2015 RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas (Challenger) Day 4 Recap: Ram tops flustered Rublev, Trungelliti surges back against Kuznetsov Jeff McMillan, Tennis Atlantic
Day 4 @ the 2015 RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas
On an unnaturally freezing cold day in Dallas, Texas the action at the RBC Tennis Championships, the Dallas Challenger was heating up and I was there to witness the action.
The quarterfinals of the singles draw began at the conclusion of the first doubles match, around roughly 12:45 local time. The first singles match on pitted Alex Kuznetsov vs Marco Trungelliti. Both players were making a surprise quarterfinal appearance, the former knocking off the #1 seed Mikhail Kukushkin in round 1 and the latter fighting through qualifying all the way through to the quarters.
The match began with the American Kuznetsov on fire, sticking to an effective one-two punch formula of a big serve setting up a put away shot from the ground. Kuzentsov’s coach and girlfriend who were sitting close by enjoyed the first set. They were pleased with their guy’s strong play and how well he was able to enforce his will upon the match, for the time being the atmosphere relaxed among the Kuznetsov team. But in the 2nd set Trungelliti began to slowly turn the tide. It was evident from the first ball of set #2 that the Argentinian was going to give it his all in his attempt to get the semifinals. Suddenly Kuznetsov was not holding serve as easily as Trungelliti began to get deep into the service games of the American. But despite the pressure being applied in each service game, the break did not come immediately and I began to wonder if the missed opportunities for Trungelliti would come back to haunt him as he made a few poor shot selection choices on deuce and break points early in the set. However the break eventually came thanks to the consistent pressure and cracked Kuznetsov’s previously rigid game plan. Up 5-3 in the 2nd set, the 25-year-old Argentinian successfully served out the set without drama setting up a 3rd set showdown.
In the 3rd set, some frustrations began to boil over for Kuznetsov. He got agitated at some pretty straightforward calls, disputing the length of time that it took the chair to overrule clear errors from the lines people. The 3rd set quickly fell in step with the same pattern as the 2nd set, Treungelliti getting deep into the Kuznetosv service games, not allowing Kuznetsov to relax at any moment. Inevitably Trungelliti got a break and finished off the match 1-6 6-3 6-4, much to the dismay of Kuznetsov who chucked his racquet just two points from losing the match.
Marco Trungelliti
The key to the match turnaround from Marco Trungelliti was was his ability to use an all court game to disrupt the straightforward approach from Kuznetsov. He hit a few killer lobs, some deft slices and even mixed in net approaches, which Kuznetsov was not able to nor was he ready to handle. I was impressed with Trungelliti’s ability to find angles off the forehand wing and mix his play in just enough ways to get the big win.
The 2nd match of the day that I attended was the highly anticipated matchup between old and new. 30 year old Rajeev Ram vs 17 year old Andrey Rublev. Immediately I could tell that all the hype that has been surrounding Rublev is definitely justified. The young Russian has a very live arm on the forehand side and can crank the ball with a flashy whip of the arm. He also has good variety for his age on that wing, able to flatten out his weapon as well as use good topspin to find the angles. There were several flashy forehands that flew off the Rublev racquet throughout the match, each of which prompted oohs and ahs from the crowd. Rublev blasted his way to an impressive 6-3 first set win, leaving the veteran American on his heels.
But the former University of Illinois Fightin’ Illini legend is never to be counted out and he showed his experience as the match wore on. Rublev showed his immaturity a few times by showing clear dissatisfaction on his face and in his body language after a poor shot even if he was leading in a game. In the 2nd set Rublev dropped his racquet on two straight points in frustration and finally slammed the racquet into oblivion on the third point in the sequence, sealing Ram’s seizure of momentum and flipping the pressure to the young Russian. Ram would win the 2nd set 6-2 following a crucial 2nd break, which allowed him to serve first in the 3rd set.
The 3rd set was a battle in every sense of the word. Rublev shed the negativity he showed in the 2nd set and put on a new competitive coat ready to go to battle. Ram on the other side, buckled down and got ready to give the youngster his best shot. Each player made some great shots, Rublev blasting forehands and Ram coming up with some truly incredible volleys. Ram bossed the Russian on his service games, often finding the corners again and again much to the dismay of Rublev, who was outwardly incredulous. At the business end of the set neither player showed any nerves. But all it takes is a couple points to decide a match. At 30-30 5-6 on Rublev’s service game, the young Russian got a bit too bold and went for an untimely down the line change of direction backhand winner, which instead of finding the open court found the tape instead, putting him down match point. A double fault ended the great 3rd set battle, giving Rajeev Ram the 3-6 6-2 7-5 victory. Fan applause rained down as Andrey Rublev quickly shuffled off the court, to the locker rooms, a hoodie over his head, clearly disappointed in the loss despite the overall positive week. Meanwhile Ram enjoyed the win and signed several things for fans as he will march on to face Teimuraz Gabashvilli in the semifinals.
Rajeev Ram
The semifinals are now set in Dallas. Friday will see warmer temperatures and even higher stakes at the Dallas Challenger. Teymuraz Gabashvilli vs Rajeev Ram and Tim Smyczek vs Marco Trungelliti.
2014 ATP Challenger Tour Finals, Lima, Montevideo, Toyota & Andria Challenger Recaps Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
Challenger Tour Finals
A lot of people, including myself, expected wild card Guilherme Clezar to finish fourth in his group without a lot of fuzz. He clearly had other plans. The world #331 beat countryman Joao Souza in a thrilling three set match, 7-6(4) 2-6 7-6(7), and pulled off another big upset when he beat Blaz Rola 6-4 6-3. What made it even more satisfying is that Rola only needed to win a set to advance, but now saw Clezar advance as second player of the group behind the already qualified Diego Schwartzman. Clezar had only reached one semi-final at Challenger level this year, so his second one coming at the Challenger Tour Finals by beating two top 100 players was a huge surprise.
In Group A the two players who were expected to advance, Simone Bolelli and Victor Estrella Burgos, both lost a match. Bolelli lost to Estrella Burgos while he was already qualified, while Estrella Burgos lost his opening match 6-3 6-4 to Maximo Gonzalez. In the semi-final Estrella Burgos faced Clezar, which saw the two men engage in a titanic battle, with Clezar eventually coming out on top in a ridiculous scoreline: 7-6(4) 6-7(0) 7-6(12), saving three match points. The other semi-final saw an upset as well, with Schwartzman taking out top seed Bolelli 7-5 6-4. Unfortunately, Clezar was unable to fully recover from his marathon match, making the final an one-sided affair in Schwartzman’s favor 6-2 6-3. The result meant a jump of sixteen ranking spots for Schwartzman, giving him a new career high of #61. Clezar jumped considerably as well, of course, improving 75 spots to #256.
Lima
Top seed Paolo Lorenzi crashed out in the first against Jose Hernandez, but that wasn’t entirely surprising given his walk-over against Pablo Cuevas in the final of Guayaquil a couple of days earlier. In the next round, Hernandez advanced after Muñoz-De La Nava retired at 1-6 2-5 40-40, a very unclassy move considering there was no direct medical emergency. Hernandez eventually lost in the semifinal to third seed Jason Kubler, 6-3 6-2. In the bottom half, #8 seed Guido Pella was making a name for himself, overcoming marathon matches in the first round, quarterfinal and semi-final to set up a meeting with Kubler. Despite his tiring path to the final, Pella showed no signs of slowing down, as he beat Kubler 6-2 6-4 to claim his first Challenger title since Sao Paolo in early October of last year. He is now on the verge of entering the top 150, jumping 45 spots to #156. Kubler finishes his great year at #136, having started off the year outside of the top 400.
Montevideo
World #35 Pablo Cuevas is back after his Challenger victory last week, in a clever effort to snatch a seeding at the Australian Open. He started off as #35, last week’s victory got him up to #32 and if he wins this tournament as well, he finishes at #30. The competition won’t be stern, with #117 Pere Riba as the second highest ranked player in the field. And the tournament lost Riba very quickly as he retired from his first match with a right leg injury. Hugo Dellien profited from that and made sure he got full value, as he went all the way to the final after beating third seed Facundo Arguello in the semi-final, 1-6 6-0 6-4. As expected, he met Cuevas there, who beat the talented Argentinian Pedro Cachin in the semi-final, and met his Waterloo there 6-2 6-4. With that, Cuevas managed to almost certainly secure his seeding at the Australian Open in a clever late season campaign. Dellien ended the season on a high as well, reaching a new career high at #287, jumping 69 spots.
Toyota
A Japanese winner was in line with expectations, as five of the seeds were from Japan. They prospered under the home advantage, as only #6 Hiroki Moriya lost before the quarterfinal. Yuichi Sugita took out youngster Yoshihito Nishikoki in the quarterfinal to set up a semifinal line-up with #1 seed Tatsuma Ito, #2 seed Go Soeda and surprise semi-finalist Ti Chen. The two top seeds didn’t disappoint, as they both went through to the final, setting up their tenth meeting. Soeda led 6-3 and increased the difference, as he beat Ito 6-4 7-5 to take down the title. It was a very important tournament for both men, as the result put them both back into the top 100 for the first time since 2013. Ito jumped nine spots to #94, while Soeda follows him closely at #100, improving seventeen spots.
Andria
#1 seed Igor Sijsling ended a poor season with an opening round loss against Uladzimir Ignatik 6-4 6-4. This tournament turned out to be a horrendous one for the seeds, as only one of them was still in it after the second round: #3 seed Ricardas Berankis. This was partially due to #2 seed Dustin Brown and #7 seed Dudi Sela withdrawing, leaving the entire bottom section seedless. Veteran Michael Berrer profited from that, making the semi-final and losing to Berankis 7-6(3) 6-3. In the top half, surprising semi-finalists Nikoloz Basilashvili and Konstantin Kravchuk battled it out, resulting in a 6-3 6-4 victory for Basilashvili, who reached his second career Challenger final. However, after a set in the final, he retired due to a left groin injury, leaving Berankis as the anti-climactic winner. Nevertheless, Basilashvili enters the top 200 for the first time, coming in at #192. Berankis enters the top 100 again, jumping 21 places to #86.
With practically all the good Italian players placed in the top half of the draw, a home country finalist was likely, although the eventual player to make it was not first seed Paolo Lorenzi. Potito Starace had the honor to play the final after ousting Lorenzi in a marathon match: 5-7 7-5 6-4. This meant his first top 100 victory since beating Kenny De Schepper in QR1 of Monte Carlo in April.
With Lorenzi at 32 years of age and Starace 33 this looked to be a tournament for the veterans, a trend that got confirmed in the bottom half, where Albert Montanes (33) and Daniel Gimeno-Traver (29) took on each other. They already had an extensive history of playing each other, with the head to head being dead even at 3-3. Their last meeting at Viña del Mar last year ended in a 6-4 6-4 victory for Gimeno-Traver. Things were different this time around, however, as Montanes took home the match in three sets: 6-7(4) 7-5 6-2.
This set up a repeat of last week’s match between Montanes and Starace in the first round of the San Marino Challenger, where Montanes booked a relatively easy victory: 6-2 7-6(3). This week’s final followed a similar pattern as Montanes crowned himself the 2014 Cordenons champion with a 6-2 6-4 victory. The final only meant a minor jump of five ranking spots for Starace, as he reached the semi-final last year, he now is ranked #156. For Montanes the jump was more significant, as he rose twenty spots to #114.
One thing is for sure: nobody predicted the Meerbusch winner correctly. The tournament began on a negative note with the match fixing scandal between Boy Westerhof and Antal van der Duim, which is currently being investigated by the Tennis Integrity Unit. More details on that are surely to come. The only top 100 player in the draw, top seed Albert Ramos, got upset in the first round by Mattias Bachinger in straight sets: 6-4 7-6(4). The other clear favorite to reach the final, Andrey Kuznetsov, didn’t disappoint as he made it. However, he was the only seeded player to reach the semi-finals as he was joined by #340 Jozef Kovalik, #289 Tristan Lamasine and #259 Peter Torebko, making Kuznetsov obviously the clear favorite with his 108th ranking spot.
However, it was 21 year old wild card Kovalik who absolutely crushed Kuznetsov in the final, winning 6-1 6-4. Amazingly enough he only dropped one set the entire tournament and even that match was a comfortable win: 2-6 6-2 6-0. This obviously resulted in a major ranking jump, as he rose 105 spots to #235, only five shy of his career high ranking of #230. Kuznetsov had some consolation as well, as he re-entered the top 100 at #97, a jump of eleven spots.
2014 Cordenons and Meerbusch Challenger Previews Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
A quiet week on the Challenger tour with only two tournaments being played, both European clay Challengers, one in Italy and the other one in Germany.
Cordenons Challenger
Cordenons Challenger 2014
Internazionali di Tennis del Friuli Venezia Giulia ATP Challenger Tour
Cordenons, Italy
August 11 – August 17
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds:(ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Paolo Lorenzi (79)
2: Daniel Gimeno-Traver (99)
3: Filip Krajinovic* (112)
4: Filippo Volandri (135)
5: Albert Montanes (141)
6: Adrian Ungur (157)
7: Potito Starace (162)
8: Rogerio Dutra Silva (167)
9: Andrea Arnaboldi (176)
The last direct acceptance is Antonio Veic, ranked 305th, although after his final at the San Marino Challenger last week he is ranked considerably higher: 236th. Ninth seed Arnaboldi takes the spot of Krajinovic*, who withdrew citing a right hip injury. Alessandro Giannessi entered the tournament as a special exempt after he reached the semi-final at the San Marino Challenger last week, where he took out #1 seed Simone Bolelli.
First round match-ups to watch
(8) Rogerio Dutra Silva vs. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo
36 year old Ramirez Hidalgo is seemingly indestructible, just when you think he is on the way out he strikes back with yet another good run. This happened at the Prague Challenger last week, where he made an incredible run to the semi-final, dropping only seven games in his three matches. Dutra Silva has always been a steady fixture in the 100-200 ranking region, but he lacks the game to take it further, even though his ranking peaked at #84 last year. This has three sets written all over it.
(4) Filippo Volandri vs. Jurgen Zopp
Volandri has been struggling immensely this year, starting at a position in the top 70 and dropping to his current ranking spot of #147. He hasn’t won back to back matches since the Rome Challenger in early May. Zopp has looked like a very promising player, reaching as high as world #71 in 2012, but his career has been severely disrupted by injury. He has been in the main draw of only four events this year, with a retirement of Tommy Haas in the first round of Roland Garros awkwardly being his best result. They have played each other twice, both at the ATP 250 event in Bastad, with each of them taking one match, so if Zopp is finally healthy he will have a chance to take out the seeded player.
Top Half:
Top seed Paolo Lorenzi looks like a safe bet to reach the final this tournament, his fellow Italian seeds Filippo Volandri and Potito Starace aren’t in great shape, while he comes off a great run at the ATP 250 event of Kitzbühel, where he beat Robin Haase and Pablo Andujar in straight sets to reach the quarterfinal, where he fell to the eventual winner David Goffin.
Lorenzi’s semi-final opponent is hard to predict since there are so many candidates. Outside of seeds Volandri and Starace you have two other Italians, Matteo Viola and Alessandro Giannessi, who play each other in the first round and are both capable of marching on to the semi-final. Even Jurgen Zopp isn’t a bad pick, providing he is healthy.
Bottom Half:
Second seed Daniel Gimeno-Traver has finally been freed from his nightmare Viktor Troicki, as the man who beat him in the two previous tournaments he played won’t be competing here. Nevertheless he still has a tricky road to the final, with Adrian Ungur and Albert Montanes being his projected opponents. Ungur just won the San Marino Challenger and despite his bad results on the main tour Montanes will always be a dangerous opponent.
Gimeno-Traver won the title here exactly ten years ago, beating ultimate bad boy crazy Daniel Koellerer in the final, so perhaps that’s an omen for things to come this week.
Predictions
Semis:
Lorenzi d. Viola
Gimeno-Traver d. Montanes
Final:
Gimeno-Traver def. Lorenzi
Gimeno-Traver will be really motivated to do well here after his previous two Challenger events ended in a defeat at the hands of Troicki. Combine that with his win here exactly ten years ago and I predict he will oust his higher ranked opponent in the final, although it will be close. They actually played each other in the final two years ago, with Lorenzi winning, but I have the feeling it will be the other way around this time.
Meerbusch Challenger
Meerbusch Challenger 2014
Maserati Challenger by Landsknecht 2014
ATP Challenger Tour
Meerbusch, Germany
August 11 – August 17
Prize Money: €35,000
Seeds: (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Albert Ramos (93)
2: Andrey Kuznetsov (107)
3: Andreas Haider-Maurer (116)
4: Julian Reister (124)
5: Gerald Melzer (146)
6: Jesse Huta Galung (192)
7: Radu Albot (211)
8: Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (223)
The last direct acceptance is Peter Torebko, ranked 316th. Youngsters Christian Garin, Laurent Lokoli and Philipp Davydenko have managed to qualify and might be able to pull off some surprises in this tournament. Comeback kid Philipp Petzschner has received a wild card, as well as the extremely erratic Attila Balazs.
First round match-ups to watch
Boy Westerhof vs. Antal van der Duim
This match between two Dutchmen has already been played by the time I’m typing this and it was a very controversial happening, which we will possibly hear more about in the near future. The meeting reeks of match fixing, as abnormal amounts of money were being wagered on the outcome and a lot of bookies pulled the match. Westerhof started out as the favorite, but his odds were quickly rising when the match was about to start and the scenario became clear: Van Der Duim would win 2-1 in sets after losing the first. Westerhof went up 6-4 3-0, but Van Der Duim was a comfortable favorite to win the match at that point. Van Der Duim went up 4-3, at which point his odd to win dropped to a ridiculous 1.02. Of course, he went on to win the set and ultimately the match.
Top Half:
As his seeding suspects, Albert Ramos is the clear favorite in this half. His previous two results in Challengers add to this confidence in him, as he reached the finals of two Italian Challengers in June, winning one of them. His semi-final opponent is difficult to predict, as the two Austrians holding the seeds there, Andreas Haider-Maurer and Gerald Melzer aren’t the most reliable players. But then again, the competition isn’t great, so it will probably be between them anyway. In that match-up the obvious pick is Haider-Maurer, who beat Melzer in straight just two weeks ago in Kitzbühel.
Bottom Half:
This is a very interesting half, as every young qualifier is in it, together with wild card Attila Balazs, who is able to beat everyone on a good day. Add to this that the seeds are all slumping and this half gets very difficult to predict. #2 seed Andrey Kuznetsov lost in the first round of the Prague Challenger against qualifier Thiago Monteiro, who is ranked outside of the top 400. #4 seed Julian Reister is on a five match losing streak. #6 seed Jesse Huta Galung has dropped 100 ranking spots after reaching his career high ranking of #92 in early February and #8 seed Hans Podlipnik-Castillo might well lose to Philipp Davydenko in the first round, who seems to have picked up his game as of late.
Predictions
Semis:
Ramos d. Haider-Maurer
Kuznetsov d. Davydenko
Final:
Ramos d. Kuznetsov
Davydenko will surprise and build on his Stuttgart result last month by reaching the semi-final here. Despite all the possibilities for upsets Kuznetsov has too much quality to be upset like that two weeks in a row. Nevertheless, Ramos will be too steady and confident to lose against him and will take the title.
2014 Aptos, San Marino and Prague Challenger Recaps
ATP Challenger Tour
Aptos Challenger
The expected final between top seeds Mikhail Kukushkin and Marcos Baghdatis did indeed take place, resulting in a 7-6(7) 6-4 victory for Baghdatis. This marked his second Challenger title in just as many weeks, and along with it a long awaited return into the top 100. He dropped out of the all-important top 100 for the first time since 2009 in the first week of this year, but now rises 24 spots to #82 to reclaim his position as a top 100 player. Baghdatis did not drop a set all tournament, even against Ruben Bemelmans in the quarterfinals, against whom he had to save two match points in their match last week, also in the quarterfinals.
San Marino had a lot of surprises, with the top four seeds all being out before the semi-final. Top seed Simone Bolelli got upset in the quarterfinal by wild card Alessandro Giannessi, who is ranked outside of the top 300: 4-6 6-4 6-3. The number two was prevalent as second seed Daniel Gimeno-Traver fell against Viktor Troicki for the second week in a row, after missing two match points: 4-6 7-6(3) 7-6(6). Troicki couldn’t keep up his run, as he fell to qualifier Antonio Veic in the next round, Veic marched all the way to the final after beating Guilherme Clezar, the conqueror of third seed Maximo Gonzalez in the first round.
Veic met Adrian Ungur in the final, who took out fourth seed Albert Montanes in a grueling three set match earlier in the tournament. It turned out to be an unpleasant final for the undoubtedly tired Veic, as Ungur absolutely hammered him 6-1 6-0 to take home the title. Nevertheless this obviously still meant a huge jump in the rankings for Veic, as he rose 77 positions to #236. Ungur won 21 spots re-entered the top 150 at #136.
Prague also resulted in a lot of surprises, except for one, the winner. After the second rounds only two seeds still remained, #3 Michal Przysiezny and #1 Diego Schwartzman. As I wrote in my preview I thought that #2 seed Andrey Kuznetsov might struggle against qualifier Thiago Monteiro, but Monteiro’s straight set victory still came as a surprise. Veteran Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo profited from the opening in the draw, as he marched on to the semi-final in that section. There he lost to Andre Ghem, who would fall to Schwartzman in the final: 6-4 7-5. This meant a new career high for the Argentinian, as he rose 17 spots to #81. Ghem jumped 41 spots to #210, but it is yet to be seen if he, at 32, can catch up with his career high ranking of #181.
2014 Aptos, San Marino and Prague Challenger Previews Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
This week three Challengers will take place, one in the States and two in Europe. The Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos will be played on hardcourt, the other two (San Marino Go&Fun Open and Advantage Cars Prague Open) on clay.
Aptos Challenger
Aptos Challenger
The Comerica Bank Challenger
ATP Challenger Tour and USTA Pro Circuit
Aptos, CA, USA
August 2 – August 10
Prize Money: $100,000
The last direct acceptance is Emilio Gomez, ranked 217th. A wild card has been awarded to 19 year old Mackenzie McDonald, who made a name for himself last month by reaching the semi-final of the Winnetka Challenger as a qualifier.
First round match-ups to watch
(8) Marton Fucsovics vs. (WC) Mackenzie McDonald
Like I said, McDonald already showed that he can hang on this level. Not only in the recent Winnetka Challenger, but last year he surprised everyone by beating Mahut and Johnson to qualify for the Masters event in Cincinnati, where he lost to Goffin in the first round. He faces eighth seed Fucsovics, who hasn’t been convincing on hardcourt yet this year, with five losses against players outside of the top 200 in the eight tournaments he has played on the surface. So despite their ranking difference this has the potential to be a hard fought battle, with a great chance for the young American to advance.
Taro Daniel vs. Ruben Bemelmans
Even though Daniel primarily plays on clay, he has shown that he can be very dangerous on hardcourt. Rosol knows a thing or two about that after being taken to five sets by Daniel during their Davis Cup tie in April. He had a decent showing at the Vancouver Challenger last week, losing in the quarter final to the eventual winner Baghdatis. Bemelmans lost to Baghdatis as well, in the next round. He has a reputation for being a choker, which he showed against Baghdatis by missing two match points, netting a fairly easy shot on one of them.
Taro
Top Half
Rankings-wise, Kukushkin clearly stands out. He is the only top 100 player in the draw and the difference between him and #2 seed Baghdatis are a massive 51 ranking spots. However, he is far from a certainty to reach the final. Former world number 61 Devvarman is a threat and beat him in three sets the only time they met in 2011. Kukushkin also isn’t going into this tournament with a lot of confidence, losing to world number 228 Gerasimov in a third set tiebreak two weeks ago in the quarter final of the Astana Challenger.
In the second quarter Donskoy and Dustov are well capable of beating him. Granted, Donskoy isn’t in great form, so the danger will probably come from Dustov. Dustov reached the final of the Vancouver Challenger last week and will be feeling confident coming into this tournament.
Bottom Half
It’s hard to look past Baghdatis here, I can’t see anyone threatening him and in my eyes he is the favorite to win the tournament, especially coming into this tournament on a high after winning the Vancouver Challenger last week. If Bemelmans gets to the quarter final he might be a threat, considering how close he got last week. But Bemelmans is well capable of losing to Daniel or Pavic.
The third quarter is the most interesting in my eyes, with Fucsovics, McDonald, Marchenko, Kuznetsov and Soeda all being qualified to reach the semi-final. It’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen here, other than the winner most probably losing against Baghdatis.
Predictions
Semis:
Dustov def. Kukushkin
Baghdatis def. Soeda
I think Dustov’s good form will prevail over Kukushkin’s lack of it, despite the huge gap in their rankings. Like I said, the third quarter is extremely difficult to predict, so I took the safe route here and picked the highest seed.
Final:
Baghdatis def. Dustov
A repeat of last week’s final, ending in the same fashion. But back to back finals would be a very good result for Dustov and there is no shame in losing to Baghdatis, so if this happens it should give him a tremendous confidence boost as he gets closer to the top 100. As for Baghdatis, reaching the quarter final here would probably already enough for him to get back into the top 100.
San Marino Challenger
San Marino Go&Fun Open
ATP Challenger Tour
San Marino
August 2 – August 10
Prize Money: €64,000
Go&Fun Open
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Simone Bolelli (89)
2: Daniel Gimeno-Traver (93)
3: Maximo Gonzalez (104)
4: Albert Montanes (119)
5: Julian Reister (125)
6: Peter Gojowczyk (127)
7: Filip Krajinovic (134)
8: Filippo Volandri (136)
The last direct acceptance is Aldin Setkic, ranked 267th. A couple of really interesting players have come through the qualification draw, Christian Garin, Giovanni Lapentti and Antonio Veic. Comeback Kid Viktor Troicki has received a wild card and will surely be one of the most dangerous players in the draw.
First round match-ups to watch
(4) Albert Montanes vs. Potito Starace
An interesting meeting between two 33 year old veterans with singlehanded backhands. The decline of Montanes has been apparent as he failed to make a dent on the main tour, dropping to a ranking spot of 141 after starting the year inside of the top 60. This will be his first Challenger tournament of the year. Montanes leads their head to head 5-3, with their first meeting dating all the way back to 2002.
(5) Julian Reister vs. Victor Hanescu
Reister is another player who failed to make an impression on the main tour, racking up a 1-10 record this year. Hanescu followed a similar ranking path as Montanes this year, starting inside the top 80 and dropping to his current ranking of 151. Their head to head is 1-1 and this will surely become a tight match, where the winner will be difficult to predict.
Top Half
Bolelli is the clear favorite to make the final here. The other seeds are Gojowczyk, Montanes and Volandri, who haven’t been convincing in the slightest lately, while Bolelli comes off a Challenger win in Oberstaufen, which resulted in him entering the top 100 again after starting the year outside of the top 300.
In the second quarter I’d mark Montanes as the favorite to reach the semi-final. Of course, he hasn’t been impressive this year, but this will be his first Challenger event and he might well still be too good for this level. He doesn’t have an easy draw however, he likely has to face three Italians to get there, Starace, Cecchinato and Volandri. If I had to pick one of them to upset Montanes I would go for Cecchinato, who reached a Challenger final in Mestre last month, where he almost managed to beat Cuevas. He also is the defending champion, so he will feel confident playing here.
Bottom Half
Second seed Gimeno-Traver is hating his draw, as he is projected to play wild card Troicki in the second round, who beat him in straight sets last week. Troicki should be able to repeat this feat and notch a place in the semi-final after comfortably beating Reister or Hanescu.
The third quarter is a really interesting one, especially if we get to see the blockbuster quarter final between Krajinovic and Gonzalez. Krajinovic is on a roll lately, reaching the third round of the ATP 500 event in Hamburg and winning last week’s Challenger in Cortina. Gonzalez is on a run of his own, coming through the qualification draw in Kitzbühel to reach the semi-final, in which he lost in three sets to the eventual winner Goffin. This will surely be a cracker.
Predictions
Semis:
Bolelli def. Montanes
Troicki def. Gonzalez
Troicki will get a lucky break and avoids Krajinovic, the man who beat him last week. Bolelli will be too much for Montanes, who is seeking form.
Final:
Bolelli def. Troicki
Bolelli has the fire power to hit through Troicki and in his current form he is well capable of doing that. He leads the head to head 2-1, but they have never met before on clay.
Prague Challenger
Advantage Cars Prague Open
ATP Challenger Tour
Prague, Czech Republic
August 2 – August 10
Prize Money: €42,500
The last direct acceptance is Jan Hernych, ranked 264th. Tsung-Hua Yang, the man who beat Cuevas last week, has entered this tournament as a special exempt.
First round match-ups to watch
(2) Andrey Kuznetsov vs. (Q) Thiago Monteiro
Kuznetsov has only played one tournament since beating Ferrer at Wimbledon, losing in the second qualifying round of Hamburg, so he might be a bit rusty. 20 year old Brazilian Monteiro hasn’t dropped a set in the qualifications and might be able to trouble his much higher ranked opponent.
Top Half
For me, top seed Schwartzman is the clear cut favorite here, I can’t see anyone troubling him all the way to the final. Sorensen might have gotten a bit of confidence after taking a set off Bautista Agut in the second round of Stuttgart, but he is way too inconsistent and probably won’t be able to trouble Schwartzman, who absolutely hammered Alexander Zverev last week in Kitzbühel: 6-1 6-0.
The other seeds here are Przysiezny and Burquier, who are even less likely to pose a threat. Przysiezny is going through an enormous form crisis, while Burquier only won one of his last seven matches. In that section there is a good chance for one of the unseeded players to snatch a semi-final spot, which Yang might be able to do.
Bottom Half
If he finds his rhythm, I can’t see how Kuznetsov doesn’t reach the final, as he is clearly the best player in this half. He will most likely have to play #4 seed Gerald Melzer in the semi-final, which won’t be a problem for him. For me this is one of those tournaments where it’s very likely that the top seeds will end up in the final, I just can’t see any of the outsiders threatening them.
Predictions
Semis:
Schwartzman def. Yang
Kuznetsov def. Melzer
Yang builds on his confidence booster against Cuevas and makes another good run, but he is clearly outclassed in this match-up, as is Melzer.
Final:
Schwartzman def. Kuznetsov
Clearly the match of the tournament and I can see this become really, really close. But, since I have to pick someone I went with Schwartzman, who has a lot of rhythm on clay, unlike Kuznetsov, who has only played two matches on the surface since May.
2014 Vancouver, Cortina, Segovia and Liberec Challengers Recap
ATP Challenger Tour
Vancouver Challenger
Top seed Marcos Baghdatis lived up to his seeding and took the title after a 7-6(3) 6-3 victory over fourth seed Farrukh Dustov in the final. In the semi-final he barely managed to get by Ruben Bemelmans, as the latter missed two match points and succumbed in the third set tiebreak. Despite being ranked 105th this result doesn’t bring Baghdatis back into the top 100, as he defended 90 points from his Washington quarter final of last year.
Cortina Challenger
Filip Krajinovic took down the title after a gruelling battle with surprise finalist Federico Gaio, who entered the tournament on a wild card. Krajinovic had to battle extremely hard for the entire tournament, with a 6-4 7-5 victory being his most comfortable win of the week, which saw him play three three set matches, including one against Viktor Troicki in the semi-final.
Segovia Challenger
Adrian Mannarino won a blow-out final against Menendez-Maceiras in which he even dished out a second set bagel: 6-3 6-0. Menendez-Maceiras was on the giving end of a second set bagel in his semi-final match against second seed Kudryavtsev: 7-6(4) 6-0. Mannarino’s biggest sweat surprisingly came in the second round against qualifier Frederico Ferreira Silva, the only match in which he needed three sets to take it down. This result means that Mannarino is back in the top 100, he jumped sixteen spots to #85.
Liberec Challenger
Top favorite Pablo Cuevas didn’t withdraw as I expected, but he wasn’t fit and fell in the second round to Tsung-Hua Yang. Unseeded Andrej Martin became the surprise of the tournament by winning the final against fourth seed Horacio Zeballos: 1-6 6-1 6-4. Earlier in the tournament Martin had already beaten Steve Darcis and second seed Blaz Rola.
2014 Vancouver, Cortina, Segovia and Liberec ATP Challenger Previews Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
From the editor: Flying dutchman writer Chris De Waard, a future journalism student at university, who covered the Sport1 Open Challenger for us a couple of weeks ago, is joining our team here at Tennis East Coast as our ATP challenger Tour correspondent.
Please give Chris a warm welcome by taking a look at his first batch of ATP Challenger Tour Previews for the events this week. Chris will be providing his insight on the ATP Challenger Tour with weekly previews and recaps and the occasional special coverage. He may also be joining me for ATP World Tour bracketology in the future.
Apologies on the late posting. Our editors keep a busy schedule these days-Steen Kirby.
2014 Vancouver, Cortina, Segovia and Liberec Challengers Previews
Four Challenger events are on the schedule for this week, equally divided between clay and hardcourt. The Odlum Brown Vancouver Open in Canada will be played on hardcourt, as well as the Open Castilla y Leon-Villa de El Espinar in Spain. The Svijany Open and International Tennis Tournament of Cortina are both on clay and will be played in the Czech Republic (Liberec) and Italy, respectively.
Odlum Brown Vancouver Open
ATP Challenger Tour
Vancouver, Canada
July 28 – August 3
Prize Money: $100,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Marcos Baghdatis (104)
2: Jimmy Wang (126)
3: Ante Pavic (140)
4: Farrukh Dustov (144)
5: Daniel Evans (147)
6: James Ward (150)
7: Hiroki Moriya (151)
8: Alex Bogomolov Jr. (165)
The last direct acceptance is Yoshihito Nishioka, ranked 252nd. A special mention goes out to South African wild card Rik de Voest, who will be playing his final tournament here. In his career, which stretched sixteen years, he reached the 110th ranking spot in singles and managed to win two ATP titles in doubles.
All those in the Vancouver area. I play the final tournament of my career tomorrow night (Mon) at 8pm @vanopen at HCC. Always love support.
21 year old Daniel plays the big majority of his tournaments on clay, so it will be interesting to see how his game will hold up on a hard court. He faces 20 year old Australian Thompson, who had a good showing at the Lexington Challenger last week, where he reached the second round in qualifying, falling to the eventual winner James Duckworth in a relatively tight match. Earlier this year, he made a name for himself on the biggest stage, when he won the first two sets against Jerzy Janowicz in the first round of the Australian Open, but eventually fell in five sets.
(2) Jimmy Wang – (SE) Thanasi Kokkinakis
18 year old Kokkinakis is steadily climbing the rankings, going from his starting position outside of the top 600 to his current ranking of #216. His semi-final at the Lexington Challenger last week was another boost for the young Australian, who just as Thompson fell to Duckworth. He made his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open this year, beating Sijsling and falling to Nadal in the next round, which must have been a major experience for him. He has an unfortunate draw this week against second seed Jimmy Wang, who comes of a third round at Wimbledon and an ATP 250 QF in Bogota. Nevertheless, Kokkinakis might well pull off the upset here.
Top Half
Despite his obvious decline, it’s hard to look past top seed Baghdatis here. I can’t see anyone threatening him. His road to the semi-final will likely consist of John-Patrick Smith, Chase Buchanan and fifth seed Daniel Evans. Evans disappointed last week with a straight set loss to Vincent Millot in the first round of the Lexington Challenger, so he might well fall again against Thompson or Daniel.
The second quarter contains seeds Ante Pavic and Alex Bogomolov Jr. Bogomolov has been struggling with injury for a while now, so it’s difficult to predict where he is at. The best pick to make the SF here therefore is Pavic, since I can’t see any of the non-seeds make an impact here either. Pavic did his ranking a big favor by reaching second rounds at Wimbledon and Newport after qualifying. He now finds himself at a career high ranking of #138.
Bottom Half
Seventh seed Moriya must be happy to be back in Canada, where he won a Challenger title two weeks ago in Granby. He now finds himself in the top 150 for the first time in his career. The other seed in this quarter is Dustov, who I predict to come through to the semi-final after facing Williams, Collarini and Moriya.
The fourth quarter is the most difficult to predict in my eyes, because second seed Wang might well lose to Kokkinakis in the first round. Sixth seed Ward made the final of the Lexington Challenger last week, where he beat Odesnik comfortably in the semi-final. They are projected to meet again in the second round here and I can’t imagine a different outcome. I think the first round match between Wang and Kokkinakis will determine who makes the semi-final here.
Predictions
Semis:
Baghdatis def. Pavic
Wang def. Dustov
I had to pick someone here, so I went with the very slight favorite of the Wang – Kokkinakis match to come through to the semi-final. But don’t be surprised if Kokkinakis ends up at this spot.
Final:
Baghdatis def. Wang
Just like the Kokkinakis – Wang match, this is basically anyone’s call. Expect it to go to three sets. They have played each other once, an astonishing eight years ago at the ATP tournament of Beijing, with Baghdatis coming through in straight sets.
ATP Challenger Tour
Segovia, Spain
July 28 – August 3
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Adrian Mannarino (101)
2: Alexander Kudryavtsev (149)
3: Marsel Ilhan (152)
4: Gregoire Burquier (169)
5: Marco Chiudinelli (173)
6: Konstantin Kravchuk (177)
7: Ilija Bozoljac (179)
8: Adrian Menendez-Meceiras (195)
The last direct acceptance is David Rice, ranked 323rd. Don’t be fooled by the fact that this tournament is played in Spain. It will be played on hardcourt. Former top 40 player Florent Serra, who is now ranked well outside of the top 300, managed to qualify. 18 year old Chilean Christian Garin received a wild card and is surely a player to keep an eye on for the coming years. He also might create some waves in this tournament in the present day.
First round match-ups to watch
(7) Ilija Bozoljac – Daniel Munoz-De La Nava
I personally love matches between two erratic players and this will certainly deliver in that department. Two weeks ago Bozoljac reached the final of an Italian Challenger, only to lose 6-1 6-0 to Ilhan in his next tournament, which tells you all you should know. Munoz-De La Nava is cut out of the same wood. He can clean up everyone on the Challenger circuit on a good day, but is just as likely to lose against seemingly-worse opponents.
Top Half
Top seed Adrian Mannarino is the obvious pick to go through to the semi-final. The former top 50 player has slipped a bit in the rankings, but is on the verge of entering the top 100 again, which might well happen after this tournament. To reach the semi-final he’ll have to go through Angelinos, Obry and seventh seed Bozoljac, which seems easily doable for Mannarino.
In the second quarter, two veterans will probably fight for a spot in the semi-final, with 30 year old fourth seed Burquier projected to play 32 year old fifth seed Marco Chiudinelli. I think Chiudinelli is the better hardcourt of the two and will advance. Nevertheless, a quarter final would be enough for Burquier to reach a career high ranking, despite his advanced age.
Bottom Half
In the bottom half, Marsel Ilhan will be the player to beat. Ilhan just reached a Challenger final last week in Astana and will be looking to continue this run. The main threat in this section will probably come from 19 year old Kyle Edmund, who has it in him to upset Ilhan. Edmund reached the semi-final of the Astana Challenger last week, losing to eventual winner Berankis.
In the final quarter, it’s hard to look past second seed Kudryavtsev, unless Garin gets inspired and decides it’s time to notch up an important hardcourt victory. I see Garin as a bigger threat than sixth seed Kravchuk, so it will probably be between him and Kudryavtsev for a place in the semi-final.
Predictions
Semis:
Mannarino def. Chiudinelli
Ilhan def. Kudryavtsev
Mannarino and Ilhan are clearly ahead of the pack for me in this tournament. The only variation I can see in this line-up is Garin instead of Kudryavtsev, but that won’t change the outcome of the semi-final.
Final:
Mannarino def. Ilhan
Tough for Ilhan to come up second twice in a row, but Mannarino is simply the better player and will be very motivated to return into the top 100 once again.
The last direct acceptance is Elias Ymer, ranked 310th. Well known Belgian Steve Darcis has received a wild card and will play third seed Bagnis in the first round. At the time I wrote this piece, there was no confirmation of Cuevas withdrawing, but I’m going to assume he will, since I can’t imagine him playing a Challenger right after winning his first two ATP titles.
First round match-ups to watch
(3) Facundo Bagnis – (WC) Steve Darcis
This might turn out to be a really unlucky draw for Bagnis, who faces former top 40 player Darcis, who is on the comeback trail after a long period of injury troubles. This all started during his Wimbledon victory over Nadal, in which he attracted an shoulder injury which forced him to withdraw from the next round. In his previous tournament, a Futures event, he reached the final, and prior to that he fell in a close three set match to Zeballos at a Challenger, so he is ready for the challenge.
(7) Michal Przysiezny – Mohamed Safwat
Przysiezny has been on a freefall through the rankings because of his spectacular losing streak at the ATP level. He started the year in the top 70 and has now dropped to the 145th spot. For now, going a step lower hasn’t helped, since he lost to world number 831 Gibril Diarra in the second round of the Oberstaufen Challenger last week. Safwat might well be able to take out the seeded player here.
Top Half
With Cuevas presumably out, this is a perfect opportunity for sixth seed Gombos to advance to the semi-final, which he will probably manage. In the second quarter, Zeballos might be eliminated by his countryman Arguello. Zeballos has been looking very shaky in his last couple of tournaments and seems to be lacking fitness and confidence, which Arguello is well capable of taking advantage.
Bottom Half
This looks to be much more open than the top half, with unseeded Martin being a good bet to reach the semi-final. He will probably be battling it out with the winner of Darcis – Bagnis for that spot. For now. I’m going to say that Darcis has shaken off the rust and is ready to make a big run here.
In the final quarter, second seed Blaz Rola seems a solid bet. Perhaps 18 year old Elias Ymer can trouble him, who recently has been making some steps in the rankings and recently notched up his first ATP victory at Bastad. It’s currently not wise to expect anything from the other seed in this section, Przysiezny.
Predictions
Semis:
Gombos def. Arguello
Rola def. Darcis
Gombos defeated Arguello in straight sets a couple of tournaments ago and I can’t see that being any different this time around. Darcis will have a great confidence boost here, but Rola is a top 100 opponent, which is just a bit too much at the moment.
Final:
Rola def. Gombos
Rola will finally notch up a Challenger win on clay after missing out in three prior finals this year. This result will also give both players a career high ranking.
ATP Challenger Tour
Cortina, Italy
July 28 – August 3
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Daniel Gimeno-Traver (89)
2: Simone Bolelli (108)
3: Peter Gojowczyk (116)
4: Andreas Beck (118)
5: Filippo Volandri (119)
6: Victor Hanescu (129)
7: Filip Krajinovic (134)
8: Adrian Ungur (159)
The last direct acceptance is Alessandro Giannessi, ranked 296th. Second seed Simone Bolelli withdrew after winning the Oberstaufen Challenger. Qualifier Virgili takes his spot in the draw. Victor Troicki qualified and plays the unlucky sixth seed Hanescu in the first round. Third seed Gojowczyk also withdrew, with LL Trusendi taking his spot.
First round match-ups to watch
(1) Daniel Gimeno-Traver – Borna Coric
Talk about unlucky, the #1 seed must hate this draw. 17 year old Coric just had his breakthrough tournament at ATP 250 Umag, where he reached the QF and lost in three sets to Fognini. While Coric is coming in on a high, Gimeno-Traver had a painful loss against world number 212 Yann Marti in the first round of Gstaad. It’s a very rare scenario to see in a first round, but I think the #1 seed is actually the slight underdog here.
(6) Victor Hanescu – (Q) Viktor Troicki
A battle between the former world number 26, Hanescu and 12, Troicki, a rare sight on the Challenger tour. The reason for Troicki’s ranking drop is well known, a highly controversial doping ban. Hanescu’s drop can be simply explained by the fact that he’s 33 and declining. Their last match on clay in 2009 ended in an easy 6-3 6-3 victory for Troicki and I expect a similar score line here.
Potito Starace – Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo
This one is for the real purists, a battle between two veteran grinders with vintage clay court games. Starace at 33 is a youngster compared to RRH, who at 36 is still defending his title as the most aesthetically pleasing moonballer of all time. Recently, RRH notched up his 350th win on the Challenger circuit, making him the player with the most all time wins by a large margin. #2 Lu is trailing him by a little over sixty wins. Their head to head is 5-2 in RRH’s favor and I expect this match to go his way as well.
Top Half
Like I said, I expect Coric to triumph over the #1 seed Gimeno-Traver in the first round, after which he will most likely have a really interesting meeting with Troicki in the quarter final. That match will be a coin flip. In the second quarter, I expect Krajinovic to exceed his ranking and reach the semi-final after upsetting Beck in the quarter final. I can’t see any of the non-seeds changing this outcome.
Bottom Half
This half is wide open after Bolelli and Gojowczyk withdrew and is pretty much impossible to call. The other two seeds, Volandri and Ungur, aren’t reliable enough to make this a clear cut case in their favor. Ungur has only reached one QF in his previous six Challengers and Volandri followed a similar path this year, racking up an awful 1-16 record on the main tour. I’m inclined to predict some surprises here. This is a big opportunity for a lot of guys.
19 year old wild card Stefano Napolitano might be the man to do it and give his career an enormous boost. In the final quarter, despite everything, I still favor Ungur to come through, but like I said, anything can happen and not a single scenario would surprise me.
Predictions
Semis:
Coric def. Krajinovic
Ungur def. Napolitano
I let Coric get through against Troicki because I feel like he is extremely confident at the moment and has the attacking game to break through Troicki’s defense. I actually believe that their match is the real final, if Troicki wins he will win the tournament as well.
Ungur gets a really lucky break and after a minor slump suddenly finds himself in a final without having faced high ranked opponents. In the final, he will be outclassed in straight sets by a superior opponent. So, naturally:
March Challenger Tour Recap: Millman and Mannarino Win Second 2013 Challenger Titles
Kyoto Challenger (March 4-March 10, 2013)
Aussie John Millman won his second challenger title this year on the fast indoor surface of Kyoto, Japan and is now at a career high ranking of 130. Millman beat Swiss veteran Marco Chiudinelli in 3 sets after beating Hiroki Moriya in the semis. Chiudinelli beat Matt Barton to make the final.
Santiago Challenger (March 4-March 10,2013)
In Santiago, Chile, on clay, 23-year-old Argentine Facundo Bagnis, who is coached by former ATP pro Martin Vassallo Arguello, took the title over Thiemo De Bakker in straights. Bagnis is back inside the top 200 and is on the rise again while De Bakker is knocking on the door of the top 100 after being formerly in the top 50. De Bakker beat Antonio Veic in the semis while Bagnis beat compatriot Marco Trungelliti.
Sarajevo Challenger (March 11-March 17, 2013)
In Sarejevo, Adrian Mannarino won his second challenger title of the year at the BH Telecom Indoors in straight sets over Dustin Brown after besting Nikola Mektic in the semis. Brown beat Karol Beck in the semis. In one other notable match, the only teenager in the top 250, Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic, knocked off top seed and ATP regular Blaz Kavcic in the 1st round.
Rimouski Challenger (March 18-March 24, 2013)
Rik De Voest
South African Rik De Voest, who had to go through qualifying, won the 7th edition of the Rimouski indoor hard court challenger in Quebec, Canada over Canadian Vasek Pospisil in straight sets. De Voest beat Aldin Setkic in the semis while Pospisil beat Bobby Reynolds.
Le Gosier Challenger (March 26-March 31, 2013)
Benoit Paire swooped down to the Le Gosier challenger on outdoor hard courts and took the title in 3 tough sets over Sergiy Stakhovsky. Paire was the top seed and beat Matthias Bachinger in the semis while Stako beat Lukas Rosol in a tight 3 set match.
Pereira Challenger (March 26-March 31, 2013)
Colombian veteran Santiago Giraldo won at home on clay over Paul Capdeville in straight sets. Giraldo beat Joao Souza in the semis while Capdeville upset top seed Paolo Lorenzi.
San Luis Potosi Challenger (March 26-March 31, 2013)
Kosakowski Shocked
35 year old Alesso Di Mauro of Italy qualified and came out of nowhere to take the clay court challenger title in Mexico over American Daniel Kosakowski in 3 sets. Di Mauro upset 5 seed Malek Jaziri in the 2nd round and also beat another American, Tennys Sandgren in the semis while Kosakowski beat Marco Chiudinelli after previously upsetting top seed John Millman in round 2.
