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American #1 John Isner Joins Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori and More at 2018 Citi Open
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The 2018 Citi Open has a loaded and diverse field this year. Here is your preview of all the action on hard courts at the ATP 500 level.

Top Half:

Last year’s champion Alexander Zverev will start his title defense against Evgeny Donskoy or Malek Jaziri. From there he should face his big brother Mischa in round 3, Mischa simply has to beat Tim Smyczek or Ricardas Berankis in round 2 to reach that stage. The younger Zverev is favored to reach the quarters.

Denis Shapovalov vs Daniil Medvedev looks like a fantastic round 2 matchup, Medvedev faces qualifier Yosuke Watanuki in his first match. I’ll give Shapovalov an edge until he runs into Kei Nishikori. Nishikori faces Donald Young or Stan Wawrinka, both of whom are struggling, in his first match. The section looks like Nishikori’s to lose.

David Goffin isn’t in great form but a path of Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Mitch Krueger and then most likely local hero Frances Tiafoe isn’t the most difficult. Tiafoe faces Hubert Hurkacz/Ilya Ivashka for a spot in the third round where he has a punchers chance against Goffin.

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The fourth section of the draw is a bit weak. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios are the seeds, neither are in great form and Kyrgios may not be fit. Jordan Thompson comes off a challenger final and I have him defeating Jared Donaldson while James Duckworth should defeat Thai-Son Kwiatkowski. I’ll go with Tsitsipas over Kyrgios in the third round, but this is a tough section to predict. Kyrgios should be favored if he’s healthy.

Bottom Half:

John Isner won Atlanta (again) and looks set to make a run in DC if he’s fit. Noah Rubin or Mikhail Youzhny are unlikely to stop him while Andrey Rublev/Tommy Paul/Alex Bolt will also be underdogs in the third round. I have Isner into the quarters.

Karen Khachanov vs Lucas Pouille looks like a good third round matchup. Khachanov should defeat Lukas Lacko/Denis Kudla, while Pouille should defeat Yuichi Sugita or Vincent Millot. I’ll take Khachanov to advance from the section.

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Despite Andy Murray being in his section, I’ll back Kyle Edmund to make a run. Edmund beat Murray on grass a few weeks back and Murray should still be rusty, even if he defeats Mackenzie McDonald in the first round. I have Edmund defeating Jeremy Chardy in round 3 with Chardy taking on Mirza Basic or Marius Copil in round 2.

Newport champ Steve Johnson looks like a dark horse. Johnson will open with Vasek Pospisil/Alex De Minaur. Hyeon Chung played well enough in Atlanta to suggest he’ll beat Benoit Paire/Marcos Baghdatis, with Johnson or Chung advancing to the quarters. I’ll take Johnson to win the section.

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Predictions

Quarters
Nishikori d. Zverev
Goffin d. Tsitsipas
Johnson d. Edmund
Isner d. Khachanov

I’ll back Johnson and Isner’s form into the semis, while Nishikori should edge the defending champion and Goffin will win a weak section.

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Semis
Nishikori d. Goffin
Isner d. Johnson

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I’ll back Nishikori to triumph in this one though Isner could also win.

Final
Nishikori d. Isner

Nishikori and Del Potro Make Winning Starts at the Citi Open
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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An afternoon rain delay sent play late into the night once again at the 2017 Citi Open, fan favorites Kei Nishikori and Juan Martin Del Potro made winning starts. Nishikori was pushed deep into the third set against Donald Young. The first set was up and down, with Young going down 1-4, and coming back a bit but dropping the first set in the end 6-3. Set 2 would go Young’s way 6-4 as he scored two breaks, and even though he missed a break point on his return game up 5-3, he served out the second set to force a third. The third set had no breaks, but Nishikori had break points in most of Young’s service games, and kept the pressure on, generating three match points. Nishikori would get three more match points in the third set tiebreak, and finally took the match 6-3 4-6 7-6.

Del Potro had an easier time of things against Lukas Lacko, winning 7-5 6-2 as Lacko went away after a close first set that featured five breaks of serve, the last one going the way of the Argentine. Del Potro really picked up his game in the second set.

Other winners on the men’s side included Dominic Thiem and Jack Sock, Thiem lost just a handful of points on his serve against Henri Laaksonen, winning 6-3 6-3, Sock defeated Marius Copil in two tiebreaks. Marcos Baghdatis put a beating on first time main draw participant Edan Leshem, Jordan Thompson dispatched Ruben Bemelmans 6-3 6-2, Kyle Edmund took advantage of Hyeon Chung’s struggles 6-3 6-1, Malek Jaziri beat Alessandro Bega 7-5 7-5.

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Dmitry Tursunov won his first match of the season 6-4 6-7 6-4 over Mitchell Krueger, American Tennys Sandgren had better luck against Go Soeda winning 7-6 6-3, and Argentina’s Guido Pella upset Mischa Zverev 6-7 7-6 6-3. Zverev’s poor form on hard courts is starting to put his career best rankings as of late at risk.

A good number of WTA singles matches were cancelled because of rain, but Simona Halep, Ekaterina Makarova, Monica Puig, and Patricia Maria Tig all came away winners in straight sets. Three American women, Sloane Stephens, Jamie Loeb, and Luisa Chirico were their victims, along with Britain’s Heather Watson.

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Four teams have reached the quarterfinals in men’s doubles. Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, Cerretani/Polmans, Rojer/Tecau, and Kubot/Melo are those teams, with four more spots to be determined.

In women’s doubles the quarterfinalists so far are Mirza/Niculescu the top seeds, Abduraimova/Tig, Lister/Lu, and Aoyama/Voracova the #2 seeds.

Medvedev Edges Opelka in Late Night @CitiOpen Thriller

Posted by Admin on August 1, 2017

Posted in: ATP, Citi Open, Steen Kirby, Washington, WTA. Tagged: 2017 Citi Open, ATP Washington, Citi Open, Citi Open 1st round, Daniil Medvedev, Donald Young, Henri Laaksonen, Jared Donaldson, WTA Washington. Leave a comment

Medvedev Edges Opelka in Late Night Citi Open Thriller
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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Daniil Medvedev needed two and a half hours, and the maximum three sets to defeat American Reilly Opelka, but in the end the experienced Russian took the match 6-7 6-3 7-6. Medvedev had a set point in the first set, that he didn’t take, even though he was steady on serve and saved break points in multiple games. In the second set Medvedev got a double break to force a third set. In that third set Opelka went up a break but quickly lost it, the American would have a match point in the ensuing third set tiebreak, but Medvedev saved it and took the match.

Other winners in round 1 men’s action included Lukas Lacko and Marius Copil over qualifiers Alexios Halebian and Sekou Bangoura in straight sets, Guido Pella over qualifier Ramkumar Ramanathan in straights, Yuki Bhambri via retirement against Stefan Kozlov, and Nicolas Mahut over Thomas Fabbiano in straight sets. Tommy Paul also outlasted young gun Casper Ruud, winning via retirement as Ruud wilted in the heat.

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Henri Laaksonen pulled the upset against Vasek Pospisil 6-7 6-4 6-3, Laaksonen broke at the end of set 2, and then recovered from a break down in the third set to take the match, as Pospisil collapsed from 3-3 in the third. Donald Young defeated Tim Smyczek for the second time in as many weeks 4-6 6-3 6-4. Young got off to a slow start and was broken twice in the first set, but he broke in set 2, and then in a topsy turvy third set he got the final break of the match, saved two break points on his serve, and held his next service game to prevail.

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Jared Donaldson also scored a comeback win, the American beat tour veteran Dudi Sela 6-7 6-4 6-3. He dropped the first set but was in control most of the match, he finally learned how to take advantage of Sela’s weak serve and score the win.

In WTA action Arnya Sabalenka upset Lauren Davis in straights, Julia Goerges beat Francoise Abanda in straights, Andrea Petkovic danced her way to a win against Kurumi Nara, Oceane Dodin upset Jelena Jankovic via retirement, Sara Errani beat Risa Ozaki in straights, Alison Van Uytvanck beat Jana Cepelova, Bianca Andreescu upset Camila Giorgi in three sets, and Mariana Duque-Marino beat Shelby Rogers in straights.

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2017 ATP Washington Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The only 500 level tournament in the United States, the Citi Open, is back for edition #49. Here is your full preview with predictions, as Tennis Atlantic will have on-site coverage all week from the nation’s capital.

Citi Open
ATP World Tour 500*
July 31-August 6, 2017
Washington D.C., USA
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $1,750,080

*denotes joint ATP/WTA tournament

Top 8 seeds (top 16 seeds receive first round byes) (ATP rankings in parentheses)
1: Dominic Thiem (7)
2: Kei Nishikori (9)
3: Milos Raonic (10)
4: Grigor Dimitrov (11)
5: Alexander Zverev (8)
6: Gael Monfils (22)
7: Lucas Pouille (17)
8: Jack Sock (19)

Washington has attracted three top 10 players on the men’s side, and a solid group of top 20 seeds.

Top Half:

Dominic Thiem is back in North America, and as the top seed he has a weight on his shoulders in Washington. The Austrian should slip past Vasek Pospisil or Henri Laaksonen and then defeat Kevin Anderson in round 3. Anderson played well at Wimbledon, and will need to defeat either Malek Jaziri or Alessandro Bega to reach the third round. Anderson’s serve makes him a threat, but Thiem has a better all-around game.

Mischa Zverev hasn’t been in great form this year but should be better than either Ramkumar Ramanathan or a struggling Guido Pella. Gael Monfils should show his range against Yuki Bhambri or Stefan Kozlov, before putting away the serve and volleyer Zverev with his superior movement in the third round.

Milos Raonic looks safe against either Nicolas Mahut or Thomas Fabbiano, given both players are struggling. Atlanta finalist Ryan Harrison should be up in round 3. Harrison needs only to defeat a struggling Marcos Baghdatis, or ATP main draw debutante Edan Leshem. Given Harrison should be fatigued, Raonic is the favorite to reach the quarterfinals.

John Isner and Jack Sock look to be on a collision course in round 3. Sock opens with Sekou Bangoura or Marius Copil and should win that. Isner has won eight matches in a row, and if he can overcome a possible knee issue, he should defeat Dudi Sela or Jared Donaldson. I’ll go with Sock over Isner given the fatigue factor, Sock really could use a win against Isner to boost his confidence this Summer heading into the US Open.

Bottom Half:

Despite somewhat disappointing results this year, Kei Nishikori remains one of the most talented players in men’s tennis, and should defeat either Donald Young or Tim Smyczek in round 2. Juan Martin Del Potro awaits in round 3, Del Potro is a solid player, but he’s still a shell of the player he once was, and Nishikori is the favorite to reach the quarterfinals. Del Potro faces Alexios Halebian or Lukas Lacko in round 2.

Look for the in-form Gilles Muller, a semifinalist in Atlanta, to make a run at the Citi Open. Muller begins against Mitchell Krueger or Dmitry Tursunov, who hasn’t won a match this year. Lucas Pouille will be up in round 3, Pouille will face Atlanta quarterfinalist Tommy Paul, or another young gun, Casper Ruud, who has been struggling a bit, and tends to prefer clay. Pouille is credible on hard courts, but Muller should win if the court is fast enough.

The two remaining sections of the draw are pretty stacked. Grigor Dimitrov is 17-4 on hard courts this year, Atlanta semifinalist Kyle Edmund is likely up in round 2, unless Hyeon Chung spoils things. Dimitrov should be better than Edmund. Talented young Russian Daniil Medvedev should beat big serving American Reilly Opelka, I have Steve Johnson reaching the third round with a win over Medvedev, before falling to Dimitrov.

Alexander Zverev should have an edge against Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios hasn’t been healthy, but he should beat Go Soeda or Tennys Sandgren. Both Ruben Bemelmans and Jordan Thompson are in great form, but Zverev played well enough during the grass court season that he should safely reach round 3, and then defeat Kyrgios, who I doubt is 100%.

Dark Horse: Daniil Medvedev

If Medvedev can find form against Johnson and Dimitrov he could well make his breakout in North America. The Russian has had a fantastic season and he’s primed to be a much bigger name than he is right now on the ATP tour.

Prediction

Quarters
Thiem d. Monfils
Raonic d. Sock
Dimitrov d. Zverev
Nishikori d. Muller

Dimitrov vs. Zverev is the hardest matchup to pick, but I like Dimitrov’s form, the big seeds Raonic, Thiem, and Nishikori should be set to make the semis.

Semis
Raonic d. Thiem
Nishikori d. Dimitrov

On hard courts Raonic’s serve is a formidable weapon, Nishikori should be able to rise to the occasion against Dimitrov or Zverev, before falling to the big serving Raonic in the final. Milos could use a title heading into the US Open.

Final
Raonic d. Nishikori

Washington’s @CitiOpen Offers Strong Field With Zverev, Bouchard, Thiem, Monfils, Del Potro

Posted by Admin on June 13, 2017

Posted in: ATP, Washington, WTA. Tagged: 2017, Alexander Zverev, ATP Washington, Citi Open, Dominic Thiem, Gaels Monfils, Genie Bouchard, juan martin del potro, player field, WTA Washington. Leave a comment

CITI OPEN^® TENNIS TOURNAMENT COMPETITION HEATS UP WITH WORLD NO. 10 ALEXANDER ZVEREV & CANADIAN STAR GENIE BOUCHARD

Zverev vs. Jaziri 2016 Citi Open

American fan favorite Steve Johnson also committed to play; Joins dynamic field including Monfils, del Potro, Isner, Puig, and the Bryan Brothers

WASHINGTON (June 13, 2017) — D.C.’s summer just got hotter as 20-year-old phenom Alexander Zverev and Canadian starlet Eugenie Bouchard join this year’s Citi Open^® Tennis Tournament player field.

Genie Bouchard (Photo: S. Fogleman)

In addition, American fan favorite Steve Johnson has also committed to compete in the 49^th edition of the Washington tournament.

Bouchard, Zverev, and Johnson join previously announced players, including defending Citi Open champion Gael Monfils, three-time Citi Open champ Juan Martin del Potro, World No. 8 Dominic Thiem, 2015 finalist John Isner, and Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig. The Citi Open^®also welcomes back the world’s winningest doubles team, Bob and Mike Bryan.. The tournament will be held July 29 – August 6 at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center and benefits underserved and low-income kids in the D.C. community through the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation.

So far this year, the last few months have been a highlight of Zverev, Bouchard, and Johnson’s seasons. Zverev became the youngest ATP Masters 1000 champion since 19-year-old Novak Djokovic in 2007, when he captured the title in Rome. In the meantime, Bouchard defeated former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova in the second round of the Madrid Open — a three-set thriller that has already been touted as one of the best matches of the year. Johnson, a two-time Citi Open semifinalist, captured the second title of his career in Houston.

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“Zverev is one of those players that you watch and quickly find yourself cheering him on to take out one of the giants. He is an unbelievable player and has such a bright future ahead of him,” said Tournament Director Keely O’Brien. “As for Bouchard, you always want the ‘it’ girl at your event and she certainly is that. Genie has been playing with a little extra motivation this season, so I hope she goes the distance here in DC. And Stevie, a Citi Open fan favorite, is playing 100% with his heart and that can make him unstoppable.”

Single session tickets, weeklong packages and other ticket plans are on sale now at www.citiopentennis.com or by calling the hotline 202.721.9500.

Each ticket provides fans access to the action on all six courts, with both men’s and women’s matches, for as many as 24 matches per session. Tickets to gain admission to the tournament’s signature events will be announced soon.

The Citi Open Tennis Tournament is one of only 13 elite ATP World Tour 500-level events worldwide and the only one held in the United States. The tournament represents a WTA International event and having both ATP and WTA players provides fans the opportunity to watch simultaneous competitions of both world-class men’s and women’s tennis throughout the nine-day event. It is one of only five U.S. tournaments that include both men’s and women’s fields. Main draw matches of the tournament will be broadcast starting Monday, July 31, on Tennis Channel.

–S. Pegarido, Citi Open

Monfils Slips Past Karlovic To Claim 2016 Citi Open Title
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Credit to Christopher Levy @tennis_shots

All Photos Credit: Christopher Levy @tennis_shots

Gael Monfils showed his tremendous talent, as he dug deep to defeat the big serving Ivo Karlovic 5-7 7-6 6-4 in the 2016 Citi Open final. It’s the first 500 level title for Monfils, and his first title in over two years, as he’s historically struggled in ATP finals.

The Frenchman had a great week in Washington, and his positive mood wasn’t dampened after dropping the first set against Karlovic. The 37 year old Croatian was bidding to win his second ATP title in a row, and he got off to a good start, putting pressure on Monfils serve and eventually breaking, although he had to save three break points from 0-40 down in the ensuing game, serving 6-5 for the first set. That initial tightness under pressure for Ivo would rear its ugly head in the second set.

Despite being broken to go down 7-5 5-4, Monfils was not down for the count after all. Karlovic wasn’t broken all week up to that point, but went 0-40 down serving for the match, and although he got it back to deuce, a fourth break point in the game gave Monfils the chance to attack and level up the match at 5-5. He went on to improve his serving and force a third set with a second set tiebreak victory.

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In that third set, the fresher Monfils, a far superior mover, broke Karlovic early, and held serve from there to pull away for the title, leaving Karlovic pleased with his week overall, but disappointed to lose when he was so close to victory. Dr. Ivo had a match point in the second set tiebreak, but it wasn’t on his serve, and despite serving well, with 28 aces and 84% of his first serve points won, he couldn’t win enough return points to prevail in a close match.

In the doubles final, Daniel Nestor and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Lukasz Kubot and Alexander Peya in a pair of tiebreaks, as the veteran Canadian doubles specialist claimed another ATP title.

It was an exciting week of tennis in Washington to kick off the summer hard court season in the USA. The Citi Open organizers, volunteers and staff deserve credit for running a fantastic event.

Monfils, Zverev Setup Citi Open Semifinal Clash
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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In Friday night action at the 2016 Citi Open, Gael Monfils and Alexander Zverev setup a big semifinal clash scheduled for Saturday night, as both fan favorite players continued their good form this week, defeating Sam Querrey, and Benoit Paire respectively.

Monfils played a quick three set contest with Querrey, winning 6-4 3-6 6-1. Querrey showed tremendous power to hit through the ball and push Monfils off the court at times, but Monfils strong serving saved the day for him. The Frenchman got one break in the first set, and didn’t face any break points on his own serve. In the second, a push by Querrey got him a needed break, and he upped his own service consistency to force a third set. Monfils had an extra gear though, with the match on the line, he went 3-0 up in the third after saving two break point chances, and ended up rolling past Querrey, who faded late. Monfils superior movement, and comparable service skill on hard courts was enough to defeat Querrey, despite his best efforts.

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Benoit Paire played a miserable contest, and Zverev dropped him with ease 6-1 6-3 in less than an hour. Paire got jumped by Zverev on his serve, and found himself broken three out of four times he served in the first set. In the second set, Zverev’s lethal baseline play continued, he put tremendous pressure on Paire’s serve and got the break he needed, dominating his own service games to walk away a routine victor. The young German has demonstrated he’s going to be a dark horse threat in later tournaments this summer, and remains in the running for his first ATP title.

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In men’s doubles, Kubot/Peya defeated Johnson/Sock, and Kontinen/Peers ousted a tired Querrey and Chris Guccione in a tight second set tiebreak.

Johnson vs. Karlovic, and Zverev vs. Monfils are the men’s semifinals. The first semifinal should feature tiebreaks and a lot of big serving, while Monfils and Zverev are more likely to contest their match from the baseline and rally for winners. In Men’s doubles semifinal action, it will be Mergea/Tecau against Nestor/Roger-Vasselin, and Kubot/Peya vs. Kontinen/Peers as doubles specialists are the only remaining options for men’s doubles champion at the Citi Open.

Karlovic, Johnson Continue Winning Ways at Citi Open
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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A big day of tennis on Thursday saw Ivo Karlovic and Steve Johnson continue their winning ways at the 2016 Citi Open, and they backed it up on Friday, defeating Jack Sock and John Isner respectively in quarterfinal round action.

Karlovic dominated Bernard Tomic in his round of 16 match, winning 7-6 6-3. A tight first set was followed up by a poor showing in the second from Tomic, who was broken and found himself behind and unable to come back against Karlovic’s ruthless serve. Karlovic, who recently became the oldest ATP title winner at 37, followed up that performance with a 7-6 7-6 victory Jack Sock. Karlovic smacked 26 aces in a match that saw no break points converted by either player. After dropping the first set tiebreak, and not earning a single break point chance, Sock had a chance early in the second, two chances at 3-3, and one more chance at 4-4, but he couldn’t convert, and ended up losing the match in another tiebreak.

Karlovic vs. Tomic 2016 Citi Open

Johnson defeated Ryan Harrison on Thursday 6-4 6-4. He served so well Harrison had no chances to break him, and just a single break in each set was enough to grab the victory. In the quarterfinals he dealt with 29 aces by John Isner, and fended off six break point chances for Isner to win 7-6 7-6 in just under two hours. Isner had four set point chances in the first, but was unable to convert, smashing his racquet after dropping the first set tiebreak. In the second, although frustrated, he battled on, and forced Johnson to save two more break point chances serving 3-3.

Johnson vs. Harrison 2016 Citi Open

A tiebreak would follow shortly thereafter, and what a tiebreak it was. Isner was up 6-3 at one point, but Johnson saved three set point chances, to earn a match point at 7-6. Isner would get set point chances four more times, while Johnson had four more match point chances, before finally converting his sixth MP chance to take the tiebreak 17-15. When it mattered, Isner’s forehand was too erratic, and Johnson dug deep on his own serve to fight through the match. It was simply not Isner’s day.

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In other Men’s round of 16 action on Thursday, Gael Monfils was dominant against a young Borna Coric. Coric was left looking for answers as he lost 6-2 6-3 to the gliding Frenchman. Monfils served with pace and angle, covered the back of the court with grace, and played attack tennis, coming forward when needed, as Coric lacked power on his shots, and at times his returns were wildly off, resulting in unforced errors. Coric got off to a miserable start, as he just didn’t look comfortable against Monfils style, and it never really got better for the young Croatian. Monfils played one of his best matches of the season, and was never pressured on his own serve.

Monfils vs. Coric 2016 Citi Open

Alexander Zverev won a battle against Malek Jaziri 6-2 5-7 6-2. Zverev was the dominant player for most of the match, but Jaziri was a pesky opponent to put away as he battled for over two hours. Zverev needed three set points to close out the first set, after he had saved some Jaziri break points early in the first. Then Jaziri fought even harder, saving break points in two of his service games in set 2, before taking his one and only break point chance of the set up to that point, and serving out the set on his third set point chance to force a decisive third set. In the third, after dropping his first service game, a long one where Zverev earned four break point chances, Jaziri faded, and Zverev was able to win with relative ease to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

Zverev vs. Jaziri 2016 Citi Open

Sam Querrey was the more consistent player against Alexandr Dolgopolov in one of the two late matches on Thursday, winning 7-6 6-3. Dolgopolov produced his share of shotmaking highlights, but after early breaks in the first set for both players, they calmed down on serve and the match ended up in an opening set tiebreak. In the second, Dolgopolov fought on, and he was up a break 3-1, but he wilted from there, and a confident Querrey reeled off five straight games to complete his victory.

Benoit Paire got his match against Gilles Muller moved to stadium court, and put on a stadium court showcase in the late night match. Paire won 6-2 3-6 7-6 over the big serving Muller. Muller was broken early in the first, and broken once more, to allow Paire to walk away with the set without facing any break points on his own serve. In the second, a single late break produced a set for Muller as he held for love to force a third 5-3 up. Muller had an early break point chance in Paire’s long first service game in the third, and he got three more chances with Paire serving 5-5, but he couldn’t convert, and without generating any break point chances in the third, Paire earned a narrow tiebreak victory. Both Monfils and Paire are playing well and look to be in a great mood in D.C.

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Zverev faces Paire, and Monfils faces Querrey in the night time quarterfinal matches in Washington.

Also on Thursday, Sock defeated Dan Evans 6-1 7-5, as Evans seemed a bit gassed after a good week in Washington, and Isner continued his winning streak against Marcos Baghdatis 7-6 6-2. Isner has never lost to Baghdatis, who fought hard in the first, but faded from there, as he looked entirely flummoxed about what to do with Isner’s huge serve. Mergea/Tecau defeated Marach/Martin and Nestor/Roger-Vasselin got past Lindstedt/Troicki in ATP doubles quarterfinal action.

Isner vs. Baghdatis 2016 Citi Open

Johnson/Sock vs. Kubot/Peya and Kontinen/Peers vs. Guccione/Querrey are the remaining ATP doubles quarterfinal matches.

Favorites Advance at Citi Open on Wednesday
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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A full day of play on Wednesday at the 2016 Citi Open saw most of the favorites advance into the next round. On the women’s side, Yanina Wickmayer beat Shuai Zhang 6-3 7-5, Lauren Davis won an All-American battle with Shelby Rogers 5-7 7-5 6-3, Kristina Mladenovic got past Samantha Crawford 6-2 2-6 6-3, and Yulia Putintseva defeated local favorite Usue Arconada 6-4 4-6 6-4 in a nearly two and a half hour battle. The oft injured Jessica Pegula upset Christina McHale 7-5 6-2. and top seed Sam Stosur advanced 5-7 4-3 (ret.) against fan favorite Caroline Wozniacki. Wozniacki hurt her arm late in the first set, and although she won that set, she was eventually in too much pain to carry on.

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In ATP second round action, four American men advanced to the round of 16, led by top seed John Isner, who dominated proceedings against overmatched Australian James Duckworth 6-3 6-4. Jack Sock beat Lukas Lacko 7-6 6-4 in a nip and tuck battle, Steve Johnson had more depth and power on his shots compared to Adrian Mannarino and won 6-3 6-4, and Ryan Harrison upset Viktor Troicki with solid defensive minded tennis 7-6 6-4. Troicki had his chances in the match, but was left frustrated by Harrison’s ability to chase down shots from the baseline and counter Troicki’s more powerful tennis. Johnson has won 12 of his last 15 matches and is in great form himself.

Ryan Harrison 2016 Citi Open

Young gun American Taylor Fritz wasn’t as lucky, he fell 6-4 6-2 to Alexander Zverev. The first set was a long one, as Zverev had to save five break points serving up a break 2-1. Fritz didn’t get another shot to break in the set, and Zverev took it. After facing four break points on his own serve in the opening game of set 2, Fritz was broken serving 1-1, and at that point you saw the will to fight leave him like a deflated balloon. Fritz is talented, but Zverev won most baseline rallies, was much stronger on serve, and showed why he’s ranked 30 spots higher in the ATP rankings.

Fritz vs Zverev 2016 Citi Open

Big servers Gilles Muller, and Ivo Karlovic advanced, Muller was too imposing for the undersized Yoshihito Nishioka and won 6-4 6-1. Karlovic edged past Brian Baker 6-3 7-6, as Baker was too shaky on his own serve against a player as strong as Karlovic. Kevin Anderson continued his woeful season and was upset however. Malek Jaziri won his second third set tiebreak in as many days 5-7 6-4 7-6. Jaziri was steely in his own right, while Anderson faltered when it mattered.

Gilles Muller 2016 Citi Open

Gael Monfils and Borna Coric will meet in the round of 16. Monfils showed off his movement and shotmaking against Rendy Lu. Lu didn’t have an answer as he lost 6-3 6-2. Monfils was in good mood, and won 100% of his first serve points in the first set. Coric advanced with ease 6-4 6-4 over Yuichi Sugita, as he faced practically no pressure on his own serve, but pressured Sugita in multiple return games.

Monfils vs Lu 2016 Citi Open

In late action, Bernard Tomic defeated Donald Young 7-6 6-3, and Marcos Baghdatis dominated John Millman 6-2 6-4.

In men’s doubles, Mergea/Tecau defeated Kudla/Tiafoe, Marach/Martin beat Stepanek/Zimonjic, Kontinen/Peers defeated Huey/Mirnyi, Guccione/Querrey beat Butorac/Lipsky, Nestor/Roger-Vasselin beat Fritz/Opelka, Lindstedt/Troicki beat Cabal/Farah, and Johnson/Sock beat Melo/Soares is an upset.

In women’s doubles, Aoyama/Ozaki, Dabrowski/Yang, Melichar/Xu, and Aoyama/Ozaki are all marching on.

Dimitrov and Bouchard Fall on Tuesday at Citi Open
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Evans vs Dimitrov 2016 Citi Open

Fan favorites Grigor Dimitrov and Eugenie Bouchard crashed out of the Citi Open on Tuesday at the hands of Dan Evans and Camila Giorgi respectively. Dimitrov played with malaise in the afternoon heat, creating an opportunity for Evans that he seized upon. The Brit dictated with his one handed backhand and came away with a 6-4 6-4 victory in less than an hour and a half of play. Dimitrov was broken in the opening game of the match, then broken once more after breaking back. He had a chance at the end of the first set to get the match to 5-5, but failed to do so.

In the second set, it was more of the same, with Evans steady on his serve, snuffing out chances for Dimitrov. Evans attacked Dimitrov’s serve and ended up 5-2 up, and serving for the match. He had three match points serving 5-2, but Dimitrov clawed back, and made a late rally, holding at love to force Evans to serve for the match once again at 5-4. Despite the final game going to deuce, a fifth match point was finally the clincher for Evans, as Dimitrov’s baseline game simply broke down when it mattered. A woeful season continues for Dimitrov, while Evans is perhaps making his move into a regular ATP tour quality player.

Evans vs. Dimitrov Citi Open 2016 (2)

Bouchard, another would be star who has had woeful results this season, fell to Giorgi 7-5 6-4. She was behind the entire first set, at one point 4-1 down, only to break back, before eventually being broken on her own serve when serving to force a first set tiebreak. In the second set, the story repeated itself, with Giorgi going 4-2 up, Bouchard breaking back, but losing her own serve at 4-5 with the match on the line. Giorgi only had one match point, but it’s all she needed to score a big win.

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In other WTA results, Naomi Broady defeated Irina Falconi 6-3 6-4, Sabine Lisicki was all smiles against Kristina Kucova 6-3 7-5, Christina McHale got past the unorthodox Monica Niculescu 6-3 6-4, Tamira Paszek defeated qualifier Lauren Albanese 6-3 6-4, Monica Puig won the lone battle on the day against Oceane Dodin 6-2 4-6 6-3 in two hours, and Risa Ozaki stunned Sloane Stephens 6-2 6-1 in less than an hour. Stephens played one of her worst matches of the season, while Puig looked dominant until she didn’t against Dodin, and had to fight her way back.

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In the lone ATP doubles match on the day, Lukasz Kubot and Alexander Peya won a tight battle against Brian Baker and Austin Krajicek 4-6 6-2 10-8.

As for ATP singles, there were a lot of close tiebreak matches on the day. Brian Baker needed two tiebreaks to defeat the big serving Sam Groth. Groth was poor on return, as is usual, but just a few points difference separated the two men, as a frustrated Groth easily could have been the winner instead. Fellow American Ryan Harrison didn’t play incredibly great, but he still defeated a likely jet-lagged Stephane Robert 7-6 6-3. Ivan Dodig retired down 6-2 4-2 against Yoshihito Nishioka, as he was also feeling the effects of fatigue.

Austin Krajicek lost twice on the day, as he also fell in singles at the hands of Rendy Lu, 6-1 7-6. Donald Young found himself in a tight contest with lower ranked qualifier Ernesto Escobedo, he eventually prevailed 6-4 3-6 6-3, as Escobedo had few chances in the third set to get back into the match. Tall American Reilly Opelka battled hard for what would have been a big win against Malek Jaziri, but Jaziri was steady on his own serve, despite his struggles against the American’s height. The match finished 6-7 7-6 7-6, as late in the third set, Opelka was experiencing shoulder pain and had to call the trainer. With as well as he played against an ATP tour regular, Opelka showed more than a glimpse of his potential.

Reilly Opelka 2016 Citi Open

Another young gun, Denis Shapovalov, put up quite the contest against an ATP regular. Lukas Lacko needed three sets against the young Canadian, winning 7-6 4-6 6-4. The first set of the match featured four breaks of serve, while the second had just one, which went against Lacko. Shapovalov tightened up his game as the match went on, while Lacko forced him to hit a lot of his one handed backhands, a lethal, but at times erratic shot for him. In the third, Shapovalov was serving to make it 5-5, but found himself broken on match point, sending Lacko into the next round by the skin of his teeth. Despite the loss, it’s clear Shapovalov has the game to compete well on the ATP tour as a young gun.

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Alexandr Dolgopolov found himself in a two hour war against Jordan Thompson. Dolgo was cruising up 6-4 in the first set, and connecting on his blistering shots from both wings. He played a miserable second set however, losing it 6-1, and in the third set, he was a comfortable 5-2 up, before getting broken and eventually forced into a third set tiebreak, a tiebreak that he got ahead in, and didn’t look back, taking the match 6-4 1-6 7-6. Though he surely wished the match had been easier, Dolgopolov packed the stands with his exciting play.

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In late action, Benoit Paire dominated Jared Donaldson 6-0 7-5, and Sam Querrey came back from a shock first set dropped against Bjorn Fratangelo to win 6-7 6-4 6-4. Querrey wasn’t broken in the match until late in the third set, and at that point he was still 5-3 up, and served the match out in his next service game to earn an important victory. Thunderstorms moved in late on Tuesday, interrupting Steve Johnson vs. Adrian Mannarino (4-2 for Johnson), Kristina Mladenovic vs. Samantha Crawford (6-2 1-3), and Lauren Davis vs. Shelby Rogers (4-4). Those matches will be completed today.

The tournament marches on today with big matches on both the ATP and WTA side as the top seeds take to the court.