garros. That record is a heck of a lot better than Radwanska’s 0-5 H2H against Serena.
Oh, yeah. She is a super-nice person to interview, she jumps out of planes for fun, and you think you can’t spell or pronounce her name? Well, last week she told me that Starbucks is the worst and that she’s just going to tell them her name is Mike or Bob the next time she goes for a latte in the little interview below.
You can call yourself whatever you like if you keep winning like this.
Canadian Conquest @CoupeRogers @RogersCupTo; Wednesday’s Schedule
This Land is Our Land
Canada Day is supposed to be celebrated on July 1st. But for Tennis Canada, August 6th seems like a more appropriate date. Yesterday, there were celebrations in both languages and great moments of national unity due to massive successes on the hard courts of Montreal and Toronto. Most Canadian players were celebrating long three set comeback wins, so it will be interesting to see if fatigue is a factor today as they continue their marches to the titles.
In Montreal, junior sensation Filip Peliwo was already on his way to winning a first round ATP match with Jarko Niemenen retired at 3-6, 7-5, 3-1. It marks Peliwo’s first win as a pro. He’ll play Denis Istomin at noon today.
Filip Peliwo
Vasek Pospisil provided his Canadian fans with a shocker of his own, a 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) victory over a red-hot John Isner. For his troubles, Vashy will face Radek Stepanek later today.
Also, Frank Dancevic delighted the faithful at Parc Jarry with a three set win against qualifier Yendy Lu, 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-1. He’ll try to duplicate that success against Jerzy Janowicz today.
Not wanting to be left out of the Tennis Canada party, standard-bearer Milos Raonic edged Jeremy Chardy, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. Mikhail Youzhny is on his docket today.
And don’t forget Jesse Levine, who advanced on Monday. He’s got the tallest order of all today, as he tries to upstage the upsetters. He’s got Rafa Nadal today.
On the women’s side in Toronto at the Centre of the Universe, Canadian phenom and national darling Eugenie Bouchard was all poise in her conquest of Alisa Kleybanova, 6-3, 6-1. That poise will be tested tonight as Bouchard does battle with Petra Kvitova.
About the only bad news Canadians got yesterday was that two Canadians had to play each other. Sharon Fichman and Stephanie Dubois are no strangers to the others games, so it was no surprise that a grueling three setter ensued. In the end, the recent successes of Fichman continued as she won 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Fichman plays Jelena Jankovic for a trip to the third round.
—Steve Fogleman
TORONTO RESULTS, TUESDAY AUGUST 6, 2013 / RÉSULTATS DE TORONTO DU MARDI 6 AOÛT 2013
Singles – Second Round / simple – 2e tour
[3] A Radwanska (POL) d Y Wickmayer (BEL) 62 63
D Cibulkova (SVK) d [8] A Kerber (GER) 67(0) 62 75
First Round / 1er tour
[11] M Kirilenko (RUS) d [Q] P Martic (CRO) 62 61
[12] S Stosur (AUS) d [Q] J Glushko (ISR) 57 62 63
[13] K Flipkens (BEL) d V Williams (USA) 06 64 62
[15] J Jankovic (SRB) d [Q] A Tatishvili (GEO) 76(6) 46 63
[16] A Ivanovic (SRB) d S Hsieh (TPE) 61 62
F Schiavone (ITA) d [Q] C Scheepers (RSA) 26 63 63
M Rybarikova (SVK) d [Q] A Dulgheru (ROU) 64 63
[Q] L Davis (USA) d [LL] S Kuznetsova (RUS) 36 75 75
A Cornet (FRA) d E Vesnina (RUS) 63 63
E Makarova (RUS) d [Q] A Rodionova (AUS) 61 75
[WC] E Bouchard (CAN) d A Kleybanova (RUS) 63 61
C Suarez Navarro (ESP) d J Hampton (USA) 64 64
[WC] S Fichman (CAN) d [WC] S Dubois (CAN) 57 62 62
Doubles – Second Round / Double – 2e tour
[1] S Errani (ITA) / R Vinci (ITA) d K Marosi (HUN) / M Moulton-Levy (USA) 64 36 10-5
First Round / 1er tour[5] S Mirza (IND) / J Zheng (CHN) d N Grandin (RSA) / D Jurak (CRO) 46 76(5) 10-2
[6] L Huber (USA) / N Llagostera Vives (ESP) d [PR] S Kuznetsova (RUS) / F Pennetta (ITA) 76(2) 76(6)
J Goerges (GER) / B Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) d [7] K Mladenovic (FRA) / G Voskoboeva (KAZ) 75 64
H Chan (TPE) / E Hrdinova (CZE) d A Klepac (SLO) / V Lepchenko (USA) 62 63
[WC] D Hantuchova (SVK) / M Hingis (SUI) d [WC] A Kerber (GER) / P Kvitova (CZE) 64 62
I Begu (ROU) / O Govortsova (BLR) d S Soler-Espinosa (ESP) / K Zakopalova (CZE) 64 26 10-5
A Kudryavtseva (RUS) / A Rodionova (AUS) d J Husarova (SVK) / P Martic (CRO) 46 64 10-5
MONTREAL RESULTS, SUNDAY AUGUST 4, 2013 / RÉSULTATS DE MONTRÉAL DU DIMANCHE 4 AOÛT 2013
Singles – Second Round / simple – 2e tour
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d F Mayer (GER) 62 61
[7] R Gasquet (FRA) d M Klizan (SVK) 63 62
[9] K Nishikori (JPN) d A Seppi (ITA) 46 75 61
First Round / 1er tour
[10] T Haas (GER) d [Q] D Goffin (BEL) 76(4) 63
[11] M Raonic (CAN) d J Chardy (FRA) 63 46 75
R Stepanek (CZE) d [12] N Almagro (ESP) 63 67(4) 63
[13] F Fognini (ITA) d M Baghdatis (CYP) 16 61 61
N Davydenko (RUS) d [14] G Simon (FRA) 26 61 61
[15] J Janowicz (POL) d J Benneteau (FRA) 36 63 75
[WC] F Peliwo (CAN) d J Nieminen (FIN) 36 75 31 Retired
[WC] F Dancevic (CAN) d [Q] Y Lu (TPE) 57 76(6) 61
A Dolgopolov (UKR) d K Anderson (RSA) 76(0) 64
[WC] V Pospisil (CAN) d J Isner (USA) 57 76(5) 76(4)
[Q] A Bogomolov Jr. (RUS) d M Llodra (FRA) 62 46 63
M Youzhny (RUS) d J Melzer (AUT) 64 76(3)
M Granollers (ESP) d G Dimitrov (BUL) 64 64
Doubles – First Round / Double – 1er tour
A Seppi (ITA) / M Youzhny (RUS) d [Alt] J Chardy (FRA) / L Kubot (POL) 64 63
D Inglot (GBR) / J Janowicz (POL) d A Begemann (GER) / R Bopanna (IND) 76(4) 64
P Andujar (ESP) / R Nadal (ESP) d D Ferrer (ESP) / F Lopez (ESP) 67(2) 61 12-10
M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d B Paire (FRA) / S Wawrinka (SUI) 76(6) 62
TORONTO ORDER OF PLAY – WEDNESDAY AUGUST 7, 2013 / HORAIRE DES MATCHS DE TORONTO – MERCREDI 7 AOÛT 2013
CENTRE COURT start 11:00 am / débute à 11 h
A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) vs [4] N Li (CHN)
Not Before 1:00 PM
[Q] L Davis (USA) vs [7] [WC] M Bartoli (FRA)
Not Before 3:00 PM
K Zakopalova (CZE) vs [5] S Errani (ITA)
Not Before 7:00 PM
[1] S Williams (USA) vs F Schiavone (ITA)
[6] P Kvitova (CZE) vs [WC] E Bouchard (CAN)
GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
[11] M Kirilenko (RUS) vs A Cornet (FRA)
[15] J Jankovic (SRB) vs [WC] S Fichman (CAN)
[16] A Ivanovic (SRB) vs F Pennetta (ITA)
S Cirstea (ROU) vs [9] C Wozniacki (DEN)
C Suarez Navarro (ESP) vs [12] S Stosur (AUS)
COURT 1 start 11:00 am
M Barthel (GER) vs [14] S Stephens (USA)
E Makarova (RUS) vs [10] R Vinci (ITA)
[Q] K Bertens (NED) vs [13] K Flipkens (BEL)
[WC] G Dabrowski (CAN) / S Fichman (CAN) vs [8] A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) / L Safarova (CZE) – After Suitable Rest
COURT 2 start 11:00 am
[5] S Mirza (IND) / J Zheng (CHN) vs O Kalashnikova (GEO) / A Rosolska (POL)
Not Before 1:30 PM
V Lepchenko (USA) vs M Rybarikova (SVK)
Not Before 3:30 PM
J Jankovic (SRB) / K Srebotnik (SLO) vs D Cibulkova (SVK) / S Hsieh (TPE) – After Suitable Rest
COURT 3 start 11:00 am
[4] R Kops-Jones (USA) / A Spears (USA) vs H Chan (TPE) / E Hrdinova (CZE)
I Begu (ROU) / O Govortsova (BLR) vs [3] A Groenefeld (GER) / K Peschke (CZE)
Not Before 3:30 PM
A Kudryavtseva (RUS) / A Rodionova (AUS) vs [2] E Makarova (RUS) / E Vesnina (RUS) – After Suitable Rest
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MONTREAL ORDER OF PLAY – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013 / HORAIRE DES MATCHS DE MONTRÉAL – MERCREDI 7 AOÛT 2013
CENTRAL start 12:00 noon / débute à midi
M Granollers (ESP) vs [2] A Murray (GBR)
Not Before 14:00
[4] R Nadal (ESP) vs [WC] J Levine (CAN)
Not Before 18:00
M Youzhny (RUS) vs [11] M Raonic (CAN)
Not Before 20:00
[6] J Del Potro (ARG) vs I Dodig (CRO)
BN COURT start 12:00 noon
[WC] V Pospisil (CAN) vs R Stepanek (CZE)
[5] T Berdych (CZE) vs A Dolgopolov (UKR)
[WC] F Dancevic (CAN) vs [15] J Janowicz (POL)
Not Before 19:00
[Q] A Bogomolov Jr. (RUS) vs [3] D Ferrer (ESP)
COURT 9 start 12:00 noon
[13] F Fognini (ITA) vs E Gulbis (LAT)
[WC] F Peliwo (CAN) vs D Istomin (UZB)
J Benneteau (FRA) / N Zimonjic (SRB) vs C Fleming (GBR) / A Murray (GBR)
N Davydenko (RUS) vs P Andujar (ESP)
COURT 5 start 13:00
B Paire (FRA) vs [8] S Wawrinka (SUI)
[10] T Haas (GER) vs [Q] M Matosevic (AUS)
T Berdych (CZE) / M Llodra (FRA) vs M Klizan (SVK) / J Tipsarevic (SRB)
G Dimitrov (BUL) / P Kohlschreiber (GER) vs [WC] F Dancevic (CAN) / A Shamasdin (CAN)
Novak Djokovic defended his Rogers Cup title in Toronto and was top dog all week as he finished the tournament off dispatching surprise finalist Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-2 in a routine match. Previously in the week, he handled Bernard Tomic, Sam Querrey, and Tommy Haas in three sets and countryman Janko Tipsarevic in a slugfest semi-final that was interrupted by rain. In fact, the Toronto tournament had to deal with weather interruptions all week. Tipsarevic repeated his Rogers Cup semifinal performance.
For Gasquet, he jumps into the top 15 by reaching his third masters final and his first in six years, but he has never won a Masters event. In order to reach the final, he beat Mikhail Kukushkin, 4 seed Tomas Berdych, 2011 Rogers Cup finalist Mardy Fish and a likely fatigued John Isner, who had had to play two matches in one day the day before (beating Phillip Kohlschreiber in three and Milos Raonic in straights).
Gasquet’s on a Tear heading into Flushing Meadows
In doubles, the Bryan Brothers earned another big title, beating Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez.
In other North American tennis news, Steve Johnson won the Aptos, California challenger title on the USTA pro circuit.
The first hard court masters event of the summer, the Rogers Cup in Toronto will begin in earnest today right out of the Olympics. Notable withdrawals include Rafael Nadal, still dealing with knee issues, and Olympic silver medalist Roger Federer. Olympic gold medalist Murray and bronze medalist Del Potro, along with Djokovic, plan to compete. The top sixteen seeds receive first round byes.
ATP Toronto
Rogers Cup
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Toronto, Canada
August 6- August 12, 2012
Prize Money: $2,648,700
Top 8 seeds (who all receive first round byes)
1: Novak Djokovic
2: Andy Murray
3: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
4: Tomas Berdych
5: Janko Tipsarevic
6: Juan Martin Del Potro
7: Juan Monaco
8: John Isner
First round matchups to watch:
Tommy Haas vs. David Nalbandian
In a battle of skilled veterans, the red-hot Haas, a Washington finalist, will take on Nalby. Haas will be a favorite as he has played more on hardcourts now.
Kevin Anderson vs. Mihail Youzhny
Both these guys have had an up and down year and are certainly talented. They also play contrasting styles, and while Anderson is usually slightly better on hardcourts, Youzhny has played better recently but suffered a first round loss at the Olympics. These guys are just a couple of places apart from each other in the rankings.
Kevin Anderson
Alex Bogomolov vs. Viktor Troicki
Bogomolov has had a horrendous 2012, but he did manage to snatch a first round win at the Olympics this week over Carlos Berlocq. On the other side of things, Troicki lost in the first round of the Olympics to Nicolas Almagro, but has had a pretty decent year, doing well in both Wimbledon (R16) and the French Open (R32).
Top Half:
Novak Djokovic, the unlucky loser of the Olympic bronze medal match, will try to regroup first against either a continually slumping Bernard Tomic, who will be happy to be back on hardcourts or a qualifier. After that, he could face dangerous 13-seed Kei Nishikori, who upset David Ferrer and made the Olympic quarterfinals or CitiOpen semifinalist and LA champion Sam Querrey. If he gets through that, he likely faces a rematch with the man who beat him for the Olympic bronze, Juan Martin Del Potro, in the quarterfinals.
Del Potro will face either Radek Stepanek or DC champion Alexandr Dolgopolov, and then could get the man Dolgopolov beat in the DC final, the scorching Tommy Haas. If that match comes to fruition, it will be brilliant given the high level of play both guys have been at recently. 9-seed Gilles Simon, who has struggled recently, is also in this part of the draw and will play the winner of Haas/Nalbandian.
Tsonga is huge crowd fave in Canada
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who did well to make the quarters in Olympic singles, will face the winner of Jeremy Chardy vs. Donald Young in his opener. After that, he could get either Florian Mayer or Marcel Granollers, a couple of players more comfortable on clay. The quarters could find him facing Janko Tipsarevic. This is not a bad draw for Jo Willie.
Tipsarevic will face the winner of Youzhny/Anderson and then could face 10-seed Marin Cilic or Marcos Baghdatis in the third round.
Bottom Half:
Olympic Gold Medalist and two- time Rogers Cup champion Andy Murray will come off the biggest win of his career and face a qualifier in the second round. He could get home favorite Milos Raonic and another big serving big man, John Isner in the quarters. These are tricky matchups, but given his form, he should be able to do well adjusting to the hard courts.
Isner will face the winner of Pablo Andujar/Lukas Lacko and then likely faces a somewhat tricky Phillip Kohlschreiber in the third round, with the winner making the quarters.
Tomas Berdych, struggling as of late, starts off against Julien Benneteau or a qualifier and then could face another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, in the third round. In the quarters, the winner could get Juan Monaco, Mardy Fish or maybe even Andreas Seppi of Italy.
Pico Monaco starts off against the winner of Seppi vs. Canadian favorite and Olympian Vasek Pospisil. He’d then likely face Mardy Fish, (still dealing with ankle issues, it seems) in the third round.
Dark Horse/Cheval Sombre: Juan Monaco
Pico is your Dark Horse/Cheval Sombre
Monaco has been hot as of late, even though he suffered a second round loss to Feliciano Lopez in the Olympics. He’s a new top 10’er and was a winner of three clay court events this year and a finalist in another. He also made the semis of the hard court event in Indian Wells this year, beating his most likely ‘trip up’ in his part of the draw, Mardy Fish. His quarterfinals match up would likely be either the inconsistent Richard Gasquet or the struggling Tomas Berdych, neither of which is an impossible match up, giving him a good shot at the semis.
Predictions:
Semis:
Djokovic d. Tsonga
Murray d. Monaco
Final:
Murray d. Djokovic
Andy will try to keep the momentum going in Canada.
Tennis Atlantic 