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2015 Guadalajara, Santos, Savannah and Vercelli Challenger Previews & Picks

Posted by Admin on April 21, 2015
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Chris De Waard. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2015 Guadalajara, Santos, Savannah and Vercelli Challenger Previews & Picks
Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Challenger Tour Official Page

Zurich Jalisco Open presentado por Aeromexico y Lacoste

ATP Challenger Tour
Guadalajara, Mexico
20-26 April 2015
Hardcourt
Prize Money: $100,000

Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)

1: Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (115)
2: Austin Krajicek (121)
3: Ryan Harrison (126)
4: Michal Przysiezny (142)
5: Denis Kudla (150)
6: John-Patrick Smith (155)
7: Rajeev Ram (185)
8: Brydan Klein (204)

The last direct acceptance is Adam El Mihdawy, ranked 339th.

First round match-up to watch

(3) Ryan Harrison – Juan Ignacio Londero

Harrison comes off a very tough loss in QR1 of Houston, where he lost to world #453 Thiago Monteiro. Naturally, this match against Londero is another one he should win, but nothing is sure with Harrison these days. Londero had a good showing at Leon, where he pushed the eventual finalist Adrian Menendez-Maceiras to three sets in the first round. Nevertheless, Londero’s experience on hardcourts is minimal, while it’s Harrison’s best surface by a large margin, having played matches on the surface at tournaments and against players Londero can only dream of.

Top Half

29-year-old top seed Menendez-Maceiras is playing the tennis of his career, already having reached two Challenger finals this year, together with qualifying for his first ever Masters event at Miami. He is hoping to improve on his record in Challenger finals here, which sits at a poor 1-7. He should be able to put himself in a position to do that, landing an easy draw, which includes a potential semi-final encounter against fourth seed Michal Przysiezny, who is far from his best form.

Bottom Half

Harrison Signing Busted Racquet for the Fan who Snagged It.

Harrison Signing Busted Racquet for the Fan who Snagged It.

If Harrison can pick up his game after the disappointing loss in Houston, he will be the favorite to not only reach the final, but to win the entire tournament. Opposition in this half will come from countryman Denis Kudla, who did well at Monte Carlo to qualify into the main draw. However, this event is on the other side of the world and played on a different surface, so he may struggle to adapt. John-Patrick Smith has also been in very good form this year, but under normal circumstances shouldn’t be able to threaten Harrison.

Predictions

Semis:

Menendez-Maceiras d. Ram
Harrison d. Smith

Final:

Harrison d. Menendez-Maceiras

Campeonato Internacional de Tenis de Santos

ATP Challenger Tour
Santos, Brazil
20-26 April 2015
Red Clay
Prize Money: $50,000

Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)

1: Maximo Gonzalez (94)
2: Blaz Rola (103)
3: Andre Ghem (151)
4: Guido Pella (156)
5: Chase Buchanan (168)
6: Guilherme Clezar (182)
7: Nicolas Jarry (196)
8: Guido Andreozzi (201)

The last direct acceptance is Martin Alund, ranked 302nd.

First round match-up to watch

(Q) Agustin Velotti – Christian Lindell

At one point in 2013, Velotti was close to reaching the top 150, but his ranking took a hit after he struggled with injury for a long time, now being ranked outside of the top 400. Despite all his struggles, he beat Lindell in straight sets at a Challenger in Colombia last September, so this is a good opportunity for him to get his ranking back on track.

Top Half

Third seed Andre Ghem has a good opportunity to rise to the occasion in his home country and make a deep run. His section includes fifth seed Chase Buchanan, who isn’t all that comfortable on red clay. Ghem beat Buchanan in a truly epic match last year at Chitre on hardcourt, when he won 7-6(6) 6-7(7) 7-6(5). Top seed Maximo Gonzalez hasn’t been all that impressive this year, including a loss against Ghem in the second round of Le Gousier a couple of weeks ago.

Bottom Half

Fourth seed Guido Pella impressed at San Luis Potosi a couple of weeks ago, where he convincingly took down the title. If he keeps up that form he will surely be a contender again here, with Guilherme Clezar and Blaz Rola being his main rivals. While Rola has been in dire form in his last couple of tournaments, Clezar can be very dangerous while playing in his home country. He showed this in Sao Paulo at the Challenger Tour Finals last year, where he surprised everyone by reaching the final, beating three top 100 players in the process.

Predictions

Semis:

Gonzalez d. Ghem
Pella d. Clezar

Final:

Pella d. Gonzalez

St. Joseph’s/Candler Savannah Challenger

ATP Challenger Tour
Savannah, GA, USA
20-26 April 2015
Green Clay, Har-Tru
Prize Money: $50,000

Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)

1: Tim Smyczek (69)
2: Ruben Bemelmans (99)
3: Facundo Bagnis (102)
4: Hyeon Chung (112)
5: Gastao Elias (125)
6: Frank Dancevic (139)
7: Horacio Zeballos (141)
8: Yoshihito Nishioka (154)

The last direct acceptance is Robby Ginepri, ranked 255th.

First round match-ups to watch

(Q) Julio Peralta – Dennis Novikov

Peralta is quite a sight to behold and may very well be the greatest player you have never heard of. The 33-year-old Chilean only plays a handful of tournaments every year, but can win Futures without dropping a set while doing so. Here he beat two top 400 players in qualifying and has a good chance of continuing his run against Novikov.

(7) Horacio Zeballos – Facundo Arguello

Two Argentinians facing off in a match which seems to be a guarantee for a three set encounter. Zeballos has obviously gone a long way since winning an ATP title on clay by beating Nadal in the final, as he is now close to being ranked outside of the top 150, incapable of finding any kind of decent form. Arguello arguably struggles similarly in the consistency department, as he showed last week in Sarasota, easily beating top seed and world #69 Tim Smyczek 6-4 6-2 in the first round, before losing to James McGee in the second.

Top Half

Tim Smyczek

Tim Smyczek

Despite his surprising first round exit last week, top seed Smyczek should still be marked the favorite to come through here. Third seed Facundo Bagnis will be confident after reaching the final of Savannah last week, but as we saw in his first round match there against Alexander Zverev, where he saved five match points, he can just as easily go out early. Nevertheless, if he faces Smyczek in the semi-final he should be confident, as he beat him in straight sets during their first round encounter here last year.

Bottom Half

A half that is very tough to predict. I feel like giving fourth seed Hyeon Chung the edge, despite his comfortable loss against Zeballos last week. Second seed Ruben Bemelmans admitted he doesn’t feel confident on this surface, so with that mindset it’s hard to see him making a deep run here. The winner of Zeballos – Arguello in the first round may well go deep here, perhaps all the way to the final.

Predictions

Semis:

Bagnis d. Smyczek
Chung d. Arguello

Final:

Chung d. Bagnis

Citta Di Vercelli-Trofeo Multimed

ATP Challenger Tour
Vercelli, Italy
20-26 April 2015
Red Clay
Prize Money: €42,500

Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)

1: Filip Krajinovic (92)
2: Dustin Brown (105)
3: Igor Sijsling (128)
4: Kyle Edmund (129)
5: Kimmer Coppejans (146)
6: Marco Cecchinato (149)
7: Mate Delic (162)
8: Andrea Arnaboldi (177)

The last direct acceptance is Antonio Veic, 239th.

Top Half

Taro Daniel

Taro Daniel

With top seed Filip Krajinovic withdrawing, he is replaced by lucky loser Omar Giacalone, this is a great opportunity for a non-seed to make a deep run. Taro Daniel seems the best pick to do so. He sits in the top section, coming off two good weeks on clay at Casablanca and Mersin. Antonio Veic is another player with a decent chance, but he is highly unpredictable. Fourth seed Kyle Edmund is a good pick to reach the semi-final from the bottom half. Even though his clay résumé is practically non-existent, the talented 20-year-old is the best player in the section and may well be able to adapt to the surface.

Bottom Half

It will be interesting to see how Kimmer Coppejans holds up after taking the title in Mersin last week. Here he will have another excellent opportunity to make a deep run and even win another title. He has a late start, playing his first round on Wednesday, so he has extra time to rest. Last week’s Mersin semi-finalist Inigo Cervantes, who lost to Coppejans, is also placed in this half, in a section which is headed by Marco Cecchinato.

Predictions

Semis:

Daniel d. Edmund
Coppejans d. Cecchinato

Final:

Coppejans d. Daniel

Chris De Waard (Challenger Tour Finals)

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April 2014 ATP Challenger Tour Recap: Kyrgios Takes Two, Muller and Bolelli Continue Comebacks

Posted by Admin on May 6, 2014
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

April 2014 ATP Challenger Tour Recap: Kyrgios Takes Two, Muller and Bolelli Continue Comebacks
Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast

ATP Challenger Tour Official Page

Le Gosier Challenger (March 31-April 6, 2014)
American Steve Johnson captured his third career Challenger title with a win on hard courts against top seed Kenny De Schepper 6-1 6-7 7-6. Johnson dominated most of the match, but De Schepper was able to force a third set and a third set tiebreak based upon the quality of his serve. Stevie J beat Thomas Fabbiano in the semis while king Kenny beat Michael Russell in 3 sets. 2 seed Benjamin Becker was upset by Fabbiano in round 2.

Leon Challenger (March 31-April 6, 2014)
Rajeev Ram won a title on hard courts in Mexico against the big serving Sam Groth 6-2 6-2. Ram served and volleyed his way past Adrian Menendez in the semis, while Groth served past Agustin Velotti. 2 seed Alex Bogomolov was upset by qualifier Marcus Daniell in the second round.

St. Brieuc Challenger (March 31-April 6, 2014)
Former top 40 player Andreas Beck defeated Gregoire Burquier on hard courts in France to capture the title by a score of 7-5 6-3. Beck beat Frenchman David Guez in the semis, while Burquier upset Evgeny Donskoy, the number 2 seed, in 3 sets.

Itajai Challenger (April 7-April 13, 2014)
Young Argentine Facundo Arguello is nearly in the top 100 now, as he won on clay in Brazil over Diego Sebastian Schwartzman 4-6 6-0 6-4 to capture the title. Facu beat Joao Souza in the semis, while Schwartzman beat Andres Molteni. 3 seed Guido Pella was upset by Axel Michon and 4 seed Horacio Zeballos was upset by Kimmer Coppejans earlier in the tournament. Both Zeballos and Pella have experienced drops in their formerly top 100 rankings.

Mersin Challenger (April 7-April 13, 2014)
Damir Dzhumur won a title on clay in Turkey. The now-top-140 Bosnian is at a career high ranking as he posted his 7-6 6-3 victory over Pere Riba in the final. Dzumhur beat Matteo Viola in the semis, while top seed Riba beat Aljaz Bedene.

San Luis Potosi Challenger (April 14-April 20, 2014)
Veteran Italian clay courter and tournament number 2 seed Paolo Lorenzi defeated Adrian Menendez on clay courts in Mexico 6-1 6-3 to capture the title. Lorenzi beat Victor Estrella in the semis, while Menendez beat Marcelo Arevalo. Top seed Alejandro Falla was shocked by 18 year old Mexican wild card Lucas Gomez in the first round.

Santiago Challenger (April 14-April 20, 2014)
Formerly top 50 Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker won on clay in Chile as he beat the Aussie James Duckworth 4-6 7-6 6-1, De Bakker survived a tiebreak that finished 12-10 and then rolled through the third set of a competitive final. De Bakker beat Louk Sorensen in the semis, while Duckworth got a retirement against Hans Podlipnik-Castillo.

Sao Paulo 2 Challenger (April 14-April 20, 2014)
Veteran Brazilian Rogerio Dutra Silva won on clay over top seed Blaz Rola 6-4 6-2. Rola has now joined the top 100 at the age of 23 and keeps rising. Dutra Silva beat Gastao Elias in the semis while Rola beat Axel Michon, who had a good month of tennis himself.


Sarasota Challenger (April 14-April 20, 2014)
The highest ranked teenager in the ATP rankings, Nick Kyrgios, who is close to breaking into the top 150, won the first of his two challenger titles this month on Har-Tru green clay 7-6 6-4 over the 22-year-old Serbian Filip Krajinovic. Krajinovic is also at career high ranking of 158 now, as he beat Gerald Melzer in the semis while Kyrgios beat Daniel Kosakowski.

Santos Challenger (April 21-April 27, 2014)
Maximo Gonzalez won a clay court title in Brazil 7-5 6-3 over Gastao Elias, who has had a strong month of tennis. The formerly top 60 Argentine defeated Axel Michon in the semis, while Elias beat Diego Sebastian Schwartzman.



Savannah Challenger (April 21-April 27, 2014)
Kyrgios won his second straight challenger this month in Savannah, also on Har-Tru green clay, as he beat Jack Sock 2-6 7-6 6-4 for his third career Challenger title. Kyrgios beat Facundo Bagnis in the semis, while Sock beat Krajinovic, who fell just short of consecutive finals. Top seed Donald Young was upset by the rising Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka in round 1.

Shenzhen Challenger (April 21-April 27, 2014)
Gilles Muller won his second of three challenger titles already this season on hard courts in China. He beat Lukas Lacko 7-6 6-3, after beating Rendy Lu in the semis. Lacko beat Hiroki Moriya in the semis.

Vercelli Challenger (April 21-April 27, 2014)
Formerly top 40 Italian Simone Bolelli won at home on Italian clay against qualifier Mate Delic 6-2 6-2. Bolelli beat Andrea Arnaboldi in the semis, while Delic defeated Marco Cecchinato. 2 seed JL Struff was upset by Uladzimir Ignatik in round 1, and 3 seed David Goffin was upset by wild card Stefano Travaglia in round 2. Bolelli is back in the top 170 now.


An-Ning Challenger (April 28-May 4, 2014)
21 Aussie lefty Alex Bolt won his first career challenger title on clay in China and is now ranked in the top 250 as he defeated Nikola Mektic 6-2 7-5 in the final. Bolt beat the young Borna Coric in the semis, while Mektic beat another talented young Aussie, Jordan Thompson.

Cali Challenger (April 28-May 4, 2014)
21-year-old Chilean Gonzalo Lama won 6-3 4-6 6-3 on clay in Colombia over Marco Trungelliti. Lama beat Arthur De Greef in the semis, while Trungelliti beat Facundo Bagnis, who reached two semifinals this month.

Ostrava Challenger (April 28-May 4, 2014)
Russian Andrey Kuznetsov is close to returning to the top 100 as he won on clay 2-6 6-3 6-0 in the Czech Republic against Miloslav Mecir. Kuznetsov beat Blaz Rola in the semis, while Mecir defeated Andreas Haider-Maurer. Kuznetsov also beat top seed Radek Stepanek en route.

Taipei Challenger (April 28-May 4, 2014)
Gilles Mullerwon his second title this month 6-3 6-3 over JP Smith on indoor carpet in Taiwan. Muller beat Go Soeda in the semis, while Smith beat Tatsuma Ito.


Tunis Challenger (April 28-May 4, 2014)
Bolelli won for the second time this month 6-4 6-2 over Julian Reister on clay. Before that, he beat Mate Delic, who had a strong month, in the semis. Reister defeated Marsel Ilhan. 2 seed Tobias Kamke was upset in round 1 by Lamine Ouahab.

Shelby Rogers and Alex Kuznetsov Ready To Do Some Hurt In The Dirt At Roland Garros

Posted by Admin on May 6, 2013
Posted in: Roland Garros, USTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Shelby Rogers and Alex Kuznetsov Headed to Roland Garros With USTA Wild Cards

Kuznetsov in Tally

Kuznetsov in Tally

Two East Coasters are headed to Roland Garros as USTA Wild Cards. Charleston’s Shelby Rogers won the Women’s Wild Card by winning the Charlottesvile Challenger and making the quarters in Dothan. Richboro, Pennsylvania native and current Tampa resident Alex Kuznetsov won in Sarasota and made the quarters in Tallahassee and Savannah. They spoke with members of the press (and with me as well) during a USTA Conference call this afternoon.

Roland Garros 2012

Neither player admitted to changing their game over the last month. For Kuznetsov, it’s his first trip to Roland Garros since being a junior finalist at the French Open all the way back in 2004, when he lost to Gaels Monfils. For Rogers, it’s her first trip to Paris…ever.

“Honestly, to think I guess it’s been  almost 10 years that this will be my first French Open main draw, I would have said I’d liked to have been in a couple before now.”, Kuznetsov said.

Kuznetsov is headed to Nice, while Rogers will play in St. Gaudens.

Shelby Rogers (Photo: NBC 29/Charlottesville)

Both players went on an April run to take the wild cards, as neither player had a won a match in months prior to the USTA Har-Tru Wild Card Challenge, which featured three separate tournaments for the men and the women.

‘I hadn’t won a round since November of last year’, said Rogers, who grew up on the green clay in Mount Pleasant, S.C., in the shadow of the Family Circle Cup Tennis Center.

Shelby Rogers (Photo: NBC29/Charlottesville)

Rogers first stop in Paris is the Eiffel Tower, “but hopefully to stay on the red clay as long as I can”.

Rogers has no regrets for turning pro instead of entering college.

It’s always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I can always take classes, but I can’t always play on tour.

Both grew up on clay and were extensively trained on Har-Tru. Both would like to see more Har-Tru tournament opportunities in the U.S., especially Kuznetsov.

I would be for it, but I also think being that our main Grand Slam is on hard court, there also needs to be obviously an equal amount of hard court tournaments. Like Shelby, I also grew up playing on clay on the East Coast. I played at a club in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, which had indoor red clay. I think it’s a good surface to start younger kids on. I think they develop better on a clay court than they would a hard court. But, yeah, I’d also be for it if they had a few more events. But I’d like for them to keep some hard court tournaments, as well.

Do they like the round-robin format as opposed to a direct playoff?

Rogers was emphatic. “I think it’s a great way. It shows the players who can be consistent rather than over a weekend or a week. You have to bring your game throughout the whole three weeks.”

Kuznetsov Clinches

Kuznetsov Clinches

Kuznetsov clearly prefers the round-robin format as well, and implied that he may have been cut out of the Australian Open Wild Card field last December somewhat arbitrarily.

I think they chose the players they wanted in that one. I think this is an opportunity for the player who is playing the best tennis at the time. You’re also competing against players from different countries, so you’re not only competing against Americans. Obviously there’s players from South America and from Europe who grew up playing on clay, so they have a lot of experience. You deserve the wild card if you’re able to do that.

—Steve Fogleman

April 2013 Challenger Tour Recap: Young and Harrison Return to the Winners Circle, Teen Vesely Takes a Title

Posted by Admin on April 29, 2013
Posted in: ATP Challenger. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
April 2013 Challenger Tour Recap: Young and Harrison Return to the Winners circle, Teen Vesely Takes a Title

ATP Challenger Tour Official Page

Leon Challenger (April 1-April 7, 2013)

Tallahasee Donald Young by Steen Kirby

Donald Young won his first event of 2013 and his 6th career challenger in Leon, Mexico on hard courts over Jimmy Wang.  Formerly top 50, Young is trying to work his way back to ATP level action on the challenger circuit, and he moved back towards the top 150 with this title. Young beat Amir Weintraub in the semis while Wang beat Dudi Sela. The top two Israeli tennis players were both semifinalists. Young also beat top seed Yen-Hsun Lu in the quarterfinals.

St Brieuc Challenger (April 1-April 7, 2013)

Jesse Huta Galung won his 2nd challenger of 2013 and his 2nd challenger in France on hard courts in St. Brieuc. Galung beat Frenchmen Kenny De Schepper in the final and Jan Mertl in the semis, while De Schepper beat Martin Fischer.

Barranquilla Challenger (April 8-April 14, 2013)

Federico Del Bonis also won his 2nd challenger of 2013, again on clay, over countryman Facundo Bagnis.  Del Bonis beat Pedro Sousa in the semis, while Bagnis beat Arthur De Greef and also upset top seed Santiago Giraldo in the second round.

Guadalajara Challenger (April 8-April 14, 2013)

Veteran Alex Bogomolov won the 100k challenger on hard courts in Guadalajara, Mexico, triumphing over Rajeev Ram from a set down, after beating top seed Yen-Hsun Lu and then Adrian Mannarino in the semis. Ram beat Vasek Pospisil in the semis.

Mersin Challenger (April 8-April 14, 2013)

In Mersin, Turkey, on clay, the highest ranked teen in the ATP rankings, Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic (currently 162), won the title over veteran German Simon Greul. Vesely beat Bastian Knittel in the semis while Greul toughed it out over Stephane Robert.

Itajai Challenger (April 8-April 14, 2013)

Dutra Silva

Dutra Silva

In Brazil, on clay, Brazilian Rogerio Dutra Silva beat Jozef Kovalik to capture the title. Dutra Silva is at a career high ranking of 86 and continues to improve. He beat Gastao Elias in the semis while Kovalik, a qualifier, upset Rui Machado in the second round and beat Steven Diez in the semis.

Mexico City Challenger (April 15-April 21, 2013)

In Mexico City on hard courts, Andrej Martin, who is at a career high ranking of 156, beat Adrian Mannarino and in fact avenged his loss to Mannarino in the Noumea challenger at the start of the year. Martin also beat Michal Przysiezny in the semis while Mannarino beat Dudi Sela.

Panama City Challenger (April 15-April 21, 2013)

Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo won the title on clay in Panama, dropping down from struggles on the ATP Tour to find success on the challenger circuit. He beat Alejandro Gonzalez of Colombia in the final and Gerald Melzer in the semis. Gonzalez beat Victor Estrella in the semis.

Rome Challenger (April 15-April 21, 2013)

Julian Reister was tops on clay in Rome, beating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (who later went on to make the final in Bucharest) after beating Dusan Lajovic in the semis. Reister beat top seed Andrey Kuznetsov in round 2. Garcia-Lopez beat Simon Greul in the semis in what was a successful month of tennis for the veteran German.

Santos Challenger (April 15-April 21,2013)

In Santos, Brazil on clay, Gastao Elias of Portugal got revenge against Rogerio Dutra Silva and took the Santos Challenger.  Elias, of course, had lost to Dutra Silva in the semis of the Itajai challenger the previous week. Elias beat Guido Andreozzi in the semis, while Dutra Silva beat Guilherme Clezar.

Sao Paulo 2 Challenger (April 22-April 28, 2013)

Veteran Chilean Paul Capdeville returned to the top 150 and won the clay court Sao Paulo challenger over Renzo Olivo of Argentina. Olivo is 21 and burst into the top 200. He beat Guilherme Clezar in the semis, Clezar’s second straight semi.  Capdeville beat Maximo Gonzalez.

Savannah Challenger (April 22-April 28, 2013)

Ryan Harrison, 2012 ATP Newport

It has been a rough year for Ryan Harrison, but this victory in the Savannah Challenger has to boost his confidence. He is back at the cusp of the top 80 and beat Facundo Arguello, a fellow 20 year old, to take the title. Harrison also beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo in the semis and Wayne Odesnik in the quarters. Arguello beat Donald Young.

2013 Savannah Challenger Preview #USTAHarTruWC

Posted by Admin on April 22, 2013
Posted in: Savannah. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2013 Savannah Challenger Preview
Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com

Savannah Site

After Sarasota, the USTA Pro Circuit swings into Savannah for the 2nd stop on the Har-Tru USTA French Open Wild Card Challenge.

Savannah Challenger

USTA Pro Circuit
Savannah, Georgia, USA
April 20-April 28, 2013
Prize Money: $50,000

Top 8 seeds:

1: Mardy Fish
2: Michael Russell
3: Ryan Harrison
4: Alex Bogomolov
5: Rhyne Williams
6: Jack Sock
7: Wayne Odesnik
8: Tim Smyczek

Savannah has a similar field to Sarasota, with wild card recipient Mardy Fish being the notable addition.

Top Half:

Mardy Fish Atlanta 2012

Mardy Fish, who hasn’t played since Indian Wells, will open with veteran Spaniard Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, which is a pretty tough matchup. The winner will face a qualifier or wild card Sekou Bangoura. In the quarters, it could be a qualifier, Sarasota champ Alex Kuznetsov, Frank Dancevic or Rhyne Williams.

Ryan Harrison lost in the 1st round in Sarasota and continues to struggle. He try to change course against Mischa Zverev, a talented but terribly inconsistent veteran, followed by Bobby Reynolds or Ze Zhang. In the quarters Sarasota finalist Wayne Odesnik, Sarasota semifinalist Denys Molchanov, wild card Mitchell Krueger or a qualifier are the choices.

Bottom Half:

Michael Russell will play Bradley Klahn before Steve Johnson or wild card Tennys Sandgren. In the quarters, it could be Sarasota semifinalist Somdev Devvarman, a qualifier, Facundo Arguello or Tim Smyczek.

Alex Bogomolov will take on Denis Kudla then Donald Young or a qualifier and in the quarters Jack Sock, Teymuraz Gabashvili, Cedrik-Marcel Stebe and Peter Polansky are all options.

Predictions:

Semis:

Ramirez Hidalgo d. Odesnik

Arguello d. Stebe

Once again, the conundrum of picking between aging clay court specialists like Ramirez Hidalgo or young Americans with limited clay experience such as Williams is upon us. That being said, 35 year old RRH, while being only 2-6 on the year, has been playing all his matches at the ATP level and this will be his first challenger of the year. That experience should give him the edge, though Williams did beat him in Houston. Odesnik, who has little standing in his way to the semis will likely be fatigued at that point.

Arguello continues to be a raw talent and he did beat Harrison in Sarasota. Smyczek is a tough draw, but a qualifier or Devvarman should be a bit easier than Klahn or Johnson.

Stebe was in the past predicted to be ranked a lot higher at this point and his development has been slower than expected. But a very open section of the draw made up of struggling veterans and hard court players means he should make the semis.

Final:

Ramirez Hidalgo d. Arguello

Experience should trump youth in this one.