Veterans Djokovic, Berdych, and Wawrinka Contesting 2019 ATP Doha Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The 2019 ATP 250 in Doha, Qatar has Novak Djokovic as the star attraction (including a pairing with brother Marko for doubles), but resurgent veterans Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych are still gunning for the title and have advanced to the quarterfinals. What will the rest of the tournament hold?
Both of the seeds advanced to the quarterfinals, with world #1 Djokovic heavily favored against Georgian #1 Basilashvili. Both players have dropped sets this week, with Djokovic’s lost set to Marton Fucsovics a massive surprise. Presuming he’s motivated Djokovic should be too good in this matchup though, after beating Damir Dzumhur and Fucsovics. Basilashvili defeated Albert Ramos and Andrey Rublev.
Tennis fans would love to see a revitalized Wawrinka making waves on tour. The Swiss veteran has a great shot against steady baseliner Bautista Agut after he upset Karen Khachanov in straights and followed that upset with a win against Nicolas Jarry. RBA has been solid, dropping just 5 games in each match (wins against Matteo Berrettini and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez). Wawrinka should be highly motivated though and I have a feeling he’ll rise to the occasion and notch an upset.
Dusan Lajovic vs Marco Cecchinato
Wins against Adrian Mannarino and Ricardas Berankis have lifted Lajovic to the quarters while Marco Cecchinato eased past Sergiy Stakhovsky and then got a walkover into the quarters. Cecchinato is still learning the ropes on hard courts, and though he’s very talented, Lajovic should have a slight edge.
Both of these players have been disappointing lately, Berdych has been injured and considered retirement, but now he’s come back and earned wins against crafty veterans Philipp Kohlschreiber and Fernando Verdasco. PHH hopes to improve as a singles player this year and a stunning win against a listless Dominic Thiem, followed up by a three set tiebreak win against Max Marterer, will give him a lot of confidence heading into this matchup. Berdych is hard to read right now but he should be favored if he’s fit.
Projected Semifinals
Djokovic d. Wawrinka
Berdych d. Lajovic
This is Djokovic’s title to lose, but if he loses interest Wawrinka or RBA will benefit. I expect Berdych to make a run to the final at this point and fall just short, in what would be a huge result for him.
Novak Djokovic continued his momentum from the US Open, winning ATP Shanghai without dropping a set to claim his second ATP Masters title of the season. Djokovic eased past Borna Coric 6-3 6-4 in the final after dispatching Jeremy Chardy, Marco Cecchinato, Kevin Anderson, and Alexander Zverev with ease. Djokovic didn’t face a weak field, but he wasn’t bothered through five matches. Djokovic has now won 18 straight tour level matches as he’s won three tournaments in a row.
Coric reached his second final for 2018 and his first ever Masters final, after dropping a set against Stan Wawrinka, he defeated Bradley Klahn, an exhausted Juan Martin Del Potro, Matt Ebden, and Roger Federer to reach the final. The win against Federer one of the most notable of his rapidly rising career.
Kubot/Melo won their second consecutive doubles final, this time against Murray/Soares in straight sets.
Qualifier Daniil Medvedev took the ATP 500 title in Tokyo, it’s the third title for the young Russian in 2018 and this time he upset home hero Kei Nishikori 6-2 6-4 in the final. Medvedev dropped a set in qualifying but in the main draw he couldn’t be touched. He defeated Diego Schwartzman, Martin Klizan, Milos Raonic, and Denis Shapovalov to reach the final without dropping a set, crushing Canadian hopes in consecutive matches.
Nishikori didn’t drop a set prior to the final, Yuichi Sugita, Benoit Paire, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Richard Gasquet all lost to him in routine fashion. It’s Nishikori’s second ATP final loss in 2018 as he is still without a title this season.
Mclachlan/Struff defeated Klaasen/Venus in the doubles final.
Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili won his second ATP title of 2018 6-4 6-4 against Juan Martin Del Potro in the ATP Beijing 500 final. Basilashvili has had a career year as he came back from a set down against Jack Sock to win in three sets, then defeated Fernando Verdasco, Malek Jaziri, and Kyle Edmund in straight sets.
The favored Del Potro reached his 6th tour level fina lof the season, getting a walkover in the semis against Fabio Fognini after previously defeating Albert Ramos, Karen Khachanov, and Filip Krajinovic without dropping a set.
Kubot/Melo defeated Marach/Pavic in the doubles final.
Fabio Fognini and Hyeon Chung The Stars of the Chengdu Open for 2018 Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The ATP 250 in Chengdu, China kicks off the 2018 Asian swing on the ATP World Tour. Here is your look at all the action.
Top Half:
Top seed Fabio Fognini isn’t in great form but he should get past either Ruben Bemelmans, a qualifier, or Mischa Zverev in round 2. Fognini’s countryman Matteo Berrettini will be favored against qualifier Prajnesh Gunneswaran, while Matt Ebden should beat a struggling Evgeny Donskoy in round 1. I’ll back Ebden, who plays well in Asia, over Berrettini in round 2, then Fognini over Ebden in the quarterfinals.
A struggling Sam Querrey will try to find form against Guido Pella, while Taylor Fritz will be favored against Chun Hsin Tseng. Querrey faces Metz quarterfinalist Nikoloz Basilashvili in round 2, while Fritz will battle either Mikhail Kukushkin or countryman Tennys Sandgren. I’ll back Basilashvili to win the section against Fritz.
Joao Sousa faces Tim Smyczek as he looks to find form again, while Metz semifinalist Radu Albot will be favored against Vasek Pospisil. Adrian Mannarino is the favorite against the Marcos Baghdatis/Malek Jaziri winner in this section. Mannarino is in poor form though so I’ll back Jaziri to surprise and beat Baghdatis and Mannarino before falling to Albot.
Hyeon Chung will take on home favorite Ze Zhang or Yibing Wu in round 2, I’ll back Chung in that match and also against qualifier Bernard Tomic or 5 seed Gael Monfils in the quarters. Monfils just won a challenger title to find some form, and opens with qualifier Lloyd Harris, while Tomic, a qualifier, will face off with Bradley Klahn. Chung over Monfils is my pick for this section as Monfils should be fatigued.
It’s been a strong season for Fognini and he should reach another final, while Chung looks set to have a strong Asian swing. I’ll back him as the champion in this 250.
By a score of 6-4 0-6 7-6 Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili claimed his maiden ATP title, lifting the Hamburg 500 crown against finalist Leonardo Mayer, a player who has made great improvements in his career standing thanks to the Hamburg tournament.
Basilashvili had to battle this week as he came through qualifying with a pair of wins. He then upset Phillipp Kohlschreiber on home clay in three sets, defeated accomplished clay courters Pablo Cuevas and Pablo Carreno Busta in straights, and then edged Nicolas Jarry in three sets in the semis. Against both Jarry and Mayer Basilashvili was bageled in the second set but won anyway as he showed streaky form this week.
Mayer defeated Albert Ramos, Gael Monfils, Diego Schwartzman, and Jozef Kovalik to reach the final, he needed three sets against both DSS and Kovalik, with the win against Kovalik coming in a third set tiebreak.
Peralta and Zeballos defeated Marach/Pavic in the doubles final, concluding the ATP 500 series on clay for 2018.
In the Gstaad 250 rapidly rising Italian Matteo Berrettini claimed his first title, upsetting Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 6-4. Berrettini completed the double this week as he won the doubles title with his Italian partner Bracciali against Molchanov/Zelenay in straights.
The 22 year old from Rome has built himself this season and last on the challenger tour and in qualifying. This tournament he got past Radu Albot, Andrey Rublev, Feliciano Lopez, and Jurgen Zopp without dropping a set. The final win meaning he didn’t drop a set all week despite being an underdog in a couple of matches.
RBA put in a solid performance defeated Jaume Munar in three sets, Taro Daniel in straights, and Laslo Djere in three sets to reach the final.
Right now Italian tennis is having a resurgence as Fabio Fognini, Marco Cecchinato, and Berrettini are in good form, particularly on clay, and should form a formidable Davis Cup trio in the ties to come.
2017 ATP Indian Wells Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The early part of the 2017 ATP World Tour season has drawn battle lines for the first Masters 1000 tournament this year. The ATP World Tour’s best (and the WTA’s best) have once again returned to the California desert for one of the biggest tournaments of the season. Veterans, young guns, and everyone in between will face off in the coming week, and here is your look at the action to come.
BNP Paribas Open
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells, CA, USA
March 9-19, 2017
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $6,993,450
Top 8 seeds (ATP Rankings in parentheses) (32 seeds get first round byes)
1: Andy Murray (1)
2: Novak Djokovic (2)
3: Stan Wawrinka (3)
4: Kei Nishikori (5)
5: Rafael Nadal (6)
6: Marin Cilic (7)
7: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (8)
8: Dominic Thiem (9)
Defending finalist Milos Raonic is missing, also notably absent from the first Masters 1000 of the year is Spanish veteran David Ferrer and French veterans Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon.
First round matches to watch:
Damir Dzumhur vs. Ryan Harrison
Twice an ATP quarterfinalist this season, Bosnia’s best player Dzumhur is rounding into form, but his run in IW is likely to end early because he drew the red hot Ryan Harrison in the opening round. More experienced, and more focused than ever, Harrison claimed an ATP title in Memphis and is relying on an effective forehand and aggressive tennis to win matches. He’s been playing well stateside and with the crowd behind him he should win this intriguing match.
Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Viktor Troicki
Troicki is 3-0 in the h2h against Dolgopolov but he’s lost three straight matches, while Dolgopolov won an ATP title on clay not that long ago. Both players can make some fantastic shots, and both focus and fitness will be a factor in this one. Dolgopolov has more upside here, but a steadier Troicki should have a slight edge.
Benoit Paire vs. (WC)Taylor Fritz
Benoit Paire enters IW on a four match losing streak. He has the talent to turn things around and make a run, but he may be sapped of confidence, giving young American Taylor Fritz a chance at a solid tour victory in this one. Fritz has struggled early in 2017, but Paire’s one dimensional game may result in a chance for him to find some momentum and kick start his season. With the fans behind him, as I have Fritz posting the win.
Murray’s Quarter
Andy Murray is world #1, but he has a relatively poor record in Indian Wells, particular compared to the other Masters tournaments. The British hero should make quick work of qualifier Vasek Pospisil or Rendy Lu though, and also defeat either Frances Tiafoe/Dusan Lajovic or a struggling Feliciano Lopez in the third round. The young Tiafoe has a great shot at the third round given that Lajovic isn’t an elite player and Lopez has lost three straight. Pospisil should beat Lu.
Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut should be good enough to defeat Adrian Mannarino/Juan Monaco, and also big server Reilly Opelka in round 3. Standing in the American wild card’s path to the third round is qualifier Peter Gojowczyk, and seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who much prefers clay. If he plays his best, particularly on serve, Opelka is a threat in this draw, and only RBA’s rock solid return game should stop him.
David Goffin and Ryan Harrison should face off in a big third round match. Harrison needs only to defeat Dzumhur and dirtballer Albert Ramos, while Goffin will face Russian young gun Karen Khachanov or veteran Tommy Robredo. Twice an ATP finalist this season, Goffin should ease past a struggling Khachanov, but in the third round I’ll take Harrison in an upset given the momentum behind RH right now.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga can’t complain about his path to the late stages of the tournament. Neither Konstantin Kravchuk or Fabio Fognini are much of a threat right now, and the toughest hard court player in his section is the unseeded Martin Klizan, a streaky ball basher. Also here are dirtballers Thiago Monteiro and Pablo Cuevas. After capturing two titles this season, Tsonga has his sights set on Masters success, and he should ease past Klizan to reach the round of 16.
Wawrinka’s Quarter
Stan Wawrinka crashed out of Dubai, and his section features Dubai semifinalist Robin Haase in round 2 (presuming Haase beats clay courter Paolo Lorenzi), with either Philipp Kohlschreiber or Troicki/Dolgopolov looming in round 3. Despite playing poorly in Dubai and having just one match since Australia, Wawrinka is still good enough to make a run in IW if his backhand finds its groove. I have Kohlschreiber beating Troicki before falling to Wawrinka in round 3. Haase is also an interesting dark horse here but he’s been unable to string together weeks of great tennis consistently in his career.
Tomas Berdych also hasn’t posted great results this season, but with Bernard Tomic reeling after losing four straight, and the big serving Ivo Karlovic the only other major threat to his early chances, the Czech veteran should reach the round of 16. I have Tomic falling to American Bjorn Fratangelo in round 1, Karlovic should beat Acapulco quarterfinalist Yoshihito Nishioka or Elias Ymer, both of whom came from qualifying. With Karlovic struggling as well, Berdych should beat him in round 3.
Fan favorite Gael Monfils and American favorite John Isner should square off in round 3, but first Monfils will need to defeat the in-form qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, or qualifier Darian King. Isner will need to defeat Jordan Thompson or fading veteran Dmitry Tursunov. Isner has not had a good season, and although he should beat Thompson, Monfils is a clear favorite to reach the round of 16. Watch out for Memphis finalist Basilashvili here as well.
Young Dominic Thiem has a section he should dominate. Neither Jeremy Chardy or qualifier Radu Albot are playing well enough to threaten him in round 2. The seed Mischa Zverev has been in awful form since Australia, and both Joao Sousa and Diego Schwartzman are transitioning from clay. Thiem should defeat Chardy and Sousa to reach the round of 16.
Nishikori’s Quarter
Despite a potentially tricky path, Japanese #1 Kei Nishikori should reach at least the last 16. Nishikori will face Dan Evans or Dustin Brown, with big server Gilles Muller likely to follow, presuming Muller defeats Renzo Olivo/Jiri Vesely. Evans has been poor the last few weeks, and while Nishikori is not in form, he should be able to find some form and beat Evans and Muller.
Acapulco champion Sam Querrey is in great form right now, but will face the pressure of backing up his run down in Mexico against an American in round 2, either Stefan Kozlov or Donald Young. Lucas Pouille will face Santiago Giraldo or J.L. Struff for a spot in the third round opposite Querrey. Querrey served well in Acapulco and he’s never lost to Young (2-0 h2h). He should beat the x2 semifinalist in 2017, Young, then I have him defeating an in-form Lucas Pouille, after Pouille beats Struff.
One of the best matches of the tournament should be a third round clash between Grigor Dimitrov and Jack Sock. Both fan favorites, they are in excellent form, playing the best tennis of their careers, and only Borna Coric/Henri Laaksonen, and Daniil Medvedev/Mikhail Youzhny stand in their way. Dimitrov should defeat Medvedev, Sock should defeat Coric, and then their 17-2 and 12-2 tour records this season respectively should go head to head. Sock has a 2-1 h2h edge, but I feel Dimitrov is narrowly the better player in this one.
After reaching the semis in Acapulco, Marin Cilic has an easy path to the round of 16. Cilic needs only to defeat Fritz/Paire, and one of Malek Jaziri/Nicolas Mahut/Marcel Granollers to make it to that fourth round stage. I have Cilic beating Fritz and Jaziri in his first two matches. Granollers has had a poor season and Mahut is not playing great right now.
Djokovic’s Quarter
Novak Djokovic already has two losses on the season, but he’s still bidding for a fourth straight and sixth overall IW title. Djokovic has not been at the top of his game this season, which could create opportunity for Juan Martin Del Potro in round 3, presuming JMDP puts away either a struggling Andrey Kuznetsov or countryman Federico Delbonis. Even with Djokovic’s outlook in question, Del Potro lost a three setter to him in Acapulco, and although I expect them to battle, Djokovic should again have the upper hand.
This quarter of the draw is by far the best. Young guns Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev should have a big third round clash, as long as Zverev finishes off qualifier Julien Benneteau or Facundo Bagnis, and Kyrgios defeats qualifier Marius Copil or Horacio Zeballos. Kyrgios has two semifinals this season, and a win over Djokovic. Zverev has a tour title this season. Having never met at the ATP or Challenger tour level before, it’s hard to predict the winner. However on hard courts I have Kyrgios beating Copil and Zverev, after Zverev beats Benneteau.
Roger Federer suffered a stunning Dubai early defeat, but the four time IW champion has a relatively easy path to the round of 16 as long as Steve Johnson doesn’t pull a monumental upset. Federer will face over 30 straggler Dudi Sela, or 36 year old journeyman Stephane Robert in round 2, while Johnson will likely draw Kevin Anderson, looking for his first win back from injury against qualifier Federico Gaio. Johnson has been a model of consistency at reaching quarterfinals or semifinals this season, but his upside is less than Federer who hits forehand and serves better, both of Johnson’s strengths.
Acapulco finalist Rafael Nadal and Dubai finalist Fernando Verdasco are set to clash in round 3, renewing their rivalry. Nadal needs only to defeat another Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, or Argentine Guido Pella in round 2. Verdasco should draw serve and volleyer Pierre-Hugues Herbert, presuming Herbert defeats a struggling Thomaz Bellucci. Verdasco has the game to beat Nadal, but Nadal has had a great hard court season thus far, and I would not want to face him right now. A three-time champion in Indian Wells, Nadal has a shot at making it four, and should reach the round of 16 to keep his hopes alive.
Dark Horses: Ryan Harrison, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Sam Querrey, Juan Martin Del Potro
I have Harrison upsetting Goffin to reach the round of 16, he’ll have a shot against Tsonga as well, having found renewed focus and belief in his tennis. Basilashvili has it tough against Monfils but if he wins that match the quarterfinals will be within his sights. Querrey has to beat Young and Pouille just to reach the last 16, and Nishikori is tough at that point, but the California boy can pull it off. Del Potro also has a difficult draw with Djokovic and Kyrgios/Zverev back to back. The former slam champion certainly has the shots to win those matches though.
Predictions
Round of 16 Murray d. Bautista Agut
Tsonga d. Harrison
Wawrinka d. Berdych
Thiem d. Monfils
Dimitrov d. Cilic
Querrey d. Nishikori
Nadal d. Federer
Djokovic d. Kyrgios
The Men’s quarterfinalists in the top half should stay true to form, as Murray and Tsonga have clear edges in their matches. Wawrinka has dominated Berdych in recent years, and Thiem leads Monfils 2-0 in the h2h.
Cilic has a 3-1 edge on Dimitrov but I can’t go against the Bulgarian’s form. Querrey has four wins against Nishikori, and form actually favors him right now. Nadal, even on a hard court, should have a narrow edge against Federer, their AO final aside, Nadal has consistently been at a higher level this season. Djokovic lost to Kyrgios in Acapulco, but he’s more likely to get revenge than Kyrgios is at winning twice in a row against an elite player.
Quarters Murray d. Tsonga
Thiem d. Wawrinka
Dimitrov d. Querrey
Nadal d. Djokovic
Murray has won five straight meetings against Tsonga, Wawrinka has a 2- h2h against Thiem, but Thiem is playing better right now in the battle of one-handed backhands. Dimitrov has never lost to Querrey (2-0), and despite not having defeated Djokovic on a hard court since 2013, Nadal has simply been better than the Serbian superstar this season. Indian Wells isn’t the fastest court in the world, and that gives Nadal a better shot than at some venues. I’ll call the upset.
Semis Murray d. Thiem
Nadal d. Dimitrov
Murray and Nadal have dominated Thiem and Dimitrov respectively, and although it would be nice to get someone over than the big four in a Masters final, it all likelihood a mix of Murray, Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer will make-up the 2017 IW final.
Final Murray d. Nadal
Despite a substantive h2h edge for Nadal, Murray is the best player in the world right now, especially on hard courts. He has his struggles, but overall Murray is simply better than Nadal, Djokovic, Wawrinka, Nishikori, and Federer right now. Now is as good a time as any for him to win his first IW title.
Harrison wins First ATP Title in Memphis, Dolgopolov Breaks Slump with Buenos Aires Triumph Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
ATP Rotterdam
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his biggest tour title since the 2014 Canadian Masters with a 4-6 6-4 6-1 victory against David Goffin in the final of Rotterdam. The Frenchman moved well and played attacking tennis after early struggles against Goffin. Besides the final, he didn’t drop a set all week as he beat young gun Stefanos Tsitispas, Gilles Muller, Marin Cilic, and Tomas Berdych, three big hitters in a row to reach the final. Tsonga was much more agile than his opponents, and also more aggressive when it counted this week.
Goffin did not have an easy week, but remarkably made his second straight ATP final with wins over Andrey Kuznetsov, Robin Haase, Grigor Dimitrov, and Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Haase and Dimitrov both took a set against him, the win over Dimitrov was impressive given that the tired Bulgarian had defeated him in the Sofia final just a few days prior. Herbert, normally at his best in doubles, surprisingly reached the semfinals, emerging from a strong field to once again demonstrate he has plenty of talent for singles, but hasn’t always put it together.
Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers defeated Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop in the doubles final, preventing the home fans from enjoying the Dutch pairing winning the doubles title at home in Holland.
ATP Memphis
It’s been a long road for the former ATP young gun Ryan Harrison. After years in the challenger wilderness, he has broken through once again at the ATP level, and he did so in a memorable way, defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili for his first ever ATP title 6-1 6-4. Harrison has improved his control of his emotions, is playing more aggressively, much more tactically, and mashing his forehand well. It showed against Basilashvili, and all week in Memphis.
Harrison hasn’t dropped a set in 10 matches, he entered Memphis with a challenger title under his belt, and quickly blazed past Konstantin Kravchuk, Sam Querrey, Damir Dzumhur, and Donald Young to reach the final, having improved his game even from a solid 2016, and added new quirks since emerging on tour years ago as a teenager.
Georgia’s #1 Basilashvili has now made two career ATP finals, he also didn’t drop a set on Memphis slow hard courts. He’s now 7-2 in his last two tournaments after wins against Jordan Thompson, Ivo Karlovic, Matt Ebden, and Mikhail Kukushkin. This week in Memphis we were treated to great performances by a pair of rising players.
Brian Baker and Nikola Mektic prevented Harrison from pulling off a brace, as the American/Croatian pair defeated Harrison and fellow Yank Steve Johnson in the doubles final.
ATP Buenos Aires
A loser of five straight finals heading into his match against Alexandr Dolgopolov, Kei Nishikori presumed he’d end the day as an ATP champion for the first time in a year. The human highlight reel Dolgopolov came to play though, his shotmaking pressured a passive Nishikori, and ended in an upset 7-6 6-4 victory for Ukraine’s #1. Nishikori played not to lose against a player ranked outside of the top 50, and in the process dropped his sixth straight ATP final. Dolgopolov had won just one match in months, but now leaves Argentina in great form that could allow him to return being a regular ATP top 30 player.
Dolgopolov played his best tennis in at least a year and now has three ATP titles in his career. Dolgo defeated Janko Tipsarevic, Pablo Cuevas, Gerald Melzer, and Pablo Carreno Busta without dropping a set. His results were extra impressive given he usually prefers fast surfaces over clay given he’s a flat hitter. Nishikori dropped sets against Diego Schwartzman and Carlos Berlocq, with a routine win over Joao Sousa inbetween, he did make the final, but he never seemed that comfortable on court in Buenos Aires.
Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah beat Santiago Gonzalez/David Marrero to win the doubles final.
Introducing Your 2015 @Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Qualifiers Adam Addicott, Tennis Atlantic
The Wimbledon qualifying draw encountered a series of shocks and surprises. It was a disastrous draw for the seeded players with none of the top ten players automatically qualifying for the main draw. Luca Vanni received a lucky loser spot in the main draw due to David Ferrer’s withdrawal. The highest seeded player to qualify was Dustin Brown, who was 12th. Despite the disappointing performance of the seeds, there are some qualifiers that have a good chance of causing a shock first round win.
Vincent Millot booked a place in his first Wimbledon main draw after an impressive qualifying competition. In the first round the Frenchman knocked out top seed Kimmer Coppejans. He then beat Marius Copil and Edouard Roger-Vasselin to book a place in the main draw. Since January Millot has reached the quarter-finals at two Challenger tournaments in Saint Brieuc and Tallahassee. In the first round, he will play Vasek Pospisil.
Titles – 3 Futures and 11 Challengers
Alejandro Falla edged out Germany’s Andres Beck in four extremely close sets to book his place in his third Wimbledon main draw. Falla recently reached the second round at the Gerry Webber Open as a qualifier. During the tournament the Colombian beat Janko Tipsarevic and Lukas Lacko. He also took a set of Jerzy Janowicz before losing to him. He has reached one ATP quarterfinal in 2015 which at the start of the year in Auckland, New Zealand. In the first round he will play Robin Haase. Falla has beaten Haase once before on grass which was in the second round of last years Gerry Webber Open in Halle, Germany.
Titles – 5 Futures and 1 Challenger
19-year-old Elias Ymer has a 100% winning record in qualifying draws for Grand Slams in 2015. Following his victory over third seed Guido Pella, he became the first player since Julian Reister (2013) to qualify for the first three Grand Slam main draws in the same year. In the main draw he will play Ivo Karlovic. The Swede currently has a main draw win-loss of 11-12 in 2015.
Hiroki Moriya’s recent run of disappointing results finally ended with him qualifying for the main draw at Wimbledon. Going into the tournament, the Japanese player exit in the first round in five out of last six tournaments. During the qualifying tournament, Moriya beat fourth seed and countryman Tatsuma Ito before producing a straight sets win over Matteo Donati. The best result of 2015 for the 24-year-old was reaching the semi final of the Batman Challenger in April. Awaiting Moriya in the main draw will be 9th seed Marin Cilic.
Luke Saville
Age – 21
Ranking – 182 (career high 152)
Titles – 6 Futures
Double junior Grand Slam champion Luke Saville booked his place in the main draw after recovering from two sets down to beat Luca Vanni. In the lead up to Wimbledon, Saville reached the final of the Surbiton Challenger where he lost in straight sets to Sam Groth. The 2011 Wimbledon boys champion will play Richard Gasquet in the first round.
Igor Sijsling
Age – 27
Ranking – 170 (ranking high 52)
Titles – 5 Futures and 6 Challenger
Igor Sijsling will play in his 9th consecutive Grand Slam following an epic five sets win over Paul-Henri Mathieu in the final round of qualifying. Since making the quarter-final of the Zagreb Open in February, the Dutch player has endured a series of early tournament losses which has contributed towards he decline to 170th in the world. In round one he will face Sam Querrey. Sijsling has played the American twice in 2012. He lost to him on both occasions.
Titles – 6 Futures and 2 Challenger.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert overcame Íñigo Cervantes in five sets in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying. The Frenchman won the Wimbledon Boys doubles title back in 2009 with Kevin Krawietz. He also achieved success in doubles on the pro circuit by reaching the final of the Australian Open earlier this year. More recently, Herbert reached back-to-back doubles finals in S-Hertogenbosch and Queen’s. He won the Queen’s title partnering Nicolas Mahut. He will play 19-year-old South Korean sensation Chung Hyeon in round one.
Yūichi Sugita
Age – 26
Ranking – 149 (career high 116)
Titles – 12 Future and 3 Challenger
Yuichi Sugita ended British hopes by beating Dan Evans to make the main draw. This is the second Grand Slam main draw appearance in his career after Wimbledon last year. Sugita’s best result in 2015 was runner-up at the ATP Saint Brieuc Challenger in April. He was edged out in the final by Nicolas Mahut. Awaiting the Japanese player in the main draw is world number 111 Blaž Kavčič.
Titles – 10 Future and 2 Challenger
2010 Wimbledon Boys champion Nikoloz Basilashvili enjoyed a comfortable journey into the Wimbledon main draw. After producing straight sets wins in the first two rounds, he beat Marton Fucsovics in four sets (6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2). The Georgian has claimed one title this year which was at the ATP Raanana Challenger in Israel. He will play Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis in the main draw.
John-Patrick Smith
Age – 26
Ranking – 160 (career high 148)
Titles – 3 Future and 21 Challenger
John-Patrick Smith knocked out 18th seed Bjorn Fratangelo in the second round to reach the main draw. In the final round, he beat Czech Republic’s Jan Mertl in straight sets. Smith won his third Challenger title earlier this year in Drummondville, Canada. More recently he reached the quarter-finals of the Surbiton Challenger in Great Britain. He will play another qualifier, Kenny de Schepper, in the first round.
Titles – 1 Future and 10 Challenger.
Veteran German player Michael Berrer endured a grilling five set match against 11th seed Adrián Menéndez-Maceiras before booking his place in the main draw. Berrer started 2015 in incredible fashion by beating Rafael Nadal at the Qatar Open. The German however, hasn’t been able to capitalize on the stunning upset with a series of unspectacular results on the tour. Except Qatar, his best performance was a semifinal appearance at a Challenger event in Israel in June. Berrer has played at SW19 five times before this year, losing in the first round of four of them. In his sixth Wimbledon first round main draw, he will play Adrian Mannarino.
Dustin Brown
Age – 30
Ranking – 102 (career high 78)
Titles – 3 Future and 6 Challenger
Dustin Brown didn’t drop a set on his way to qualifying for his fifth Wimbledon main draw.
In the final round, he beat Italy’s Andrea Arbaboldi 7-6 (1), 6-3,6-4. Prior to Wimbledon, the German participated in back-to-back grass-court tournaments in Stuttgart and Halle. Brown’s best performance on the tour this year was reaching the quarter-finals in Doha at the start of the year. More recently he reached the quarter-final at a Challenger tournament in Rome last month. He will face Lu Yen-Hsun.
Titles – 6 Futures and 3 Challengers.
Kazakhstan’s Aleksandr Nedovyesov dismissed Belgium’s Yannick Mertens in three sets in the final round of qualifying. The Ukrainian born player has enjoyed success on the doubles tour in 2015 by winning two Challenger titles. In the singles he has recently reached the last four at the ATP Prague Challenger. He will play Serbian 22nd seed Viktor Troicki in the main draw.
Clay-court specialist Horacio Zeballos upset 14th seed Ivan Dodig to reach the main draw of Wimbledon. The Argentine is yet to make a final in 2015 but he has reached the semi-finals of Challenger tournaments in Moscow, Russia and Leon, Mexico. This will be the thirteenth time he will participate in a Grand Slam main draw. He will play David Goffin in round one, a player who he beat in Miami last year.
Titles – 7 Futures and 5 Challenger
15th seed John Millman beat a trio of unseeded player to reach the main draw. In the final round Millman overcame a slow start to edge out France’s Enzo Couacaud 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. The Australian has been runner-up in two Challenger tournaments this year (Vicenza, Italy and Kyoto, Japan). He will play 16th seed Tommy Robredo.
Titles – 2 Futures and 4 Challengers.
Finally, Kenny de Schepper overcame tough resistance from countryman Stéphane Robert to set up a main draw showdown against another qualifier, John-Patrick Smith. The Frenchman achieved his best Grand Slam performance at Wimbledon by making the 4th round of the 2013 tournament. Since the start of the year, Schepper has only won seven main draw matches.
2015 ATP Stuttgart Day 1 Qualifying Report Andreas Thiele for Tennis Atlantic
Day 1 at the 2015 Mercedes Cup (photo credit: Andreas Thiele)
The first ATP grass tournament takes place in Stuttgart and begins at the first June weekend just like the ATP tournament in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. First of all, welcome to Stuttgart! The city of the eternally lasting building lots, cranes form the skyline here and political demonstrations fill the streets.
Far away from the noise of the city, the whole tennis complex Weißenhof is behind small forests on a mountain. ATP Stuttgart’s tennis tournament, after its official sponsor called Mercedes Cup, was held for the first time in 1898. Hence it is very famous for its tradition and is popular among tennis professionals because of the friendly atmosphere and the good organization. Though the surface was traditionally clay, this year they changed it to grass as another preparation tournament for Wimbledon to have a more stellar field. It worked, as Cilic, Monfils, and Rafa Nadal are confirmed to play.
Qualifying Day 1
It was a very hot day, the hottest after quite a while here in Germany, so fitness and stamina were very important. However, a lot of matches demonstrated many players, even ball kids couldn’t handle the heat. Robin Kern for example, who was 0-6 and 0-4 down, gave up and could barely move due to a minor injury, sending Jan Choinski into the second round.
A lot of matches were played between Germans at the first qualifying round, one of them was the opening match between Peter Gojowczyk and Andreas Beck. Both players have good resumes and it should have been a good match, but unfortunately it wasn’t. Gojowczyk was dominant in the points and his serve was strong. Beck created just one break point chance, while Gojowczyk broke him twice and he could have broken him even more than that. However, these two breaks decided the whole match. Beck struggled with many service games, in contrast to Gojowczyk. So Gojowczyk won the match deservedly 7-5, 6-4 and he remains a favorite to reach the main draw.
Dustin Brown played right after Gojowczyk likewise on the Mercedes Court, the second biggest court here, and didn’t have any problem against Sebastian Sachs. The young German is outside of the top 2000 currently and hadn’t any chance to threaten Brown’s next victory on his beloved grass (6-2, 6-1). Germany’s new Davis Cup member Brown didn’t display his best tennis, though his groundstrokes were constantly good and he hit some great winners. His serve-and-volley was very sharp today and he has very good chances to get one of the qualifiers spot apart from some inattentive unforced errors.
Brown won his first match at a picturesque venue (photo credit Andreas Thiele)
Way more hairsbreadth was Filip Krajinovic’s victory. As today’s top-match between the first seed and an in-form Daniel Brands featured highlights as expected. Brands won the first tiebreaker in clutch fashion, though he served for the set at 5-4 and wasn’t clutch there. He was more often at the net and hit some great volleys, while Krajinovic was too passive at the deciding moments and stood on the baseline. Both played very well in the second set, too. Service games were held with ease, just Brands had a few problems with his last service game in this set. Both played some great Serve-and-Volleys and both hit many aces. A typical good grass-tennis match, details decided the second set’s tiebreak.
Brands destroyed his hopes of winning the set with a Double fault at 5-5 and Krajinovic could win his first set with a cross forehand winner after his opponent’s short shot. The tension rose from there, Brands broke Krajinovic’s serve after a very long and intense rally with a beautiful forehand-volley right to the baseline’s corner, just to get re-broken because of so many forehand UEs. Brands was obviously very disappointed and couldn’t raise his level. Krajinovic broke Brands’ hard fought service game (four times deuce) and end the game with a service winner (6-7(3), 7-6(5), 7-5). Brands got very disappointed by this match he almost won and walked as fast as he could back to the players’ restaurant.
Krajinovic won the match of the day (photo credit: Andreas Thiele)
Another one who has to be mentioned here is Matthias Bachinger who surprised me a lot with his tennis. He defeated Somdev Devvarman 6-2, 7-5. Bachinger was very dominant in the first set, not giving Devvarman many opportunities and especially his forehand troubled the Indian too much. Bachinger held his service games with ease after he lost his first one in the first set. However, Devvarman lost three times his serve in the first set and didn’t have any clue how to stop the German. Bachinger’s key was his fitness: He moved very well on the baseline, he could defend a lot of dangerous shots and could combine it with good volleys and even better serves. The second set featured longer rallies (a bit rare for grass) and Devvarman was at least on eye-level with the German. Though he lost his first service game, Devvarman could raise his level to break the Bavarian again.
Devvarman played more offensively and was more often at the net with his superior volley game. Bachinger struggled with Devvarman getting better and better, had many problems to hold his last service, but managed to win it with some impressive passing shots. As everyone expected a tiebreaker, Devvarman suddenly lost the control of the game, had some mishits. 30 all, Devvarman served very well, hit a very good forehand down-the-line Bachinger barely reached, hit a forehand-volley to the other side, but the German reached the ball running very fast and won the match with an overwhelming backhand-dtl-passing shot, amazing. Facing the matchpoint Bachinger returned Devvarman’s second serve with a beautiful backhand down-the-line-winner to end the match.
Michael Berrer defeated Frank Dancevic in a very close match 6-7 (7), 6-0, 7-6 (3). Dancevic hit many great shots and his forehand worked today quite well, his problem was the inconsistency. He explained his loss due to lack of grass matches, just started to train at the same day on grass and stated Berrer served too well. He’s right, especially in the second set Berrer served very well after a short rain delay during the second set and Dancevic made mistakes you normally don’t do if you know how to play on this surface. Still, the Canadian raised his level again, could compete on a high level and called Berrer out, but the hometown boy was too clutch especially in the tiebreaker and had even opportunities to close the match earlier.
The veteran Berrer eased into Q R2 (photo credit: Andreas Thiele)
Mischa Zverev had to play against Tim Puetz and Sascha’s older brother managed to win the match after he lost the first set 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Tim Puetz didn’t play very well in the first set, though Zverev couldn’t do better. Right after Tim lost his first serve in the second set (0-2), it began to rain and that helped Mischa. Zverev hit winners after intensive rallies (especially cross) and Serve-and-Volley worked in contrary to the first set, when he hit some unforced errors. “Grass courts are fine and well-prepared” he told me after the match and “the [weather-]conditions here were fair for us”. Talked about his next opponent, Grega Zemlja, he emphasized he really looks forward to it, as “it will be the first meeting and [I] never played him”. A self-confident Zverev could certainly beat Zemlja who won in two close sets against Farrukh Dustov 7-6 7-5.
The last match I watched, that was moved to another court was between Nikoloz Basilashvili and Alejandro Falla. I only caught the third set in full, but it was already enough! A roller-coaster. The Colombian seemed to have everything under control in the match, but the Georgian discovered the power he has in his forehand and broke Falla’s service game while he served very poorly. In the third set it was a match on eye-level, some great net approaches and some fantastic winners; one of them was a very long and intensive rally, Falla played as a leftie with angles and Basilashvili couldn’t leave the backhand-side till the Colombian hit a beautiful down-the-line forehand winner after a too short bh-shot to the middle of the court.
Everything was fine for Alejandro, but he suddenly lost his serve again at 4 all due to a poor backhand error. Those who stood behind his wife (just like I did), witnessed the meltdown the Falla-clan had. Thanks God they said, Basilashvili couldn’t hold the game, as he served for the match and Falla broke him to love after three genuine unforced errors and a double fault. Falla held his serve, Basilashvili had even game point when serving, but a fh dtl-ue, a double fault and a forehand into the net sealed his fate. Falla didn’t even earn his match point, but I have to say it was very windy and not easy to play. Problem was Basilashvili still tried to overpower the Colombian with his forehand; it often worked, but at the end didn’t. This match would be the classical definition of a choke. Falla’s wife didn’t care and vamosed her husband over and over, Falla’s coach was just relieved.
Basilashvili told me after the match: “I didn’t play well today, made too much errors.” Having the impression he tries to say he did everything wrong he added: “My next step is London (Queen’s), hope it will be better”. Hanging his head when he walked very slowly back to the players’ lounge, he ignored my positive comments on his play. I couldn’t fathom then why he was so disappointed, but being at home I just start to understand why and wish him the best. Match ended 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 for Falla.
Other Round 1 Qualifying Results
Remi Boutillier def. Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-4.
Ilija Bozoljac def. Adrien Bossel 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Dmitry Zhyrmont def. David Vega hernandez 7-6(1), 7-5.
Yuichi Sugita def. Ante Pavic 7-5, 6-2.
Mate Pavic def. Philipp Petzschner 6-2, 7-6 (6).
Michal Przysiezny def. Vijay Prashanth 6-3, 6-2.
Martin Fischer def. Jimmy Wang 6-2, 6-4.
Day 4 Qualifying Report From Roland Garros 2015 Stefano Berlincioni for Tennis Atlantic
My last day at Roland Garros, an unbelievable experience for me.
Started the day at Marco Cecchinato- Michael Berrer. The Italian was dictating every rally at the beginning of the match but as soon as he took the lead for 4-2 he had to face an improved Berrer. Cecchinato suddenly lost the plot and on 4-4 literally mentally checked-out and regrouped a bit only at 4-6 0-3. He kept shouting to his box “He is not missing a single ball”.
I greatly enjoyed Gasparyan’s one handed backhand and Glatch’s classy tennis.
Elias Ymer played another solid match even if he almost choked in the end, here is the short video of final point
I watched for a while Gastao Elias-Facundo Arguello. Elias was very nervous from 7-5 5-2, he started being less aggressive and Arguello sensed his opponent choking. They went to the tiebreak where Arguello played terrible tennis and at changeover over made a sign to his box miming “We can go home now”. He double faulted on mp. Arguello will not be going home however, as he reached the main draw as a lucky loser, and his reward is Andy Murray. Elias will face Benoit Paire.
Arguello at 1-5 changeover made a sign to his box….like we can go home
I moved to Luca Vanni-Andrey Golubev for their third set. Vanni was always the second best in rallies and had to save 0-30 on 0-0 and on 1-1 and also 15.40 on 3-3. He broke from nowhere Golubev on 4-3 and managed to hold without risks. He saved all the key points with his huge serve. At the end of the match as usual was very kind with everyone asking him an autograph or a selfie.
Last ATP matches that I attended was Jared Donaldson-Nikoloz Basilashvili. It has been a great match, the best I watched in 4 days. Both played at great level and intensity, it is a pity that one of them could not qualify, both deserved. Donaldson lost 3 tough games from *2-1 to 2-4 in the third set and then he surrended.
Jared Donaldson played another great match but Basilashvili was too good. Both should have qualified #RG15pic.twitter.com/e3xjOagVDm
I watched for a couple of other WTA matches: completely unimpressive Teliana Pereira (playing defensive and moonballing tennis, with also the bad habit of shouting a couple of seconds later than her shots) qualified over Laura Pous-Tio and Andrea Hlavackova won over Anatasia Rodionova in a match where you could smell the reciprocal “hate” in the air. In their last meeting they didn’t shake hands at the end of the match. I had to go to airport in the middle of second set
Kokkinakis qualifies, Golubev, Bellucci advance to round 2 at the ATP Istanbul Open Monday Ahmet Fevzi Guclu for Tennis Atlantic
Today at the Istanbul Open, the qualifying tournament was concluded and the main draw started with two matches. On qualifying side, after 6/8 seeds made the final round, the top 4 seeds advanced to the main draw. Blaz Kavcic (d. Marton Fuscovics 6-0 6-1) has been drawn against Argentinian youngster Diego Schwartzman, Teymuraz Gabashvili (d. Radu Albot 7-5 6-2) will face countryman Andrey Kuznetsov, Australian young gun Thanasi Kokkinakis (d. Lorenzi Giustino 6-0 1-0 ret.) will face Serbian Dusan Lajovic, and Aleksandr Nedovyesov (d. Evgeny Donskoy 6-7 7-5 6-3) will be up against another countryman Mikhail Kukushkin for a place in the second round of the Istanbul Open.
Two of the qualifiers escaped from the seeds and got kind draws, while the others have 6th and 8th seed to beat to go further.
For the main draw action, there was no suprise, even with the seed losing. The first match on center court, Andrey Golubev and Wildcard Nikoloz Basilashvili played a very dull match. Basilashvili played poorly and proved that he is not ready for the ATP Tour main draws yet. The Georgian made many unforced errors during the whole match which was barely more than a hour. Also 27 year old Kazakh escaped from all BPs with quality serves and winning approaches on his first serve.The more solid player and the one with better clay game won the match comfortably. A crowd of around 300 did not seem particularly pleased with the quality of the contest.
Golubev was far superior on the day (photo credit: Ahmet Fevzi Guclu)
In the second ATP main draw match of the day, no:74 Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci. playing on his best surface, beat the out of form 7th seed Russian Mikhail Youzhny, recording his second clay win against the veteran. Youzhny started to match surprisingly well, his caused was helped by Bellucci’s careless play early in the set. The Russian was leading 5-3 with the only break in the set, but eventually lost the advantage with some crucial errors. There was a huge scream from Bellucci after his maiden break of the match, then, both players won their service games, and the tiebreak decided the set. Belluci got the first mini-break with impossible winner down the line, only to lose it with an UE next point. At 6-5 in the TB, Brazilian capitalised his set point in his first attempt. Second set was much comfortable for the lefty, who used his powerful FH and grinded through the victory. It was an hardly upset in the end.
Bellucci stormed past Youzhny (photo credit: Ahmet Fevzi Guclu)
Tuesday Preview
Tomorrow, the first match on Center Court will be the all-Kazakh matchup. 6th seed Mikhail Kukushkin, will take on Aleksandr Nedovyesov who he beat in their only clay meeting, in 3 sets last year. I expect a similar scenario between the two, anything other than Kukushkin win, would be a suprise, after the Nedovyesov’s not impressive performances in last 3 days.Then, two Turkish players will be in action on Center Court. 19 year old Cem Ilkel takes on Casablanca finalist, and Bucharest semi finalist Daniel Gimeno-Traver, while the Spaniard is the obvious favorite, he may be a bit tired after a large number of matches over the past weeks, and his inconsistency generally may be an advantage for the youngster to keep it close.
Nedovyesov will face Kukushkin (photo credit :Ahmet Fevzi Guclu
Marsel Ilhan on the other hand, home favourite and Turkey’s best player ever, will start his campaign against the veteran Jarkko Nieminen, who hasn’t played since an early exit in Monte Carlo. Following the loss against Feliciano Lopez in the second round of Barcelona, the Turk will be motivated to get back his good form on home soil. Their close ranking, also suggests quite a battle. Still, with the experience on his side, the Finnish will be the slight favourite, to make the second round. Ilhan will desperately need the crowd support tomorrow to be able win and setup a marquee match against Roger Federer in round 2. The final match on Center Court willl be the rematch of Bucharest first round, 5th seed Andreas Haider-Maurer will be again the favourite, though Dodig’s victory after a tough fight shouldn’t suprise anyone. Also the Austrian played a lot lately so his body may let him down, an unpredictable match lies ahead.
On the outside courts, some good matches are scheduled. Suprise kid of Barcelona, young Russian prospect Andrey Rublev, who just beat Fernando Verdasco last week, will be looking to keep his momentum going against the Bosnian hope Damir Dzumhur. This will be really close, but another solid performance from Rublev following week, wouldn’t be that easy. I’d go with 3 sets win for the Bosnian.
Next match on Court 1, Jurgen Melzer will play against Steve Darcis, both have bad reputations as of late on clay, it will be a toss-up, while Darcis win is much likely in the end. Last match on Court 1, Andrey Kuznetsov will be fighting against Teymuraz Gabashvili for a place in the second round of Istanbul Open. Despite the fact that Gabashvili being a qualifier, he has the better ranking and clay game, making him the favorite to advance.
Blaz Kavcic and Diego Schwartzman will open the Court 2 tomorrow, an easy win for the Argentinian should be the safe pick, The latter is the far better clay courter, and Slovenian always has had some trouble on the dirt. The following match on this court, will be between Denis Istomin and Benoit Paire. Uzbek is having bad clay season, and the young Frenchman came back from injury with good wins on his belt, the most recent one was against ErnestsGulbis in Barcelona. Paire has really a good clay game and may be a dangerous player on the day, if he wants. The momentum is on his side, hence is the obvious favorite of this meeting.
Finally the last match on Court 2, impressive Australian teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis will face Dusan Lajovic, though Kokkinakis is not tested here against important names yet, he has the clay game needed to beat the Serbian. Lajovic beat the 19 years old in Acapulco in 2 sets two months ago on hard, but the fate of popular youngster may change this time, if he shows his best against a very mediocre player like Lajovic.
Tennis Atlantic 