mexico

All posts tagged mexico

2017 WTA Charleston, Monterrey Previews & Predictions

Posted by Admin on April 3, 2017

Posted in: Charleston, Monterrey, Niall Clarke, Volvo Car Open, WTA. Tagged: 2017, angelique kerber, charleston, Johanna Konta, mexico, Monterrrey, picks, predictions, previews, venus williams, Volvo Car Open, Womens Tennis, wta. Leave a comment

2017 WTA Charleston, Monterrey Previews & Predictions
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

venus-charleston

After a compelling month of Premier mandatories in Indian Wells and Miami, the WTA moves to Charleston and down the border to Monterrey. Here is a preview for both of the week’s events.

Charleston
The tour once again returns to the Green clay of Charleston. There is no tournament like this on the calendar and it promises to be another exciting edition of the Volvo Car Open with a wide open draw.

Top Quarter:
Madison Keys enters Charleston as the top seed but not the favourite given the surface. With her big serve and flat groundstrokes, clay can often nullify power players, but this is a faster clay court than the red clay of Europe, so Keys will be dangerous to anyone in the draw. The top seed gets a bye into round two where she could face fellow American Shelby Rogers. There could be an interesting quarter final against Naomi Osaka in the cards, providing the Japanese gets past Johanna Larsson and Shaui Zhang. Keys defeated the Japanese teenager handily in Indian Wells, and whilst I expect a closer match this time around, I expect the American to prevail.

As a former Roland Garros semi finalist, Kiki Bertens knows what it takes to succeed on clay. Can she have more success in Charleston? Bertens will be expected to make it to the quarter finals where she could face Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. The Croatian has been in good form this year, but despite that she can be streaky. However, she is the most reliable prediction in the section to make the last eight given how good her form has been. Keys in front of a home crowd could prove too powerful for Lucic-Baroni in the quarter finals.

Prediction: Keys def. Lucic-Baroni

Second Quarter:
Elena Vesnina put in a career best performance to win the Indian Wells title, but suffered a hangover in Miami where she lost in round two. Will she get back to form in Charleston? The Russian has a good draw to the quarter finals as her second round match will be against a qualifier. Jelena Ostapenko or Lauren Davis will provide a tough test in the third round, but I expect Vesnina to make it through.

Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki had a good fortnight in Miami but unfortunately for her it ended in a final defeat to Johanna Konta. Can she make up for it in Charleston? Clay has never been her most successful surface, but the Dane is in good stead heading into the tournament. She will be expected to get past Louisa Chirico or Annika Beck, but Daria Gavrilova could pose a tough challenge in the third round. I have Wozniacki making the last four and setting up a great match against Keys.

Prediction: Wozniacki def. Vesnina

Third Quarter:
2004 champion Venus Williams enters Charleston as one of the favourites, but she has a tough draw ahead if she is to make it to the last eight. Laura Siegemund or Lesia Tsurenko will await in the second round, but the third is where it really heats up against former French open finalist Lucie Safarova. This is a close match to call as the Czech is naturally more suited to clay, but Venus is in better form and in front of a home crowd, so I will pick the American.

The 50-Foot Petko!

This quarter features another ex-champion, Andrea Petkovic, who is a potential second round opponent for the eighth seeded Anastasija Sevastova. The German has lost her way though and could lose in the opening round to Lara Arruabarrena. It should come down to the two seeded players in this section, and I am picking Yulia Putintseva over the Latvian. However, Venus should have too much in the quarter finals for the Kazakh.

Prediction: Venus def. Putintseva

Fourth Quarter:
The bottom half is headlined by Miami champion Johanna Konta, who enters Charleston fresh off her biggest title to date. Clay has not been the best surface for the Brit in the past, but the faster version of Charleston coupled with her confidence means that Konta may just be the pre-tournament favourite. She will open her campaign against Kayla Day or Alison Riske before moving on to what could be a difficult third round. Daria Kasatkina, Monica Puig and Katerina Siniakova are all capable of an upset and given the potential fatigue, that could very well happen.

Stosur

That could leave the door open for a good run from Sam Stosur. The Aussie is a former French Open finalist and her game suits the clay with the heavy top spin forehand being her biggest weapon. Stosur could face former world number one Jelena Jankovic in the second round. Irina Begu is the projected third round opponent. I could see Stosur getting through this quarter and making the semi finals despite the tough draw.

Prediction: Stosur def. Kasatkina

Semi Finals:
Keys def. Wozniacki
Venus def. Stosur

Wozniacki may feel the effects of her Miami Open run so may end up losing to Keys. Venus vs Stosur is difficult to call but I am predicting Venus in the final.

Final:
Venus def. Keys

Experience will prevail in this All-American final.

Monterrey

The tour heads south of the border and down Mexico way for the Monterrey Open. World number one Angelique Kerber is the top seed.

Angelique Kerber, New Haven

Top Quarter:
The top seed is the heavy favourite to take home the title, and faces former grand slam champion Francesca Schiavone in the first round. The opening two rounds should be no problem for the German, but things will get tougher against fellow lefty Ekaterina Makarova in the last eight. The Russian has the tools to upset Kerber, but I think the top seed will advance this time around.

Prediction: Kerber def. Makarova

Second Quarter:
Carla Suarez Navarro has had a poor start to the year, but the Spaniard will look to climb back into the top 20 starting with a win in Monterrey. The fourth seed has tough matches from the get go though, as Alison Van Uytvanck awaits in the first round, then likely Eugenie Bouchard in round two. Alize Cornet is projected for the quarter finals, and with the recent struggles I can see the Frenchwoman upsetting Suarez Navarro.

Prediction: Cornet def. Suarez Navarro

Third Quarter:
Monterrey feels like a tournament for out-of-form players looking to turn their fortunes around. Caroline Garcia could be classed in that category of players needing a boost in confidence, and as the third seed she could find the wins she needs. Madison Brengle could be a tough match for the Frenchwoman in the second round, as could be Christina McHale in the quarter finals. But as a former finalist here, Garcia should be accustomed to the courts and will be favourite to make the last eight.

Prediction: Garcia def. McHale

Caroline Garcia (Photo: S. Fogleman)

Fourth Quarter:
Monterrey will also serve as a good chance for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to claim a title. The Russian is the second seed and will be confident of making the semi finals at the least, but her inconsistent nature may come back to haunt her. Timea Babos could take advantage and make the quarter finals herself if she plays well. This will be an interesting quarter final either way.

Prediction: Babos def. Pavlyuchenkova

Semi Finals:
Kerber def. Cornet
Garcia def. Babos

Kerber should be too much for the game Cornet in the semi finals. I favour Garcia over Babos on this court, but that is a tough match to call as both are inconsistent.

Final:
Kerber def. Garcia

A nice style contrast in the final, but surely this time the world number one will prevail. She needs a title win and with this field it should really come to Kerber. Garcia will have a good week but will collect another runners up trophy in Monterrey.

Life on Tour With Jean-Yves Aubone (@JYNole) June 2015 Update #8 Mexico
Jean-Yves Aubone, Tennis Atlantic

The mountains of Manzanillo, Mexico

The Grind-An Unnamed Airport, USA

My departure started 11 hours ago and I have many more hours to go until I get home. I’m on my way back from the $10,000 Future’s event in Manzanillo, Mexico where I lost in the first round of singles and then in the doubles final.

I’m at my third airport of the day, drinking a classic American “man’s” beverage, with four hours to go until I lug my gear through my fourth and final stop. Overall, it was not a bad trip. Not just because my job is playing in professional tennis tournaments, but also because it served a greater purpose. It reminded me of how great we have it in the States.

In Mexico, I met up with a few American’s who’d arrived a week earlier to play the first tournament. We were originally supposed to stay at the all-inclusive beachfront resort that was hosting the tournament, but that plan fell apart right away.

The Americans got stuck in a room at the Gran Festivall with no air conditioning, no Wi-Fi – except in the lobby, which barely worked. And then there were the bedbugs. One girl who’d arrived early too, was forced to retire in the middle of her match because her bed bug bites were so inflamed she couldn’t play in the blistering sun.

So, without hesitation my American friends bailed from the resort to a hotel down the road.

During my twenty minute taxi ride through the mountains and small farms of Manzanillo, I thought “if the all-inclusive resort was that bad, what about a local $35 a night hotel?”

Upon my arrival to a narrow building in a busy but worn down part of town, where any cartel gang might easily wreak havoc, I was more than a little concerned. The hotel room doors all were outside, which meant anyone could walk up to my place. It’s not the feeling I wanted on my first day in a foreign country, in a city that I had never heard of before.

Walking up to the third floor (yes, no elevators and carrying the full weight of the 100-degree heat index on my way up the stairs) I stepped into my room, drenched with sweat, but pleasantly surprised. It was clean. The a/c worked. So did the TV, although the only available English channels played nothing but horror movies.

Reality hit, though, when I discovered the only working Wi-Fi spots were in the hallway or down in the parking lot. Many times I opened the window just so I could stick my phone out in the hallway to send and receive text messages. And whenever my fiancé called the room, a beeping noise, like a fax tone, droned through the line.

The view from the hotel

The front desk attendant later explained that a single phone line served the entire hotel. So, if someone else was trying to get a call through, they would interrupt any call in progress. The beeping would continue until whomever else trying to make a call stopped. They never stopped.

By far though, my favorite moment of the trip was on the second day, having to wake up at 6:00 am to be able to practice with my roommate, Collin John, at 7:00 am. The resort was overloaded, hosting both men’s and women’s events on only ten courts. So, players were forced to practice four to a court during the “typical” practice hours. Since we wanted a full court to ourselves, our only option was to wake up for an early morning grind session.

Unfortunately, since we weren’t staying at the tournament hotel, the resort provided no transportation.

So there we were on a Saturday morning, standing on the side of the road at 6:30 in the dark, in Mexico, waiting for the bus, looking completely out of place with our tennis bags and clothing. Then, when we hopped on the 7-peso ride, I couldn’t help but think how ironic it was that two professional tennis players were taking a rickety bus in the 6:30 dusk just to get in a decent practice.

To top it off, the bus dropped us off on a side road next to the resort. To avoid a 15-minute trek up a hill and then back down, we had to throw our bags over the wall and “sneak” in to the resort.

After a few days I got used to the whole bus and “cloak and dagger” routine. The food though, took some doing. I did my best to eat as many meals as possible at the hotel restaurant. Almost every other food joint in the city was street-side with no a/c, so by eating in the hotel I limited how much walking and sweating I was doing.

There was this one no-named family owned taco place though, across the street. After mustering up the courage to try it a few days into the trip, I first considered it the best street-corner taco stand on the planet. Towards the end of the trip, however, I quickly stripped it of that honor when players started getting sick from eating there. My doubles partner, Andre Dome, was forced to withdraw from his singles semifinal and our doubles final due to food poisoning. Lesson learned: never eat at a no-named taco stand on a street corner in Mexico.

The taco stand

So, as tiring and hard as traveling is, when I landed in Orlando for my third connection of the day, the familiar aura of Disney World and the luxury of drinking from the water fountain welcomed me. I wasn’t in Atlanta yet, but in my mind, I was already home.

My next tournaments will be two 15k Future’s events in Tulsa, OK and Wichita, KS. I couldn’t be more excited to play in my home country of the USA. I won’t take a moment for granted.

Life on Tour ATP

2015 Raanana, Le Gosier and San Luis Potosi ATP Challenger Previews & Picks

Posted by Admin on March 31, 2015

Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Chris De Waard. Tagged: 2015, atp challenger, guadeloupe, Israel, Le Gosier, mexico, picks, predictions, preview, Raanana, San Luis Potosi, tennis.

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

Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)

1: Teymuraz Gabashvili (80)
2: Paolo Lorenzi (87)
3: Damir Dzumhur (92)
4: James Duckworth (97)
5: Luca Vanni (115)
6: Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (126)
7: Austin Krajicek (146)
8: Horacio Zeballos (148)

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.

Predictions

Semis:

Duckworth d. Krajicek
Lorenzi d. Vanni

Final:

Lorenzi d. Duckworth

Bacsinszky Completes Mexican Double, Wozniacki Wins Kuala Lumpur

Posted by Admin on March 9, 2015

Posted in: Niall Clarke, WTA. Tagged: 2015 WTA, 2015 WTA Malaysia, 2015 WTA Monterrey, caroline wozniacki, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Open 2015, mexico, Monterrey, Timea Bacsinszky, wta, WTA Malayasian Open, WTA Malaysia, WTA Monterrey.

Bacsinszky Completes Mexican Double, Wozniacki Wins Kuala Lumpur
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

With the Indian Wells and Miami double just around the corner, many of the top players decided to take a week off to prepare for two of the biggest tournaments on the WTA tour.

The lack of star power didn’t hinder the excitement though, as the tournaments in Monterrey and Kuala Lumpur provided some tense and dramatic matches, with the two best players of the week coming out on top.

WTA Monterrey
Embed from Getty Images
Timea Bacsinszky can now call herself the queen of Mexico, as she claimed the Monterrey title to go with her Acapulco crown from last week.

It felt like deja vu in Mexico, but the stars were Timea Bacsinszky and Caroline Garcia this time, not Denzel Washington. In a rematch of the Acapulco final a week prior, Garcia and Bacsinszky took to the court for the right to be called Monterrey champion. On the previous occasion, the Swiss was too strong for Garcia as she romped to an easy 6-3,6-0 victory in Acapulco. This time, it would be the same result, albeit a hell of a lot closer.
Fresh off her upset victory over Ana Ivanovic in the previous round, Garcia looked like she was ready to extract revenge on her opponent. Despite being broken in the opening game of the match, The French woman rallied back to take the first set 6-4; breaking the Swiss’ serve to seal it.

Garcia couldn’t carry that momentum into the second set, as Bacsinszky started to find her range. An early break for the world number 31 had the Swiss on a roll, but a rain delay soon halted the momentum. Four wet hours passed before play was allowed to resume, meaning this one was going to carry on after midnight. When play restarted, it seemed like the fourth seed never left the court. Bacsinszky swung freely from both wings, and soon leveled the match by taking the second set 6-2.

Unlike Garcia though, The Swiss was able to carry the momentum into the next set, breaking at 1-1. The number three seed continued to fight towards the back end of the match, having numerous opportunities to break back at 4-3. Despite having six attempts at leveling the match, Garcia couldn’t convert, allowing Bacsinszky to roll on and closeout the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

The Monterrey title is her second in as many weeks, and third overall as Bacsinszky’s amazing comeback continues. After an injury plagued start to the decade, the 25 year old is happy to be back and playing her best tennis.

“I’m just really happy to play so well at the beginning of the year,” a tearful Bacsinszky said in her post-match press conference. “I’m going to keep trying to push my limits in the next tournament I’m playing. I hope to keep improving all parts of my game, doesn’t matter if I’m winning or losing. I always just want to be a better tennis player, and be a better person too.”

Garcia’s runners-up efforts over the past few weeks shouldn’t get her down. The French woman has shown why she is one of the brightest rising stars on the WTA tour. She’ll be hoping to go one better next time around.

In the doubles, fourth seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Alicja Rosolska defeated third seeds Anastasia Rodionova and Arina Rodionova 6-3, 2-6, 10-3 to claim their first doubles title together.

WTA Kuala Lumpur

Caroline Wozniacki has finally won her first title of 2015 at the BMW Malaysian Open, coming from behind to defeat Alexandra Dulgheru 4-6,6-2,6-1.

Wozniacki was the pre-tournament favourite but people (including myself) wondered if the top seed would preserve her energy for Indian Wells and Miami. The Dane did aim to preserve her energy, but she went about it in a different way; not dropping a set on the road to the final.

Her opponent Dulgheru had upset second seed Sabine Lisicki in the opening round and had used the momentum to carry herself all the way to the final.

That momentum got the Romanian off to a great start, as she broke early to establish a 3-1 lead. The break advantage was soon relinquished, but the heavy top spin strokes of the world number 72 proved tough to deal with. Dulgheru broke at 4-4 and served out the set to give herself a 1-0 lead.

If anything, dropping the first set seemed to motivate Wozniacki further. The world number five was on fire in the second set, breaking in the second game and then again to seal the set. The former world number one only dropped three points on serve throughout the set.

It was all Wozniacki in the third set, as she began to show the world why she is a former world number one player. Wozniacki raced into a 5-0 lead in the third and had match point on the Dulgheru serve, but couldn’t convert. The Romanian avoided a bagel, but couldn’t avoid the break stick, as Wozniacki easily served out the match to take the Kuala Lumpur title.

Despite the lopsided second and third set, Wozniacki praised her opponent’s approach.

“I think she played well the whole match,” Wozniacki said. “She tried to play aggressive and take the ball early. But I knew she had a tough match yesterday, so I just kept playing my game and kept trying to put pressure on her. I think I stepped it up in the second and third sets, and it paid off.”

This was Wozniacki’s 23rd WTA title, and the latest triumph has put her in good form heading into Indian Wells, a tournament she won back in 2011.

“I think things have been going my way. Things are great,” Wozniacki said. “I’m excited for Indian Wells. It’s one of my favourite tournaments of the season, so hopefully I can play well there.”

The doubles title went to Liang Chen and Wang Yafan, who beat third seeds Yuliya Beygelzimer and Olga Savchuk in the final, 4-6, 6-3, 10-4.

That wraps up the WTA tour of the Asia-Pacific. Now we will head to North America and Europe until the summer. You can follow it all on Tennis Atlantic.

Djokovic Wins Again in Dubai, Nadal Decimates Ferrer and Gets a Sombrero in Acapulco

Posted by Admin on March 3, 2013

Posted in: Acapulco, ATP, Delray Beach, Dubai. Tagged: acapulco, atp, delray beach, dubai, ernests gulbis, florida, mexico, novak djokovic, rafael nadal, tennis, UAE. Leave a comment

ATP Dubai

Novak Djokovic won his fourth title in Dubai and extended his consecutive match winning streak to 18 with a 7-5 6-3 working over of Tomas Berdych yesterday. Djokovic was dominant over Viktor Troicki, Robert Bautista Agut, Andreas Seppi and Juan Martin Del Potro earlier in the week and has only lost one match since his US Open final loss last year. He really looks like a cyborg out there.

Berdych knocked off Roger Federer yet again in the semis, needing 3 sets to do so. Fedex continues to struggle. Berdych also beat Rajeev Ram, Tobias Kamke and Dmitry Tursunov without dropping a set.

Mahesh Bhupathi and Michael Llodra took the doubles over Robert Lindstedt and Nenad Zimonjic.

ATP Acapulco

Rafael Nadal decimated and routed a hapless David Ferrer in Acapulco 6-0 6-2 in a match where Ferrer, who continues to struggle when faced with taking on his more famous countryman, never had a chance. It was over in just over an hour.

Nadal had it clicking and takes his second title since his return to the tour. He beat Diego Sebastian Schwartzman, Martin Alund, Leonardo Mayer and Nicolas Almagro earlier in the week. Ferrer beat Antonio Veic, Wayne Odesnik, Paolo Lorenzi, and Fabio Fognini in 3 to reach the final.

Lukasz Kubot and David Marrero took the doubles over the Italian duo of Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli.

The Delray final will be between Ernests Gulbis and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. A recap of that will follow later today.

—Steen Kirby

2013 ATP Delray, Dubai, Acapulco Previews

Posted by Admin on February 25, 2013

Posted in: Acapulco, ATP, Delray Beach, Dubai. Tagged: acapulco, atp, david ferrer, delray beach, dubai, florida, mexico, picks, predictions, preview, rafael nadal, roger federer, tennis, UAE. Leave a comment

2013 ATP Delray, Dubai and Acapulco Previews
Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com

Another triple header is in order for the ATP tour this week with dual 500s in Acapulco on clay, the culmination of the golden swing, and Dubai on outdoor hard. Meanwhile, sunny Delray Beach, Florida will host an outdoor hard 250 event.

ATP Delray Beach
Delray Beach International Tennis Championships
ATP World Tour 250
Delray Beach, Florida, USA
February 25-March 3, 2013
Prize money: $455,775

1: John Isner
2: Tommy Haas
3: Sam Querrey
4: Kei Nishikori
5: Alexandr Dolgopolov
6: Kevin Anderson
7: Feliciano Lopez
8: Xaiver Malisse

First round matchups to watch:

Michael Russell vs. (3) Sam Querrey

Russell at the age of 34 is playing some of the best tennis of his career all of a sudden and looked quite good en route to the quarters in Memphis after qualifying. He will face Querrey, who has been a bit up and down, losing in the 2nd round of Memphis after semis in San Jose. Sam will be the favorite as he has beaten Russell 5 times in a row but muscles Russell has a nice chance at another quality win.

(5)Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Ivan Dodig

Dolgopolov never seemed to be in great form while in Memphis, though he made the quarters and admitted he was coming off of some injury issues and still trying to get back fully with his body along with his technical play. He gets an interesting match with Dodig, who was competitive in his 3 set loss to Cilic in Memphis, plays well on hard courts, and is in decent form. Dodig will also have a good chance at an upset victory.

Igor Sijsling vs. (2)Tommy Haas

You have to feel a bit sorry for Tommy Haas. After withdrawing from Memphis because of sickness, he gets the misfortune of having to play sizzling Igor Sijsling, who packs a serious punch and looked quite strong in Memphis. Sijs won a good match over Melzer before losing a nail biter with Cilic in 3. Sijsling continues to show that he has a great multi faceted game when he puts it all together, especially on the mental side. He is primed and ready for a deep run in an ATP event. Haas did well to make the San Jose final and won his only match in Memphis, but I think even as a 2 seed he will be the underdog in this one. Haas did beat Sijsling in Auckland this year.

Top Half:

A seriously struggling John Isner opens with Jesse Levine and then will get the Go Soeda vs. Marinko Matosevic winner. Matosevic was a semifinalist in Memphis along with a defending finalist in Delray but retired from his semifinal match with a foot injury and his performance may well be questionable.

Defending champ Kevin Anderson comes off elbow surgery, and this is his first tournament back since the Australian Open, where he actually looked quite good before the elbow problem arose. Anderson will play a qualifier, then Yen-Hsun Lu or a qualifier. It should be a somewhat comfortable start for the South African, but you never know what kind of shape he is in. Also, the qualifying draw is very strong, with names like Berankis, Gulbis and Smyczek participating.

All in all, the first quarter of the draw is actually very weak with a bunch of players either out of form or coming off injuries.

Memphis champ Kei Nishikori will look to continue his strong play against Ivo Karlovic, then the Flavio Cipolla vs. Edouard Roger-Vasselin winner. In the quarters, Kei could get a Memphis finals rematch with Feliciano Lopez, who opens with Bjorn Phau. Lopez could get a rematch with Jack Sock in Round 2 if Sock beats Matt Ebden.

Bottom Half:

The Haas/Sijsling winner won’t have it much easier in the next round, as they will likely face Memphis semifinalist Denis Istomin, who opens with Benjamin Becker. The winner of that could get Dolgopolov/Dodig, Steve Darcis or Evgeny Donskoy.

The Querrey/Russell winner will face James Blake or a qualifier in yet another All-American matchup. After that, the winner could face a struggling Xaiver Malisse, a qualifier, a struggling Ryan Harrison, or perhaps most likely, Alejandro Falla. Falla could set up a 3rd meeting in consecutive weeks if both he and Querrey win up to the quarters. This is another pretty weak section of the draw.

Dark Horse: Igor Sijsling

Yet again, I’ll pick Sijs as my dark horse, and by now you should be aware of the reasons why. If he gets past Haas and a possibly tired Istomin things really open up, as his quarterfinal opponent probably Dodig or Donskoy isn’t as strong. In the semis, he will get yet another somewhat struggling opponent, probably still Querrey, but watch out for Blake or Russell. Sijsling should have really good chances at making the final if he keeps it together and with a weak top half of the draw, excluding Nishikori, has a great chance of winning the title.

Predictions:

Semis:

Nishikori d. Anderson

Sijsling d. Querrey

Nishikori, even if he is a bit tired, is simply playing much better than anyone else in his section, by far. Yes, I’ll pick the guy coming off elbow surgery in the 1st section because it really is that open of a draw. I could even see a qualifier making the semis in that section, especially a guy like Berankis. Isner has a good draw yet again, but he is playing poorly right now and can’t be counted on.

Querrey should also be a heavy favorite to reach the semis but you never know..

Final:

Nishikori d. Sijsling

I could see Sijsling winning if this final comes to fruition, but I’ll have to go with the steady Nishikori as the favorite.

ATP Dubai
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
ATP World Tour 500
Dubai, U.A.E
February 25-March 2, 2013
Prize Money: $1,785,500

Top 8 seeds:

1: Novak Djokovic
2: Roger Federer
3: Tomas Berdych
4: Juan Martin Del Potro
5: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
6: Janko Tipsarevic
7: Andreas Seppi
8: Mikhail Youzhny

500 ranking points and a whole lot of prize money brings the usual star-studded field to the desert for some tennis.

First round matchups to watch:

(6)Janko Tipsarevic vs. Nikolay Davydenko

To be blunt, Tipsarevic has been terrible this month, losing opening round matches to Dmitry Tursunov and Michael Llodra, a couple players ranked well below him, in consecutive weeks. Now he gets the still talented, but also very streaky and inconsistent Nikolay Davydenko, who he has a split head to head with 2-2 though they last played in 2011. Given how poor Tipsy has looked, Davy has a good shot a win.

Top half:

Three time Dubai champion Djokovic returns from his post AO hiatus (excluding the Davis Cup tie he played) against DC teammate Viktor Troicki, then will face Roberto Bautista-Agut or David Goffin in the quarters. He could get the Andreas Seppi/Paul Henri Mathieu winner, Lukas Rosol or qualifier Matteo Viola. Seppi has never won a match in Dubai.

Rotterdam champion and Marseille quarterfinalist Juan Martin Del Potro will look to continue his success outdoors against Marcos Baghdatis, who can still be dangerous at times. After that, he will play Somdev Devvarman or qualifier Igor Kunitsyn in the quarters. He could face the winner of Mikhail Youzhny/Blaz Kavcic or one of the two qualifiers in this section, Daniel Brands and Florent Serra. This is a tailor-made draw for Del Po and he shouldn’t slip up.

Bottom Half:

Five time Dubai champion and defending champion Federer will play wild card Malek Jaziri, who can produce some tremendous tennis at times but has otherwise been a challenger level player. After that, he should face an ice cold Marcel Granollers or dirtballer Albert Montanes. In the quarters, Fed could get the Tipsarevic/Davydenko winner or most likely Marseille quarterfinalist Bernard Tomic in what would be an AO rematch. Yet again, this is an easy draw for Fed.

Marseille finalist Tomas Berdych will face wild card Rajeev Ram, then either Tobias Kamke or Mikhail Kukushkin. In the quarters, T Berd could get a Marseille finals rematch with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who opens with Michael Llodra. Other less likely options are Jan Hajek, or the man he beat in the Marseille semis, Dmitry Tursunov, who gets a wild card after his surprising play in Marseille.

Dark Horse: Marcos Baghdatis

In a top-heavy field, there aren’t very many dark horses who are good for much more than the quarters (Tomic and Mathieu, for example). If I had to pick a top seed to fall, it may as well be Del Potro, mainly because he has played a lot of tennis these past couple of weeks and he still doesn’t seem to be fully on his game (losing to Gilles Simon, for example). Baghdatis has had good results before and has been on and off this year, including semis in Brisbane and quarters in Rotterdam. He should be well rested and could leave a mark on the field.

Predictions:

Semis:

Djokovic d. Del Potro

Federer d. Berdych

Djoker should beat Seppi or Mathieu to set this one up, Fed should roll, and Berdych should get revenge on Tsonga.

Final:

Djokovic d. Federer

It is pretty clear Djokovic is the better player right now, especially on hard courts, and I have no reason to think he won’t win this one.

ATP Acapulco
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
ATP World Tour 500
February 25-March 3, 2013
Prize Money: $1,212,750

The Acapulco field was weakened by the withdraws of Fernando Verdasco, Jeremy Chardy and Juan Monaco. Security issues around the venue related to the violence going on in the area further hampers this event. The event continues nonetheless and it is worth 500 points.

Top 8 seeds

1: David Ferrer
2: Rafael Nadal
3: Nicolas Almagro
4: Stanislas Wawrinka
5: Jurgen Melzer
6: Thomaz Bellucci
7: Benoit Paire
8: Horacio Zeballos

1st round matchups to watch:

Paolo Lorenzi vs. (7)Benoit Paire

Paolo Lorenzi comes off a 1st round loss in Buenos Aires, but is at a career high ranking of 56 at the age of 31 and is far and above a better player on clay than any other surface. He gets an intriguing match with Paire, who in addition to coming off a 1st round loss in Marseille, has been playing indoor hard courts in Europe all month and will be playing his first tournament on clay this year Though Paire is normally the better player, this match is ripe for an upset.

Aljaz Bedene vs. David Nalbandian

Bedene had a nice win over Horacio Zeballos in Buenos Aires, but then lost to Julian Reister in a bit of a surprise. He will look to recoup against Nalby, who beat Carlos Berlocq solidly before losing to eventual champ David Ferrer. This is an interesting match and Nalbandian will have a slight edge.

(8)Horacio Zeballos vs. Simone Bolelli

Zeballos comes off a 1st round loss but still has had a good golden swing. He should be the favorite against Bolelli, who also comes off a 1st round loss in Buenos Aires after some good prior results. This is a match between a couple of solid enough dirtballers and if you like clay court tennis, is worth a look.

Top half:

Buenos Aires champ and defending Acapulco champ David Ferrer opens with countryman Albert Ramos, then will get Lukasz Kubot or a qualifier. In the quarters, Ferrer could get Paire/Lorenzi, a qualifier or Pablo Andujar.

His opponent in that final, Stan Wawrinka, will play Fabio Fognini, a Buenos Aires quarterfinalist, then the Bedene/Nalbandian winner, both of which could trip him up early. 5 seed Jurgen Melzer will adjust to clay against Joao Sousa and then the winner of Santiago Giraldo vs. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo. Melzer is close to dropping out of the top 50 and could use some wins here.

Bottom Half:

Rafa Nadal took a week off in Cozumel and comes back to an easy draw, opening with a qualifier then playing Mexican wild card Daniel Garza or a qualifier. In the quarters, he could get a slumping Thomaz Bellucci, who opens with Andrey Kuznetsov, Leonardo Mayer or another Mexican wild card Miguel Angel Reyes.

Buenos Aires semifinalist and 2 time Acapulco champ Nicolas Almagro will play Mexican wild card Cesar Ramirez before taking on Buenos Aires semifinalist Tommy Robredo or Filippo Volandri. In the quarters, Almagro could get Bolelli/Zeballos, Carlos Berlocq or Daniel Gimeno-Traver.

Dark Horse: David Nalbandian

For Nalby, his final showing in Sao Paulo showed he still had something left in the tank and he wasn’t just going to let his career fade away. He has a decent chance of success in Acapulco if he gets past Bedene, and Wawrinka is still suffering a bit of a hangover from his tough loss in the Buenos Aires final. If he gets through that, the semis would almost be a sure thing as Melzer or someone else probably doesn’t pose much of a threat.

Predictions:

Semis:

Ferrer d.Wawrinka

Nadal d. Almagro

Ferrer will be a heavy favorite to beat Wawrinka again, and Nadal has such an easy draw, he could yet again make the semis even if he isn’t near top level.

Final:

Ferrer d. Nadal

This would be the Spanish 1 vs 2 showdown on clay, with a lot on the line in terms of bragging rights and otherwise. Nadal obviously has owned Ferrer in the past (16-4 h2h and only one loss on clay, back in 2004), but he still isn’t near the level he was at when he won those matches and Ferrer looked good in Buenos Aires. Ferrer will also be trying to defend his title points. Though this should be a gutsy match, I have to give a slight edge to Ferrer just this one time.