Bjorn Fratangelo

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Michael Mmoh, 2018 Charlottesville Challenger

It’s Quarterfinals Friday at Charlottesville Challenger

Paris it is not, but eight men are vying for smaller hardware this weekend at the Charlottesville, Virginia Men’s Pro Tennis Challenger at the Boar’s Head Resort, home of the University of Virginia tennis program.

I’ve attended this event seven times in the past, but only once for the final weekend of the event. As more than half the playing field had been dismissed prior to my arrival, I found the resort to be less crowded and was surprised to see players hanging around who’d lost their singles and doubles matches, just killing time before Knoxville.

First up this afternoon is 8 seed Peter Polansky against Jelle Sels of the Netherlands. The Canadian is a 2013 finalist at this event and is now 9-3 in Charlottesville main draw matches. This will be a first time match-up between the players.

ADVANTAGE: POLANSKY

Favorite “Son” Thai-Son Kwiatkowski of the University of Virginia impressively dismissed 2017 Charlottesville champion Tim Smyczek yesterday and will need another big showing today against 2 seed Michael Mmoh to advance to the semifinals. Mmoh won a two-setter against the tricky Evgeny Karlovsky on Thursday, and he was happy to get out in two sets after the Russian pulled the upset on Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday. Mmoh is now 8-2 in his last ten matches on hard courts and has a 7-3 cumulative record in this event. This is another first time meeting.

ADVANTAGE: MMOH

Bradley Klahn is assured of being ranked inside the top 100 next week, and how high he’ll go in the rankings depends on where he lands this weekend. The tournament’s top seed, Klahn hasn’t disappointed in the early rounds, and today will be a real test in Bjorn Fratangelo, who is enjoying a resurgence of his form. Fratangelo is 9-1 in his last 10 hard court matches. Fratangelo also owns a 3-1 head to head advantage over Klahn. Expect this one to go three.

ADVANTAGE: FRATANGELO

The happy hour match will feature the biggest man in the entire American Fall Challenger circuit: Ivo Karlovic. 2015 Charlottesville finalist Tommy Paul will try to size him up today. Paul is a lucky loser who’s ripped off two big wins after failing to qualify, beating Noah Rubin and Kamil Majchrzak in straight sets. Both players are 8-2 in their last 10 hard court matches and something will have to give. In yet another first time meeting between players, I’m going to have to go with Dr. Ivo.

ADVANTAGE: KARLOVIC

—S. Fogleman

Fritz, Opelka, and Young Score Comeback Wins at 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic\

Three of the four ATP main draw matches at the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open on Wednesday featured comeback wins, and all four matches featured American winners advancing to the quarterfinals.

Taylor Fritz struggled with shoulder pain early in his match against Bjorn Fratangelo, and the underdog Fratangelo was able to pounce on him, taking the first set 6-4. Fritz came back however, winning the match 4-6 6-3 6-2, as in the end, his superior power and groundstrokes outpaced a dogged Fratangelo. Fritz had to save break points serving for the second set and he dropped serve once in the third, as his serve was never strong in the match, something that is a cause for concern going forward.

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Fritz’s best man at his wedding, Reilly Opelka, scored the best win of his career on Wednesday afternoon over Kevin Anderson 6-7 6-3 7-5 in comeback fashion. The matchup with Anderson was like playing a more experienced copy of himself for Opelka. Both players were confident in their powerful serving given their height, and their movement, and forehand were also solid for men of their size, despite not being elite movers or baseline battlers. Opelka has made huge strides this season and he’s into his first ATP quarterfinal.

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Anderson was shaky on the day, as he has been all season, and perhaps not feeling 100%, as he took a medical timeout in the first set after saving four break points in the game after he was broken back after an early break. Opelka had to save two set points in the first set and then force a tiebreak, Anderson’s superior experience showed in the tiebreak as he took it.

Opelka was determined to not end up in another tiebreak. After getting frustrated at a perceived delay in the match by Anderson, Opelka channeled that frustration to get an early break, and despite going 0-40 down serving 4-2, the American dug out a hold, and went on to take the second set and force a third in routine fashion.

In the third it looked like Anderson would pull away and take the match as expected, he got a break after saving three break points on his serve, and he was 5-2, and eventually 5-4 up, as Opelka held the next game at love. However, Anderson got tight, and after missing two match points on his own serve, he surrendered the game on Opelka’s fourth break point chance. His consistency was lacking, and he couldn’t connect on an ace serve when it counted. A disappointed Anderson was broken in his next service game, and Opelka had a routine hold to capture the big win in three long sets.

Donald Young earned yet another comeback win, as he beat Tim Smyczek in a close battle 4-6 7-6 6-3. Smyczek had every chance to close out the match, but failed to do so. The first two sets saw seven breaks of serve in total, and Smyczek looked to be in the drivers seat, a set and 3-1 up, but Young fought back, and when it mattered he found another level in the tiebreak, taking it 7-1. In the third set, Smyczek went away, as Atlanta’s Young dominated proceedings, winning most of the baseline rallies to get a break, and force more pressure on Smyczek’s serve later in the set. Smyczek never challenged Young in the third set, and it’s Young in the quarterfinals as a result.

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John Isner, the top seed, was the only player to have it easy on Wednesday. He rolled past a frustrated Adrian Mannarino 6-4 6-0. Mannarino pushed hard early, and got a break against Isner, who perhaps looked destined for a three set battle, but the Frenchman would concede the break under pressure from Isner, and then get broken in his next service game to drop the set. At this point Mannarino looked at a loss in terms of what to do with Isner’s serve, and after failing to convert three break point chances, and getting broken in the next game, Mannarino gave up the match,winning just three more points from 2-0 down in the second, as he gave Isner a surprising bagel. From 4-2 down, Isner won eight straight games to put Mannarino to bed.

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ATP Doubles Recap

The doubles winners on the day were Molteni/Zeballos, Brunstrom/Siljestrom, Raja/Sharan, Marray/Shamasdin, and Monroe/Sitak, as most of the doubles seeds, including the top seeded team, were upset.

Thursday Preview

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The #2 and #4 seeds, Alex Dolgopolov, and Nick Kyrgios, will make their start in Atlanta on Thursday. Dolgopolov faces a tricky opponent in Yoshihito Nishioka, in a match that should feature some great movers. Kyrgios gets the late match against popular American Jared Donaldson, who is also upset minded.

Fernando Verdasco faces fellow veteran Julien Benneteau, and Horacio Zeballos will look to keep his good form going against Tobias Kamke in the two other singles matches. In doubles, Dolgopolov and Sergiy Stakhovsky will face Raja/Sharan, while Marray/Shamasdin face Demoliner/Garcia-Lopez.

Garcia-Lopez Upset, Verdasco Advances, Tuesday at 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic\

The Spaniards at the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, and Fernando Verdasco had mixed results on Tuesday when both were in action on stadium court. A lengthy rain delay made the match between Garcia-Lopez and Horacio Zeballos take most of the afternoon, as Zeballos prevailed in an upset victory 6-3 6-7 6-4 over the Spaniard in two and a half hours of match play.

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Both players got off to a shaky start, but were able to hold their serves until the eight game of the match, where Zeballos broke Garcia-Lopez, and held the next game at love to capture the first set. Garcia-Lopez struggled mightily with his serve all match, his first serve percentage was under 50%, and the quality of his serves was lacking. Both players also hit a number of slow, and high spinners from their backhand side, as they didn’t seem entirely comfortable on hard court compared to clay. The hot conditions also took their toll on the volunteers, as well as the players, as a ball girl passed out in the first set, causing a delay.

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Despite his troubles on serve, Garcia-Lopez didn’t waver in the second set, saving a break point in his opening service game, and breaking Zeballos, who also served poorly, but methodically, to go up 3-1. Zeballos would break back, but had to save four set points to send the match into a second set tiebreak. Zeballos lost three straight points from 5-4 up in the tiebreak, and the match was sent into a third set.

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Garcia-Lopez played a poor third set however, as he was broken at love with a miserable game serving 1-2, and Zeballos would go 5-4 up, before rain came, and the Argentine had to wait over an hour to try to serve the match out. He was broken easily when the players returned to court, and Garcia-Lopez was given a second life, however, he was broken and lost the match in the next game serving 4-5, as Zeballos converted his second match point/break point opportunity. The frustrated Garcia-Lopez slammed his racquet on the ground, as Zeballos let out a roar of excitement. It was just not to be for GGL on the day. The win improves Zeballos to 11-5 in hard court matches this season, and he has reached the second round of an ATP main draw for the second tournament in a row.

Fernando Verdasco had better luck on the day against Dusan Lajovic, winning 7-6 6-4. A cagey match saw neither player earning a break point chance early and the first set going to a tiebreak. Verdasco took the initiative when needed, and then broke Lajovic midway through the second set, and held serve after facing two break points in the next game to go up 4-2. Lajovic was nearly ousted quicker than he was as he could have went down a double break, but he saved three break points to hold, and Verdasco went on to serve it out 6-4. Verdasco’s forehand was all he needed to dictate play on a hard court and smack winners when needed.

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French veteran Julien Benneteau played his best match of the season to earn a 6-4 6-2 win over J.P. Smith. Benneteau has just two ATP main draw wins this year now, but his game has clearly picked up. Benny didn’t face a single break point, as Smith meekly conceded three breaks in total and was wiped off the court.

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Lucky loser Tobias Kamke made the best of his luck after the withdrawal of Ivan Dodig, upsetting Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6 7-6 to reach the round of 16 in two hours. Stako blew two set point chances in the first set tiebreak, and he faced pressure on his serve most of the day, as his serve and volley skills were lacking consistency, while Kamke was more consistent with his groundstrokes on the day. Stako’s struggles this season continued as his high risk style of play saw him getting passed at the net when it mattered. Stako was playing better in the second set and went up 4-2, looking prepared to force a third set, but he was broken back in the next game, and had to save break points serving 4-4 and 5-5 to eventually force a second set tiebreak. Kamke dominated that tiebreak, going 5-0 up, and he would eventually take it 7-2.

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Yoshihito Nishioka showed signs of improvement in dealing with American heat, as he got past Dan Evans 6-2 6-7 7-6 in a match that also saw a lengthy rain delay late in the third set that paused play for over an hour. In Washington, Nishioka wilted in the hot conditions, but this time it was Evans struggling with his fitness, as the British man earned no break point chances in the first set, and was broken twice with relative ease, including at love serving 2-5. Evans went down a set and a break twice in the second set, and looked ready to hit the showers when he was 4-2, and 5-3 down.

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Nishioka got tight serving the match out and after having to save three break point chances against Evans, he found himself dominated in the second tiebreak, going down 4-0, and losing it 7-2. Nishioka had two more bp chances early in the third, and rain came at 4-3 in the third. Nishioka found himself broken when he returned to court, and Evans had three match point chances from 40-15 up in the next game. However, Nishioka’s speed got him back into the match, and after saving a fourth match point chance in his next service game, Nishioka converted his second match point chance to take the victory in three hard fought sets to the delight of a few local Japanese fans.

Last, but certainly not least, Americans Taylor Fritz and Bjorn Fratangelo were big winners on the day. Fritz dominated college standout Austin Smith 6-2 6-2, despite loud chants for Smith throughout the match. The young American’s power from the baseline was too much for the Georgia Bulldog. Fratangelo rolled past Igor Sijsling 6-1 7-6. Early in the first he broke, and had to save six break point chances in an extremely long first service game, but Sijsling wilted from there. Fratangelo went a set and a break up, although he couldn’t serve it out, the Dutchman never really got a shot at a third set, as the American had the match in hand.

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In the lone ATP doubles match on the day, Chris Eubanks and Zack Kennedy upset Thiago Monteiro and Nishioka in a narrowly fought third set tiebreak, as the pairing of local NCAA players produce some late magic to stay in the tournament.

Wednesday Preview

Americans will feature in all of the four singles matches that are set to take place today at the BB&T Atlanta Open. Big men Kevin Anderson and Reilly Opelka will battle with their big serves, while Tim Smyczek and Donald Young fight it out for a much needed quarterfinal berth after that. In the night session, John Isner starts his quest for a fourth ATP Atlanta title against Adrian Mannarino, and Fritz will face Fratangelo in a battle of young Americans. Five ATP doubles matches will take place as well.

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Fritz, Donaldson Lead Citi Open Monday ATP Winners
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

After rain delayed the start of first round ATP action at the 2016 Citi Open on Monday, the matches took to the court, and all of them were able to be completed with a late night finish in Washington.

Young Americans Taylor Fritz and Jared Donaldson were big winners on the day. Fritz rolled past Israeli veteran Dudi Sela 6-4 6-3 in just under an hour and a half. It was domination for Fritz, as he wasn’t broken in the match. This result should boost his confidence heading into a second round contest with fellow young gun Alexander Zverev, in which he’ll be an underdog.

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Donaldson took two hours to defeat fellow qualifier Vincent Millot 5-7 6-2 6-4. It was huge of him to take control of the match from a set down and reverse course to grab a victory. A long first set saw three breaks of serve, with the key one going to Millot. In the third set Donaldson was 5-1 up, but nearly let Millot claw back, eventually closing the match out on his first and only match point opportunity at 5-4 serving.

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Bjorn Fratangelo defeated fellow American Alex Kuznetsov 4-6 6-2 6-4, completing a comeback like Donaldson did in two hours of play. Players with D.C. ties were not as lucky however. Denis Kudla continued his struggles, losing to John Millman 7-5 6-0, and Frances Tiafoe battled hard in a red eye match against Adrian Mannarino, but the veteran Frenchman prevailed 7-6(4) 7-5. In both sets, Tiafoe served up a break, and in fact he was 3-0 up in the second set, but the pressure got to him, and Mannarino was able to come back and capture both sets, breaking Tiafoe when the young American was serving for a second set tiebreak, that could have led to a third set.

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In other action, Dan Evans dominated Benjamin Becker and came up with some stunning shots, the Brit won 6-2 6-1. James Duckworth rolled past Tim Smyczek 7-5 6-1, and fellow Aussie Jordan Thompson joined him in the winners circle, 6-3 6-2 against the struggling Victor Estrella.

Dan Evans 2016 Citi Open

In the lone upset on the day, Yuichi Sugita knocked off Vasek Pospisil after getting breadsticked in the first set. That match finished 1-6 6-2 7-6(4) with a thrilling closing act. The final set featured no breaks of serve, as the big serving Pospisil was steady, but faltered in the tiebreak. It’s been a rough season for the Canadian, and he looks almost certain to fall out of the top 100 now, after just five main draw wins this season.

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Looking ahead to Tuesday in Washington, along with the completion of first round ATP action, Grigor Dimitrov will face Evans, Alex Dolgopolov will face Thompson, Donaldson will be opposite Benoit Paire, Fratangelo faces Sam Querrey, and Mannarino will look to oust another American, Steve Johnson. Brian Baker will pull double duty as he plays both singles and doubles on Tuesday.

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Taylor Townsend Claims USTA French Open Wild Card

Posted by Admin on May 8, 2016

Posted in: French Open, USTA, USTA Pro Circuit. Tagged: 2016, Bjorn Fratangelo, french open, Roland Garros, taylor townsend, usta pro circuit, wild card. Leave a comment

Taylor Townsend Claims USTA French Open Wild Card

Taylor Townsend (Photo: Christopher Levy @tennis_shots)

Townsend joins Bjorn Fratangelo as 2016 USTA Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge winners

Taylor Townsend, 20, of Atlanta, will make her third consecutive appearance in the main draw of the French Open after winning 2016 USTA Pro Circuit Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge. Townsend reached the final of the $75,000 Revolution Technologies Pro Tennis Classic in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., today, giving her at least 150 points in the wild card challenge. No other American woman can surpass her in the standings. Townsend will meet fellow American Jennifer Brady in tomorrow’s final in Indian Harbour Beach, which will be streamed live on www.procircuit.usta.com.

Townsend had impressive results in this year’s USTA Pro Circuit Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge, also winning the $50,000 Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic in Charlottesville, Va., and reaching the final of the $50,000 Hardee’s Pro Classic in Dothan, Ala.

USTA Player Development awards a French Open main-draw wild card to one American man and one American woman who earn the most ATP World Tour and WTA Tour ranking points in a series of USTA Pro Circuit clay-court events this spring. Ranking points from two out of the three men’s and women’s events are used and combined to calculate the point total and determine the French Open wild card recipient. If a player competes in more than two events, only his or her two best tournaments are counted in calculating the point total. Only players who have not earned direct acceptance into Roland Garros are eligible for the wild card.

Townsend, who was a world-ranked Top 100 player as recently as last year, is currently ranked No. 208 in the world. She also won the 2014 USTA Pro Circuit Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge and had an impressive run to the third round with a win over No. 20 seed Alize Cornet. Townsend also competed in the French Open last year. Townsend turned pro at the start of 2013 and, in her first WTA-level main-draw match, beat then-No. 57 Lucie Hradecka in the first round in Indian Wells. She followed that up with her impressive run to the third round of the 2014 French Open. She then went on to compete at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2014 and at the Australian Open and French Open in 2015. Also in 2015, she made her Fed Cup debut in the World Group II First Round in Argentina, where she played doubles. In addition to her USTA Pro Circuit singles title in Charlottesville this year, Townsend has won five USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles in 2016 with Asia Muhammad. Townsend is also a former junior standout, clinching the year-end ITF No. 1 junior ranking in 2012 to become the first American girl to hold that position since Gretchen Rush in 1982. She ascended to No. 1 by winning the Australian Open junior singles and doubles titles, as well as the junior doubles titles at the US Open and Wimbledon. Also in 2012, she led the U.S. to the Junior Fed Cup championship.

Fratangelo

2011 French Open junior champion Bjorn Fratangelo, 22, of Pittsburgh, earned the men’s wild card. Fratangelo finished the wild card challenge with 115 points by winning the $50,000 St. Joseph’s/Candler Savannah Challenger in Savannah, Ga., and by reaching the semifinals of the $100,000 Joey Gratton Sarasota Openin Sarasota, Fla. Fratangelo will be making his French Open main-draw debut later this month with the wild card. He is ranked No. 115 in the world.

The USTA first used the wild card challenge format for its 2012 French Open wild cards, won byMelanie Oudin and Brian Baker. Oudin and Baker each advanced to the second round at that year’s French Open and subsequently broke into the Top 100. In 2013, Alex Kuznetsov andShelby Rogers earned the wild cards, with Rogers winning her first-ever Grand Slam singles match at the French Open. In 2014, young American Taylor Townsend and veteran Robby Ginepri received the wild cards, with Townsend becoming a top storyline by reaching the Roland Garros third round. Last year, teenagers Frances Tiafoe and Louisa Chirico secured the wild cards.

—USTA

2016 @SarasotaOpen Challenger Preview, Predictions

Posted by Admin on April 13, 2016

Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Chris De Waard, Sarasota. Tagged: 2016, atp challenger, Bjorn Fratangelo, denis kudla, Diego Schwartzman, Gerald Melzer, picks, predictions, preview, Sarasota Open, tim smyczek, usta pro circuit. Leave a comment

2016 Sarasota Challenger Preview and Predictions
Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic

2016 Joey Gratton Sarasota Open
ATP Challenger Tour
Sarasota, FL, USA
9-17 April 2016
Green Clay, Har-Tru
Prize Money: $100,000

Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)

1: Denis Kudla (59)
2: Diego Schwartzman (88)
3: Gerald Melzer (117)
4: Nikoloz Basilashvili (121)
5: Tim Smyczek (125)
6: Bjorn Fratangelo (131)
7: Facundo Arguello (139)
8: Jared Donaldson (142)

The last direct acceptance is Gonzalo Lama, ranked 225th.

Second round match-up to watch

(6) Bjorn Fratangelo – Dennis Novikov

Fratangelo

In the first round Novikov had a solid 6-4 6-4 win over former world #20 Dmitry Tursunov, who despite not having played a lot of matches since returning from injury is still a tricky opponent. Both men have displayed similar form this year, so perhaps their personal match-up is what will decide this match. They have played each other three times, with Fratangelo prevailing every time. It has been close, however, 3-6 7-6(3) 6-1 at the Lexington Challenger on hardcourt and 3-6 6-3 6-2 at the Caltanissetta Challenger on clay, both last year.

Top Half

Third seed Gerald Melzer is the only seed to have survived the first round, granting him with a big opportunity to reach the final. His toughest challenger on the way to the final will probably be Frances Tiafoe, who reached the second round by beating fifth seed Tim Smyczek, 6-4 6-3. Melzer, who is playing the best tennis of his career, should be too solid for Tiafoe at this point. Melzer has already won three Challengers this year and came close to beating the eventual winner Juan Monaco in the first round of Houston last week, losing 2-6 7-6(3) 4-6.

Bottom Half

Second seed Diego Schwartzman had one of the most horrifying performances you will ever see at Houston last week, when he lost 0-6 0-6 to Marcos Baghdatis in the first round. He is desperate to recover from it and made a good start by only dropping four games in his opening round against qualifier Jose Hernandez-Fernandez. Viewing last week’s performance as an incident, he should be above the rest of his opponents in this half. He will face the winner of Facundo Arguello – Mischa Zverev in the quarterfinal and likely Fratangelo in the semi-final, all of whom he is a firm favorite against.

Predictions

Semi-finals:

Melzer d. Clezar

Schwartzman d. Fratangelo

Final:

Schwartzman d. Melzer

Results for Men’s Qualifiers in Indian Wells
Adam Addicott, Tennis Atlantic

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The attention in Indian Wells might be focused on the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. There is however another story which often goes untold, that is the story of the qualifiers.

48 players battled against each other for just 12 places in the main draw. The qualifying competition saw a series of shocks with the top two seeds, Yuichi Sugita and Austin Krajicek, failing to qualify for the main draw. Qualifying for the main draw is a big achievement for the lower ranked players on the tour but how did they fair on the main stage in the first Masters event of 2016?

Renzo Olivo continued his positive start to the season with a hard fought three sets win over Italy’s Salvatore Caruso followed by a much more impressive straight sets triumph over top seed Sugita at Indian Wells. The 23-year-old hasn’t won a title since 2012 but has enjoyed a reasonable start to this year. After qualifying for his maiden Grand Slam draw in Melbourne, where he defeated Jiri Vesely in the first round, the Argentine defeated Fernando Verdasco to reach the quarterfinals of the Ecuador Open. Playing in his maiden Masters main draw match in Indian Wells, Renzo faced experienced Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. He was no match for the world No.44, losing 6-2, 6-4.

Another surprise qualifier was France’s Vincent Millot. Prior to this week, the 30-year-old hasn’t played in the main draw of a Masters tournament since the 2011 Monte Carlo Masters. The world No.166 ended his Masters drought wins over wildcard Nicolas Meister followed by American second seed Krajicek. Millot fired seven aces and saved 3/3 break points to defeat the second seed 6-3, 6-4, to reach the main draw. The Frenchman continued his run in the main draw with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-3, win over wildcard Mackenzie McDonald to grab his first ever win in the main draw of a Masters tournament. The Frenchman’s dream run was ended in the second round by seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga produced nine aces in his 7-5, 6-1, win over the world No.166.

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Continuing the French delight was Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who was the highest seed to successfully reach the main draw in California. The top-20 doubles player eased through qualifying with a straight sets win over Benjamin Mitchell before coming through a more testing 6-3, 7-6(3), triumph over 14th seed Mischa Zverev. The run is not surprising considering the Frenchman’s start to the year. He achieved his best Grand Slam performance at the Australian Open by reaching the third round as a qualifier. He continued his promising form by winning the Bergamo Challenger in Italy last month.

Herbert’s first round opponent was another qualifier, Slovakia’s Jozef Kovalík. Kovalik reached the main draw after outlasting Ecuador’s Giovanni Lapentti 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, in a match that lasted over two hours. The first round match between the two qualifiers, which was their first meeting on the tour, saw a thrilling encounter. Kovalik had three opportunities to win the match in straight sets but failed to convert after being edged out 9-11 in the second set tiebreak. Despite the best efforts of the Frenchman, Kovalik held his nerve to clinch the victory 6-4, 6-7(9), 7-6(5). The Slovakian faced Austrian talent Dominic Thiem in the second round. Thiem has already won two ATP titles this year in Argentina and Mexico. Impressively Kovalik gave Thiem a tough match before going out 7-6(4), 7-6(3), in what was a very admirable performance from the world No.182.

Michael Berrer has happy memories of Indian Wells. Prior to this year’s tournament, the German has won four main draw matches at the event. The German has never won more than two main draw matches at any other Masters tournament in his career. Berrer continued his Indian Wells record with back-to-back wins over Jonathan Eysseric and 13th seed Andrey Rublev to book his placed in the main draw of the tournament for the sixth time in his career. Drawn against Juan Monaco in the first round, who is on the comeback from a wrist injury, the 35-year-old edged his way to a 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-4, win. Berrer’s run came to an end in the second round after losing 6-2, 6-4, to 21st seed Jack Sock.

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Peter Polansky’s use of a protected ranking to enter the qualifying draw paid off. Defeating Irish 22nd seed Jame McGee in the first round, he faced El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo. After dropping the opening set, the Canadian battled back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The 27-year-old has played 12 main draw matches at Masters tournaments in his career, losing nine of them. Unfortunately for Canadian fans his losing streak increased to ten after he suffered a straight sets defeat to Fernando Verdasco in the first round.

Marco Trungelliti’s 2016 continued on a positive note after he defeated 9th seed Edouard Roger Vasselin 7-6(4), 6-4, to reach his first Masters main draw. The 26-year-old already achieved a breakthrough earlier this year by winning his first grand slam main draw match against Kovalik. Facing Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov, he subsided 6-4, 6-4.

Regarding the American interest in the qualifying tournament, five home players successfully navigate their way to the main draw. Headlining them was Tim Smyczek, who had to fight his way past two talented American teenagers to progress to the main draw. After edging past Michael Mmoh 7-6(2), 2-6, 7-5, in the first round, he battled past French Open Boys’ champion Tommy Paul in another two-hour marathon. The reward for Smyczek was a first round match against former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who is playing in only his second tournament since returning to the tour from injury. He was no match for the Argentine, crashing out 6-4, 6-0.

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Ryan Harrison enjoyed a more straightforward route to the main draw. At the Indian Wells tournament in 2010, Harrison won his first main draw match in a Masters event against Taylor Dent. In the qualifying event at this year’s tournament, he cruised past Matthew Barton and Jason Jung in straight sets to reached the main draw for the seventh consecutive year. Since 2010, Harrison hasn’t lost in the first round and he continued that tradition with a 6-3,7-6(3), triumph over Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic. The second round saw a clash between him and tenth seed Marin Cilic, a player who he defeated two weeks ago at the Acapulco Open. Lightning failed to strike twice after Harrison succumbed 6-4, 6-3, to the Croat.

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Alexander Sarkissian breezed past Sekou Bangoura in his opening qualifying match before experiencing a scare against Mitchell Krueger in the second round. The 25-year-old trailed 5-7, 0-2, before clawing his way back to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. In his first main draw match in a Masters tournament, the Californian-based player endured a nightmare after losing 6-2,6-0 to Josh Millman.

Bjorn Fratangelo dropped a total of nine games during his qualifying campaign. The 2011 French Open Boys’ champion eased his way past Joshua Milton before producing an impressive 6-3, 6-2, victory against Czech veteran and 15th seed Radek Stepanek. The next test was Russia’s Teymuraz Gabashvili, a player who reached the semifinals at the Sydney International earlier this year. Playing for a chance to grab his maiden main draw win on the ATP Tour, the American displayed some of his best tennis to clinch the victory 6-4, 6-4. His chance for a second ATP Tour match win seemed impossible with a second round encounter against world No.1 Novak Djokovic. As the odds mounted against him, Fratangelo stunned the tennis world when he took the first set against Djokovic after just 35 minutes of play. Becoming the fifth player this year to take a set off the world No.1, Frantangelo failed to claim one of the biggest shocks in Indian Wells history after Djokovic swiftly restored order to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Despite losing, the American recieved high praise from the ten-time Grand Slam champion.

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“All credit to Bjorn on playing a great match, but I wasn’t feeling comfortable at all on the court,” Djokovic said after the match.
“I was just trying to find a way, trying to hang in there and make it through.”
“He deserved every point he got. He played a great match, especially in the first set.”

Finally, 2014 Wimbledon Boys’ champion, Noah Rubin, impressed many during his qualifying campaign. Facing Dennis Novikov for a place in the main draw, he eased his way past 7-5, 6-3. Rubin’s schedule leading up to the Masters tournament has been extremely diverse with him playing a Futures, Challenger and ATP 250 tournament. The tournament selection might seem a bit unauthorized but it has done wonders to the Americans confidence. Unfortunately for the young player, he was edged out in the first round by the much more experience Rajeev Ram, losing in two tiebreakers.

2015 @USTAProCircuit Charlottesville Challenger (@CvilleTennis) Preview, Predictions

Tim Smyczek, Charlottesville

Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger

ATP Challenger Tour
Charlottesville, VA, USA
2-8 November 2015
Hardcourt, DecoTurf
Prize Money: $50,000

Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)

1: Malek Jaziri (92)
2: James Duckworth (99)
3: Tim Smyczek (101)
4: Ryan Harrison (107)
5: Bjorn Fratangelo (129)
6: Jared Donaldson (135)
7: Blaz Kavcic (154)
8: Liam Broady (224)

The last direct acceptance is Sekou Bangoura, ranked 372nd.

First Round Match-Ups To Watch

(1) Malek Jaziri – Frances Tiafoe

Frances Tiafoe (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

17-year-old Frances Tiafoe is having an outstanding year, starting outside of the top 1000 and working himself up to his current ranking of #226, showing rapid development beyond his years. He competed at his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros after winning the Har-Tru USTA Pro Circuit Challenge, earning a wild card after reaching a quarterfinal, semi-final and final in the three American Challenger tournaments that counted towards qualification. A couple of months later he saw his efforts rewarded with a wild card into the US Open main draw. Naturally, his draw here is a tough one, facing top seed Malek Jaziri. The Tunesian won a strong Challenger in Rennes just two weeks ago, so he is bringing good form to Charlottesville. Regardless, this will be a good experience for Tiafoe no matter what happens, getting to test his game against a top 100 opponent.

(3) Tim Smyczek – Daniel Evans

Tim Smyczek hit a bit of a rough patch in the middle part of the season after losing a thrilling five-setter to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open and reaching a career high ranking of #68 in early April. However, he seems to be recovering as of late, reaching a semi-final at the Columbus Challenger in late September, while taking the title in Tiburon the following week. The title came after a dramatic encounter against Denis Kudla in the final, winning 1-6 6-1 7-6(7) after saving four match points. Daniel Evans experienced Smyczek’s slump in extremis. After reaching an ATP semi-final in Zagreb and getting close to the top 100 in February last year he completely went off the rails, starting over again outside of the top 700 after those points dropped off. He is currently on the way back and ranked #263, but Smyczek can still be marked a decent favorite here.

Top Half

Assuming top seed Jaziri gets past Tiafoe, which is far from a certainty, he will face stiff competition from former world #68 Blaz Kavcic, the seventh seed who is placed in his quarter. The Americans in this section, Alex Kuznetsov, Chase Buchanan and Tommy Paul, are outsiders and it would be surprising to see one of them upset Jaziri or Kavcic.

In the second section Smyczek is the clear favorite to uphold his seeding, but eighth seed Liam Broady has shown that he enjoys playing here. Not only that, he took out Smyczek in the first round last year on his way to the final, also beating Ryan Harrison and Denis Kudla before losing to James Duckworth. He has not been playing well this year and Smyczek will still be a big favorite against him, but his run last year is definitely something to keep in the back of your head.

Bottom Half

Defending champion Duckworth is heading this section and landed a comfortable draw, facing a qualifier in the first round and another qualifier or wildcard Collin Altamirano in the second round. He might have wanted a slightly more dangerous path, because the contrast with his likely quarterfinal opponent, sixth seed Jared Donaldson, will be big. The 19-year-old is having a great year and reached the final of the Sacramento Challenger earlier this month, after which he went on to reach quarterfinals in Fairfield and Las Vegas in the following weeks. Duckworth has a history of getting tight when it matters and with him defending a lot of points this week, I’m picking Donaldson to get through to the semi-final.

In the top section fourth seed Ryan Harrison has to be favored to come through, despite his extremely volatile nature. A lot has changed since Harrison was a top 50 player more than three years ago, and not for the better. His recent form is a perfect example of that. After reaching back to back finals in Cary and Columbus, he went on to post a 1-3 record, losing to world #255 Marek Michalicka, #253 Darian King and #472 Michael Mmoh. His main rival in this section will be fifth seed Bjorn Fratangelo, who has been a steady factor on the Challenger circuit this year, regularly reaching quarter- and semi-finals on top of a title in Launceston and finals in Caltanissetta and Binghamton, which saw him rise over a hundred ranking spots. In many ways he is the opposite of Harrison, who has a higher peak level, but can’t deliver it consistently throughout the year.

Predictions

Semis:

Smyczek def. Jaziri
Fratangelo def. Donaldson

Final:

Smyczek def. Fratangelo

2015 Caltanissetta, Moscow, Prague and Surbiton Challenger Recaps

Posted by Admin on June 16, 2015

Posted in: ATP Challenger, Chris De Waard. Tagged: atp challenger tour, Bjorn Fratangelo, Caltanissetta, Luca Vanni, moscow, Prague, Surbiton. Leave a comment

2015 Caltanissetta, Moscow, Prague and Surbiton Challenger Recaps
Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic

Caltanissetta

Where a week prior to this event Elias Ymer seemed to struggle with a hand injury, it clearly wasn’t a serious one, as he marched through the field convincingly in Caltanissetta. He took out fifth seed Maximo Gonzalez 7-6(1) 7-6(6) in the second round, after which fourth seed Guido Pella fell 6-3 3-6 7-5 a round later. In the semi-final he faced top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who had only dropped twelve games so far in the tournament. In yet another close encounter, Ymer managed to beat him as well, 7-6(9) 3-6 6-4. In the bottom half a remarkable match happened in the quarterfinal, with sixth seed Marco Cecchinato handing Guilherme Clezar a double bagel, 6-0 6-0. In the semi-final he was ousted by Bjorn Fratangelo, however. Fratangelo knew a similar path to the final as Ymer, with all matches he played being tight. 7-6(6) 7-6(4), 3-6 6-3 6-2, 3-6 7-5 6-1 and eventually 4-6 6-3 6-3 against Cecchinato. In the final the pattern was broken, with Ymer comfortably beating Fratangelo 6-3 6-2 to take down his first Challenger title. It also meant a new career high ranking for Ymer, rising forty-one spots to #130. A new career high ranking for Fratangelo as well, rising twenty-two spots to #122.

Moscow

Top seed Marcel Granollers already struggled during his first round match against Jules Marie, 6-2 4-6 6-4, and couldn’t survive his second long match in the quarterfinal against Daniel Munoz-De La Nava, with the older Spaniard winning 6-3 5-7 6-4. In the second section Horacio Zeballos finally posted a good win again, beating third seed Damir Dzumhur 7-6(4) 6-3 in the quarterfinal. Munoz-De La Nava ousted him in the semi-final, however, winning 6-7(9) 6-4 6-1. In the bottom half a lot of controversy spurred, as Renzo Olivo claimed to have been threatened by spectators and his opponent Andrey Rublev during their second round encounter, which he lost. He complained that the umpire failed to do anything, while the rules state that the match should have been suspended.

Hola a todos me gustaría dejarles esta carta para los interesados del tenis y también al ATP @ATPWorldTour Gracias! pic.twitter.com/b2JSb9AvlO

— renzo olivo (@renzolii) June 11, 2015

Rublev went on to reach the semi-final, where he lost 6-4 6-7(6) 6-3 to fifth seed Radu Albot, who beat second seed Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3 6-4 in the previous round. A remarkable final then took place, with Munoz-De La Nava completely tearing Albot apart, 6-0 6-1, to win his third Challenger title. Rising twenty-seven spots to #107, this means a new career high ranking for the 33-year-old, who joins the list of players in their thirties playing their best tennis. It would be quite an achievement if he manages to reach the top 100 for the first time, practically out of nowhere, as he started the year outside of the top 200. A new career high ranking for Albot as well, rising ten spots to #119.

Prague

After a rough year, 34-year-old Albert Montanes has started to find some of his old form as of late. He continued that trend here in Prague, beating fourth seed Aleksandr Nedovyesov 1-6 6-3 6-2 in the semi-final to set up his second final in a row, after losing the final of Fürth to Taro Daniel last week. Daniel competed here as well, but lost to Nedovyesov in the quarterfinal. In the bottom half Kimmer Coppejans continued his march to the top 100, reaching the semi-final after a three-set victory over Marton Fucsovics, 6-4 5-7 6-1. Despite his loss to Norbert Gombos, 7-6(4) 6-2, in the next round, it was enough to reach the top 100 for the first time, entering at #98. The final between Montanes and Gombos was an absolutely titanic struggle, with Montanes failing to come out on top in consecutive weeks. After a 7-6(5) 5-7 7-6(2) win, Gombos secured his second Challenger title. Quite a contrast to last week, when he missed eight match points against Martin Klizan in his opening round. He also rose ten ranking spots to #127. Montanes is very nearby, rising eleven spots to #125.

Norbert #Gombos claimed his 2nd ATP Challenger crown winning a marathon final in Prague – http://t.co/wIJOOmWhrq pic.twitter.com/0UtFSbOxnR

— TennisTourTalk (@TennisTourTalk) June 13, 2015

Surbiton

Top seed Luca Vanni is very inexperienced on grass and it showed, falling 7-6(2) 6-2 in the first round to the 2011 Wimbledon Juniors champion Luke Saville., who reached the final of Manchester last week. In this half it was Matthew Ebden who was by far the most impressive player, not dropping more than three games in a set on his way to the final, only losing seventeen games in four matches, including a 6-0 6-2 win against third seed Ryan Harrison in the quarterfinal. In the final he faced Denis Kudla, who knew pretty much a similar tournament trajectory, dropping twenty-one games on his way to the final. The final was a spectacular one, with Ebden just edging out the important points in the end and saving two match points in the process, eventually winning 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(5). Ebden is now nearing the top 150 again, rising thirty-five spots to #154. Kudla rose eight spots to #131.