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WTA St. Petersburg, Taipei Previews and Predictions

Posted by Admin on January 29, 2017
Posted in: St Petersburg Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2017 WTA St. Petersburg, Taipei Previews and Predictions
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

After a thrilling Australian Open which saw Serena Williams make history by winning her 23rd major title, the WTA tour heads to St. Petersburg and Taipei as many players look to bounce back from their disappointment down under. Here is a rundown of the week’s upcoming tennis.

st-pete-ladies

St. Petersburg

The tour returns to Russia for the second ever St. Petersburg ladies trophy which was won last year by Roberta Vinci. Simona Halep is the top seed in a field which also features Australian Open finalist Venus Williams.

simona-halep

Simona Halep

Top Quarter:

To say Halep’s Australian open was a disappointment would be an understatement. The Romanian was bundled out in the opening round as her dreams of a first Grand Slam title were put on hold once again. The top seed will look to bounce back in St. Petersburg, but she has a very tough draw ahead of her. After an opening round bye she could face promising youngster Ana Konjuh or the tricky Monica Niculescu. Daria Kasatkina faces Belinda Bencic in the pick of the opening round matches with the winner likely going all the way to the quarter finals. With Halep looking in poor form down under, the upset is very much on the cards here, and I back the home favourite to get it done.

Prediction: Kasatkina def. Halep

Second Quarter:

It is hard to predict how Venus will approach this tournament as she will likely be in need of rest after making the Australian Open final. She has an opening round bye before a potential meeting with Kristina Mladenovic in the second round and from there, we could see the effects of a big run take shape. Defending champion Roberta Vinci lands in this section and is the most likely to take advantage of Venus’ likely fatigue. She faces big-serving Timea Babos in the first round before meeting Irina Begu in round two. It is difficult to predict the Italian to not make the quarter finals, and from there I believe she will take advantage of a tired Venus to progress to the last four

Prediction: Vinci def. Venus

Third Quarter:

Many will label Svetlana Kuznetsova as the favourite as she returns to her home country. However, the third seed has a tough opening match in the second round against Daria Gavrilova. Kiki Bertens may look at this as a chance of securing a first Premier title, but the seventh seed has some tough players in her draw. Annika Beck is the first opponent followed by either Johanna Larsson or Yulia Putintseva. There are a few players who can spring a surprise and make the last eight in this quarter, but I am backing Kuznetsova to get it done with some tight matches along the way.

Prediction: Kuznetsova def. Bertens

Fourth Quarter:

Dominika Cibulkova will head into St. Petersburg as one of the title favourites as she looks to claim her first tournament win of the year. The Slovak has a bye into round two where she will likely face Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian had a good Australian Open and is a dangerous player to be drawn against. Another home crowd favourite will be Elena Vesnina, who is the fifth seed in the draw. She faces fellow Russian and doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova in the opening round with the winner likely going on to a meeting with feisty Frenchwoman Alize Cornet in round two. I can see Vesnina being an early upset, but Cibulkova will have enough quality to make the final four.

Prediction: Cibulkova def. Makarova

Semi Finals:

Kasatkina def. Vinci

Cibulkova def. Kuznetsova

Kasatkina will have a good tournament this week and she will make the final after a hard fought victory against Vinci. Cibulkoa vs Kuznetsova could go either way, but I am backing the second seed to get it done.

Final:

Dominika Cibulkova

Cibulkova def. Kasatkina

Cibulkova’s experience and power will be too much for the younger Kasatkina who puts up a good fight but ultimately falls to the higher ranked player.

taiwan-open

Taipei

The Taiwan Open is making its debut as an International event this year and boasts a decent field with Elina Svitolina as the top seed.

Top Quarter:

The top seed is the heavy favourite to take home the title and  faces Evgeniya Rodina in the opening round. Kateryna Kozlova or Lucie Hradecka will await in the second round. Shelby Rogers is the other seed in this section and she’ll meet a local wildcard in her opener. The American will then likely move on to face compatriot Nicole Gibbs in the following round. My prediction is Svitolina to make it through the section without many issue. Rogers is the biggest test, but it is one she should pass.

Prediction: Svitolina def. Rogers

Second Quarter:

2017 could turn out to be a big year for Caroline Garcia, who is still waiting on a breakthrough. Winning Taipei would not grant that, but it would be a step in the right direction for the Frenchwoman. Garcia opens against qualifier Marina Erakovic before meeting Jana Cepelova or Mandy Minella in the second round. This could lead to a quarter final meeting with Jelena Jankovic, who will have to make her way through Kurumi Nara and Magda Linette to get to Garcia. I feel the at this stage of their careers, Garcia will simply have too much for Jankovic.

Prediction: Garcia def. Jankovic

Third Quarter:

Anastasija Sevastova got some of her form back at the Australian so she heads into Taipei among the favourites to go all the way. The Latvian’s first test comes in the form of Lucie Safarova in round two. The Czech is riding high after winning the Australian Open doubles title, but she has yet to re-find her top ten singles form. That said, this is a good section for her to make an impact. Sorana Cirstea or Misaki Doi are the likely quarter final opponents, depending on which one can come through. Cirstea showed some good form in Melbourne, so she is the likely choice.

Prediction: Safarova def. Cirstea

Fourth Quarter:

Sam Stosur took a wildcard into Taipei to search for form. Danka Kovinic will be the Aussie’s first opponent, followed by a qualifier or Francesca Schiavone. A match between two former grand slam champions will be a must-see for the local crowd, but Stosur should have the advantage at this stage. Katerina Siniakova is the other seed in this section, and she faces Galina Voskoboeva then Saisai Zeng or Shuai Peng. There are plenty of players in this section that can upset Stosur, but I see the Aussie coming through.

Prediction: Stosur def. Siniakova

Semi Finals:

Svitolina def. Garcia
Safarova def. Stosur

Svitolina vs Garcia is a an interesting style clash as counter puncher meets aggressor, but at this moment the Frenchwoman lacks the consistency to beat the Ukrainian. Stosur has a terrible head-to-head record against Safarova, so I see the Czech getting win number 12 over the Aussie.

Final:

Svitolina vs Safarova

This is a good final for an International event, but the top seed will likely prevail.

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2016 Anning, Taipei, Tallahassee and Ostrava Challenger Recaps

Posted by Admin on May 2, 2016
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Chris De Waard. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2016 Anning, Taipei, Tallahassee and Ostrava Challenger Recaps
Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic

 ATP Challenger Tour

Anning

Top seed Yoshihito Nishioka didn’t sign up in time and had to play one round of qualifying first, but it didn’t help him to gain rhythm, as he lost 7-5 7-6(2) to Andrew Whittington in the first round of the main draw. Nishioka was the only seed with an early loss in this half. Seventh seed Mathias Bourgue beat Whittington 6-1 6-4 in the quarterfinal, while third seed Saketh Myneni beat eighth seed Arthur de Greef 6-1 6-3 to reach the semi-final. Unfortunately, Myneni came down with a right shoulder injury there, having to retire while trailing Bourgue 6-0 3-1.

In the bottom half fifth seed Alexander Sarkissian got upset in the first round by eternal youngster Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (38), 6-4 7-5. Ramirez Hidalgo got close to beating another seed in the quarterfinal, when he faced second seed Jordan Thompson. It would turn into a nightmare match for Ramirez Hidalgo, as he missed five match points and saw Thompson take down the match in a third set tiebreak, 6-3 6-7(5) 7-6(9). Thompson went on to show how close to each other glory and agony can be, as he beat Aleksandr Nedovyesov 4-6 6-3 6-2 in the semi-final and Bourgue 6-3 6-2 in the final, winning his second Challenger title. And that wasn’t all, as the twenty-eight ranking spots he gained meant entry into the top 100 for the first time for the 22-year-old Australian, coming in at #90. Bourgue rose twenty-three spots to a career high #170.

 

Taipei

The agony of Sam Groth continues, as the second seed lost 1-6 7-6(2) 6-4 in the first round to 29-year-old qualifier Yuya Kibi, ranked 445th. Top seed Ricardas Berankis is on a completely different path, reaching three finals in a row (winning two of them) and sitting on a career high ranking and continuing his good run here. Berankis didn’t drop a set on his way to the semi-final, beating fifth seed Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4 7-5 to reach that stage. Eighth seed Konstantin Kravchuk beat third seed Tatsuma Ito 3-6 6-1 6-2 to set up a semi-final meeting against Liam Broady, whom the Russian beat as well, 6-2 6-4.

Berankis faced Daniel Evans in the semi-final, who beat Marinko Matosevic 6-3 7-5 to get there. Berankis was on a 13-match winning streak, but Evans ended it, beating Berankis 6-3 7-6(5) for a place in the final. There a hard-fought battle with Kravchuk followed, but Evans managed to come out on top and win his fourth title, 3-6 6-4 6-4. Another first time entrant into the top 100, as 25-year-old Evans rose twenty-six spots to #97. Impressive, especially given that he wasn’t even ranked inside of the top 750 just one year ago. Kravchuk repeated his result of last year and dropped one spot to #126.

 

 

Tallahassee

TallahasseeCHlogo

An interesting draw in Tallahassee, as top seed Donald Young had a rematch with Daniil Medvedev in the second round. Medvedev got defaulted from their second round match in Savannah a week earlier, due to an alleged racial slur, while suggesting Young and the umpire were friends. No such thing this week, as Young beat him 6-4 7-6(5). Young faced his young countryman Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinal, where Tiafoe showed he might have a lot more potential than former child prodigy Young, beating him 2-6 6-4 6-3. Another American who was promised a bright future but doesn’t seem to deliver followed next for Tiafoe, as he faced Ryan Harrison in the semi-final. And once again Tiafoe prevailed, 7-6(4) 6-4.

Young was the only seed to reach the quarterfinal, creating a lot of opportunities for lower-ranked players. One of them was Quentin Halys, a 19-year-old Frenchman. Halys beat James Ward 1-6 6-4 6-4 in the quarterfinal, after which he had less trouble with James McGee in the semi-final, 6-4 6-1. This gave us an interesting encounter between teenagers in the final, with Halys facing 18-year-old Tiafoe. The match turned out to be spectacular and gave us a taste of things to come in the future from these two, with Halys prevailing 6-7(6) 6-4 6-2 to win his first Challenger title. Halys reached a new career high ranking, rising forty-four spots to #158. Tiafoe repeated his result of last year and remained unchanged at #191.

 

Ostrava

Another tournament in which the seeds went out like flies in the early rounds, with only third seed Jurgen Zopp moving past the second round. Top seed Adam Pavlasek lost 6-3 7-6(2) to Yasutaka Uchiyama and second seed Blaz Rola 6-4 6-4 to Pedro Cachin, both in the first round. 19-year-old wildcard Zdenek Kolar rose to the occasion, beating Uchiyama 4-6 6-4 6-3 in the second round, Jordi Samper-Montana 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the quarterfinal and qualifier Marek Michalicka 6-2 6-1 in the semi-final. An absolute dream run.

A similar story would develop in the bottom half, with world #276 Constant Lestienne becoming the other finalist. Lestienne beat Zopp 6-4 6-3 in the quarterfinal and qualifier Stefano Napolitano 6-2 6-4 in the semi-final. A tournament of dream runs, with qualifiers Michalicka en Napolitano also qualifying for that term by reaching the semi-final. Lestienne’s experience prevailed in the final against Kolar, beating him 6-7(5) 6-1 6-2 to win his first Challenger title. Lestienne rose seventy-one ranking spots to a career high #205, while Kolar rose 133 spots to #354, also a career high.

 

2015 Taipei, Anning, Sao Paulo, Tallahassee, Ostrava and Turin Challenger Recaps

Posted by Admin on May 5, 2015
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Chris De Waard. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2015 Taipei, Anning, Sao Paulo, Tallahassee, Ostrava and Turin Challenger Recaps
Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic

ATP Challenger Tour Official Page

 

Taipei

 

Top seed Yen-Hsun Lu is the all-time leader when it comes to Challenger titles (21), with most of them coming out of Asia, but he wasn’t able to add another one in his home country. In the quarterfinal it was Konstantin Kravchuk who upset him after a long battle, 7-6(4) 4-6 7-5. A round before Kravchuk profited from Ryan Harrison’s right ankle injury, which forced him to retire after only one game. Former world #61 Matthew Ebden managed to pick up some nice wins, beating #4 seed and world #91 Lukas Lacko 7-5 6-3 in the second round, after which he took out another seed in the quarterfinal, as he beat #7 Iliya Marchenko 6-3 6-4. Kravchuk was one bridge too far, however, in a match settled through the most titanic scoreline possible, 6-7(3) 7-6(4) 7-6(4).

 

In the bottom half Yuki Bhambri continued building up his ranking, taking out #8 seed Jimmy Wang 6-3 6-1 in the second round and #3 seed Go Soeda 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the next. Big-serving Sam Groth was next and proved to be too much, with the Australian #2 seed winning 6-4 7-5 to book a place in the final against Kravchuk. Here Kravchuk continued his trend of long and grueling matches, but this time with his opponent as the winner, as Groth won 6-7(5) 6-4 7-6(3). Groth clearly made a great choice to play a Challenger after a bad run on the main tour, rising seventeen spots to a career high ranking of #68. Kravchuk rose one spot more, eighteen to #149.

 

 

Anning

 

Top seed James Duckworth made a good start to the tournament with two easy victories, but had to bow to Grega Zemlja in the quarterfinal. The former world #43, coming back from injury, beat Duckworth 7-6(2) 7-5. In the semi-final Zemlja faced a very surprising player, Gavin van Peperzeel, the world #458, who is normally only a fixture on the Futures circuit. However, Van Peperzeel showed he has a lot of potential, beating Zemlja 6-7(3) 6-2 6-2 for a place in the final. Remarkably enough the bottom half had exactly the same story, with world #547 Franko Skugor reaching the final after beating #4 seed Boy Westerhof in the first round, after which Ruan Roelofse, Duckhee Lee and #5 seed Tsung-Hua Yang followed suit. The final was an one-sided affair, with Skugor beating Van Peperzeel 7-5 6-2 to claim his second career title. Naturally both men made tremendous jumps on the ranking, with Skugor rising 229 spots to #318 and Van Peperzeel 119 spots to #339.

 

Sao Paulo

 

The higher seeds fell like flies, with top seed Maximo Gonzalez bowing out in the first round against Germain Gigounon (6-7(4) 6-2 6-4), while #3 seed Andre Ghem lost 6-3 6-4 to Alexis Musialek and #4 seed Chase Buchanan 6-4 6-3 to Christian Lindell. In the second round #2 seed Blaz Rola joined the pack, losing 6-4 4-6 6-4 to wildcard Rogerio Dutra Silva. Lindell powered through after his first round win, eventually taking out #8 seed Guido Andreozzi 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the semi-final. Joining him in the final was the one seed who managed to reach the quarterfinal stage in the bottom half, #5 Guido Pella. Far from smoothly, however, needing a third set tiebreak in the first round and a 7-5 in the third set in his quarterfinal against Orlando Luz. His semi-final against Jose Hernandez-Fernandez went easier, 6-3 6-3.

 

Pella managed to win the final as well against Lindell, in two hard fought sets, 7-5 7-6(1). It meant the second title of the year for him, now sitting on an impressive 8-1 record in Challenger finals. It also meant a good improvement ranking wise, rising twenty-seven spots to #132. Lindell reached the top 200 for the first time in his career, rising forty-two spots to #180.

 

 

Tallahassee

Francis Tiafoe

 

Calling him a sensation almost would be an understatement at this point, but one thing is for sure, Frances Tiafoe is quickly leaving his mark on the tennis world. The 17-year-old started the year outside of the top 1000, but after a quarterfinal and semi-final run in his first ever Challengers, he already seems ready to march to the gates of the main tour. His third event here in Tallahassee continued the pattern, taking out top seed and world #90 Facundo Bagnis 1-6 7-6(5) 6-4 in the first round. Our own Jean-Yves Aubone followed in the second round, Emilio Gomez in the quarterfinal and Tennys Sandgren as well in the semi-final after a long battle, 1-6 6-4 7-6(1). In the bottom half #5 seed Facundo Arguello seemed to be compensating the early loss of his countryman Bagnis, beating four Americans in a row to reach the final. Respectively Stefan Kozlov, Tommy Paul, Mitchell Krueger and Jared Donaldson had to bow out against the Argentinean.

 

Tiafoe came close in the final, very close, but he couldn’t hold onto his 6-2 *4-3 40-30 and 3-0* in the tiebreak leads. Despite an impressive comeback from Tiafoe in the third set, winning four games in a row from 0-4 down, Arguello came out the winner, 2-6 7-6(5) 6-4. Nevertheless, this obviously was yet another impressive week from Tiafoe, winning him a Roland Garros wildcard and an improvement of eighty-eight in the rankings, landing at #293. Arguello rose twenty-four spots to #141 after winning his third Challenger title.

 

 

Ostrava

 

Two veteran Spaniards marched to the semi-final stage, 33-year-old Daniel Munoz-De La Nava and 37-year-old Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo. #8 seed Ramirez Hidalgo impressively did it without dropping a set. Unfortunately for them youth prevailed in the end. 20-year-old Adam Pavlasek took out top seed Lucas Pouille in the quarterfinal, after which he did the same with Munoz-De La Nava after a long battle, 6-4 5-7 7-5. Ramirez Hidalgo fell to 25-year-old countryman Inigo Cervantes in a similar struggle, 6-3 3-6 7-5. Cervantes took out #2 seed James Ward in the second round. In the final Cervantes won after two tight sets, 7-6(5) 6-4, claiming his third Challenger title and making a big ranking jump of ninety-three to #184. Pavlasek is on the verge of the top 200, rising fifty-four spots to #209.

 

Turin

 

A similar trend here in Turin, with the top seeds failing to live up to their seedings. Top seed Malek Jaziri lost 6-2 7-5 to Jesse Huta Galung in the first round, with #2 seed Aljaz Bedene following suit against qualifier Gianluca Naso, 7-6(6) 6-4. #3 seed Tobias Kamke had already lost a round earlier, falling 6-2 6-7(5) 6-1 to qualifier Karen Khachanov. #4 seed Kimmer Coppejans survived a tough opening round draw against Elias Ymer, 3-6 6-0 6-3, after which he needed three more three set matches to reach the final, barely winning his semi-final against Adrian Ungur 6-3 2-6 7-6(5). Perhaps all these long matches took their toll, as Marco Cecchinato easily dismissed him in the final, 6-3 6-2, to claim his second Challenger title. It also saw him creep a bit closer to the top 100, rising twenty-six spots to #124. Coppejans is getting even closer, adding another good result after his tournament win in Mersin two weeks ago, rising eleven spots to #112.

 


Chris De Waard (Challenger Tour Finals)

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.