fernando verdasco

All posts tagged fernando verdasco

ATP Hamburg 500 Favorites are Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman, and Marco Cecchinato @Am_Rothenbaum

Posted by Admin on July 22, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Hamburg, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

ATP Hamburg 500 Favorites are Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman, and Marco Cecchinato
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The ATP Hamburg 500 is the final 500 level on clay for the season. Some of the ATP’s best descend upon Germany for a week of battles on the clay. Here is your preview, with predictions.

Top Half:

Dominic Thiem is the top seed and he’ll begin his quest for the title against Corentin Moutet. Moutet is no pushover on clay but Thiem should be renewed after a poor Wimbledon. Thiem should also be favored against John Millman or J.L. Struff in the second round. Bastad finalist Richard Gasquet should defeat Benoit Paire and Nicolas Jarry or Peter Gojowczyk to setup the quarterfinal matchup with Thiem as the favorite.

Embed from Getty Images

Pablo Carreno Busta is a good clay court player and should get past Florian Myer and Aljaz Bedene/Henri Laaksonen to reach the quarters. Phillip Kohlschreiber should get past Nikoloz Basilashvili and Marton Fucsovics/Pablo Cuevas to reach the quarters as well, where his run at home should end at the hands of PCB.

Embed from Getty Images

Bottom Half:

I have Diego Schwartzman falling in an upset against Casper Ruud, Ruud reached the quarters of Bastad and other than a nice run at Roland Garros, DSS has nod had the best of seasons. Ruud should beat Daniel Masur or Max Marterer in the second round. A finalist in Umag, Marco Cecchinato will be tested by Gael Monfils. GIven the fatigue factor I’ll back Monfils to beat the Italian and also Leonardo Mayer/Albert Ramos to reach the quarters, where he should be favored over Ruud.

Embed from Getty Images

Look for qualifier Jozef Kovalik to have a good week, Kovalik will open with Damir Dzumhur, who isn’t at his best right now. David Ferrer or Rudolf Molleker will be next, both players are struggling and thus the in-form Kovalik has the inside track. Gilles Simon should defeat Thiago Monteiro but the Fernando Verdasco/Dusan Lajovic winner has the edge in this section, and I have the Bastad semifinalist Verdasco reaching the semis in Hamburg.

Embed from Getty Images

Predictions

Semis
Thiem d. Carreno Busta
Monfils d. Verdasco

The tour veterans Monfils and Verdasco should face off in the semis, while Thiem has the inside track to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament.

Final
Thiem d. Monfils

Advertisement

Gael Monfils Looks To Get Back on Track @Antalyaopen 250

Posted by Admin on June 24, 2018
Posted in: Antalya, ATP, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Gael Monfils Looks To Get Back on Track at the Antalya Open 250
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The Antalya Open 250 is one of two final ATP warm up tournaments for Wimbledon and one of the last opportunities to gain ATP points on grass this season. Here is your look at all the action in Turkey this week.

Top Half:

Adrian Mannarino played good enough in Queens to suggest he’ll defeat Evgeny Donskoy/Ricardas Berankis in round 2 and then get past Florian Mayer or Joao Sousa in the quarters. I have Mayer defeating Mirza Basic in round 2, after Basic defeats Paolo Lorenzi.

Embed from Getty Images

Gael Monfils vs Robin Haase looks to be the matchup in quarterfinal #2. Monfils should find form to defeat a qualifier or Marcos Baghdatis, while Haase needs to defeat a qualifier and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or a qualifier. I’ll go with Monfils to win the quarterfinal contest.

Embed from Getty Images

Bottom Half:

Marius Copil should have a good tournament with only Cem Ilkel and Damir Dzumhur standing in his path to the quarters. I’ll back Yuichi Sugita to continue his good form from Queens and defeat Guido Pella and Federico Delbonis/Pierre-Hugues Herbert and reach the quarters. Sugita over Copil is my pick at that stage.

Fernando Verdasco has a nice draw with Jiri Vesely/Jordan Thompson in the way in round 2, and Dusan Lajovic or a qualifier/Nikoloz Basilashvili/Roberto Carballes Baena awaiting in the quarters. Verdasco should win this section.

Embed from Getty Images

Predictions

semis
Mannarino d. Monfils
Sugita d. Verdasco

Sugita just seems due for success in a smaller ATP tournament like this (he won the title last year), though Mannarino could just as easily take the title. Sugita beat him in the final last year.

final
Sugita d. Mannarino

Davis Cup Heroes Isner, Querrey, Sock, and Harrison Feature @mensclaycourt 2018

Posted by Admin on April 8, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Houston, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Davis Cup Heroes Isner, Querrey, Sock, and Harrison Feature at ATP Houston 2018
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The 2018 US Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston, a 250 stop on the ATP tour, feature all the members of the USA Davis Cup Team and a host of others battling it out on North America’s only ATP clay court event.

Top Half:

Embed from Getty Images

Wins at the Davis Cup and in Miami set John Isner up to beat Dustin Brown/Henri Laaksonen, then Frances Tiafoe or Steve Johnson to reach the semis. Johnson faces fellow American Ernesto Escobedo, while Tiafoe takes on fellow American Mackenzie McDonald. Tiafoe should beat Johnson in round 2.

Jack Sock has had a rough season and I’ll back Yoshihito Nishioka, a qualifier, to test him in round 2 after upsetting Horacio Zeballos. I’ll go with Sock to advance to the quarters opposite Taylor Fritz or Ryan Harrison. Fritz opens with Tim Smyczek, while Harrison takes on qualifier Miomir Kecmanovic. Everyone in this section needs form, but I’ll hack Sock over Harrison to advance.

Embed from Getty Images

Bottom Half:

Sam Querrey will face Guido Pella or Stefan Kozlov. Pella is struggling badly and thus Querrey is a heavy favorite to reach the quarters. Tennys Sandgren takes on Blaz Kavcic, then Nicolas Kicker or Donald Young for a spot in the quarters. Both Young and Sandgren are in awful form, and I’ll go with Kicker to advance from the section with wins over Young and Sandgren before falling to Querrey.

Embed from Getty Images

Nick Kyrgios vs. Fernando Verdasco is looking like a fantastic quarterfinal matchup. Verdasco opens with Denis Kudla, then Taro Daniel or Ivo Karlovic. Kyrgios should be tested by Bjorn Fratangelo or countryman Jordan Thompson before the quarterfinals. I’ll go with Verdasco on clay to advance past Kyrgios and into the semis, but either player could win the whole tournament.

Predictions

Semis
Isner d. Sock
Verdasco d. Querrey

Embed from Getty Images

As poor as he was prior to Miami, it’s hard to pick against Isner right now as he’s the strongest player in the Houston field. Verdasco also has a real shot here.

Final
Isner d. Verdasco

Rafael Nadal Brings Starpower to @AbiertoTelcel 500 in Mexico

Posted by Admin on February 26, 2018
Posted in: Acapulco, ATP, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Rafael Nadal Brings Starpower to ATP Acapulco 500 in Mexico
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The ATP 500 level hard court tournament in Acapulco has a solid field lead by Rafael Nadal. It’s the tournament of the week for fans of the ATP. Here is your full preview with predictions.

Top Half:

Rafael Nadal is the main attraction and will begin against his good friend Feliciano Lopez. Thanasi Kokkinakis or Alexander Bublik will follow. He should face New York finalist Sam Querrey in the quarters. Querrey needs to defeat Matt Ebden and either Nikoloz Basilashvili or Jared Donaldson in round 2. With everyone but Querrey struggling, he should get that far before falling to Nadal.

Embed from Getty Images

Jack Sock badly needs to find form. He opens with Ernesto Escobedo, then Hyeon Chung or Donald Young in round 2. I’ll back Chung to upset Sock given he’s been the better player in 2018. Kevin Anderson plays great on this surface. Anderson should defeat Radu Albot and Adrian Mannarino/Ricardas Berankis. I’ll back Anderson over Chung in the quarters.

Embed from Getty Images

Bottom Half:

Alexander Zverev opens with Steve Johnson in an interesting opening round match. Johnson made semis in Delray and could upset Zverev but I’ll back Zverev to beat Johnson and his countryman Peter Gojowczyk to reach the quarters. Gojowczyk faces local player Lucas Gomez in round 1, he’s coming off a run to the finals in Delray. Two struggling American’s, John Isner and Ryan Harrison will face off. Fernando Verdasco lost to Diego Schwartzman in the Rio final. On hard courts I’ll give Verdasco the edge to get revenge, and upset a struggling Isner to reach the quarters. Zverev over Verdasco is my pick at that stage.

 

Embed from Getty Images

The third section of the draw is star packed. Juan Martin Del Potro should defeat Mischa Zverev to setup a big second round match against either Andrey Rublev or David Ferrer. Rublev is playing well enough that I’ll back him to get past Ferrer and upset Del Potro to reach the quarters. Kei Nishikori and Denis Shapovalov will face off in a massive round 1 matchup. Nishikori should be fresher than the Delray semifinalist Shapovalov. I’ll go with Dominic Thiem to defeat Cam Norrie, then Nishikori and Rublev to reach the semifinals.

 

Embed from Getty Images

Predictions

Semis
Nadal d. Anderson
Thiem d. Zverev

I’m not entirely confident picking Nadal but he’s the most accomplished player in the field. Presuming fitness he should win the title. Thiem isn’t the favorite to reach the final but I’ll back him in a tough field.

Final
Nadal d. Thiem

Young Guns Karen Khachanov and Frances Tiafoe Join Diego Schwartzman in ATP Winner’s Circle This Week

Posted by Admin on February 25, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Delray Beach, Marseille, Rio, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Young Guns Karen Khachanov and Frances Tiafoe Join Diego Schwartzman in ATP Winner’s Circle This Week
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Marseille

Embed from Getty Images

Russia’s Karen Khachanov won his second career ATP title, taking the championship in Marseille 7-5 3-6 7-5 over Lucas Pouille. Khachanov beat Frenchman Julien Benneteau, veteran Tomas Berdych, Mischa Zverev, and Ruben Bemelmans on the week, dropping just a set against Pouille.

Pouille couldn’t make it 2/2 in French finals this year, but he did score tough wins over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Filip Krajinovic. He beat Ilya Ivashka in the semis, Ivashka playing in his first ever semifinal at the ATP level after benefiting from drawing an injured Stan Wawrinka in the round of 16.

Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus defeated Marcus Daniell and Dom Inglot in the doubles final.

ATP Delray Beach

Embed from Getty Images

Frances Tiafoe lived up to the hype this week in Delray. The 20 year old defeated Peter Gojowczyk 6-1 6-4 in the final, capturing his first ATP title in what was an amazing week for the young American. He began his winning streak against Matt Ebden in the opening round, then upset Juan Martin Del Potro in 3 sets. In the quarterfinals and semifinals he beat fellow young guns Hyeon Chung and Denis Shapovalov, dropping a set to Chung but recovering well. Tiafoe’s game was more solid this week than it had been previously.

Germany’s Gojowczyk defeated Lukas Lacko, John Isner, Reilly Opelka, and Steve Johnson to reach the final, his second at the ATP level. Despite defeating three Americans, he couldn’t defeat a fourth in the final.

Jackson Withrow and Jack Sock beat Nick Monroe and J.P. Smith in the doubles final, completing an All-American sweep at the Delray 250.

ATP Rio

Embed from Getty Images

Diego Schwartzman wrapped up a 500 level title in Rio with a routine 6-2 6-3 win against Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco. It’s the biggest title of the Argentine’s career and his second ATP title overall. He defeated Casper Ruud, Federico Delbonis, Gael Monfils, and Nicolas Jarry without dropping a set in any of his matches this week.

Verdasco turned back the clock a bit. The 34 year old showed his forehand range against Leonardo Mayer, Nicolas Kicker, Dominic Thiem, and Fabio Fognini. His wins against Thiem and Fognini, both in straight sets, was the best results he’s posted on tour in quite some time.

David Marrero joined with singles finalist Verdasco to win the doubles final against Nikola Mektic/Alexander Peya.

2018 @sydneytennis Preview and Predictions: Simon and De Minaur Look to Continue Momentum

Posted by Admin on January 6, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Steen Kirby, Sydney. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2018 ATP Sydney Preview and Predictions: Simon and De Minaur Look to Continue Momentum
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The Sydney International, a 250 on hard courts, is one of the final two ATP tournaments before the 2018 Australian Open. it doesn’t have an elite field by any measure but it is wide open for a new ATP champion to emerge.

Top Half:

Embed from Getty Images

It’s a great draw for wild card Jordan Thompson, Thompson faces dirtballer Paolo Lorenzi, who hasn’t won a match since the US Open last year, then he should go up against top seed Albert Ramos, who isn’t the most comfortable on hard courts either. Gilles Simon was an effective brick wall in Pune, he took home the title and presuming fitness he should defeat Jared Donaldson. Given the fatigue factor I have him falling to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarters. Kohlschreiber had a solid year on hard court last season and he should be fresher than Simon and also better than Thompson.

Alexandr Dolgopolov played very well in Brisbane, winning a pair of matches and reaching the quarters. His first round opponent Viktor Troicki is struggling so he should win that and also defeat Italy’s Fabio Fognini, another streaky player on hard courts. Adrian Mannarino had a career year in 2017 winning 33 matches at the ATP level and he should build on that in 2018. I have Mannarino making a run, beating a qualifier, Alex Bolt/qualifier, and Dolgopolov to reach the semis.

Embed from Getty Images

Bottom Half:

Wild card John Millman has a solid draw to look forward to, Gilles Muller continues to struggle and he’s the #2 seed. Millman should beat a qualifier and then Muller to slide into the quarters opposite Benoit Paire. I back Paire to defeat Aljaz Bedene and Mischa Zverev/Leo Mayer to reach the quarters. Paire played well in Pune reaching the semis. I’ll pick Paire to reach the semis, he certainly has the ability.

Embed from Getty Images

Diego Schwartzman didn’t win a match in Brisbane, but Feliciano Lopez was disappointing on hard courts last year and didn’t start the year great either. I’ll back Schwartzman to reach the quarters opposite Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco has a tough opening match against Brisbane semifinalist Alex De Minaur who will have the fans fully in his corner. Fatigue should play a factor though, and Verdasco finished 2017 strong and played solid in Doha. Look for Verdasco to defeat J.L. Struff or Damir Dzumhur in round 2, and then Schwartzman in the quarters.

Embed from Getty Images

Predictions

Semis
Mannarino d. Kohlschreiber
Verdasco d. Paire

Mannarino’s steadily improving and tricky game should earn him an ATP title this week in a wide open field. Verdasco has a great forehand against Paire’s amazing backhand and that match could go either way.

Final
Mannarino d. Verdasco

2017 ATP Hamburg Preview and Predictions

Posted by Admin on July 24, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Hamburg, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2017 ATP Hamburg Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Hamburg is on the calendar again this year, it’s a 500 level stop, meaning making a deep run can meet quite the rankings boost.

German Tennis Championships
ATP World Tour 500
Hamburg, Germany
July 24-30, 2017
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €1,499,940

Top 4 seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Albert Ramos (24)
2: Pablo Cuevas (26)
3: Karen Khachanov (32)
4: Gilles Simon (39)

Top Half:

Spain’s Albert Ramos should get past Leonardo Mayer, a lucky loser, and either J.L. Struff or Evgeny Donskoy, Fernando Verdasco is the favorite in the top section though. He reached the semis in Bastad and presuming he can get past a tough opening round match with Jiri Vesely, he should ease past Horacio Zeballos or wild card Daniel Altmaier.

David Ferrer just won his first title in two years, he should continue his form on clay and defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili, Federico Delbonis, presuming Delbonis defeats Carlos Berlocq, should pose trouble in round 2, but I’ll tip Ferrer. and he should also beat Karen Khachanov, who is having a great season. The Russian opens with Rudolf Molleker, making his ATP debut, then should face Aljaz Bedene, presuming Bedene defeats Rogerio Dutra Silva.

Bottom Half:

Pablo Cuevas will face Andrey Kuznetsov to start off,  and I’ll back the in-form Kuznetsov to get the upset. Marco Cecchinato should be next up for Kuznetsov, Florian Mayer is also a possibility. Diego Schwartzman is the favorite for the quarters above, he opens with Andreas Haider-Maurer, a qualifier, either Cedrik-Marcel Stebe or Damir Dzumhur will follow.  I’ll back Kuznetsov to reach the semis.

Everyone but Umag champion Andrey Rublev has struggled in the third quarter of the draw, Gilles Simon and Philipp Kohlschreiber have plenty of elite experience, but are not playing well, Max Marterer is a wild card, Tommy Haas and Dmitry Tursunov are aging veterans in poor form, Benoit Paire lost in the opening match of his last tournament, and Nicolas Kicker has yet to make real inroads on the ATP tour. I’ll back Kohlschreiber over Paire at home in the quarters, as Rublev should be gassed.

Dark Horse: Andrey Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov should score the early upset against Cuevas, and go as far as the final from that point.

Predictions:

Semis
Verdasco d. Ferrer
Kuznetsov d. Kohlschreiber

I can’t predict Ferrer to go back to back in consecutive weeks given his age, Kuznetsov is playing well enough to make the final, but Verdasco should be a slight favorite in Hamburg.

Final
Verdasco d. Kuznetsov

2017 ATP Budapest Preview and Predictions (@HUNgarianTENNIS)

Posted by Admin on April 25, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Budapest, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The inaugural ATP tournament in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, is underway this week, it’s a 250 on clay as French Open preparations continue across Europe.

Gazprom Hungarian Open
ATP World Tour 250
April 24-30, 2017
Budapest, Hungaria
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €482,060

Top Half:

Monte Carlo semifinalist Lucas Pouille begins his campaign against Jiri Vesely, who knocked off Borna Coric round one and has won five of his last seven. Pouille on clay looks solid enough to reach the quarters opposite Martin Klizan. The draw opened up for Klizan, who has been struggling, after qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo stunned a jaded Gilles Simon in straight sets in round 1. Fratangelo could follow that up with another win, but Pouille over Klizan seems like a sensible prediction.

Fabio Fognini is usually competitive on clay and could use a boost against Andrey Kuznetsov, who is seeking a breakthrough of his own. Kuznetsov is a dangerous dark horse, but I have Fognini through to face dirtballer Paolo Lorenzi. Lorenzi will face Sergiy Stakhovsky in round 2, and is the favorite to reach the semifinals in my book. He’s more consistent than his counterpart Fognini.

Bottom Half:

The big serving Ivo Karlovic has struggled this season and is not great on clay, thus Damir Dzumhur, who beat Steve Darcis round 1, looks set to go through to the quarterfinals against in-form qualifier Aljaz Bedene. Bedene is red hot, with a 21-0 record below the tour level right now. His second round opponent Robin Haase did upset Diego Schwartzman in round 1, but Bedene’s form indicates he’s due for a great week and I have him winning in round 2 then beating Dzumhur to make the semifinals.

Viktor Troicki won his opening match and looks set to defeat Laslo Djere, a qualifier, in round 2. Houston quaterfinalist Fernando Verdasco is the favorite in this section, Marton Fuscovics is a local favorite but unlikely to beat the veteran Spaniard in round 2. Verdasco on clay is the favorite to reach the semifinals.

Dark Horse: Aljaz Bedene

Embed from Getty Images

Bedene has lurked on the cusp of being a solid ATP player and after great results below the tour level he looks set to step up to the big stage and cement his place among the players who compete week to week on the ATP Tour.

Predictions

Semis
Pouille d. Lorenzi
Verdasco d. Bedene

Final
Pouille vs. Verdasco

Pouille and Verdasco look set to make the final of this somewhat weak 250, any outcome is possible but their form seems good enough to prevail, with Pouille as the favorite.

2017 ATP Houston Preview and Predictions (@mensclaycourt)

Posted by Admin on April 9, 2017
Posted in: ATP, Houston, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2017 ATP Houston Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

It’s time to preview and predict the last USA ATP Tour stop until the Summer, it’s the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston, which is also the only ATP Tour event played on har-tru clay.

Fayez Sarofim and Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships
ATP World Tour 250
Houston, TX, USA
April 10-16, 2017
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: $535,625

Top 4 seeds (who all recieve first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Jack Sock (15)
2: John Isner (23)
3: Sam Querrey (25)
4: Steve Johnson (29)

The top 4 seeds are all American, something quite fitting for the U.S. Clay Court Championships

First round matchups to watch:

(6)Feliciano Lopez vs. (WC)Bjorn Fratangelo

Having lost five straight Lopez badly needs some momentum and a win here, he’s favored against the American wild card Fratangelo, but Fratangelo is actually competitive on clay and with Lopez playing so poorly, I have Frantangelo pulling an upset.

(8)Thomaz Bellucci vs. Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe has limited tour experience overall, and even less on clay, but the veteran Bellucci is coming off of putting in road work in the Davis Cup and could be fatigued. Tiafoe showed good form in Miami and with the home fans behind him he has a great shot at knocking off a seed in this one.

Top Half:

2015 champion Jack Sock is returning from Australia, and he’ll be thankful for the bye in round 1, both Reilly Opelka and Tommy Haas are tricky opponents, but Sock should beat the big serving Opelka, then defeat Victor Estrella, who I have beating Hyeon Chung, returning from injury, and the Fratangelo/Lopez winner.

Steve Johnson looks set to defeat two-time and defending champion Juan Monaco, who opens with Dustin Brown and needs form having barely played this season, before falling to Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals. Verdasco opens with Kevin Anderson, who has yet to return to his former top 30 form, Nicolas Kicker or qualifier Noah Rubin will follow. Verdasco has a great draw and should emerge from this section.

Bottom Half:

John Isner is also traveling back from Australia, he could have trouble against qualifier Leonardo Mayer, but having formerly won this tournament he should find things comfortable enough in round 2, before defeating Donald Young in the quarters. Young needs to beat Thiago Monteiro and either Ernesto Escobedo or qualifier Tennys Sandgren, who is making his ATP main draw debut. Young has a great shot against Isner, but on clay I give Isner an edge.

Rogerio Dutra Silva comes off a challenger title, after facing Horacio Zeballos he should take on Sam Querrey, Querrey will then have Jared Donaldson/qualifier Maximo Gonzalez or Bellucci/Tiafoe in the quarters, most likely Donaldson. Querrey, like Sock, has had a good season thus far and should beat Donaldson to reach the semis in this open section.

Dark Horse: Leonardo Mayer

Mayer has shown his ability in the past to perform at a level beyond his current ranking, including on clay, if Isner is in poor form or simply jetlagged, the qualifier has a great shot at reaching the quarterfinals and beyond.

Predictions

Semis
Verdasco d. Sock
Isner d. Querrey

Verdasco should be fresh and Sock did not impress in the Davis Cup, Isner on clay should edge past Querrey just given past performance at this tournament.

Final
Verdasco d. Isner

This is a great opportunity for the veteran Verdasco to snatch a title late in his career.

Querrey Stuns Nadal for Acapulco Title, Murray Strengthens Hold on World #1

Posted by Admin on March 7, 2017
Posted in: Acapulco, ATP, Dubai, Sao Paolo, Steve Fogleman. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Querrey Stuns Nadal for Acapulco Title, Murray Strengthens Hold on World #1
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Acapulco

29 year old Sam Querrey won the biggest title of his career and returned to the ATP top 30 after a stunning run in the Acapulco 500 level tour stop. Querrey made it nine career ATP titles with a masterful serving performance against Rafael Nadal, prevailing 6-3 7-6 in upset fashion over the fan-favorite Spaniard. Nadal struggled on return and in the second set tiebreak it was Querrey who was clutch.

Now 10-4 on the season, Querrey dropped sets against Kyle Edmund and fellow big server Nick Kyrgios on the week, while defeating top 15 players David Goffin and Dominic Thiem in straight sets to reach the final. His serve was strong all week, and perhaps the best match of the tournament was a showdown against Kyrgios where he was able to power past the young gun.

Kyrgios upset Novak Djokovic earlier in the week, after Djokovic had survived Juan Martin Del Potro’s challenge. Djokovic’s loss hurts his bid to reclaim the world #1 ranking anytime soon.

Nadal moved to 12-3 on the season after posting routine victories over Mischa Zverev, Palo Lorenzi, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Marin Cilic. Despite suffering a shocking defeat, Nadal still has a shot to equal his number of hard court wins last season (18), before the clay court season begins. Rafa has made big strides in 2017 and seems healthier, fitter, and more focused compared to recent years.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares defeated John Isner and Feliciano Lopez to take home the doubles trophy.

ATP Dubai

Andy Murray claimed his first title of the season and extended his hold on the world #1 ranking with a routine 6-3 6-2 victory against Fernando Verdasco in Dubai. Murray was unthreatened throughout the week, except for two sets of a thrilling contest with Philipp Kohlschreiber. Murray defeated Malek Jaziri, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, and Lucas Pouille with ease over the course of the week.

Kohlschreiber had more than a half dozen match points in a second set tiebreak that finished 20-18 in favor of Murray. The Brit conceded plenty of chances to the German veteran, but he as unable to take them. Kohlschreiber has always been talented, but hasn’t risen as high as he probably should have in his career because of losses like the one he suffered against Murray.

With two critical Masters 1000 tournaments coming up, Murray is looking to be in solid form compared to his main rivals at the top of the men’s game. AO champ Roger Federer was stunned in a third set tiebreak against Evgeny Donskoy in Dubai. Donskoy was far behind the Swiss legend, but he didn’t give up, and Federer outright choked in uncharacteristic fashion.

Fernando Verdasco, who made the semis in Doha, has really enjoyed playing in the Middle East this year. The 33 year old made the final with wins against Andreas Seppi, Roberto Bautista Agut, Gael Monfils, and Robin Haase. His wins against Haase and RBA came in three sets. It was the first hard court final in six years for Verdasco.

Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau defeated Rohan Bopanna and Marcin Matkowski in a doubles final that featured two teams of full-time doubles specialists.

ATP Sao Paulo

Pablo Cuevas awoke in Sao Paulo, snapping a four match losing streak dating back to January, and going to win the title in the Brazilian destination for a third straight time. The renewed 31 year old won the final stop of the Golden Swing in a Monday final 6-7 6-4 6-4 over Albert Ramos, after rain delayed the match on Sunday.

Cuevas posted victories over Facundo Bagnis, Diego Sebastian Schwarztman, and Pablo Carreno Busta as well, with his win over DSS revenge for a loss to him earlier in the season, and a very close three setter.  Cuevas now has six career ATP titles, all of them on clay where he plays his best tennis by far.

Ramos fell to 1-3 in career ATP titles, but made his fourth title by defeating Gastao Elias, Guido Pella, and Joao Sousa, needing three sets against both Pella and Sousa. The Spaniard’s spin remains a damaging weapon on clay courts, and he’s now 11-7 on the season after making the Quarterfinals or better of every Golden Swing clay court stop. He’s also one of the handful of players to take part in all four Golden Swing tournaments.

Home joy was felt for Rogerio Dutra Silva and his fellow Brazilian Andre Sa as they defeated Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner in the doubles final.