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A look at the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open Player Field
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open, part of the 2016 Emirates US Open Series, is set to feature some of the most exciting young players on the ATP World Tour, they will be joined by a host of American and international players who are fan favorites, as the 250 level tournament is slated to have its best player field ever. Tournament director Eddie Gonzalez announced that Australian #1 Nick Kyrgios will be playing in Atlanta for the first time, joined by Borna Coric, Taylor Fritz, Lucas Pouille, and Kyle Edmund, all talented young players that should be creating highlights on the ATP tour for years to come.

The 21 year old Kyrgios reached the semifinals of the Miami Masters this year and won his first ATP title in February, he’s set to do well at Wimbledon as well given his previous grand slam exploits which included the 2014 Wimbledon quarterfinals. Coric has burst into the top 50 this season and is still seeking his first ever ATP title. The 19 year old Croatian has two ATP finals this season.

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Fritz joining the player field continues the tradition of young American talent taking part in the BB&T Atlanta Open. The 18 year old pulled off a shocker when he reached the final of the 250 tournament in Memphis, which made him the youngest American to reach an ATP final in history.

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Pouille is 22, and he recently improved his ranking into the top 30 while still seeking his first ever ATP title. Pouille has an ATP final this season, and also reached the semifinals of the Rome Masters tournament.

Edmund is currently ranked just inside the top 70, and like the others, he’s making his Atlanta debut. After a pair of challenger titles thus far this season, he’s demonstrated encouraging signs of his progress as the British #2 singles player at just 21 years old.

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The BB&T Atlanta Open also features the return of big servers John Isner and Kevin Anderson, Isner has won the title in Atlanta three consecutive times, and prior to that he reached a pair of finals in his home tournament.The American #1 loves Atlanta and it’s always the one of the highlights of his tennis season. Anderson was a finalist in 2013 and after struggling with injuries this season he should be eager to return to a tournament where he has good vibes. Atlanta native Donald Young also returns to his home tournament hoping more success than he’s had in previous years. University of Georgia senior Austin Smith, an Atlanta native, has also been given a wild card to make his ATP main draw debut after leading the Bulldogs to success.

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Exciting shotmakers are also joining the player field this year, Benoit Paire‘s backhand and Fernando Verdasco’s forehand are two of the best shots in tennis, and Alexandr Dolgopolov is incredibly creative with his tennis. Verdasco, a former top 10 player, has an ATP title this season.

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Other players slated to participate include Jeremy Chardy, Albert Ramos, the doubles great Marcel Granollers, Adrian Mannarino, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, John Millman, and Diego Schwartzman, as the Atlanta Open has a very international flavor this year.

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The BB&T Atlanta Open will feature a special 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games gold medal rematch between Andre Agassi, who won Gold, and Sergi Bruguera who took home the Silver medal. 20 years after their match, both players are eager to play once again in an exhibition for fans to enjoy.

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Held at Atlantic Station in the heart of Atlanta July 30-August 7, you can learn more about the BB&T Atlanta Open and purchase tickets at http://www.bbtatlantaopen.com

2015 ATP Atlanta (BB&T Atlanta Open) Weekend Qualifying Wrap: Americans and Veterans Prevail
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Somdev Devvarman vs. Treat Huey

Qualifying rounds 1 and 2 were completed over the weekend at the 2015 BB&T Atlanta Open. The side courts were utilized for qualifying (grandstand, Court 1, and one of the practice courts), as stadium court was used for the Commodores concert Saturday night and now after finishing touches the showcase court is ready for use for play on Monday when the main draw begins.

The conditions played a major factor in the match results, as it was blisteringly hot and sunny over both days, with only the occasional breeze making things more hospitable for players, officials, and spectators alike. All of the players who battled hard in their matches, win or lose, serve as a testament to the grit and will required to reach the ATP level in professional tennis, as all the qualifying participants certainly hope to reach that level, or get back to it.

Saturday Recap

On Saturday two of the young gun Americans, Jared Donaldson and Tommy Paul won hard fought matches, while 15 year old Trent Bryde shocked in his round 1 qualifying win, and Reilly Opelka didn’t have as much luck as his three fellow Americans and fell in defeat.

Donaldson maintained his composure, and confident attitude against Gastao Elias on grandstand, the first set lasted over an hour, though things were comfortably on serve up to 4-4. At that point Donaldson generated a break point and three deuce points against the Elias serve, only to fail to convert, and face a break point of his own at 4-5 serving, that game likewise going to three deuces before Donaldson held on.

The young American and his more experienced Portuguese rival both played high quality tennis overall, showing deft touch. Donaldson, given his background on fast surfaces was the more aggressive player, coming to net more often, while Elias moved well and imparted spin on the ball, given his background on clay. The first set went to a tiebreak, and serve proved relatively meaningless in that tiebreak with a total of five minibreaks created. Eventually Elias won three points in a row to get it to 6-3, and though he needed three set points, he did close out the first set.

Donaldson was disappointed but resolute as he battled back, perhaps helped by superior conditioning for the American summer weather. He broke Elias for 3-1 in set 2, and after saving a break point that would have given the break away in the next game, he would sail through the set without facing another breakpoint, closing it 6-3, after failing to convert three break point chances 4-1 up.

Jared Donaldson was clutch

Set three took a similar path as the previous two sets, play was calm and on serve until Elias got broken easily for 4-3 Donaldson, Donaldson would have two break points in the next game to go up 5-3, and then Elias was mentally and physically beaten at that point, getting broken on Donaldson’s third match point of the game the result finishing 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3. One thing to note is both players served poorly in terms of first serve % and the number of double faults they posted, but still generally held their serves.

Prior to that match Tommy Paul beat what is ranking wise the second best player in his American high school recruiting class, Walker Duncan 6-3 7-6(9) in a little over an hour and a half. Duncan had a lot of fans in the stands as he’s a local player and a future Georgia Bulldog, but the fans certainly respected the play of Tommy as well, and overall it was an exciting atmosphere for a round 1 qualifying match.

Both players started very tight and their serves were not up to ATP quality by any measure, Duncan especially as he posted just one ace and six double faults in the match. Duncan, who made efforts to get the crowd into the match and on his side, started out the stronger of the two players, as he had a break point at 2-3. However when he had a chance to put the point away and go up 4-2, he slipped and fell on the court instead, and after that the momentum entirely shifted to Paul’s favor.

The Jersey boy decked out in Nike apparel broke Duncan in the next game as Walker totally went off the boil and seemed to check out mentally. From 2-3 Duncan lost the next four games rather routinely, and after the first set it looked like he might be headed for the showers rather quickly.

However, to his credit the teenager fought back and pulled himself back into the match. Paul, who is a good mover and plays good defensive tennis, would have improved his chances by being more aggressive and moving up the court, as Duncan’s big hitting, including a powerful forehand, started to do damage in the second set, as he kept the errors down, unlike set 1. Duncan’s impressive power got him a break for 2-1, but he would give up that break serving 3-2, and from there things were straightforward on serve until 5-5.

The end of the second set is where things got rather hairy, and the match was hanging in the balance, Paul got broken again and Duncan had a chance to serve out the set and force a third set, a third set he may well have won, but with his poor serve he couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Paul broke and forced a tiebreak and though Duncan would have two more set points, Paul finally advanced on his 4th match point, taking it 11-9 after multiple minibreaks of serve.

Paul is a talent but needs to add weapons to his game to compliment his defense and strong footwork while Duncan has firepower from the baseline but must improve his serve and work on playing with controlled aggression, rather than just aggression. Still on hard courts at least, they both showed signs of promise, and it will be interesting to see how they develop.

Paul signing for fans post win with @sharkotennis standing by

Trent Bryde, 15, joined ranks with Felix Auger Aliassime, a 14 year old Canadian, as notable young teens to win against major pro opponents. Bryde shocked veteran journeyman Catlin Gard 7-6(4) 6-2 as Gard was 5-2 up in the first set and collapsed from there, winning just three more games the rest of the match.

Shuichi Sekiguchi is making his move at this BB&T Atlanta Open, and his wins over the weekend have moved him one match away from qualifying for his first ATP main draw tournament. The Japanese player has a game similar to his national counterparts, and many Asian men’s players. He’s a speedy counterpuncher who relies on moving his opponents around the court, but lacks the size and strength to impose himself, and thus has to stick to the baseline, and rallies over big serves. This approach worked deceptively well against the big American young gun Reilly Opelka, who is built similar to players such as John Isner and Kevin Anderson. Opelka, with is tall frame, is a big server, and has a powerful forehand to go with that, but his footwork was lacking, and he struggled to adjust his body around the court as Sekiguchi absorbed his power and moved the ball around.

Opelka winces from a tight shoulder

Opelka failed to generate a break point until the last game of the match and appeared to be bothered by pain in his shoulder/neck throughout, as he kept rolling his head and shoulder and wincing while toweling off. Sekiguchi broke at 3-2 in set 1 (the set finished 6-4), and then one final time for 5-4 in set 2, as he saved two break points, likely caused by nerves, and served out the match 6-4 6-4.

In other Saturday results doubles specialist Treat Huey beat Ryan Haviland 7-6(8) 6-3, Yuichi Sugita joined Sekiguchi as Japanese winners, Sugita advancing over local favorite Kevin King 6-4 3-6 6-3 as King put up a hard fought in front of friends and family. Evan Song blitzed Takanyi Garanganga 6-4 6-1, Evgeny Korolev survived a surprisingly close match with Antonio Ruiz-Rosales 6-2 2-6 7-6(3), and Andrew Carter got an automatic walkover vs. Matias Castro.

Sunday Recap

Sunday saw the qualifying seeds take to the courts and most of them performed well. #1 qualies seed Denis Kudla rolled past Bryde 6-1 6-1 in what was a great learning example for the teen, Marinko Matosevic beat Carter 6-3 6-2, as he tries to find form and snap his run of poor results, Guido Pella was skillful against Song 6-2 7-6(5) as the difference in ranking showed, and Sugita played a better match than Saturday and got past the still maturing Paul 6-3 6-3. American Austin Krajicek also played a great match, while Evgeny Korolev continued to show rust, Krajicek winning 6-3 6-3.

Two seeds fell in defeat however, Matt Ebden struggled in the heat and Sekiguchi upset him 7-5 5-2, conditioning explaining the upset, and Jared Donaldson played an extremely hard fought match and toppled J.P. Smith, an opponent he had lost two twice previously this year, 6-7(5) 7-6(3) 6-4. The match was close throughout, and Donaldson has twice engineered clutch comebacks in his matches.

In regards to Donaldson, he’s not only a clutch, and talented tennis player, he also comes across as a true class act on and off the court. Respectful to opponents, ball kids, and the officials, and very accommodating with fans, including a family that is a bit of a legend at the BB&T Atlanta Open as they are the spirit of the tournament. After his win over Smith, Donaldson was approached by the famous group that I’ve cataloged previously on this site as the young man is a huge fan of John Isner, loudly declaring it to anyone within earshot during matches, and the girl simply supports young American men on the rise, formerly Ryan Harrison, and now Jack Sock (and of course Donaldson).

He posed with them for photos, autographed their items, and went above and beyond, as he handed out his sweatbands and headbands for the kids, who reacted with glee. He then kindly posed for a group photo, and quipped back “Jack Sock, not me?” when the girl said her favorite player was now Sock, and Donaldson overheard, resulting in laughter from everyone. Simply put it’s great to see a young talent have such a humble and friendly attitude, and it should serve him well and win him many new fans.

Donaldson with BB&T Atlanta Open Superfans (note the head and sweatbands from JD)

In the other interesting match of the day Somdev Devvarman beat another former University of Virginia player Treat Huey 7-5 6-3. The first set was long, though the points themselves were quick, but eventually Huey’s serve and volley game couldn’t stand up to Devvarman’s superior ground game as the Indian advanced to final round qualifying. Eight players remain in qualies, and are competing for the final four qualifying spots on Monday.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Steen Kirby (Marseille)

Local Collegians Move On During First Day @BBTAtlantaOpen #BBTAO

Posted by Admin on July 14, 2012

Posted in: Atlanta, ATP. Tagged: atlanta, atlantic station, atp, bulldog, college tennis, georgia tech, uga, yellowjacket. Leave a comment

Local Collegians Move On During First Day at BB&T Atlanta Open

Kevin King: King for the Day at Atlantic Station

ATLANTA, July 14, 2012 – Three times during their collegiate careers, Wil Spencer of the University of Georgia got the better of rival Kevin King from Georgia Tech. Competing now as professionals on the ATP stage, King finally was able to reverse the outcome, earning a 6-4, 6-3 victory Saturday over Spencer in the first round of qualifying at the BB&T Atlanta Open. The BB&T Atlanta Open will be held at Atlantic Station July 14-22 and is the first men’s event in the Emirates Airline US Open Series.

“Today I was able to win the closer games,” King said. “It did feel a little different out there. I mean, you’re not playing for a college team. You’re out there on your own court and everyone just watching your match.”

King, whose father Bill played football at Villanova, hails from Peachtree City and recently concluded his collegiate career as Georgia Tech’s all-time wins leader in doubles. King finished with 90 doubles victories, surpassing the previous Tech career record of 82 by Sergio Aguirre (1997-01).

Spencer began his collegiate career at Texas A&M and transferred to Georgia after his second year. He led the Bulldogs to the semifinals of the 2011 NCAA Championships and the Championships of the 2012 SEC Tournament.

“It was just the luck of the draw,” Spencer said. “It’s always going to be a little more competitive because of the rivalry.”

King, 22, broke a string near the end of the first set, but said that not only didn’t deter him but actually made him play better. “I got that set and then relaxed and was able to play better in the second,” he said.

Last year at this event, King made headlines taking advantage of a main draw wild card in doubles and teaming with former Georgia Bulldog Drake Bernstein to knock off the top-seeded team of Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram.

Like King, Bernstein once again capitalized on his wild card entry on Saturday to defeat Bradley Cox of Duluth, Ga., 6-3, and up 5-0 before Cox retired from the match.

Another Georgia Bulldog, Nathan Pasha, took the first set off of No. 5-seeded Rik De Voest of South Africa before falling, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-5.

And the fourth and final Bulldog in the draw, Ignacio Tamboda, lost his match to No. 2-seeded Ricardo Berankis of Lithuania, 6-2, 6-1.

Judd Motz, a nationally ranked high school junior from nearby Norcross, got a taste of the big-time as he drew No. 6-seeded veteran Tim Smyczek and lost, 6-0, 6-1. Smyczek called Motz a good player, but didn’t want to spend any extra time on court because of the hot temperatures. “In this heat the less time you stay on the court the better,” Smyczek said. “I love the venue here. It’s a great atmosphere.”

–R. Cioffi, BB&T Atlanta Open

2012 BB&T Atlanta Open Media Walk-Through #ATP

Posted by Admin on July 10, 2012

Posted in: Atlanta, ATP, BB&T Atlanta Open. Tagged: Andy Roddick, atlanta, atlantic station, atp, BB&T Atlanta Open, John Isner. Leave a comment

The Skyline provides a brilliant backdrop

BB&T Atlanta Open Media Walk-Through

Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com

I’ll be onsite to cover the BB&T Atlanta Open, which starts Saturday and runs all of next week for Tennis East Coast. Today, I took part in the media walk-through for local Atlanta Area media. This walk-through was a great chance to talk with media director Ron Cioffi, get a feel of the brand new grounds, and get a lot more info on how the whole tournament will go down.

The BB&T Atlanta Open, which is the 1st tournament on the Emirates US Open Series and an ATP World Tour 250 tournament, is going to be held right in the heart of midtown Atlanta, with the backdrop of the ATL skyline. It will be held inside the unique area that is Atlantic Station, a work, live and play style community that in addition to the tennis, will feature plenty of restaurants, shopping and other activities for fans and others to partake. There are 3 competition courts where singles and doubles matches will take place. The Stadium and Grandstand sit adjacent to each other while court 3 is just a short walk away, next to the 3 practice courts. This tournament is special on the ATP World Tour, as it is held right in the heart of a major city, rather than uptown or in the suburbs.

Isner and Roddick are sure to bring the fans in

This is my first time covering the Open, but it was held the last 2 years at the suburban tennis club Racquet Club of the South (which you may know as it is where Melanie Oudin and a few other tennis pros from Atlanta have trained), and plans to remain at Atlantic Station for at least the next 3 years. Because of this location change and an exciting field that will feature the entire US Mens Olympic singles team of Andy Roddick, Ryan Harrison, John Isner and Donald Young (both local favorites) and others including Kei Nishikori, the inspiring Brian Baker and defending champ Mardy Fish, ticket sales are up 30%. Roddick said in a conference call today with Tennis East Coast and other media that he plans to give “100% effort in Atlanta” as he prepares for the Olympics. The event has a new title sponsor in BB&T, as does the US Open Series with Emirates Airlines and is managed jointly by USTA Southern and USTA National. The tournament director is Bob Bryant.

In addition to the top notch tennis courts, including a Stadium court that seats a little over 3,600, the Open will have a variety of events for the whole family, including a Publix Family Zone that will feature 10 and under tennis, a vendors row for tennis fans to browse and shop, and the roving USTA Smash Zone, that features Wii games and other activities for kids, and maybe adults too.

3 practice courts

The action starts Saturday with 1st round qualifying at 9 AM, and that will be quite an exciting day. In addition to 1st round qualifying action, the band Sister Hazel will perform at the draw ceremony that evening and top South African player and former Illinois Fighting Illinistar Kevin Anderson will be on hand along with American veteran James Blake to comment on the draw. On top of all that, on Sunday evening, Mardy Fish and Ryan Harrison will team up with local Atlanta chefs and battle it out in a cookoff. Finally, that afternoon, media members will take part in a 10 and under tennis tournament that I’ve heard can be quite competitive. A full list of events can be found here http://www.bbtatlantaopen.com/TournamentInformation/Special_Events/?intloc=headernavsub

Speaking of the media, our accommodations are excellent, inside a newly renovated building right across from the main stadium court, the player locker rooms, players lounge and press conference room. It will be quite ‘up close and personal’, as all are in the same building.

Media Director Ron Cioffi and Media Intern Blake Shessel

In short, the BB&T Atlanta Open promises to be exciting and fun-filled from start to finish. If you are in the Atlanta area, tickets are still available, with a variety of options to chose from. There are plenty of reasons to come out and watch some of the world-class action and take part in the various events. I’ll have a full preview of the ATP player field on Friday.