American Young Guns Donaldson, Paul Highlight BB&T Atlanta Open 2015 Qualifying Draw Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
Tennis action from Atlantic Station in Atlanta, GA will begin tomorrow morning at 10 A.M. local time as the 2015 BB&T Atlanta Open (ATP Atlanta) kicks off with round 1 qualifying. The seven highest ranked players to enter qualifying receive byes into round 2, but two American young guns, Jared Donaldson, and Tommy Paul are not among those seeds, and thus will begin their qualifying campaigns tomorrow.
The 18 year old Rhode Islander Donaldson, who now resides in California, has scored ATP main draw wins on US soil in both Memphis and Newport this year and also has a challenger title in Maui, Hawaii, and a successful ATP qualifying campaign at London Queens on his resume this year. The American all-courter decided to turn pro in 2014, and has steadily risen up the rankings since then.
He will open with 24 year old Gastao Elias of Portugal who has yet to break the top 100 in his career. Donaldson beat Elias on clay in both Houston and the Sarasota challenger this year, and given that’s Gastao’s preferred surface, Donaldson should be a favorite to win their matchup tomorrow as well. Elias is on a two match losing streak in singles and last played Davis Cup for Portugal (where they beat Finland on clay).
2015 French Open junior champion Tommy Paul (18) was formerly committed to the University of Georgia, but recently turned pro instead, and the young New Jersey resident is one of the top American junior players around. Paul will face off with a young American who does plan to go to UGA in the Fall Walker Duncan. The 19 year old will have local support as he’s from Atlanta, and he’s the #2 college recruit in the country right now, while Paul was the #1. Both of these Americans could have strong futures in the pro game, so it will be interesting to see the result of their matchup tomorrow.
15 year old Trent Bryde, another Atlanta resident, and the national #5 recruit for his class gets a wild card and will face off with Catalin Gard, a Romanian journeyman who tends to bat around the challenger tour. The winner of that matchup gets Denis Kudla, who made a name for himself at Wimbledon this year where he reached the round of 16.
Below them in the draw, former Louisville Cardinal Andrew Carter faces Matias Castro of Argentina who prefers clay, and the winner of that will face Australian veteran Marinko Matosevic, who has endured an abysmal 3-17 season after previously being an ATP regular. Matosevic hasn’t won a match in months but barring disaster it’s hard to see him not reaching final round qualifying against Kudla, who likewise shouldn’t have trouble winning his first match.
Zimbabwe’s #1 Takanyi Garanganga, another Atlanta resident, will open with former top recruit (class of 2011) Evan Song, an American, given Garanganga is an active player and Song sticks with the futures tour, he should be the favorite to advance, and setup a match with Argentina’s Guido Pella round 2. Pella, who prefers clay, was once a top 80 player but he now sits just outside of the top 100 at 25, and comes off a round 1 loss in Bogota to Sam Groth in 3 sets. Given his limited record on hard courts, he’s not guarantee to reach the final round of qualies, and regardless he’ll be a big underdog against Donaldson/Elias, or J.P. Smith.
Smith, a 26 year old Aussie, comes off one of his best career results as he upset Bernard Tomic and reached the semis in Newport. The former Tennessee volunteer qualified for both Delray Beach and Wimbledon this year, and he just beat Donaldson in Newport, which may give him an inside track to qualify, as Pella appears beatable.
One interesting non-American name in the qualifying is Evgeny Korolev, Korolev was once a top 50 player and has an ATP final on his resume, but outside of Davis Cup for Kazakhstan he hasn’t made waves in years, and he’s playing just his third event of 2015 in Atlanta, where he will open with futures level player Antonio Ruiz-Rosales of Mexico. Even while rusty one would presume Korolev, given his abilities, will work his way into round 2 and setup a meeting with Austin Krajicek who comes off a tough round 1 loss in Bogota, but at 25 has made his move up to the near ATP level finally this year. Krajicek has been struggling in singles as of late but he qualified in Memphis, Acapulco, and Miami, all on hard courts this past spring, and is surely looking to get back in form.
Krajicek-Korolev could be interesting, as conditioning will certainly play a factor given how hot and humid it will be here in Atlanta with the sun beating down. In final round qualies they could meet Paul/Duncan or Kevin King/Yuichi Sugita. King is a tall former Georgia Tech standout who has been around the challenger tour for a while now, while Sugita qualified for Wimbledon and won matches in both Newport and Bogota, suggesting the Japanese journeyman baseliner is in good form. I’d presume Sugita would have enough to qualify over most likely Krajicek unless he wilts in the heat.
Matt Ebden didn’t win a tour main draw match until Wimbledon this year, but he’s 34-15 below that level, and he qualified for both Newport and Bogota in confident fashion, suggesting he’s playing into form going into Atlanta. Ebden is likely to have to face top American junior Reilly Opelka of Florida in round 2. Opelka won the 2015 Wimbledon junior title and he just recently turned pro. He will face off first against Shuichi Sekiguchi of Japan who is a relatively solid 27-11 in challengers and futures this year. I have a hunch Opelka is good enough to beat Sekiguchi, but an inform Ebden with his steady baseline offense probably proves too much, as the Aussie should reach final round qualifying.
The last seed in the bracket is another player who regularly has played in Atlanta, Somdev Devvarman of India (and the University of Virginia). Devvarman is now 30, but he’s been in great form in recent weeks, he won the Winnetka challenger in Illinois on hard court, and also helped India win their Davis Cup tie. While he’s unlikely to turn into an ATP regular at this point, he’s still made a decent career for himself and will almost assuredly beat doubles specialist Treat Huey or 34 year old Ryan Haviland, an American futures regular, in round qualifying round 2. Devvarman-Ebden should be interesting, but given Devvarman’s form and his 2-1 h2h edge, I favor him to qualify.
Picks to qualify:
Denis Kudla (d. Matosevic)
J.P. Smith (d. Pella)
Yuichi Sugita (d. Krajicek)
Somdev Devvarman (d. Ebden)
Tennis Atlantic will have on-site coverage from Atlanta all week, and be sure to keep checking the site for our latest reports from qualifying this weekend, and the main draw starting Monday.
Donald Young (Photo: Chris Levy @TennisEastCoast.com)
Donald Young Scores Massive Win Against Kevin Anderson @CitiOpen
After bombing out at two successive ATP 250s in a row in the first round, Donald Young continues his assault on the tour in Washington. His three set comeback win over Kevin Anderson was his fourth straight win in as many days. His best showing this year was quarterfinals in Houston, so making the semis at a 500 level event is a pretty sweet result with good timing.
Donald Young (Photo: Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots for TennisEastCoast.com)
Young never relented after losing the first set, and kept the match tight enough to serve it to a tiebreak in the second. From there, it was all Young, going up in the tiebreak early and never looking back. In the third, Young broke Kevin Anderson for the first (and second) time in the tournament and held on to win, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2. While Anderson is known for his big serve, Young nearly equaled his opponent in winning nearly 80% of his first service points. He also weathered Anderson’s 11-5 edge in aces, including 6 Anderson aces in the second set alone.
Next up is a semifinal tomorrow against either Milos Raonic.
The Summer of Donald? Young Earns a Straight Sets Win in Washington @CitiOpen
There was a mental letdown today in the Donald Young match. It didn’t involve Donald Young, as it was the other guy’s head playing tricks on him in a 6-4, 6-3 win by the American to advance to the third round of the Citi Open in Washington, DC.
Benneteau never gave himself a chance with 7 double-faults in the match and was only able to save one of his three break chances in the second set. Young himself had just two doubles for the match and saved ten of the twelve break chances he faced.
For Young, the win is a boost to him at a critical time of year for an American player. After falling in the first round at Wimbledon, Newport and Atlanta, Donald’s won two in a row here, over Yuichi Sugita and Benneteau.
2014 ATP Atlanta, Umag and Gstaad Previews & Picks Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
A trio of 250 events are on tap for the ATP world tour this week: two on Europe in clay, and of course, the start of the summer US Open Series in Atlanta on outdoor hard courts. Since I no longer live in Atlanta, we unfortunately do not have onsite coverage from the tournament this year like we have had the previous two years.
BB&T Atlanta Open
ATP World Tour 250
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
July 21-July 27, 2014
Prize Money: $568,805
Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: John Isner (12)
2: Kevin Anderson (17)
3: Gael Monfils (23)
4: Vasek Pospisil (34)
Richard Gasquet pulled out of Atlanta, so the tournament now has two top 20 players in the field, both of whom met in the final last year.
First round matchups to watch:
(8)Marinko Matosevic vs. Victor Estrella
Matosevic is playing his first tournament since Wimbledon with a strong grass court season overall. His recent performances have very nearly propelled him into the top 50. Estrella reached his first career ATP semifinal in Bogota at the age of 33 and he played some great tennis in the Colombian capital, including a straight sets upset victory over Richard Gasquet. Matosevic has a stronger career record and is better on hard courts, but Estrella has the mojo. This match will be interesting, but I don’t see Estrella being able to rebound so quickly, so Matosevic should advance.
(9)Sam Querrey vs. Steve Johnson
Surprisingly, the two top 70 ranked Americans have never met before, but they will meet in the opening tournament of the US Open series. Querrey has not played since Wimbledon, while Johnson has had a career year so far. They both do their best on faster surfaces, and the form advantage favors Stevie J. He should get past Sam here.
Lukas Lacko vs. (WC)Nathan Pasha
ATP journeyman Lukas Lacko will take on UGA tennis star Nate Pasha in what should be an intriguing match. Pasha got a wild card into qualies here the last two years, and both times he pushed his opponent to three sets before losing both matches. Lacko will be a heavy favorite, but he comes off a very poor showing in the Granby Challenger and he has always been known as an inconsistent player. I give Pasha a puncher’s chance to pull off a great upset victory here, and it is worth watching to see what the NCAA player can accomplish.
Top Half:
Local boy John Isner, the top seed, who has never played poorly in Atlanta, will face Robby Ginepri/Sergiy Stakhovsky in round 2. After that, he will get one of Matosevic/Burgos/Ryan Harrison/Tim Smyczek in the quarters.
Harrison will be under some pressure here, as he is defending semifinal points that he can’t afford to lose given his ranking already outside the top 140. Remember that he had to take a wild card to get main draw entry here. Harrison beat Matosevic in Atlanta last year, but I think that result will flip this time and we will see an Isner vs. Matosevic quarterfinal.
Gael Monfils, making his Hotlanta debut, will face Jack Sock or Alejandro Gonzalez. Sock played well in Newport where he reached the semis, and he has a bit of a dark horse shot here. Yet Monfils, who is playing for the first time since Wimbledon, beat him at the AO this year in straights and will likely reach the quarterfinals. Monfils should face Denis Istomin at that stage. Denis the Menace has a qualifier and Pasha/Lacko as his first two opponents. That’s a very easy route to quarterfinal points. Monfils has two indoor victories against Istomin including one this year, but Istomin had a good grass court season, so it should be a high quality match.
Bottom Half:
Kevin Anderson came up just short of taking the title last year and should be thirsty for continued success here. He faces a qualifier in his first match, and then one of Rendy Lu/qualifier/Matt Ebden/Benjamin Becker in the quarterfinals. That’s an easy-breezy route for the top South African player to get to the semifinals and he may not drop a set along the way. Both Lu and Becker have had patches of success this season and Lu likely has the best chance at the quarterfinals.
Vasek Pospisil still cannot find his form since returning from his back injury, and he is in serious trouble of taking a big tumble down the rankings soon. He still has that bye seed line for this tournament and his first opponent will be a qualifier and then Querrey/Johnson in the quarters.
Atlantan Donald Young could spoil the party though. He faces Dudi Sela first. Vashy and Stevie J are very similar players in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, but Steve is playing better right now and has a 2-0 h2h edge, so I have Johnson through to the semis.
Dark Horse: Jack Sock
Steve Johnson is also an unseeded dark horse this week, but Sock gets the designation. Gonzalez, his first opponent, isn’t known to be a particularly gifted hard court player and Monfils has always struggled with consistency. Should he upset the Flying Frenchman, Istomin in the quarters and then Isner/Matosevic in the semis would be his next two opponents. He just upset Isner in Newport after losing three previous meetings, including a meeting in Atlanta in 2012. Sock has the momentum right now.
Predictions Semis:
Isner d. Monfils
Anderson d. Johnson
Isner and Monfils have a lengthy history against each other, and Isner comes out on top in the hard court h2h 4-2. Atlanta is one of the few places that Isner will have more crowd support than Monfils and that should pull him through a potential semifinal meeting.
Anderson and Johnson have met in Auckland and Delray this season already and the h2h record is split. This match could go either way, but Anderson played well here last year and the courts and hot temps seem to suit him well.
I have him going through, probably by winning a pair of tiebreaks.
Final:
Isner d. Anderson
They met last year, and played three nail biting tiebreaks before Isner finally prevailed in the heat. Overall, he has beaten the South African twice in Atlanta and 6 times overall, while Anderson has 4 wins out of their ten meetings. This match would again be all about breaking serve and tiebreaks. A single break of serve or a tiebreak victory likely will swing the needle one way or another if they meet. I’m going with a repeat of last year and Isner to get the title.
ATP Umag
Vegeta Croatia Open Umag
ATP World Tour 250
Umag, Croatia
July 21-July 27, 2014
Prize Money: € 426,605
Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Fabio Fognini (15)
2: Tommy Robredo (20)
3: Marin Cilic (22)
4: Joao Sousa (35)
The clay 250 in Umag boasts two top 20 players and a solid-enough overall field.
First round matchups to watch:
Albert Montanes vs. (SE)Alex Zverev
Montanes has been in awful form as of late, and that makes this match prime pickings for Zverev, who reached his first career ATP semifinal in Hamburg at the age of 17. After being dealt baked goods by David Ferrer in that semi, the young German may be fatigued. It’s hard to predict how he will do. If he’s fresh, he should win this match. Zverev showed excellent skill and mental fortitude in Hamburg, well beyond his years.
(7)Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs. (WC)Borna Coric
ERV is playing his first tournament since Wimbledon, and he faces another great young player, Coric, who is seeking his first career ATP win after three previous 3 set losses between this season and last. Coric hasn’t had quite the rise that Kyrgios and Zverev have had, but he is due for a breakthrough as well, because he is just as gifted of a player. This week, he has a chance to announce his arrival on the main stage.
Top Half:
Fabio Fognini is struggling and he was upset early by Filip Krajinovic in Hamburg. The defending finalist could face a strong opening test with Zverev (or Montanes) but he is still my pick to get through to the quarterfinals to face one of Roger-Vasselin/Coric/Ante Pavic/qualifier. A hypothetical Zverev vs. Coric quarterfinal would be a battle of the young guns. Pavic/qualifier is not that imposing for Coric/ERV.
I am intrigued to see who will survive this section.
Joao Sousa will face Dusan Lajovic/Teymuraz Gabashvili in his first match. Sousa beat Lajovic recently in Bastad and both players have had good seasons overall. Lajovic comes off the quarters in Hamburg and a Sousa-Lajovic round 2 meeting is an absolute toss-up.
Sousa/Lajovic are likely to face Andreas Seppi in the quarterfinals, as Seppi, who has not had a good season, has a weak section featuring a pair of a qualifiers and wild card Mate Delic with whom to do battle. As a three-time semifinalist and a reliable clay court player throughout his career, the Italian number 2 should reach the quarters.
Bottom Half:
Tommy Robredo has continued to struggle. He’s just 1-2 in his last three matches, but with Benoit Paire/Albert Ramos as his first slated opponent, the defending champion should still be able to reach the quarterfinals. Ramos and Robredo have a 1-1 split h2h with both meetings on clay, and Ramos has qualified for both Bastad and Hamburg in consecutive weeks. Robredo/Ramos are likely to meet Carlos Berlocq in the quarters.
The Argentine has had a solid season, but has lost two straight matches. He opens with a qualifier and should be able to snap his losing streak before facing Pablo Carreno Busta/Paolo Lorenzi. PCB has a chance to sneak in the quarterfinals as well, but form is not in his favor after having lost two straight matches.
2012 champion and local favorite Marin Cilic will face Igor Sijsling/Julian Reister in his first match and then likely Lukas Rosol, who is in great form right now, in the quarterfinals. Rosol must first beat Diego Sebastian Schwartzman and Pere Riba/Jiri Vesely. Rosol made the final in Stuttgart and the quarters in Hamburg, but Cilic, who is playing for the first time since Wimbledon, has beaten him three previous times without dropping a set.
Rosol and Vesely are Davis Cup teammates, so if they meet in round 2, they will know each other’s games very well.
Dark Horse: Dusan Lajovic
Coric, Zverev and Ramos could all make solid runs this week, but Lajovic likely has the best chance at doing the improbable. The in-form Serbian must first get past Gabashvili and Sousa, but after that, with Seppi and one of Fognini/Zverev/Coric/ERV awaiting in the semis, he could find himself in the final this week in what would be his first career ATP final.
Predictions Semis:
Fognini d. Lajovic
Cilic d. Berlocq
Fognini is an incredibly inconsistent player right now and he very well could crash out with a double bagel in his first match, but if can play anywhere near up to par, the quality of his opponents should allow him to reach the final. Cilic is a local favorite and a strong player overall who should be able to get through to the final, with Berlocq having a slight edge to advance to the semis.
Final:
Cilic d. Fognini
Cilic and Fabio have a 1-1 clay h2h and Cilic beat Fognini in the Umag semis in 2011. With Fognini being terribly inconsistent, Cilic should take another ATP title this week.
Gstaad Official Site (Photo: Valeriano Di Domenico)
ATP Gstaad
Credit Agricole Suisse Open Gstaad
ATP World Tour 250
Gstaad, Switzerland
July 21-July 27, 2014
Prize Money: € 426,605
Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Mikhail Youzhny (19)
2: Marcel Granollers (28)
3: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (31)
4: Fernando Verdasco (33)
Gstaad has the strong traveling Spanish Armada contingent but just one top 25 player, making it the weakest tournament this week.
First round matchups to watch:
Thomaz Bellucci vs. (Q)Gerald Melzer
The younger Melzer is seeking his first career ATP main draw victory, as he qualified here. Melzer has had a hard time breaking through to this level but he will have a chance against Bellucci, who hasn’t been a good player in a while and has continued to struggle recently. He’s lost two straight on clay and hasn’t had a good result since before the French Open. Melzer should get that elusive first career ATP win in this one.
(8)Dominic Thiem vs. (WC)Viktor Troicki
Usually, the young Dominic Thiem is the focal point of his featured matches, but this time it is Troicki, who is returning from a very contentious doping suspension 12 months later. Troicki has been practicing with his compatriot Novak Djokovic among others to stay in shape. He is playing his first tournament match in a year and he starts from scratch in terms of ranking. There was some contention about whether he would get a wild card here. Gstaad did finally award him one, but Thiem is a tough opponent in any return to the tour. This week, he is seeded for the first time in his career at the ATP level and he has had an excellent season. He won a pair of matches in Hamburg last week and he should give Troicki a good workout as the Serbian seeks to return to his former level, with a serious chip on his shoulder this time.
Top Half:
Mikhail Youzhny will face Filippo Volandri/Kenny De Schepper in his first match. The defending champion has not had a good season and he lost to Zverev in Hamburg, but he should reach the quarters given king Kenny and Super Pippo are in even worse form right now. Youzhny vs. Robin Haase is the expected quarterfinal. That would be a rematch of last year’s final here, though the Dutchman Haase is also struggling and hasn’t had a good season. He faces Aleksandr Nedovyesov first, then one of Gianni Mina or Henri Laaksonen. The Swiss Laaksonen will have a dark horse chance at the quarters, but Youzhny may well reach the semifinals by default this week, thanks to a lucky draw.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez will face Juan Monaco/Victor Hanescu first up, then one of Melzer/Bellucci/Dustin Brown/Frederico Delbonis in the quarters. Both Delbo and GGL have lost two straight matches, but they are still likely to be quarterfinalists here, with Hanescu and Monaco both in awful form and Brown too inconsistent to be the pick. I would favor GGL through to the semifinals.
Bottom Half:
Marcel Granollers lost to Thiem in Hamburg and he’s had a poor season overall. However, with his first match against Yann Marti/Daniel Gimeno-Traver, he still should reach the quarters. Gilles Simon is the seed above Granollers. He faces Pablo Andujar first before Blaz Rola/Fabiano De Paula.
This section is likely to be the most competitive: Andujar has a win on clay against Simon and he won three matches in Hamburg, while Simon won just one and has had a poor season. The Spaniard will have a chance at the upset. Rola is the player to watch here however. He’s been rising up the rankings, mostly under the radar, and he just had a good result in a clay challenger in Poland. This is the type of draw he could take advantage of and reach the quarterfinals or better.
Fernando Verdasco will face Andreas Haider-Maurer or JL Struff in round 2, then one of Thiem/Troicki/Andrey Golubev/Inigo Cervantes in the quarters. Verdasco has lost two straight matches where he was a strong favorite, and it’s Thiem who should get through all that and reach the semis over the Spaniard.
Dark Horse: Blaz Rola
As mentioned above, Rola has a realistic path to the semifinals this week, with Simon/Andujar and Granollers both struggling veterans. These small 250 events tend to produce interesting results and Rola could be another player with a breakthrough this year.
Predictions Semis:
Garcia-Lopez d. Youzhny
Thiem d. Rola
GGL has never lost to Youzhny on clay (4-0) and he has had a better season than the Russian. Thiem-Rola would be a young gun semi, and I like the Austrian to continue his career year and reach his first career ATP final this week in Gstaad.
Final:
Thiem d. Garcia-Lopez
They have never met before, but I’m tipping Thiem to win his maiden ATP title this week. He’s due for one and it should be the first of many, especially on clay.
NICOLE GIBBS DEFEATS MELANIE OUDIN TO CAPTURE USTA PLAYER DEVELOPMENT WOMEN’S $50,000 CLASSIC IN CARSON
CARSON, July 20, 2014 – Nicole Gibbs moved another step closer to playing in her third consecutive US Open main draw, capturing the USTA Player Development Women’s $50,000 Classic with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Melanie Oudin on Sunday at the USTA Training Center – West at StubHub Center.
Gibbs, 21, is a two-time NCAA singles winner at Stanford and earned wild-card entry into the season’s final Grand Slam the past two years by way of those wins.
With one event remaining in the US Open Wild Card Challenge, Gibbs now leads in the standings with 88 points. She is followed by Julia Boserup (63 points), Oudin (48), Louisa Chirico (44) and Sanaz Marand (30).
The final of the three-event US Open Wild Card Challenge is the Lexington, Ky., $50,000 Challenger to be played this week.
It was a tight battle throughout in the final on Sunday with Gibbs holding a 4-2 lead in the second set, before the sole of her shoe came partially off. Admitting she started to “panic,” Gibbs fell down 4-all, 40-love with Oudin serving. Gibbs then played a solid point, was aided by an untimely Oudin double fault and ultimately broke back to serve for the match.
“Tennis is like that sometimes,” said Gibbs, who won this event last year when it was held in Yakima, Wash. Without a spare pair of tennis shoes, Gibbs contemplated wearing running shoes, but opted for a tape job instead, which seemed to do the trick.
Oudin’s first-round loss in US Open qualifying last year to Elena Baltacha ended a streak of five consecutive main draw appearances at the US Open, which of course included her quarterfinal run there in 2009.
“It’s one tournament,” said Oudin, who did not play in Sacramento last week but will play Lexington, of the US Open. “I’m not worrying about this wild card. It’s the last thing on my mind. If I play well I can qualify on my own. But if I do win this wild card that’s just an added bonus.”
Gibbs, a nearby Marina Del Rey resident, said she loved playing so close to home. “Just the title of the tournament, ‘Carson $50,000,’ ” she said. “It’s so exciting to be at the place I train and have my community supporting me.”
USTA Player Development Women’s $50,000 Classic
A USTA Pro Circuit Event
Sunday, July 20
USTA Training Center – West at StubHub Center
Carson, Calif.
Purse: $50,000
Surface: Hard-Outdoor
Sunday, July 20 – RESULT Singles – Final
(2) Nicole Gibbs (USA) def. (4) Melanie Oudin (USA), 6-4, 6-4
Richard Gasquet Signs On For His First @BBTAtlantaOpen
YACHT ROCK REVUE WILL ALSO ROCK FANS WITH THE POST-MATCH CONCERT
ATLANTA, March 26, 2014 – The BB&T Atlanta Open has signed Richard Gasquet, the tournament’s first non-American Top 10 player, to play in its 2014 tournament. This will be Frenchman Gasquet’s first appearance in the BB&T Atlanta Open, which runs July 19-27.
Focused on giving fans a wide range of entertainment, the tournament is presenting Yacht Rock Revue on Wednesday, July 23, following the last match. The concert is included in the regular ticket price and will take place on Stadium Court.
With defending champ John Isner already signed to play, the tournament now has two players currently in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings: Gasquet at No. 9 and Isner at No. 10. Also committed to play in the first men’s event in the Emirates Airline US Open Series, the road to America’s Grand Slam in New York, are No. 2 American Sam Querrey and France’s Gael Monfils.
A versatile player with a fluid, one-handed backhand, Gasquet has taken titles on four surfaces: hard, grass, clay and carpet. All-time great Roger Federer is the only other active player with titles on four surfaces. Gasquet has earned more than $10 million in prize money and reached No. 7 in the world at the age of 20. He has 10 ATP World Tour wins, three of which came in 2013. Gasquet reached the final of this year’s Montpellier tournament, losing to Monfils.
“Atlanta will host some of the most talented players in the world and we’re proud to add Richard Gasquet to the esteemed roster,” said Tournament Director and Chief Development Officer Eddie Gonzalez. “Our vision is for the BB&T Atlanta Open to be a ‘mini US Open,’ and, with this year’s world-class talent, this is our best field ever! We’re also excited to announce fan favorite band Yacht Rock Revue, which ticketholders can hear without leaving their seats. Fans will get to enjoy world-class tennis and then one of Atlanta’s most popular bands, all included in the ticket price.”
The Yacht Rock Revue is known as the finest tribute to ‘70s light rock. Their spot-on renditions of Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald and Steely Dan have enthralled fans across the United States and beyond.
With a new emphasis on themed days and nights, the following tentative events are in the works: free concerts in Central Park, the annual “Tennis Night on the Town” fundraising dinner to benefit the YMCA, Kids Day, Military Night, College Night, 80’s Night, Ladies Day, ALTA and USTA Night and Fan Appreciation Day. The USTA Family Zone will also be open throughout the tournament for persons of all ages to play tennis for free.
—R. Cioffi, BB&T Atlanta Open
Weeklong Ticket Packages are on-sale now and include a ticket to all 11 sessions at Atlantic Station. Four different seating levels are offered and packages are priced as low as $35/ticket. Tickets can be purchased at www.bbtatlantaopen.com or by calling 404-941-9202.
Steve Johnson needed the full 5 sets to topple Tennys Sandgren and book his ticket to ride for Melbourne, but he got things done in a topsy turvy battle of a final that ended up with a score of 4-6 6-3 0-6 7-6 6-1.
Your AOWC 2013 Champion Steve Johnson!
The first 2 sets were defined by early breaks, Sandgren getting an early first set break, and Johnson getting an early second set break, both of which were mostly followed by consistent holds and a split result as both players generated early momentum by set.
Johnson and Sandgren both relied on powerful serves and good quality forehands, while Johnson came to the net more and Sandgren, for the first 3 and a half sets of tennis, had superior mobility, with his speed allowing him to get to most of what Johnson was throwing at him. They both had a lot of lucky shots as well, some long deuce games, and were rattled by a seemingly equal amount of controversial/blown line calls that went against them at key moments in the match, something that changed the momentum of matches all weekend on the men’s side.
Johnson let the third set go after going down 0-3 on the trot and Sandgren seemed to be fresher and making cleaner shots, as well as serving much better as Stevie J had a few double faults mixed in. Sandgren had called the trainer for his knee, something that seems to be a consistent pattern, after dropping the second set. Despite the bagel, he came back very strong and though they were neck and neck in the fourth set, as Johnson went back to matching Sandgren shot for shot, it seemed that Tennys still was in the drivers seat. In fact, late in the 4th, he had a match point that was erased. He had many chances to close out the match, including in the 4th set tiebreak, but he couldn’t seal the deal and Johnson slowly regained momentum. By the time the 5th was underway, Sandgren, after all the running, was out of gas and cramping a bit, allowing Johnson to cruise and tidy the match up.
It’s also worth nothing Johnson was putting it all on the line out there. He suffered 3, if not more, falls/slips on court, including twisting his ankle after a nasty fall as he changed direction and reached for a ball. He needed a long medical timeout to get it wrapped at 4-3 in the 4th set. He played dangerously but it paid off. Sandgren also had quite a few splits and slips on court.
Steve Johnson struggled mightily in late 2013 but he ends the year on a high note by guaranteeing himself an AO main draw spot and a nice delayed payday. Tennys Sandgren will have to play Aussie Open qualies in a few weeks. They are both talented players who hit their high notes at certain times, but the best of 5 set format produced a very worthy winner in the end. Covering AOWC 13 was a pleasure as always!
Although Sachia Vickery predicted a close match yesterday, she can’t be disappointed that she was wrong on that one. Vickery easily dispatched Victoria Duval in the final of the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs on Sunday at Lifetime Athletic in Norcross, Georgia.
In little over an hour, Vickery simply dismantled Duval, 6-2, 6-3. Duval was nursing a sore left knee throughout the weekend, but that didn’t seem to be a factor today. After Vickery came out a little nervous early in the first set, she adjusted well. Her aggressive play left Duval guessing, and Vickery did nothing to allow Duval back into the match. Vickery painted the lines returning Duval’s serve several times, sapping any confidence Duval had left.
After the match, Vickery admitted that the big win “hasn’t sunk in yet. It’ll probably hit me when I’m playing in Auckland next week”.
Vickery stayed loose last night, attending a local high school basketball game to see her cousin play here in Norcross, Georgia. Late last night at the hotel, I saw a huge crowd of friends and supporters show up to wish her luck. She had plenty of friends in the stands today, and seemed to have at least as many supporters as Duval, who trained at this facility in the past.
She also had her aunt and uncle here all weekend, including uncle Nicholas Morain, who is pictured below. Morain was even more ecstatic than she was after witnessing three massive wins in three days.
Vickery with proud uncle Nicholas Morain
Like everyone else in US tennis, Vickery is headed to Auckland. She will not travel with the USTA women’s player posse. She departs tomorrow with her mother and brother and will arrive in New Zealand on Christmas day. She’s actually making her flight plans right now next to me as I type this. She leaves at 10:00 a.m.
Vickery prepares to be interviewed with top ATL sportscaster Sam Crenshaw
You have got to give Atlanta an amazing amount of credit. Remember, they moved this event back a week. There’s a monsoon going on in Atlanta today and it’s three days before Christmas. And yet the crowd might have down 10-15% from previous years. There are rumors swirling that this event may go the way of the US Open and French Open Wild Card Playoffs and be spread over three challenger events in the future. That would be a low down dirty shame. Atlanta deserves this event and they prove it every year.
Tennys Sandgren beat Denis Kudla 6-3 7-6, in a match that lived up to its pre-match billing as a battle, meaning the former Tennessee Volunteer and freshly minted top 200 player has his spot in the Sunday final in Norcross. Sandgren was pushed back early as Kudla was getting a lot of depth on his shots and causing Tennys to have to return from a disadvantageous position at the back of court. He would turn it around though as Kudla could not maintain his style of deep hitting without spraying errors, and though they had long back and forth service games, Sandgren would be the more consistent one and take the first set 6-3.
In the second, after Sandgren called the trainer for some work on his knee, Kudla would sprint out to a lead up 5-3 and serving to force a 3rd set at one point. Denis was connecting on his backhand better and cleaning up his errors, while also serving well, but he could not seal the deal as Sandgren kept calm, holding serve and breaking back to keep the match in the 2nd set. Both players would have chances to either finish the match or force a 3rd late in the 2nd set but it would end up in a tiebreak after some points that were multifacted battles with power, movement, forehands, backhands, slice and volleys. Sandgren came to the net more than Kudla as part of his gameplan and when he could get to the passing shot in time it worked in his favor.
In the tiebreak, Sandgren and Kudla traded minibreaks back and forth in a condensed version of what the entire match had been up to that point, but eventually Sandgren would lock down his serve and after a controversial line call gave him an ace for a 6-5 tiebreak lead. Kudla would exclaim “oh my god, USTA refs, worse than French refs” as part of a monologue in frustration. One point later Tennys would seal the deal after Kudla made yet another return error, an issue that kept spoiling his play all afternoon.
Tennys Sandgren
Steve Johnson will be Sandgren’s opponent in the final. He had a much easier time against Chase Buchanan, who seemed outgunned. Johnson won 6-0 6-4 after blitzing past a meek Buchanan in the first and dealing with any and all resistance he put up in the second set, holding his serve with consistency.
Duval, Vickery Advance to USTA Australian Open Wild Card Final
Duval
Vicky Duval’s left knee held up today long enough to survive top seed Shelby Rogers to advance to tomorrow’s USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoff Final at Lifetime Athletic in Norcross, Georgia. Rogers did her best to move Duval all over the court to exploit the health advantage, but Duval’s accuracy allowed her to hold off the South Carolinian by a score of 6-4, 7-5. Rogers was out of the facility and on her way to pack for her long flight to New Zealand after a very quick shower.
A Warrior
#168 Duval will face Sachia Vickery in tomorrow’s final after a long and pushing match against Grace Min. It was not a pretty one to watch, as both players simply tried to wear each other down with long but unimpressive rallies. “We played and trained together so much, we really know each other’s games well”, Vickery admitted after the 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 grind.
Vickery
Both finalists have reached the second round of a major before, and one will earn a direct chance to do it again. Vickery won their only pro meeting 6-0, 6-4 in Midland qualifying earlier this year. Vickery says she would expect a closer result tomorrow. Colette Lewis and others on twitter quickly and correctly pointed out that these players are hardly strangers, with several previous encounters as juniors.
Since no one else will probably say it, I will. I think it is a testament to the growth of tennis that two African-American young women will meet for this title tomorrow. Even with the success of Sloane Stephens, Stephens and the Williams have been the exception rather than the rule in American tennis. This is a significant achievement for pro tennis and bodes well for the future interest in the women’s game in the United States.
Tomorrow’s final will begin at 1:00 p.m. I want to personally apologize for the twitter meltdown. This place is a wi-fi desert. Erik Gudris of @ATNTennis is using T-Mobile and doesn’t seem to be having the same problems the rest of us are. If you’re not following him yet, it be a good idea. In fact, @RickRoswell has three phones here with separate carriers and couldn’t get a single one to work. This is what twitter was like in 1995, if twitter had been around in 1995.
Tennis Atlantic 