2015 ATP Rosmalen

Serve and Volleyer Mahut Claims Second ATP Topshelf Open Title
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Nicolas Mahut added to his memorable results on grass with a routine 7-6 6-1 win over David Goffin in the ATP Den Bosch final. Mahut became the lowest ranked winner of an ATP title this season, as he captured his second Topshelf Open trophy as a qualifier.

Mahut dropped just two sets this week, one in qualifying against Kenny De Schepper, and the other in the semifinals against Dutchman Robin Haase, his toughest match of the tournament. Prior to wins over Goffin and Haase, Mahut rolled past Lleyton Hewitt, Roberto Bautista Agut, the defending champion, and Adrian Mannarino with relative ease, as his throwback serve and volley game proved to be an insurmountable hazard for his rivals.

The 33 year old had an excellent week, and he now has three career ATP titles on grass, making him a dangerous dark horse in the Wimbledon draw. The 24 year old Goffin as also strong, posting his best ever result on grass as the undersized ball striker defeated Jurgen Melzer, Illya Marchenko, and Gilles Muller, a serve and volleyer, this week, dropping just a set against Marchenko.

Ivo Karlovic and Lukasz Kubot, a pair of big serving serve and volleyers defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Mahut for the doubles title, as Mahut was prevented from taking home two championship trophies in the same week. Mahut tends to only rise up on grass but he’s a joy to watch when clicking.

Steen Kirby (Marseille)

2015 ATP Draw Challenge Week 21 (Stuttgart and Den Bosch)
Staff, Tennis Atlantic

The grass court season starts now on the ATP tour with a pair of 250 tournaments, and it’s perhaps the hardest part of the season to predict, but our analysts will try their hand below as they make their predictions for the tournaments in Germany and The Netherlands.

Stuttgart

2015 Mercedes Cup Predictions

Steen Kirby’s picks

Round 2 matches: Nadal vs. Rosol, Haas vs. Tomic, Monfils vs. Haider-Maurer, Brown vs. Kohlschreiber, Troicki vs. Pavic, Groth vs. Lopez, M. Zverev vs. Becker, Gojowczyk vs. Cilic
Quarterfinals: Nadal vs. Tomic, Monfils vs. Kohlschreiber, Troicki vs. Lopez, Becker vs. Cilic
Semifinals: Tomic vs. Monfils, Lopez vs. Cilic
Final: Monfils vs. Cilic
Champion: Cilic

Niall Clarke’s picks

Round 2 matches: Nadal vs. Rosol, Kukushkin vs. Tomic, Monfils vs. Haider-Maurer, Janowicz vs. Kohlschreiber, Troicki vs. Pavic, Stakhovsky vs. Lopez, Thiem vs. Seppi, Bachinger vs. Cilic
Quarterfinals: Nadal vs. Tomic, Monfils vs. Kohlschreiber, Troicki vs. Lopez, Seppi vs. Cilic
Semifinals: Tomic vs. Kohlschreiber, Lopez vs. Cilic
Final: Kohlschreiber vs. Cilic
Champion: Cilic

Joe Craven’s picks

Round 2 matches: Nadal vs. Baghdatis, Kukushkin vs. Tomic, Monfils vs. Haider-Maurer, Janowicz vs. Dolgopolov, Coric vs. Pavic, Groth vs. Lopez, Thiem vs. Becker, Bachinger vs. Cilic
Quarterfinals: Nadal vs. Tomic, Monfils vs. Janowicz, Pavic vs. Lopez, Thiem vs. Cilic
Semifinals: Nadal vs. Janowicz, Lopez vs. Cilic
Final: Janowicz vs. Lopez
Champion: Lopez

Chris de Waard’s picks

Round 2 matches: Nadal vs. Rosol, Haas vs. Tomic, Monfils vs. Haider-Maurer, Janowicz vs. Kohlschreiber, Troicki vs. Pavic, Stakhovsky vs. Lopez, Thiem vs. Becker, Bachinger vs. Cilic
Quarterfinals: Rosol vs. Tomic, Monfils vs. Kohlschreiber, Troicki vs. Lopez, Becker vs. Cilic
Semifinals: Tomic vs. Monfils, Lopez vs. Becker
Final: Tomic vs. Lopez
Champion: Tomic

Stuttgart could go a variety of ways, Marin Cilic is the pick of half of our analysts, but Feliciano Lopez and Bernard Tomic get nods as well. Kohlschreiber-Monfils should be a decisive match, and nobody is decided on how far Nadal will go.

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Den Bosch

2015 Topshelf Open Predictions

Steen Kirby’s picks

Round 2 matches: Karlovic vs. Ito, Haase vs. Verdasco, Bautista Agut vs. Mahut, Paire vs. Mannarino, Pospisil vs. Muller, Nieminen vs. Garcia-Lopez, Sousa vs. Youzhny, De Schepper vs. Goffin
Quarterfinals: Karlovic vs. Verdasco, Bautista Agut vs. Mannarino, Muller vs. Garcia-Lopez, Sousa vs. Goffin
Semifinals: Verdasco vs. Bautista Agut, Muller vs. Goffin
Final: Bautista Agut vs. Muller
Champion: Muller

Niall Clarke’s picks

Round 2 matches: Karlovic vs. Berankis, Kavcic vs. Verdasco, Bautista Agut vs. Hewitt, Paire vs. Mannarino, Pospisil vs. Muller, Copil vs. Garcia-Lopez, Istomin vs. Marchenko, Melzer vs. Goffin
Quarterfinals: Karlovic vs. Verdasco, Bautista Agut vs. Paire, Muller vs. Copil, Marchenko vs. Goffin
Semifinals: Verdasco vs. Paire, Muller vs. Goffin
Final: Verdasco vs. Goffin
Champion: Goffin

Joe Craven’s picks

Round 2 matches: Karlovic vs. Berankis, Haase vs. Verdasco, Bautista Agut vs. Hewitt, Paire vs. Mannarino, Pospisil vs. Muller, Copil vs. Garcia-Lopez, Sousa vs. Youzhny, Melzer vs. Goffin
Quarterfinals: Karlovic vs. Verdasco, Hewitt vs. Mannarino, Muller vs. Garcia-Lopez, Sousa vs. Goffin
Semifinals: Verdasco vs. Mannarino, Muller vs. Goffin
Final: Verdasco vs. Muller
Champion: Verdasco

Jeff McMillan’s picks

Round 2 matches: Karlovic vs. Ito, Haase vs. Verdasco, Bautista Agut vs Mahut, Paire vs. Lu, Pospisil vs. Muller, Nieminen vs. Garcia-Lopez, Istomin vs. Youzhny, Melzer vs. Goffin
Quarterfinals: Karlovic vs. Verdasco, Bautista Agut vs. Paire, Muller vs. Garcia-Lopez, Istomin vs. Goffin
Semifinals: Karlovic vs. Bautista Agut, Garcia-Lopez vs. Goffin
Final: Karlovic vs. Garcia-Lopez
Champion: Garcia-Lopez

Chris de Waard’s picks

Round 2 matches: Karlovic vs. Berankis, Kavcic vs. Verdasco, Bautista Agut vs. Hewitt, Paire vs. Lu, Matosevic vs. Muller, Nieminen vs. Garcia-Lopez, Istomin vs. Youzhny, Melzer vs. Goffin
Quarterfinals: Karlovic vs. Verdasco, Bautista Agut vs. Lu, Muller vs. Garcia-Lopez, Istomin vs. Goffin
Semifinals: Karlovic vs. Bautista Agut, Garcia-Lopez vs. Goffin
Final: Bautista Agut vs. Garcia-Lopez
Champion: Garcia-Lopez

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez was picked by two of our writers, but like in Stuttgart, there is no cler fear favorite in Den Bosch, with opinions mixed on Gilles Muller, Roberto Bautista Agut and Fernando Verdasco among others.

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Week 19/20 Standings

French Open
1: Niall (534 points) (+2000 overall)
2: Steen (500 points) (+1200 overall)
3: Joe (472 points) (+720 overall)
4: Jeff (442 points) (+720 overall)
5: Chris (346 points) (+360 overall)

Niall and Steen, the top two contestants in the draw challenge finished 1 and 2 at the French as Niall claims the crown backed by his favorite player Wawrinka taking the title. They have now captured the first two slams of the season, as Steen won the AO, and Niall won Paris. Jeff whose draw can be found here, our apologies for not posting it on the picks page, took fourth as Chris slumped into last, continuing to struggle.

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Overall standings (after week 20)

1: Steen: 10,260 ranking points (+1200 points overall)
2: Niall: 9270 points (+2000 points overall)
3: Joe 7520 points (+720 points overall)
4: Jeff: 6710 points (+720 points overall)
5: Chris: 6600 points (+360 points overall)

The standings are the same as the French Open standings were except as the top, as Steen kept his lead, but Niall cut into it a bit, gaining 800 points overall on the leader. Chris slumped into last, while everything else held pretty constant.

ATP Draw Challenge (London Queens)