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Your First 2020 @NewYorkOpen Finalist is @Kyle8Edmund

Posted by Admin on February 15, 2020
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Your First 2020 @NewYorkOpen Finalist is @Kyle8Edmund
Steve Fogleman from Long Island

Both Miomir Kecmanovic and Kyle Edmund have been burning up the indoor courts of the New York Open this week, so it seemed fitting that both players wore neon orange on Stadium Court today in the first semifinal at the New York Open.

Edmund double-faulted to begin the match. He held his serve in that game, then broke Kecmanovic in the second and consolidated it in a lengthy third game. Kecmanovic would be broken again as Edmund breezed to a 6-1 opening set win.in just under 35 minutes.

Kecmanovic opened the second set with a service win. After an Edmund hold, the young Serb faced a couple of break points but held. Both players settled in for exchanging service games and waiting for their opponent to make a critical mistake. That mistake finally came in the form of the ninth game, where Kecmanovic was broken at love for the 5-4 Edmund lead and the match on his racquet. Edmund gladly received the invitation and served the match out at love to advance to the final, 6-1, 6-4.

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Before today’s loss, Kecmanovic beat Tommy Paul and Paolo Lorenzi in straight sets before his comeback win against Ugo Humbert in the quarterfinals.

Edmund’s run in New York began with him beating Yasutaka Uchiyamaand Dominik Koepfer in straight sets before outlasting Soonwoo Kwon in a three set quarterfinal match.

He’ll face the winner of tonight’s semifinal between Andreas Seppi and Jason Jung at 7:00 pm.

 

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Favorites Advance in Tuesday @NewYorkOpen Action

Posted by Admin on February 11, 2020
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open, Steve Fogleman. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Kyle Edmund, 2020 New York Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Favorites Advance in Tuesday @NewYorkOpen Action
Steve Fogleman at the Ancestral Home of the New York Islanders

A second day of rain did nothing but make you feel better about yourself for coming out to watch indoor tennis. And the weather outside did nothing to dampen the confidence of today’s winners.

Jordan Thompson, 2020 New York Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Borat Sagdiyev

Jordan Thompson played Ivo Karlovic’s game and beat him at it in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(2). While serving only 6 aces to Karlovic’s 11, the mustachioed Australian won an amazing 86% of his first service points and was never broken. From one big man to another, Thompson moves on to face American John Isner.

Soonwoo Kwon, 2020 New York Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Soonwoo Kwon doused the hopes of qualifier Go Soeda, 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-3, after Soeda snuck up and took the second set tiebreak. Kwon nailed six aces in the third set after only four aces in the first two stanzas. Kwon’s service game will next have to match up against the tournament’s #2 seed Milos Raonic.

Paolo

Paolo “Houdini” Lorenzo

Paolo Lorenzi pulled a Pure Houdini today. He was down a set and a break to World #159 Danilo Petrovic, the lowest ranked player in the main draw. Petrovic, who was two games away from winning his first ATP Tour main draw match, disputed a call in the 8th game and continued to argue through the break and into the third set, where he was destroyed by Lorenzi, 6-0. Someone on twitter accused him of match-fixing, but I saw a guy out there who desperately wanted to win his first (at 28 years old) and he simply unraveled. Lorenzi, a quarterfinalist last year, faces Kecmanovic for a chance to return to New York’s Elite Eight.

You know that one match that you see on an Order of Play and you say, “that’s my match?” Me too. Yesterday, that match was Kecmanovic-Paul. And it disappointed. Today was no different. Today’s “my match” was Dominik Koepfer and Brayden Schnur. Schnur, a finalist at last year’s New York Open, clearly had the weight of history on his racket. He could not deliver a repeat performance of his 2019 run, and although the chants of “Let’s go, Canada” were louder in the second set, they did little to raise his game. For his part, Koepfer was consistent throughout the 6-3, 6-4 win. Earlier, Kyle Edmund eased past Yasatuka Uchiyama and will play Dominik Koepfer in the second round. That’s all for me until the quarterfinals on Friday here at NYCB Live, home of the Nassau Coliseum. See you on Valentine’s Day from the Guy-land.

It’s Hardware Sunday @NewYorkOpen, and A Maiden Title On the Line for @ReillyOpelka & @BraydenSchnur

Posted by Admin on February 17, 2019
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It’s Hardware Sunday at New York Open, and A Maiden Title On the Line for Opelka, Schnur

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)
Reilly Opelka, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

It’s been a great week for both American Reilly Opelka and Canadian Brayden Schnur. Tonight, one of them will have a “1” in their little stats column on your ATP scoring app as one will pick up their first ATP tour-level singles title at the New York Open in Uniondale, New York. I looked at the odds on my phone before yesterday’s matches, and Betfair had the odds of this final matchup at 10-1. Savor this rare moment of upset tennis in the men’s game, because it comes with the bonus of watching a first-timer hoist the hardware. In this case, it’s a giant abstract painting, but you get the idea.

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Reilly Opelka got there by beating a familiar nemesis in John Isner, and the man in whose house Opelka watched the Superbowl just two weeks ago. Opelka had shocked Isner in Melbourne at the Australian Open in January, and Opelka didn’t let any nerves get to him even after he’d lost the first set tiebreak. Two more tiebreaks that did go his way landed Opelka in the final after shaking off six match points from Isner. The performances by the pair, 6’10 and 6’11, was as bold and pugilistic as the gentlemen’s size. In the arms race that has become professional tennis, these players are the heavy artillery of the game, with popping returns and 136 mile per hour serves the normal. 81 aces made for a record-breaking but very boring night of tennis. It’s the most aces combined in a best of three match since they started tracking these things in 1991. Generally speaking, it paid the bills but wasn’t easy to watch.

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Brayden Schnur got here on the local train. He ran through 17-year-old Long Island native Cannon Kingsley and up-and-comer Alexei Popyrin to qualify before earning the first ATP win of his young career over Columbia University sophomore Jack Lin. It all started to click for Schnur when he saved 2 match points and came back from a 5-2 third set deficit to knock out #3 seed Steve Johnson last Wednesday.  Friday saw him survive a marathon against veteran Paolo Lorenzi in three sets against another player who was playing on another level this week. That all made yesterday’s upset of #6 seed Sam Querrey less surprising than his other results of the week,

I’m sure some tournament organizers were in agony last night, as it might be less attractive for a casual fan to bundle up and take the Long Island Railroad out to see the Opelka-Schnur prize-fight. An Isner-Querrey final would have been preferred by the marketers and branders, none of which are in short supply in New York. Last year’s Anderson-Querrey final shouldn’t be the norm. The top seeds fly out of ATP 250 tournaments so often that you can’t often tell the difference between a Newport and a Challenger. For a true fan, there can be nothing more exciting at a 250 than being guaranteed to see a young player win his first pro level title.

Here’s to Super Sunday. The doubles final of Santiago Gonzalez and Aisam-Ul-Haq against Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Andrea Mies goes live at 2:00 p.m. and the singles final starts at 4:00 p.m.

Schnur Stars in Semifinal Saturday Upset Win @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on February 16, 2019
Posted in: ATP, Canada, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Schnur Stars in Semifinal Saturday Upset Win at New York Open
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

The fans finally showed up on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the New York Open after sparse crowds earlier in the week, and they were treated to an early semifinal that showcased the dazzling talent of Canadian Brayden Schnur.

Sam Querrey was a 4 1/2-1 favorite over Brayden Schnur at the start of the match after opening at 3-1 last night.  Schnur held his first serve at love and you had a feeling this one was going to be a tiebreak affair. And the first set tiebreak was a grand affair. Neither player was perfect, but the unexpected return of a Querrey slam down the line changed the balance. Schnur won three challenges in the first set and seemed to be extremely relaxed on court, even fake-celebrating an ace that he knew was a let. He fist-pumped with a sheepish grin, and moved on to the next serve. He later admitted that he was “extremely embarrassed” that he didn’t realize the serve was a let.

After Schnur broke Querrey in the second game of the second set, it seemed as if it were the veteran American who was frazzled and the 23-year-old Canadian in control. It was as if Querrey simply wasn’t expecting Schnur to return so many balls.

Then, nerves set in and Querrey was content to let Schnur make unforced errors. Querrey finally got a break back and then another to take the match to a third set with the momentum in his favor.

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Or so Schnur wanted us to believe. Schnur was lucky to be able to serve first in the final two sets and jumped to a second consecutive 3-0 lead. This time, though, Schnur would not be broken back and propelled by a small crowd of Schnur fans, he held tough all the way.

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Schnur, a 3 time All-American at the University of North Carolina, picked up some fans this week, people he’d never met before. At match’s end, he made sure to acknowledge them.

“The second set got off to a good start but there was a little bit of a letdown,” he said. “Sam played some good tennis. In that third set, you guys got me through so I’ve got your tickets tomorrow. “

Second Time’s a Charm as @Chris_Eubanks96 Qualifies for @NewYorkOpen Main Draw

Posted by Admin on February 11, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Adrian Menedez Maceiras

Christopher Eubanks and Ernesto Escobedo traded blows for three sets at New York Open qualifying today, with Eubanks down a break in the third before bringing it home for his first qualifying in two attempts at the New York Open. And the opponent who beat him last year? That’s right. Escobedo.

“7-5 in the 3rd,” Eubanks said after the win. “Exact same score, It feels pretty good, you get a little bit of revenge and let things turn around the opposite way. It’s pretty ironic, same exact round, same exact tournament, same exact score, in theory. It was pretty fortunate for me to go my way.”

It was pretty ironic that he knew the exact scoreline from last year. Well done.

“I think I just kind of stayed dialed in, every point,” he said of the comeback win. “When you get down like that, it’s pretty easy to just want to pack it in. Playing it point by point, hoping for the best, hoping for an opportunity. You put yourself in position to capitalize. I just tried to stay dialed in on my serve.“

All players love the surface they’re currently winning on, but Eubanks was emphatic, given the uniqueness of the black courts. “I like it. I like it,” he said. “Last year was my first time playing on the court and it took a little bit of getting used to and sometimes the court felt hollow. It was so slow. This year it’s a little quicker and it’s helping my serve.”

But my favorite response was the refreshing one about the draw.

“I’m not that superstitious about it,” Eubanks told press. “If the draw comes out, I’m anxious to see who some of my friends are playing, so it’s not that big a deal to me.”

Refreshing answers, and after all, it’s nice to have refreshments with a popcorn match.

—S. Fogleman

Popcorn Match Monday @NewYorkOpen with Qualifying Finals and a Taste of Main Draw

Posted by Admin on February 11, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Ernesto Escobedo, 2019 New York Open

Ernesto Escobedo, 2019 New York Open

Mondays are usually lazy days at an ATP 250 tournament. With a field of 32, there’s always a smaller number of qualifiers and tournament organizers can’t schedule the big names with the byes until the first round is complete. Local favorite Noah Rubin is scheduled to marquee the night session today, and that leaves some popcorn match qualifiers for today’s day session followed by two singles main draw matches.

Ernesto Escobedo came back from a set down to beat Yasutaka Uchiyama, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) yesterday to set up an all-American affair with Chris Eubanks, who breezed past wild card Adam El Midawhy, 6-3, 6-2. Eubanks was so comfortable after the win that he ate the popcorn a fan offered him and autographed the nearly empty bag. I expect Eubanks to get some revenge today, as Escobedo won their qualifying final here in New York 364 days ago. Eubanks also beat Escobedo at last year’s Aptos Challenger.

Alexei Popyrin is the breakout player that everyone hopes breaks out in their tournament. The 19-year-old Australian is at a career high of 123, and he faces Canadian Brayden Schnur, who’s also moving within reach of the top 100, at #153. There’s no head to head matchups on these two, so pick a winner.

Tennys Sandgren takes on 37-year-old Paolo Lorenzi in the tournament’s first main draw match on stadium court. It’s hard to expect anything less than a victory for Sandgren, as Lorenzi is only 1-12 versus top 100 players in the last year. The winner will be rewarded with a second round match against either Peter Polansky or Ryan Harrison.

Around the same time as the Sandgren/Lorenzi showdown, Bernard Tomic will try to continue to resurrect his tennis career in a first round match against Lukas Lacko. Though the pair each have a victory against the other, they haven’t faced each other in seven years, so this really is the rubber match. A focused and in-form Tomic should easily prevail in this one.

What did they bring Noah Rubin to his homecoming on opening night in his hometown? They brought him his biggest test of the year to date: Jordan Thompson, the world #60. Rubin will have to do everything right tonight to win this match and move things in his direction in 2019, where he’s already lost to the likes of Mikael Ymer and Kamil Majchrzak.

NEW YORK OPEN – UNIONDALE, USA
$773,985
11-17 FEBRUARY 2019

RESULTS – FEBRUARY 10, 2019

Mens
Qualifying Singles – First Round
Qualifying – [1] A. Menendez-Maceiras (ESP) d [Alt] T. Puetz (GER) 63 62
Qualifying – [2] A. Popyrin (AUS) d J. Ward (GBR) 75 64
Qualifying – [3] R. Ramanathan (IND) d [Alt] R. Smith (USA) 46 62 64
Qualifying – [4] C. Eubanks (USA) d [WC] A. El Mihdawy (USA) 63 62
Qualifying – [5] B. Schnur (CAN) d [WC] C. Kingsley (USA) 76(3) 63
Qualifying – E. Escobedo (USA) d [6] Y. Uchiyama (JPN) 46 63 76(5)
Qualifying – T. Smyczek (USA) d [7] R. Quiroz (ECU) 67(6) 63 75
Qualifying – [8] A. Arnaboldi (ITA) d Y. Watanuki (JPN) 75 46 63

ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019
STADIUM COURT start 11:00 am
Qualifying – [4] C. Eubanks (USA) vs E. Escobedo (USA)
Qualifying – [3] R. Ramanathan (IND) vs T. Smyczek (USA)
[8] T. Sandgren (USA) vs P. Lorenzi (ITA)

Not Before 7:30 pm
[WC] N. Rubin (USA) vs [7] J. Thompson (AUS)
[WC] B. Evans (USA) / J. Isner (USA) vs S. Gonzalez (MEX) / A. Qureshi (PAK)

GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
Qualifying – [1] A. Menendez-Maceiras (ESP) vs [8] A. Arnaboldi (ITA)
Qualifying – [2] A. Popyrin (AUS) vs [5] B. Schnur (CAN)
L. Lacko (SVK) vs B. Tomic (AUS)

Kevin Anderson is Champion of New York (for at least 6 more months) #NYOpen

Posted by Admin on February 18, 2018
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Kevin Anderson is Champion of New York (for at least 6 more months)
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

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With 106 aces between them in the tournament already, you knew Sunday’s New York Open final between top seed Kevin Anderson and 2 seed Sam Querrey was going to be a big serving affair. It delivered, but not in the way that Querrey hit 21 aces on Saturday afternoon. In the end, it was Anderson with the edge on aces 16-9 and Anderson is the Champion of New York—well, at least until that tournament in Flushing in a little more than six months. The memories of a loss to Rafael Nadal vanished in an instant. The final score of the first final in New York Open history was 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(1).

Anderson was the cardiac kid to get to the final—outlasting qualifier Ernesto Escobedo in a third set tiebreak, beating Frances Tiafoe in three sets and surviving Kei Nishikori in a another third set tiebreak on Saturday.

Kevin Anderson, 2018 New York Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Querrey arrived at the New York final by beating Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets, followed by a straight tiebreaks win against Ivo Karlovic and a comeback win in three sets against Adrian Mannarino in the semifinals.

Kevin Anderson, 2018 New York Open, (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

With the win, Anderson grabs a check for $119,250.00 and 250 ATP rankings points. Querrey will receive $62,805.00 and 150 ATP points.

The tournament’s venue, NYCB Live, was a surprisingly good choice as an indoor tournament host. The two courts, separated by a VIP section, provided for enough separation of them to make it feel like there were two separate tennis stadia under the same roof. For players, coaches and many others, the Marriott hotel across the parking lot gave the New York Open a campus feel. Like its predecessor, the Memphis Open, there were plenty of empty seats during the early rounds before attendance picked up in the semifinals (and every time Kei Nishikori stepped on court). The ATP’s Greg Sharko was on the scene. He’s a treasure trove of all things ATP and is one of the most helpful people you’ll ever meet on the tour. It was such a good experience that I’ve re-thought my general aversion to indoor tennis. There’s nothing better for fans and bloggers to be able to know that a match will start at a specified time with no chance for a weather delay or cancellation. It’s hard enough to buy tickets to a match before the day’s schedule of play has been printed, so it’s a comfort to know that a match will go off at 7:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, even if your favorite player isn’t in it. Other than making for bad photos, indoor tennis is a blessing.

I don’t get a chance to watch a lot of doubles except when I’m at the end of a tournament. Max Mirnyi made his 100th appearance at an ATP final on Sunday when he and Philipp Oswald won the New York doubles crown. Mirnyi had some great things to say about the New York Open:

“Being an inaugural event, I know it takes a lot to get New Yorker’s attention and the fact that today we have a reigning U.S. Open singles finalist in the singles final, I’m sure it’s going to get a lot of attention. I’m sure those of us who have been here, among singles and doubles players, we’re going to spread the word as much as we can. I have no doubt that this is going to be a popular destination on the ATP World Tour and yeah, this tournament will continue to excel.”  —Max Mirnyi

And one more thing: No-ad scoring is a great help as it moves the matches along for everyone’s sake. At one time, I would have threatened to boycott tennis had they toyed with no-ad scoring in singles, but now I think it would be a welcome change. As the Open era prepares for its 50th anniversary, the sport must evolve. We certainly have and tennis is no different than us.

Will Mannarino Man Up and Win First ATP Tour Level Title?

Posted by Admin on February 17, 2018
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Adrian Mannarino

Adrian Mannarino

UNIONDALE, N.Y—Adrian Mannarino is a curious case. At 29, he’s playing some of his best tennis yet and he’s achieved a career high ranking at #25. But somehow, he’s earned less than $5 million on the pro tour and is the only player in the New York Open semifinals who has never hoisted a champions trophy at an ATP Tour level event.

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He can take care of both of those things here in New York in two matches. A title would vault Mannarino into the top 20 and the $119,000 winner’s check will put him just over $5,000,000 in career earnings. He’ll face Sam Querrey this afternoon, and although Querrey is ranked higher than Mannarino, the Frenchman has owned the American in their three prior meetings, including straight sets in Cincinnati last summer.

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It’s impressive enough to make the fourth round at Wimbledon, but I’m sure Mannarino would like some tour level hardware and I can’t imagine him not being motivated today in the semis.

Mannarino in 3.

What Happened Last Night Between Harrison and Young?

Posted by Admin on February 13, 2018
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

What Happened Last Night Between Harrison and Young?

Donald Young (Photo:Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots for TennisEastCoast.com)

Donald Young (Photo: Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots for TennisAtlantic.com)

 

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK–Everyone knows there was some kind of disagreement last night between countrymen Ryan Harrison and Donald Young during Harrison’s 6-3, 7-6(4). Since no one requested Donald Young in the press room for a post-match conference, we’re left with serious allegations on a dangling tweet. While many are piling on Harrison and have twitter-convicted him of likely making a racist statement to Young based solely on his past on-court ranting, Harrison downplayed any controversy in his post match press conference only to discover the Young tweet long after the matches had ended at the old Nassau County Coliseum. The Young tweet was sent at 12:03 a.m. and Harrison responded at 12:47 a.m.

Harrison

Harrison Signing Busted Racquet for the Fan who Snagged It.

Twelve hours later, it was a ghost town of information at the tournament. Press doesn’t bump into players here every minute. The athletes are cloistered away in the basement of the Coliseum or better yet, they’re in their rooms in the Marriott just across the parking lot via an underground exit. Harrison teams up with Stevie Johnson this afternoon in doubles against Scott Lipsky and Divij Sharan. With a win, Harrison might be able to give us clues as to what may have been said by him that could have caused offense and harm to Young, even in a distorted context. Otherwise, most of us will have to wait for Young to play doubles tomorrow to get more information. Harrison and Young are each one doubles win away from facing each other on the other side of the net again at the New York Open.

I’m personally tired of politics and tennis together on twitter. I go to sports to escape reality. In my 40-something reality, I can’t even imagine a hot-head like Harrison ever saying something remotely racist on court to, of all players, an American teammate. I am not saying Young is a liar by any means. Both of the players are credible and I’ve enjoyed watching them over the years without regard to their personal politics. My brain has to err on the side of a big-time misunderstanding, because a racial taunt in our sport should never be tolerated and Team USA has never attacked one of their own like this. Part of the twitter “evidence” against Harrison is a statement he may have made at a prior tournament where he used a disparaging term against a German player. Well, “F*ing German” and these accusations are completely different. I’m desperately trying to get information from anyone who may have heard anything last night. Even the security staff in the building who were court side during last night’s match claim they heard nothing and none were aware of the resulting controversy on social media. As I write, Steve Johnson won the first set of his singles match, 6-1, meaning we’re closer to the moment that Harrison can address this matter and Americans can get back to winning matches in New York.

EDIT: I just spoke with a leading American player who indicated that he’d never sensed any animosity whatsoever between Young and Harrison and also lamented the twitter trial and conviction.

–S. Fogleman

Qualifiers Advance, Main Draw Underway @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on February 12, 2018
Posted in: ATP, ATP Qualifying, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Qualifiers Advance, Main Draw Underway @NewYorkOpen
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

New York Open Grandstand Court

New York Open Grandstand Court

Chris Eubanks won a tight first set against Ernesto Escobedo today before Escobedo took control of the match to qualify at the New York Open, an ATP 250 event at NYCB Live in Uniondale. A late first set time violation warning confused Escobedo long enough to drop the opener before coming back to win, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

“Maybe I did go over the time by a little bit,” he said. “It was a big point and he broke me. I didn’t focus in my service game (in the first). After the first set, I just told myself to keep on going, stay positive and keep on working hard.”

Ernesto Escobedo (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Ernesto Escobedo (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Escobedo agreed with me that his little bit of pro experience was the edge between EE and Eubanks today. “I believe so because late in the second set he looked super-tired, so that was a key sign to me,” he said.  “And I just told myself to keep pushing and stay positive to win this match. But on the other side of things, (Eubanks) had a great serve, how many aces did he have, like 40?”

Eubanks  had 24.

He loves the courts. They’re “super-slow”, Escobedo said.

Two out of four possible American qualifiers became a reality this afternoon and it was a good day for American tennis. Adrian Menendez-Maceiras was the first to qualify today with a straight sets victory over Liam Broady, 7-5, 6-3. He was the only one who had an easy ride. The other two qualifiers, Bjorn Fratangelo and Stefano Travaglia, needed three sets to advance.

The last time Travaglia stopped through New York, he qualified for his first U.S. Open. This time, he qualified for the New York Open and did it the sneaky way, holding off four match points to win a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) thriller. The hardest part was coming straight from Quito, Ecuador and their altitude to play an indoor event in New York, he said.