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2018 @MiamiOpen Preview and Predictions: Are We Headed for Another Federer vs. Del Potro Final?

Posted by Admin on March 21, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Miami, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2018 ATP Miami Preview and Predictions: Are We Headed for Another Federer vs. Del Potro Final?
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The second Masters 1000 stop of the season is on the sun baked hard courts of Miami, a joint event with the WTA. Will Roger Federer surge back from defeat at the Indian Wells final to defend his Miami title? or will a new Masters 1000 champion emerge from the field. Here is your full preview, with predictions.

Federer’s Quarter

After losing his first match of 2018 in Indian Wells, defending champion Roger Federer will face Thanasi Kokkinakis or Calvin Hemery in the second round. Fernando Verdasco or Tennys Sandgren/Guillermo Garcia-Lopez await in round 3. Verdasco isn’t playing poorly but unless Federer has a back injury he should reach the fourth round. Pablo Carreno Busta played well enough in Indian Wells to ease past Denis Istomin/Miomir Kecmanovic and then Adrian Mannarino or Steve Johnson/Victor Estrella in round 3.

Kevin Anderson and Tomas Berdych should face off in the round of 16. Anderson’s path is Nikoloz Basilashvili/Thomas Fabbiano, then Karen Khachanov or Marius Copil/Mikhail Kukushkin. Berdych will need to watch out for Alex De Minaur and Frances Tiafoe/Kyle Edmund (or Nicolas Kicker) in his first two matches but I’ll still make him the favorite to reach round 4.

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Zverev’s Quarter

I’ll back Daniil Medvedev to have a good tournament, defeating young guns Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev in consecutive contests. David Ferrer will face Evgeny Donskoy/Aljaz Bedene before facing Medvedev or Zverev in round 3. I’ll go with Medvedev to survive a challenging section.

Nick Kyrgios is back and should find his way against Dusan Lajovic/Horacio Zeballos before defeating Fabio Fognini in round 3. Fognini needs only to defeat Nicola Kuhn/Darian King in the second round.

Jack Sock takes on Yuki Bhambri or Mirza Basic then faces IW semifinalist Borna Coric in round 3, presuming Coric beats Donald Young/Leonardo Mayer. With Sock very shaky I’ll go with Coric to survive into round 4.

Opportunity awaits for either Sam Querrey or Denis Shapovalov, Shapovalov opens with Viktor Troicki then faces Damir Dzumhur. Querrey will take on Radu Albot/Ricardas Berankis. On Hard Courts in the States I’ll give the veteran Querrey a narrow edge to reach round 4.

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Dimitrov’s Quarter

Dark Horses should suprise in the Dimitrov section. Marton Fucsovics is a rising talent and after putting away Max Marterer, I’ll take him in an upset against a struggling Dimitrov. Richard Gasquet is struggling as well, and countryman Jeremy Chardy should defeat him after defeating Rogerio Dutra Silva. I’ll go with Chardy into round 4.

A semifinalist in Indian Wells, Milos Raonic looks to be finding form again. He will take on J.L. Struff or Mikael Ymer in round 2, Diego Schwartzman or Nicolas Jarry/Cam Norrie will follow. I’ll go with Raonic over Schwartzman to reach round 4.

Novak Djokovic struggled in Indian Wells, but if he can rebuild his confidence a bit he should defeat Mischa Zverev/Benoit Paire to reach the third round. His Serbian countryman Filip Krajinovic awaits in round 3. Krajinovic faces Bjorn Fratangelo/Liam Broady for a spot in round 3. Djokovic is the favorite in his section but anything could happen.

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IW champ Juan Martin Del Potro will face Yuichi Sugita or Robin Haase. Peter Gojowczyk/John Millman will face Kei Nishikori in round 2. A healthy Nishikori should reach round 3, but I’m not sure he troubles Del Potro unless the Argentine is out of gas.

Cilic’s Quarter

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Marin Cilic could be in for a tough match against Taylor Fritz (or Pierre-Hugues Herbert) in round 2, but he should be favored in that match, and against Andrey Rublev. Rublev faces Ivo Karlovic/Vasek Pospisil for a spot in round 3.

John Isner is struggling, but he should defeat Jiri Vesely/Lukas Lacko before facing Gilles Muller in round 3. Muller’s path to that point is getting past either Guido Pella or Mikhail Youzhny. I’ll give Muller a slight edge over a struggling Isner, though Isner could find form here.

Roberto Bautista Agut takes on Chris Eubanks or Michael Mmoh, a tougher test against Hyeon Chung awaits in round 3. I’ll go with Chung to beat Gilles Simon/Matt Ebden, and then RBA to reach round 4 in an upset.

David Goffin takes on Joao Sousa/Ryan Harrison, I have him facing Jared Donaldson in round 3 after Donaldson defeats fan favorite Marcos Baghdatis and Feliciano Lopez. Goffin is my favorite against Donaldson.

Predictions

Round of 16
Federer d. Carreno Busta
Anderson d. Berdych
Medvedev d. Kyrgios
Coric d. Querrey
Del Potro d. Djokovic
Raonic d. Chardy
Chung d. Goffin
Cilic d. Muller

The matches in the bottom half look more competitive than the top half, I’ll back Medvedev, Coric, Del Potro, and Chung by narrow margins in their matchups.

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Quarters
Federer d. Anderson
Medvedev d. Coric
Del Potro d. Raonic
Chung d. Cilic

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Federer and Del Potro should march on, but don’t count Anderson or Coric out. Chung is rising and looks due for another big result at this level.

Semis
Federer d. Medvedev
Del Potro d. Chung

Federer should get his revenge against Del Potro for the narrow defeat in IW.

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Final
Federer d. Del Potro

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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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

Chung Out, 2018 AO Boys’ Champ Korda In @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on February 2, 2018
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

Sebastian Korda, 2018 AO Boy's Champion

Sebastian Korda, 2018 AO Boy’s Champion

Chung Out, 2018 AO Boys’ Champ Korda In @NewYorkOpen

LONG ISLAND (Feb. 2, 2018) – The world’s No. 1 tennis player on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings and 2018 Australian Open boys’ singles champion, Sebastian “Sebi” Korda, has been awarded a wildcard into the main draw of the New York Open ATP World Tour tennis tournament taking place Feb. 11-18 at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The 17-year-old Korda is the fifth American to win the Australian Open boys’ singles title and the third in the last 50 years (Donald Young, 2005; Andy Roddick, 2000; Butch Bucholz, 1959; Gerry Moss, 1955). His victory marked 20 years since his father, Petr Korda, won the 1998 Australian Open title. Sebi Korda’s commitment to the New York Open, his first ATP World Tour main draw event, also brings his family’s tennis legacy back to Long Island. Petr won the 1992 Waldbaum’s Hamlet Cup in Commack, NY, where he defeated legend Ivan Lendl 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

“I’m eager to get to New York and continue to follow in my dad’s footsteps,” said Korda. “This will be my biggest tournament to date on the ATP World Tour, and I’m looking forward to playing alongside a lot of great players.”

Hyeon Chung (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Hyeon Chung, South Korea’s No. 1 player and Next Gen ATP Finals champion has withdrawn from the New York Open. Chung developed a blister injury on the bottom of his foot, which had forced him to retire during his semifinal match against world No. 2 Roger Federer at the 2018 Australian Open.

“Unfortunately I have to announce that I can’t play in New York next week,” Chung said. “I had been really looking forward to playing in front of the fans there as it’s one of my favorite cities. I was especially looking forward to seeing many Korean fans there. My feet have still not recovered from the events in Melbourne so I need more time. I am sorry not to be there, but I am wishing everyone a great week.”

“Naturally, we are disappointed that Hyeon had to withdraw, but clearly his foot injuries, as many of us have seen digitally and socially, validate the physician’s instruction not to play,” said Tournament Director Josh Ripple. “In the same breath, we are proud to present the world’s No. 1 junior and Australian Open Junior Champion, Sebi Korda, to the New York market as one of our main draw wildcard entries.  There’s no bigger stage to debut your skills than New York, and we are certain the community will love watching him compete.”

—New York Open

Roger Federer Emerges From Australian Summer With 6th Australian Open Title

Posted by Admin on January 28, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Australian Open, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Roger Federer Emerges From Australian Summer With 6th Australian Open Title
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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He entered the tournament as the favorite and left with a 6th career Australian Open title, as Roger Federer went wire to wire, defeating Marin Cilic 6-2 6-7 6-3 3-6 6-1 in the final. Federer dropped just the two sets against Cilic all tournament, as he blitzed through a relatively weak path of Aljaz Bedene, Jan-Lennard Struff, Richard Gasquet, Marton Fucsovics, Tomas Berdych, and Hyeon Chung.

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Federer fired 24 aces, saved 7 of 9 break points, and overall served really well, while breaking Cilic six times in the match mostly on the back of second serve returns. The first and fifth sets were one way traffic, as Cilic finished like he started, shaky and on edge. The second and fourth sets saw Cilic show his promise as he pressured Federer enough to get breakthroughs. In Set 4 he came back from a break down to force a fifth. The third set end up proving decisive though as Federer broke in the only game that featured break points in the set.

In his third career Grand Slam final the new world #3 Cilic played much better than he did against Federer at Wimbledon in the 2017 final, but he never was able to take control against the Swiss maestro. That said, it was the toughest test for Federer all tournament, as surprise semifinalist Hyeon Chung was forced to retire due to blisters on his feet, and veterans Gasquet and Berdych simply rolled over when facing down Federer.

Chung’s breakthrough came in the round of 32 against Alexander Zverev, and the round of 16 against Novak Djokovic, he beat Zverev in 5, and Djokovic in straights. The former world #1 and Serbian superstar was still rusty from an injury layoff, but he didn’t have a terrible AO and Chung beat him outright, not due to a fluke. Likewise Zverev got frustrated, but he was still beaten by the South Korean #1 straight up, and the young Chung deserves full credit for his accomplishments in Melbourne.

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Chung spoiled the run of Tennys Sandgren, the last American standing, as he beat Sandgren in the quarters after the former  Tennessee standout had upset both a less than fit Stan Wawrinka and young gun Dominic Thiem in Melbourne, beating Thiem in five sets and coming back from losing the 4th. Sandgren now has a great chance to back up the skill and mettle he showed in Melbourne the rest of the season, and became a regular contender at least the 250/500 level.

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Cilic’s path to the final was Vasek Pospisil, Joao Sousa, Ryan Harrison, Pablo Carreno Busta, Rafael Nadal, and Kyle Edmund. He dropped sets against Pospisil and PCB but won thanks to his consistency. Against Nadal he took advantage of the Spaniard’s labored movement, and eventually won via a 5th set retirement as Nadal’s knee injury left him unable to continue. A healthy Nadal probably wins that match, but Cilic still took full advantage of his opportunity.

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Edmund, 23, also had his slam breakthrough. He upset Kevin Anderson in the opening round, then beat three lower ranked players before upsetting Grigor Dimitrov in the four setter in the quarterfinals. Dimitrov missed out on his opportunity to make at least a slam final, while Edmund is stepping into the role of Britain’s leading man after Andy Murray was forced to exit stage right due to a hip injury.

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Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic beat Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the men’s doubles final. It’s their first slam title as a team, and Pavic also won mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski the next day.

 

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Strong Field for an ATP 250 @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on January 3, 2018
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open, USTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Strong Field for an ATP 250 @NewYorkOpen

Sam Querrey

LONG ISLAND (January 3, 2018) – The New York Open ATP World Tour tennis tournament will make its debut Feb. 11-18 with a player field highlighted by four of the world’s top-25 ranked players, the No. 1-ranked players from South Africa, Japan, Korea, and Israel, and nine Americans who have been accepted directly into the singles main draw.

Kevin Anderson, 2012 ATP Washington, Copyright TennisEastCoast.com

Anderson

Kevin Anderson, South Africa’s top ranked player and No. 14 in the world, has committed to play. Anderson holds three career titles and made it to the finals of the 2017 US Open. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2017 ATP World Tour Masters 1,000 in Montreal, as well as the finals of the Citi Open ATP 500 tournament in Washington, DC.

Kei Nishikori (Photo: Christopher Levy @Tennis_Shots)

Kei Nishikori (Photo: Christopher Levy @Tennis_Shots)

Early commitments for the singles draw included top 50-ranked players Sam Querrey (No. 13); 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open and Hall of Fame Open champion John Isner (No. 17); four-time Memphis Open champion and world’s former No. 5 player Kei Nishikori (No. 22); 2017 Memphis Open winner Ryan Harrison (No. 47), and 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung (No. 58).

American players Steve Johnson (No. 44), Jared Donaldson (No. 54), Donald Young (No. 61), and Frances Tiafoe (No. 79), and former junior Wimbledon champions Noah Rubin and Reilly Opelka round out the strong U.S. field for the New York Open, the first U.S. stop of the year on the ATP World Tour.

World No. 28 Adrian Mannarino of France, Israel’s No. 1 player Dudi Sela, Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy, who defeated Roger Federer at the 2017 Dubai Tennis Championships, and Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic, who is one of Latin America’s top competitors, are just a few players to watch in the tournament’s international field.

The 2018 New York Open will mark the return of the ATP World Tour to the New York metropolitan area and Long Island since 2005. GF Sports, a live events and sports media entertainment company, acquired the former Memphis Open in 2015 and partnered with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment to move the tournament to Long Island. The event is one of the longest-running American tournaments on the ATP World Tour and the only indoor championship contested in the United States.

“One of our biggest goals for the New York Open is to continue the development of American tennis by providing a chance for young hopefuls, and veterans alike, with an opportunity to play and succeed,” said Josh Ripple, Tournament Director. “It’s really exciting to have a strong player field, and U.S. representation, for the tournament’s debut on Long Island.”

“We’re excited that NYCB LIVE will be the next stop on tour for an impressive field of the world’s top 100 ATP World Tour professionals, following the Australian Open,” said Brett Yormark, Chief Executive Officer of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “The tournament will mark a new beginning for professional tennis on Long Island when it hosts Grand Slam champions and finalists, nine Americans, including the country’s rising stars, and a strong pool of international players next month.”

On Feb. 11, guests who purchase an evening session ticket will have a chance to see tennis legend and honorary New York Open ambassador John McEnroe play U.S. Davis Cup champion James Blake, followed by a match between 2017 US Open women’s tennis champion Sloane Stephens and Canada’s No. 1 Eugenie Bouchard. All four players will take part in a mixed doubles matchup after singles play. All matches will be eight-game pro-sets.

—B. Borsanyi, NY Open

Hyeon Chung Booked for Big Apple for Inaugural @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on December 5, 2017
Posted in: ATP, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Hyeon Chung (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

LONG ISLAND (December 5, 2017) – The ATP World Tour’s No. 1 Under-21 player and South Korea’s greatest tennis export, Hyeon Chung, has committed to play the inaugural New York Open tournament at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, which takes place Feb. 11-18. Chung will play his first match on Tuesday, February 13 during the evening session.

Chung most recently won the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, the newest ATP Tour championship which featured the eight best 21-and-under players based on their 2017 results. Chung defeated Canada’s No. 2 Denis Shapovalov, and Andrey Rublev of Russia in the finals.  He also reached the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open in April where he lost to eventual champion and world No. 1 Rafael Nadal. Chung turned pro in 2014 and won three Futures tournaments, the Bangkok Open, and he was a member of the South Korea Davis Cup team that year.

Chung Hyeon

Hyeon Chung (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

“I’m excited to compete in the first-ever New York Open tennis tournament along with some of the biggest names is tennis,” said Chung. “I am training hard after a big win in Milan and am looking forward to continuing that momentum on Long Island.”

Chung joins top 25 players John Isner, Bob and Mike Bryan, and Kei Nishikori in the tournament’s main draw. The week-long tournament will debut with an Opening Night exhibition featuring tennis legend John McEnroe, 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, James Blake, and Eugenie Bouchard. The New York Open will mark the return of the ATP World Tour to the New York metropolitan area and Long Island since 2005.

 “We are thrilled to have Hyeon secured for the New York Open not only because he is arguably the best young player in the world as evidenced by what he won in Milan, but he will be a major attraction for the Korean community here in the New York area,” said Tournament Director Josh Ripple.  “The tennis world believes Hyeon is the next big story in the sport, and we are pleased to bring him to the market for people to see.”

–Z. Smith, NY Open

Goffin, Dimitrov, and French Stars Finish the 2017 ATP Season Strong

Posted by Admin on November 27, 2017
Posted in: Antwerp, ATP, Basel, Beijing, Davis Cup, Moscow, Paris, Shanghai, St Petersburg Open, Steen Kirby, Stockholm, Vienna. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Goffin, Dimitrov, and French Stars Finish the 2017 ATP Season Strong
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Goffin Makes a Big Run

Despite falling short in the Davis Cup final as a team, David Goffin had a great finish to 2017, as he won titles in Shenzhen and Tokyo, reached the semifinals in Basel, and then the final in the ATP World Tour Finals in London. After the US Open he scored wins over Richard Gasquet, Adrian Mannarino, Jack Sock, Dominic Thiem, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. In the Davis Cup final he defeated Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga but it still wasn’t enough.

France Captures Davis Cup

France finally won the Davis Cup, after losing a multitude of finals Tsonga and Pouille defeated Steve Darcis twice, and Gasquet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert defeated Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore in what turned out to be the critical doubles rubber. Pouille defeated his teammate Tsonga in the Vienna 500 final, while Tsonga won Antwerp.

Breakthrough for Sock

Jack Sock won the biggest title of his career at the Paris Masters, he won over a weakened field with wins over Kyle Edmund, Pouille, Fernando Verdasco, Julien Benneteau, and Filip Krajinovic. He qualified for the World Tour Finals  by virtue of that victory and reached the semifinals after going 2-1 with wins over Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic.

Dimitrov and Del Potro Looking Strong Heading Into 2018

Grigor Dimitrov finished the year with 49 wins and 4 titles as he reached the final in Stockholm, and the final at the World Tour Finals in London, beating Pablo Carreno Busta, Goffin twice, Dominic Thiem, and Sock.

Juan Martin Del Potro reached the semis in Shanghai, the final in Basel, took a title in Stockholm, and finished the year with a quarterfinal in Paris.

Nadal and Federer Finish 1-2

Damir Dzumhur has 2 ATP titles to end the year as he won in both St. Petersburg and Moscow, while Hyeon Chung won the Next-Gen finals over Andrey Rublev. Nadal won Beijing and lost the final in Shanghai, shutting down his season at the World Tour Finals due to injury concerns but still finishing year end world #1. Federer won Shanghai and Basel to finish year end #2.