Coming off a final in Cherbourg the week before, #4 seed Benoit Paire looked to be ready to repeat that achievement in Quimper and perhaps even go one step further. He surely started in impressive fashion, not dropping a set on his way to the final. Even top seed Farrukh Dustov couldn’t threaten him and fell 6-4 6-2 to the Frenchman in the semi-final. In the bottom half the seeds were unable to impress, with #7 seed Liam Broady withdrawing prior to his first match, while #3 seed Andreas Beck and #2 seed Kenny De Schepper both fell in the second round. #5 seed Iliya Marchenko went one round further, before he fell to French veteran David Guez, 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 6-2. Wild card Gregoire Barrere was the one who took out De Schepper and continued his run against the twelve year older Guez in the semi-final, beating his countryman 6-3 1-6 6-1.
Paire was the overwhelming favorite in the final, but it was a lot closer than most people expected, with him just edging out Barrere in a very tight encounter, 6-4 3-6 6-4. It meant a lot to him, dropping to his knees and burying his head in his hands, and understandably, as it marked his return to the top 100 after a long battle against his knee injury. Paire rises eighteen spots to #89, while Barrere makes a monster jump from #435 to #324.
The last direct acceptance is Enzo Couacaud, ranked 235th. Former world #51 Daniel Brands came through qualifying and will face Couacaud in the first round.
First round match-up to watch
Enzo Couacaud – (Q) Daniel Brands
A tough draw for both. Couacaud impressed last week by trashing Nicolas Mahut and reaching the semi-final as a wildcard at Cherbourg, which saw him almost crack the top 200 for the first time. Brands is slowly but surely recovering from his lengthy lay-off, but he has to come through qualifying every time, which is costing him a lot of energy. I would give Brands the edge in this match-up, but it will be an interresting encounter.
Top Half
Top seed Farrukh Dustov will try to recover from his upset loss in the first round of Cherbourg last week. Although his tournament win in Wroclaw, which saw him make the top 100 for the first time is likely to have had an impact on that. He should be able to reach the quarterfinal here, where it’s hard to predict who he will face, considering it’s a stacked section. Benoit Paire, Daniel Brands, Maxime Authom and Jurgen Zopp all have a chance to pull it of, although Paire has to be marked the favorite in his current form.
Bottom Half
I can see #5 seed Ilya Marchenko coming through here. His competitors haven’t shown steady form, while he has been consistent from the start of the year, playing to his potential. He will likely face off with #3 seed Andreas Beck for a spot in the semi-final, but the German hasn’t been looking great lately. #2 seed Kenny De Schepper has been up and down so far this year, and despite him probably being marked the slight favorite in a match-up with Marchenko, I suspect it will be the other way around in reality.
February ATP Challenger Tour Recap: Rising Rola and Herbert Capture Titles, Vets Bolleli and Estrella Impress Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
Chennai Challenger (February 2-February 9, 2014)
Bollettieri Academy product and home Indian player Yuki Bhambri took home the Chennai Challenger title on hard courts over Alexander Kudryavtsev in 3 sets, and the result helped catapult him to a career high ranking inside the top 150 at the age of 21. Bhambri upset Somdev Devvarman in the semis, while Kudryavtsev a formerly top 130 player upset countryman Evgeny Donskoy in the semis.
Dallas Challenger (February 2-February 9, 2014)
Steve Johnson won the Challenger of Dallas this year, 6-4 6-4 over Malek Jaziri, the veteran Tunisian. Johnson crushed Victor Estrella in the semis, while Jaziri beat Tim Puetz.
Top seed Michael Russell was upset by Rajeev Ram in the opening round, Jaziri upset Rhyne Williams en route to the final, 4 seed Denis Kudla fell to Sam Groth, and 2 seed Alex Bogomolov was walloped by James McGee in an upset-laden tournament.
West Lakes Challenger (February 2-February 9, 2014)
Top seeded American Bradley Klahn has catapulted himself inside the top 65 as he won the West Lakes challenger on hard courts in Australia over Japan’s Tatsuma Ito. Klahn beat Hiroki Moriya in the semis, while Ito beat James Duckworth via retirement. The top 4 seeds were all semifinalists here and the top seed won the tournament.
Bergamo Challenger (February 10-February 16, 2014)
Italian veteran and wild card Simone Bolelli, a former top 40 player, who, after injuries kept him out of the game has fallen outside the top 300. So it was a great day when he won the indoor hard court title at home in Italy over JL Struff, who yet again came up short in a challenger final. Bolelli beat Dustin Brown in the semis while Struff defeated Andrea Arnaboldi. Seeds Damir Dzumhur and Ricardas Berankis lost early to Lorenzo Giustino and Marton Fucsovics, respectively.
Kolkata Challenger (February 10-February 16, 2014)
Serbian Ilija Bozoljac crushed Evgeny Donskoy outdoors in India on hard courts to win this challenger title. He had a massive comeback against Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the semifinals, coming back from 0-6 and a double break down in the second set to win in 3. Donskoy also won a 3 setter against Somdev Devvarman in the semis.
Quimper Challenger (February 10-February 16, 2014)
Rising Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert has boosted himself up to a career high ranking in the top 140 with a win at the Quimper challenger on indoor hard in France. Herbert beat his countryman Vincent Millot in the final, and beat Gilles Muller, a veteran on the comeback trail, in the semis. Millot defeated Gregoire Burquier in the semis. 2 seed Marc Gicquel was upset by Henri Laaksononen in round 1.
Astana Challenger (February 17-February 23, 2014)
Top seed Andrey Golubev won at home in Kazahkstan on indoor hard over Gilles Muller, who continued his comeback trail with semis and a final in consecutive weeks on the challenger tour. Golubev, who has been playing well this year, beat qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili in the semis, while Muller beat Farrukh Dustov.
Morelos Challenger (February 17-February 23, 2014) Gerald Melzer won on outdoor hard in Mexico, in straights over Victor Estrella, who has been very strong recently on the challenger tour. The Austrian beat Malek Jaziri in the semis while Estrella beat Rajeev Ram. 2 seed Andrej Martin was upset by Carlos Salamanca in round 2.
New Delhi Challenger (February 17-February 23, 2014) Somdev Devvarman won at home in India on outdoor hard over Aleksandr Nedovyesov, who defeated Ilija Bozoljac in the semis to get some revenge from Kolkata the previous week. Devvarman beat Evgeny Donskoy, who had a strong Indian swing in the semifinals. 3 seed Peter Gojowcyzk lost in round 1 to Mohamed Safwat in an upset.
Cherbourg Challenger (February 24-April 2, 2014)
Top seeded Frenchman Kenny De Schepper won on home soil on indoor hard over Norbert Gombos in the Cherbourg final. De Schepper beat Farrukh Dustov in the semis, while Gombos beat Ricardas Berankis. 3 seed Dan Evans was upset by Jan Mertl in round 1, and Gombos also beat 2 seed Dustin Brown en route to the final.
Guangzhou Challenger (February 24-April 2, 2014)
Former NCAA champion and rising player Blaz Rola, who played at Ohio State, won his maiden challenger title in China on outdoor hard courts. Rola, who had a strong end of the season last year, and has been great this year so far as well, is now ranked in the top 130 at the age of 23. He beat Yuichi Sugita in the final and Michael Venus in the semis. Sugita got past Go Soeda in the semis.
Salinas Challenger (February 24-April 2, 2014)
Dominican Victor Estrella has entered the top 100 unexpectedly at the age of 33, and a win on clay in Ecuador helped him do it. Estrella beat Andrea Collarini in the final and Renzo Olivo in the semis, while Collarini, a former top prospect who hasn’t really panned out, beat Emilio Gomez.
February 2013 Challenger Tour Recap: Aussie Kyrgios Grabs a Win, Dutchman Huta Galung Fights Back in Rankings Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com
Burnie Challenger (January 28-Feburary 3, 2013)
Aussie up and comer John Millman continued his good play this year, taking the prestigious Burnie challenger in Australia over French veteran Stephane Robert. Millman beat three fellow Aussies en route to the title, including another young gun, Ben Mitchell. Rubin Statham and Aussie Matt Barton were semifinalists.
Bergamo Challenger (February 4-Feburary 10, 2013)
Polish veteran Michal Przysiezny took the title in Italy on indoor hard in 3 sets over Jan Lennard Struff, who is at a career high ranking of 120 in the world. The semifinalists were Viktor Galovic and Peter Gojowczyk. Przysiezny notably beat Ernest Gulbis in the opening round.
West Lakes Challenger (February 4-Feburary 10, 2013)
Matt Barton continued his strong play in Australia and the 21-year-old reached a career high ranking of 235, beating veteran British journeyman James Ward to take the title. Barton beat Alexander Lobkov in the semis and beat young compatriot Luke Saville in round 2. Ward beat James Duckworth in the opening round as well as junior Aussie Nick Kyrgios in the semis.
Quimper Challenger (February 11-Feburary 17,2013)
Indoors in France, Marius Copil of Romania beat French veteran Marc Gicquel to capture the title. Copil is 22 and is at a career high ranking of 138. He had notable wins over Gilles Muller and semifinalist Dudi Sela along the way. Gicquel, meanwhile, who is just outside the top 120, had wins over Roberto Bautista-Agut and semifinalist Steve Darcis.
Salinas Challenger (February 25-March 2, 2013)
Alejandro Gonzalez took the small 35k clay court challenger in Ecuador over Renzo Olivo. Joao Souza and qualifier Stefano Travaglia were semifinalists.
Cherbourg Challenger (February 25-March 3, 2013)
Jesse Huta Galung, once ranked just outside the top 100, has experienced a precipitous rankings drop all the way out of the top 340 in the world. He finally got things back on the right track indoors in Cherbourg, winning over Vincent Millot after upsetting Sergiy Stakhovsky in the semis. Millot beat Kenny De Schepper.
Sydney Challenger (February 25-March 3, 2013)
In Sydney, junior world number 1 Nick Kyrgios beat Matt Reid and will rise to 330 in the world at the age of 17. Kyrgios has had a strong Australian summer challenger showing and in this event he had a win over Stephane Robert in the semis. Reid beat Sam Groth in the semis. As you can tell, these Aussie challenger events are basically a testing ground for their next group of talented players to come up the ranks.
