Daniil Medvedev

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Defending Champions @Madison_Keys, @DaniilMedwed Lead 2020 @CincyTennis Singles Fields

Posted by Admin on July 29, 2020
Posted in: ATP, Cincinnati, Western & Southern Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Defending Champions Keys, Medvedev Lead 2020 Western & Southern Open Singles Fields

CINCINNATI (JULY 29, 2020) – Ten former champions headline the players on the initial singles entry lists for the 2020 Western & Southern Open that will be held Aug. 20-28 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.


The initial entries include both defending champions: Daniil Medvedev for the ATP Tour and Madison Keys for the WTA. 

Former men’s champions who have entered the ATP Masters 1000 also include the top two players in the ATP Rankings – No. 1 Novak Djokovic (2018 winner) and No. 2 Rafael Nadal (2011) – along with Grigor Dimitrov (2017) and Marin Cilic (2016). 
Two-time champion Serena Williams (2014-15) will join Keys, Kiki Bertens (2018), Garbiñe Muguruza (2017) and Karolina Pliskova (2016) as past WTA champions in the Premier 5 field. 

The women’s field includes five Major champions in Williams, Muguruza, Sofia Kenin, Petra Kvitova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2019 W&S Open runner-up. Three men’s entrants – Cilic, Djokovic and Nadal – are past Major winners.

The women’s field, which features 39 of the top 53 players in the WTA Rankings, includes seven players aged 21-or-under. Sixteen-year-old Coco Gauff will make her Western & Southern Open debut and will be joined by fellow teens Amanda Anisimova (18) and Iga Swiatek (19) to join a youth movement that also includes 20-year-old Dayana Yastremska. Kenin, a 2019 Western & Southern Open semifinalist who won the 2020 Australian Open, leads a group of 21-year-olds that includes Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova. 

Forty of the top 43 ranked ATP players have entered on the men’s side. One teenager, 19-year-old Felix Auger Aliassime, leads five men aged 21-or-under in the field. Four of the entrants from the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings are under the age of 25: No. 5 Medvedev (24), No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas (21), No. 7 Alexander Zverev (23) and No. 8 Matteo Berrettini (24).  The top eight seeds in both draws will receive first round byes. Twelve players will be added to each field through a two-round qualifying event that will be held Aug. 20-21. The deadline for players to enter the qualifying event is Aug. 3. Four men and five women will be awarded wild card entries into the main draw singles fields.
Main draw play for the Western & Southern Open will begin on Aug. 22. Both singles finals will be held on Friday, Aug. 28, with the WTA final taking place at 2 p.m., and the ATP Tour’s at 4 p.m.

Further details for the 2020 tournament will be announced in the coming weeks, and all aspects of the event are subject to change. 

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2020 @AustralianOpen Week 1 Men’s Preview, Predictions, Long Shot R1 Picks

Posted by Admin on January 19, 2020
Posted in: ATP, Australian Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Nicolas Mahut nicomahut • Instagram photos and videos

2020 @AustralianOpen Week 1 Men’s Preview, Predictions, Long Shot R1 Picks
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

It’s a new year with the same pressing question: Will a Young Gun will snatch a major from the Big Three? It’s never felt more in their grasp, and yet it still feels like Groundhog Day. Like floodgates after a massive storm, you know that when the day comes when a young’un lifts that fat hardware, it will become a regular occurrence.

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Who is going to be the first? Zverev’s January form lends pessimism to his campaign. Daniil Medvedev tops his quarter with Zverev as the challenger-in-waiting. This is a shame for the youth movement. Assuming Zverev can get to a quarterfinal with the Russian, the winner should be exhausted enough to lose to #1 seed Nadal in the semifinal, unless fatigue has set in with Nadal as well. Nadal’s path is predictably easy into the fourth round. After that, he could draw dangerously unpredictable Nick Kyrgios and with another win, Dominic Thiem. Should he be forced to run this gantlet, Nadal may survive Thiem, but he will be a wounded warrior going after the winner of Zverev and Medvedev.

A wild card in Zverev’s section is Andrey Rublev, who has already picked up two titles in 2020. He’ll do well to advance to a fourth round match against Sascha, but the fatigue should have set in by then, allowing Zverev to advance to a Medvedev quarterfinal.

R4: Nadal d. Kyrgios
R4: Thiem d. Duckworth
QF: Nadal vs. Thiem
QF: Medvedev d. Zverev

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Roger Federer never seems to have an easy draw, but he has to be pleased with this one. Young Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the fourth round would be his biggest test. On the other side of that quarter, I predict Berretini will be upset by Fabio Fognini, setting up a Federer-Fognini quarterfinal.

R4: Fognini d. Berretini
R4: Federer d. Shapovalov
QF: Federer vs. Fognini

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Djokokvic’s quarter is counter-weighted by young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas, but before that quarterfinal match occurs, I’m taking Dusan Lajovic to meet the Serb in the fourth round. Roberto Bautista Agut will likely stand in the way of Tsitsipas in the fourth round as well. This is another quarter that should be upset-free, with the exception of Lloyd Harris taking out #14 seed Diego Schwartzman in the first round.

R4: Djokovic d. Lajovic
R4: Tstsipas d. Bautista Agut
QF: Djokovic vs. Tstsipas

And finally, it’s time for our new segment called “Potentially Worthy Picks”. These are big upset bets with big paydays. Remember that this is for amusement purposes only, and if you place a real bet and it doesn’t win, please don’t flame me on twitter. It’s not like I called you a liar on national television.

Potentially Worthy First Round Upset Picks
Lloyd Harris (+300) d. Diego Schwartzman
Elliot Benchetrit (+200) d. Yuichi Sugita
Yasataka Uchiyama (+300) d. Mikael Ymer

Busy Month on ATP Tour Sees Federer Claim Title #100, Monfils Return to Form

Posted by Admin on March 4, 2019
Posted in: Acapulco, ATP, Australian Open, buenos aires, Cordoba, Delray Beach, Dubai, Marseille, Montpellier, New York, New York Open, Rio, Rotterdam, Sao Paolo, Sofia, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Busy Month on ATP Tour Sees Federer Claim Title #100, Monfils Return to Form
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

After Novak Djokovic claimed the Australian Open title, the ATP season roared into February with multiple 500 level events and a number of 250s on clay and hard courts across the globe. Here is your look at all the action for the month that was.

ATP Montpellier

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Veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won an all French final in this indoor 250 6-4 6-2 against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The veteran beat Gilles Simon, Jeremy Chardy and Radu Albot in consecutive matches to reach the final, overall he defeated four French players to win the tournament. PHH upset Denis Shapovalov and Tomas Berdych to reach the final.

ATP Sofia

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Bulgaria’s only ATP event was won by the in-form Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-3 against Marton Fucsovics. Fucsovics had a breakthrough after upsetting Andreas Sepi and getting a walkover against Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarters (then edging Matteo Berrettini in the semis). Medvedev got past Gael Monfils in the semis and prior to that he scored wins against Robin Haase and Martin Klizan in consecutive matches. Medvedev’s win helped him reach the top 15, he’s now 1-1 in ATP finals this year.

ATP Cordoba

On clay in Argentina home hero and wild card Juan Ignacio Londero won his first ever ATP title prevailing against Guido Pella 3-6 7-5 6-1 in a huge moment for him. Londero’s breakthrough pushed him to a new career high in the top 70 and he beat clay courters Nicolas Jarry and Federico Delbonis most notably to make the final. Pella had a good month edging Paolo Lorenzi, Diego Schwartzman, Albert Ramos, and Pablo Cuevas to reach the final in what was a tough path for a 250.

ATP New York

The first ATP 250 in the States this year saw Reilly Opelka lift his first title in three sets 6-1 6-7 7-6 against maiden finalist Brayden Schnur, a Canadian. Opelka also upset top American John Isner, while Schnur edged Sam Querrey in the semis. Opelka’s powerful serve was a difference maker and he should be a factor in Indian Wells and Miami coming up.

ATP Buenos Aires

The 250 on clay in Buenos Aires resulted in Marco Cecchinato’s third career ATP title 6-1 6-2 against home player Diego Schwartzman. Schwartzman upset Dominic Thiem and also beat Aljaz Bedene and Albert Ramos to reach the final. Cecchinato beat Christian Garin, Roberto Carballes Baena, and Guido Pella to reach the final, three accomplished clay courters. This was a great result for Cecchinato outside of Europe.

ATP Rotterdam

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Gael Monfils returned to form winning his 8th career title 6-3 1-6 6-2 against fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka. It was a thrilling moment played in good spirits and filled with joy for both players who have overcome injuries and adversity to return to the top of the game. Monfils 500 level title included wins against Daniil Medvedev, and David Goffin. Wawrinka upset Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov, and Kei Nishikori before falling short in the final. Both players would love to contend at the slam level again.

ATP Rio

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The Rio 500 on clay was the top event on the Golden Swing and Serbia’s Laslo Djere claimed his first title 6-3 7-5 against young gun Felix Auger-Aliassime. FAA played well but Djere was the player of the week, as he upset Dominic Thiem and also claimed wins against clay courters Casper Ruud and Aljaz Bedene to reach the final. FAA defeated Fabio Fognini, Christian Garin, Jaume Munar, and Pablo Cuevas to reach the final, showing his all court talent that is set to make him a top 20 player in the near future. Djere broke into the top 40 with the win, the tournament was filled with upsets.

ATP Marseille

Young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas found form and got past Mikhail Kukushkin 7-5 7-6 in the final after defeating David Goffin, and Sergiy Stakhovsky in the late rounds to reach the final. Kukushkin upset Denis Shapovalov and Andrey Rublev before getting a winnable semi against Ugo Humbert. This indoor hard court 250 saw some early round upsets but in the end the #1 seed Tsitsipas won his second career title.

ATP Delray Beach

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Radu Albot made history, winning his first career title and breaking into the top 60 with a 3-6 6-3 7-6 win against Dan Evans in a battle of journeymen in the Delray 250 hard court final. Evans edged John Isner in the semis and upset Frances Tiafoe in round 1 while Albot got past big servers Ivo Karlovic and Nick Kyrgios before nipping Americans Steve Johnson and McKenzie McDonald to reach the final.

ATP Dubai

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Roger Federer won his 100th career title at the Dubai 500 6-4 6-4 on hard courts against the in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas. Federer found form late in the tournament after dropping sets against Philipp Kohlschreiber and Fernando Verdasco in the first two matches. Marton Fucsovics and Borna Coric were his quarterfinal and semifinal opposition, while Tsitsipas had a relatively easy path until Gael Monfils was his semifinal opponent and he prevailed in that match in a third set tiebreak. The young Greek played well but Federer was just too good.

ATP Acapulco

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The Acapulco 500 was won by the struggling big server Nick Kyrgios 6-3 6-4, as he defeated Alexander Zverev in a battle of talented finalists. Kyrgios was focused on the week, edging John Isner in the semis, Rafael Nadal in the second round, and Stan Wawrinka in the quarters while Zverev had a smooth path that included Alex De Minaur in the quarters and Cam Norrie in the semis. Kyrgios has always had the talent to be an elite player, if he can keep this form he will contend in both upcoming Masters tournaments, but that can’t be predicted.

ATP Sao Paulo

Argentina’s Guido Pella won his first ATP title, winning the 250 on clay to close the Golden Swing 7-5 6-3 against Christian Garin. Pella edged Laslo Djere in the semis, while Garin upset Ruud. Pella didn’t have the toughest draw (Roberto Carballes Baena and Marco Trungelliti) but it was still a massive accomplishment to win his first title.

Run Up to Australian Open Sees De Minaur and Nishikori Claim Titles

Posted by Admin on January 12, 2019
Posted in: ATP, Auckland, Brisbane, Chennai, Doha, Steen Kirby, Sydney. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The five ATP 250 level hard court stops in the run-up to the Australian Open saw five different players claim titles and find form during the first portion of the 2019 season. Here is your look at all of January’s ATP action.

ATP Doha

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Roberto Bautista Agut claimed a 9th career ATP title defeating Tomas Berdych 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the final, after stunning world #1 Novak Djokovic 3-6 7-6(6) 6-4 in the semifinals, one of the best wins of his career. The Spaniard also claimed wins against Matteo Berrettini, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, and Stan Wawrinka.

It was a great comeback tournament for Berdych who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber, Fernando Verdasco, Pierre Hugues Herbert and Marco Cecchinato. David Goffin and Herbert won the doubles title over Haase/Middelkoop.

ATP Chennai

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Kevin Anderson is a dark horse for the Australian Open title and he was the player to beat in India, capturing the Chennai title 7-6 6-7 7-6 over fellow big serving veteran Ivo Karlovic. Gilles Simon, Jaume Munar, and Laslo Djere also fell to Anderson as he didn’t drop a set until the final. Karlovic, the oldest top level player on tour, defeated Felix Auger Aliassime, Evgeny Donskoy, Ernests Gulbis, and Steve Darcis, a veteran on the comeback trail.

Home heroes Bopanna and Sharan defeated Bambridge/O’Mara in the doubles final.

ATP Brisbane

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Kei Nishikori came through as the favorite in Brisbane, defeating rising Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-4 3-6 6-2 in the final. Nishikori didn’t drop a set prior to the final, racking up wins against Denis Kudla, Grigor Dimitrov, and Jeremy Chardy. Medvedev’s path to the final was defeating Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, three capable and crafty veterans.

Marcus Daniell and Wesley Koolhof beat Ram/Salisbury in the doubles final.

ATP Sydney

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Sydney native Alex De Minaur triumphed at home for his maiden ATP title. The Demon edged tour veteran Andreas Seppi 7-5 7-6 for his 5th straight match win. ADM defeated Dusan Lajovic, Reilly Opelka, Jordan Thompson, and Gilles Simon to reach the final, he didn’t drop a set all week.

The veteran Seppi was happy to find form in what was a challenging tournament for him. Jeremy Chardy, Martin Klizan, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Diego Schwartzman were his victims on the week in some nip and tuck matches.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares defeated the Colombians Cabal/Farah in the doubles final.

ATP Auckland

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Tennys Sandgren has a lot of points to defend in Melbourne, but he enters the AO in great form after claiming his first career ATP title. Sandgren won Auckland without dropping a set this week. Sandgren blitzed past Cam Norrie who grew up in Auckland. Max Marterer, Marco Cecchinato, Leonardo Mayer, and Philipp Kohlschreiber were all defeated by Sandgren.

Norrie defeated Benoit Paire, Joao Sousa, Taylor Fritz and J.L. Struff to reach the final. Ben McLachlan/ Jan-Lennard Struff defeated Klaasen/Venus in the doubles final.

2019 @BrisbaneTennis Has Dimitrov, Nishikori, and Raonic Looking To Get On Track

Posted by Admin on January 2, 2019
Posted in: ATP, Brisbane, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2019 ATP Brisbane Has Dimitrov, Nishikori, and Raonic Looking To Get On Track
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Brisbane is the start of the season for a good number of top players as they prepare for the Australian Open under the Australian sun. With the early rounds complete we take a look at the quarterfinals and beyond at this ATP 250 on hard courts.

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Quarters

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Alex De Minaur

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Operating under a protected ranking, former AO finalist Tsonga has defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis and Taro Daniel to reach this stage. He benefited from Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal due to fatigue before Nadal was due to play his opening match. Home hero ADM, a rising star, represents a far tougher challenge though. ADM plays well at home and hasn’t dropped a set so far. Tsonga has experience but he’s still a bit shaky at times and I’d expect De Minaur to reach the semis.

Daniil Medvedev vs Milos Raonic

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After a rough 2018 for the formerly top 10 Raonic, he’s in good form so far, defeating Aljaz Bedene and Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets, with his serve game firing. This is another match where the young gun should have an edge over the legacy name though. The rising Medvedev (age 22) got a bye into round 2 and eased past a still sluggish Andy Murray in straight sets. Medvedev has dark horse potential at the AO and should be favored here.

Jeremy Chardy vs Yasutaka Uchiyama

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Chardy upset a spider bit Nick Kyrgios and has once again reached the quarters of an ATP event. He’s not an elite player, but the Frenchman excels at playing at a good (but not great) level. He should have an edge over the less experienced Uchiyama, similarly to how he edged past J.L. Struff in three sets in round 1. The qualifier Uchiyama edged Ugo Humbert in round 1 before stunning Kyle Edmund in straight sets in round 2. It’s been a disappointing start for British tennis in Australia.

Grigor Dimitrov vs Kei Nishikori

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These two generational talents have significant history, including a 2017 Brisbane final meeting that saw Dimitrov prevail. Nishikori has won 4 of 5 meetings though and after a routine win against Denis Kudla he should be favored against the inconsistent Dimitrov. Dimitrov is aiming to return to the top 10 after a disappointing 2018, and a win against the top 10 Nishikori would be huge though. I expect a battle with Nishikori taking it.

Projected semifinals
Medvedev d. De Minaur
Nishikori d. Chardy

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A rematch of last year’s Sydney finals in the semis of Brisbane, Medvedev is likely ahead of ADM at this point in their careers but it should be close. Nishikori is expected to lift the title though as he’s the most talented player left in the draw and his form looks solid.

Projected Final
Nishikori d. Medvedev

 

 

2018 @tennisrussia features Home Heroes Daniil Medevev, Karen Khachanov, and Andrey Rublev

Posted by Admin on October 14, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Moscow, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2018 ATP Moscow features Home Heroes Daniil Medevev, Karen Khachanov, and Andrey Rublev
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The 2018 Kremlin Cup ATP 250 primarily features a strong contingent of home Russian players vying for late season ATP success.

Top Half:

Top seed Marco Cecchinato isn’t near his best on hard courts but he did find a bit of form in recent weeks, enough to make him a favorite against either Adrian Mannarino or Evgeny Karlovskiy. Mannarino is in awful form. Benoit Paire looks set to have a good week, his first opponent Mischa Zverev is in a form slump, Egor Gerasimov/Damir Dzumhur aren’t the most difficult round 2 opponents, and Cecchinato in the quarters is a very winnable match.

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Filip Krajinovic could find form and put together a good tournament, but I have Mikhail Kukushkin pulling an upset, defeating the Serbian after defeating Evgeny Donskoy in round 1. Pierre-Hugues Herbert is in tremendous form as well, PHH opens with Alexander Bublik, Martin Klizan/Andreas Seppi will follow. I’ll back Kukushkin against Herbert as I feel the Frenchman will run out of gas by the quarterfinals.

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Bottom Half:

Tokyo champion Daniil Medvedev has the inside track to reach the quarters with a win against Dusan Lajovic or Filip Horansky. Jeremy Chardy has a tough match against Denis Istomin first up, and then he’ll face the in-form Aljaz Bedene (or Laslo Djere) in round 2. I’ll take Medvedev over Chardy or Bedene in the quarters.

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Andrey Rublev will be hoping that home cooking will help him find form. The young Russian has struggled for large parts of this season, but he gets an out of sorts Nick Kyrgios round 1, and then Malek Jaziri/Mirza Basic await in round 2. I’ll take Jaziri over Rublev, with Karen Khachanov reaching the semifinals with a win against Lukas Rosol/Matteo Berrettini before defeating Jaziri in the quarters.

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Predictions

Semis
Kukushkin d. Paire
Medvedev d. Khachanov

This is Medvedev’s tournament to lose, and I’ll back Kukushkin as my dark horse this week.

Final
Medvedev d. Kukushkin

Novak Djokovic, Medvedev, and Basilashvili Close out Asian Swing With ATP Titles

Posted by Admin on October 14, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Beijing, Shanghai, Steen Kirby, Tokyo. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Novak Djokovic, Medvedev, and Basilashvili Close out Asian Swing With ATP Titles
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Shanghai

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Novak Djokovic continued his momentum from the US Open, winning ATP Shanghai without dropping a set to claim his second ATP Masters title of the season. Djokovic eased past Borna Coric 6-3 6-4 in the final after dispatching Jeremy Chardy, Marco Cecchinato, Kevin Anderson, and Alexander Zverev with ease. Djokovic didn’t face a weak field, but he wasn’t bothered through five matches. Djokovic has now won 18 straight tour level matches as he’s won three tournaments in a row.

Coric reached his second final for 2018 and his first ever Masters final, after dropping a set against Stan Wawrinka, he defeated Bradley Klahn, an exhausted Juan Martin Del Potro, Matt Ebden, and Roger Federer to reach the final. The win against Federer one of the most notable of his rapidly rising career.

Kubot/Melo won their second consecutive doubles final, this time against Murray/Soares in straight sets.

ATP Tokyo

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Qualifier Daniil Medvedev took the ATP 500 title in Tokyo, it’s the third title for the young Russian in 2018 and this time he upset home hero Kei Nishikori 6-2 6-4 in the final. Medvedev dropped a set in qualifying but in the main draw he couldn’t be touched. He defeated Diego Schwartzman, Martin Klizan, Milos Raonic, and Denis Shapovalov to reach the final without dropping a set, crushing Canadian hopes in consecutive matches.

Nishikori didn’t drop a set prior to the final, Yuichi Sugita, Benoit Paire, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Richard Gasquet all lost to him in routine fashion. It’s Nishikori’s second ATP final loss in 2018 as he is still without a title this season.

Mclachlan/Struff defeated Klaasen/Venus in the doubles final.

ATP Beijing

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Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili won his second ATP title of 2018 6-4 6-4 against Juan Martin Del Potro in the ATP Beijing 500 final. Basilashvili has had a career year as he came back from a set down against Jack Sock to win in three sets, then defeated Fernando Verdasco, Malek Jaziri, and Kyle Edmund in straight sets.

The favored Del Potro reached his 6th tour level fina lof the season, getting a walkover in the semis against Fabio Fognini after previously defeating Albert Ramos, Karen Khachanov, and Filip Krajinovic without dropping a set.

Kubot/Melo defeated Marach/Pavic in the doubles final.

Japanese Favorites Kei Nishikori, Taro Daniel, and Yoshihito Nishioka Target 2018 ATP Tokyo Title

Posted by Admin on September 30, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Steen Kirby, Tokyo. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Japanese Favorites Kei Nishikori, Taro Daniel, and Yoshihito Nishioka Target 2018 ATP Tokyo Title
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Both home and international talent feature at the ATP 500 Japan Open in Tokyo. Here is your look at all the upcoming action from Japan’s only ATP World Tour tournament.

Top Half:

Marin Cilic had a strong hard court summer, but he’ll get a tough start to the Asian swing as his section begins with J.L. Struff, and is then set to feature Jeremy Chardy/Damir Dzumhur in round 2, and a tough quarterfinal opponent, between Stan Wawrinka/Taylor Fritz or Denis Shapovalov/Hyeon Chung. Wawrinka has come back into form and I’ll back him against Fritz, a semifinalist in China last week, and Shapovalov/Chung, with Cilic still favored to advance from his section.

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Milos Raonic will be favored in section 2, the big serving Canadian faces a struggling Adrian Mannarino first, with either Robin Haase or qualifier Yosuke Watanuki up in round 2. I’ll back qualifiers Daniil Medvedev and Martin Klizan to win their first round matches, with Klizan, a finalist in St. Petersburg, defeating Steve Johnson, and Medvedev edging #4 seed Diego Schwartzman. Raonic over Medvedev is my pick for the section.

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Bottom Half:

Kevin Anderson will be favored in his first two matches against Matt Ebden and Frances Tiafoe/Max Marterer. Ebden has played well enough to suggest he has a shot against Anderson but he’s still the underdog. Nick Kyrgios should be favored against Shenzhen champ and home favorite Yoshihito Nishioka, and I’ll give him the edge, if focused and fit, against Richard Gasquet. Gasquet opens with Denis Kudla and he’s not in great form, Anderson over Kyrgios is my quarterfinal pick.

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Kei Nishikori‘s section has him starting out against countryman Yuichi Sugita, he should win that and also defeat Benoit Paire/Nicolas Jarry in round 2. Metz champ Gilles Simon has a tough match with Alex De Minaur, a semifinalist last week, first up. Simon should win that and also upset Stefanos Tsitsipas (or Taro Daniel), as his form is better than the young Greek. Nishikori over fellow veteran Simon should be the outcome of section 3.

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Predictions

Semis
Cilic d. Raonic
Nisihkori d. Anderson

I’ll back Kei at home against a host of bigger hitters, while Cilic or Raonic should be equally favored to emerge from the top half. This is a tough tournament to predict but Nishikori has the most at stake and should fight the hardest to win.

Final
Nishikori d. Cilic

Stan the Man Struggles But Advances, Tsitsipas Stunned by Medvedev

Posted by Admin on August 29, 2018
Posted in: ATP, US Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Stan Wawrinka, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Stan the Man Struggles But Advances, Tsitsipas Stunned by Medvedev
Steve Fogleman in New York

 Stan Wawrinka came out to an appreciative crowd at the US Open Grandstand this afternoon, and after the win, he stuck around in the oppressive conditions to greet the fans. Ugo Humbert, in the US Open main draw for the first time, was vanquished by the Man, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3,7-5.

“Yeah, it was tough conditions today,” he said after the match and a cooldown.  “Quite hot and humid last few days, already yesterday. But a battle to play a player that never played before (Humbert), young player. He’s been playing really well this summer, recently: qualifier, won a match, lefty, doesn’t give you a lot of rhythm. Playing a great game.”

Stan Wawrinka, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Stan Wawrinka, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

 

Milos Raonic will be his next test on Friday.  “Big match, that’s for sure,” he said. “He’s playing well. Also he had some injuries, had some struggles. But I think he’s playing great tennis. He’s always been a tough opponent to play. Serving big, putting a lot of pressure, going for it. Don’t get a lot of chance to break him, but you need to take them.”

Daniil Medvedev, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Daniil Medvedev, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

One of this summer’s hottest stars on the ATP Tour was bested by another streaking young ATP star as Daniil Medvedev proved the better player than Stefanos Tsitsipas. Medvedev advanced to the third round with a 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win. After the match, Tsitsipas had a lot to say about the heat and made a prediction on our 2018 US Open Men’s Singles champ.

Daniil Medvedev, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

“Well, yeah, oh, my God, it was so tough to play outside there,” he said.  “I could feel it every single time I went to serve/return. I could feel all this heat coming into my face. I don’t know if I’m red. I didn’t check myself on the mirror, but I feel like my face is, like, burning right now.”

“Well, you know, yeah, it’s mental, because you don’t have fresh air to breathe. You breathe this heat that’s coming, the moisture that’s in the air. So you feel like you’re empty. You’re not breathing out, breathing in, breathing out, so it feels really awkward to be playing like this. There is no fresh air. It’s like you feel like you’re playing in the desert, really. I don’t know if the desert is that humid, but it feels — mentally, yeah, I believe that the one that’s gonna win this tournament is going to be the one that mentally is prepared for long matches in the heat and knows that he’s gonna have to overcome the difficulties of the heat. So that’s the guy who’s gonna win the tournament.”

“Most possibly I believe it’s Nadal. Yeah, he played well last year, so I believe he can do it well this year, as well.”

You heard it here first, folks.

Daniil Medvedev Claims Second ATP Title of 2018 With Winston-Salem Win

Posted by Admin on August 26, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Steen Kirby, Winston-Salem Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Daniil Medvedev Claims Second ATP Title of 2018 With Winston-Salem Win
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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The Winston-Salem Open finished up on Saturday with young Russian Daniil Medvedev claiming victory 6-4 6-4 over Steve Johnson, his second ATP title of 2018. Medvedev will enter the US Open in tremendous form having not dropped a set in six matches in Winston-Salem. Medvedev was challenged by Johnson but rose to the occasion, earning the win after previously defeated Mirza Basic, Alex De Minaur, Guido Andreozzi, Ryan Harrison and Taro Daniel to reach the final.

Johnson reached his third final of 2018 and also had strong week. He eased past Tommy Paul, Jaume Munar, Kyle Edmund, and Pablo Carreno Busta without dropping a set suggesting that the American could also be a potential dark horse at the US Open.

Rojer and Tecau defeated Cerretani and Paes in straight sets to win the doubles title.