2015 Sarasota and Mersin Challenger Previews & Predictions
Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic
Sarasota Challenger
ATP Challenger Tour
Sarasota, FL, USA
11-19 April 2015
Prize Money: $100,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Tim Smyczek (68)
2: Federico Delbonis (72)
3: Paolo Lorenzi (83)
4: Alejandro Gonzalez (100)
5: Ruben Bemelmans (102)
6: Facundo Bagnis (103)
7: Radek Stepanek (110)
8: Hyeon Chung (118)
The last direct acceptance is Somdev Devvarman, ranked 176th.
First round match-ups to watch
(6) Facundo Bagnis – Alexander Zverev
Zverev’s last week green clay experience turned into a disaster, losing to Robby Ginepri in the first qualifying round of Houston. However, Bagnis only lasted one more round there and this should be a very close encounter.
(8) Hyeon Chung – Horacio Zeballos
Zeballos had a decent showing at the Leon Challenger last week, reaching the semi-final. However, despite clay being his favorite surface, that event was played on hardcourt, making him prone to rhythm struggles here. Chung had a great tournament at Houston, coming through qualifying and beating Facundo Arguello in the first round of the main draw, before falling to Fernando Verdasco in the second round.
Top Half
Both half are stacked in this tournament, so look forward to a high quality event. Third seed Paolo Lorenzi is a bit of a question mark, retiring from his first round match against Fernando Verdasco last week at Houston due to pain in his left leg. Ruben Bemelmans plays his first tournament since winning the Le Gosier Challenger two weeks ago, while last week’s finals line-up at the Leon Challenger is represented in this half as well, with winner Austin Krajicek and runner-up Adrian Menendez-Maceiras. Top seed Tim Smyczek is also one to look for, wanting to avenge his disappointing first round loss against Teymuraz Gabashvili at Houston last week, losing 6-3 6-3.
Bottom Half
Stepanek
Former world #8 Radek Stepanek is playing his first event since the US Open here, returning from a lengthy injury lay-off. He faces Jared Donaldson in the first round. Second seed Federico Delbonis has a tough opening round against Yoshihito Nishioka, but he should be able to come through and even reach the final here, although currently he will be only a marginal favorite against Hyeon Chung or Alejandro Gonzalez in the semi-final.
Predictions
Semis:
Smyczek d. Lorenzi
Delbonis d. Chung
Final:
Delbonis d. Smyczek
Mersin Cup
ATP Challenger Tour
Mersin, Turkey
13-19 April 2015
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Filip Krajinovic (86)
2: Damir Dzumhur (87)
3: Marsel Ilhan (96)
4: Tobias Kamke (114)
5: Alexander Kudryavtsev (127)
6: Radu Albot (133)
7: Nikoloz Basilashvili (137)
8: Victor Hanescu (140)
The last direct acceptance is Aldin Setkic, ranked 228th.
First round match-ups to watch
(1) Filip Krajinovic – Roberto Carballes Baena
Krajinovic might feel a bit down after getting trashed 6-2 6-2 by Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo last week, making him extra vulnerable. Especially since he is facing a Spanish player with a similar playing style as Ramirez Hidalgo here, he might face a lot of difficulties in this match.
(6) Radu Albot – (Q) Taro Daniel
Taro Daniel
There is a decent chance for the seeded player to go out here. Albot is switching from hardcourt to clay, while Daniel qualified for Casablanca last week, falling to Nicolas Almagro in the first round. Daniel is a bit underranked and clay is clearly his best surface, so he should play above his ranking here.
Top Half
This half is tough to predict. I already discussed how top seed Krajinovic has a tough opening round, which is the case for eighth seed Victor Hanescu as well, facing Ramirez Hidalgo in the first round. Third seed and home player Marsel Ilhan has a better draw, but clay is his worst surface. Seventh seed Nikoloz Basilashvili has played a lot of tennis in recent weeks, but if he isn’t tired he may well reach the final from this half.
Bottom Half
It’s hard to look past second seed Damir Dzumhur here. He had a great week at Casablanca, reaching the semi-final and almost going further, losing 6-4 4-6 0-6 to the eventual winner Martin Klizan. It would be an upset if anyone from this half managed to beat him, which also features fifth seed Alexander Kudryavtsev, Radu Albot, Taro Daniel, Evgeny Donskoy and Kimmer Coppejans.
Predictions
Semis:
Basilashvili d. Ilhan
Dzumhur d. Coppejans
Final:
Dzumhur d. Basilashvili
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