Pablo Cuevas

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Estoril Open Semifinals: Stefanos Tsitsipas and Pablo Cuevas book finals places
Manuel Traquete, Tennis Atlantic

Just like the quarterfinals, long, hard-fought battles with a lot of twists and turns were the dominant theme on semifinal Saturday. Eventually, both favorites advanced to contest tomorrow’s final but not without overcoming great adversity first.

In the first semifinal David Goffin vs Stefanos Tsitsipas, Goffin started up great, playing his best tennis of the year to win the first set 6-3 with two breaks. He was moving Tsitsipas around the court with ease and firing winners at will. The second set, however, saw the match take a very unexpected turn, not because Tsitsipas won but because 7 of the 10 games were breaks of serve, including 7 of the first 8, something incredibly atypical in an ATP match. At the end of the second, 56 points had been won by the server in the match and 56 by the returner as well. It was Tsitsipas who emerged victorious of this peculiar situation, with Goffin repeatedly missing forehands on important, a trend that continued in the third set, where Goffin look better and closer to victory for the most part but kept making terrible errors in the most important points while Tsitsipas hang tough and sneaked a decisive late break. Losing in this fashion won’t do any good to Goffin’s continually waning confidence but at least the level is still there. Tsitsipas on the other hand showed why he’s now a top 10 player, winning despite getting dominated for large portions of the match, and will play for his second title of the year tomorrow.

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The second semifinal was also a very tight and hard fought contest… at first at least. Alejandro Dadidovich Fokina won a very tight first set by coming through in the clutch but he got broken at 2-3 in the second set in what was the point of the tournament, featuring an impossible Pablo Cuevas no-look smash retrieval. In his frustration, Fokina sent the ball to the crowd, seemingly injured himself in the process and was never the same again. Cuevas would only lose 2 more games the entire match; Fokina won some good points, but looked to be struggling physically, cramping to the finish line. It was still a good week for him, coming all the way through qualifiers and showing he has what it takes to rise up the rankings quickly in the coming years.

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In the final, Tsitsipas is a clear favorite, being the far superior player overall. But these 250 clay tournaments are where Cuevas makes his living and he will definitely be a very tough nut to crack. Whoever wins will become a new champion in Estoril.

Estoril Open QF day: Stefanos Tsitsipas beats local hero, battles to the finish on center court
Manuel Traquete, Tennis Atlantic

Friday was a very long day at the Estoril Open, with every match being long and tightly contested until the end. The day began with fast rising Stefanos Tsitsipas taking on local hero João Domingues. While Tsitsipas winning came as a surprise to no one, the manner in which he did might have. Domingues put up an incredible fight and was unlikely not take at least a set. He was bold, aggressive and was hitting great shots. He broke early and has 30-0 when serving for the first set, but couldn’t close it. He had already been close to beating Kevin Anderson at this same venue 2 years ago, but just like then he couldn’t get the big win with his opponent’s superior experience and pedigree coming through in the end.

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Tsitsipas’s opponent will be David Goffin, who won a very long and tense match against Jaziri. He started strong and took an early break only to give it away and lose the first set 4-6; he was up a double break on two occasions in the second set, including at 5-2, but once again just couldn’t capitalize and only barely eeked out a tiebreak to then barely sweat in the deciding set. Goffin’s level was far from good and incredibly far from the one that took him as high as #7 in the world less than 2 years ago. Winning in this manner might be what he needs to start regaining his lost confidence. Beating Tsitsipas in the semifinal would of course go even further towards it, but it’s a difficult bet for anyone to made judging by their respective levels so far this year.

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The second semifinal will be played between the two night session winners: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Pablo Cuevas. Davidovich Fokina won a pulsating match against Gael Monfils, which had the crowd on their feet on many occasions such was the spectacle produced by Monfils’s athleticism and Dadivovich’s shotmaking talent. At several stages, Monfiils look like he had it, with Fokina looking tired and making a lot of double faults, but in the end the young Spaniard got his scalp with Monfils getting a somewhat disappointing result in his return to the ATP tour after being sidelined due to injuries for a few weeks ago. Monfils still leaves Estoril as a massive fan favorite, with the entire stadium pulling for him and collective disappointment when he was eliminated.

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Fokina’s semifinal opponent will be Pablo Cuevas, a veteran of the clay circuit who just keeps going on against all odds. Tiafoe may have made the final last year, but he looked totally out of his depth for the majority of this one, with the second set win really not accurately portraying just how (not) close the match was. Sets 1 and 3 were pretty straightforward with Tiafoe barely able to win points for long stretches. His effort was admirable but ultimately Cuevas is simply the better player in this sort of conditions.

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If the semifinals and finals bring half as excitement as the quarterfinals, the fans are in for a treat this weekend as these four players each try to capture their first ever Estoril title.

Golden Swing Concludes With 2018 ATP Sao Paulo featuring Gael Monfils and Fabio Fognini
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The ATP 250 tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil concludes the clay court golden swing in South America. A host of South American dirtballers will be joined by Gael Monfils, Fabio Fognini, and Albert Ramos in the hunt for an ATP title.

Top Half:

Top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas has not had a great golden swing and really needs to get past Thiago Monteiro (or Guilherme Clezar) in the second round. Monteiro has had some unlucky results lately, and likely loses round 2 to Ramos. Chile’s Nicolas Jarry reached semis in Rio and has had a solid golden swing. He should keep it up against Dusan Lajovic, then defeat Guido Pella or Corentin Moutet in round 2. I’ll back Jarry over Ramos in the quarters given Jarry just beat Ramos in Rio.

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Gael Monfils has posted 2 quarters and a semi in his golden swing efforts. He’ll open with Thomaz Bellucci or Horacio Zeballos. Presuming Monfils wins that and reaches the quarters he’ll face either Rogerio Dutra Silva or Nicolas Kicker. Kicker opens with a fading Victor Estrella, Dutra Silva faces Tennys Sandgren. I’ll back Monfils over both Brazilians (Bellucci and RDS) to reach the semis.

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Bottom Half:

Fabio Fognini reached semis in Rio and should get past Renzo Olivo/Joao Domingues in his first match. Federico Delbonis should follow in the quarters. Delbonis faces a potentially unfit Roberto Carballes Baena in round 1. Gerald Melzer or veteran Guillermo Garcia-Lopez will follow. Fognini vs. Delbonis could decide the tournament champion in the quarters. I’ll go with Fognini to reach the semis.

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Pablo Cuevas is playing well enough that he should defeat Marco Cecchinato/Sebastian Ofner, then Leonardo Mayer in the quarters. Mayer opens with Gastao Elias, Carlos Berlocq/Thiago Wild will follow.

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Predictions

Semis
Monfils d. Jarry
Fognini d. Cuevas

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Gael Monfils and Fabio Fognini aren’t the only possible champions in SP, but they should be co-favorites. Monfils has played the whole golden swing and should walk away with at least one title.

Final
Monfils d. Fognini

2017 ATP Kitzbuhel Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Kitzbuhel is on the calendar once again, and it’s a 250 level opportunity for some of the best dirtballers in tennis.

Generali Open
ATP World Tour 250
Kitzbuhel, Austria
July 31-August 5, 2017
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €482,060

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP rankings in parentheses)
1: Pablo Cuevas (26)
2: Fabio Fognini (31)
3: Paolo Lorenzi (36)
4: Gilles Simon (39)

Kitzbuhel attracts a solid group of dirtballers this year.

Top Half:

Pablo Cuevas, 14-9 on clay this year, is on a three match losing streak that he should break against either Nikoloz Basilashvili or Sebastian Ofner. With Basilashvili playing poorly, I have Ofner pulling an upset at home before falling to Cuevas. Hamburg semifinalist Federico Delbonis should defeat Renzo Olivo. Horacio Zeballos or Rogerio Dutra Silva will follow, presuming Delbonis isn’t fatigued, he should reach the quarters before falling to Cuevas.

Paolo Lorenzi reached the final in Umag, he should beat Joao Sousa or Mikhail Youzhny in round 2. Sousa found a bit of form last week in Gstaad, but Lorenzi is the best player on clay in his section. Wild card Gerald Melzer should defeat a struggling Carlos Berlocq. Melzer comes off a challenger final, Gstaad semifinalist Robin Haase has never beaten qualifier Santiago Giraldo, but he should reach the quarterfinal with wins over Giraldo and Melzer, before falling to Lorenzi.

Bottom Half:

Gstaad champion Fabio Fognini should beat either Andrey Kuznetsov or Milijan Zekic. Kuznetsov is a dark horse, but I’ll back Fognini’s form. Jan-Lennard Struff faces a struggling Tommy Haas, Alexandr Dolgopolov could catch fire and beat him round 2, after defeating a struggling Thomaz Bellucci, but I have Struff falling to Fognini in the quarterfinals.

Gilles Simon is struggling, but he’s the favorite against Dusan Lajovic or the steadily improving Max Marterer. Jiri Vesely has reached consecutive ATP quarterfinals. Vesely opens with Gstaad finalist Yannick Hanfmann, who should be out of gas. Philipp Kohlschreiber or Facundo Bagnis await in round 2, Kohlschreiber’s health is in question, thus Vesely is my favorite to go as far as the semifinals, upsetting Simon in the quarters.

Dark Horse: Andrey Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov is talented enough to upset a tired Fognini and make a run all the way to the final, I don’t predict it, but he’s the most dangerous non-seeded player in the draw this week.

Predictions

Semis
Lorenzi d. Cuevas
Vesely d. Fognini

It’s anyone’s title in Kitzbuhel this week, but I favor the Italian dirtballer Lorenzi to grab a key title.

Final
Lorenzi d. Vesely

Day 8 @MutuaMadridOpen: Nadal Dismantles Djokovic

Posted by Admin on May 14, 2017

Posted in: ATP, Madrid, Niall Clarke. Tagged: 2017, ATP Tennis, Dominika Cibulkova, final, Mutua Madrid Open, novak djokovic, Pablo Cuevas, rafael nadal, results. Leave a comment

Day 8 @MutuaMadridOpen: Nadal Dismantles Djokovic
Nadal defeats Djokovic to make final
Niall Clarke in Madrid

MUTUA MADRID OPEN 2017

2017 05 07 MUTUA MADRID OPEN 2017
FOTO: ANGEL MARTINEZ/MMO

Meeting number 50 between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic was undoubtedly the main event of the day, but under the bright sunshine of Madrid, it was the first singles action on Manolo Santana court.

Anticipation was high, there was a buzz surrounding the match that had hardly been felt all tournament. This was a big match, and everyone knew it. Nadal was seemingly back to something that resembles his best, but there were still doubts on how good his level is in 2017. A match against Djokovic was no doubt going to answer the questions. Is Rafa back? Or has it been the luck of draw that has helped him through?

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From the minute a ball was struck, you knew Nadal was hitting with a purpose. This was a more confident Nadal that had lost the previous seven matches, he was hardly missing a ball. A stark contrast to Djokovic who looked flat and out of sorts.
The crowd erupted with the first break in the opening game, then again when the Spaniard managed to break at 2-0. There was almost a sense of shock around the Caja Magica after Nadal made it 4-0, they expected another titanic battle in arguably the sport’s greatest rivalry, what they were getting was a beat down. A set point came and went on the Djokovic serve, but Nadal was not to be denied again. At the first attempt, he served out the set 6-2, and unlike before the match where the questions were all on Rafa, it was Djokovic who needed to find the answers.

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Little worked for the second seed as no matter what he tried, the points were going the way of the Spaniard. Nadal broke early in the second and looked like he was cruising into another Madrid final, then at 2-1 it seemed like the Serbian had woken up. It was Djokovic’s best game of the match as he hit the backhand well to break Nadal back. Game on… or so it seemed. Business, at least for this match, went back to normal the following game when Nadal broke again. It was surely the killer blow, but Djokovic fought back to save two match points and earn break point in the last game. Nadal saved it, and went on to successfully see the match out and continue his bid for a fifth title in Madrid.

“Rafa was obviously a better player today.” Djokovic said in his post match press conference.

“He deserved to win. I mean, he was controlling the game from beginning to the end. Second set was a bit closer. Maybe I had some chances to be in the lead, 2-All. Was a long game. I lost the break there.”

“But, you know, all in all, I did try my best. It wasn’t a very high quality of tennis from my side. I mean, I made a lot of unforced errors, especially first set.”

“Just his quality was very high. You know, he managed to do whatever he wanted really, especially in the first set. I was getting a lot of balls back. He was serving well. He was using his court positioning well.

“Today was warmer than last three, four days, so conditions were quite different. The ball was bouncing very high. Well, he managed to be better in these kind of conditions.”

Despite the loss, the former world number one believes that this has been a positive week for him as he searches to find his best tennis once again.

“Well, first of all, it was really good to play in semifinals of big event, and to play against one of the top rivals I have in my life.” Djokovic added.

“I haven’t had that feeling in months, so it’s great to feel that. It was a positive week, a positive experience. I take, as I say, more positives than negatives into the next week in Rome. As I go along, I hope to continue getting better and getting stronger.

“I felt like I was playing well throughout the week. Today maybe slightly I could have played better. But, again, I just had an opponent that was too good. Well, I have to move on. Semifinals is a good result. Hopefully I’ll have another good result in Rome.”

Not only was it a big win for Nadal here, but it also could serve as a huge psychological boost for the Spaniard heading into the French Open. Nadal had not taken a set off Djokovic since the French Open final in 2014, so to win resoundingly puts the world number five in good stead as he seeks ‘La Decima’ at Roland Garros. However, Nadal was not thinking of the seven previous losses to Djokovic.

“I said it yesterday. It’s one more match.” Nadal said in his post match press conference.

“What’s important to me is to make it to another final. As years go by, depending on the type of victories, can fulfill you a little bit more or less. As time goes by, what is important is the titles, not the opponents that you have beaten. It’s just the titles that you have won.

“It’s true that some matches are more important than others. But I’m just here to try to make it the best possible way, to play my best tennis, and of course to beat an opponent such as Novak, it gives you a lot of confidence. It shows you you’re working in the right way.

“But it’s just another match. As I said yesterday, it gives me another opportunity to win another title, which is important to me.”

Djokovic labelled Nadal as the favourite for the French Open after his performance today, and it may be hard to disagree.

“The only favorite is the one that plays really well during those two weeks.” Nadal responded.

“The reality is that whoever achieves that is going to be able to win the trophy the second Sunday.”

Thiem defeats Cuevas
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Dominic Thiem will meet Nadal in the final after a straight sets win over Pablo Cuevas.

The Austrian broke in the fifth game of the match to give himself a 3-2 lead early. He had chances to earn a double break at 4-2, but Cuevas was able to save two break points and hold. Thiem had little trouble on serve and closed out the set 6-4.

The Austrian was very much in control of the match, and earned a 0-40 chance In the opening game of the second set, but Cuevas saved all three plus one more break point to keep the set on serve. Thiem would eventually get his break at 4-4, then successfully serve out the match to make his first Masters 1000 final.

Thiem will play Nadal in Sunday’s final, hoping to replicate the success he had against the Spaniard in Buenos Aires last year. Nadal has won the other three meetings all in straight sets, all on clay.

“I feel great. Of course, I mean, it means a lot to me to play a finals. My first finals in this level. These kind of tournaments are so strong, so it’s amazing for me to go that far. I’m very happy at the moment.” Thiem said post match.

The last time Thiem played Nadal was in Barcelona earlier this year in which Nadal won in straight sets.”

“Well, I mean, I think he played a very, very good match in Barcelona. First set there was I think close. I also played well.”

“But obviously even if I’m at my best and he’s at his best on clay, probably he’s the better player. If you see his records on this surface, it’s just amazing. But, yeah, tomorrow is a new day. I will try to improve the things I didn’t do that good in Barcelona and then we will see what happens.”

Thiem is not only trying his hand (successfully) at tennis, he has also been challenged to a charity touchtennis match by 20 time grand slam champion Rashid Ahmad. He has also been offered a wildcard into touchtennis events.

“I mean, I just saw some videos on Facebook. Of course, I really like it. I mean, every tennis player likes these kind of games.” Thiem said of the challenge.”

“So, yeah, we somehow set up a charity match. Maybe in the future I’m going to get a wild card in one event of this touch tennis. Yeah, I mean, I never played it. I just know the guy over Facebook. It would be very interesting to try it out.”

Querrey Stuns Nadal for Acapulco Title, Murray Strengthens Hold on World #1
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Acapulco

29 year old Sam Querrey won the biggest title of his career and returned to the ATP top 30 after a stunning run in the Acapulco 500 level tour stop. Querrey made it nine career ATP titles with a masterful serving performance against Rafael Nadal, prevailing 6-3 7-6 in upset fashion over the fan-favorite Spaniard. Nadal struggled on return and in the second set tiebreak it was Querrey who was clutch.

Now 10-4 on the season, Querrey dropped sets against Kyle Edmund and fellow big server Nick Kyrgios on the week, while defeating top 15 players David Goffin and Dominic Thiem in straight sets to reach the final. His serve was strong all week, and perhaps the best match of the tournament was a showdown against Kyrgios where he was able to power past the young gun.

Kyrgios upset Novak Djokovic earlier in the week, after Djokovic had survived Juan Martin Del Potro’s challenge. Djokovic’s loss hurts his bid to reclaim the world #1 ranking anytime soon.

Nadal moved to 12-3 on the season after posting routine victories over Mischa Zverev, Palo Lorenzi, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Marin Cilic. Despite suffering a shocking defeat, Nadal still has a shot to equal his number of hard court wins last season (18), before the clay court season begins. Rafa has made big strides in 2017 and seems healthier, fitter, and more focused compared to recent years.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares defeated John Isner and Feliciano Lopez to take home the doubles trophy.

ATP Dubai

Andy Murray claimed his first title of the season and extended his hold on the world #1 ranking with a routine 6-3 6-2 victory against Fernando Verdasco in Dubai. Murray was unthreatened throughout the week, except for two sets of a thrilling contest with Philipp Kohlschreiber. Murray defeated Malek Jaziri, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, and Lucas Pouille with ease over the course of the week.

Kohlschreiber had more than a half dozen match points in a second set tiebreak that finished 20-18 in favor of Murray. The Brit conceded plenty of chances to the German veteran, but he as unable to take them. Kohlschreiber has always been talented, but hasn’t risen as high as he probably should have in his career because of losses like the one he suffered against Murray.

With two critical Masters 1000 tournaments coming up, Murray is looking to be in solid form compared to his main rivals at the top of the men’s game. AO champ Roger Federer was stunned in a third set tiebreak against Evgeny Donskoy in Dubai. Donskoy was far behind the Swiss legend, but he didn’t give up, and Federer outright choked in uncharacteristic fashion.

Fernando Verdasco, who made the semis in Doha, has really enjoyed playing in the Middle East this year. The 33 year old made the final with wins against Andreas Seppi, Roberto Bautista Agut, Gael Monfils, and Robin Haase. His wins against Haase and RBA came in three sets. It was the first hard court final in six years for Verdasco.

Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau defeated Rohan Bopanna and Marcin Matkowski in a doubles final that featured two teams of full-time doubles specialists.

ATP Sao Paulo

Pablo Cuevas awoke in Sao Paulo, snapping a four match losing streak dating back to January, and going to win the title in the Brazilian destination for a third straight time. The renewed 31 year old won the final stop of the Golden Swing in a Monday final 6-7 6-4 6-4 over Albert Ramos, after rain delayed the match on Sunday.

Cuevas posted victories over Facundo Bagnis, Diego Sebastian Schwarztman, and Pablo Carreno Busta as well, with his win over DSS revenge for a loss to him earlier in the season, and a very close three setter. Cuevas now has six career ATP titles, all of them on clay where he plays his best tennis by far.

Ramos fell to 1-3 in career ATP titles, but made his fourth title by defeating Gastao Elias, Guido Pella, and Joao Sousa, needing three sets against both Pella and Sousa. The Spaniard’s spin remains a damaging weapon on clay courts, and he’s now 11-7 on the season after making the Quarterfinals or better of every Golden Swing clay court stop. He’s also one of the handful of players to take part in all four Golden Swing tournaments.

Home joy was felt for Rogerio Dutra Silva and his fellow Brazilian Andre Sa as they defeated Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner in the doubles final.

2017 ATP Buenos Aires Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The ATP Golden Swing rolls on with a 250 level stop in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The South American nation has contributed a lot to the rich landscape of men’s tennis, and now its time to celebrate Argentinian tennis for a week in its capital. Here is your preview, with predictions.

Argentina Open
ATP World Tour 250
February 13-19, 2017
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: $546,680

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Kei Nishikori (5)
2: Pablo Cuevas (20)
3: David Ferrer (25)
4: Pablo Carreno Busta (26)

The Argentina Open has one top tier star competing against a host of the ATP World Tour’s best dirtballers.

First round matches to watch:

Victor Estrella vs. Thiago Monteiro

36 year old Victor Estrella comes off a third straight Quito title and has started the season in good form, while young Brazilian Thiago Monteiro has lost three straight. The 22 year old is fresher, and no slouch on clay, but Estrella’s grinding should give him an edge in this matchup, as long as he can recover.

Tommy Robredo vs. (7)Fabio Fognini

The h2h between these veterans is split 4-4, but Fognini, a hero in Davis Cup for Italy, is likely the better player in this matchup. Robredo is returning to tour from injury, at Age 34 he’s making his 2017 debut, after focusing on the Challenger tour to recover his ranking and form in 2016. Robredo was once a top clay court player, and he could upset Fognini, but if the Italian hones in he should be able to slap forehand winners on the way to victory.

Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. (WC)Janko Tipsarevic

This pair have never met on clay, and split hard court meetings 1-1. Dolgopolov has continued his miserable form, he dropped a match to serve and volleyer Rajeev Ram on Quito’s clay. Tipsarevic lost in round 2 of Quito, but still looks to be playing better, and has a great shot at a quality tour win in this one.

Top Half:

Kei Nishikori is 28-7 on clay over the last two seasons, and as the top seed a lot of pressure is on him to perform well in Buenos Aires, where he is playing for the second time in his career. His first match will be against an Argentine, either Diego Schwartzman or Facundo Bagnis. DSS leads Bagnis 3-1 in the h2h, so Nishikori over Schwartzman is the likely path to the quarters for Kei, who has started the season 6-2. Federico Delbonis was 16-8 on clay last year, and has a clear advantage to reach the quarterfinals with wins over a struggling Stephane Robert, and Horacio Zeballos or Joao Sousa. Sousa isn’t quite as good on clay as Delbonis, but Nishikori represents a much stronger challenge. Presuming the Japanese #1 is motivated, Nishikori is the semifinal favorite.

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The Fognini/Robredo winner should be favored over a tired Estrella or Monteiro in round 2. In the quarterfinals I have it Fabio Fognini vs. David Ferrer. Ferrer, despite having a poor season last year, and struggling to start this year by his usual standards, was still 15-7 on clay in 2016, is a 3-time champion in BA, and is simply better than Carlos Berlocq or a qualifier. Ferrer is 11-0 against Fognini, with that kind of h2h in his favor, Ferrer should be the semifinalist opposite Nishikori/Delbonis.

Bottom Half:

Pablo Cuevas and Paolo Lorenzi, the two seeds at the bottom of the draw, are clear favorites to face off in the quarterfinals. Cuevas was 21-8 on clay last year and is better on the surface than the Dolgopolov/Tipsarevic winner he opens with. Lorenzi faces off with Gerald Melzer, Melzer isn’t bad on clay, while Lorenzi just lost a hard fought Quito final. Fatigue could be a factor, but the grinding Italian veteran should reach round 2 to face Renzo Olivo or a qualifier. Olivo is solid on clay as well, and playing on home dirt, but I still think Lorenzi is the better ATP player (3-0 h2h) and will prevail. Cuevas leads Lorenzi 5-0 in the h2h, and should be fresher, making him the semifinal favorite.

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Pablo Carreno Busta and Albert Ramos look set to create an all-Spanish quarterfinal between sometime doubles partners, presuming PCB defeats a qualifier, and Ramos defeats Guido Pella and the winner of Leonardo Mayer/Gastao Elias. Pella is struggling, while Ramos comes off semis in Quito. Mayer hasn’t played as much on tour recently, but he’ll have home court advantage against Elias, a journeyman Portugese player who has hung around the fringes of ATP main draws for a bit now. PCB picked up a win over Ramos last year, he’s starting his season on clay after going 20-12 last season on the surface. I have PCB facing Cuevas in the semifinals.

Dark Horse: Federico Delbonis

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Of the non-seeded players, the streaky Delbonis may be the most dangerous on clay. He’ll have home fans behind him, and Nishikori could falter if he’s not focused in this 250. If Delbonis can slay Nishikori, he has a shot at taking this title at home.

Predictions

Semis
Nishikori d. Ferrer
Carreno Busta d. Cuevas

Nishikori has won six of his last seven matches against Ferrer and has only gotten better since they last met. PCB vs. Cuevas is hard to call, Cuevas leads the h2h 3-2, but PCB may be in slightly better form, I’ll go with the Spaniard, either way we would see a Pablo in the final.

Final
Nishikori d. Carreno Busta

This pair have never met, Nishikori is an elite player though, and although he’s not an elite clay courter, he’s still great on the surface and with his movement and steady groundstrokes, not easy to defeat on this surface. He should outmuscle allcomers and take this 250 title.

2016 ATP Umag Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The seaside town of Umag in Croatia hosts a player favorite ATP 250 tournament in a week full of clay court 250 action.

Konzum Croatia Open Umag
ATP World Tour 250
Umag, Croatia
July 18-24, 2016
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €463,520

Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Pablo Cuevas (20)
2: Joao Sousa (32)
3: Jeremy Chardy (38)
4: Fabio Fognini (39)

Although it lacks an elite field, Umag has a lot of competitive balance this week.

First round matchups to watch:

Gastao Elias vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

A battle of ATP semifinalists last week, Elias reached the semis in Bastad, while GGL did the same in Hamburg, and now they will battle in round 1 on clay a week later. Elias has a game good enough to compete with GGL, but the Spaniard is the favorite.

(6)Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Andreas Seppi

Seppi comes off Davis Cup play, while PCB has been solid enough on clay this year. Seppi is slightly better known, but the seeded Spaniard deserves to be called the favorite in this clay court match.

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Top Half:

Former champion Pablo Cuevas is the top seed, and looks set to reach at least the semifinals, as long as he can get past Elias or GGL in his first match. 19 year old Nino Serdarusic, or veteran Teymuraz Gabashvili will face the Seppi/PCB winner for a spot in the quarters opposite Cuevas. Cuevas was a finalist in Hamburg most recently, and unless he’s fatigued, he’ll improve on his 21-7 clay mark this season and defeat likely PCB as well to reach the semis.

Fabio Fognini will face qualifier Andre Ghem or Hamburg semifinalist Renzo Olivo in round 2. Fognini comes off Davis Cup weekend, and although Olivo could upset him, you have to assume the veteran Italian dirtballer will find a way to win. Doubles specialist Franko Skugor has been a surprise to make this many ATP main draws, although he’s a wild card this time, but Thomas Fabbiano should defeat him in round 1, while Nicolas Almagro does the same against Damir Dzumhur. Almagro losing to Fognini is my pick in the quarters. It’s a tough section to predict, but Fognini has more upside these days on clay.

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Bottom Half:

Joao Sousa has been poor on clay this year, but Leonardo Mayer has been struggling, and wild card Nikola Mektic lacks ATP experience. Sousa into the quarters opposite Hamburg champion Martin Klizan is my pick. Klizan should roll past Enrique Lopez-Perez, then Andrej Martin or Sergiy Stakhovsky. Klizan keeps playing well at the ATP 500 level, and suddenly had a tremendous week in Hamburg on clay. Coming out of injuries, Klizan vs. Sousa makes sense as a result on clay.

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Jeremy Chardy is merely 6-6 on clay this year, setting up a good chance he’ll suffer an early defeat as the #3 seed. However, Aljaz Bedene is in poor form, and qualifier Nikola Cacic has little ATP experience, which makes Bedene a defacto favorite for the quarterfinals opposite Jiri Vesely. A struggling Vesely had Davis Cup weekend and opens with qualifier Michael Linzer, with either unfit Filip Krajinovic or Carlos Berlocq set for the next round. Berlocq is in solid form, but I have a feeling Vesely will still upset him, and then lose to Chardy in the quarterfinals, as they both play power tennis.

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Dark Horse: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

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GGL is experienced and can play amazing tennis at times, if he upsets the top seed Cuevas, he could win the whole tournament.

Predictions

semis
Cuevas d. Fognini
Klizan d. Chardy

Fognini leads the h2h with Cuevas, and Klizan and Chardy are even, but I have form favoring Cuevas and Klizan on clay this year.

final
Cuevas d. Klizan

I’d be surprised if Klizan has the fitness to maintain back to back ATP titles. Cuevas is the best clay courter in this field.

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2016 ATP Hamburg Preview and Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The 500 level tournament this week is in Hamburg, Germany as a host of top ATP players will transition from grass back to clay in search of prize money and ranking points. Here is your preview of the German Tennis Championships, along with predictions.

German Tennis Championships 2016
ATP World Tour 500
Hamburg, Germany
July 11-17, 2016
Prize Money: €1,388,830

Top 4 seeds (ATP rankings in parentheses)
1: Philipp Kohlschreiber (22)
2: Benoit Paire (23)
3: Pablo Cuevas (24)
4: Alexander Zverev (28)

For a 500 level tournament Hamburg has one of the weakest fields it’s ever had. The absence of a dominant favorite means a lot of ranking points are on offer for players outside of the level of ATP stars.

First round matchups to watch:

(3)Pablo Cuevas vs. (WC)Florian Mayer

Mayer is 2-0 in the h2h against the much higher ranked Cuevas, a solid clay court player himself. The veteran German recently won Halle, although he hasn’t been as good with his funky game on clay compared to grass. This could turn into quite the battle, on clay, Cuevas is the current favorite.

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Top Half:

Despite a poor showing at Wimbledon, veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber is solid on clay, and tends to play well in Germany. Kohlschreiber’s path to the quarters is Carlos Berlocq, followed by Nicolas Kicker or Thomas Fabbiano. Berlocq has been in good form on clay, so I have him reaching the quarters if Kohlschreiber is still injured. However, Kohlschreiber over Kicker is the pick in my bracket.

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Jeremy Chardy faces Maximo Gonzalez in round 1. The French veteran is solid enough on clay to get past Gonzalez, and the Mikhail Youzhny/Renzo Olivo winner to reach the quarterfinals, although I have him losing to Kohlschreiber at that stage.

Pablo Cuevas looks set to dominate his section if he can get past his opener with Mayer. The young Brazilian Thiago Monteiro qualified and looks set to defeat Mischa Zverev before facing Cuevas. Nicolas Almagro is Cuevas likely quarterfinal opponent. Although qualifier Jan Satral is on a winning streak, he’s likely not up to Almagro’s level, and he’s making his ATP debut. In round 2, Gerald Melzer or Paul-Henri Mathieu await, and neither are top players compared to Almagro on clay. Cuevas over Almagro is my pick in the quarters given Cuevas is better on clay than Almagro these days.

Bottom Half:

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The streaky Benoit Paire has an interesting opener with veteran Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Traver has been solid on the challenger tour as of late, and he’s a steady dirtballer. Paire could crash and burn, but I have him winning his round 1 match, then going on to defeat J.L. Struff (or Daniil Medvedev) in round 2. Struff is in poor form, while Medvedev lacks ATP seasoning. Look for a finally healthy Martin Klizan to find form again and defeat Igor Sijsling and qualifier Steve Diez or wild card Louis Wessels, in his ATP debut, to reach the quarters. I have Klizan upsetting Paire as well. The Slovak got off to a hot start in 2016 before suffering an unfortunate injury that kept him off the tour for months.

Alexander Zverev is a solid young player and the highlight of the German tennis championships this year. Zverev opens with journeyman dirtballer Inigo Cervantes, with Leonardo Mayer or Stephane Roberto follow. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez should reach the quarters as well, he opens with Kenny De Schepper, with Grega Zemlja or wild card Marvin Moeller to follow. Mayer has been in terrible form, and GGL isn’t in great form either, so the challenger star Cervantes is most likely Zverev’s toughest test. He should pass it with flying colors.

Dark Horse: Martin Klizan

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Klizan could burst through and win the title, but I do have him reaching as far as the semifinals. He has a game well suited for success in many ATP matches, and he showed highlights of his great skill and power game earlier this year before he was injured. With Paire one of the weaker #2 seeds in tournaments this year, conditions are ripe for an upset.

Predictions

Semis:
Cuevas d. Kohlschreiber
Zverev d. Klizan

With injury concerns an issue for Kohlschreiber, I have Cuevas reaching the final, while little stands in the way of Zverev doing the same.

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Final:
Zverev d. Cuevas

After reaching two ATP finals this year, Zverev has to hope the third time is the charm if he reaches the final in Hamburg. With the home crowd cheering him on, Zverev should take his first ATP title at the same venue he made his ATP breakthrough a couple of years ago.

Steve Johnson Notches Maiden Title in Nottingham

Posted by Admin on June 25, 2016

Posted in: ATP, Nottingham, Steen Kirby. Tagged: 2016 ATP Nottingham, ATP Nottingham, Pablo Cuevas, Pablo Cuevas Nottingham, Steve Johnson, Steve Johnson Nottingham. Leave a comment

Steve Johnson Notches Maiden Title in Nottingham
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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American Steve Johnson captured his first ever ATP title and improved to 1-1 in career ATP finals with a 7-6 7-5 victory over Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas. Johnson showed great grass court ability in Nottingham and set himself up as a potential Wimbledon dark horse with wins over John Millman, Vasek Pospisil, Kevin Anderson, and Andreas Seppi, along with the title over surprise finalist Cuevas. Only the match against the top seed Anderson went the distance.

Cuevas was bidding to be the first South American player to win a grass court title in 20 years, as wins over Stephane Robert, Daniel Evans, Marcos Baghdatis, and Gilles Muller were inspiring and gutsy, but he simply appeared to be fatigued by the final, as all but Robert pushed him to the full three sets. In Baghdatis and Muller, Cuevas upset accomplished grass court veterans, and showed an all-court game that few thought he had in him. Prior to this season, Cuevas had played just 10 career matches on grass, and had a sub .500 record in those matches.

Dominic Inglot and Daniel Nestor defeated Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo in the doubles final, as the Canadian and the Brit demonstrated their grass court experience and skill.

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