The USTA Mid-Atlantic Elite DMV & Caribbean Pirates Are @USTA Junior Team National Champs
October 16, 2016 – Adrianna Peradoza (Photo: Jennifer Pottheiser / USTA)
CAYCE, S.C. – The USTA Mid-Atlantic’s Elite DMV squad proved too tough for a game USTA Midwest team from The Racquet Club of Columbus in the championship match of the 2016 USTA U14 Junior Team Tennis National Champions, 58-31, in the Advanced final played at the Cayce Tennis Center on Sunday.
In the Intermediate Final, the USTA Caribbean Section team Pirates Squad got by the USTA Middle States team the Delaware Nightmare, 53-38, to capture its first national title.
“We’re definitely excited to be national champs,” said Elite DMV Coach Malcolm Greene. “We were committed this goal from the start and the kids saw it through. We won every match today and we stayed focused as a team. We’ve definitely grown since last year.”
Trinity Grear Photo: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA
MVPs for the DMV included Mikeal Carpenter and Trinity Grear on the boys’ side, and Adrianna Peradoza on the girls’ side. “Those guys did everything they were asked to do and proved too good today,” Greene said.
Grear defeated Trevor Ball, 6-3, 6-0, in boys’ singles and Peradoza won her match in girls’ singles over Madeline Atway, also in straight sets.
“This was the farthest any team from Columbus has ever gotten so we’re proud,” said RCC Coach Guy Parks, who will also have an 18-and-Under team from his club competing at Nationals next weekend. “Sure it would have been nice to win, but we’ll take the runner-up every time we come.”
Columbus team members included: Dean Atway, Griffin Biernat, Madeline Atway, Caroline Sproule, Ball, Katherine Wang, Ella Hazelbaker, and Pavan Uppu. ,
Other Elite DMV team members besides Peradoza, Grear and Carpenter included: Taj Byrom, Moriah McDonald, Langston Williams, Origen Grear, Mya Spencer, Yvonne Lopez, Kai Goodall, and Clervie Ngounoue.
Valeria Gonzalez (Photo: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA
Coached by Juan Sauri, the Intermediate Caribbean Pirates Squad from San Juan were led by singles players Valeria Gonzalez and Derec Rodriguez and the strong doubles play all weekend by Edgardo Piovanetti.
“We heard people saying they were surprised we did so well because we are just a small island,” Sauri said. “We really showed people that we could really play.”
Pirates Squad team members included: Gonzalez, Jean Legrand, Adele Fernández, Sara Forastieri, Rodriguez, Ignacio Zorrilla, Roberto Agresar, Maria Díaz, Piovanetti, and Albert Fernández.
Taking third place in the Advanced division was the USTA Southern ATL Fire as they got past the Caribbean Wild Card Torrimar II team, 53-25. Capturing third in Intermediate was Northern California (Willow Glen) as they beat the Missouri Valley team from the Tulsa Tucker Tennis Academy, 53-31.
Best Team Banner Award: USTA NorCal (Golden Gate Park): The Golden Gate Park team is coached by Louis Maunupau and features team members Olive Maunupau, Daisy Maunupau, Callie Tzab, Daniel Gaffney, Max Belandres, and Michael Medina.
INTERMEDIATE RESULTS
Championship
Caribbean (Pirate Squad) def. Middle States (Delaware Nightmare), 53-38
Third-Fourth Place
Northern California (Willow Glen) def. Missouri Valley (Tucker Tennis Academy), 53-31
Fifth-Sixth Place
Eastern (World Gym Blue) def. New England (MadRackets), 52-38
Boys: Chaz Nagasawa: USTA Hawaii (Mililani Monster Tennis)
Team Spirit Award: USTA Texas (Spring Branch) Coached by Kuda Sengai and features team members: Malachi Farley, Andres Garza, Dylan Roseberry, Ben Young, Carissa Holguin, Carina Holguin, Alyssa Baum, Kamryn Sanchez, Jodi Glenn, Riley Glenn.
Best Team Banner Award: USTA Hawaii (Mililani Monster Tennis) Coached by Walter Balignasay and features team members: Alexander Santa Cruz, Chaz Nagasawa, Jacob Kuklok, Zachary Young, Niya Barbary, Jaeden Chang, Katie Nishimura, and Sheela Nair.
Visit the USTA Junior Team Tennis website at ustajtt.com for complete results, stories and photos.
Marcos Baghdatis, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Ivo Karlovic, Steve Johnson, and Defending Champion Rajeev Ram to compete in Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
NEWPORT, R.I., May 27, 2016 – When the ATP World Tour comes to Newport, R.I. in July for the first stop of the summer season in the United States, the player field will feature a Grand Slam tournament finalist, several players ranked among the world top-50, a group of the world’s brightest young stars, and Newport fan favorites who have seen success on the International Tennis Hall of Fame grass courts previously.
Marcos Baghdatis, a dynamic player from Cyprus who has been ranked as high as world No. 8 and was runner up at the 2006 Australian Open, is set to make his first appearance in Newport. Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis has recently committed to Newport, joining a previously announced group of rising stars in the player field, including Americans Taylor Fritz and Jared Donaldson. The third-highest ranked American Steve Johnson will make his third appearance in Newport, where he was a quarterfinalist in 2014. Defending champion Rajeev Ram will return to Newport, along with last year’s runner up Ivo Karlovic, a big serving pro who is currently ranked world No. 28.
Additional players for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships are still to be named. The tournament will be played July 10 – 17. Tickets are available now on HallofFameTennisChampionships.com.
“There is a lot of variety in the player field for this year’s tournament,” commented Tournament Director and Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin. “I think it will be a great experience for fans to see some amazing young talent competing against some of the tour’s more prolific veteran players like Marcos Baghdatis and Ivo Karlovic.”
Donaldson
He continued, “Also, we’re really working to build an enhanced fan experience in Newport this summer, and that combined with this player field will offer a fantastic week of tennis.”
Fans will enjoy several new amenities at this year’s tournament, notably an entirely new South Grandstand, featuring individual flip down seating rather than the previously used benches. The viewing experience of the tournament will also be significantly enhanced with the addition of videoboards in the stadium and Hawk-Eye replay – an electronic line calling system. Additionally, as a result of the Hall of Fame’s recent expansion and renovation projects, the tournament now has more space to work with and will offer an expanded fan zone featuring a tennis demo court and new on-site dining options.
Special events top off the ATP action, including tennis clinics for both juniors and adults throughout the week, Alex and Ani Ladies Day on Thursday, July 14, and a new event – PowerShares Legends Newport on Sunday, July 17. PowerShares Legends Newport offers a unique opportunity to see tennis legends back in action in a special one-day tournament. The field will feature Andy Roddick, James Blake, Marat Safin, and a fourth player to be named. It’s a particularly special weekend for Safin to compete, as the two-time Grand Slam tournament champion will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on the day prior.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, as well as the PowerShares event and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are on sale now on www.HallofFameTennisChampionships.com.
ABOUT THE PLAYERS
Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus is currently ranked world No. 39 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Always an exciting player to watch, Baghdatis has been a staple of the ATP World Tour since the early 2000s and he has been ranked within the top-100 in the year-end rankings for 11 straight years. Baghdatis has had some big wins this season, most notably at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he was a finalist. In 2006, Baghdatis was the runner up at the Australian Open. That same season, he reached a career high of world No. 8 and won his first career title with a victory at the China Open. Baghdatis is one of the most successful Davis Cup players of all time, and he has been a dedicated Cyprus Davis Cup team member since he made his debut in 2000 as a 14-year-old. Earlier this year, he won his 36th straight Davis Cup match, surpassing the record for longest singles winning streak, which was previously held by Bjorn Borg at 33 matches.
Rajeev Ram returns to Newport as defending champion, having defeated Ivo Karlovic in a close final last year, 7-6(7), 5-7, 7-6(2). It was Ram’s second career title, as he also won the Newport title in 2009. Ram also won the Newport doubles title that year (w/ Jordan Kerr) – one of his eight career doubles titles. Ram is currently ranked world No. 70, and he has been ranked as high as world No. 56, which he achieved in April of this season. In February of this season, Ram was the runner up at the Delray Beach Open.
Newport fan favorite Ivo Karlovic returns for a sixth appearance at the event, where he has seen great success in recent years. Karlovic was the runner up in 2015 and 2014, and in 2013 he was a quarterfinalist. Karlovic stands at 6’11” and is known for his powerful serve which has been clocked as high as 156 mph. He has a career total of 10,624 aces to date, making him the all-time record holder for career aces and one of just two players in the sport’s history to surpass 10,000 aces. Karlovic has won six ATP World Tour titles, with his most recent victory coming at the 2015 Delray Beach Open. He is currently ranked world No. 28.
American Steve Johnson, who is the third-highest ranked American player and current world No. 34 returns to Newport for the fourth straight year. He was a quarterfinalist at the event in 2014. This season, Johnson has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open. Johnson has been active on the ATP World Tour for just four seasons, following a highly successful collegiate career at University of Southern California, where he won the NCAA Singles Championship in both 2011 and 2012. This season, Johnson has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open.
Rounding out the recent commitments to the Newport player field is an exciting young Australian player, Thanasi Kokkinakis, who is making his Newport debut. Kokkinakis began actively competing on the ATP World Tour in 2014, closing that first season out inside the world top-150. Last year, he broke into the world top-100, reaching a career high ranking of world No. 69, in a season that saw him qualify for six ATP World Tour events, advance to the fourth round at Indian Wells, and the third round at the French Open. Kokkinakis has notched big wins against several top-50 players including Bernard Tomic, Ernest Gulbis, and Juan Monaco. Kokkinakis has been out for the entire 2016 season to date following shoulder surgery, but is prepping to return.
NATION’S TOP TEAMS TO COMPETE AT 2014 USTA JR. TEAM TENNIS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN CAYCE, S.C.
14U Intermediate Mid-Atlantic, Alexandria VA
14U Intermediate Southern, Woodstock GA
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., – The United States Tennis Association (USTA) today announced the 2014 USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Championships will be played on Oct. 17-19 for the 14 and Under division and Oct. 24-26 for the 18 and Under division. The tournament, which will be held at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C., will feature the top 64 teams from across the U.S., totaling more than 500 participants.
The National Championships feature teams that have advanced from the Section level to compete for the title. Each year the USTA crowns a national champion in two age divisions (14U and 18U) in both Intermediate and Advanced play divisions.
“The National Championships are the culmination of the Jr. Team Tennis season and bring together the best teams from the 17 sections,” said Craig Jones, Director, USTA Junior. Play. “Not only is the level of competition incredible, but the kids are treated like royalty throughout the event with free meals, player parties and that famous “Southern Hospitality.”
This is the third year that the Cayce Tennis Center will host to the USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Championships. In addition, a second tennis facility, the Lexington County Tennis Complex, also will be utilized to serve the hundreds of players competing each weekend.
“We are thrilled to have so many young people and their families coming to our international award-winning tennis and fitness facility in the City of Cayce again this year,” said Cayce Mayor Elise Partin. “Many of our Cayce residents and residents across the Midlands enjoy this facility, and we couldn’t be more pleased to share it with other families across the nation for these upcoming USTA events.”
Established in 1991, USTA Jr. Team Tennis provides youth with all of the health and social benefits of tennis in a co-ed, fun and competitive team environment, and allows participants to compete with and against individuals of similar skill and age levels.
With more than 99,000 players competing nationwide, USTA Jr. Team Tennis brings players together to enjoy camaraderie and teamwork, providing a fun environment for kids to learn that succeeding is really more about how they play the game—win or lose.
Visit the USTA Jr. Team Tennis website at ustajtt.com for complete results, stories and photos.
2014 NCAA Tennis Kick-Off at Southern Inter-Collegiate Championships in Athens, GA
Jeff McMillan, Tennis East Coast
September 21, 2014–The 2014-2015 college tennis officially kicked off this past weekend in various fall individual tournaments. The dual (team vs team) season will begin in January, but in the fall, college tennis players compete in individual events that help their rankings and prepares their teams for the grueling season ahead. It is the only collegiate sport to have two full seasons (fall and spring).
The major tournament of the past weekend was the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in Athens, Georgia at the University of Georgia’s Dan Magill tennis center, which is the premier college tennis facility in the country. Players from various schools around the south competed in 3 flights of singles with the Division 1 draw being the premier draw of this tournament.
There were many storylines during the weekend results. Freshman Aleks Vukic from Australia showed up in his collegiate debut representing the Fighting Illini of Illinois. Vukic knocked of hometown UGA senior star Nathan Pasha 1-6 6-2 7-5 in the round of 16 in a surprising result showing that Vukic will be a name to watch this season. Vukic eventually fell in the semis to Oklahoma Sooner sophomore Alexandru Ghilea of Romania. Ghilea had a very interesting year last year as a freshman at OU. He started the year with big expectations but found himself outside of the top 6 for most of the year. As the year wound down, however, OU started to struggle at the 5 and 6 positions, which was putting their national title chances on hold. Ghilea was inserted at 6 and it made an immediate impact for the Sooners. Ghilea knocked won a 7-6(5) 3rd set breaker vs Karue Sell of UCLA in the clincher that propelled Oklahoma to a big 4-3 upset of many people’s national title favorite UCLA in the final four. Ghilea looks like he has improved dramatically from last year based on his run this weekend to the final in Athens. A runner-up result for Alexandru Ghilea is a very impressive result for a player who played #6 last year. He will be an even bigger contributor to OU this season.
The biggest story of the weekend was Wayne Montgomery taking the title. Montgomery finally made his long- awaited collegiate debut this past weekend. Montgomery, a freshman from South Africa was actually supposed to play for the Georgia Bulldogs last year, but eligibility requirements prevented him from competing in the 2013-2014 season. But this year, Montgomery is ready to instantly become one of the top players in the NCAA. Entering as the 4 seed, Montgomery lost 9 games in total in his first 3 matches, rolling to the semifinals where he would face his first huge test as a college player.
Looming in the semis was top seed Axel Alvarez-Llamas of Oklahoma.
Alvarez-Llamas, the junior from Spain, was one of the top players in the country throughout the season last year. He eviscerated eventual NCAA champ Marcos Giron of UCLA in the NCAA team semifinals in two easy sets, showing what type of player he is. After dropping the first set 1-6, Montgomery came roaring back with the help of the home crowd to claim his first big scalp, knocking off Alvarez-Llamas 1-6 6-0 6-3. Montgomery won the championship by beating Ghilea 6-1 3-6 6-2 in the final and cementing himself as a top NCAA player.
This regional tournament (full draw here) served as a good primer for the upcoming college season. College tennis fans will have their appetites whet even more with the national individual event in Tulsa beginning in late September.
Earlier today, after defending champ Nicolas Mahut lost his quarterfinal match against Sam Groth at the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, he got a hate tweet. How did Nico deal with it? He tweeted it out, surely invoking the wrath of his fans against the angry loser of a bet.
“@cacat1234: @nmahut go burn in hell you fucking sh1t you wanted to lose with that samuel groth. You are a PIECE OF SHIT”thks for Ur support
Right after I saw that tweet, it was time to speak with 2 seed Ivo Karlovic. Now Karlovic is one of the funniest guys on twitter. But twitter clearly has a dark downside as well. So what would Dr. Ivo do when someone trolls him on twitter?
“There is a lot of them because they are betting and then when they lose the money, they are angry, but they should be angry at themselves, not at me. Usually, if it’s really mean, I block them, or I just answer about their mamas.”
Keep on tweetin’, Ivo!
And I don’t think you’ll have to block these girls anytime soon.
Australia’s @SamGroth Reaches 1st ATP Semifinal With Superb Serve and Volley Attack @TennisHalloFame
Sam Groth was called “the forgotten man of Australian Tennis” a few years back on a tennis fan site. He won’t be forgotten in Newport, as he made his first career ATP singles semifinal today by knocking out defending champ Nicolas Mahut. Groth executed a superb serve and volley attack plan to stun the Frenchman today. After the match, Groth reflected on his time away from the game, his faith in Coach Ben Mathias of the Australian Tennis Federation and the new faces of Australian tennis. On Saturday, Groth faces Ivo Karlovic for a spot in Sunday’s final.
Pro Debut Interview With Clay Thompson @TennisHalloFame Stephan Fogleman, Tennis East Coast
UCLA’s Clay Thompson was in great spirits and thrilled to play his ATP Main Draw Debut on the grass courts of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships yesterday.
There was just one nagging question.
Why, oh, why did I have to draw Stevie Johnson?
It was as if the PAC-12 moved to Rhode Island for a day and I almost expected the Rose Bowl Parade to march down Bellevue Avenue in Newport. In the end, former USC phenom Johnson and his trove of pro tour experience was too much for Thompson in a 6-1, 6-2 loss. That said, we expect to see Clay winning plenty of matches on the tour in the near future.
Krueger, Ginepri, Thompson Nab Main Draw Wild Cards @TennisHalloFame
Ginepri (Photo: Tally Challenger)
NEWPORT, R.I., July 5, 2014 – Wild cards for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I. have been awarded to past champion Robby Ginepri, and young Americans Mitchell Krueger and Clay Thompson, both of whom are making their ATP World Tour main draw debut.
“Newport has a long history of welcoming young players who have gone on to have highly successful careers, and we are happy to welcome Mitchell and Clay for their main draw debuts on the ATP World Tour. Robby has always had many fans in Newport. We look forward to having him back in Newport as he continues his comeback,” commented Tournament Director Mark Stenning.
Robby Ginepri is no stranger to the grass courts in Newport, where he reached his first ATP World Tour semifinal in 2002, and captured the title in 2003. He reached the second round two other times, compiling a 10-3 record for the event. This will be his fifth appearance in Newport, and first since 2009. Ginepri is a three-time champion on the ATP World Tour, having also won titles at Indianapolis in 2005 and 2009. A 13 year ATP World Tour veteran, Ginepri has been focused on a comeback this season after an elbow injury had him sidelined for the better part of last year. Earlier this season, he won the title at the Tallahassee Challenger and successfully qualified for Houston and Indian Wells.
Southern California native Clay Thompson just wrapped up a successful four year career for UCLA. He played No. 3 for the Bruins as a freshman, No. 1 as a sophomore, and No. 5 as a junior, due to an injury, before returning to the top spot as a senior. He had an 18-1 senior season, and was the No. 1 ranked player in the ITA rankings from January to May. Thompson closed the season at No. 2 in the ITA rankings, just behind teammate Marcos Giron. While at UCLA, Thompson earned multiple All-Pac-12 team selections and he was the 2014 Pac-12 Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Mitchell Krueger, age 20, is the youngest player in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships main draw. He is ranked world No. 330 and has been climbing up the world rankings due to his success in ITF Futures tournaments, including three finishes as a finalist this season. Last season, Krueger, won the title at a Futures event in The Netherlands. In 2012, he reached a career high of world No. 5 in the ITF Juniors rankings and was the No.1 American junior.
Wimbledon
Grand Slam
London, Great Britain
June 23-July 6, 2014
Top 8 seeds
1: Novak Djokovic
2: Rafael Nadal
3: Andy Murray
4: Roger Federer
5: Stan Wawrinka
6: Tomas Berdych
7: David Ferrer
8: Milos Raonic
Of the ATP top 50, the long-term injured Juan Martin Del Potro is out, along with Tommy Haas, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Nicolas Almagro, Florian Mayer and Ivan Dodig are also not in the draw, but all other top 50 players are participating.
1st round matchups to watch:
(14)Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Jurgen Melzer
Tsonga is struggling right now, as he comes off a round 2 loss at Queens club. He hasn’t had a strong season, but I still think he will survive a test against Den Bosch semifinalist Melzer, who he beat at the French a couple of weeks ago and has a 4-1 overall h2h edge. Melzer can produce some good results and he’s finding him form again, so this should match should not be routine.
(18)Fernando Verdasco vs Marinko Matosevic
Matosevic is 7-2 on grass this season, and that stat, along with an even 1-1 h2h, is what gives him a chance against defending quarterfinalist Verdasco, who has had some consistency issues at the slams.
I’m picking Verdasco in 4 or 5 sets myself, but Matosevic seems boosted after finally getting over the hump of his first slam main draw win at the French, and this match could produce some fireworks if either or both players get worked up.
(27)Roberto Bautista Agut vs Steve Johnson
RBA comes off a maiden ATP title at Den Bosch, and he will be a favorite against the improving American Johnson who he has beaten twice this year on hard courts as part of what has been a career year for the Spaniard. RBA is looking to improve on his slam results and is a possible dark horse this year. His all-surface game is unusual for a Spanish player, and Johnson’s newfound mental fortitude and improved technical skills will be put to the test here.
If RBA isn’t fatigued I favor him to advance.
Dominic Thiem vs (Q)Luke Saville
Thiem is a much talked about rising young talent who is now an ATP regular, while Saville is a 20 year old Aussie, who was formerly the number one junior in the world and has two junior slams on his resume (one of them is Wimbledon 2011). He qualified here for Wimbledon as a pro player and Thiem has very limited experience on grass, losing his only warm up match this year in Queens 4 and 2 to David Goffin. The odds and recognition favor Thiem, but I like Saville to pull off the upset given his superior experience on grass. The Aussie could make a break through here at Wimbledon and introduce himself to the tennis world.
Donald Young vs Benjamin Becker
An interesting match between the improved Young and the veteran Becker, who has grass court expertise. Becker comes off the Den Bosch final, and at his age may be worn down a bit, but DY isn’t really at his best on the turf and he didn’t play that well in Eastbourne. Young was, dare I say ‘clutch’ at the French and was one of the last Americans standing. I like him to survive this match as well, probably in the full five sets, if he can weather the Becker serve and grind him down.
(21)Alex Dolgopolov vs (Q)Sam Groth
Dolgo might be in trouble against the huge serving Aussie Groth, who qualified here with three strong wins and also played well in the Nottingham-2 challenger on grass (7-1 on the surface this year overall thus far). The Ukrainian number one retired in his last match in Queens and his results haven’t been the best recently. With the ranking differential between these players, this has me thinking the match is ripe with upset potential, and I’m going with Groth to pull it off.
Dustin Brown vs (WC)Marcos Baghdatis
Dreddy Brown and Baghdatis both have good grass court pedigrees, though Baggy is the much more accomplished player overall who has seen his career hit the skids in recent years. This match has epic five set potential on paper.
Baghdatis got a wild card by virtue of winning the first Nottingham challenger on grass this year, while Brown has a win over Nadal in Halle to add to his resume. This match is a hard pick and cases can be made for both players, but I’m going with Baghdatis to have the experience edge and to pull out a late set victory.
(5)Stan Wawrinka vs Joao Sousa
I don’t really think Wawrinka will lose this match, but the possibility is certainly there if the screws come lose for him like they did against Garcia-Lopez at the French a few weeks ago. Sousa comes off the semis in Den Bosch and he appears capable of playing very good on grass, as he also pushed Federer to 3 sets in Halle. Wawrinka is better in most facets, but if he loses his focus and drifts again, Sousa is not the type of player to mess around with. I would tune in and see what happens here and where Stan’s head might be.
Julian Benneteau vs (Q)Gilles Muller
Another really interesting first round match that has five set epic potential: Benneteau can play well on grass but he hasn’t had the strongest of seasons, while Muller is absolutely on fire right now. He qualified easily for Wimbledon, and has absolutely dominated the challenger circuit this season. The big serving veteran is now finally back playing more astute competition, and his 1-1 record on grass against Benny suggests this one should be close. I may just be a Challenger tennis fan, but I’m on the Muller bandwagon for this one. I like him to advance as long as the serve is clicking and he can get to the net.
Jack Sock vs (Q)Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Sock had a great slam result reaching the third round of the French Open and now he looks to take his talents to the turf against the qualifier Herbert, who has shown signs of promise. Though he is one year older than Sock, his rise has been much more gradual. He beat Jerzy Janowicz in Halle this year and is another player with a big serve as his best asset. Sock is combustible and if Herbert can serve out a lot of holds, I like him to get through this one in 4 or 5 sets, though Jack could surprise me here easily.
(22)Philipp Kohlschreiber vs Igor Sijsling
Kohli has never beaten Sijsling (0-3 including a loss in Rotterdam indoors to him this year), and he’s not in the best of form and really hasn’t been all season. He lost earlier than predicted in Halle. Still, the 2012 Wimbledon quarterfinalist is facing a struggling Sijsling, who is very much out of sorts right now having lost three straight matches, all on grass. I would go with Sijsling if he was showing any signs of getting out of his slump on court, but from the matches I have seen him play, he is not, and thus Kohlschreiber should improve the h2h and get through.
Djokovic’s quarter:
Novak is yet again one of the favorites for the title, but he’s nursing a sore wrist and was on his honeymoon before Wimbledon, so perhaps his mind is elsewhere going into this slam. His first match will be against Andrey Golubev, then he has a potentially dangerous meeting with Radek Stepanek, who he beat at Wimbledon 2012 and has only lost to once in a multitude of meetings.
Stepanek comes off the semis in Queens and he can play well on grass, but he will probably fall to Djokovic in round 2 after beating Pablo Cuevas. In round 3, Novak is likely to face either Gilles Simon or Vasek Pospisil, which is a bit of a lucky break for him, as both players have been poor all season. Vashy is just now breaking out
of a losing streak and he played so-so in Den Bosch, winning a couple of matches. Simon lost early in Eastbourne after showing signs of pulling his game together at the French.
I’m going with Pospisil in my bracket, but Djokovic should easily dispatch either player or less likely opponents Robin Haase and Konstantin Kravchuk to reach the second week.
Tsonga/Melzer will face Sam Querrey or Bradley Klahn in round 2. Querrey improved his play in Eastbourne as he reached the semifinals, and he’s a good grass court player, but I don’t think he is in the position right now to get past Tsonga/Melzer. I like Tsonga in the third round against either 17 seed Mikhail Youzhny or James Ward, who face each other in round 1. Youzhny is a good grass court player but he’s had a terrible season, while Ward can perhaps channel some home support and find a run of success at SW19.
The round 1 winner will face Jimmy Wang or Alejandro Gonzalez in round 2, and I’m going with Tsonga to survive the section only because Youzhny has been so poor this season. This section is not weak on paper, but if you follow the actual results of the players, it is a weak section.
6 seed Tomas Berdych, who lost in the Queens quarters, seems to be a Rubik’s Cube right now. He has a strong 21-9 record on grass since 2010 but both his slam results and regular tour results this year have been up and down and he has been unable to break through to the top tier.
He also isn’t getting a lot of attention going into the tournament this year. Berdych should get an early test against Bernard Tomic, a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist in round 2, after dispatching Victor Hanescu, who famously hates Wimbedon. Tomic must first beat Evgeny Donskoy, and he is not guaranteed to win any matches quite honestly.
I like Berdych to get through and face Marin Cilic in round 3 in what should be a very good clash. Cilic must defeat Paul-Henri Mathieu and Kyle Edmund/Andreas Haider-Maurer to get to that stage. Should Cilic and Berdych meet in the third round, the grass h2h favors the Croat 1-0, but Berdych leads the overall fast surface h2h 3-2 and also beat Cilic this year in Rotterdam. Cilic has also lost two straight matches and isn’t anywhere near his red hot form from earlier in the season. I like Berdych to reach the second week.
The section above Berdych should come down to either 12 seed Ernests Gulbis or Verdasco/Matosevic. Gulbis has been playing the Boodles exhibition along with some other top players for his warm-up and he had that surprising run to the French semis, so the newly minted top 10 player is in form. Verdasco, meanwhile, is defending quarterfinal points and played so-so in Den Bosch.
They would meet in the third round, and Verdasco beat Gulbis at the same stage at Wimbledon last year in straights.
This is a different Gulbis right now, and I favor the Latvian to make the second week. His route would be wins over Jurgen Zopp, Sergiy Stakhovsky/Carlos Berlocq and Verdasco/Matosevic or Jeremy Chardy/Daniel Cox.
Murray’s quarter:
The defending Champion and great British hope Andy Murray will face David Goffin first, and then Pablo Andujar/Blaz Rola. I doubt he will have much to complain about in those first two matches and should ease his way into the third round for a real test against Bautista Agut, assuming the Spaniard beats Johnson and Tobias Kamke/Jan Hernych.
They have never met, and RBA could trouble Murray, but after the title run in Den Bosch, I’m thinking he’ll be out of gas by the third round. By then, Murray can take advantage of a high unforced error count and get through to the second week, probably without dropping a set.
Murray’s first match of the second week will likely be against one of Kevin Anderson/Fabio Fognini/Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The 20 seed Anderson faces Aljaz Bedene and then ERV/Filippo Volandri, and both ERV and Anderson can play well on grass, with Anderson leading the fast surface h2h 2-0. They played a five setter that finished 7-5 in favor of Anderson at the AO this year, and in that one, ERV effectively choked under the pressure of being 2 sets up. With that match perhaps weighing on his mind, I like the more accomplished Anderson to find a way into the third round. The combustible Fognini, who played the Boodles, and can crash and burn or soar just about anytime, is seeded 16th and will face Alex Kuznetsov and then Teymuraz Gabashvili or Tim Puetz. Gabashvili has maximized a lot of his talent this season and he could make the third round or beyond, but I like Anderson over Fognini to make the second week. Anderson has a h2h win over Fognini on Grass at Queens in 2009.
7 seed David Ferrer and 11 seed Grigor Dimitrov appear to be on a collision course to meet in the fourth round in their section of the draw. Ferrer opens with Pablo Carreno Busta, who has been playing clay challengers prior to Wimbledon and looks to be an easy out, and then is slated to face Andrey Kuznetsov or Dan Evans.
Ferrer pulled out of Den Bosch with the flu, and it will be interesting to see if he has any rust from that. Brown/Baghdatis might spoil that Ferrer-Dimitrov meeting, as one of them must get past Andreas Seppi/Leo Mayer before facing Ferrer in a probable third round meeting. Both are dangerous players and I’m going with an upset in my bracket and placing Baghdatis into the fourth round as I think Ferrer will perform below expectations.
Dimitrov, who won Queens and is a trendy favorite this year to do well at Wimbledon, even after a shock round 1 exit at the French, faces Ryan Harrison, and then Saville/Thiem before meeting Young/Becker or Groth/Dolgopolov in the third round.
This is a section with some names to watch but I like the Bulgarian number 1 to survive it and Groth should make the third round.
Federer’s quarter:
The Swiss maestro is one of the co-favorites this year for the title at a tournament he has dominated in his career. He won the Halle title again, and that bodes well for his chances against Paolo Lorenzi, Muller/Benneteau and probably Nicolas Mahut in the first three rounds. Last year, Fed was shocked by Stakhovsky, and if that is going to happen again, it would have to come against Muller/Benneteau or Mahut.
Lorenzi is no threat, but Muller is playing well and Benneteau had a 2 sets to love lead and I believe a match point against Federer in 2012 at Wimbledon, but lost the match in 5 sets.
Mahut must beat clay courters Marcel Granollers and Santiago Giraldo/Daniel Gimeno-Traver to reach the third round. Giraldo isn’t playing that well, so I doubt he will make noise. Fed dominates the h2h against all these players and this may be one of his last best chances to win another slam, so I doubt he will lose his focus or killer instinct early on in the tournament.
Defending Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz has struggled through an abysmal season and the 15 seed could be headed for an early exit against former champion Lleyton Hewitt in round 2. JJ played the Boodles in preparation and he has never played Hewitt before. Lleyton is also struggling, but Wimbledon seems to give him a fresh focus every year.
Janowicz must first beat Somdev Devvarman, who he had an epic meltdown against at the 2013 AO, while Hewitt must defeat Michal Przysiezny, who has had a terrible season. Janowicz/Hewitt will meet most likely Tommy Robredo, the 23 seed, or grass court specialist Adrian Mannarino in round 3. Robredo has a poor record on grass and has played below his ranking as of late. He opens with Lukas Lacko, while Mannarino opens with Pere Riba. I like Mannarino to sneak into the second week over Hewitt in an open section.
Wawrinka/Sousa is slated to face off with Rendy Lu/Aleksandr Nedovyesov in round 2. Wawrinka could also be troubled by Lu, but I have him reaching the fourth round because his third round opponent, one of Denis Istomin/Dmitry Tursunov/Michael Russell/Julian Reister is nothing special.
The 9 seed John Isner keeps looking to build results. He will face Dan Smethurst, Jarkko Nieminen/Federico Delbonis and one of Alejandro Falla/Ante Pavic/Yuichi Sugita/Feliciano Lopez in the third round. This is a section of in form players as Falla reached the Halle final and Lopez won Eastbourne and reached the Queens final. Lopez and Isner have split fast surface meetings, and that one could truly go either way, but I’m factoring in Feli is probably fatigued by the third round after playing so much tournament tennis the past two weeks.
I like a Wawrinka/Isner round of 16 matchup, though Wawrinka/Lopez would also be intriguing.
Nadal’s quarter:
Rafa Nadal, who is possibly nursing a sore back, and has been booted early at Wimbledon the last two years, should be on high alert against Martin Klizan. Klizan isn’t a grass specialist, but can play well and can put some power on the ball. He has had good recent results and is not a player to skimp on preparation.
Assuming Rafa, who lost to Dustin Brown in Halle, avoids disaster against Klizan, he probably gets a rematch of his 2012 shock defeat here to Lukas Rosol. Rosol just has to beat the struggling Benoit Paire first. Rosol clearly has the code to beat Nadal, as he has done it, and done it on grass, but his results recently haven’t been stellar on the surface. I think Rafa will find a way to get to the third round, or at least it’s hard for me to pick him not making at least the third round.
History does show he either makes the final or loses in the first two rounds, though. Nadal vs another big server, Ivo Karlovic, is a likely third round matchup. Ivo has to beat Frank Dancevic and Dudi Sela/Mikhail Kukushkin first. He can play well on grass but he is not in as good of a form as the past. Nadal has also never lost to Ivo (4-0, all on fast surfaces) and though big servers like Brown can be his Kryptonite, I think Rafa will survive, perhaps by the skin of his teeth, and reach the second week. Of the top 4 seeds, he is most likely to be sent home in the first week.
Eastbourne finalist Richard Gasquet, who appears to be over his shoulder and back ailments, will face James Duckworth and then Nick Kyrgios/Stephane Robert in round 2. Kyrgios won the second Nottingham challenger on grass and got a wild card, and I’m totally buying into his ability to post good results right now. He has skill and swagger, and he’s a great dark horse to upset Gasquet, and then perhaps Gael Monfils in the third round in what would be a massive showman’s match to reach the second week.
Monfils is slated to play Malek Jaziri and Victor Estrella/Jiri Vesely in the first two rounds. Kyrgios or a possibly tired Gasquet should get out of the section, and that round 2 meeting could go five and go either way.
10 seed Kei Nishikori, if healthy, is likely to do well in the section above Gasquet/Kyrgios/Monfils. Kei faces Kenny De Schepper first, then Marsel Ilhan/Denis Kudla and probably Kohlschreiber/Sijsling in round 3 assuming one of those players defeats Tatsuma Ito/Simone Bolelli in round 2. Kei’s health is a question mark, but I like him over Kohli in the third round. They have never met before.
Nishikori could face 8 seed Milos Raonic, who on paper with his serve and net skills has a good style of play for grass, but in reality has a poor record on the surface and continues to struggle navigating grass court tennis, in round 4, Raonic would need to beat Matt Ebden, Herbert/Sock and probably Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a dangerous all court lurker, in round 3. GGL must beat Dusan Lajovic and JL Struff/Lukasz Kubot to get there though, Kubot reached the quarterfinals here last year but he is in hard to predict form. Herbert/Sock could also surprise, and Sock has beaten Raonic before, so this is an open section with round 4 points up for grabs based upon which player gets hot. In my bracket I’m going with GGL, and Herbert upsetting Raonic to make the third round.
Dark Horses (1 per quarter):
Marinko Matosevic, Marcos Baghdatis, Gilles Muller, Nick Kyrgios
There are multiple options for dark horses in every quarter for me, but I went with 4 unseeded players who could do well.
Matosevic would need to beat Verdasco and likely Gulbis to reach the second week, but if they implode and he manages to put together his best ever slam performance, it is a possibility.
Baghdatis, if healthy and focused, has the game to do well here and he has the luck of Ferrer coming off the flu to perhaps propel him to the second week (and the same could be said for Dustin Brown in this section).
Dimitrov is the big roadblock in week 2. Muller, along with Hewitt, Mannarino and others have the opportunity to do well in the Federer quarter. Should Federer suffer another shock early exit, Muller could make a strong run all the way to the quarterfinals. I like Kyrgios to make the second week, and if Rafa loses before then, or to Kyrgios, Wimbledon becomes the Aussie’s Oyster.
Week 1 predictions (round of 16 matchups and picks)
Djokovic d. Tsonga
Gulbis d. Berdych
Murray d. Anderson
Dimitrov d. Baghdatis
Isner d. Wawrinka
Federer d. Mannarino
Nishikori d. Garcia-Lopez
Nadal d. Kyrgios
Djokovic to blitz Tsonga again.
Gulbis upset Berdych at Wimbledon a couple of years back and I’m picking it to happen again.
Murray shouldn’t be troubled by Anderson.
Dimitrov is 5-0 against Baghdatis sans a retirement loss at Wimbledon against him.
Isner is 2-1 against Wawrinka and I think he’s the better player right now.
Fed should dominate Mannarino.
Nishikori has a h2h and talent edge over GGL.
I think Nadal will get past Kyrgios.
My Full Tournament Picks
Quarters:
Djokovic d. Gulbis
Murray d. Dimitrov
Federer d. Isner
Nishikori d. Nadal
I think Gulbis has a great chance against Djokovic in the quarterfinals, and I’d be comfortable giving him 40% or better odds, but in my bracket I’m going with Djokovic given their French Open meeting.
Murray-Dimitrov could very well go five sets as all of their previous 4 meetings have been high quality, including a 3 set win by Dimitrov in Acapulco this year. Murray has an overall 3-1 edge though, and he’s best on grass so I have him getting through.
Federer should dispatch Isner as he has 4 out of the 5 previous times they have met, and though Nadal is 2-0 against Nishikori on grass, those meetings were quite some time ago at a different stage in their careers,
Nishikori came very close to beating Rafa this year on clay in Madrid, and also played him close at the AO, losing a couple of tiebreaks and a 7-5 second set. He is getting closer and I think he finally gets his revenge on grass, making his first slam semifinal.
Semis:
Murray d. Djokovic
Federer d. Nishikori
I think Murray is healthier and more motivated than Djokovic right now and he is 2-0 against the Serb on grass, including a Wimbledon straight sets victory in last years final.
Federer just beat Nishikori in a competitive Halle match and I think Wimbledon will be a repeat of that.
Final:
Murray d. Federer
It’s a judgment call as they are 1-1 on grass in their career meetings, with Federer having that 4 set victory over Murray in the 2012 Wimbledon final. Murray would be going for his third slam and his second Wimbledon in front of the home crowd with a shot at establishing himself as a player who defended his Wimbledon title. Federer would perhaps be going for his final slam and his eight Wimbledon title.
Winning here might be enough to keep him ahead of Rafael Nadal in the slam count by the time they both hang up their racquets. There’s a lot to play for here, and I’m going with Murray in 4 or 5 sets.
2014 ATP Halle & London Queens Preview, Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
The grass season begins with the 250 events in Halle, Germany and London with some strong fields and a nice change of pace from the clay court season.
ATP Halle
Gerry Weber Open
ATP World Tour 250
Halle, Germany
June 9-June 15, 2014
Prize Money: €711,010
Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Rafael Nadal (1)
2: Roger Federer (4)
3: Milos Raonic (9)
4: Kei Nishikori (10)
I fully expect Nadal to pull out of Halle after showing distress in the French Open final, but for now he is the top seed, and even without him, Halle has a great entry list with 8 top 25 players as seeds.
First round matchups to watch:
(7)Tommy Haas vs. Steve Johnson
Haas wasn’t healthy for the French Open and retired in round 1, while Johnson won a couple of matches in Nottingham at the grass court challenger there. The American has had a strong season and he beat Haas this year in Delray Beach in 3 sets. Tommy is a two-time champion here and a good grass court player, but I would say Johnson has a very good chance to upset him and I’m personally picking that result.
(6)Mikhail Youzhny vs Ivo Karlovic
Youzhny made the final here last year and is 3-0 career against Karlovic (all on hard courts). That being said, he has been in some awful form all season. Karlovic has had a strong season and is playing well, even on clay, his traditionally weakest surface, as he reached the third round of the French. Ivo is a much stronger player on the quick grass and he has a great chance of upsetting Youzhny.
Top Half:
If Nadal plays the tournament, he will face the potentially troublesome big server Dustin Brown or qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov for his first match. If not, it will be a lucky loser against one of those two. It could be Nadal or Brown or another player against most likely Jerzy Janowicz or Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarterfinals.
JJ has a strong career record on grass and finally won some matches in Paris at the French, snapping a four match-losing streak. Kohli also has a great career record on grass and he just beat Janowicz on clay in Rome. The German opens with Andreas Seppi, who is in cold form, while JJ opens with Pierre-Hugues Herbert, a qualifier. I personally lean towards Kohlschreiber reaching the quarters, and in fact, the semis on.
Nadal doesn’t seem capable of mounting a deep run here in his current condition.
RG quarterfinalist Milos Raonic, who has had a strong season, opens with Peter Gojowczyk, a wild card, or Michal Przysiezny, who is really struggling. Milos is just .500 career on grass but he’s due for improvement on the surface given his good serve. His first opponent doesn’t seem troublesome, so expect him in the quarters against one of Richard Gasquet/Robin Haase/Lukasz Kubot/Alejandro Falla.
Gasquet is still working his way back from a back injury but he is best on grass of the four players. Kubot, though he can be dangerous, is struggling right now having lost three straight matches and being just 6-14 on the season overall. Raonic has a great shot at the semifinals against Kohlschreiber/Janowic.
Bottom Half:
Roger Federer will face JL Struff or Joao Sousa in round 2. The defending and six-time Halle champion was knocked out in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, and I for one think he will be pleased to be back on grass.
Federer vs Karlovic/Youzhny is a likely quarterfinal matchup, as Rendy Lu and Mate Pavic are the only other options, neither of whom are very imposing. Fed has a decided edge against all possible quarterfinal opponents and appears safe for the semis at minimum.
Kei Nishikori will face Gaels Monfils or Benjamin Becker. Nishikori was unfit for Roland Garros and bowed out meekly in round 1, but he has been on a tear this season. Monfils doesn’t have that much of a record on grass but he’s positive on the surface and comes off quarterfinals in Paris. They have never met before and Monfils-Nishikori could be an amazing round 2 match. The winner will face Johnson/Haas in the quarters. In my opinion, Ilya Marchenko, a qualifier, and Teymuraz Gabashvili are the other options.
Dark Horse: Steve Johnson
Kohlschreiber is unseeded and technically qualifies as a dark horse, but Johnson is the real dark horse. If he can upset Haas, he should at least make the quarters, and if Nishikori/Monfils show up unfit, he could find himself in the semifinals this week. That would be a great result for the American who continues to rise in the rankings.
Predictions
Semis:
Kohlschreiber d. Raonic
Federer d. Nishikori
Kohli and Raonic have a split h2h, but I’m favoring Peppo because of the surface. It could go either way. Federer is 1-2 career against Nishikori and lost to him this year in Miami, but Kei may not be 100% from what I can tell, and this is grass, which swings things in favor of the Swiss veteran.
Final:
Federer d. Kohlschreiber
Federer is 4-0 against Kohlschreiber on grass alone, including three previous Halle wins, the last coming in 2010. Fed also won twice last year against the German on hard courts, and he is a strong favorite to win his seventh title here.
ATP London Queens
Aegon Championships
ATP World Tour 250
London, England
June 9-June 15, 2014
Prize Money: €711,010
Top 8 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Stan Wawrinka (3)
2: Tomas Berdych (6)
3: Andy Murray (8)
4: Grigor Dimitrov (12)
5: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (14)
6: Ernests Gulbis (17)
7: Kevin Anderson (20)
8: Alex Dolgopolov (21)
Like Halle, Queens has a very strong field with three top 10 players (four if you include Gulbis, who has risen up the rankings post-RG), and all the seeds are top 25 players.
First round matchups to watch:
Blaz Rola vs. (WC)James Ward
The Slovenian Rola is looking for his first career ATP world tour win here in London. He had a good run at the Australian Open at the start of the year, but hasn’t played any ATP main draw matches since. He faces the British Journeyman Ward, who just beat him in French Open qualifying and is a decent grass court player. Rola has a stronger future ahead, but for now this match won’t be easy.
Jurgen Melzer vs. (WC)Daniel Evans
Another matchup featuring a British wild card, Melzer has been so-so in this season. Off of clay, it will be interesting to see what the rest of 2014 holds for him. Evans is a very streaky player who can play well at times when he finds himself. He hasn’t been that strong recently though, and I think Melzer will prevail over the home boy.
Sergiy Stakhovsky vs. (Q)Daniel Brands
Stakhovsky is 3-0 career against Brands, who was out between Miami and the French Open this year because of mono, but has found some match form to qualify here. Stako is on a four-match losing streak, and though he famously upset Federer at Wimbledon, he is barely above .500 on the grass court surface overall. He could find some form on it, but Brands, with his style of play, will have a chance in this one to return to ATP success.
(10)Feliciano Lopez vs. Dusan Lajovic
Feli Lopez is struggling, but he’s 24-10 on grass since 2010 and should have the advantage against surprise round of 16 FO participant Dusan Lajovic, who has never won a tournament match on grass (0-4 since 2010). This is more of a form test for both players to see if Lajovic can at least give Lopez a hard time. This match could also be routine.
Top Half:
Stan Wawrinka will face Bradley Klahn or frequent wild card recipient, and now infrequent winner, Marcos Baghdatis, in round 2.
Baghdatis did just win the Nottingham Challenger on grass though. Stan has never been known as a grass court player along with coming off a round 1 loss at the French, but the trump card though is Wawrinka is 5-0 career against Baggy including 2 wins last year, so he should be able to reach the third round. Wawrinka/Baghdatis could face an American, one of Michael Russell/Denis Kudla/Sam Querrey in the third round, or Jeremy Chardy. Querrey has had an awful season but is looking to find himself on grass, while Kudla and Russell can be competitive. It’s hard to pick a third rounder from that section.
Wawrinka vs. Tsonga/Cilic is my quarterfinal pick. The Frenchman is a former finalist here and managed to make the fourth round at Roland Garros. He’s a good grass court player but so is Marin Cilic, as he is the defending finalist here. Cilic must beat Marinko Matosevic and Matt Ebden/Lukas Lacko to reach the third round, while Tsonga must defeat David Goffin/Dominic Thiem.
Thiem is a dangerous lurker but I’m not sure about his skills on grass yet. Cilic has a grass court win against Tsonga in ’07 here, and has won the last two meetings, including a meeting in Rotterdam this year (both on hard court).
I’m going with Wawrinka vs. Cilic in the quarters and Cilic over Wawrinka in that matchup. Stan did win on clay this year, but the faster surface favors the Croat.
Grigor Dimitrov will face Rola/Ward in round 2 and the former semifinalist here has a good skill set for grass court tennis. He didn’t play well at all at the French Open and said he was dealing with personal issues after a round 1 loss. Assuming he has been able to put his struggles behind him, his first test should come against Nicolas Mahut in the third round. Mahut faces qualifier Marsel Ilhan, and then Edouard Roger-Vasselin/Evgeny Donskoy. ERV is a good grass court player, too, as he grew up playing some on the surface. That being said, Mahut is an amazing 30-12 on grass since 2010 and Mahut over Dimitrov to reach the quarters seems like a good value pick.
Dimitrov beat Mahut in straights here 2 years ago and leads the overall h2h 3-1, but if Grigor still isn’t quite right with himself, Nico in the quarters is a good selection.
Dimitrov/Mahut will be favored against one of Alex Dolgopolov/Dmitry Tursunov/Igor Sijsling in the quarters. Dolgo faces Denis Istomin or Farrukh Dustov in round 2 and he is just 9-10 on grass in the past four seasons. Tursunov can play well on grass but he’s inconsistent.
Sijsling is a nice change of pace choice as he reached the semis in Nottingham and has a quality record on grass in the past four seasons. Sijsling/Tursunov faces Benoit Paire/Jarkko Nieminen in round 2. Paire has been very poor this season and Nieminen is also struggling and has never been great on grass.
Bottom Half:
Tomas Berdych, an RG quarterfinalist, will face James Duckworth or Dudi Sela in round 2, then one of Julien Benneteau/Victor Estrella/Adrian Mannarino/Dan Cox in round 3. Benny comes off the French Open doubles title and has some skills on grass, while the seemingly struggling Adrian Mannarino is one to watch: on grass he can catch fire and put some good results. He struggled on clay this year but that is to be expected.
Benny beat Mannarino at Queens last year and leads the h2h 3-0, so he probably has a slight edge for the third round. Berdych and Benny have a 1-1 h2h on grass, but Tom leads the overall h2h 4-1 thus he should be safe for the quarters against Ernests Gulbis/Lleyton Hewitt, or perhaps Lopez.
Gulbis, an RG semifinalist and Nice champion is an on absolute tear recently and has entered the top 10. He will face Somdev Devvarman/Kenny De Schepper first and then Hewitt/Lopez most likely in round 3. Hewitt has lost four straight matches and has been poor this season but he has a great career record on grass and given his 4-0 record against Lopez, including a win at Wimbledon in 2005, I expect him in the third round (he has to beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver also in round 1) against Gulbis in a mouthwatering first meeting.
The Latvian is just 4-6 on Grass since 2010 and Hewitt may still be out of form, I’m going with my gut and putting Hewitt in the quarters of my draw, as Ernie may also be tired.
Defending champ and RG semifinalist Andy Murray has some points to defend first up against Aljaz Bedene, a newly minted Brit, or Paul-Henri Mathieu. After that, expect Murray, now working with coach Amelie Mauresmo, to face Radek Stepanek, as the Czech faces Mikhail Kukushkin (who on a trivia note also has a female coach, his wife) and then Bernard Tomic/Tim Smyczek to reach round 3. Stepanek is in decent form and Tomic, who can play well on grass, has been just awful this season as he seems to be throwing his career away.
Murray should be in the quarters after beating Stepanek.
Murray will have an interesting quarterfinal opponent. Kevin Anderson is the slated seed but he’s struggling and even with his big serve, has never dictated on grass like he probably should. Anderson will need to defeat Melzer/Evans to reach round 3, while Stakhovsky/Brands will face Paolo Lorenzi/Vasek Pospisil in round 2.
Lorenzi is an atrocious player off of clay, but Pospisil has literally not won a match since January and has to have absolutely zero confidence and belief right now with 8 straight losses (none of which came against top 15 opponents). I do believe Pospisil will break his losing streak because he’s facing Lorenzi on grass, but I like Brands/Stakhovsky to reach round 3, and one of Anderson/Brands/Stakhovsky to fall to Murray in the quarterfinals.
Dark Horse: Igor Sijsling
A variety of surprise players could make good runs here with an intriguing draw, but I’ll give the Dutchman the official designation for this tournament. If he can beat Tursunov, Paire/Nieminen and Dolgopolov/Istomin he will be in the quarters. This is an entirely reasonable proposition, and Mahut/Dimitrov will be a tough opponent, but he could make the semis.
Predictions Semis:
Cilic d. Mahut
Murray d. Berdych
Cilic and Mahut have split head to heads on grass, with both meetings coming here in London Queens in 2009 and 2010. Cilic also won on a hard court in 2008 and I give him a small edge to advance to the final, given his strong season.
Berdych has won the last two meetings against Murray (in 2013) and he leads the overall h2h, but Murray seems to be in better form and this is grass, so I like him to make the final again.
Final:
Murray d. Cilic
It would be a rematch of last years final won by Murray in a competitive 3 sets, and I like a similar result again as Murray is 4-0 on grass overall against Cilic. Marin did win this year indoors in Rotterdam against him, but it seems like the British number 1 is finally returning to his pre-back surgery form or something near it.
Look for the three-time Queens champion to take his fourth title here next weekend.
