Clay-Court Specialists Marco Cecchinato and Facundo Bagnis Dominate Argentina Open Qualifying Adam Addicott, Tennis Atlantic
This year’s Argentina Open will see the king of clay, Rafael Nadal, kick-off his clay court season. As Argentine fans wait for the arrival of Nadal, the were treated to a series of entertaining matches over the weekend in the qualifying draw.
Half of the entrants in this year’s 16-strong qualifying draw were from the home country, however, only one Argentine successfully qualified to the main draw. 25-year-old Facundo Bagnis has already won two clay court titles this year. On the Challenger circuit Bagnis has claimed back-to-back titles in Bueno Aires, Argentina, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bagnis, seeded second in the draw, started his qualifying run with a roller coaster 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-0, win over Pedro Cachin. Next up for the second seed was Slovenia’s Blaz Rola. Rola dropped only two games in his opening match against home player Hernan Casanova. Ranked 49 places higher than Rola in the rankings, Bagnis eased himself to the 7-5, 6-1, win. During his second round match, the Argentine won 72% of his service points.
Italian top seed Marco Cecchinato was also impressive during his two qualifying rounds. The world No.91 was yet to win a match this year going into Rotterdam after falling at the first hurdle in his three previous tournaments. In the first round in Buenos Aires the top seed eased past world No.378 Juan Ignacio Galarza 6-1, 6-2. Awaiting him in the second round was another home player, fifth seed Facundo Arguello. Cecchinato won 68% of his service points and saved 7/7 break points to beat Arguello 6-3, 7-5, to book his place in the main draw.
Albert Montanes reached the main draw without dropping a set. After some intense off-season training, the 35-year-old didn’t start his 2016 season until the end of January at the Bucaramanga Challenger in Colombia, where he lost in the first round. He won his first match of the year at the Ecuador Open after defeating Jozef Kovalík in the first round. In Argentina, Montanes first match was against Brazilian world No.275 Jose Pereira. Despite there being over 100 places separating the two players, Montanes was made to battle before clinching the match 7-6(5), 7-6(6). In his final qualifying match, the Spaniard faced Italy’s Filippo Voladri. The fourth seed fired six aces during his straightforward 6-3, 6-4, win over Volandri.
Finally, Portugal’s Gastao Elias will play in his first ATP World Tour main draw since last year’s Portugal Open after his double win in qualifying. Opening up against world No.317 Tomás Lipovsek Puches, the sixth seed was pushed harder than expected during his 6-2, 7-6(4) first round win. Then in the final round of qualifying, he faced Guilherme Clezar. Clezar produced a shock 6-3, 6-2, win over third seed Daniel Gimeno-Traver in his first round match. Eilas required an hour and 50 minutes to edge past Clezar, winning 7-5,7-6(9).
First round matches
Q Marco Cecchinato ITA – Juan Monaco ARG (first meeting)
Q Gusta Elías POR – Daniel Munoz de la Nava ESP (Elias trails the head-to-head 0-1)
Q Albert Montanes ESP – Nicolas Almagro ESP (Montanes leads the head-to-head 5-2)
Q Facundo Bagnis ARG – Renzo Olivo ARG (Bagnis leads the head-to-head 4-1)
2014 ATP Clay Court Season In Review Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
In review: The 2014 ATP Clay Court Season
After Kitzbuhel concluded last week, the clay court calendar portion of the 2014 ATP season came to an end. With that conclusion, we can now review which players performed the best, and which players underachieved on the dirt this season. Clay courts comprise a large portion of the ATP calendar so there is a much larger sample size to draw from compared to, say, the grass court season.
27 year old journeyman Argentine Leonardo Mayer has transformed himself into a top 30 player this season and his best results have come on clay. He posted 18 wins on the surface compared to just 10 losses this season at the ATP level and scored wins over household names David Ferrer, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Joao Sousa and Tommy Robredo on the surface; he also pushed top 6 player Tomas Berdych to three sets in Oeiras.
He reached his first career final in Vina Del Mar, but fell short against Fabio Fognini there, and he finally got his maiden title in Hamburg over Ferrer in 3 sets. Winning that final set tiebreak ended a long journey to the top 30 for Leo and he remains an under recognized and underappreciated Argentine player. With Del Potro perpetually injured and Nalbandian now retired, Argentine will have to look to the likes of Mayer to carry Davis Cup and national hopes for a while. He reached the third round of the French Open and had quarterfinal appearances in both Oeiras and Nice to round out his best results on clay for 2014.
Honorable mentions for clay court surprise: Carlos Berlocq, Santiago Giraldo, Kei Nishikori, Roberto Bautista Agut
Carlos Berlocq joins his countryman Mayer as a surprising player this season. He won an ATP title for the second year in a row, this time coming in Oeiras where he upset and outlasted Tomas Berdych. The loud and flamboyant dirtballer also posted quarterfinals in Nice and a semifinal in Bastad to compliment his win in Oeiras. This highlights an overall 16-9 record on clay at the ATP level for 2014. He tends to get overmatched in the masters level and grand slam events but against a 250 level field he often flourishes. Notable opponents he defeated this year on clay include Andreas Seppi, Milos Raonic, Ferrer and Lleyton Hewitt at the French, along with the aforementioned Berdych.
Santiago Giraldo, a shotmaking Colombian with a huge forehand, has also had some of the best success of his career this season. He went 19-11 on clay and though he did not win a title, he reached the final in Barcelona, his second career final, along with semis in Houston and Vina Del Mar, and a pair of quarterfinals in Madrid and Stuttgart. Giraldo beat top players Tommy Robredo, Andy Murray, Nicolas Almagro, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga this season. Giraldo joins Mayer as a first time top 30 player after success on clay.
Kei Nishikori had an underappreciated clay court season this year, partially due to the fact that he had to battle injuries during that portion of the season, He played just three tournaments but posted a 10-2 record in them with a title in Barcelona and a final in Madrid, where he took a set off Nadal but had to retire during the third set of the match. He had top tier wins over Roberto Bautista Agut, Marin Cilic, Ferrer, Ernests Gulbis, and Raonic among his 10 overall and should he be able to stay healthy he has shown himself to be a threat on clay.
Bautista Agut is the last player I’ll discuss. He went 12-5 on clay and won his first title on the surface in Stuttgart over Lukas Rosol. Success on clay has helped him reach the top 20 for the first time in his career and he beat Robredo, Fernando Verdasco, and Fognini this year on the surface. RBA doesn’t play prototypical Spanish tennis but he’s still a top performing Spaniard on red clay.
Biggest upset: ATP Barcelona quarterfinals: Nicolas Almagro d. Rafael Nadal 2-6 7-6(5) 6-4
The powerful Spaniard Almagro had been outclassed by his much more successful countryman Nadal eight previous times on clay. Finally, Nico was able to get a victory against perhaps the greatest clay courter of all time. The first set was a routine affair, but Almagro fought back hard and Rafa played poorly, resulting in Nadal’s first loss on clay after winning the first set in over six years. Nadal had his chances to close out the match in the second, and didn’t face break points himself, but he couldn’t convert and the tiebreak went against him, giving Almagro an opening he took advantage of by winning a decisive fifth and final break in the third set to seal the victory. Nadal struggled to win his service points, and at the time, many were deeply worried about how he was playing going into the French Open. The fact Rafa did win the French perhaps makes this victory by Almagro look even more improbable and top quality, given Rafa showed his career wasn’t in serious decline yet.
Clay court breakthroughs: Dominic Thiem, Alex Zverev and Dusan Lajovic
A trio of young players found maiden ATP success on clay, while new Austrian number one Dominic Thiem was a mere 12-8 on clay at the ATP level. He went 4-0 in qualifying matches on the surface and won multiple main draw matches in Barcelona, Madrid and Hamburg. He finally reached his first career ATP final on home soil in Kitzbuhel and appears very close to his first career ATP title. Thiem had notable wins over Radek Stepanek and Stan Wawrinka this year on clay.
Alex Zverev, a teenager, notably made the semifinals in Hamburg, a one off showing but clearly a sign of things to come for the young German. Zverev had wins over Mikhail Youzhny and Giraldo en route. I have a feeling Thiem vs. Zverev may develop into a clay court rivalry in the future. Both players have things to work on but we could have a Germany vs. Austria French Open final come 2018 or beyond.
Dusan Lajovic established himself as a top 70 player with a strong clay court season. He also established himself as the Serbian number 2 behind Djokovic and should feature on their Davis Cup team for quite some time. He went 14-11 in both ATP main draw action and qualifying on clay this season and along with quarters in Hamburg and Bastad, he reached the round of 16 at the French Open, his best ever result in a major. He didn’t beat many top names this season but he still proved he can grind out matches to increase his ranking.
Clay Court Disappointments: Tommy Robredo, Stan Wawrinka, Gilles Simon, Joao Sousa and Andreas Seppi
The well-liked veteran Spaniard Robredo went just 15-12 this year on clay after going a tremendous 25-10 on the surface in 2013. His age may finally be catching up with him as he reached just one final, one semi and one quarterfinal this season along with posting seven early round exits. Once he finishes this season he will have a lot to think about going into to 2015.
Wawrinka did not have a terrible clay court season, but he underachieved after high expectations were placed on him after winning his first grand slam in Australia at the start of the year. He won Monte Carlo, but that was the only highlight of his 6-3 clay court season. He had a trio of surprising early exits in Madrid, Rome and the French Open, and next season he will have much to gain during the clay court portion of the year. He posted a 43-17 record on clay over the previous two seasons before this one and has the ability to do much better than he did in 2014.
Veteran Frenchman Gilles Simon has struggled to stay healthy in 2014 and he had a disappointing clay court season that has contributed to his fall from the top 30. He won consecutive matches in a clay court tournament just twice this season and failed to beat any players ranked above him on the surface. He also had bad losses to Teymuraz Gabashvili, Lukasz Kubot and Pablo Andujar. He was a subpar 8-9 on the surface overall in 2014. ‘
After a breakthrough 2013, top Portugese player Joao Sousa was a disappointing 7-13 on clay in 2014, struggling against ATP level competition on the surface. He reached one quarterfinal and one final but suffered ten opening match exits and eleven early round exists overall with multiple losses to players ranked below him. Sousa will need to improve considerably and adjust his game if he hopes to be more successful on clay in the future.
After struggling on clay in 2013, Italian veteran Andreas Seppi did so again in 2014. He is just 18-22 on the surface over the past two seasons and was 11-12 this season. He failed to reach a semifinal in any clay court tournament this year.
First time winners: Federico Delbonis, David Goffin and Pablo Cuevas
23 year old Argentine Federico Delbonis won his maiden title in Sao Paulo and has been successful on clay overall this season, posting an 18-13 ATP record. He later made a final in Nice, semifinals in Casablanca and a quarterfinal in Stuttgart to complement his Sao Paulo victory. Delbonis also showed his prowess on the red stuff last season when he reached the final in Hamburg and he should be a name to watch in many clay court tournaments to come.
David Goffin snagged a maiden title in Kitzbuhel at the tail end of the clay court season after getting red hot on the ATP Challenger Tour prior. Goffin, who had that run to the fourth round as a qualifier at the 2012 French Open, and has seen his once promising career fade from the spotlight since then, returned to the challenger tour to find his game and hopefully he will be able to keep himself at the ATP level this time. Goffin is undersized and many players were able to hit him off the court at the top level but perhaps he has rediscovered a path to success for himself given the limitations of his physical stature.
Lastly, Pablo Cuevas, who has overcome multiple knee and shoulder injuries and built his ranking back up to ATP status from the challenger tour, won his maiden title at 28 years old in Bastad, then followed it up with a title in Umag a couple of weeks later. Cuevas makes his living on clay and has been rapidly improving as of late. He pushed Fernando Verdasco to five sets at the French Open and has wins over Robredo, Fognini, Seppi, Sousa, and Verdasco this season. Cuevas’ rise is a testament to his tenacity and the work he has put into his game.
Berdych Rolls in Rotterdam, Nishikori Repeats in Memphis, Ferrer Wins 3rd Copa Claro Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
ATP Rotterdam
As predicted, a red hot Tomas Berdych, who is playing like one of the top 3 players in the world right now, rolled through Marin Cilic, playing his second ATP final in as many weeks, 6-4 6-2 to capture his first title of 2014.
Berdych has only lost twice this year. It was one-way traffic after a slow start for both players and Cilic simply looked like he had nothing left in the tank after so much tennis in the past couple of weeks.
Berdych beat Andreas Seppi and Nicolas Mahut in the first couple of rounds without dropping a set, then beat Jerzy Janowicz in 3 sets and beat surprise semifinalist Ernests Gulbis 3 and 2 in the semis.
Gulbis upset Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinals.
Cilic beat Lukas Rosol, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray, all without dropping a set, before winning a 3 setter against surprise semifinalist Igor Sijsling. Tsonga and Murray both played poorly, while Cilic was sportsmanlike and solid.
Michael Llodra/Nicolas Mahut won the doubles title over Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau
ATP Memphis
As predicted, Kei Nishikori repeated as champion in Memphis, defeating Ivo Karlovic 6-4 7-6 in a final in which he had the upper hand throughout. Nishikori-san broke early in the first and held, and then held with ease until the second set tiebreak.
Nishikori beat Benjamin Becker in straights, Alex Bogomolov in 3 sets (coming back from a set and a break down in that one), and surprise semifinalist Michael Russell also in straights to make the final.
Karlovic, my dark horse pick for Memphis, found his way to the final, as he served well against Matt Ebden and Feliciano Lopez, taking care of them in straight sets before beating Jack Sock in 3 sets and Rendy Lu 6-1 with a retirement in the semis.
Eric Butorac/Raven Klaasen continued their career year in doubles as a team, beating the Bryan Brothers for the doubles crown.
ATP Buenos Aires
David Ferrer won his third overall and third straight Buenos Aires title, ending the 10 match clay court win streak of Fabio Fognini, 6-4 6-3. Fognini faded midway through the second set and simply appeared to be running on empty, like Cilic, as he was playing in his second final in as many weeks and had Davis Cup duty before that.
Ferrer beat Maximo Gonzalez, Santiago Giraldo, Albert Ramos and Nicolas Almagro all without dropping a set, as he made quick work of things this week. Fognini beat Julian Reister in straights, Leo Mayer in 3 sets, Pablo Andujar in straights and Tommy Robredo in 3 to reach the final, having much greater difficulty, but prevailing regardless.
Marcel Granollers/Marc Lopez are the doubles champs. They beat Pablo Cuevas/Horacio Zeballos.
2014 ATP Rotterdam, Memphis, Buenos Aires Previews, Picks Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
Three continents will play host to ATP World Tour Action this week with the marquee tournament being a 500 series event on indoor hard in Rotterdam. Other events include an indoor hard 250 in Memphis and a clay court 250 on the Golden Swing in Buenos Aires.
ATP Rotterdam
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
ATP World Tour 500
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
February 10-February 16, 2014|
Prize Money: € 1,369,305
Top 4 seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Juan Martin Del Potro (4)
2: Andy Murray (6)
3: Tomas Berdych (7)
4: Richard Gasquet (9)
Half of the top 10 will be playing in Rotterdam but none of the top three.
First Round matchups to watch:
(1)Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Gael Monfils
The only meeting between these two star players occurred last year in Rotterdam and Del Potro escaped with a straight set victory. However, Monfils is in great form, having only lost twice this year. Those two losses came from world #1 Rafael Nadal.
Gael comes off the title in Montpellier, where he was shaky at times but finished very strong and Del Potro returns to the tour after some time off after the AO. He’s been dealing with recurring wrist problems. However, he should be ok to play as he has been medically cleared and is in the field here.
Monfils’ fatigue and Del Potro’s wrist are the two big question marks coming in, and though rankings-wise Del Po is a huge favorite, it really doesn’t feel like that at all when it gets down to it. If Gael plays like he did in the Montpellier final, he has a very good chance of grabbing the upset win. I will pick him, even though Del Po is the defending champion.
Ernests Gulbis vs. Denis Istomin
Ernests Gulbis continues to confound, as he always seems close to making a big breakthrough but then starts to struggle with his tennis again. He’s another one who is returning to the tour after a break, having last played in Melbourne. He’ll need to have his game sharp for Istomin, who is playing well right now.
Denis the Menance has 2 ATP quarterfinals and a third round at the AO on his record this season and he has a good chance of pulling off an upset in this one if Gulbis isn’t sharp.
(8)Grigor Dimitrov vs. Dmitry Tursunov
Dimitrov returns to the ATP tour after reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, and he’s a good player indoors, making him a favorite against the veteran Dmitry Tursunov. Dmitry is trying to return to form after struggling in this early part of the season, posting a 4-5 ATP match record on the year.
Tursunov did beat Dimitrov on indoor hard 3 years ago, but it a was a tight 3 set match.
Grigor should get his revenge.
(6)Tommy Haas vs. Fernando Verdasco
A battle of veterans with some starpower, Verdasco isn’t playing that well right now, as he struggled in Davis Cup doubles and in January. Haas made his way to the final in Zagreb, finally playing himself into some better form after looking really bad in January. Haas and his aging body may be tired out, and Verdasco could pounce. He plays aggressive indoor tennis. The h2h favors Haas 2-1, with all their meetings coming on outdoor hard, but they haven’t met since 2009 and are very different players now.
I expect Tommy to advance but this is a shaky match either way.
Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. (Q)Sergiy Stakhovsky
A matchup I was anticipating last week in Zagreb but didn’t occur because both players were bounced out early.
Kohli and Stako will meet in the opening round this week, also indoors, and Stako still has that 1-0 head to head advantage and appears to be in pretty good form (having qualified). Kohlschreiber has been struggling to find his mojo all year. Peppo will likely still be a slight favorite, but I’ll go with Stako pulling the upset.
(5)Jo Wilfried Tsonga vs. Florian Mayer
Tsonga is 4-0 career against funky Flo, including a 3 set win on indoor hard courts last year.
But the German is in tremendous form so far this year posting a 7-3 record going into this event and thus this match is one to watch.
Tsonga also appears to be playing well right now, and he is the favorite, but I don’t think this one will be straight sets.
Jarkko Nieminen vs. (Q)Dominic Thiem
Montpellier semifinalist and talented indoor player Jarkko Nieminen will do battle with the rising young Austrian Dominic Thiem. Thiem has been very impressive in these past 2 months, closing in on a top 100 ranking with an 8-2 match record on the year. Nieminen has more experience and he plays well indoors, but he showed signs of fatigue in Montpellier, and if Thiem is on point, he has a nice chance at scoring a quality win and reaching round 2.
Top Half:
Del Potro/Monfils will inherit the winner of qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu vs. Zagreb quarterfinalist Ivan Dodig. He then could face one of Dimitrov/Tursunov Istomin/Gulbis in the quarters, the most likely opponent being Dimitrov in what would be a great quarterfinal match.
3 seed Tomas Berdych, who is playing take-no-prisoners-tennis right now, opens with Andreas Seppi and then the winner of Nicolas Mahut/Gilles Simon. Both Mahut and Simon are in terrible form at the moment. It should be Berdych vs. Haas/Verdasco in the quarters, though Montpellier semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz is a good indoor player, and is playing his way back into form after an awful January where he played very out of sorts.
Janowicz opens with an always dangerous but struggling Julien Benneteau and a likely Janowicz/Haas round 2 will be a big showdown. I expect a Berdych vs. Janowicz quarter, and Tomas to advance in the battle of the big imposing hitters.
Bottom Half:
Former Rotterdam champion Andy Murray will face Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who isn’t the easiest of round 1 opponents, coming off quarterfinals in Montpellier. It should be Murray vs Thiem/Nieminen in round 2, as Murray will get a quality opponent again, and Thiem will perhaps get a chance to test himself against one of the best. Murray played well in Davis Cup and his form continues an upward trend from January. Quality opponents will do him well, and it is likely why he is playing Rotterdam this year, something he doesn’t normally do.
Murray vs. Tsonga/Mayer is a possible quarter, but Zagreb champion Marin Cilic is also returning to top 20 form, is also in this section and faces a struggling Lukas Rosol round 1.
I’ll go with Murray vs. Tsonga in the quarters, that one should be a great match as well.
Montpellier finalist Richard Gasquet faces Dutch wild card Thiemo De Bakker round 1, then Kohlschreiber/Stakhovsky in round 2. He has the weakest quarterfinal section, as his opponent will be one of Mikhail Youzhny/Igor Sijsling/Jesse Huta Galung/Michael Berrer. Youzhny and Huta Galung had bad weeks in Zagreb, though Youzhny has won Rotterdam before. Sijsling has been struggling all year and Berrer is a journeyman, though he plays well indoors. Assuming Gasquet is not fatigued, he is almost a lock for the semis as he has a great draw for a 500.
Dark Horse: Gael Monfils
Monfils could either crash out in the opening round against a solid opponent in Del Potro or continue his great form into either the quarter or semifinals, with Dimitrov or Berdych/Janowicz/Haas being possible land mines. As mentioned in the opener, he has only lost twice this year, both times to Nadal, He showed flaws in his game in Montpellier though, especially in his opening round match. By the end of the week, he was firing the ball all over the court, serving and moving well, as he continues to be a very talented player if he is healthy and focused. Both appear to be the case at the moment. It’s not a gutsy dark horse pick at all, but he has the best chance as an unseeded player to make a deep run, assuming he can get past the tower of Tandil.
Predictions Semis:
Berdych d. Dimitrov
Murray d. Gasquet
Going with Berdych over Janowicz/Haas, as he has a h2h and form edge, and then over Dimitrov, who I think will get past Monfils/Del Potro. Though he doesn’t have a h2h win against them yet, Berdych continues to improve. He’s fresh and he plays well indoors.
Dimitrov beat Berdych in Rotterdam 2009 in 3 sets, and also beat him 2 years ago on outdoor hard in Miami. Berdych earned one indoor hard win in between those meetings for a 1-2 h2h.
Grigor will have a great chance, but I think Berdych will win and even up the head to head.
Murray has won 7 straight ATP/Grand Slam meetings against Tsonga and I have him in the semis against Gasquet, who surprisingly enough has a 2-1 hard/indoor court h2h record against him. That said, Murray won their meeting last year in Miami in 3 sets. I think he’ll take care of Reeshy again, though again perhaps needing 3 sets.
Final:
Berdych d. Murray
Berdych was 2-0 against Murray last year, including a hard court win. On indoor hard, the h2h is split 1-1, but with Berdych in great form, and Murray still not at the top of his game perhaps, I think Tomas has a slight edge to win this title. He has just 2 losses on the year in tournament match play.
ATP Memphis
U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships
ATP World Tour 250
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
February 10-February 16, 2014
Prize Money: $ 568,805
Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Kei Nishikori (17)
2: Feliciano Lopez (26)
3: Lleyton Hewitt (40)
4: Yen-Hsun Lu (53)
Memphis was demoted from a 500 to a 250 this year, and also lost the WTA joint event status, leaving this as another run-of-the-mill American 250 event with one top 20 player participating.
First Round matchups to watch:
(SE)Bjorn Phau vs. Ryan Harrison
A match I find to be intriguing that others may not: Phau was a great comeback story on the ATP last week, as he qualified and reached the semifinals in Zagreb out of nowhere. The veteran German hasn’t been anywhere near the ATP level for months, but he is one of the quickest players in tennis and he plays well indoors, his best win coming against Mikhail Youzhny last week. He has overcome injury issues to return to competitive ATP tennis and gets the seeded entry ranking exemption this week, though he will have to fly halfway across the globe and may be worn out by the time he gets to Memphis.
Ryan Harrison, meanwhile, has been posting abysmal results for months and he lost in the second round of the Dallas Challenger last week. It fair to say that’s he’s very frustrated with his tennis right now. Harrison is out of the top 100 and he will be going for his first ATP main draw win since Cincinnati last summer. Phau beat him in 3 sets in Memphis 3 years ago in their only head to head meeting, and this is a clash of the old vs the young for sure. This one is a toss up for me, but I’ll go with Phau, as he moves so well that it neutralizes Harrison’s own excellent mobility.
If the German can bait the American into errors and get him frustrated, he should escape with the win.
(5)Marinko Matosevic vs. Jiri Vesely
Matosevic is a solid hard court player, and Vesely is a rising young Czech who also plays well on indoor hard. Vesely will be going for his second career ATP main draw win here, and in order to get his ranking into the top 60/70 range and get direct entry into most main tour level events, these are the type of matches he needs to win, against solid but beatable opponents.
Vesely comes off semis at an indoor hard court challenger, and is well rested, while Matosevic is defending semifinal points in Memphis and has pressure on this week. Marinko will be a slight favorite but Vesely could do well.
Top Half:
Defending champion Kei Nishikori will face Benjamin Becker/Lukas Lacko in his opening match, then Phau/Harrison or Sam Querrey/Alex Bogomolov in the quarterfinals.
Kei really has a draw that should allow him to cruise into the semis without dropping a set.
Querrey is a former Memphis Champion as well, but he played poorly in the Davis Cup and does not look to be in great form right now. Nishikori is 7-2 on the year and his new coaching partnership with former top American player Michael Chang seems to be paying off.
Lleyton Hewitt will face a qualifier or wild card Marcos Baghdatis, who has been struggling mightily for quite sometime. He and Hewitt have rivalry history, but Lleyton has continued to compete at a high level with age, while Baghdatis is fading. In fact, I expect Hewitt vs. the qualifier in round 2. Hewitt already has an ATP title this year in Brisbane and he awaits one of Tim Smyczek/Nick Kyrgios/Michael Russell/Michal Przysiezny in the quarterfinals.
Kyrgios, his Davis Cup teammate, gets a wild card here, and he has made a lot of noise between his Australian Open and Davis Cup showings. He has a real chance at the quarterfinals here, while Americans Smyczek and Russell, along with the improving Pole Przysiezny also see a chance to snatch up some ranking points.
Bottom Half:
Defending finalist Feliciano Lopez, who is 3-3 this year in match play, will play Matt Ebden or Ivo Karlovic in round 2. Karlovic is always dangerous on indoor hard with his bombing serve. The winner of all that will get Matosevic/Vesely or Jack Sock/Adrian Mannarino in the quarters.
This is another very open section and Sock is defending quarterfinal points from last year here. A case can again be made for every player in this section reach the quarters.
Rendy Lu, who made an ATP final in Auckland at the start of the year, and hasn’t played since the AO, is the number 4 seed here. He will face Donald Young or a qualifier in round 2, and the winner will get Mikhail Kukushkin/Teymuraz Gabashvili or one of two qualifiers in the quarters. Kukushkin is 2-0 on hard courts against Gabashvili, and the qualifier or he, has to be the quarterfinal favorite. Yet again, this is another open section.
If Lu plays like he did in Auckland, he will be in the semis, but if he plays like his normal self, Kukushkin will be a favorite. Young is already known for his streaky form.
Dark Horse: Ivo Karlovic
Every player in the field besides Nishikori might as well be a dark horse in this toss-up event, but Karlovic gets the official designation given his powerful serve and propensity for high quality indoor tennis. He could lose in any of his matches, or win the title, it is really that much of a toss-up.
Predictions Semis:
Nishikori d. Hewitt
Lopez d. Kukushkin
Hewitt just beat Nishikori in Brisbane last month, but I think indoors the advantage swings to Kei, who plays a similar style of counter punching tennis. He should advance to defend his title.
Lopez just beat Kukushkin, also in Brisbane last month, and I believe that he will find a way through to the final again.
Final:
Nishikori d. Lopez
A rematch of last year’s final. Overall, they met three times last year and Nishikori went 2-1. I expect him to continue that trend and repeat as champion.
ATP Buenos Aires
Copa Claro
ATP World Tour 250
Buenos Aires, Argentina
February 10-February 16, 2014
Prize Money: $ 488,890
Top 4 seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: David Ferrer (5)
2: Fabio Fognini (15)
3: Tommy Robredo (16)
4: Nicolas Almagro (18)
4 top 20 players, all accomplished clay courters, highlight the field of what is a very solid 250 event in Argentina.
First Round matchups to watch: Albert Montanes vs. Santiago Giraldo
Giraldo and Montanes have split clay court head to heads, while Giraldo comes off semis in Vina Del Mar. Montanes is on a 9 match losing streak dating back to last year and will be happy to return to his beloved red clay and seek to restabilize his performance. Assuming Giraldo isn’t fatigued, he has to be favored to win this, but this is a form test for Montanes.
(7)Juan Monaco vs. Albert Ramos
Two struggling players try to return to form, as former Copa Claro champion Monaco, who has lost 8 straight dating back to last year, takes on Ramos, who has lost 3 straight matches himself.
Ramos comes off an opening round loss in Vina De Mar and Monaco really needs a win to begin to restore his confidence in front of the home fans.
Don’t expect a lot of quality in this one.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez vs. (WC)Guido Pella
The first meeting between these players, GGL comes off quarters in Vina Del Mar, and will be favored against the dirtballer Pella. The young Argentine wild card is 2-2 on clay this year and will need to improve if he is to upset the veteran Spaniard. However, Pella is talented and thus this is one to watch in a home match for him.
(3)Tommy Robredo vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Former Copa Claro champion Robredo was shocked in the opening round of Vina Del Mar by Leo Mayer, the eventual finalist, and will seek to recover against Carreno Busta, who lost in the second round of the same event. Tommy has to be the favorite, but PCB has talent and an upset is possible.
Federico Delbonis vs. Pablo Andujar
Delbonis, an Argentine playing at home, lost in the 2nd round of Vina Del Mar, and nominally he should be favored over Andujar. His form in general and clay form is better, but Pablo is 4-0 career against Delbonis and all of their meetings came on clay, meaning a Delbonis win would be going against the history of this matchup.
Top Half:
David Ferrer is going for his third straight Copa Claro, and he opens with a qualifier, then Giraldo/Montanes, and one of Ramos/Monaco/Qualifier/Filippo Volandri in the quarters.
He should be able to cruise his way there.
Vina Del Mar semifinalist Nicolas Almagro, another former Copa Claro champion, will face a struggling Horacio Zeballos in round 1, then a qualifier or VDM quarterfinalist Daniel Gimeno-Traver in round 2. In the quarterfinals, it will be one of Jeremy Chardy/Alejandro Gonzalez/Alex Dolgopolov/Pablo Cuevas. Chardy made the quarters in VDM, while Dolgopolov is struggling on clay right now.
Bottom Half:
VDM champion Fabio Fognini will face Julian Reister round 1 and then could get a VDM final rematch with Leo Mayer, if Mayer can beat Argentine wild card Facundo Arguello. I expect Fognini vs. one of Delbonis/Andujar or Marcel Granollers/Aljaz Bedene in the quarters in what is an open section.
Robredo/PCB will take on GGL/Pella in round 2, followed by one of Joao Sousa/Carlos Berlocq/Robin Haase/Qualifier in the quarters. Yet again(!), this section is open.
Dark Horse: Pablo Carreno Busta
PCB will have to get past Robredo. But if he does, the talented Spaniard will have a nice chance against GGL/Pella and whatever quarterfinalist emerges from the other section, meaning he could make the semis.
Predictions Semis:Ferrer d. Almagro
Fognini d. Robredo
Ferrer has beaten his fellow Spaniard 14 times in a row, and I don’t see any reason why he can’t make it 15-0 against Nico.
In what I expected to be the final in VDM last week that did not transpire because Robredo was upset, I’ll repeat my pick in that one: Fognini to reverse his 0-4 clay court h2h against Robredo and grab the win.
Final:
Ferrer d. Fognini
Ferrer is 6-0 career against Fognini and 3-0 on clay, thus he should win his third straight Copa Claro, even though Fognini continues to trend upward.
October Challenger Recap: Rising Players Thiem, Pella, Andreozzi Take Titles, Cuevas, Bellucci Comeback Stories
Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
Mons Challenger (September 30-October 6, 2013)
Radek Stepanek won his third challenger of 2013 in straights over Igor Sijsling on indoor hard courts in Belgium. Stepanek, the top seed, beat Marc Gicquel in the semis while Sijsling beat Andreas Beck. Former top 20 player Xaiver Malisse retired here in Mons, hanging up his racquet with an opening round loss to Sergiy Stakhovsky in straight sets. A fan favorite for his unique game and often-hotheaded attitude on court, X-Man will be missed.
Rising Argentine Guido Pella dominated his fellow young countryman Facundo Arguello to take this clay court challenger title in Brazil. Pella beat Pedro Sousa in the semis while Facu beat Rogerio Dutra Silva. Pella remains inside the top 100 with this result, among others.
Rennes Challenger (October 7-October 13, 2013)
2 seed Nicolas Mahut, another veteran who has enjoyed a great year of tennis, won this indoor hard court challenger over fellow Frenchman and top seed Kenny De Schepper. Mahut beat Marc Gicquel in the semis, another good result for the Frenchman Gicquel, who has played well at the challenger level this year. De Schepper beat Maxime Teixiera in another all-French semi.
San Juan Challenger (October 7-October 13, 2013)
The Argentine domination of the South American clay challenger circuit continued when Guido Andreozzi beat his countryman Diego Sebastian Schwartzman for this title in Argentina. Andreozzi beat Maximo Gonzalez in the semis while Schwartzman beat Juan Ignacio Londero in yet another all-Argentine semi. Andreozzi is at a career high ranking inside the top 150 now.
Sao Jose Do Rio Preto Challenger (October 7-October 13, 2013)
Joao Souza won in front of home fans in Brazil on clay with a straight sets victory over Alejandro Gonzalez in the final. Souza beat Gastao Elias in the semis while Gonzalez beat Guido Pella.
Tashkent Challenger (October 7-October 13, 2013)
Dudi Sela claimed his third challenger title of the year in Tashkent on hard courts as the veteran Israeli stalwart beat Teymuraz Gabashvili in the final. Sela beat Lukas Lacko in the semis while Gabashvili beat Amir Weintraub.
This tournament was marred by international controversy after Tunisian player Malek Jaziri was demanded by his tennis federation to withdraw before a match with Israeli player Weintraub, and he did so, resulting in Tunisia being banned from Davis Cup for 1 year and embarrassment all around. Jaziri had actually played Weintraub before, but apparently the Tunisian tennis federation, which provides him with playing subsidies in order for him to continue his career, threatened to sanction that support if Jaziri played the match.
Jaziri was cleared of wrongdoing by the ATP and is actually friends with Weintraub personally.
Michael Berrer, another veteran, beat Nicolas Mahut to take this indoor hard court challenger title in France. The German Berrer beat Michael Llodra in the semis while Mahut took care of Andreas Beck.
Buenos Aires Challenger (October 21-October 27, 2013)
Former top 50 player Pablo Cuevas, who is battling back after injuries knocked his ranking way down, beat Facundo Arguello on Argentinian clay for this title. Cuevas beat the in-form Guido Andreozzi in the semis while Arguello beat Steve Diez.
Kazan 2 Challenger (October 21-October 27, 2013)
Newly minted top 100 player Oleksandr Nedovyesov beat Andrey Golubev for this indoor hard court challenger title. Nedovyesov has won three challenger titles this year and put together a quality year, primarily on the challenger circuit. He beat Farrukh Dustov in the semis while Golubev beat Lucas Pouille, an up and coming name we haven’t heard from in a while. The 19 year old Frenchman is now inside the top 190 at a career high ranking of 184.
Matt Ebden did the green and gold proud with a 3 set victory over Tatsuma Ito on outdoor hard courts in sunny Melbourne. Ebden won his second challenger of 2013, and has had a tremendous fall season. He beat James Ward in the semis while Ito beat James Duckworth. Ebden has the following tournament results post US Open: 1 title, 2 finals, 1 semi and 1 quarterfinal.
Dominic Thiem, a fast rising 20 year old Austrian, captured his second challenger title of 2013, this time on clay in Morocco over Potito Starace. Thiem beat Filip Krajinovic in the semis while Starace beat another Austrian, Gerald Melzer.
Eckental Challenger (October 28-November 3, 2013)
Top seed Benjamin Becker won at home in Germany at this challenger on the fast and vanishing surface of carpet. Becker beat Ruben Bemelmans in the final after defeating Dustin Brown in the semis. Bemelmans beat Tim Puetz.
Geneva Challenger (October 28-November 3, 2013)
Malek Jaziri won on indoor hard in Switzerland over JL Struff, who has put together a good year of tennis himself. Jaziri beat Marco Chiudinelli in the semis while Struff beat Marius Copil. 2 seed Evgeny Donskoy was upset by lucky loser Laurent Recouderc in the opening round. Struff drops to 0-7 in challenger finals in his career.
Thomaz Bellucci, who has endured a really rough year of tennis and has seen his ranking drop him outside the top 100 finally pulled things together at the end of the season to win this title on clay over Diego Sebastian Schwartzman in straights. Bellucci will certainly hope this is a sign of good things to come as he beat Martin Alund in the semis and also beat seeded players Alejandro Gonzalez and Pere Riba. Schwartzman beat another comeback story, Pablo Cuevas in the semis.
Seoul Challenger (October 28-November 3, 2013)
Dusan Lajovic won this challenger title in Seoul after Julian Reister withdrew with illness and gave the Serbian a walkover victory. Lajovic beat Yuichi Sugita in the semis while Reister beat Blaz Kavcic. Top seed Rendy Lu was upset by Belgian Germain Gigounon in the opening round.
Yuki Bhambri won a rain interrupted final in Australia on hard courts in 3 sets over American Bradley Klahn after dispatching Brydan Klein in the semis. Klahn beat James Duckworth, who made another good challenger run. All of the players except Klein have had pretty good years of tennis this year and are trying to move up to the big time.
Tsonga Tops Berdych in Marseille, Ferrer Wins 20th Title in Buenos Aires, Nishikori wins First 500 in Memphis
ATP Marseille
Jo Wilfried-Tsonga won his 2nd open 13 title with a 3-6 7-6 6-4 victory over Tomas Berdych, in which he saved 1 match point in the 2nd set. Tsonga makes it 2 for 2 in terms of Frenchmen winning French tournaments this year and got his 2nd career win over Berdych. His other victories also came in 2 sets over Nikolay Davydenko, 3 desperate sets over Bernard Tomic in the quarters, and 2 sets over Gilles Simon in the semis. Simon knocked off Del Potro to make the semis.
Berdych, meanwhile, beat Ernest Gulbis and Jerzy Janowicz in 3 sets, then dominated Dmitry Tursunov, a qualifier who was once a notable player but had been a serious slump for over a year, and came out of nowhere to make the semis. Tursunov beat Janko Tipsarevic and also Gilles Muller in rounds 2 and 3, with Muller having knocked off Richard Gasquet for one of his best marquee wins in a while.
Colin Fleming continued to play inspiring tennis on the doubles side, teaming up with Rohan Boppana to win over Aisam Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer.
ATP Buenos Aires
David Ferrer won ATP title number 20 of his career and his 2nd title this year in Buenos Aires beating Stan Wawrinka 6-4 3-6 6-1, in a match of traded breaks and a blowout 3rd set. Wawrinka broke to take the 2nd and broke early in the 3rd before suffering an utter collapse and allowing Ferrer to cruise through.
Ferrer beat Agustin Velotti, David Nalbandian, Fabio Fognini and Tommy Robredo and dropped just a single set prior to the final.
Wawrinka continued a good start to the year beating Paolo Lorenzi, Dani Gimeno Traver, Albert Ramos and Nico Almagro.
Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini beat Nick Monroe and Simon Stadler to take the doubles title.
ATP Memphis
Kei Nishikori didn’t drop a set in Memphis all week as he strummed Feliciano Lopez 6-2 6-3 for his 3rd career ATP title and his first 500 series title. Nishikori will be close to jumping back into the top 15 after the victory and showed quality movement, serving, returning, and ball striking all week.
The Bryans took another doubles title, this time over Blake/Sock.
2013 ATP Marseille, Buenos Aires Previews Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com
We’ve been busy with Memphis, but there are actually two other events on the ATP World Tour this: an indoor hard 250 in Marseille, France and another clay court 250 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
ATP Marseille
Open 13
ATP World Tour 250
Marseille, France
February 18-February 24, 2013
Prize Money: €528, 135
Top 4 seeds (Who all receive first round byes):
1: Tomas Berdych
2: Juan Martin Del Potro
3: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
4: Janko Tipsarevic
Marseille has a star-studded field, especially for a 250 with the top 5 seeds all top 10 players.
First round matchups to watch:
(8) Martin Klizan vs. Bernard Tomic
Klizan showed some strong play this week and made the quarterfinals in Rotterdam, proving yet again he can be a very dangerous player indoors with the amount of power and touch he can show off. He will get an interesting match with Tomic, who dropped a 3 setter to eventual semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov in Rotterdam, but should be in better shape after getting that match in.
Top Half:
Tomas Berdych will return to action this week against the winner of Ernests Gulbis/Jarkko Nieminen and that could pose him a bit of trouble as Nieminen comes off quarterfinals in Rotterdam and is having a great month of February.
The winner could face Jerzy Janowicz, the 7 seed, who was disappointing in Rotterdam losing in the 1st round to the aging journeyman Victor Hanescu.
Also in this section is current Rotterdam finalist and possible champion Julien Benneteau, who should be buzzing after knocking off Roger Federer. He opens with Lucas Pouille while Janowicz opens with Lukas Rosol.
Janko Tipsarevic will play a qualifier, then possibly get a showdown meeting with Montpellier champ Richard Gasquet, who opens with Gilles Muller and then possibly a Montpellier rematch with Gael Monfils (who plays Marcel Granollers first round).
Bottom Half:
Defending champ Juan Martin Del Potro, also still in the running for the Rotterdam title as a finalist, opens with Montpellier semifinalist Michael Llodra or a severely slumping David Goffin. Goff was bageled in his last match and has only won 1 ATP match this year.
Del Potro could then get a rematch with Gilles Simon, if Simon makes the finals in Rotterdam and beats Robin Haase and a qualifier or Roberto Bautista-Agut in Marseille.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who was knocked off in the opening round of Rotterdam, will play a qualifier or Nikolay Davydenko. Afterward, he could get a US Open rematch with Martin Klizan, who upset him there. That’s dependent on Klizan beating Tomic and then Montpellier finalist Benoit Paire, who opens with Somdev Devvarman.
Pretty much every section of this draw is stacked with talent.
Dark Horse: Benoit Paire
Paire was a solid finalist in Montpellier, though he is coming off a 1st round loss in Rotterdam that can likely be chalked up to fatigue. He has a good draw opening with Devvarman, then getting the unpredictable Tomic, or Klizan. Klizan is very dangerous but had to retire in the 3rd set of his quarterfinal match in Rotterdam, which raises questions about his current stamina level. If Paire gets past that, he likely gets the unpredictable Tsonga, who he will be an underdog given the 0-2 head to head record. In short, this is a section of very streaky players and hopefully Paire will be the one on a hot streak among them.
Predictions:
Semis:
Gasquet d. Berdych
Del Potro d. Tsonga
Berdych is well rested and should be good through the quarter assuming he doesn’t trip up against Nieminen in the 2nd round. Gasquet, who should get past Tipsarevic in the quarters, has a slight edge on Berdych, given his hot form and a 4-2 head to head record.
Tsonga should edge past Paire in the quarters, while Del Potro may be tired but still has a somewhat weak section and I don’t see anyone threatening him. Simon has played the same amount of tennis recently, same goes with the edge over Tsonga who he has beaten five times, losing only twice.
Final:
Del Potro d. Gasquet
Del Potro may be a bit worn out, but he won all 3 meetings last year against Gasquet, including last year in Marseille and though Gasquet is playing great, the tower of Tandil should have a leg up.
ATP Buenos Aires
Copa Claro
ATP World Tour 250
Buenos Aires, Argentina
February 18-February 24, 2013
Prize Money: $493,670
Top 4 seeds: NO BYES
1: David Ferrer
2: Nicolas Almagro
3: Stanislas Wawrinka
4: Thomaz Bellucci
First round matchups to watch:
Carlos Berlocq vs. David Nalbandian
Berlocq has made the semis and the quarters in his last two tournaments on the Golden Swing and is playing quite well. He will take on current Sao Paulo finalist David Nalbandian, who has been a surprise in his return to ATP action. This should be a rowdy all Argentine battle and a lot of fun with some excellent clay court grinding, Nalbandian won this matchup when they met last year in the quarters of this event.
Top Half:
Defending champ David Ferrer will start his efforts to repeat against wild card Agustin Velotti before the Berlocq/Nalbandian winner. In the quarters he could get Fabio Fognini, who was bounced out of Sao Paulo in disappointing fashion, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo or a qualifier. This is a somewhat decent looking draw for the top ranked Spaniard.
Thomaz Bellucci, who also got bounced out of Sao Paulo in a frustrated manner, opens with Diego Sebastian Schwartzman before meeting a qualifier or Tommy Robredo. Sao Paulo semifinalist Martin Alund, who has all of a sudden found a good run of play, opens with a qualifier then could play Vina Del Mar champ Horacio Zeballos if he can beat Aljaz Bedene. Zeballos is the likely favorite in this section.
Bottom Half:
Sao Paulo quarterfinalist and last year’s Copa Clara finalist Nicolas Almagro will play Guido Pella, a home favorite who is at a career high ranking of 92 and just earned his first ATP match win in Sao Paulo. The winner gets Sao Paulo quarterfinalist Filippo Volandri or Andrey Kuznetsov, who is struggling right now. In the quarters it could be Pablo Andujar, who plays Albert Montanes, Joao Sousa or Federico Del Bonis.
Stanislas Wawrinka starts his clay court efforts against Paolo Lorenzi and Daniel Gimeno-Traver or a qualifier. Next, he could face Albert Ramos, Flavio Cipolla, Leonardo Mayer or more likely Simone Bolleli, who made the semis in Sao Paulo. It’s a good looking draw for Stan.
Dark Horse: Federico Del Bonis
The 22 year old Argentine ranked just outside the top 120 in the world is actually playing quite well this year, excluding a loss to Rafael Nadal in Vina as a qualifier. He also won a clay court challenger in Colombia and clay is his best surface by far.
He has a good draw with a lot of average and out of form players including Sousa and Montanes or Andujar before a quarterfinal test with Almagro, who is iffy as of late.
Predictions:
Semis:
Ferrer d. Zeballos
Wawrinka d. Almagro
Ferrer should be good enough to outwork Zeballos, though it could be close, and Wawrinka will hopefully be in fresh form and take out Almagro after a pretty weak early draw. They met in the 2012 semis and it was Almagro who prevailed.
Final:
Ferrer d. Wawrinka
Ferrer has a 6-3 head to head record and a solid game on clay. He would be the favorite if this final comes to fruition.
