2016 Le Gosier and Napoli Challenger Recaps Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic
Le Gosier
After being forced to withdraw from his second round match at Miami due to sickness, Rajeev Ram took a wildcard into this event and became the top seed. 15-year-old revelation Felix Auger-Aliassime received a wildcard as well, but had to withdraw in the third set of his first round encounter against Gianni Mina. He cited weakness as the reason, which I don’t think I have ever seen before. Ram survived the first two rounds, but then received a beatdown at the hands of sixth seed Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarterfinal, 6-2 6-2. The other semi-finalist from the top half was 18-year-old Stefan Kozlov, who beat Vincent Millot 5-7 7-5 6-2 in the quarterfinal. In a great match between youngsters, Nishioka is 20, Kozlov managed to squeeze out the win, 3-6 7-5 6-3.
In the bottom half second seed Taylor Fritz survived a spectacular match in the second round against Gonzalo Lama, surviving four match points in his 6-7(9) 6-4 7-6(10) win. Fritz’s eventual loss followed in similarly spectacular fashion, losing 6-7(5) 6-4 7-5 to third seed Malek Jaziri in the semi-final. The final put a halt to all the marathon matches, with Jaziri convincingly beating his 14-year younger opponent, 6-2 6-4. Jaziri rose twenty ranking spots to #74 after winning his fifth Challenger title, while Kozlov made a big jump of seventy spots to #225, a career high ranking.
Top seed Filip Krajinovic barely survived his first round match against qualifier Julian Reister, after which Arthur De Greef beat him in the second round, 6-4 7-5. Third seed Jan-Lennard Struff went out in the first round to wildcard Gianluca Mager, 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4. De Greef took out another seed in the quarterfinal, fifth seed Roberto Carballes Baena, 7-6(2) 6-3. Marius Copil offered even less resistance in the semi-final, with De Greef prevailing 6-3 6-2. In the bottom half the seeds did equally bad, with, fourth seed Thomas Fabbiano going out in the first round and second seed Rogerio Dutra Silva only going one round further.
Dutra Silva lost to Jozef Kovalik, who took full advantage of the draw opening up. He beat old-timer Filippo Volandri in the quarterfinal, 6-4 6-7(4) 6-2, before beating sixth seed Gastao Elias 6-1 6-7(6) 6-3 in the semi-final. Kovalik had it easier in the final, beating De Greef 6-3 6-2 to win his second Challenger title. Kovalik rose thirty-two ranking spots to a career high ranking of #139, while De Greef rose eight spots to crack the top 200 for the first time at #198.
Canadian For A Day (And I Liked It) Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic
Everyone’s talking about moving to Canada if a certain Presidential candidate finds his way to the White House next fall. If you’re thinking of moving, I already got the jump on you. I was a Canadian for a day, and it was fantastic. Just watch your mouth and you’ll be fine.
Two weeks ago, I flew to Guadeloupe to attend the historic Davis Cup first round tie between France and Canada. I spent a week in that slice of French paradise in January, and though I needed no excuse to return so soon, I now had one: to be there for the most important pro tennis event in the history of the Caribbean.
In December, France chose to host the Davis Cup tie off of the French mainland and away from Roland Garros for the first time in the team’s 112-year history. Immediately, the decision set off alarms throughout the French tennis community. A long and torturous series of events ensued after the announcement. First, the island chain’s government wasn’t sure they could afford the price tag that came with the event for security and infrastructure. The mainland agreed to cover extra expenses, which should have quelled the controversy, but when Gaels Monfils publicly questioned Captain Yannick Noah’s choice of the venue from the Australian Open in January, it churned up more doubt about the decision. France’s national tennis director Gilbert Ysern was sacked in February, and sadly, for the tennis fans of Guadeloupe, the whole thing seemed cursed.
France’s luck changed when Milos Raonic and Daniel Nestor were unable to play. The French went on to beat Canada 5-0 that weekend.
Canadian Supporters Section Files Into Stands
I contacted Trevor D’Orsay of the Supporters Section, a Canadian company who places fans in the center of the action whenever Canada plays abroad—be it hockey, curling, soccer, baseball or tennis. D’Orsay graciously allowed me to attend a pre-tie social at the Velodrome, the cycling stadium which served as the dumping ground for the terre battue shipped in from the mainland on which the competition was played. It’s always a good time when you tailgate with like-minded fans, especially when you and your fellow supporters are outnumbered 99-1. D’Orsay brought about 60 fans together to salute the team. The fans were joined by Canadian junior players, who had dusted the French and Guadeloupean teams in Petit A’s competition in the week leading up to the tie.
I knew I was among my peers when a host of the event dejectedly announced that he’d specifically requested bacon and sausage for the early morning party in the stadium, but that request was shut down due to the Rules of Continental Breakfast. Dozens of sad Croque Monsieurs sans Jambon sat in neat rows and were largely being ignored. The fans were too interested in warming up their vocal chords and practicing cheers to notice.
A bit of background: I have followed the rise of Milos Raonic since he was #800 in the world when I met him in Montreal in 2011, and he barely spoke French or English. My seven-year old daughter got her first ball signed as a fan by Raonic as a one-year old in Montreal. I was lucky enough to watch Genie Bouchard’s rise as she came to Washington every year due to her agency ties. This blog’s first interview five years ago featured Quebec’s Stephanie DuBois. It’s fair to say that I route for Canadians on the tour, and with the ups-and-downs of American tennis since 2011, it’s always good to have a bevy of talented backups players for whom to cheer.
I did get some curious questions from the Canada contingent, like “Why aren’t you in Australia cheering on your Americans?” I explained that I wanted to see how Guadeloupe hosted the event and I wanted to see whether the the drama-fest that led up to the tie would be a factor at all once the first ball was hit. (It wasn’t).
But the biggest reason I wasn’t in Kooyong is because the flight was six times longer.
When one of the Canadian supporters asked if I’d like to sit with them during the rubbers, I was pleased as punch. Red fruit punch. They set me up with a Maple Leaf bandana, a Tennis Canada hat and a fierce Canada t-shirt. I robed up as my inner Canada fan finally liberated itself. I could now be myself, or at least, I thought I could easily pass for a Canadian.
Their hospitality was highly appreciated, even though I was to accidentally test it.
It was die-hard city as soon as the Canadian supporters began the long march to their seats. The section was screaming even as the players began to warm up. I can’t remember witnessing more fired-up fans in an alcohol-free environment ever. The stands were packed with Guadeloupeans, who danced, sang and bull-horned their way through that Friday. They even got Yannick Noah to do a little dance and hop into the stands at the end of the day. It was tennis with all the love of football. As a guy who comes from a place where tennis is a distant sixth in the love of the fan public, it felt good to see the emotions rain down on our fair sport.
Canada Davis Cup Chants
We were seated in the front rows behind the benches of both teams. We beat drums. We waved flags. We screamed “Frank the Tank!” and “Hey Vasek!” We all had fun. I had so much fun that I forgot where I was and what I was doing. The patriotism and the level of support was so strong on both sides, I forgot that I was actually representing 30 million Canadians for a moment. There were questionable line calls against Pospisil, and like a slightly-crass American, I slipped right into Baltimore Ravens fan mode and shouted profanity about a bad call. The call was indeed bullshit ump, but I needn’t have screamed that at you.
Because the second I did, I felt a hand from behind rest on my right shoulder. It lightly prodded me to sit down and I immediately complied. I never even looked back to see who had put their hand on my shoulder in such an effective, gentle and non-verbal manner. I sat back down and never crossed that line again. It’s one thing to represent another nation, but far worse to misrepresent their people by bringing my aggro fan game and trying to pass that off as Canadian. Lesson immediately learned: you don’t have to be crude to show your dedication. I will try to remember that in the fall.
Vasek Pospisil (Photo: S. Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic)
The Canadian contingent maintained their good cheer despite it all. Despite not winning a set that day, despite Pospisil leading 5-1 in the first set before a meltdown, and despite the sad fact that the line for the concessions stand was an hour long for a sandwich or a drink. I have never seen such overwhelmed concessions for a crowd of more than 8,000.
Longest Pro Tennis Concessions Line Ever, Guadeloupe 2016
Not that the Canadians would have noticed, but there was only a single souvenir tent, run by the FFT, which was absolutely mobbed and contained only French gear. You couldn’t even see the merchandise offered for sale without waiting in a ten minute line to get close enough to gaze at their wares. It was both refreshing and inconvenient to see the FFT not trying too hard to make it convenient for a tennis fan to part with his sweet euros. In hindsight, it was simply bizarre.
You have my blessing to move to Canada now. Great tennis players, or as I like to say, the biggest overachievers in the sport. With a fraction of the resources of the USTA, they produce an impressive share of on-court success and can boast a very active group of supporters. They also like bacon and so do I. Thanks again to the Supporters Section and next time, I’m bringing bacon for everyone, some of which I will shove into my pie hole of a sailor’s mouth.
RAONIC, NESTOR UNABLE TO PLAY CANADA’S DAVIS CUP TIE AGAINST FRANCE
Milos Raonic (Photo:Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots for TennisAtlantic.com)
Raonic still sidelined with adductor tear; Nestor unable to travel due to personal reasons; Replacements to be confirmed at later date
Guadeloupe, February 29, 2016 – Tennis Canada announced Monday that No. 1 singles player and world No. 13 Milos Raonic will be unable to compete in the upcoming Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round tie between Canada and France due to the ongoing recovery of an adductor tear suffered at the Australian Open. In addition, world No. 12 doubles player and Davis Cup stalwart Daniel Nestor will also not travel to Guadeloupe due to a last minute family matter.
“I am deeply saddened to not be able to join my team for the Davis Cup tie in Guadeloupe,” said Raonic. “Davis Cup has always been and will continue to be a priority in my schedule. My body at this moment does not allow me to compete as the muscular tear I sustained in Australia has not completely healed. It is not easy for me, as I love representing Canada and competing alongside a great team of players and staff. I will continue to rehab and try to be back on tour as soon as possible. I wish the Davis Cup team a great and prosperous weekend. I will be watching and cheering them on.”
Milos Raonic (Photo: Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots for TennisAtlantic.com)
Raonic has not played a match since suffering the injury during the semifinals in Melbourne, where he matched his career-best result at a Grand Slam. The injury primarily affects his lateral movement, limiting his ability to push-off and run from side-to-side. He was already forced to withdraw from the two previous ATP World Tour events in Delray Beach and Acapulco. He is expected to be sidelined for another 10-12 days according to doctors.
For Nestor, this is just the second tie he has missed in the past 15 years of Davis Cup play.
“I’m disappointed that I can’t be there with the team this week,” said Nestor. “The last few years we’ve come a long way and we’ve had some good opportunities to do well at Davis Cup and it’s definitely frustrating that we haven’t been able to field our top team and maximize our potential due to some of the injuries and unforeseen circumstances that have arisen. I’m wishing the team the best of luck this weekend and will be looking forward to rejoining them for the next one.”
Team captain Martin Laurendeau will officially name the two replacement players at a later date. The players currently with the team in Guadeloupe include Philip Bester (Vancouver), Frank Dancevic (Niagara Falls, Ontario), Vasek Pospisil (Vancouver) and Adil Shamasdin (Toronto). Laurendeau has up until one hour prior to the official draw on Thursday to make his changes. The tie is scheduled to be played on outdoor clay at the Vélodrome Amédée Detraux in Guadeloupe, France from March 4-6.
“Obviously this is a huge loss for our team as Milos and Daniel are integral to our Davis Cup success,” said Laurendeau. “But I also know it’s not easy for both of them. Milos was playing maybe the best tennis of his career in Australia and is eager to get back on court. He was hoping that would be here in Guadeloupe but he’s just not going to be ready on time. And Daniel has answered the call for this team a record number of times over the past 20 years. For him to not be here, we know it’s with very good reason. The rest of the team will have to refocus now and prepare thoroughly as we all know the tough challenge that awaits us against this French squad.”
About Davis Cup Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 135 teams entered in 2016. The competition is 116 years old having been founded in 1900. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Davis Cup. International sponsors are Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Adecco (Official HR Sponsor) and Betway (Official Betting Sponsor).beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner. Follow all the action onwww.daviscup.com, www.copadavis.com, www.twitter.com/daviscup, www.facebook.com/DavisCupTennis, www.Weibo.com/daviscupofficial and www.DavisCup.tv.
2015 Raanana, Le Gosier and San Luis Potosi Challenger Previews & Picks Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic
After a short break the Challenger tour is back on track, with hardcourt events in Israel and Guadeloupe, plus a clay tournament in Mexico.
Electra Israel Open 2015
ATP Challenger Tour
Raanana, Israel
31 March – 6 April 2015
Prize Money: $125,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Blaz Kavcic (88)
2: Lukas Lacko (99)
3: Blaz Rola (101)
4: Marsel Ilhan (102)
5: Dudi Sela (112)
6: Lucas Pouille (114)
7: Aleksandr Nedovyesov (118)
8: Alexander Kudryavtsev (128)
The last direct acceptance is David Guez, ranked 189th. Promising youngster Karen Khachanov qualified, but has a tough draw with #2 seed Lukas Lacko in the first round. Amir Weintraub is making his comeback from injury, after being out since Wimbledon last year. A tough opening round for him as well, facing countryman Dudi Sela.
First round match-ups to watch
(1) Blaz Kavcic – Igor Sijsling
Sijs
Sijsling being unseeded in a Challenger is a sight that hasn’t been seen for a long time. He even started 2015 ranked #81, but his Rotterdam semi-final points dropped off in February, which immediately saw him drop out of the top 130. Nevertheless, despite his form he still should be one of the tougher draws at Challenger level, so this will not be easy for Kavcic by any means, despite him coming into this tournament high on confidence, having won the Shenzhen Challenger two weeks ago.
(8) Alexander Kudryavtsev – Evgeny Donskoy
Donskoy is another player whose ranking seems out of place. Currently sitting at #175, the former world #65 clearly should be doing better. He faces a countryman who arguably is even more erratic than him, so perhaps he can force something here. The two have a lengthy match history, having faced each other eight times, with Kudryavtsev leading 5-3. Their most recent match is also their most notable one, playing a five set match in the first round of the most recent US Open, which saw Kudryavtsev prevail.
Top Half
Top seed Blaz Kavcic has to be favored here, but it isn’t even close to being a clear cut case, with a lot of streaky players who can put together a random run being in his section. A first round loss to Sijsling wouldn’t be an enormous surprise, and if he survives that I would argue that every player in his quarter has a decent shot against him, which is simply very strong with John Millman, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Michal Przysiezny, Iliya Marchenko, Donskoy and Kudryavtsev being in the mix as well. The second quarter looks to be more straight forward, with the seeds Blaz Rola and Lucas Pouille as the clear favorites.
Bottom Half
I can’t look past #5 seed Dudi Sela here. He is playing in his home country and his opening round against the comeback kid Weintraub is perfect to start off with to obtain some rhythm. Granted, after that he is likely to face some stiff opposition with Michael Berrer and Marsel Ilhan, but he should still be given the edge here. In the bottom section #2 seed Lukas Lacko is coming in on very bad form, so he could well be upset before even reaching the semi-final.
Predictions
Semis:
Pouille d. Kavcic
Sela d. Nedovyesov
Final:
Sela d. Pouille
Open de Guadeloupe
ATP Challenger Tour
Le Gosier, Guadeloupe
30 March – 5 April 2015
Prize Money: $100,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Marcos Baghdatis (58)
2: Pablo Andujar (66)
3: Benoit Paire (85)
4: Maximo Gonzalez (95)
5: Hyeon Chung (121)
6: Norbert Gombos (122)
7: Kenny De Schepper (123)
8: Nicolas Mahut (124)
The last direct acceptance is Yann Marti, ranked 295th.
First round match-ups to watch
(1) Marcos Baghdatis – Darian King
Granted, this isn’t actually a match you have to look out for, given that Baghdatis will win comfortably in all likelihood, but this is mostly in reference to King’s match of last week. In the first round of USA F11 he was trailing Francis Tiafoe 7-6(5) 5-7 0-2 when he suddenly walked off the court, not pleased with some of the line calls that went against him. In combination with the well known incident last year, when he got defaulted at the Charlottesville Challenger after throwing his racquet next to a line judge, this is starting to give him a distinct bad boy image.
(8) Nicolas Mahut – Ruben Bemelmans
This match is quite different, with two attacking players who should put up an interesting match. Bemelmans qualified for Miami last week and pushed Juan Monaco to three sets, but he has reasons to be disappointed as well. He came back from a double break down in the second set, saving two match points, and from a single break down in the third set, but couldn’t capitalize on the mental blows that gave to Monaco.
Top Half
Tennis fans have every reason to look forward to the potential quarterfinal match-up in the top section, with Baghdatis and Hyeon Chung being likely to reach that stage. 18-year-old Chung impressed in Miami, taking out Marcel Granollers in the first round before falling 6-4 6-4 to Tomas Berdych. This in contrast to Baghdatis, who painfully lost 6-2 6-2 to Simone Bolelli in the first round. The winner of that clash is likely to face Benoit Paire in the semi-final, who has a cushy draw and should be able to handle Kyle Edmund or Kenny De Schepper in the quarterfinal.
Bottom Half
It will be interesting to see how #2 seed Pablo Andujar will perform here, given that he hasn’t been a regular fixture on Challenger level for quite some time. Hardcourt isn’t his best surface, but I reckon he is still solid enough to book himself a place in the final here, with his biggest rivals being placed in the top half and the bottom half threats being very erratic or not the biggest fans of hardcourt either, like #4 seed Maximo Gonzalez.
Predictions
Semis:
Paire d. Baghdatis
Andujar d. Bemelmans
Final:
Paire d. Andujar
San Luis Open Challenger Tour
ATP Challenger Tour
San Luis Potosi, Mexico
31 March – 5 April 2015
Prize Money: $50,000
The last direct acceptance is Gonzalo Escobar, ranked 294th. Tigre Hank received a wild card and will play Gerald Melzer in the first round. Daniel Garza received a wild card as well and faces Guido Pella.
First round match-ups to watch
(5) Luca Vanni – Chase Buchanan
Chase Buchanan
Vanni hasn’t won his match since his heroic run to the final in Sao Paulo, but you can’t really hold that against him, having played only two tournaments and facing Simone Bolelli in one of them, right after the Sao Paulo final. He can start his march to the top 100 here, while being currently ranked 115th, facing a Buchanan who isn’t in the best form of his life.
(3) Damir Dzumhur – James McGee
This is a very unfortunate draw for McGee, who could have made a run if he was placed in another section of the draw. Dzumhur, who is having a breakthrough year and reached the top 100 for the first time. should be a bit too much in his current form.
Top Half
This looks to be quite a promising half, with all four seeds being in good form. Outside of them there is unfortunately not a single unseeded player I can see making a surprise run. #4 seed James Duckworth seems to have shaken off his top 100 jitters and now finds himself inside of it after reaching the final of Kolkata and the second round of Indian Wells. If he keeps up that form I would give him the edge over Teymuraz Gabashvili and Austin Krajicek, with Adrian Menendez-Maceiras following behind.
Bottom Half
In contrast to the top half, this half is inhabited by seeds who are true clay court specialists, outside of Damir Dzumhur. Luca Vanni, Paolo Lorenzi and Horacio Zeballos clearly prefer the dirt, but going by Zeballos’ recent form I can only see the former three making an impact here, with an edge for Lorenzi, who lives for these events. Not only that, he is also the defending champion, so he surely should be favored to at least make the final.
Tennis Atlantic 