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Djokovic and Monfils set blockbuster Eastbourne International final

Posted by Admin on June 30, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Eastbourne, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Djokovic and Monfils set blockbuster Eastbourne International final
Elliot Cornish for Tennis Atlantic

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Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils will contest an all-wildcard Eastbourne International final after defeating Daniil Medvedev and Richard Gasquet in Friday’s semi-finals.

The Serb ultimately ran out a comfortable winner against his Russian opponent 6-4 6-4, but Monfils was made to tough it out for his victory, eventually triumphing in a third set tiebreak.

But there was disappointment for home hopeful Johanna Konta who was forced to withdraw prior to her match with Karolina Pliskova due to a thoracic spine injury, plunging her Wimbledon prospects into serious doubt. To compound British woes, Heather Watson suffered an agonising three-set loss to 2009 Eastbourne champion Caroline Wozniacki in the other women’s semi-final, falling 7-5 in the third.

Medvedev misses opportunities against Djokovic

While Medvedev should take heart from competing hard versus Djokovic, he’ll go away contemplating a collection of opportunities – particularly in the opening set – that could have made it a much harder afternoon’s work for the former world number one.

After clumsily succumbing from 40-0 up on serve in the first game of the match, the Russian bounced back with a break in the fourth game, and arguably looked in control at various points, especially in the eighth game when he manufactured three break points to move 5-3 clear – however his inability to grasp one would prove costly.

Djokovic snuck out of the game, proceeded to break a frustrated Medvedev to 15 minutes later, before wrapping up the set with no drama. The top seed continued to dominate early in the second, breaking the Medvedev serve once more as he reeled off five games in succession across the two sets.

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Medvedev, ranked 52 in the world, stayed competitive for the rest of the second set and forced Djokovic to serve it out, saving a match point on his own delivery, but he was to make no mistake, routinely holding to 15.

After the match, Djokovic said: “I’m really glad that I’ll be able to fight for the trophy tomorrow. I haven’t had too many opportunities to fight for the trophy in the last 10 to 12 months. I’m hoping that I can continue on this path of raising my performance and the quality of tennis.”

He was also complimentary about his stay in the sunny  seaside town of Eastbourne, the first time.

“I am undoubtedly enjoying this week and the fact that I’m in the final obviously makes it even better. But I felt very welcomed from the first day by the people in Eastbourne,” continued Djokovic.

Monfils shows mental fortitude to best Gasquet

A strong mentality isn’t always associated with Monfils’ game, but it was the world number 16’s nerve which ended up being pivotal against his compatriot.

The first set was vintage Monfils, as he swooped around the back of the court blazing heavy groundstrokes, combined with some neat net play to take it 6-2.

Gasquet lost serve once more midway through the second set, but was offered a route back in as Monfils was broken for the first time immediately after. The latter reached the precipice of victory once more in the 10th game, mustering two match points on the Gasquet serve, but was unable to convert as the set went to a breaker.

Despite racing to a 4-0 lead, Monfils pinned back the deficit to 5-4, and then a 7-6 lead to eke out a third match point. But once more, Gasquet displayed resilience, saving it before nicking the set 9-7.

Undeterred, Monfils seized the initiative with an early break and continued to hold with relative comfort. Given past happenings though, it was no surprise to see a much frailer Monfils when it came to the crunch. Three errant forehands gifted Gasquet a lifeline late on, somewhat inevitably setting up another tiebreak.

An early double fault from Monfils would have been costlier had Gasquet not responded in kind, but he did and seemed oddly edgier than his opponent at this sudden death stage. Four straight points gave Monfils command, and when a fourth match point arrived at 6-4, he clinched it with a booming unreturnable serve to win 6-2 6-7(7) 7-6(4).

Monfils will go for his seventh ATP singles title in 26 tries on Saturday – and sixth at 250 level – while Djokovic hopes to claim his 68th but only his second of the year.

Wozniacki digs deep to edge Watson

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Watson’s run to the semis of a stacked WTA Premier draw has been the surprise of the week in Eastbourne, and the plucky Brit dared to dream of making the final, roaring back from a set and a break down to push the Dane the distance in the day’s opening match.

The world number 126 even moved a break up in the third, but meekly handed it back in the next game, losing it to love. No quarter was given either way thereon until the last, when Watson gave up two break points. She saved the first but not the second as Wozniacki put herself in a position to win her second Eastbourne International title, eight years after her first.

Pliskova’s bye ensures she will be fresh for the final in what has been a hectic week for the players due to the rain-affected schedule. Konta now faces an agonising weight to see whether she will be fit for Wimbledon, but defiantly said: “I’m doing everything I can to be ready.”

Bryans scoop doubles title

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Bob and Mike Bryan notched their 113th doubles title and their first in Eastbourne with a 6-7(4) 7-6 10-3 triumph over Rohan Bopanna and Andre Sa in the final on Court 1.

Earlier in the day, the Bryans beat Andre Begemann and Andres Molteni 7-6(1) 6-4 to make the championship match, while Bopanna/Sa got there courtesy of a 7-6(4) 3-6 11-9 win over Robin Haase/Dominic Inglot.

In the women’s doubles, Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua beat the third-seeded pairing of Timea Babos/Andrea Hlavackova 6-2 6-3 in the first semi-final, before Yung-jan Chan/Martina Hingis romped past Nicole Melichar/Anna Smith 6-0 6-1 in just 43 minutes.

Saturday’s schedule

Pliskova and Wozniacki are set to take to the court at 12.15pm local time on Saturday, with Djokovic and Monfils due on not before 2pm. The women’s doubles final between Barty/Dellacqua and Chan/Hingis will follow.

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Johanna Konta and Heather Watson soar through to semis on hectic day in Eastbourne

Posted by Admin on June 29, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Eastbourne, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Johanna Konta and Heather Watson soar through to semis on hectic day in Eastbourne
Elliot Cornish for Tennis Atlantic

Johanna Konta and Heather Watson surged into the semi-finals of the Eastbourne International, both claiming third round and quarter-final victories within a matter of hours on a bumper day.

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Konta battled past French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in three gripping sets before downing world number one Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-4 to conclude the day’s play, as she thrived on the Centre Court billing. Watson was left to work her magic on the outside courts, but strolled past 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-3, and then overcame Barbora Strycova 6-1 1-6 6-4 in an encounter full of momentum swings.

Konta will now meet last year’s runner-up Karolina Pliskova in the semis, after the Czech bounced back from a 4-2 deficit in the final set to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova. Pliskova’s third round victory triumph came courtesy of a straight sets win over Peng Shuai; Kuznetsova reached the quarter-final stage with a victory over Kristina Mladenovic.

Watson will go up against former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, after the Dane rallied from a set down to take out Simona Halep 5-7 6-4 6-1. Wozniacki had previously beaten Elena Vesnina 6-1 6-2 in the third round, while Halep sneaked past Tsvetana Pironkova 6-7(6) 7-6(4) 7-5.

In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic edged Donald Young 6-2 7-6(9) to reach the last four, but was made to work in the second set, with Young unable to convert while serving for it. The Serb’s semi-final opponent will be Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, who secured two impressive wins over Robin Haase and fourth seed Steve Johnson, both in three sets.

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Meanwhile, Richard Gasquet showcased perhaps his best form of the season, dispatching Kevin Anderson 6-4 6-4 in the early morning, before coming back to take out another big server, John Isner, 6-3 6-2 in rapid fashion. An all-French last four clash was ensured by Gael Monfils, who returned after seeing off British wildcard Cameron Norrie to defeat Bernard Tomic 7-6(4) 6-0 on Court 1 in the quarter finals.

Konta brings Ostapenko down to earth

Ostapenko, fresh from her French Open win, came into her third round match against Konta full of confidence, not least as a Grand Slam champion but by winning her last five tour matches in final set deciders.

The Latvian assumed early control, breaking at the first opportunity with her incisive backhand causing numerous problems for Konta. However, the Brit dug in and got back into the contest, before snatching the opener on her third set point against the Ostapenko serve.

Konta looked to strike decisively early in the second, and almost broke Ostapenko early, but the steely 20-year-old kept swinging hard and confidently, and reaped the rewards by breaking in the seventh game, and handily once more at 5-3 to eliminate the pressure of serving for the set.

Ostapenko seemed in control, but faltered from 40-0 up to drop serve in the third game of the decider. Yet Konta was unable to seize on her rival’s mistakes, losing her next two service games as a fiery Ostapenko established a 4-2 advantage.

But in typically unpredictable WTA fashion, the Roland Garros victor capitulated from thereon. Most costly for Ostapenko was her forehand, which splayed numerous errors, although an errant ball toss – which she should have caught – contributed to an all-round malfunction as Konta gladly accepted consecutive breaks. She then eventually snuck over the line on her third match point, to the delight of the home crowd.

Djokovic impresses against Young before scraping through

Djokovic’s duel with Young was certainly a match of two halves, with both responsible for the fluctuations. The opening set would have been precisely what the Serb was hoping for from his stay in Eastbourne, cruising through it 6-2 and appearing at ease.

But the past 12 months have been far from plain sailing for the 12-time Slam champion, and Young’s improved level combined with a Djokovic drop off made for a tasty second set. The American proved tougher, saving two break points early on to keep up. However, as the crunch point arrived, a few signs of Djokovic’s frailties emerged, particularly on the forehand – a shot he got stuck and collapsed on at times. Young grabbed a break to move 5-4 up as Djokovic wobbled, but he stumbled too as the latter broke back after saving a set point.

A tight tiebreak followed, with Young getting another set point at 6-5, however he did little wrong, with Djokovic serving big out wide. An untimely double fault for Young at 9-9 was pivotal though, as Djokovic got the win in one hour and 37 minutes.

Friday’s schedule

The women’s semi-finals and men’s semi-finals will be played in that order on Centre Court on Friday.

Wildcard Watson and Wozniacki start things off at 11am and will be followed by Pliskova v Konta.

Djokovic and Medvedev will take to the court not before 1pm, before Gasquet and Monfils round off the Centre Court action in what strikes as the match of the day.

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In the doubles, Bob and Mike Bryan play Andre Begemann and Andres Molteni first on Court 1 in their semi-final, with Robin Haase/Dominic Inglot v Rohan Bopanna/Andre Sa due on for theirs simultaneously on Court 2. The men’s doubles final is scheduled last on Court 1 on Friday.

Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua v Timea Babos/Andrea Hlavackova are second on Court 1 for the women’s doubles semis, and will be followed by Nicole Melichar/Anna Smith v Yung-Jan Chan/Martina Hingis.

Djokovic Eases to Win Over Pospisil @AegonTennisEB

Posted by Admin on June 28, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Eastbourne, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Novak Djokovic Eases to Win Over Vasek Pospisil at Eastbourne International
Elliot J. Cornish in Eastbourne

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Novak Djokovic recorded his first victory of the grass court season with a 6-4 6-3 win over Vasek Pospisil on a rain-curtailed day at the Eastbourne International.
The Serb, making his debut appearance and Eastbourne and his first appearance in a Wimbledon warm-up for seven years, proved too strong for his Canadian opponent who reached the last eight a fortnight ago in s’Hertogenbosch.

There was also success for Eastbourne’s Johanna Konta, who rattled past Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-2 in a rematch of their controversial Great Britain-Romania Fed Cup encounter in April. Konta was scheduled to return last on Centre to duel French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, but was halted by the weather.

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Meanwhile, world number one Angelique Kerber improved her chances of holding onto the spot with a battling performance against Kristyna Pliskova, in which she prevailed 7-5 in the third set – but only after Pliskova failed to serve out the win. Her closest rival Simona Halep came through her first match of the day in three over Ying Ying Duan, but found herself a set down to grass specialist Tsvetana Pironkova before rain brought proceedings to an end at around 5pm.

Elsewhere, Richard Gasquet escaped from a set and a break down against American 19-year-old Frances Tiafoe to reach the second round on Court 1, ultimately coming through 5-7 7-6(4) 6-3.

Djokovic gets the job done
Djokovic, now world number four, was first on Centre Court to complete his second-round match which briefly began on Tuesday.

Pospisil was an apt first test for the Serb given he has already acclimatised himself to the grass this year and after a wobble in the first game on Tuesday – where he had to save two break points – he managed to knuckle down on his serve on Wednesday, before landing the decisive blow with a break of serve in the 10th game of the first set.

The Canadian was presented with another chance in the fifth game of the second set, but failed to make good of it as Djokovic held and then promptly broke in the next for a 4-2 lead. He then closed out the match three games later, converting on his second match.

Djokovic was in typically jovial mood after the contest, but spoke of how he finds it “good” that there is – at least perceived – less expectation on him for Wimbledon next week.

“For a change it’s good to not be one of the top favourites. It is liberating a bit, it releases a bit of the pressure,” he said.

“But the pressure is always there, you still feel it. It’s part of who I am, what I do. I try to lower them [expectations] as much as I can. In this stage of my life and career, it’s trying to focus only on what comes up next, which doesn’t mean that I don’t want to win the trophies and so forth,” added Djokovic.

Djokovic will face American Donald Young in the quarter-finals on Thursday after the latter knocked out countryman Jared Donaldson with a 6-4 7-5 win.

Tiafoe falls short

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Tiafoe often looked prime for a breakthrough win over Frenchman Gasquet, especially after moving up 7-5 2-0 on a misfiring and occasionally irritated opponent.

However, he opened the door by dropping serve straight after breaking, and despite forging opportunities in the back end of the set, he froze at big moments – missing two break points to go 5-3 clear and slipping from a 30-0 advantage on Gasquet’s serve as he tried to stay in the match.

Gasquet won the tiebreak 7-4 and doubled the pain soon after, breaking the Tiafoe serve to 15 to establish an immediate two-game lead. To the American’s credit he dug in and forced Gasquet to serve it out – saving a match point at 2-5 – but the world number 27 did, and Tiafoe will be left to rue his chances.

Mischa Zverev moved through with a 6-4 7-6(9) victory over Ryan Harrison, while Daniil Medvedev thwarted big-serving Sam Querrey, prevailing 6-3 7-5.

Caroline Wozniacki fought past Naomi Osaka 6-2 7-6 on Court 2, and China’s Peng Shuai won a topsy-turvy three-set match with Timea Bacsinszky. But Spain’s Garbine Muguruza suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of an impressive Barbora Strycova, winning just one game in a 6-1 6-0 rout.

Other matches
Men’s 2nd round:
Dusan Lajovic def. Jeremy Chardy 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3
Thomas Fabbiano def. Franko Skugor 7-6(5) 6-4
Women’s 2nd round:
Tsvetana Pironkova def. Monica Niculescu 6-0 6-4
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Mona Barthel 4-6 7-5 6-2
Elena Vesnina def. Veronica Cepede Royg 6-3 6-3
Kristina Mladenovic def. Zhang Shuai 6-0 6-4

Thursday’s schedule
With rain playing spoiler again, it’s another packed schedule on Thursday, with a few players set to have to compete twice again.

First on Centre are Gael Monfils and Cameron Norrie (Monfils leads 6-3 2-0) to finish their second round match, after which Djokovic and Young will take to the court. Ostapenko and Konta unsurprisingly keep Centre Court billing for the third match of the afternoon.

On Court 1, Steve Johnson will look to finish off Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano from 6-3 2-2 before Wozniacki plays Elena Vesnina. Kerber then faces Lara Arruabarrena with the prospect of taking on Ostapenko or Konta later in the day – the match is provisionally scheduled for Court 1, although it could potentially move to Centre.

Dusan Lajovic and John Isner will complete their match on Court 2, with Kristina Mladenovic v Svetlana Kuznetsova to follow. As the day draws to a close, the yet-to-be-confirmed women’s and men’s quarter-finals will take place.

Halep and Pironkova will finish on Court 4 after Kevin Anderson and Gasquet play their second rounder. Wildcard Heather Watson versus Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is also on that court as a last 16 match.

Play is due to get under way on all courts at 10.30am local time.

Wats-Up! @HeatherWatson92 Shocks Defending Champ Domi @AegonTennisEB

Posted by Admin on June 26, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Eastbourne, Wimbledon, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Heather Watson shocks defending Eastbourne International champion Dominika Cibulkova
Elliot Cornish in Eastbourne

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A determined Heather Watson roused a raucous home crowd to knock out defending Eastbourne International champion Dominika Cibulkova 7-5 6-4 in the second round on Monday afternoon.

There were also victories for last year’s runner-up Karolina Pliskova, who won in straight sets over Alison Riske, and for French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, who fought past Carla Suarez Navarro in three sets on Court 1 on a toasty day on the south coast of England. But there was disappointment for 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard, who fell to Barbora Strycova in three, and for Britain’s Naomi Broady, who also lost in a decider against Kristyna Pliskova.

In the first round of the men’s ATP 250 draw, 21-year-old Cameron Norrie chalked up his first ATP main draw win 6-4 7-6 over Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos to fix up a second round encounter with French second seed Gael Monfils. However, Kyle Edmund’s Wimbledon preparations hit another snag with a three-set defeat to Donald Young to go with his loss at Queen’s Club last week to Denis Shapovalov. Meanwhile, Vasek Pospisil’s reward for his 6-3 6-4 trouncing of Jiri Vesely is a Tuesday morning match with Novak Djokovic.

Watson wows in Eastbourne sun

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Showing no signs of weariness from her three-hour battle with Lesia Tsurenko a day earlier, Watson made early headway – breaking the Slovak twice – only to be pegged back both times. Controversy struck deep in the first set when Cibulkova correctly challenged an out call, only to be awarded a first serve instead of the point. A fruitless exchange with the umpire merely drew ire from an already partisan crowd, but Cibulkova kept her nerve to dig out a hold for 5-5.

However, Watson’s pressure eventually tolled, as she snared the opening set at the first opportunity with a third break of the Cibulkova serve – this time to love. Watson would only grow in the contest from thereon, regularly out-rallying her opponent as she opened a 5-2 lead in the second. But a big win was never likely to be without some drama, and after Cibulkova saved match point to hold, the Brit relinquished a 40-15 advantage on serve as the world number nine rolled off four points to break back. But once again, Cibulkova undid her good work, surrendering her serve for a fifth time as Watson wrapped up the win on her fourth match point.
After the match, Watson, who has slipped to 126 in the WTA rankings from a high of 38, said, “The atmosphere was incredible, I was getting goosebumps at the end. I got a little nervous but I’m pleased I got through it in that last game.

“She’s a hard worker and a fighter so I knew it was never going to be easy. She’s very aggressive but I’m OK with that. I have some wheels so I’ve got to use them.”
Playing her first match since losing to Simona Halep in the French Open semi-final, Karolina Pliskova looked solid throughout in her 6-4 6-3 dispatching of American Alison Riske. Typically, it was the Czech’s serve which proved the foundation for her win, and the two break points which she faced and saved in the opening game of the match was the only time Riske threatened.

Watson will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in round three after the Russian overturned a one-set deficit to down Elise Mertens, while Pliskova’s last 16 test will come in the form of Timea Bacsinszky or Peng Shuai.

On her first outing since storming to the Roland Garros title, Ostapenko was up and down. Suarez Navarro was powerless in the opener as the Latvian’s penetrating groundstrokes told, but the Spaniard raced through the second, dishing out a bagel as Ostapenko faltered. But the latter showed the necessarily steel in set three to notch a 6-3 0-6 6-4 triumph and a potential third-round encounter with local star Johanna Konta.

Sorana Cirstea capitalised on her lucky loser berth with a comfortable win over Katerina Siniakova and will be Konta’s round two opponent. Naomi Osaka rattled past Risa Ozaki 6-0 6-1 in an all-Japanese clash and will play sixth seed Caroline Wozniacki in the second round.

Australia’s Bernard Tomic saw off Norbert Gombos 7-6 6-3, while Jared Donaldson scraped past Diego Schwartzman 7-5 in the third to book a round two match with compatriot Donald Young.

More Women’s Singles results
Veronica Cepede Royg defeated Su-Wei Hsieh 4-6 6-3 6-3
Peng Shuai defeated Francesca Schiavone 6-3 6-4
Zhang Shuai defeated Varvara Lepchenko 6-2 6-1
Lara Arruabarrena defeated Daria Gavrilova 6-2 2-6 6-3
Lauren Davis defeated Kristina Kucova 6-4 6-2
More Men’s Singles results
Robin Haase defeated Nicolas Mahut 6-4 7-6
Kyle Anderson defeated Thomaz Bellucci 6-3 6-1

Djokovic to enter the fray on Tuesday
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Top seed and surprise wildcard Novak Djokovic starts his tournament at 11am on Tuesday morning on Centre Court against Vasek Pospisil. In Monday’s press conference, Djokovic confirmed that new coach Andre Agassi would not be in attendance this week, but would be present with the Serb at Wimbledon.
Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep will also open their Eastbourne campaigns on Tuesday against Kristyna Pliskova and Duan Yingying respectively. Depending on results, Halep could theoretically overtake Kerber and become world number one for the first time.

Kerber will be in action second on Centre, while Halep is first on Court 1. In the other Centre Court matches Cirstea takes on Konta before Young dukes it out with Donaldson.

Big serving Sam Querrey is second on Court 1 against Daniil Medvedev before grass specialist Richard Gasquet plays the talented Frances Tiafoe.

Konta Continues Fairy Tale Run at WTA Eastbourne 2015 Wednesday

Posted by Admin on June 24, 2015
Posted in: Eastbourne, Guest Writer, On Site, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Konta Continues Fairy Tale Run at WTA Eastbourne 2015 Wednesday
Elliot Cornish for Tennis Atlantic

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British wildcard Johanna Konta continued her fairy tale run at the Aegon International, knocking out Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in three sets in Eastbourne.

The world number 146 once again came out of the blocks quickly, asserting control over her more decorated opponent. Konta maintained her advantage but couldn’t serve out the set, however the Spaniard faltered as well, and was broken to surrender the opener 6-4.

Muguruza settled into the match as it wore on and after moving ahead 2-0 in the second, the rest of the set went on serve – despite the world number 20 having to save five break points – and she took the second, also by a 6-4 scoreline.

In the third, Konta warmed to the challenge, receiving strong support from the British crowd as she stormed into what appeared a match-winning 5-1 lead. However, Muguruza nicked one of the breaks back and held to love to keep the pressure on her Australia-born adversary, but Konta kept her composure, serving out the match in a little under two hours.

In a battle of two former champions, Caroline Wozniacki recovered from a poor conclusion to the first set, to advance past Svetlana Kuznetsova in a high-quality affair.

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After surviving a break point in the first game, Wozniacki surged to a 5-1 lead, displaying good movement and her trademark knack of keeping the ball in court. She was, however, broken by Kuznetsova while serving for the set and the Russian capitalised on a flurry of errors from the Dane, breaking twice to get back on serve.

Wozniacki held in the 11th game to edge 6-5 ahead and couldn’t snatch the initiative as Kuznetsova shakily managed to force a tiebreak, which the Russian dominated due to an array of Danish errors, winning it 7-3.

Kuznetsova was broken early though in the second set and after her opponent fought through a tough fourth game, Wozniacki pushed on, breaking once more to level up the match.

She lost momentum though as Kuznetsova took the first game against serve, but Wozniacki refound her groove to roll off six successive games and book a place in the last eight against Andrea Petkovic, who defeated Coco Vandeweghe 6-3 6-4 on Court 1.

On the forthcoming match with Petkovic, Wozniacki said: “Another tough match. We’ve played each other many times and you know she’s had a good year so far, I’m just excited to be in the quarters.

However, there was British disappointment later in the day as Heather Watson fell to Sloane Stephens in straight sets in front of an expectant Centre Court audience.

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The Briton struggled to find her rhythm from the off and had already slipped a double-break behind by the time of the first sit down – a combination of unforced errors from Watson and tidy play by the American. Despite sticking around late in the set, Stephens was clinical in wrapping it up 6-2.
Watson worked her way into the battle in the next, but after breaking back to draw level at 2-2, she meekly surrendered her following service game, a blow she was not able to recover from. Stephens offered no further opportunities and, to compound the misery, secured yet another break to complete the win.

Bouchard retirement sees Bencic reach quarters

Eugenie Bouchard retired from her last 16 match against Belinda Bencic while trailing a set and 3-0 with an abdominal injury. The misfortune continues what has been a torrid season for the Canadian and she will enter Wimbledon next week – where she made the final last year – severely undercooked.

The first set of the match was nip and tuck, but Bencic managed to fight off a break point at 3-4 to stay on serve and then she immediately broke the seventh seed in the following game, before serving out the set to 30.

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Bouchard’s problems were becoming clearer as the contest wore on, and after slipping behind a double break in the second set she called for the trainer, at which point she decided to pull out.

However, in a bid to allay concerns, she has already commented: “I am going to play Wimbledon no matter what, even if I am on one leg.”

The result moves Bencic into the Eastbourne quarter-finals for the first time – where she will play Konta – and is further indication of the growing prowess of the 18-year-old Swiss, who is currently ranked 31 in the world.

Tsvetana Pironkova brought Dominika Cibulkova’s comeback tournament to an end, roaring back from a set down to defeat the Slovakian on Court 1 at Devonshire Park.

Cibulkova pinched the lead through a tiebreak after a lengthy first set and looked poised to back up her win on Tuesday against Lucie Safarova. However, Pironkova began to excel from thereon and was never in danger after winning the second set, closing out the victory 6-7(4) 6-4 6-1 in two hours and 25 minutes.

Agnieszka Radwańska picked up one of her best triumphs of the season, sailing past eighth seed Karolina Pliskova for the loss of just three games in 56 minutes. The Pole, who has fallen outside the world’s top 10, is due to face Bulgaria’s Pironkova in the quarter-finals.

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Daria Gavrilova staved off a second-set resurgence from Sara Errani in the final singles bout of the day on Court 1, making full use of her main draw ticket which came after Petra Kvitova withdrew. Her next obstacle comes in the form of the American Stephens.

Doubles Results

In the last doubles duels of the first round, Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina beat Lara Arruabarrena/Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4 6-0. The second seeds will now play Cara Black/Lisa Raymond after they defeated Monica Niculescu/Arina Rodionova.

Julia Goerges/Lucie Hradecka saw off Anabel Medina Garrigues/Arantxa Parra Santonja 7-6(2) 6-1 to book a meeting with Yung-Jan Chan/Jie Zheng in the final eight.

In the quarter-finals, Caroline Garcia/Katarina Srebotnik progressed past the British team of Jocelyn Rae/Anna Smith after the latter retired upon losing the first set. They will play Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza in the last four, who battled back to take out Hao-Ching Chan/Flavia Pennetta on Centre Court.

Quarter-final schedule
With just four singles matches to be played on Thursday at Devonshire Park now the tournament has reached the quarter-final stage, all of them will take place on Centre Court, with the action scheduled to start at 11.00 A.M.

Pironkova and Radwanska will kick things off before British hopeful Konta takes on Bencic. Then, Gavrilova will continue her quest for a deep run against Stephens, with Wozniacki versus Petkovic set to conclude play in what may well be the match of the day.

In the two remaining doubles quarters, Black/Raymond vs Makarova/Vesnina will follow on from the singles on Centre, while Goerges/Hradecka against Chan/Zheng is due on Court 1 at 1.00pm.

 

Defending Champion Madison Keys Falls in Eastbourne

Posted by Admin on June 23, 2015
Posted in: Eastbourne, Guest Writer, On Site, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Defending Champion Madison Keys Falls in Eastbourne
Elliot Cornish for Tennis Atlantic

Wozniacki vs Gajdosova 2015 WTA Eastbourne (Elliot Cornish)

Belinda Bencic brought Madison Keys’ reign at the Aegon International in Eastbourne to a swift end, beating the American 6-2 6-2 in under an hour.

The Swiss youngster took full advantage of an error-strewn showing from Keys, breaking her opponent twice in each set. The defending champion failed to find any consistency on her forehand, an essential facet of her game, and hence unforced errors were aplenty throughout the match.

Bencic ensured she kept the ball in court with regularity, forcing Keys to play the extra shot, and also produced some exquisite tennis of her own, including a couple of exquisite lobs.

The win continued Bencic’s strong grass swing, backing up her final appearance in s’Hertogenbosch earlier in the month.

She said: “It feels very natural for my game [grass courts] so I don’t have to change everything. I think it suits me well.”

Britain’s Johanna Konta knocked out fourth seed Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets, in the first match of the day on Centre Court.

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Konta – who is ranked 146 in the world and was wildcarded into the tournament – backed up an impressive performance over Zarina Diyas at the weekend, breaking her Russian opponent five times in a 6-2 6-4 win at Devonshire Park – her first against a top-10 player.

The Australian-born Briton was dominant on serve in the opening set, not having to face a single break point, and while Makarova pegged her back twice in the second, a crucial breakthrough at 4-4 proved pivotal, and she closed out the contest in her following service game.

“On paper it is my best-ever win,” said Konta. “I had to play some of my best tennis out there and I managed to do that.”

The victory moves her into the third round where she will take on Garbine Muguruza, who battled back from a set down to best Polona Hercog, winning the final set 6-0.

There was more British success in the form of Heather Watson’s gritty fightback to overcome Elina Svitolina, in the final match on Centre. Trailing by a set, the British number one dug in from a break down in the second to pinch it 7-5, and despite wasting one break in the final set, she took her next opportunity with the Ukrainian serving at 4-5, sealing the win on her first match point.

Eugenie Bouchard found a much-needed win over America’s Alison Riske, accelerating well after a tight first set. The opener went to a tiebreak which the Canadian won 7-5, and she broke midway through the second to record a 7-6(5) 6-3 triumph.

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The 21-year-old will suffer a heavy ranking drop if she fails to defend the 1400 points she received upon making last year’s Wimbledon final, and her readiness for SW19 is sure to come under much more thorough examination in Eastbourne this week.

Bencic will play Bouchard in the last 16, and after her clinical dismissal of Keys, the latter will have to be wary since her style of play is not unlike the American’s.

Wozniacki moves through

Jarmila Gajdosova was unable to maintain her strong start as Caroline Wozniacki moved through the gears to collect a straight-sets win. The former was a break up early in the match but was broken while serving for the first set. Wozniacki then edged through a shaky tiebreak before cruising through the second 6-2.

“I know that Jarmila is a really tough opponent and I’ve had tricky matches against her in the past and she plays very powerful tennis, good serves, so for me it was all about just keeping my mental toughness and just go for the right shots,” said the former world number one.

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Svetlana Kuznetsova, who won the title here in 2004, will meet Wozniacki on Wednesday after she dispatched Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 6-3 6-4.

Meanwhile, last year’s finalist and Birmingham winner, Angelique Kerber, withdrew from the event on Tuesday due to a “viral illness”. As a result, Monica Niculescu was given a spot in the main draw, but she lost to Coco Vandeweghe 7-5 2-6 6-1.

Birmingham runner-up Karolina Pliskova arrested a second-set slide to come through in straights against Casey Dellacqua. The eighth seed took the first set 6-4 but slipped 5-2 behind the Australian in the second, before rolling off five consecutive games to move through to round three.

Dominika Cibulkova’s comeback picked up pace with a 7-6(7) 6-4 victory over recent French Open finalist Lucie Safarova. The Slovakian staved off two set points on her opponent’s serve in the tiebreak before prevailing, and then an early break in the second gave her a lead she would not relinquish.

Ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska breezed past American qualifier Irina Falconi on Court 1, winning love and two in a mere 57 minutes. The Pole, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2012, is due meet Pliskova in the next round.

Elsewhere, grass specialist Tsvetana Pironkova took out Sam Stosur in two tight sets on Court 2. The Bulgarian broke late in the first to win it 7-5, and she won all seven points in the second-set tiebreak to progress.

Sloane Stephens made sure Carla Suarez Navarro’s stay in Eastbourne was a short one, dumping out the fifth seeded Spaniard 6-1 7-5 in the second match on Court 1. Her last 16 match will be against home favourite Watson.

France’s Caroline Garcia’s continued her patchy start to the grass season as she fell easily in two sets to Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. The world number 31 was broken four times in a 6-2 6-4 loss, as the 10th seed strolled through in just one hour and 20 minutes.

Sara Errani and Daria Gavrilova also booked a third round clash after beating Barbora Strycova and Camila Giorgi respectively in deciding sets.

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Wednesday’s matches

The Aegon International moves into the last 16 on Wednedsay with four singles matches to be played on Centre Court and Court 1.

Bouchard will open proceedings on Centre against Bencic, with Muguruza-Konta and Kuznetsova-Woznacki to follow, before Watson once again is the final match on when she challenges Stephens.
On Court 1, Cibulkova versus Pironkova will kick off the action at 11.00am. Radwanska then takes on Pliskova, with Vandeweghe and Petkovic to play match three. Gavrilova and Errani will then conclude the day.

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The doubles also continues tomorrow with the top seeds set to enter the tournament. Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza are fifth on Centre Court against Hao-Ching Chan/Flavia Pennetta, while Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina are last on Court 2 when they meet Eugenie Bouchard/Marina Erakovic.

Rain Mars Day 1 At WTA Eastbourne 2015

Posted by Admin on June 22, 2015
Posted in: Eastbourne, Guest Writer, On Site, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Rain Mars Day 1 At WTA Eastbourne 2015
Elliot Cornish for Tennis Atlantic

Kuznetsova Rybarikova 2015 WTA Eastbourne (Elliot Cornish)

Heather Watson beat Varvara Lepchenko in straight sets to pick up her first grass court win of the season after Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova withdrew due to illness on a rain-affected day at the Aegon International in Eastbourne.

On a rainy and breezy day at Devonshire Park, play began four and a half hours late at 3.30pm after heavy showers throughout the morning and early afternoon.

The 23-year-old Watson had the benefit of a supportive home crowd, but the world number 64 was embroiled in a tight opening set with Lepchenko, who is ranked 26 places above her.

A tiebreak was required after three breaks of serve each, and after leading 4-0, Watson looked to have missed her chance as the American ran off five points in a row to grab a minibreak. However, she failed to hold her following two service points and an unforced error handed the set to Watson.

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The second set was much more comfortable for the Brit, and after exchanging early breaks she stretched clear, breaking the Lepchenko twice more to win 7-6(5) 6-2 in a solid display, booking a round two meeting against Elina Svitolina, the 11th seed.

Watson said: “I was super, super motivated today. I just felt really good and excited to play. Being here at home I always feel extra motivated.”

In the first match on Centre Court, Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6(5) 6-4, improving her head-to-head record over the Slovakian to 3-0. The 2004 champion traded breaks with Rybarikova three times in the first set before prevailing 7-5 in the tiebreak.

The second set was a closely fought affair but when serving to stay in the match, Rybarikova was broken at love – with Kuznetsova crunching a sizzling down-the-line forehand on match point – as her Russian adversary secured a second-round berth against Italy’s Flavia Pennetta.

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Kvitova withdraws

The big story of the day came away from the court though as champion Petra Kvitova was forced to withdraw, just a week before the beginning of her Wimbledon title defence with a sore throat.

The Czech said: “I didn’t feel well when I came here last Thursday, I had to make this decision.

“I hope to be fine for Wimbledon. I’ll stay here in Eastbourne and then slowly move to London.”

Kvitova’s decision means she will head to SW19 without having played a competitive match on grass this season, therefore she could be vulnerable during the early stages. Daria Gavrilova will take Kvitova’s spot in the main draw.

Around the grounds

Elsewhere, Dominika Cibulkova eased past British wildcard Harriet Dart, completing a 6-1 6-3 victory in just an hour and 19 minutes on Court 1. Playing her first match in over four months after undergoing surgery on her Achilles tendon, the Slovakian raced through the first set but faced stiffer resistance in the second as Dart, the world number 358, broke her twice.

Cibulkova’s experience eventually saw her through, however she is likely to receive a much tougher challenge in her next match as she takes on French Open finalist Lucie Safarova.

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Barbora Strycova was broken just once in her triumph over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, cruising to a 6-4 6-2 win, and Camila Giorgi wasted no time in dispatching American qualifier Christina McHale, closing out the match in straight-sets in a little over an hour.

Thirteenth seed Sara Errani will play Strycova next while Giorgi’s second-round encounter will be against Gavrilova. The winner of those matches will then meet in round three, in what has become an open section of the draw following Kvitova’s withdrawal.

On the outside courts, Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova fought back from a set down to dump out Lauren Davis in an all-qualifier bout, while former Wimbledon semi-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova scored a routine win over Marina Erakovic.

Madison Brengle’s loss to Polona Hercog added to the American woes in Eastbourne, but there was one ray of light in Irina Falconi’s dominant performance against Alexandra Dulgheru, with the 25-year-old dropping only two games.

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Tuesday’s highlights

With multiple matches pushed back, Madison Keys will now start her defence of her Aegon International title on Tuesday when she plays rising Swiss talent, Belinda Bencic.

Britain’s Johanna Konta will look to build on her impressive upset of Zarina Diyas against Ekaterina Makarova, while Eugenie Bouchard will hope to find some grass court form with final points from last year’s Wimbledon due to come off next week. She is set to meet Alison Riske in the second match of the day on Centre Court.

Watson will then once again finish proceedings on Centre against Svitolina.

Tuesday’s other selected matches

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• Jarmila Gajdosova vs Caroline Wozniacki
• Lucie Safarova vs Dominika Cibulkova
• Tsvetana Pironkova vs Samantha Stosur
• Flavia Pennetta vs Svetlana Kuznestova

Due to the lengthy delay, all of the scheduled doubles matches on Monday were cancelled. Tuesday’s play is set to start at 11.00am local time.

2014 ATP Eastbourne, ‘s-Hertogenbosch Previews & Picks

Posted by Admin on June 15, 2014
Posted in: AEGON International, ATP, Den Bosch, Topshelf Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

2014 ATP Eastbourne, ‘s-Hertogenbosch Previews & Picks
Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast

It’s the week before Wimbledon and many players are choosing to make their final preparations for the next slam in the pair of 250 grass court tournaments this week.

AEGON International, Eastbourne
ATP Eastbourne
Aegon International
ATP World Tour 250
Eastbourne, Great Britain
June 16-June 21, 2014
Prize Money: € 503,185

Top 4 seeds (Who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Richard Gasquet (14)
2: Alex Dolgopolov (19)
3: Feliciano Lopez (29)
4: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (31)

It is the week before Wimbledon, so not the strongest field in Eastbourne, but the tournament should be competitive.

First Round matchups to watch:

Donald Young vs. (WC)James Ward
This is the only match of interest in round 1 that I see. Young comes off a successful string of play on clay, including a third round French Open appearance, and he will look to improve his relatively poor record on grass in Eastbourne. He faces the Brit wild card Ward who has had some success on grass, and they have never met before. It should be a close match and a good warm-up for Young.

Top Half:

Top seed Richard Gasquet is struggling and is perhaps carrying a shoulder injury into this tournament. He could quite possibly fall to Bernard Tomic in his first match and the draw would open up from there.

Gasquet comes off an opening match loss in Halle and Tomic showed some renewed play in Queens with a round 1 win and a 3 set loss in round 2. Tomic beat Gasquet at Wimbledon last year in 4 tight sets, though Gasquet is 4-0 in matches on other surfaces and crushed Tomic (even while not healthy) at the French a couple of weeks ago. Tomic must beat Andrey Golubev first, I might add, and one of those three players will face Young/Ward or Martin Klizan/Federico Delbonis in the quarters. Delbonis is a clay courter and Klizan has a very poor record on grass, but he appears to be in form as he had a strong clay court season.

Young or Ward have a great chance at the quarterfinals or better. Klizan beat Tomic on clay last month

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez is another in-form player who is beginning his grass court campaign this season at a tournament where he is a former finalist. GGL will face Denis Istomin or Mikhail Kukushkin in round 2, and neither player looks overly imposing, so I’m tipping GGL vs Edouard Roger-Vasselin in a competitive quarterfinal. ERV won a couple of rounds in Queens and after a qualifier, he will face Jarkko Nieminen/Santiago Giraldo in round 2. Nieminen retired in his last match and Giraldo is sort of an unreliable player right now. He beat ERV on hard courts two years ago, but I don’t think that result matters that much. As for the predicted quarterfinal, GGL won a 10-8 fifth set against ERV at Wimbledon 2 years ago, but ERV beat him at the Aussie open this year (and GGL has two probably unimportant wins on clay as well), so it should be close and I’m leaning towards ERV to reach the semis.

Bottom Half:

Alex Dolgopolov will face Sam Querrey or Kyle Edmund in his first match. Dolgo gave a walkover in his last match in Queens and may not be entirely together.

I feel Querrey has a nice chance at the quarterfinals here. Dolgopolov leads the h2h 2-1 between them in all hard court meetings.

Dolgo/Querrey could face defending finalist Gilles Simon in the quarters or perhaps Julien Benneteau, who was upset in the opening round of Queens, or Yen-Hsun Lu, who reached the quarterfinals in Halle but gave a walkover in his last match. Simon plays a qualifier and then Benneteau/Lu. Gilles showed some renewed form at the French, unlike he has all season really and I like him as a semifinalist here.

Current Queens finalist Feliciano Lopez is the defending champ here in Eastbourne. If he doesn’t pull out because of fatigue, he will face Dan Evans or a qualifier in his first match. Should he not be exhausted, expect him in the quarters against one of Ivo Karlovic/Jeremy Chardy/Carlos Berlocq/qualifier. Karlovic lost in round 2 in Halle, but he is a two-time champion here and has a 12-1 record overall.

Given the other choices, the semifinalist should come down to Lopez/Karlovic and how fatigued is Lopez. His form has looked great in Queens and he could get on a winning a streak.

Dark Horse: Bernard Tomic/Edouard Roger-Vasselin
I feel one of these two players will be the finalist here from the top half of the draw: Tomic can play very well on grass but he’s horribly inconsistent, while ERV has a lower ceiling for peak play, but is less likely to see his game entirely collapse. In three head to head meetings, all on grass amazingly, Tomic has won twice and ERV has won once, the last meeting coming in 2011. Either one of them is a dark horse to take the title regardless.

Predictions
Semis:
Roger-Vasselin d. Tomic
Karlovic d. Simon
I just went over ERV-Tomic. While I like Karlovic by a hair over Simon (because he won a h2h grass meeting in 2007 between the two and also won their most recent meeting in 2011), I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Simon made the final again, but Ivo is who I’m picking.


Final:
Karlovic d. Roger-Vasselin
Ivo beat ERV in Newport last year and has a 2-1 overall h2h lead. The final could go either way, but I like the big serving Croat as a titlist this week.

topshelf-open2013_zps17409388
ATP ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Topshelf Open
ATP World Tour 250
‘s-Hertogenboch, the Netherlands
June 15-June 21, 2014
Prize Money: € 426,605

Top 4 seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: David Ferrer (7)
2: Fernando Verdasco (23)
3: Roberto Bautista Agut (28)
4: Marcel Granollers (30)

Holland just annihilated the Spanish in the World Cup and local celebrations cannot be sitting well with the four top seeds here, all Spanish players.

First Round matchups to watch:

Nicolas Mahut vs. (WC)Kimmer Coppejans
Defending champion Nicolas Mahut could have trouble against young Belgian wild card Kimmer Coppejans, who is untested on grass. Mahut comes off a round 2 loss in Queens that was close and though I still think he will prevail, this match is a good opportunity for Coppejans to show his mettle.

Kenny De Schepper vs Steve Johnson
Johnson leads the h2h 2-0 and their last meeting at the Le Gosier challenger, the final of it in fact, was a crazy 3 setter that ended with a 7-2 final set tiebreak. De Schepper is 4-2 on grass this year, Johnson is 3-2, as both players have shown they can do well on the surface, albeit with different styles. This match is a toss-up to me, but I’ll go with the rising and much improved Johnson to ride his forehand to victory over the big serving Frenchman for the third time.

Top Half:

Two time Den Bosch champion David Ferrer faces a qualifier in round 1 and then a qualifier or Alejandro Gonzalez in round 2. Ferrer should be safe for the quarterfinals against one of Igor Sijsling/Thiemo De Bakker/Bradley Klahn/Dmitry Tursunov. He should watch out for Tursunov as the Russian vanquished him twice last season in their only meetings.

Sijsling is also a bit of a home threat here, but given Tursunov just beat him in Queens I like Tursunov over Klahn and Sijsling over De Bakker and then Tursunov over Sijsling as the path to the quarterfinals. Ferrer to avenge his Tursunov defeats last year is my pick for semifinalist out of this section.

Marcel Granollers is not a good grass court player, but Benjamin Becker, a former champion here, has lost five straight matches and is in terrible form right now. Granollers should get through to round 2 to face Dudi Sela or Benoit Paire, both of whom are also struggling: Paire 2-6 since coming back from injury and Sela 2-8 since Indian Wells. One of these four out-of-form players will be able to win two matches and reach the quarterfinals as a much needed boost for their morale and ranking.

Strapped to a chair, I’d take Granollers by a hair.

One of Granollers/Becker/Sela/Paire will face one of Lukas Rosol/JL Struff/Dusan Lajovic/Vasek Pospisil in the quarters. Rosol is just starting his grass campaign. Struff was poor in Halle. Lajovic took a set off an in form Feliciano Lopez. Though Pospisil finally broke his post-AO losing streak, he was poor in his very next match.

I like Rosol to get through all the way to the semifinals from the top half.

Bottom Half:

Fernando Verdasco, who has had some success on grass, will face Paul-Henri Mathieu, who gave Andy Murray a competitive run in Queens. Dasco dominates PHM in the h2h, so he should be through to face either Jesse Huta Galung or Aleksandr Nedovyesov. Nedo is struggling, so I think JHG will be willed to victory by the home fans and Verdasco will reach the quarterfinals.

Verdasco should also be safe for the semis as his possible opponents are not overly imposing: Jurgen Melzer is struggling a bit and faces current and surprise Halle finalist Alejandro Falla, who will probably be gassed after playing so much in Halle, and then the winner gets Victor Hanescu or a qualifier.

The qualifier has a good chance for the quarters.

Bautista Agut will face his countryman Daniel Gimeno Traver and then the struggling Matt Ebden or a qualifier. Look for RBA to get a real test in the quarters against Mahut/Coppejans or Johnson/De Schepper. I like RBA vs Mahut. The h2h is split, with all of their meetings coming on indoor hard on the challenger tour.

Given this is grass, I tip towards Mahut a bit to reach the semis.

Dark Horse: Lukas Rosol
The in-form Czech I have making the semis. His match with Ferrer will be tough. Ferrer beat him twice last year and leads the h2h 3-0, so he probably comes up short from there, but I expect him to have a good showing this week.

Predictions
Semis:
Ferrer d. Rosol
Verdasco d. Mahut
I just broke down Ferrer-Rosol and Verdasco is 3-0 career against Mahut including a win on grass, so it should be an all-Spanish final.

Final:
Ferrer d. Verdasco
A super-weird h2h between a pair with no grass court meetings. Ferrer got a win on clay last year and is on a 5 match winning streak in the rivalry, but going back to 2010 Verdasco had winning streaks of as many as three straight matches in the rivalry with a whole bunch of meetings on clay. Down to the wire, I like Ferrer in 3 sets in the final.

2013 ATP Eastbourne, ‘s-Hertogenbosch Previews and Predictions

Posted by Admin on June 15, 2013
Posted in: AEGON International, ATP, Den Bosch, Eastbourne, Topshelf Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2013 ATP Eastbourne, ‘s-Hertogenbosch Previews
Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com
Eastbourne Official Site

The final grass court tune-ups before Wimbledon will be the joint event in Eastbourne and Den Bosch in the Netherlands.

ATP Eastbourne
Aegon International
Eastbourne, UK
June 17-June 22, 2013
Prize money: €468,460

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes)
1: Milos Raonic
2: Gilles Simon
3: Philipp Kohlschreiber
4: Juan Monaco

AEGON International, Eastbourne

A stronger field brings 4 of the top 20 and a seed cutoff overall of 31.

First round matchups to watch:

Jarkko Nieminen vs. Feliciano Lopez

Nieminen comes off a 2nd round loss at Queen’s club while Lopez lost in the 3rd round of the same event. The h2h is 6-2 in favor of the man from Finland and thus this match should favor him, but the style clash makes it a quality one to watch. Nieminen beat Lopez at Wimbledon last year in their only grass court meeting.

Bernard Tomic vs. (wc)James Ward

Tomic continues to struggle, as expected, having lost 4 straight and 5 of his last 6 matches. Still, this is a surface on which he excels. Ward is a likeable journeyman ranked outside the top 200 who lost a heartbreak 3 set match to Ivan Dodig in the opening round of Queen’s club, an event which also found him the recipient of a wild card. Tomic is far and above the better player, but with his personal circumstances, Wardy will have a shot at an upset.

Top Half:

Milos Raonic will look to recover from a crushing loss to Gael Monfils in Halle, a match in which he played some of his worst tennis in a long time. He opens with Denis Istomin or Ivan Dodig, and the winner will get one of Fabio Fognini, Grega Zemlja, Martin Klizan or Viktor Troicki.

Juan Monaco will have the task of playing the Lopez/Nieminen winner and if he were to prevail he will get Alex Dolgopolov, Fernando Verdasco, Albert Ramos or a qualifier.

Bottom Half:

Gilles Simon will play wild card Kyle Edmund or a qualifier, then most likely Kevin Anderson (if Big Kev can beat Julian Benneteau and Tomic/Ward).

Halle quarterfinalist Philipp Kohlschreiber will play Radek Stepanek or Marinko Matosevic then a pair of qualifiers, Paul-Henri Mathieu or Andreas Seppi in a tailor-made section for the German.

Dark Horse: Feliciano Lopez

Lopez is one of the better grass court players, and if he can get past Nieminen he has a very open draw with the clay courter Monaco and then either Verdasco or Dolgo being the likely quarterfinal opponent. In the semis, Raonic or someone else is perfectly beatable and at least in theory he could win the whole tournament.

Predictions
Semis:
Lopez d. Raonic
Kohlschreiber d. Anderson

Lopez beat Raonic in their only meeting and Raonic isn’t playing that well. He simply has no one in his draw line to stop him early.

Kohlschreiber disappointingly only made the quarters in Halle, but he is still good on grass with nobody to stop him draw-wise. Anderson is having a good year and should get through his draw, but I’ll give the edge to Peppo since they have never played each other.

Final:
Kohlschreiber d. Lopez

The h2h actually favors Lopez 4-2, but Kohlschreiber seems to be the better player these days, and thus edge to him.

topshelf-open2013_zps17409388

ATP s-Hertogenbosch
Topshelf Open
ATP World Tour 250
s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
June 16-June 22, 2013
Prize money: €410,200

Top 8 seeds

1: David Ferrer
2: Stanislas Wawrinka
3: John Isner
4: Benoit Paire
5: Jeremy Chardy
6: Marcos Baghdatis
7: Victor Hanescu
8: Daniel Gimeno-Traver

50 is the seed cutoff in a tournament without byes and 2 of the top 20 are here.

First round matchups to watch:

(1)David Ferrer vs. Xaiver Malisse

Ferrer has won Den Bosch twice and of course comes off his first ever slam final in Paris. He gets bad fortunes as the top seed in that he has to face Malisse, who is good on grass and pushed Del Potro to 3 sets at Queen’s club before losing. The h2h is 2-2 but they haven’t played in 3 years and never on grass. Ferrer is probably still the favorite but Malisse has to have some magic left.

(3)John Isner vs. Evgeny Donskoy

Isner and Donskoy will meet for the first time and it will be the only grass tune-up for either before Wimbledon. Donskoy is a solid ball striker who is on the rise, while Isner has had a roller coaster year but overall has disappointed. Isner should be a favorite on the fast surface but it could go 3 sets.

(4)Benoit Paire vs. Michael Llodra

Paire comes off a 2nd round loss to Denis Kudla at Queen’s Club while Llodra withdrew from his 2nd round match at the same event. This match is not only notable for the clash of styles on grass between the serve and volleyer Llodra and the drop shotter Paire, but also for the tension between these 2 players. When they met this year in Miami, Llodra taunted Paire, and Paire countered by firing verbal obscenities at his countryman. According to reports of the non-televised match, there was also a physical altercation that had to be broken up by the umpire and Paire said after, “I won’t ever talk to him again,” “He tried everything to upset me while I was dominating the game. He insulted me.” How this match will develop should be interesting.

(2) Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Igor Sijsling

Wawrinka is playing Den Bosch for the first time since 2005, while Sijsling comes off the 3rd round at Queen’s club. They have never met before and both players are on hot streaks overall. Wawrinka is of course in the top 10, and Sijsling is at a career high of 60. Wawrinka will have a slight edge but I wouldn’t put an upset past Sijsling in his home tournament.

Top Half:

The Ferrer/Malisse winner will play Edouard Roger-Vasselin or Rendy Lu, then could face Marcos Baghdatis/Carlos Berlocq, a qualifier, or Roberto Bautista Agut,

Isner/Donskoy will face Leo Mayer or Robin Haase and then it will be a qualifier, Ricardas Berankis, Andrey Kuznetsov or Dani Gimeno-Traver in what is a rather porous section.

Bottom Half:

Wawrinka/Sijsling will take on Thiemo De Bakker or Paolo Lorenzi and then one of Jeremy Chardy, Marius Copil, Rogerio Dutra Silva or a qualifier in a section from which the seeds should escape.

Paire/Llodra will play a qualifier or David Goffin and then Victor Hanescu/Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Daniel Brands/Jesse Huta Galung.

Dark Horse: Michael Llodra

This tournament is hard to pick without qualifiers placed, because it really is the type of event where a qualifier could make a deep run given the lower ranks of the players and a whole lot of guys who are uncomfortable on grass. That being said, of the main draw players, Llodra, if he isn’t injured, could very well make a deep run. If he can get past Paire, he gets D Goff or a qualifier and then probably Daniel Brands or even Huta Galung in the quarters. All winnable. In the semis, both Wawrinka or Sijsling are beatable and even in the final, Ferrer/Malisse/Baghdatis/Isner are all beatable.

Predictions:

Semis:
Ferrer d. Isner
Llodra d. Sijsling

Ferrer should be able to cruise to the semis unless Baghdatis can catch fire. Isner really has nobody to stop him as well. Llodra, if uninjured, is dangerous and I think Sijsling upsets Wawrinka and wins from there.

Final:
Ferrer d. Llodra

Ferrer should make it the hat trick. He is 3-0 career against Llodra and beat Llodra last year in Paris on indoor carpet.

Ferrer Hits His Way to Title in Den Bosch, Roddick Finds Mojo in Eastbourne

Posted by Admin on June 23, 2012
Posted in: AEGON International, ATP, Eastbourne, UNICEF Open. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment


 

2012 Unicef Open, Eastbourne ATP Recap
By Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com

Unicef Open


Top seed David Ferrer smashed and served his way to a title in Den Bosch today, beating Pierre Luc-Duclos, Leonardo Mayer, sizzling Igor Sijsling, Benoit Paire and surprise finalist/qualifier Philipp Petzschner. Ferrer beat him in the final, 6-3 6-4.

Petzschner beat Dimitry Tursunov, Mate Pavic, Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Xaiver Malisse to reach the final. Paire beat seeded player Lukasz Kubot, while Malisse beat 2 seed Viktor Troicki.

Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau won the doubles title over Juan Cabal and Dmitry Tursunov.

ATP Eastbourne

Andy Roddick shocked nearly everyone and rekindled his mojo to take the title in Eastbourne over Andreas Seppi, 6-3 6-2. Roddick held his own against Sam Querrey, Jeremy Chardy, Fabio Fognini and Steve Darcis en route to the final and gave fans glimpses of his former top 10 self.

Seppi did well for himself in beating Carlos Berlocq, Phillip Kohlschreiber by retirement and surprise semi-finalist Ryan Harrison to reach the final. Darcis beat Aussies Matt Ebden and Marinko Matosevic to reach the semis. Matosevic had knocked off top seed Richard Gasquet.

The “Flemchins”, Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins, took the doubles title on home soil over fellow Brit duo Jamie Delgado and Ken Skupski.