The talk of the week in the weird and wonderful world of the WTA was who would join Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova on the plane to Singapore.
Amongst the contenders this week were Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber, Lucie Safarova, Karolina Pliskova and Venus Williams — all looking to seal their spot amongst the top eight.
In Hong Kong, Kerber came close but was ultimately edged by Jelena Jankovic. The former world number one had ended Venus’ slight hopes of making the season ending championships in the semi-finals, and looked to do the same to Kerber who looked exceptional against Stosur.
The German was in control for most of the first two sets, taking the opener 6-3 and coming within a game away of winning and sealing her place in Singapore. But Jankovic held on to take the tiebreak as Kerber started to fade.
The Serb was dominant in the final set, not facing a break point as she cruised to victory and 15th WTA title.
Kerber will have to wait to seal her place in Singapore, but having made the final here she has all but confirmed her place in the season finale.
One player who will definitely be there is Radwanska. The Pole dominated maiden finalist Danka Kovinic 6-1, 6-2 to claim the Tianjin open title.
Radwanska did not drop a set all week en route to her sweet 16th WTA title, confirming her place in the Year End Championships. The former Wimbledon finalist will be making her fifth straight appearance at the Tour finale.
“Coming to Asia I didn’t really think I had any chance to go to Singapore, and it’s actually been a very good couple of weeks for me,” Radwanska said in her post match interview.
“Winning Tokyo gave me some chances to go there, and then every match started to matter after that. And I knew if I won here, I would make it there.
“But the pressure didn’t feel too big. I could really play my best tennis in Tianjin this week.”
A sensational turn around, starting with the semi final run at Wimbledon made up for a poor start to the season for the former world number two.
The Linz title went to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova after a straight sets victory over Ana Lena Freidsam.
The Russian claimed her first title of the year with a 6-4, 6-3 victory and extends her unbeaten streak indoors to 15 matches.
Pavs has been in great form this week, only dropping a set en route to her eighth career title despite suffering from nagging injuries.
Federer Wins First in Shanghai, Bryans Claim Golden Masters Crown Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
One of the greatest singles players of all time, and perhaps the greatest doubles tandem of all time both made more history at the Masters series tournament in Shanghai this past week. Roger Federer defeated Gilles Simon, who was competing in his second career Masters 1000 level final, 7-6 7-6 to win his maiden Shanghai title. The title is the 23rd at the Masters Series level for the Swiss and he returns to the World Number 2 ranking at the age of 33.
Federer saved five match points against Leo Mayer before winning a third set tiebreak 9-7 to advance to round 3, and he took control of all his other matches, comfortably handling Roberto Bautista Agut, and Julien Benneteau before winning a thrilling contest with world number 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals 6-4 6-4.. The two titans of the game battled each other and Federer took just the slightest advantage, knocking out the two time defending Shanghai champion with a pair of breaks.
Simon has been playing some great tennis at the end of the season, and he has had a surprising run of form in Asia. The Frenchman was untroubled by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez after a poor first set, he survived a long match with Stan Wawrinka, eventually prevailing in 3 sets, as both players had chances to take the match, and Wawrinka gave away a break advantage a couple of times. Simon had an easier time against Melake Jaziri in round 3, and then he beat Tomas Berdych in 3 sets to setup a semifinal with Feliciano Lopez, who had beaten Rafael Nadal and John Isner earlier in the week. Simon won that one in two sets with a lone tiebreak, and as I said he has been showing some great fighting spirit in recent weeks, outlasting and out grinding his opponents in some tight contests.
The Bryan Brothers have no other accomplishments to lay claim to in terms of the ATP doubles circuit, after they won Shanghai over Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. They have now won all of the ATP Masters Series events as a men’s doubles team, along with all of the Grand Slams, and they remain the World’s Number 1 ranked Men’s doubles tandem.
2014 ATP Shanghai Preview, Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
The pinnacle of the Asian swing, the Shanghai Rolex Masters, which is also one of the favorite stops on tour for the players, kicks off overnight Sunday, and most of the big names are in action this week vying for critical ranking points at the end of the season.
ATP Shanghai
Shanghai Rolex Masers
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Shanghai, China
October 5-October 12, 2014
Prize Money: $4,195,895
Top 8 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Novak Djokovic (1)
2: Rafael Nadal (2)
3: Roger Federer (3)
4: Stan Wawrinka (4)
5: David Ferrer (5)
6: Tomas Berdych (6)
7: Kei Nishikori (7)
8: Milos Raonic (8)
Of active top 50 players, only Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, Fernando Verdasco, Lleyton Hewitt, Andreas Seppi, and Philipp Kohlschreiber are not playing in Shanghai this week.
First Round matchups to watch:
Lukas Rosol vs. Dominic Thiem
Thiem earned a big win earlier this season in Miami over Rosol, and he’d love to hand the Czech his sixth consecutive loss this week in Shanghai. The Austrian is carrying his own two match losing streak, and he was rather disappointing against Kevin Anderson in Tokyo, but I do favor him to recover and earn his second career win against Rosol.
Santiago Giraldo vs. Vasek Pospisil
Pospisil has a pair of wins over Giraldo this year, and given Santi has had a strong season, those are quality wins for the Canadian, both on hard courts. He played a spirited contest with Novak Djokovic in Beijing, losing in straight sets, while Giraldo is reeling from back to back losses, though he made the semis in Shenzen. Giraldo can certainly create some highlights but I feel Pospisil has his number and his form is steady, at the moment, so he should advance.
Richard Gasquet vs. Jeremy Chardy
Richard Gasquet should be on upset alert against his countryman Chardy. The Frenchman with the gifted forehand, Chardy, reached the quarterfinals in Tokyo and recorded a quality win over Kevin Anderson en route. The Frenchman with the gifted backhand, and more defensive approach, Gasquet, has lost two straight matches and was run off the court by Rafael Nadal in Beijing. Gasquet has not had a great year and he appears to be slumping at the end of it. Gasquet has a lone head to head win five years ago on a hard court, but I have Chardy in an upset in my bracket.
Yen-Hsun Lu vs. Marcel Granollers
Rendy Lu comes off taking the silver medal as the top seed in the Asian Games competition, while Granollers upset David Ferrer in Tokyo before falling to Steve Johnson in 3 sets in round 2. Lu has beaten Granollers twice this season and barring some sort of physical problem he should record a third win over the Spaniard.
Top Half:
Novak Djokovic will likely go into Shanghai looking to do a double for the third year in a row, as he is in the final of Beijing presently and a favorite to take the title there. He won Shanghai in 2012 and 2013 and he will open with the Rosol/Thiem winner. A match between Djokovic and the young gun Thiem would be entertaining.
In round 3, it should be Djokovic against Kevin Anderson or Tommy Robredo. Robredo lost a 3 setter to John Isner in Beijing, after reaching the final in Shenzen, and he is either in great form or exhausted at the moment. If you remember, Robredo upset Djokovic in Cincy earlier this season. Anderson only made it to round 2 in Tokyo, a disappointing performance. Robredo opens with Mikhail Kukushkin and Anderson opens with a qualifier. Potential qualifiers include the dangerous Viktor Troicki, Bernard Tomic, the rising Peter Gojowczyk, and young Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis.
David Ferrer has lost two straight matches, and the 2011 Shanghai finalist is in a bad slump at the moment. He will open with a qualifier or Beijing semifinalist Martin Klizan. Klizan played fantastic in Beijing, qualifying and then defeating Rafael Nadal en route to the semis, but he is likely to be too exhausted to produce similar results in Shanghai. He was meekly dispatched by Tomas Berdych in the semis there. Unless Ferrer falls to a qualifier, maybe even Troicki, who beat him in Shenzen, the Spaniard is likely to face Andy Murray in the third round.
Murray, twice a champion in Shanghai, made the semis in Beijing after winning in Shenzen and is playing great right now. The path for Murray to round 3 is a qualifier and Edouard Roger-Vasselin or Jerzy Janowicz. He beat Janowicz in 3 sets in Beijing, and the Pole likely wants a rubber match. It’s a hard section to predict, but a Djokovic vs. Murray rematch that Djoker just won in Beijing, is the most likely outcome in the quarterfinals.
Roger Federer is making his Asian swing debut in Shanghai. He opens with Leo Mayer or Di Wu, an easy start, and then one of Pospisil/Giraldo over Alex Dolgopolov/Roberto Bautista Agut. Dolgo struggled in his first match back on tour since injury, falling to Jack Sock in Tokyo, while RBA suffered a heartbreaking loss to Gilles Simon, also in Tokyo. He gave away multiple match point chances and had to retire in the third set due to exhaustion. I have a Federer vs. Pospisil round 3 meeting set, and then Federer through to the quarters. Giraldo and RBA also could make the round of 16, and Dolgopolov is capable of catching fire.
Possible Tokyo champion, and Kuala Lumpur champion, Kei Nishikori will play Jack Sock or a qualifier in round 2. The Japanese number one could be seeking his third consecutive ATP title, in what would be a spectacular feat. Sock was a quarterfinalist in Tokyo and is at a career high ranking. Unless Nishikori is suffering the effects of exhaustion from all of his tennis in the past two weeks, look for him to get through and face Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16.
Dimi opens with an out of shape and out of form Denis Istomin, who scored a couple of wins to reach the quarterfinals in Tokyo, and then Julien Benneteau or Ze Zhang in round 2. Dimitrov was a quarterfinalist in Beijing, though he didn’t play his best. That being said, I like Dimitrov over Nishikori and into the quarterfinals given the fatigue factor. A fresh Nishikori would beat Dimitrov right now on any surface, but a tired Nishikori should be a slight underdog, even with Dimi not at his best. Federer and Dimitrov are my picks to meet in the quarterfinals.
Bottom Half:
Beijing quarterfinalist Rafael Nadal, who played two good matches before being shockingly upset by Klizan, opens
with Feliciano Lopez or a qualifier. Lopez played terribly against Tomas Berdych in Beijing, and the qualifier will have an upset chance in that match. Nadal should face John Isner in the round of 16, the American will open with Pablo Andujar, then Steve Johnson or a qualifier. Johnson did well to make quarters in Tokyo and is improving, but Isner should be superior. A qualifier faces Johnson in round 1. Nadal should have a decided edge over Isner, though anything is possible.
Tokyo finalist and possible champ Milos Raonic, who is playing some great tennis right now, will open with Joao Sousa or Juan Monaco, with Sousa also playing well. Raonic could face Ernests Gulbis in round 3, though Gulbis is really struggling and retired with an injury in his last match in Beijing. He opens with the out of form Mikhail Youzhny, and then the Ivan Dodig/Pablo Cuevas winner. Dodig gave Kei Nishikori a quality match in Tokyo, and I have him facing Raonic in round 3, getting past Gulbis to get there. Raonic should be safe for the quarterfinals.
Stan Wawrinka was shocked in round 1 in Tokyo by challenger journeyman Tatsuma Ito. He will look to assuage the memory of that poor result against Gilles Simon or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Lopez was poor against Djokovic in Beijing. Simon made the semis in Tokyo and played very well but appeared tired out in that semifinal. I think Wawrinka will get it together and reach the quarterfinals, as possible round 3 opponents Fabio Fognini, and Donald Young don’t seem overly imposing. A qualifier is also in this section and Chinese wild card Chunan Wang. Look for Young to have a dark horse shot at the quarterfinals, as he gave Kei Nishikori a quality test in Tokyo.
Beijing finalist and possible champion Tomas Berdych will open with the Chardy/Gasquet winner. He should be in good enough form to get to round 3, where Beijing quarterfinalist Marin Cilic, who was dispatched by Andy Murray, is a possible opponent. Cilic needs to beat his slumping countryman Ivo Karlovic, and then the Granollers/Lu winner. Cilic vs. Berdych is a hard match to pick but given Cilic has won their last two meetings, both in grand slams (the US Open and Wimbledon), I have him winning for a third consecutive time and reaching the quarters.
Dark Horse: Donald Young
I have Young in the quarterfinals as a non-seed getting past a qualifier, Fabio Fognini, and Wawrinka in consecutive matches. Young has beaten Wawrinka before and both of their career h2h matches have been close, including a 3 setter in Shanghai in 2011. I feel Wawrinka is not playing near his best right now and DY can capitalize on that. He should lose to Cilic or Berdych in the quarters.
Predictions
Quarters:
Djokovic d. Murray
Federer d. Dimitrov
Cilic d. Young
Raonic d. Nadal
Djokovic just handled Murray in Beijing with ease. Federer and Dimitrov are often compared to each other. Federer won their only meeting last year indoors, and Dimitrov didn’t appear to be playing that well in Beijing. Cilic or Berdych should have the edge over Wawrinka or Young, and Cilic is a player it is hard to predict form wise right now. Nadal normally dominates Raonic but I feel he’s still finding his form, so Raonic should get some luck and catch him in a beatable state.
Semis:
Djokovic d. Federer
Raonic d. Cilic
Djokovic has generally had an edge this year in their head to head meetings and he tends to play very well during the fall swing. Raonic is too consistent for Cilic (or Berdych), assuming he’s not too exhausted. The Canadian’s consistency all year has been underrated, and Raonic beat CIlic last year on an outdoor hard court.
Final:
Djokovic d. Raonic
Djokovic is 2-0 this year against Raonic. Both of those matches came on clay though, and Raonic will have his chances, but Djokovic should be too good to not take the title in Shanghai.
Chris De Waard’s Picks
Quarters
Djokovic d. Murray
Federer d. Dimitrov
Cilic d. Wawrinka
Nadal d. Raonic
2014 Genova, Medellin, Shanghai, Alphen, St. Remy & Brasov Challenger Recaps Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
Vik Troicki
Genova
The much anticipated first round clash between Viktor Troicki and second seed Dustin Brown, the defending champion, resulted in a victory for the Serb, 6-1 7-6(4). Brown had a 5-2 lead in the second set, but couldn’t build on it. The loss means he lost his top 100 spot and now sits at the 119th ranking position. Troicki, surprisingly, fell in the quarterfinal to Mate Delic in a dramatic encounter, 7-6(6) 1-6 7-6(8). Delic barely made it into the main draw, entering as an alt, but he made it all the way to the final, where he lost, 6-1 7-5 to top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Only his first round match against qualifier Adelchi Virgili was challenging, as it was the only one in which he dropped a set. The victory means a significant rise in the rankings for the Spaniard, going from #95 to #75. Delic lands at a new career high ranking of #154, rising 24 places.
Medellin
This tournament turned out to be a really surprising one, as American Austin Krajicek stunned a lot of accomplished clay court players en route to the title. Sure, he was seeded (#8), but Krajicek’s clay court résumé is pretty much non-existent and no one saw him making a dent this tournament. He fought really hard and survived three three set matches, against Giovanni Lapentti in the second round, top seed Alejandro Gonzalez in the quarterfinal and Andre Ghem in the semi-final. In the final he beat third seed Joao Souza, 7-5 6-3 to claim his first ever Challenger title, with his ranking rising to #164.
Shanghai
The seeds held up nicely in Shanghai, as six of them made it to the quarterfinals. Fourth seed James Duckworth lost to Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round. Nishioka, who qualified for the US Open and fell to Paolo Lorenzi in the first round, suffering from problems with the heat, clearly recovered from those physical problems as he went all the way to the final. There, he faced second seed Somdev Devvarman, with whom he fought out a marathon match. Eventually Nishioka prevailed, winning 6-4 6-7(5) 7-6(3) after saving a match point at 5-6 in the third set with a clean forehand winner. It’s the first Challenger title for the 18 year old, who rises 78 ranking spots to #167. Devvarman’s ranking remains the same, as he defended secound round points from the US Open.
Alphen
My prediction considering top seed Robin Haase’s performance here came through, just like at the Sport1 Open a month and a half ago. Jesse Huta Galung was too much for him, 6-4 1-6 6-4. Huta Galung withdrew from his previous two tournaments with injury and was about to withdraw from this one as well, but his girlfriend convinced the three time Alphen winner to play. It just goes to show how important it is to have a strong woman by your side, as Huta Galung didn’t drop another set en route to his fourth Alphen title. A remarkable achievement considering his horrific year, in which he dropped from #92 to outside of the top 200. Ironically, Huta Galung will not be playing the Davis Cup tie against Croatia this week, while the players who will had a terrible week.
Haase’s faith is known. Second seed Igor Sijsling got absolutely hammered by Daniel Munoz-De La Nava, the eventual runner-up, in the quarterfinal, 6-3 6-2. Fourth seed Thiemo de Bakker lost 6-3 6-7(4) 6-4 to Kimmer Coppejans in the first round after having an absolutely shocking break point conversion of 0/17.
The performance of young Frenchman Tristan Lamasine deserves a notion as well, as he defeated #3 seed Daniel Gimeno-Traver to reach the second Challenger semi-final of his career. He started the year outside of the top 600, but currently is on the verge of breaking the top 200 at #216. Huta Galung re-enters the top 200 at #190, an improvement of 39 spots, while Munoz-De La Nava makes a big jump from #309 to #255.
Huta Galung stated that he wants to get back into the top 100, with the top 150 being his goal for the remainder of this season.
St. Remy
The tournament started off with the end of Alexander Zverev’s downswing, as he had hit a rough patch after his breakthrough semi-final at Hamburg. He eliminated top seed Paul-Henri Mathieu in the first round, another top 100 scalp for the 17 year old, 6-4 6-2. Zverev eventually fell in the quarterfinal against #7 seed Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 7-5 4-6 6-2. Vincent Millot was the surprise of the tournament. The unseeded Frenchman eliminated second seed Sergiy Stakhovsky in the semi-final and Nicolas Mahut was needed to stop him in the final, as the third seed beat him 6-7(3) 6-4 6-3 to claim the title. The result saw Mahut back into the top 100 at #95, rising eight spots.
Brasov
A tournament to quickly forget for second seed Pere Riba, who got upset by Roberto Marcora in the first round, 4-6 6-1 6-2. Not only Riba disappointed, but every seed in this half did, as the quarterfinal spots were solely occupied by unseeded players. #3 Facundo Arguello fell in the first round as well, while #5 Gerald Melzer and #7 Marius Copil fell in the second round. Melzer fell to qualifier Guillaume Rufin, who profited from the draw opening up and made it all the way to the final. There, top seed Andreas Haider-Maurer was simply too strong, 6-3 6-2. Surprisingly enough, neither of the finalists saw their ranking improve. Haider-Maurer was defending the title, while Rufin was defending a second round performance at the US Open.
ATP Shanghai, Brasov, St. Remy Challenger Previews, Predictions Jeff McMillan, Tennis East Coast
Road To The Shanghai Rolex Masters
ATP Challenger Tour
Shanghai, China
August 31-Septmebr 7
Prize Money: $50,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1. Go Soeda (106)
2. Somdev Devvarman (143)
3. Yuki Bhambri (151)
4. James Duckworth (154)
5. Luca Vanni (170)
6. Ze Zhang (182)
7. Di Wu (210)
8. Thomas Fabbiano (224)
First round matchups to watch:
Danai Udomchoke vs Hyeon Chung
Battle of young vs old here as 33 year old veteran Udomchoke battles against 18-year-old rising star Chung. Chung is coming off a big challenger win in Bangkok last week where he beat Udomchoke 7-5 6-3 in the first round. These two will have a rare back-to-back week rematch here in Shanghai. It will be a big test for the 18-year-old’s stamina to see how he can cope with playing the very next week after a long week in Bangkok.
Go Soeda vs Jason Jung
Soeda is going through a very rough patch at the moment. He was blasted in US Open qualies by out of practice Oscar Hernandez. Despite being the 31 seed here in Shanghai, Soeda is largely not expected to win this title. He has a formidable test in round 1 vs gritty American Jason Jung. Jung, the former college player for the Michigan Wolverines, is good on hard courts and can give Soeda a tough test and potentially pull the upset over the top seed and end the Japanese’s run before it even begins.
Top half preview:
Soeda is the top seed in the top half but is in poor form, leaving the draw wide open for anyone to make a semifinal run. The top half also includes James Duckworth and Ze Zhang, two players who had disappointing losses in New York as they attempted to qualify for the US Open. It will be interesting to see if Zhang can put his heartbreaking loss to James McGee behind him and show up in his home country, where he has semifinal points from a year ago to defend.
The most interesting player in the top half of the draw is Yoshihito Nishioka, the Japanese youngster who just qualified for his first major at the US Open. He had to retire in his match vs Lorenzi in round 1 in NYC, but he is thought to be near 100% here in Shanghai. He is likely headed for a big 2nd round match with James Duckworth and then potentially a quarterfinal vs Ze Zhang.
Bottom Half Preview:
The more interesting half of the draw is the bottom half. It boasts the top two Indian players in the world, Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri, as well as Chinese #2 Di Wu, who will be playing close to home in Shanghai.
This section is another wide-open one, as just like the top half, the top seed in the half (#2 seed Somdev Devvarman) is in dreadful form. Despite the poor form, Devvarman has found himself in a soft quarter and should reach the quarters with little sweat and likely to face Di Wu, who is also in a soft quarter.
A potential sleeper in this section is Sanam Singh. The former elite college player at the University of Virginia has been on a roll lately. He won 8 matches just to get into the US Open qualies and qualified here. He is best on fast hard courts and could do damage here.
I look for Yuki Bhambri to get a big challenger win here in Shanghai. He has been in relatively good form and really needs this to boost himself closer towards the top 100. Wu and Zhang will give great efforts in their home countries but come up just short for the title. An all-Chinese final is not out of the question if Wu can get past Bhambri in the semifinals.
BRD Brasov Challenger
ATP Challenger Tour
Brasov, Romania
August 31-September 7
$45,950
Top 8 seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses):
1. Andreas Haider-Maurer (110)
2. Pere Riba (116)
3. Facundo Arguello (120)
4. Adrian Ungur (137)
5. Gerald Melzer (145)
6. Chase Buchanan (158)
7. Marius Copil (175)
8. Jarsolav Pospisil (195)
Top Half Preview:
The Top half is well balanced with a few players who could make a semi or final run. Haider-Maurer is the favorite to emerge from the section, but home country Romanian Adrian Ungur could be a spoiler in the section for the top seed. American and former Ohio State Buckeye player Chase Buchanan is in the top half, making an interesting choice to venture out and play on European clay after spending most of his career on American hard courts. It is hard to see him beating more experienced clay courters on European soil.
Bottom Half Preview:
The bottom half is the stronger of the two halves as even the unseeded players are dangerous. Players like Guillame Rufin and Lucas Pouille lurk, and they could be sleepers in this tournament. Despite the strength of the unseeded players, the seeds are favored to move on to the quarters here. Copil, Arguello, Melzer and Riba are all pretty good players on the dirt and make their livings grinding out European challenger events. How much advantage will the hometown venue and crowd give Copil here vs the more established clay players Arguello and Riba? That is the question in this part of the draw.
Predictions:
Quarters:
Haider-Maurer def Buchanan
Ungur def Veic
Arguello def Copil
Riba def Rufin
Semifinals:
Haider-Maurer def Ungur
Arguello def Riba
Final:
Haider-Maurer def Arguello
There will be some long 3 setters late in this tournament that will decide the winner. I expect Arguello vs Copil to be a war in the quarters as well as the semifinal. Coming off of two hard fought matches, Arguello will be a little bit too spent to overcome Haider-Maurer, who will have had an easier road to the final.
Trophee Des Alpilles
ATP Challenger Tour
St. Remy, France
September 2-September 7 2014
$55,763
Top Seeds: (ATP rank)
1. Paul Henri Mathieu (81)
2. Sergei Stakhovsky (93)
3. Nicolas Mahut (103)
4. Kenny De Schepper (105)
5. Evgeny Donskoy (118)
6. Norbert Gombos (129)
7. Pierre Herbert (136)
8. Hiroki Moriya (149)
First round matches to watch:
Paul-Henri Mathieu vs Alexander Zverev
ATP veteran Mathieu is the top seed here in St.Remy. He probably possesses the most ability of all the players in the draw, but his motivation can be questioned for a challenger event for a player used to ATP level matches. Meanwhile, Zverev is one of the hottest prospects in the game right now. The 17-year-old German burst onto the scene with a semifinal run in his hometown Hamburg 500 event in July and has had people talking since. This will be a very intriguing match to follow. Experience vs promise.
Top half Preview:
Mathieu is the top seed here and looms at the top of the draw. The rest of the seeds in this section are not the most intimidating, as Mahut is in poor form while Gombos and Herbert are very beatable despite their seeds. That leaves the door open for players like Josselin Ouanna and Fabrice Martin.
Bottom half Preview:
Stakhovsky is the favorite in this section, but dangerous floaters loom. Evgeny Donskoy has a good shot to get out of this section and to the final, as does unseeded Ruben Bemelmans. The winner of Donskoy vs Stakhovsky could very well win this whole tournament.
Predictions:
Quarterfinals:
Zverev def Herbert
Martin def Mahut
Bemelmans def De Schepper
Donskoy def Stakhovsky
Semifinals:
Martin def Zverev
Donskoy def Bemelmans
Final:
Donskoy def Martin
A little bit of a surprise here. Martin has no recent results to indicate he can make the final here, but the others in the section are either in poor form, lacking in proper motivation or too inexperienced and that is why Martin will emerge as the surprise finalist here. Donskoy overcomes Stakhovsky in a very tight match and from that big win will roll to the title herein St. Remy.
Djokovic Defends Shanghai, Wins Second Straight ATP Event
Novak Djokovic beat Juan Martin Del Potro in a competitive match 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 to defend his Shanghai Rolex Masters title and win his second straight event. He also won at Beijing last week.
The Serb will remain at number 2 in the rankings but he is at least keeping pace with Rafael Nadal, who Del Potro beat in the semis. Djokovic, meanwhile, scored wins over Marcel Granollers, Fabio Fognini, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
In addition to Nadal, Del Potro beat Philipp Kohlschreiber, got a walkover against Tommy Haas, and routined quarterfinalist Nicolas Almagro. A healthy Del Potro had a strong Asian swing, as did Djokovic, and they are finishing the year strong.
Ivan Dodig/Marcel Melo won the doubles over David Marrero/Fernando Verdasco.
2013 ATP Shanghai Preview, Predictions
Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
The pinnacle of the Asian swing, the Masters 1000 event in Shanghai on hardcourts starts today.
Shanghai Rolex Masters
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Shanghai, China
October 6-October 13, 2013
Prize Money: $3,849,445
Top 8 seeds (who all receive first round byes)
1: Novak Djokovic
2: Rafael Nadal
3: David Ferrer
4: Tomas Berdych
5: Roger Federer
6: Juan Martin Del Potro
7: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
8: Stanislas Wawrinka
Rafa Nadal has returned to number one after reaching the Beijing final, and Del Potro and Federer have switched spots, but that isn’t reflected in the draw this week.
First round matchups to watch:
(9)Richard Gasquet vs. Vasek Pospisil
Gasquet should be a heavy favorite in this one, but after being routined by Novak Djokovic again in Beijing where he reached the semis, you have to be on the lookout for a possible letdown here against the dangerous floater Pospisil.
Vasek nearly knocked off David Ferrer in Beijing, but came up just short again in another big match. The up and coming Pospisil continues searching for big name scalps and Gasquet fits the bill.
(WC)Lleyton Hewitt vs. Andreas Seppi
Lleyton Hewitt routined Tommy Haas in Beijing before falling totally flat and winning a mere 2 games in his next match against Fabio Fognini. Basically, you never know what kind of form the Aussie is going to be in from day to day at this point. Seppi, meanwhile is 0-2 post-US Open, though he does have a 2-1 hard court h2h edge over Hewitt. Again, this match basically comes down to which Hewitt shows up.
(13)Gilles Simon vs. Benoit Paire
The two Frenchmen have split meetings this year, and this will likely be the rubber match. Paire won their indoor meeting at the start of the year in Montpellier, and overall has a 2-1 h2h edge. However, his form is questionable, as he last played the Orleans challenger in France and has not been on the Asian swing until now. Simon won Metz and did well in Bangkok, but pulled out of Tokyo with a mild injury caused by fatigue. Hopefully he will be back in full form, as he has struggled with injury issues this year and in the past. Expect a spirited match, and I think Simon slips past his countryman.
(12)Kei Nishikori vs. Grigor Dimitrov
The first meeting between 2 hyped young players, Nishikori will likely be the favorite, though he lost earlier than expected in the Quarterfinals of Tokyo, after winning a couple of rounds. Dimitrov is struggling, having switched coaching teams and playing just one Asian swing event, Beijing, where he was dispatched by Roberto Bautista-Agut without trouble. Nishikori is dealing with some knee issues, but even then I think he gets past the struggling Dimitrov.
Jurgen Melzer vs. Ivan Dodig
Melzer has one favorable head to head win, on indoor hard courts last year in Memphis against Dodig. But Dodig has the form edge as he comes off semis in Tokyo, where he notably upset Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round. Melzer lost to Nishikori in round 1 of the same event in a close match. This one could go either way, but if Dodig serves well he should advance.
(11) Tommy Haas vs. Sam Querrey
Haas has a 3-2 h2h edge over the American, but they have not played since 2009 and form perhaps favors Querrey, who beat Mikhail Youzhny and Stan Wawrinka back to back in Beijing. Haas was, as mentioned, routined by Lleyton Hewitt in the first round of the same event. Haas has struggled down the stretch and seems to have lost his hot form from earlier in the year. Perhaps fatigue is playing a part as he is a veteran player. I think Querrey grabs the upset.
Feliciano Lopez vs. Jarkko Nieminen
Lopez is ranked higher, but Nieminen has owned the h2h here, 7-3, including wins in every hard court meeting they have had. He made the Quarters in Tokyo while Lopez has been so-so, winning a couple of matches in Bangkok and then losing in the second round of Tokyo. This one could also go either way, and should be an entertaining southpaw battle, but I think Nieminen will notch the win.
Top Half:
Defending Champion and Beijing champion Novak Djokovic will play his Davis Cup teammate Janko Tipsarevic or Marcel Granollers in round 2, with Beijing quarterfinalist Fabio Fognini, a qualifier, Tommy Robredo or Albert Montanes awaiting in round 3.
Roger Federer returns to tennis against the winner of Seppi/Hewitt in what would be a classic and highly anticipated rivalry throwback If he meets Hewitt in round 2. The winner of that will face Gasquet/Pospisil, a qualifier or Gael Monfils in what is a pretty loaded section.
David Ferrer has been struggling, but he did make the quarters in Beijing and he will play Lukas Rosol or Bangkok finalist Julien Benneteau in round 2 before Simon/Paire or Florian Mayer/Di Wu.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga starts against Mikhail Youzhny in all likelihood, assuming Youzhny beats Pablo Andujar. If he gets past that, he’ll face Dodig/Melzer or Nishikori/Dimitrov in round 3. This is another competitive section.
Bottom Half:
Beijing finalist and new world number 1 Rafael Nadal has most certainly earned that ranking this year, having only lost once before the final in every tournament he has played a match in this year. Rafa opens against a qualifier or Alex Dolgopolov, who made the quarters in Tokyo and showed flashes of good form that has been missing most of this year. Nadal is 3-0 career against the Ukranian, and has never dropped a set to him. In round 3, Rafa vs. John Isner awaits, a rematch of the Cincy final. Isner just needs to beat a qualifier and Dmitry Tursunov/Carlos Berlocq.
Stan Wawrinka, who is chasing after the World Tour finals and trying to surpass Roger Federer in the rankings to become the Swiss number 1, opens with Kevin Anderson or Victor Hanescu. If he wins, he should expect Tokyo finalist and Bangkok champion Milos Raonic, who is on fire and opens with a qualifier, and then Fernando Verdasco or Ze Zhang.
Tomas Berdych retired against Rafa in the first set in Beijing. He will open with Nieminen/Lopez in what could be a troublesome match if Berdych isn’t healthy. The winner will get Bernard Tomic/Jeremy Chardy or Nicolas Almagro/qualifier in round 3. Tomic and Chardy are struggling, Almagro made the semis in Tokyo in a surprise and Berdych and Almagro always seem to find each other in these draws.
The Tokyo champion, Juan Martin Del Potro, opens with Philipp Kohlschreiber or Mao-Xin Gong, and then should expect Querrey/Haas in round 3, though a qualifier or Daniel Brands are options as well.
Dark Horse: Ivan Dodig
Dodig is in good form. If he can beat Melzer, and then either a struggling Dimitrov or a slowed down Nishikori, he will get Tsonga, who he just beat in Tokyo. After that, he should play Ferrer/Simon for a shot at the semis. This is an open section that is hard to pick, and he has an outside chance of making a deep run.
Predictions
Quarters:
Djokovic d. Gasquet
Ferrer d. Dodig
Del Potro d. Almagro
Nadal d. Raonic
Djokovic dispatches Gasquet once again. Assuming the Frenchman beats Federer. I really don’t think Ferrer is in good form at all, but Simon is a wild card with his injury issues. Either one should beat Dodig and make the semis. Also watch out for Tsonga/Nishikori/Melzer in the toughest and most open section of the draw.
Del Potro just beat Almagro in Tokyo and is playing well. Nadal shouldn’t have any trouble continuing to win matches.
Semis:
Djokovic d. Ferrer
Nadal d. Del Potro
Should be somewhat straightforward semis. Del Potro could trouble Nadal but probably not right now.
Final:
Nadal d. Djokovic
Expecting a US Open and Beijing final rematch, and thinking the same result as I have been predicting, Nadal is simply a beast right now and nobody seems able to tame him, though Djokovic will put up his best effort once again as he did in Beijing. With Murray out of the picture right now, these two guys seem to be on a collision course for everything and are the best two players in the game, bar none.
