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Sock and Muller Claim Rare ATP Titles in Run Up to Melbourne

Posted by Admin on January 14, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Auckland, Steen Kirby, Sydney. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Sock and Muller Claim Rare ATP Titles in Run Up to Melbourne
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Auckland

Jack Sock rose to a career high top 20 ranking with his second career ATP title. The 24 year old American continued his red hot start to the 2017 season by claiming the championship in Auckland, where he reached the final last year. Sock’s win over Joao Sousa was a thrilling contest ending 6-3 5-7 6-3. Sock went up a set thanks to great returning and looked set to win in straights, but Sousa fought back for a late break with some tremendous shotmaking. Sousa would then go up a break in the third, but he surrendered two further breaks in the third set to hand Sock the hard fought trophy.

Sousa beat Albert Ramos, Brydan Klein, Robin Haase, and Marcos Baghdatis to reach his eight career ATP final, dropping to a 2-6 career record in those finals.

Sock moved to a 2-5 career ATP final record thanks to wins over Ryan Harrison, Jeremy Chardy, and Steve Johnson. Three of his four match wins this week came in three sets, as the Auckland crowd certainly enjoyed watching him battle.

Marcin Matkowski and Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi defeated Jonathan Erlich and Scott Lipsky in the doubles final.

ATP Sydney

Gilles Muller won his first ever ATP title at 33 years of age with a 7-6 6-2 victory over Britain’s Daniel Evans. Muller started the Sydney tournament as one of the best players to never win a title, and ended it as a very happy ATP champion. Muller was 0-5 in previous ATP finals, but Evans, playing in his first ever ATP title at age 26, wasn’t up to the task of dismantling his effective serves.

Muller dropped sets against Alexandr Dolgopolov, and Matthew Barton before going on to defeat Pablo Cuevas, and Viktor Troicki in straight sets. Evans had three set contests all week, defeating Thiago Monteiro, Marcel Granollers, Dominic Thiem, and Andrey Kuznetsov. His one hand backhand continues to improve and he appears set to secure his place on the ATP stage in 2017. His win over Thiem was one of the best of his career, as he outlasted the Austrian late in the match.

Dutch pairing Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop defeated Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in the doubles final.

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2017 ATP Sydney Preview and Predictions (@sydneytennis)

Posted by Admin on January 7, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Steen Kirby, Sydney. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2017 ATP Sydney Preview and Predictions 
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The Australian Open Series rolls on with a stop in Australia’s biggest city for the Apia International, a joint ATP/WTA tournament.

Apia International Sydney
ATP World Tour 250
Sydney, Australia
January 8-14, 2017
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $437,380

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Dominic Thiem (8)
2: Pablo Cuevas (22)
3: Viktor Troicki (29)
4: Pablo Carreno Busta (30)

Just one top 20 player means Sydney is open for the taking, giving an opportunity for lower ranked players to step up.

First round matches to watch:

(5)Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Fabio Fognini

Kohlschreiber leads the h2h 4-2 but Fognini won their last meeting. The Italian went a respectable 26-23 in 2016 and is making his season debut. Kohli lost in the second round of Doha, and as the favorite in this match, he should make at least the second round in Sydney.

(WC)Thanasi Kokkinakis vs. (WC)Jordan Thompson

These good friends are in the doubles final together in Brisbane, and will face each other in singles a few hours away in Sydney. Kokkinakis missed all of 2016 with injuries, but prior to that he was a rising ATP talent, and in the doubles in Brisbane he showed he still has tremendous promise. Thompson reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane and is likely the favorite in this one given he should have less rust. Both of these Aussies are likely to feature on the ATP tour in the years to come.

(6)Gilles Muller vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov

A matchup that features a clear contrast in styles. The serve and volleyer Muller got off to a slow start in Brisbane, while Dolgopolov drew a tough opening round opponent in Rafael Nadal and also lost his first match of the season. These two have split h2h meetings, despite Muller’s seeding, if Dolgo is in form he should fire enough winners to notch a victory.

Top Half:

Brisbane quarterfinalist Dominic Thiem will face a qualifier to start, with Doha semifinalist Fernando Verdasco likely in the quarterfinals. Verdasco got off to a great start to his 2017 season as his blistering forehand paced him out to three straight wins, and he took a set off world #2 Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard will open with countryman Marcel Granollers, with Dan Evans or a qualifier to follow. Evans struggled in the Hopman Cup exo, so Thiem over Verdasco is my pick in the quarters.

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Pablo Carreno Busta will make his 2017 debut after a career best 40-26 record in 2016, that included a first ever positive record on hard courts. PCB may lose his first outing though, as Doha quarterfinalist Nicolas Almagro will face him, after he does battle with serve and volleyer Mischa Zverev, who won a match in Brisbane. I have Almagro facing Benoit Paire in the quarterfinals. Paire was a semifinalist in Chennai, he opens with Alex De Minaur, a wild card who made his ATP debut as a qualifier last week in Brisbane. Andrey Kuznetsov or Martin Klizan will follow, both players look to be struggling early in the season. Paire over Almagro is my pick to reach the semifinals.

Bottom Half:

Pablo Cuevas makes his season debut after a solid 34-23 record in 2016, his best ever on tour. Cuevas much prefers clay though, creating an opportunity for Thomaz Bellucci or Nicolas Mahut to reach the quarterfinals. I have Bellucci, who has never lost to Mahut (2-0), squeaking past Cuevas in round 2. The Brazilian has beaten Cuevas in their last two matches. Kyle Edmund is my pick to reach the semifinals. Edmund opens with a qualifier, then the Dolgopolov/Muller winner. Edmund played great in Brisbane, reaching the quarterfinals and has a great shot at his second career ATP semifinal. Edmund should be favored against Bellucci on a hard court.

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Neither Florian Mayer or fellow veteran Paolo Lorenzi started the year in good form, should Viktor Troicki should find his way to the quarterfinals, opposite Kohlschreiber or Thompson. On home soil I’m backing Thompson to reach the semifinals with upsets over Kohlschreiber and Troicki.

Dark Horse: Jordan Thompson

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Australian fans would love to see a local boy win his first ATP title at home, and Thompson will have a real shot at pulling off that feat. The Sydney native is in the weaker bottom half of the draw, and there isn’t anyone in the bottom of half that is significantly better than his peak abilities. Thompson is playing well in doubles, and upset David Ferrer in Brisbane last week. Look for him to reach the final in Sydney.

Predictions

Semis
Thiem d. Paire
Thompson d. Edmund

I have to go with the safe pick in the top half and predict Thiem will go through to the final. The Austrian seems to care less about being fresh for slams than other players on tour, so I don’t think he’ll pull a strategic tank in Sydney. As mentioned above, Thompson is my other pick for the final, he has a split 1-1 h2h with Edmund.

Final
Thiem d. Thompson

Thiem is the better player, and has seven career ATP titles. He should grab his eight career title while prepping for the Aussie Open.

Troicki and Bautista Agut Score Meaningful ATP 250 Titles in Sydney and Auckland

Posted by Admin on January 16, 2016
Posted in: ATP, Auckland, Steen Kirby, Sydney. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Troicki and Bautista Agut Score Meaningful ATP 250 Titles in Sydney and Auckland
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Sydney

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Viktor Troicki returned to the site of his last ATP title and experienced a healthy version of deja vu as he repeated as Champion in Sydney. Troicki got off to an awful start as the underdog against Grigor Dimitrov, but Dimitrov imploded in the match, Troicki winning by a score of 2-6 6-1 7-6(7). Dimitrov was firing on all cylinders in the rallies early on, but practically broke himself early in the second set, losing control in that set, and then failing to finish off the third set tiebreak as Troicki continued to fight hard, saving a match point in the third.

The result for  Dimitrov is yet another disappointment from the former top 10 player, he does start the season with a quarterfinal, and a final however. Prior to the final he had wins over Pablo Cuevas, an in-form Alexandr Dolgopolov in three sets, and Gilles Muller in straights.

Troicki not only avenged his defeat the week prior to Dimitrov, he also beat Tommy Robredo, Nicolas Mahut, and Teymuraz Gabashvili, the latter two players taking three sets to dispatch. Gabashvili was playing in his first ever ATP semifinal, after home favorite Bernard Tomic tanked his quarterfinal match and retired due to lack of interest after losing the first set.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares defeated Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea in the doubles final, a matchup that pitted two of the top teams in the sport.

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ATP Auckland

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Roberto Bautista Agut won his third career ATP title, and he was aided by his opponent Jack Sock suffering from the flu. RBA got off to an easy start, and it wasn’t difficult after that, as he won 6-1 1-0 ret. with Sock unable to continue with how poorly he was feeling. The Spaniard starts the season 6-1 with a quarterfinal, and a title, prior to the Australian Open, as his hard court game looks to be in great form.

Sock had a fantastic week regardless, he upset long-time Auckland stalwart David Ferrer in the semifinals, and also recovered from an opening set breadstick to defeat Kevin Anderson in a three set quarterfinal. Prior to that he defeated Victor Estrella and Vasek Pospisil without dropping a set, as it’s clear the American is trying to make his move for the top 15 this season. He could struggle in Melbourne however if he’s still feeling unwell.

Bautista Agut beat Jiri Vesely and Donald Young without incident, and then, like Sock, defeated players ranked above him, as he worked past John Isner in three sets, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the same fashion. RBA looks to be making his move to return ot the top 20 soon.

Mate Pavic and Kiwi Michael Venus beat Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky in straight sets to capture the doubles final, giving home fans the excitement of a home player capturing a title.

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Steen Kirby (Marseille)

 

 

Surprise Success for Sarkissian and Marterer at @Sydneytennis Qualifying

Posted by Admin on January 10, 2016
Posted in: Adam Addicott, ATP, Sydney. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Surprise Success for Sarkissian and Marterer at ATP Sydney Qualifying
Adam Addicott, Tennis Atlantic

A series of shocks occurred during the qualifying competition at the Apia International Open in Sydney after only two seeded players managed to reach the main draw.

Top seed and Former French Open semifinalist Ernests Gulbis continued his poor start to the year with a shock first round loss to world No. 198 Alexander Sarkissian. The 25-year-old American clinched his first Challenger title in South Korea last year. Sarkissian dropped his serve only once as he took the match 6-3, 7-5. It is now the second consecutive week that Gulbis has failed to qualify for a main draw of a tournament.

Awaiting Sarkissian in the final round was Poland’s Lukasz Kubot. Kubot, who is currently ranked 29th in the doubles, defeated home player Blade Fong 6-1, 6-2, in his first match. The Polish player was no match for Sarkissian as the world No.198 broke his opponent four times to win 6-3, 6-3, to book his place in the main draw.

Maximilian Marterer recovered from the brink of defeat before stunning Bosnian eighth seed Damir Dzumhur. The German trailed 2-5 in the final set before winning 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(2), after an hour and 58 minutes. The German was on course for a showdown with second seed Sergiy Stakhovsky, however, he was stunned by Australian wildcard Aleksandar Vukic 3-6,6-3,6-4.

In the battle of the underdogs it was Marterer who was triumphant after he edged out Vukic 6-1, 7-6(7). The 20-year-old German is yet to win a main draw match on the ATP World Tour with a win-loss of only 0-2.

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The highest seed to reach the main draw was Kazakh third seed Mikhail Kukushkin. The world No.65 endured a tiring opening match against Matt Reid, lasting over two hours, winning 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(5). His reward was a clash against Spanish clay court specialist  Íñigo Cervantes. Last year Cervantes won three Challenger titles on clay. The final round was another grueling encounter for Kukushkin, who had to save three match points during the final set. After dropping the opening set, Kukushkin produced gutsy play to win 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6).

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Completing the qualifying was French Veteran Nicolas Mahut.The 33-year-old kicked-off his campaign with a 6-1, 6-3, win over Italy’s Marco Cecchinato.  Next up for Mahut was sixth seed Dusan Lajovic. Lajovic enjoyed a straight sets win over wildcard Mayez Elrich in his first match. The final clash was a chance for Mahut to get revenge after falling to the Serbian at last year’s Paris Open. The Frenchman grabbed his revenge after clinching the win 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-2.

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First round matches for the qualifiers

Mahut has a considerable h2h edge over his first round opponent Adrian Mannarino, Sarkissian faces veteran Simone Bolelli, Marterer faces Pablo Cuevas, and Kukushkin has a tough test against the seeded Jeremy Chardy.

Adam Addicott TA Watermark

2016 ATP Sydney Preview and Predictions (@SydneyTennis)

Posted by Admin on January 10, 2016
Posted in: ATP, Steen Kirby, Sydney. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2016 ATP Sydney Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The final ATP stop on the Emirates Australian Open Series is in Sydney at the joint ATP/WTA Apia International as many players will look to get their final tune ups in before heading over to Melbourne for the Australian Open.

ATP Sydney

Apia International Sydney
ATP World Tour 250
Sydney, Australia
January 11-January 17, 2016
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $404,780

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)

1: Bernard Tomic (18)
2: Dominic Thiem (20)
3: Viktor Troicki (22)
4: Grigor Dimitrov (28)

Sydney lacks a top tier player this year as it’s anybody’s tournament to win.

First round matchups to watch:

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Martin Klizan vs. (WC)Jordan Thompson

Klizan is on a four match losing streak dating back to last season while Thompson comes off the semis of the Noumea Challenger. The young Australian still lacks an ATP win, but he’s had some great challenger results and sits at a career high ranking just outside the top 150. On home soil look for Thompson to fight hard and pull off an upset, especially if Klizan fires wildly from the baseline.

Tommy Robredo vs. (WC)John Millman

33 year old Tommy Robredo had a decent fall swing, but last year was a relative disappointment for the Spaniard, and he faces a home Australian who he trails 0-3 in the career h2h. Millman is talented and seems to have Robredo’s number. The Australian won a match in Chennai, and he should be able to do the same here with a quality round 1   win.

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Adrian Mannarino vs. (Q)Nicolas Mahut

Mahut is 5-1 against Mannarino and has won their last four meetings. Mannarino comes in as the champion in the Noumea challenger however, and his form looks to be sharp. The serve and volleying veteran Mahut qualified to snap a four match losing streak, and given the h2h he has a great shot at an upset against a possibly fatigued Mannarino.

Borna Coric vs. Gilles Muller

Muller won a round in Chennai, while Coric reached his first ever ATP final there and is off to a fantastic start at the beginning of the season. The Croatian teenager is talented, but likely tired, and Muller’s serve and volley should do enough damage to earn him the win, and potentially a deep run this week.

Top Half:

Brisbane semifinalist Bernard Tomic captured the title in Sydney in 2013. Tomic is the home favorite and tends to perform well under those conditions. His junkballing game should allow him to get past Thompson/Klizan and then Leonardo Mayer or Sam Groth in the quarterfinals. Groth, and his first round opponent Federico Delbonis, are both on four match losing streaks dating back to last season. The Australian is a big server while FDB prefers clay. Mayer opens with Teymuraz Gabashvili who won a match in Doha, and beat him in Basel last year. The Argentine comes off the quarterfinals in Doha. Groth could catch fire, but I have Tomic over Mayer as the odds on quarterfinal match.

Defending champion Viktor Troicki opens with the Robredo/Millman winner. Troicki won a round in Brisbane and should have enough to beat Robredo or Millman. Mannarino/Mahut or Denis Istomin/Andreas Seppi are quarterfinal options. Seppi is 3-1 against Istomin on hard courts, and he should be able to beat Mannarino or Mahut as well, though it’s a very open section. Seppi has a h2h win on hard courts against Troicki, but the Serbian should be a cut above, and able to reach the semifinals with a chance to defend his title.

Bottom Half:

Dominic Thiem had a great start to his season, reaching the semifinals. The young Austrian appears primed to perform in Sydney as he should have the inside track against Coric/Muller in a great second round match, and likely Jeremy Chardy in the quarterfinals. Muller could also make a run, and a match against Coric would be a young gun battle. Chardy comes off the quarterfinals in Doha, but trails qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin 0-2 in the h2h. Round 2 for Chardy/Kukushkin will be Julien Benneteau or James Duckworth. Benny reached the quarterfinals of the Noumea challenger in his first match on tour since the spring of last year, while Duckworth took a set off Thiem in Brisbane.

Thiem and Chardy have never met, but I’ll go with Thiem’s form, like Tomic’s, to reach the semifinals.

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Brisbane quarterfinalist Grigor Dimitrov should be able to reach the semis, but Hopman Cup finalist Alexandr Dolgopolov (went 3-1 in round robin play), could upset the apple cart. Dimitrov will open with an easy match against qualifier Max Marterer or Pablo Cuevas while Dolgopolov opens with big hitter Thomaz Bellucci and is due to face Alex Sarkissian or Simone Bolelli round 2. Sarkissian qualified as the young American continues to rise. Dolgopolov should get past Bellucci and Bolelli to reach the quarters.

Dimitrov is 2-1 on the hard court h2h against Dolgopolov, Dolgo looks to be razor sharp right now though. He’s one of the most unpredictable talents on tour, but presuming he has it together, I have him reaching the semis.

Dark Horse: Gilles Muller

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There are a number of potential dark horses this week with such an open field. Muller would need to beat Coric and Thiem, but if he beats those young guns, he’ll have a great shot at a run to the final or beyond. He has the game for it, it’s just a matter of how well he serves.

Predictions

Semis
Tomic d. Troicki
Thiem d. Dolgopolov

Tomic is 2-1 on hard courts against Troicki, Thiem has a hard court win against Dolgopolov. I wouldn’t put it past the Ukrainian to run to the title, but he’s very hard to predict.

Final
Tomic d. Thiem

Both Thiem and Tomic started the season with identical records. Tomic is a former champion in Sydney however, and should have a slight edge to capture another Australian Open series title.

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Steen Kirby (Marseille)

 

2016 WTA Sydney Preview and Predictions (@Sydneytennis)

Posted by Admin on January 9, 2016
Posted in: Niall Clarke, Sydney, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2016 WTA Sydney Preview and Predictions
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

Australian Open preparations conclude with two tournaments a week before the first grand slam of the season in Sydney and Hobart. With the Premier status of the Sydney International, many of the top players elect to play here as they attempt to get some momentum behind them for the Australian Open.

The Sydney International  is one of the oldest tournaments on the calendar dating back to 1885. In 2000 it moved to its current home, the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre.

Former champions include: Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport, Chris Evert, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo, Gabriela Sabatini, Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, Monica Seles and Petra Kvitova. Evonne Goolagong and Martina Navratilova share the Open Era tournament record with four titles each.

The Apia Sydney International

Tier: Premier
Location: Sydney, Australia
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $687,900
Date: January 10th-16th 2016

The eight seeded players (Ranking)

1: Simona Halep (2)
2. Agnieszka Radwanska(5)
3. Petra Kvitova (6)
4. Angelique Kerber (10)
5. Karolina Pliskova(11)
6. Timea Bacsinszky (12)
7. Carla Suarez Navarro (13)
8. Belinda Bencic (14)

A strong line up with all the seeds inside the top 15.

First round matches to watch

(4) Angelique Kerber vs Elina Svitolina

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Kerber will be looking to put the results of the Brisbane final behind her this week as she attempts to win the Sydney crown.

The German was been drawn a tough round one against rising youngster Svitolina. The Ukrainian played well in her country’s run to the Hopman Cup final and is certainly a player to watch out for this season.

Expect long rallies between two counter punchers and do not be surprised to see an upset for the fourth seed. It will be interesting to see how Svitolina’s best shot, the backhand, holds up against the leftie forehand of Kerber.

(5) Karolina Pliskova vs Ana Ivanovic

Karolina Pliskova will be playing her first WTA event of the season as she attempts to push on from an excellent 2015. The Czech excelled in these events last season and was a runner up last time out.

Ivanovic took a top 20 wildcard into the event after a shock loss to Naomi Broady last week. The Serbian is in need of wins but will find that tough against Pliskova.

The fifth seed has won their previous two meetings both on a hard court. Her serve and effortless power have proven difficult for Ivanovic to handle in the past, will she have the answer in their rubber match?

Caroline Garcia vs Kristina Mladenovic

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Outside of the seeds there is an interesting all French clash on the cards in the opening round. Garcia and Mladenovic have elected to play doubles together this year with the Olympics in mind, but they will first be pitted against each other in Sydney.

Both are young and talented but have question marks about their mental approach to the game. There will be some good points and bad points as neither girl is consistent, and Halep will be a keen observer as she will meet the winner in round two.

Draw Analysis

First Quarter: Top seed Halep withdrew from Brisbane last week so there will be questions as to whether she will be up to play in Sydney. The Romanian is entered however, and will have extra time to prepare due to her opening round bye. The second round will be interesting as she will meet a talented Frenchwoman in round two. Will it be Garcia or Mladenovic that opposes the world number two?

Pliskova will love to start 2016 similar to the way she started 2015, with a good run here in Sydney. She has been drawn a tough round one against Ivanovic but will take confidence from the 2-0 head to head lead she holds against the Serbian. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or a qualifier will await the winner.

Second Quarter: Kvitova is another player who withdrew in the opening week so there are question marks over the defending champions fitness. Lisicki is not a player  you want to face early on as she does not give you much rhythm. A heavy hitting contest there. Svetlana Kuznetsova or wildcard Tammi Patterson will meet the winner.

Suarez Navarro’s 2015 season was a tale of two halves. She has a lot to defend in the opening few months, can she maintain her ranking? Sara Errani will contest her in round one which will likely be a lengthy battle. Coco Vandweghe or Jelena Jankovic will meet the winner in the second round.

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Third quarter: Kerber vs Svitolina might be the match of the opening round and it falls in this section. The winner will fancy themselves for the quarter finals given Ekaterina Makarova is out of form and she meets a qualifier in round two.

Bencic will be kicking herself after a shock loss to Samantha Crawford last week prevented a deep Brisbane run. The 18 year old will be looking to bounce back in Sydney where she opens against a qualifier. Lesia Tsurenko or Tsvetana Pironkova will await in round two.

Fourth Quarter: Agnieszka Radwanska will be looking to continue her winning streak after claiming the Shenzhen open last week. The Pole’s seeding means she has time to rest up as she gets a bye into the second round. She will have a tough round two against Roberta Vinci or Sam Stosur.

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Bacsinszky will be looking to put her opening week disappointment behind her when she takes to the courts of Sydney. Anna Schmiedlova is a tough opening round with the potential of facing Daria Gavrilova in round two. It is a tough section for the Swiss.

Predictions

Quarter Finals:
Pliskova def. Garcia
Suarez Navarro def. Kvitova
Kerber def. Bencic
Radwanska def. Gavrilova

Semi Finals:
Pliskova def. Suarez Navarro
Radwanska def. Kerber

Final:
Pliskova def. Radwanska

It is a hard tournament to predict with many players likely to try and conserve themselves for the Australian Open. Pliskova made the final here last season so she knows what it takes and that’s why i have gone for the Czech.

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Niall Clarke (Sofia)

 

 

Qualifiers Vesely and Troicki take ATP titles in Auckland and Sydney As Unheralded Players Shine Before the AO

Posted by Admin on January 17, 2015
Posted in: ATP, Auckland, Steen Kirby, Sydney. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Qualifiers Vesely and Troicki take ATP titles in Auckland and Sydney As Unheralded Players Shine Before the AO
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Auckland

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It was a tremendous week for young gun Jiri Vesely in Auckland, the Czech qualified without dropping a set (wins over Thomas Fabbiano and Lucas Pouille), and then beat Thomaz Bellucci, top 15 player Ernests Gulbis (in 3 sets), Donald Young, Kevin Anderson, and finally Adrian Mannarino in the final 6-3 6-2 to win his maiden ATP title. Neither Vesely nor Mannarino had ever contested an ATP final, and it was a new experience for them both, that said the 21 year old Vesely is the player that fans are most excited about, as he is making his move and has now broken into the top 40 in the world. It will be interesting to watch what he does this season.

Mannarino had a great week as well, he will be at a career high ranking inside the top 40 when the new rankings come out. The eclectic Frenchman beat Federico Delbonis, an ill Roberto Bautista Agut, and lucky loser Alejandro Falla without dropping a set, then he defeated another lucky loser, Pouille, in the semis to reach the final, needing three sets as the two traded winners in an exciting match. The draw was entirely blown up in Auckland this week, but the tennis was still exciting, and it’s nice to see some lesser known names have great results at the ATP level.

Raven Klaasen and Leander Paes won the doubles title over Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea.

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ATP Sydney

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Viktor Troicki continued his admirable comeback, and captured his second career ATP title in Sydney. The title is his first since 2010 and he was contesting his first final since 2011. The Serbian beat fellow qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin who was contesting just his third career ATP final. With the 6-2 6-3 victory over Kukushkin in the battle of a qualifiers Troicki has very nearly returned to the top 50 in a short span of time since his comeback to the tour, and he is a motivated, tenacious player at this point in his career, having found renewed spark and fire.

Troicki qualified with wins over Enrique Lopez-Perez, Nicolas Jarry and Stefano Travaglia. In the main draw he upset Martin Klizan, and then needed three sets to oust Pablo Andujar and Simone Bolelli. He beat Gilles Muller, another comeback king, to reach the final.

Kukushkin beat Christopher O’Connell, Denis Kudla and JP Smith to qualify, then beat Denis Istomin, Pablo Cuevas, Juan Martin Del Potro and Leonardo Mayer without dropping a set to reach the final. Kukushkin has never been able to have consistently sustained success in his career, but he is a talented player and perhaps he can have a career year this year.

Rohan Bopanna and Daniel Nestor beat Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau to win a much more predictable doubles final.

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Steen Kirby (Marseille)