2015 Aptos, Prague and Portoroz Challenger Recaps Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic
Aptos
Aptos brought us something that is only very rarely achieved, on the Challenger tour as well as the main tour. Every single seed made it to the quarterfinal. There were some close calls, however. Fifth seed Taro Daniel beat Farrukh Dustov 6-7(5) 7-5 6-0 in the second round, sixth seed Matthew Ebden beat Tommy Haas 2-6 7-6(5) 6-4 in the same round and seventh seed Austin Krajicek beat Dennis Novikov 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(7) in the first round, to name the three closest encounters. Top seed John Millman was unbothered and barely dropped games in those rounds, continuing that trend against Daniel in the quarterfinal, 6-1 6-3. Millman was put to the test a round later, when he barely beat third seed Kyle Edmund 3-6 6-4 7-5.
You have probably seen it already since it went viral quickly, but of course I have to mention Yoshihito Nishioka’s spectacular behind the back shot during his second round victory over Jared Donaldson, which will easily go down as one of the shots of the year. Special thanks to @hotdog6969, without whom it probably wouldn’t have reached such a big audience.
In the bottom half fourth seed Bjorn Fratangelo dismissed Ebden relatively easily, 6-4 6-2, while Krajicek beat second seed Malek Jaziri with a similar scoreline, 6-3 6-4. Their semi-final encounter ended in two sets as well, with Krajicek prevailing 6-3 7-6(2). In the final Millman survived his second three-set match in a row, ousting Krajicek 7-5 2-6 6-3 to win back to back Challenger titles, having won Lexington two weeks earlier. It’s the seventh Challenger title of his career and propelled him to a new career high ranking of #71, rising fourteen spots. Krajicek gets closer to his own career high ranking of #61, rising four spots to #68.
Prague
There were four players in the draw who were far above the rest ranking wise, being the only players ranked inside of the top 70, with fifth seed Aleksandr Nedovyesov following at #92. Albert Ramos-Vinolas (#54), Andreas Haider-Maurer (#58), Simone Bolelli (#60) and Steve Darcis (#65) all failed to live up to the expectations, however, with the top two seeds crashing out in the second round, while Bolelli and Darcis only lasted one round longer. Ramos-Vinolas fell 6-4 7-5 to Filip Krajinovic, Haider-Maurer 6-4 7-6(6) to qualifier Nikola Mektic, Bolelli 6-2 4-6 7-6(4) to qualifier Axel Michon and Darcis 6-2 6-7(0) 6-4 to Adam Pavlasek. Pavlasek already handed another seed an enormous beating in the first round, trashing eighth seed Jan-Lennard Struff 6-0 6-1. Michon had a similar scalp, beating seventh seed Daniel Munoz-De La Nava 6-3 6-2 in the second round.
The player to profit the most was qualifier Rogerio Dutra Silva. The 31-year-old is having a remarkable ressurection, having dropped out of the top 500 in June, but has since then reached a Challenger final and managed to qualify for two ATP events in Bastad and Kitzbühel. Here he beat Krajinovic 6-4 6-3 in the quarterfinal and Pavlasek 7-6(4) 6-4 in the following round. His opponent in the final would be sixth seed Radu Albot, who avoided the other seeds and beat Michon 7-5 7-5 in the semi-final. He couldn’t stop the Brazilian’s dream run, however, with Dutra Silva winning a hard-fought battle in the final, 6-2 6-7(5) 6-4, to win his sixth Challenger title and get back into the top 200 at #187, rising a hundred-and-one spots. Albot reached a new career high ranking of #86, rising seven spots.
Portoroz
Top seed Marcel Granollers got upset in the first round by Evgeny Donskoy, 7-6(4) 6-2. Third seed Kimmer Coppejans managed to do even worse, only winning three games against lucky loser Jonatan Eysseric, 6-1 6-2. Sixth seed Luca Vanni on the other hand was cruising through the draw, only dropping eleven games on his way to the semi-final, where he faced fifth seed Norbert Gombos. This was harder for the Italian late-bloomer, but he prevailed 5-7 6-4 6-3. His opponent from the bottom half was decided in a match between two unseeded players, Alexander Kudryavtsev and wild card Grega Zemlja. Kudryavtsev beat seventh seed Thiemo de Bakker in the second round and second seed Paolo Lorenzi in the quarterfinal, both in three sets. Zemlja trashed fourth seed Lukas Lacko in the second round, 6-0 6-2, and beat eighth seed Mirza Basic 6-7(5) 7-5 6-3 in the next round.
Zemlja didn’t experience a lot of problems against Kudryavtsev, beating him 6-4 6-2 for a place in the final. Here Vanni was too strong and managed to win his first ever Challenger title at the age of thirty, although it didn’t come easy in the second set, 6-3 7-6(6). Vanni hit a rough patch after his breakthrough run at Sao Paulo in February, partially because of injury, but this title puts him in sight of the top 100 again, rising twenty-three spots to #118. Zemlja rises fifty-nine spots to #231.
2015 Caltanissetta, Moscow, Prague and Surbiton Challenger Recaps Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic
Caltanissetta
Where a week prior to this event Elias Ymer seemed to struggle with a hand injury, it clearly wasn’t a serious one, as he marched through the field convincingly in Caltanissetta. He took out fifth seed Maximo Gonzalez 7-6(1) 7-6(6) in the second round, after which fourth seed Guido Pella fell 6-3 3-6 7-5 a round later. In the semi-final he faced top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who had only dropped twelve games so far in the tournament. In yet another close encounter, Ymer managed to beat him as well, 7-6(9) 3-6 6-4. In the bottom half a remarkable match happened in the quarterfinal, with sixth seed Marco Cecchinato handing Guilherme Clezar a double bagel, 6-0 6-0. In the semi-final he was ousted by Bjorn Fratangelo, however. Fratangelo knew a similar path to the final as Ymer, with all matches he played being tight. 7-6(6) 7-6(4), 3-6 6-3 6-2, 3-6 7-5 6-1 and eventually 4-6 6-3 6-3 against Cecchinato. In the final the pattern was broken, with Ymer comfortably beating Fratangelo 6-3 6-2 to take down his first Challenger title. It also meant a new career high ranking for Ymer, rising forty-one spots to #130. A new career high ranking for Fratangelo as well, rising twenty-two spots to #122.
Moscow
Top seed Marcel Granollers already struggled during his first round match against Jules Marie, 6-2 4-6 6-4, and couldn’t survive his second long match in the quarterfinal against Daniel Munoz-De La Nava, with the older Spaniard winning 6-3 5-7 6-4. In the second section Horacio Zeballos finally posted a good win again, beating third seed Damir Dzumhur 7-6(4) 6-3 in the quarterfinal. Munoz-De La Nava ousted him in the semi-final, however, winning 6-7(9) 6-4 6-1. In the bottom half a lot of controversy spurred, as Renzo Olivo claimed to have been threatened by spectators and his opponent Andrey Rublev during their second round encounter, which he lost. He complained that the umpire failed to do anything, while the rules state that the match should have been suspended.
Rublev went on to reach the semi-final, where he lost 6-4 6-7(6) 6-3 to fifth seed Radu Albot, who beat second seed Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3 6-4 in the previous round. A remarkable final then took place, with Munoz-De La Nava completely tearing Albot apart, 6-0 6-1, to win his third Challenger title. Rising twenty-seven spots to #107, this means a new career high ranking for the 33-year-old, who joins the list of players in their thirties playing their best tennis. It would be quite an achievement if he manages to reach the top 100 for the first time, practically out of nowhere, as he started the year outside of the top 200. A new career high ranking for Albot as well, rising ten spots to #119.
Prague
After a rough year, 34-year-old Albert Montanes has started to find some of his old form as of late. He continued that trend here in Prague, beating fourth seed Aleksandr Nedovyesov 1-6 6-3 6-2 in the semi-final to set up his second final in a row, after losing the final of Fürth to Taro Daniel last week. Daniel competed here as well, but lost to Nedovyesov in the quarterfinal. In the bottom half Kimmer Coppejans continued his march to the top 100, reaching the semi-final after a three-set victory over Marton Fucsovics, 6-4 5-7 6-1. Despite his loss to Norbert Gombos, 7-6(4) 6-2, in the next round, it was enough to reach the top 100 for the first time, entering at #98. The final between Montanes and Gombos was an absolutely titanic struggle, with Montanes failing to come out on top in consecutive weeks. After a 7-6(5) 5-7 7-6(2) win, Gombos secured his second Challenger title. Quite a contrast to last week, when he missed eight match points against Martin Klizan in his opening round. He also rose ten ranking spots to #127. Montanes is very nearby, rising eleven spots to #125.
Top seed Luca Vanni is very inexperienced on grass and it showed, falling 7-6(2) 6-2 in the first round to the 2011 Wimbledon Juniors champion Luke Saville., who reached the final of Manchester last week. In this half it was Matthew Ebden who was by far the most impressive player, not dropping more than three games in a set on his way to the final, only losing seventeen games in four matches, including a 6-0 6-2 win against third seed Ryan Harrison in the quarterfinal. In the final he faced Denis Kudla, who knew pretty much a similar tournament trajectory, dropping twenty-one games on his way to the final. The final was a spectacular one, with Ebden just edging out the important points in the end and saving two match points in the process, eventually winning 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(5). Ebden is now nearing the top 150 again, rising thirty-five spots to #154. Kudla rose eight spots to #131.
2015 Caltanissetta, Moscow, Prague and Surbiton Challenger Previews & Predictions Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic
Citta Di Caltanissetta
ATP Challenger Tour
Caltanissetta, Italy
8-14 June 2015
Red Clay
Prize Money: €106,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Albert Ramos-Vinolas (63)
2: Paolo Lorenzi (86)
3: Alejandro Gonzalez (105)
4: Guido Pella (113)
5: Maximo Gonzalez (114)
6: Marco Cecchinato (122)
7: Bjorn Fratangelo (149)
8: Gastao Elias (152)
The last direct acceptance is Christian Garin, ranked 249th. Second seed Lorenzi withdrew due to the left leg injury he attracted in the semi-final of Mestre last week, his place in the draw is taken over by Guilherme Clezar.
Second round match-ups to watch
(4) Guido Pella – Andrea Arnaboldi
Those who follow the Challenger tour have known him for a long time, but Arnaboldi made a name for himself on the main tour as well, with an awe-inspiring run at Roland Garros. In the second qualifying round he beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 27-25 in the third set, in the third round he came back from a set and 5-2* down against Marco Trungelliti and in the first round of the main draw he came back from two sets down and saved a match point against James Duckworth, handing him a bagel in the fifth set. Against Marin Cilic in the next round he wasn’t able to offer much resistance, but it didn’t lessen his dream run. Pella has been in excellent form himself this year, winning two Challengers and reaching the final in another one, so this should be an interesting and close encounter.
(5) Maximo Gonzalez – Elias Ymer
Ymer looked to have injured his hand in his quarterfinal against Albert Montanes in Fürth last week, but judging by his opening round win against Guido Andreozzi here we can assume it wasn’t that bad, which should enable him to challenge Gonzalez, who might be feeling a bit tired after his title run in Mestre last week.
Top Half
Top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas will be looking to avenge his painful loss against Albert Montanes in Fürth last week and he has an excellent draw to do so. Reaching the semi-final shouldn’t be a problem, after which he will face one of Pella, Arnaboldi, Ymer or Gonzalez, who all pretty much have an equal shot of reaching that stage.
Bottom Half
Normally Lorenzi would have been the clear favorite in this half, but with him out of the picture it is quite open. Third seed Alejandro Gonzalez and sixth seed Marco Cecchinato have the best chances and will most likely determine who the finalist will be, with Guilherme Clezar as a dangerous outsider.
Predictions
Semis:
Ramos-Vinolas d. Arnaboldi
Cecchinato d. Gonzalez
Final:
Ramos-Vinolas d. Cecchinato
Hoff Open
ATP Challenger Tour
Moscow, Russia
8-14 June 2015
Red Clay
Prize Money: $50,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Marcel Granollers (57)
2: Teymuraz Gabashvili (74)
3: Damir Dzumhur (88)
4: Blaz Rola (97)
5: Radu Albot (130)
6: Alexander Kudryavtsev (131)
7: Daniel Munoz-De La Nava (134)
8: Horacio Zeballos (142)
The last direct acceptance is Miljan Zekic, ranked 329th.
Second round match-up to watch
Karen Khachanov – Evgeny Donskoy
19-year-old Khachanov’s development seemed to have halted a bit in comparison to some of his age-peers, but he has done really well for himself this year, rising almost 150 ranking spots and now sitting at #231. Clay is Donskoy’s worst surface, so Khachanov should be able to really threaten him here.
Top Half
Top seed Marcel Granollers is by far the best ranked player here and he should also have the best chance to advance. His biggest threat to reach the final will be Damir Dzumhur, who reached the third round at Roland Garros and might be able to take Granollers out. They faced off in Casablanca this year, but Granollers had to retire after going down 3-0.
Bottom Half
This half is considerably more open, with various players who can go through. Partially due to them being very erratic, making it hard to predict what form they will bring into the event. Second seed Teymuraz Gabashvili plays the equally erratic Antonio Veic in the second round, while youngster Andrey Rublev faces Renzo Olivo. I think it will be between Gabashvili and Rublev for a place in the final.
Predictions
Semis:
Dzumhur d. Granollers
Gabashvili d. Rublev
Final:
Dzumhur d. Gabashvili
Sparta Prague Open
ATP Challenger Tour
Prague, Czech Republic
8-13 June 2015
Red Clay
Prize Money: €42,500
The last direct acceptance is Hugo Dellien, ranked 257th.
Second round match-up to watch
(3) Kimmer Coppejans – Pere Riba
Former world #65 Riba just returned after a lengthy injury lay-off and it will be interesting to see what he can do against Coppejans, the young Belgian who is having a breakthrough year. Coppejans will be a good test for Riba, where he can see if he already got what it takes to hang with guys around the top 100 mark.
Top Half
Top seed Joao Souza got upset in the first round by Hans Podlipnik-Castillo, leaving Taro Daniel as the clear favorite in this half. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how tired Daniel will be, given his title run at Fürth last week, where he beat Albert Montanes in the final, whom he is likely to meet again in the semi-final here.
Bottom Half
The clear favorite in this half is Kimmer Coppejans and if he brings the form that saw him reach new heights at Challenger level this year he should be able to conquer this half with relative ease. The main threat will probably be #8 seed Inigo Cervantes, who has been on a great run himself.
Predictions
Semis:
Daniel d. Montanes
Coppejans d. Cervantes
Final:
Coppejans d. Daniel
Aegon Surbiton Trophy
ATP Challenger Tour
Surbiton, Great Britain
8-14 June 2015
Grass
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Luca Vanni (102)
2: James Ward (104)
3: Ryan Harrison (126)
4: Denis Kudla (136)
5: Yoshihito Nishioka (146)
6: Jared Donaldson (153)
7: Yuki Bhambri (156)
8: James McGee (157)
The last direct acceptance is Jason Jung, ranked 214th.
Second round match-up to watch
(6) Jared Donaldson – Matthew Ebden
Ebden faces two Americans in a row, having beaten Chase Buchanan in the first round. Ebden’s game translates well to grass and he should be able to give his ranking a boost on the surface, perhaps even by reaching the final here.
Top Half
As said, I think Ebden could do some serious damage here, potentially facing Ryan Harrison in the quarterfinal, who is not in good form. The top section is wide open with top seed Luca Vanni going out to Luke Saville in the first round, leaving James McGee as the only seed.
Bottom Half
This is an excellent opportunity for Denis Kudla to rekindle some form. He potentially faces Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarterfinal, which should be a tough challenge. After that he is likely to face Igor Sijsling, who is a lot better on grass than his ranking may suspect and beat Milos Raonic at Wimbledon in the not too distant past.
2014 Aptos, San Marino and Prague Challenger Recaps
ATP Challenger Tour
Aptos Challenger
The expected final between top seeds Mikhail Kukushkin and Marcos Baghdatis did indeed take place, resulting in a 7-6(7) 6-4 victory for Baghdatis. This marked his second Challenger title in just as many weeks, and along with it a long awaited return into the top 100. He dropped out of the all-important top 100 for the first time since 2009 in the first week of this year, but now rises 24 spots to #82 to reclaim his position as a top 100 player. Baghdatis did not drop a set all tournament, even against Ruben Bemelmans in the quarterfinals, against whom he had to save two match points in their match last week, also in the quarterfinals.
San Marino had a lot of surprises, with the top four seeds all being out before the semi-final. Top seed Simone Bolelli got upset in the quarterfinal by wild card Alessandro Giannessi, who is ranked outside of the top 300: 4-6 6-4 6-3. The number two was prevalent as second seed Daniel Gimeno-Traver fell against Viktor Troicki for the second week in a row, after missing two match points: 4-6 7-6(3) 7-6(6). Troicki couldn’t keep up his run, as he fell to qualifier Antonio Veic in the next round, Veic marched all the way to the final after beating Guilherme Clezar, the conqueror of third seed Maximo Gonzalez in the first round.
Veic met Adrian Ungur in the final, who took out fourth seed Albert Montanes in a grueling three set match earlier in the tournament. It turned out to be an unpleasant final for the undoubtedly tired Veic, as Ungur absolutely hammered him 6-1 6-0 to take home the title. Nevertheless this obviously still meant a huge jump in the rankings for Veic, as he rose 77 positions to #236. Ungur won 21 spots re-entered the top 150 at #136.
Prague also resulted in a lot of surprises, except for one, the winner. After the second rounds only two seeds still remained, #3 Michal Przysiezny and #1 Diego Schwartzman. As I wrote in my preview I thought that #2 seed Andrey Kuznetsov might struggle against qualifier Thiago Monteiro, but Monteiro’s straight set victory still came as a surprise. Veteran Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo profited from the opening in the draw, as he marched on to the semi-final in that section. There he lost to Andre Ghem, who would fall to Schwartzman in the final: 6-4 7-5. This meant a new career high for the Argentinian, as he rose 17 spots to #81. Ghem jumped 41 spots to #210, but it is yet to be seen if he, at 32, can catch up with his career high ranking of #181.
2014 Aptos, San Marino and Prague Challenger Previews Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
This week three Challengers will take place, one in the States and two in Europe. The Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos will be played on hardcourt, the other two (San Marino Go&Fun Open and Advantage Cars Prague Open) on clay.
Aptos Challenger
Aptos Challenger
The Comerica Bank Challenger
ATP Challenger Tour and USTA Pro Circuit
Aptos, CA, USA
August 2 – August 10
Prize Money: $100,000
The last direct acceptance is Emilio Gomez, ranked 217th. A wild card has been awarded to 19 year old Mackenzie McDonald, who made a name for himself last month by reaching the semi-final of the Winnetka Challenger as a qualifier.
First round match-ups to watch
(8) Marton Fucsovics vs. (WC) Mackenzie McDonald
Like I said, McDonald already showed that he can hang on this level. Not only in the recent Winnetka Challenger, but last year he surprised everyone by beating Mahut and Johnson to qualify for the Masters event in Cincinnati, where he lost to Goffin in the first round. He faces eighth seed Fucsovics, who hasn’t been convincing on hardcourt yet this year, with five losses against players outside of the top 200 in the eight tournaments he has played on the surface. So despite their ranking difference this has the potential to be a hard fought battle, with a great chance for the young American to advance.
Taro Daniel vs. Ruben Bemelmans
Even though Daniel primarily plays on clay, he has shown that he can be very dangerous on hardcourt. Rosol knows a thing or two about that after being taken to five sets by Daniel during their Davis Cup tie in April. He had a decent showing at the Vancouver Challenger last week, losing in the quarter final to the eventual winner Baghdatis. Bemelmans lost to Baghdatis as well, in the next round. He has a reputation for being a choker, which he showed against Baghdatis by missing two match points, netting a fairly easy shot on one of them.
Taro
Top Half
Rankings-wise, Kukushkin clearly stands out. He is the only top 100 player in the draw and the difference between him and #2 seed Baghdatis are a massive 51 ranking spots. However, he is far from a certainty to reach the final. Former world number 61 Devvarman is a threat and beat him in three sets the only time they met in 2011. Kukushkin also isn’t going into this tournament with a lot of confidence, losing to world number 228 Gerasimov in a third set tiebreak two weeks ago in the quarter final of the Astana Challenger.
In the second quarter Donskoy and Dustov are well capable of beating him. Granted, Donskoy isn’t in great form, so the danger will probably come from Dustov. Dustov reached the final of the Vancouver Challenger last week and will be feeling confident coming into this tournament.
Bottom Half
It’s hard to look past Baghdatis here, I can’t see anyone threatening him and in my eyes he is the favorite to win the tournament, especially coming into this tournament on a high after winning the Vancouver Challenger last week. If Bemelmans gets to the quarter final he might be a threat, considering how close he got last week. But Bemelmans is well capable of losing to Daniel or Pavic.
The third quarter is the most interesting in my eyes, with Fucsovics, McDonald, Marchenko, Kuznetsov and Soeda all being qualified to reach the semi-final. It’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen here, other than the winner most probably losing against Baghdatis.
Predictions
Semis:
Dustov def. Kukushkin
Baghdatis def. Soeda
I think Dustov’s good form will prevail over Kukushkin’s lack of it, despite the huge gap in their rankings. Like I said, the third quarter is extremely difficult to predict, so I took the safe route here and picked the highest seed.
Final:
Baghdatis def. Dustov
A repeat of last week’s final, ending in the same fashion. But back to back finals would be a very good result for Dustov and there is no shame in losing to Baghdatis, so if this happens it should give him a tremendous confidence boost as he gets closer to the top 100. As for Baghdatis, reaching the quarter final here would probably already enough for him to get back into the top 100.
San Marino Challenger
San Marino Go&Fun Open
ATP Challenger Tour
San Marino
August 2 – August 10
Prize Money: €64,000
Go&Fun Open
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Simone Bolelli (89)
2: Daniel Gimeno-Traver (93)
3: Maximo Gonzalez (104)
4: Albert Montanes (119)
5: Julian Reister (125)
6: Peter Gojowczyk (127)
7: Filip Krajinovic (134)
8: Filippo Volandri (136)
The last direct acceptance is Aldin Setkic, ranked 267th. A couple of really interesting players have come through the qualification draw, Christian Garin, Giovanni Lapentti and Antonio Veic. Comeback Kid Viktor Troicki has received a wild card and will surely be one of the most dangerous players in the draw.
First round match-ups to watch
(4) Albert Montanes vs. Potito Starace
An interesting meeting between two 33 year old veterans with singlehanded backhands. The decline of Montanes has been apparent as he failed to make a dent on the main tour, dropping to a ranking spot of 141 after starting the year inside of the top 60. This will be his first Challenger tournament of the year. Montanes leads their head to head 5-3, with their first meeting dating all the way back to 2002.
(5) Julian Reister vs. Victor Hanescu
Reister is another player who failed to make an impression on the main tour, racking up a 1-10 record this year. Hanescu followed a similar ranking path as Montanes this year, starting inside the top 80 and dropping to his current ranking of 151. Their head to head is 1-1 and this will surely become a tight match, where the winner will be difficult to predict.
Top Half
Bolelli is the clear favorite to make the final here. The other seeds are Gojowczyk, Montanes and Volandri, who haven’t been convincing in the slightest lately, while Bolelli comes off a Challenger win in Oberstaufen, which resulted in him entering the top 100 again after starting the year outside of the top 300.
In the second quarter I’d mark Montanes as the favorite to reach the semi-final. Of course, he hasn’t been impressive this year, but this will be his first Challenger event and he might well still be too good for this level. He doesn’t have an easy draw however, he likely has to face three Italians to get there, Starace, Cecchinato and Volandri. If I had to pick one of them to upset Montanes I would go for Cecchinato, who reached a Challenger final in Mestre last month, where he almost managed to beat Cuevas. He also is the defending champion, so he will feel confident playing here.
Bottom Half
Second seed Gimeno-Traver is hating his draw, as he is projected to play wild card Troicki in the second round, who beat him in straight sets last week. Troicki should be able to repeat this feat and notch a place in the semi-final after comfortably beating Reister or Hanescu.
The third quarter is a really interesting one, especially if we get to see the blockbuster quarter final between Krajinovic and Gonzalez. Krajinovic is on a roll lately, reaching the third round of the ATP 500 event in Hamburg and winning last week’s Challenger in Cortina. Gonzalez is on a run of his own, coming through the qualification draw in Kitzbühel to reach the semi-final, in which he lost in three sets to the eventual winner Goffin. This will surely be a cracker.
Predictions
Semis:
Bolelli def. Montanes
Troicki def. Gonzalez
Troicki will get a lucky break and avoids Krajinovic, the man who beat him last week. Bolelli will be too much for Montanes, who is seeking form.
Final:
Bolelli def. Troicki
Bolelli has the fire power to hit through Troicki and in his current form he is well capable of doing that. He leads the head to head 2-1, but they have never met before on clay.
Prague Challenger
Advantage Cars Prague Open
ATP Challenger Tour
Prague, Czech Republic
August 2 – August 10
Prize Money: €42,500
The last direct acceptance is Jan Hernych, ranked 264th. Tsung-Hua Yang, the man who beat Cuevas last week, has entered this tournament as a special exempt.
First round match-ups to watch
(2) Andrey Kuznetsov vs. (Q) Thiago Monteiro
Kuznetsov has only played one tournament since beating Ferrer at Wimbledon, losing in the second qualifying round of Hamburg, so he might be a bit rusty. 20 year old Brazilian Monteiro hasn’t dropped a set in the qualifications and might be able to trouble his much higher ranked opponent.
Top Half
For me, top seed Schwartzman is the clear cut favorite here, I can’t see anyone troubling him all the way to the final. Sorensen might have gotten a bit of confidence after taking a set off Bautista Agut in the second round of Stuttgart, but he is way too inconsistent and probably won’t be able to trouble Schwartzman, who absolutely hammered Alexander Zverev last week in Kitzbühel: 6-1 6-0.
The other seeds here are Przysiezny and Burquier, who are even less likely to pose a threat. Przysiezny is going through an enormous form crisis, while Burquier only won one of his last seven matches. In that section there is a good chance for one of the unseeded players to snatch a semi-final spot, which Yang might be able to do.
Bottom Half
If he finds his rhythm, I can’t see how Kuznetsov doesn’t reach the final, as he is clearly the best player in this half. He will most likely have to play #4 seed Gerald Melzer in the semi-final, which won’t be a problem for him. For me this is one of those tournaments where it’s very likely that the top seeds will end up in the final, I just can’t see any of the outsiders threatening them.
Predictions
Semis:
Schwartzman def. Yang
Kuznetsov def. Melzer
Yang builds on his confidence booster against Cuevas and makes another good run, but he is clearly outclassed in this match-up, as is Melzer.
Final:
Schwartzman def. Kuznetsov
Clearly the match of the tournament and I can see this become really, really close. But, since I have to pick someone I went with Schwartzman, who has a lot of rhythm on clay, unlike Kuznetsov, who has only played two matches on the surface since May.
Exclusive: Klara Zakopalova’s Modest Goal to Win a Match at 2013 US Open
31-year-old Klara Zakopalova has been around the WTA long enough to beat almost everyone once. She had a hot start to 2013 as a finalist in Shenzen, and in the Round of 16 in Hobart, Indian Wells, Miami and Doha. She also reached the semis in Bastad and Palermo.
On Monday, after an impressive comeback win in three sets over Dominika Cibulkova in New Haven, she answered my questions about her year-end goals, Czech tennis and the US Open.
“We know each other very well. We were both a little nervous”, she said about the match with Cibulkova.
They’d played each other four times in the past and evenly split the matches. Klara now leads Dominika 3-2 in the head to head.
Her end of year goals couldn’t be more simple or modest.
For me, it’s really tough to play the US Open, because I never won a match there. I’m like 0-9 there. I want to finally win a match there.
On Czech compatriots:
I think we have a really good relationship. We are very good friends. That’s very important for us, because we are together always. We go to dinners and everything.
I live in Prague. Most other players are practicing in the other part of Czech, in Prostejov (at the National Tennis Center). So in Prague, it’s just Lucie Hradecka, me, Barbara Strycova and Andrea Hlavackova. But we are really good friends, all of us.
As a Czech citizen, do you drink beer?
Yes, of course! We drank a beer yesterday. We were together at the dinner.
You’re no doubles specialist like many of your Czech colleagues. Why is that?
I love to play doubles, but it’s important to have somebody for the whole year. It’s very tough for me to find a different partner every tournament. Here, I have a chance to play with Lucie (Hradecka). She’s top 10 in doubles. I have to learn something from her. Maybe I’ll try to play more doubles, because I really love it.
What about Marion Bartoli’s retirement?
To me, its really sad because she won a Grand Slam and she’s a really nice girl. She was fighting for every point her whole career. I admire her a lot. I wish her luck and maybe she’s coming back, but I don’t know.
What tournament title would make you retire?
I think I would wait for the US Open.
She said she’d retire after the US Open almost sarcastically, thinking it could never happen. She’s 31 and realizes that she’s not getting any younger. Let’s hope Zakopalova grabs a few wins in Flushing Meadows next week and 2013 becomes very memorable for her. Before that, she’s got a quarterfinals match to win against Elena Vesnina on Stadium Court this afternoon in New Haven.
Veteran Radek Stepanek won at home on clay in the Czech Republic in straight sets over his young countryman Jiri Vesely. Stepanek beat Teymuraz Gabashvili in the semis while Vesely beat Peter Gojowczyk, both in 3 sets. Vesely also beat Lukas Rosol and Gabashvili beat the top seed Florian Mayer as well in notable upsets.
Arad Challenger (June 3-June 9, 2013)
In Romania on clay, another home player and veteran, Adrian Ungur, took the title over another home finalist, Marius Copil. Ungur beat Pere Riba in the semis while Copil beat Jonathan Eysseric.
Caltanissetta Challenger (June 3-June 9, 2013)
In Italy on clay, Serbian Dusan Lajovic raced to the title in upsetting Robin Haase in the final and improving to a career high ranking of 114 at the age of 23. Lajovic beat Somdev Devvarman in the semis while Haase beat Potito Starace. Pablo Carreno-Busta beat the top seed Martin Klizan in the opening round, but then lost in round 2 to Dominik Meffert in an upset.
Furth Challenger (June 3-June 9, 2013)
In Germany on clay, Joao Sousa of Portugal rode the momentum of quality play at Roland Garros to a victory over Wayne Odesnik in the final. Sousa is back near the top 100 and beat Andreas Haider-Maurer in the semis while Odesnik beat Cedrik Marcel-Stebe.
Nottingham Challenger (June 3-June 9, 2013)
Matt Ebden
In England on grass, in a tournament stacked with talent, Aussie Matt Ebden finally returned to the winners circle after a flat half year. Ebden beat grass courter Benjamin Becker in the final after beating Bobby Reynolds in the semis, and Becker beat eventual Wimbledon round of 16 participant Kenny De Schepper in the semis.
Blois Challenger (June 10-June 16, 2013)
In France on clay, German and eventual Wimbledon qualifier Julian Reister took out Dusan Lajovic in 3 sets. Reister continued his fine month of play. Reister beat Paul Capdeville and Lajovic beat Marc Gicquel in the semis.
Kosice Challenger (June 10-June 16, 2013)
In Slovakia on clay, an otherwise struggling Mikhail Kukushkin finally found his form and beat Damir Dzumhur in the final to push himself back in the top 200. Kuku beat Andre Ghem in the semis while Dzumhur beat Radu Albot. Dzumhur also knocked off Joao Sousa in an earlier round while Ghem did the same against 2 seed Adrian Ungur. Henri Laaksonen upset top seed Jan Hajek in the opening round.
Nottingham-2 Challenger (June 10-June 16, 2013)
Steve Johnson won his 2nd career challenger, this time on grass in the 2nd Nottingham event over Ruben Bemelmans. In the semis, Johnson beat Somdev Devvarman while Bemelmans beat Rik De Voest.
Prague Challenger (June 10-June 16, 2013)
In Prague on clay, Ukrainian Oleksandr Nedovyesov took the title over Spaniard Javier Marti after beating Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo in the semis. Marti beat Ivo Minar.
Milan Challenger (June 17-June 23, 2013)
The veteran Filippo Volandri beat Andrej Martin on Clay in Milan to give himself double-digit career challenger titles. Volandri, now back in the top 100 at 31, beat Andrea Arnaboldi in the semis while Martin beat Norbert Gombos. Most of the seeds were knocked out early, including 2 seed Diego Sebastian Schwartzman, who fell to 22 year old wild card Riccardo Sinicropi.
Tanger Challenger (June 17-June 23, 2013)
Pablo Carreno-Busta beat a rejuvenated Mikhail Kukushkin and bumped himself up to a career high ranking of 126 after taking the title in Morocco on clay. PCB beat qualifier Lorenzo Giustino in the semis while Kukushkin beat Adrian Sikora. The Spaniard continues to edge closer to full-time ATP play and very well could be the next Spanish name to make a mark at the main tour level.
Marburg Challenger (June 24-June 30, 2013)
Andrey Golubev had by far his best showing of the year and won his first title at any level since 2010 in Marburg, Germany on clay. He beat Diego Sebastian Schwartzman in the final in straight sets and Jesse Huta Galung in the semis just the same. Schwartzman beat fellow Argentine Maximo Gonzalez in the semis.
Tennis Atlantic 