LAS VEGAS (Oct. 26, 2018) – The semifinals at the Las Vegas Tennis Open will have a distinctly international flavor Saturday as two Australians, a Norwegian and Slovenia player each won their third consecutive matches in the ATP $50,000 Men’s Challenger on Friday at the Fertitta Tennis Complex at UNLV.
Each of the four players didn’t drop a set on a warm Friday in near-perfect conditions. The No. 3 seeded Casper Ruud from Oslo, Norway will face unseeded Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia in the second semifinal while Blaz Rola of Slovenia takes on J.P. Smith of Australia in the first semifinal set for 10:30 a.m.
The 19-year-old Ruud is the only seeded player remaining as beat unseeded Kamil Majchrzak, 7-5, 7-5. “I’ve been getting a lot of free points on my serve because of the altitude the balls are bouncing,” said Ruud, playing in his final tournament of the year.
He will take on former 29-year-old Australian J.P. Smith. From 2007 through 2011, Smith was a four-time All-American at the University of Tennessee and made it to the college No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles during his career. On Friday Smith beat former Michigan star Jason Jung, 7-6 (3), 6-3.
“I’m excited to be in the semifinals,” said Smith, who like all the players have had to adjust to the noise of the planes taking off directly overhead from nearby McCarron Airport. “I was here in Las Vegas once when I was 21, but haven’t been back. It’s just such a great city.”
Kokkinakis dropped just five games against Darian King of Barbados, 6-1, 6-4. “My serve wasn’t really where I wanted it to be at the start of the match but it came around,” said Kokkanakis, just one of a handful of players who has beaten all-time great Roger Federer this year.
Qualifier Mathias Bourgue’s Las Vegas run ended in a 6-4, 7-6 (1) loss to former two-time NCAA champion in singles and doubles Blaz Rola.
“Deciding to play college tennis was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life,” said the left-handed Rola, who played at Ohio State. “Those years living in Columbus taught me so much and I’m so glad I decided to go there. If I had to do it all over again, I would for sure.”
Leading the tiebreaker 6-1, Rola unleashed a powerful forehand return at the center of the baseline at Bourgue’s feet. Bourgue stuck his racket out and the ball flew long ending the match. “I got a crucial point at 2-1 in the breaker and just rolled from there,” he said. “There’s not much more to say about it.”
Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Roberto Maytin of Venezuela will take on the final remaining Americans left in the tournament Robert Galloway and Nathan Pasha in the doubles final to be contested on Sunday.
On Semifinal Saturday, the USTA Foundation will hold a Net Generation Tennis Clinic in partnership with the impact barter startup have|need (haveneed.org). The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education and area National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters will receive new tennis racquets as part of the clinic.
For a complete schedule and more information, visit the tournament website at: www.lasvegastennisopen.com.
Kokkinakis, Bolt, Rubin, and Gunneswaran Secure BB&T Atlanta Open Main Draw Spots Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
BB&T Atlanta Open Qualifying for 2018 concluded on Sunday with the four qualifiers set. Two of them are Australian as Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-2 7-6 in just over an hour and a half, and Alex Bolt defeated Denis Kudla in the last match of the day 6-7 6-3 6-3 in 2 hours.
Kokkinakis got off to a great start with an immediate break, and for his part wasn’t broken in the match despite a few spare chances for Hurkacz of Poland. The second set was much closer but from 6-6 Kokkinakis won two consecutive points to secure his qualification. Hurkacz would go on to make the main draw as a lucky loser.
Bolt dropped the opening set despite breaking back after going down a break. He played a poor tiebreak to hand Kudla a one set lead. Kudla couldn’t maintain his advantage though, he was broken in the opening game of set 2 and then once more in the final game of the second set, all while failing to pressure Bolt in the Australian’s service game. That theme continued in the third set, Kudla offered little on return and despite saving an early break point on his serve, he was broken to go 4-2 down in the third, and eventually lost the match.
The remaining qualifiers were American Noah Rubin and India’s Prajnesh Gunneswaran. Gunneswaran made his ATP main draw debut in Stuttgart just a few weeks back, and now he’s into his second ATP main draw at the age of 28. He also won his first challenger title this year, and perhaps next will make his main draw debut in a Grand Slam. Gunneswaran eased past Tommy Paul 6-3 6-3 in just over an hour, he wasn’t broken in the match.
Rubin eased past a previously in-form Jason Jung 6-4 6-2 in a match that was also just past an hour. Rubin did not face a break point and had relatively smooth sailing to reach his third ATP main draw this year.
Day 1 of the 2018 BB&T Atlanta Open saw the first round of qualifying complete. Bernard Tomic suffered a surprise defeat against Tommy Paul, Paul prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-3 in just over an hour and a half. Paul broke Tomic twice in the opening set and despite recovering to take the second with an early break, he fell under relentless pressure by Paul in the final set, as Paul broke for 5-3 and took the match after saving a break point in the next service game.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran will be Paul’s opponent in the final round of qualifying. Gunneswaran got bageled in the opening set but it was smooth sailing in sets 2 and 3 against Mohamed Safwat for a 0-6 6-3 6-1 result.
Local favorites Chris Eubanks, Garrett Johns, and Kiranpal Pannu all fell in straight sets. Jason Jung continued his great form with a 6-4 6-3 win against Eubanks, Jung wasn’t broken in the match saving the break points he faced, while Eubanks was broken late in the first and twice in the second set.
Thanasi Kokkinakis was one of two Australian players to advance on the day as he defeated Pannu 6-3 6-4. While Alex Bolt was the other, defeating Johns 6-1 6-4. Johns worked himself into the match but it wasn’t enough to extend play beyond the second set.
J.P. Smith wasn’t so lucky, Smith fell to Denis Kudla in a battle that Kudla won 3-6 7-6 6-3, each set had a myriad of break point opportunities, and a late break in the third got Kudla the win. Noah Rubin saved all the break points he faced to defeat Evan King 6-4 6-4.
Hubert Hurkacz drubbed Ilya Marchenko 6-1 6-1 and draws Kokkinakis in the final round of qualifying. The other pair of final round qualifying matches are Jung vs. Rubin and Kudla vs. Bolt.
After tomorrow the qualifiers will be placed into the newly announced main draw. Jack Sock withdrew from draw after sustaining an injury in practice. John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, Hyeon Chung, and Matt Ebden take the top 4 seeded spots and get byes into the second round. The doubles draw was also announced with star pairings including Mike Bryan and Frances Tiafoe, and Kyrgios/Kokkinakis.
Australians Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinakis Seek BB&T Atlanta Open Main Draw Berths Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The four qualifying slots will be filled upon the conclusion of the main draw qualifying tournament this weekend at the 2018 BB&T Atlanta Open. Here is your look at the qualifying action.
The top seed in qualifying is Denis Kudla, Kudla had a relatively good grass court season and enters qualifying after losing his second match in Newport. His first round opponent, journeyman J.P. Smith, qualified for Wimbledon but overall has struggled to make a mark this season. Kudla has a good h2h and should be favored.
Top high school recruit Garrett Johns, a Duke commit, faces off with one of the many Australians in this draw, Alex Bolt. Bolt’s experience should give him an edge. Kudla should be favored to advance from this section.
Columbus State college player Kiranpal Pannu, who won the wild card challenge, will open with Thanasi Kokkinakis. The ATP Next Gen star returned from injury this year. Other than a round of 32 result in Miami he’s struggled to cement himself back on the main tour, but he should be favored in this match.
Hubert Hurkacz qualified for Wimbledon and is another next-gen player looking to find some main tour success. The young Pole faces formerly top 50 Ilya Marchenko, who is returning to tour after a few months off, having lost 5 straight matches in 2018. Hurkacz should be favored in round 1, but his match with Kokkinakis looks like a toss-up.
Jason Jung is at a career high ranking (131) and he’s been in fantastic form lately, reaching a challenger final and the quarters in Newport. Jung should be favored against the steadily improving local favorite Chris Eubanks who reached the top 200 this season.
Noah Rubin has won a pair of challenger titles this year, he’ll face a struggling Evan King in the opening round, either Rubin or Jung should qualify from this section.
Bernard Tomic returned to tour in May after limited action between the Australian Open and that point. Tomic has been playing relatively well and should be favored against a less accomplished Tommy Paul, who currently sits outside the top 200.
French Open qualifier Mohamed Safwat should be favored against Prajnesh Gunneswaran in the opening round. Safwat is the top ranked Egyptian player and reached a career high rank of 163 this season. Tomic will be the favorite from this section.
32 year old John Isner had struggled his way through 2018 with just one match win, but in Miami he turned it on, winning six straight to capture the biggest ATP title of his career. A long time battler on the ATP Tour, Isner will return to the top 10 after dispatching Alexander Zverev 6-7 6-4 6-4 in the final, preventing Zverev from taking a third career Masters title.
Isner heated up with early wins against Jiri Vesely, and Mikhail Youzhny, then upset Marin Cilic, Hyeon Chung, and Juan Martin Del Potro in consecutive matches to reach the final. His last three wins prior to the final dominant performances. Zverev ran through a tough road of Daniil Medvedev, David Ferrer, Nick Kyrgios, Borna Coric, and Pablo Carreno Busta, posting a solid week despite a tough finals loss.
With the ATP season switching to clay, Zverev should have more success ahead, while Isner is unlikely to make much of a dent in big events until the hard court Summer, but he’ll still have the memory of the biggest result in his career coming in 2018.
Top seed Roger Federer was upset by Thanasi Kokkinakis early on, as Kokkinakis played up to his potential and got past a fatigued Federer in three sets, never backing down.
The Bryan brothers took the doubles title defeating Russia’s Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev in the doubles final for their 37th Masters 1000 title.
Kohlschreiber Caps Off Clay Season With Kitzbuhel Title, Querrey Doubles Up in Mexico Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
ATP Kitzbuhel
Philipp Kohlschreiber won ATP title #8, and Kitzbuhel title #2 6-3 6-4 over Joao Sousa in the final. The veteran German dropped sets against Facundo Bagnis and Dusan Lajovic, scraping past Lajovic in a third set tiebreak. He defeated Jiri Vesely and semifinalist Fabio Fognini in straights though to finish the season 12-6 on clay, and hoping for a bit more on summer hard courts coming up.
Sousa continues his reputation as a streaky player, he’s lost two 250 level finals this season, but had a remarkable week just to reach the final. He was on the ropes in every match, as he dropped the first set against Mikhail Youzhny, Paolo Lorenzi, and Gerald Melzer before narrowly defeating Sebastian Ofner in straight sets. Ofner is a rising player and should be on the ATP level soon given his ability.
Pablo Cuevas and Guillermo Duran saved a match point to defeat Hans Podlipnik-Castillo and Andrei Vasilevski in the doubles final.
ATP Los Cabos
It was another special week down in Mexico for Sam Querrey, as he took both of the ATP titles on offer in the country this season. Querrey served past Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3 3-6 6-2. The result puts Querrey on the edge of reaching his wins title from last season with months to go on in the season. Querrey beat Evan King, Vincent Millot, and Damir Dzumhur as well this week, coming from a set down against Dzumhur, and beating King in three sets. Kokkinakis looked great finally after a long time off of the tour with injury. The talented young Aussie beat Frances Tiafoe, Peter Polansky, Taylor Fritz, and Tomas Berdych, his wins over Polansky and Berdych coming from a set down, as he showed a ton of heart and fight on the week.
In the doubles Juan Sebastian Cabal and Treat Huey beat Sergio Galdos and Roberto Maytin,
KOKKINAKIS, CHIRICO HEADLINE @CITIOPEN QUALIFYING FIELDS Americans and Japanese players lead early rosters; Matches begin July 16 at 10 a.m.
Louisa Chirico
WASHINGTON (July 1, 2016) — The Citi Open® Tennis Tournament announces its exciting fields of players competing in the qualifying rounds for a coveted spot in the main draw. Qualifying rounds will be held July 16-17 at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center.
For a list of qualifying players, go to www.citiopentennis.com, under the Players tab. Players are subject to change due to injury or other unforeseen circumstances. Tickets start at just $10 – a deal for the whole family.
Kokkinakis (photo credit Ahmet Fevzi Guclu)
Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 69 in 2015, will receive a wild card into the qualifying rounds. Another wild card confirmed for the early rounds is American Ulises Blanch. He joins other young players identified as ATP’s Next Gen in the early rounds — American Jared Donaldson and Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. The men’s field includes seven Americans and three Japanese players, including current top seed Yuichi Sugita.
Jared Donaldson
American Louisa Chirico, who reached the quarterfinals at last year’s Citi Open and the semifinals in Madrid, is the current top seed in the women’s field. Another promising American player, Samantha Crawford, will also compete as she nears the top 100 in the WTA Tour. Four Americans and three Japanese players are included in this year’s field.
Marcos Baghdatis, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Ivo Karlovic, Steve Johnson, and Defending Champion Rajeev Ram to compete in Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
NEWPORT, R.I., May 27, 2016 – When the ATP World Tour comes to Newport, R.I. in July for the first stop of the summer season in the United States, the player field will feature a Grand Slam tournament finalist, several players ranked among the world top-50, a group of the world’s brightest young stars, and Newport fan favorites who have seen success on the International Tennis Hall of Fame grass courts previously.
Marcos Baghdatis, a dynamic player from Cyprus who has been ranked as high as world No. 8 and was runner up at the 2006 Australian Open, is set to make his first appearance in Newport. Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis has recently committed to Newport, joining a previously announced group of rising stars in the player field, including Americans Taylor Fritz and Jared Donaldson. The third-highest ranked American Steve Johnson will make his third appearance in Newport, where he was a quarterfinalist in 2014. Defending champion Rajeev Ram will return to Newport, along with last year’s runner up Ivo Karlovic, a big serving pro who is currently ranked world No. 28.
Additional players for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships are still to be named. The tournament will be played July 10 – 17. Tickets are available now on HallofFameTennisChampionships.com.
“There is a lot of variety in the player field for this year’s tournament,” commented Tournament Director and Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin. “I think it will be a great experience for fans to see some amazing young talent competing against some of the tour’s more prolific veteran players like Marcos Baghdatis and Ivo Karlovic.”
Donaldson
He continued, “Also, we’re really working to build an enhanced fan experience in Newport this summer, and that combined with this player field will offer a fantastic week of tennis.”
Fans will enjoy several new amenities at this year’s tournament, notably an entirely new South Grandstand, featuring individual flip down seating rather than the previously used benches. The viewing experience of the tournament will also be significantly enhanced with the addition of videoboards in the stadium and Hawk-Eye replay – an electronic line calling system. Additionally, as a result of the Hall of Fame’s recent expansion and renovation projects, the tournament now has more space to work with and will offer an expanded fan zone featuring a tennis demo court and new on-site dining options.
Special events top off the ATP action, including tennis clinics for both juniors and adults throughout the week, Alex and Ani Ladies Day on Thursday, July 14, and a new event – PowerShares Legends Newport on Sunday, July 17. PowerShares Legends Newport offers a unique opportunity to see tennis legends back in action in a special one-day tournament. The field will feature Andy Roddick, James Blake, Marat Safin, and a fourth player to be named. It’s a particularly special weekend for Safin to compete, as the two-time Grand Slam tournament champion will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on the day prior.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, as well as the PowerShares event and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are on sale now on www.HallofFameTennisChampionships.com.
ABOUT THE PLAYERS
Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus is currently ranked world No. 39 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Always an exciting player to watch, Baghdatis has been a staple of the ATP World Tour since the early 2000s and he has been ranked within the top-100 in the year-end rankings for 11 straight years. Baghdatis has had some big wins this season, most notably at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he was a finalist. In 2006, Baghdatis was the runner up at the Australian Open. That same season, he reached a career high of world No. 8 and won his first career title with a victory at the China Open. Baghdatis is one of the most successful Davis Cup players of all time, and he has been a dedicated Cyprus Davis Cup team member since he made his debut in 2000 as a 14-year-old. Earlier this year, he won his 36th straight Davis Cup match, surpassing the record for longest singles winning streak, which was previously held by Bjorn Borg at 33 matches.
Rajeev Ram returns to Newport as defending champion, having defeated Ivo Karlovic in a close final last year, 7-6(7), 5-7, 7-6(2). It was Ram’s second career title, as he also won the Newport title in 2009. Ram also won the Newport doubles title that year (w/ Jordan Kerr) – one of his eight career doubles titles. Ram is currently ranked world No. 70, and he has been ranked as high as world No. 56, which he achieved in April of this season. In February of this season, Ram was the runner up at the Delray Beach Open.
Newport fan favorite Ivo Karlovic returns for a sixth appearance at the event, where he has seen great success in recent years. Karlovic was the runner up in 2015 and 2014, and in 2013 he was a quarterfinalist. Karlovic stands at 6’11” and is known for his powerful serve which has been clocked as high as 156 mph. He has a career total of 10,624 aces to date, making him the all-time record holder for career aces and one of just two players in the sport’s history to surpass 10,000 aces. Karlovic has won six ATP World Tour titles, with his most recent victory coming at the 2015 Delray Beach Open. He is currently ranked world No. 28.
American Steve Johnson, who is the third-highest ranked American player and current world No. 34 returns to Newport for the fourth straight year. He was a quarterfinalist at the event in 2014. This season, Johnson has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open. Johnson has been active on the ATP World Tour for just four seasons, following a highly successful collegiate career at University of Southern California, where he won the NCAA Singles Championship in both 2011 and 2012. This season, Johnson has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open.
Rounding out the recent commitments to the Newport player field is an exciting young Australian player, Thanasi Kokkinakis, who is making his Newport debut. Kokkinakis began actively competing on the ATP World Tour in 2014, closing that first season out inside the world top-150. Last year, he broke into the world top-100, reaching a career high ranking of world No. 69, in a season that saw him qualify for six ATP World Tour events, advance to the fourth round at Indian Wells, and the third round at the French Open. Kokkinakis has notched big wins against several top-50 players including Bernard Tomic, Ernest Gulbis, and Juan Monaco. Kokkinakis has been out for the entire 2016 season to date following shoulder surgery, but is prepping to return.
Day one of the Davis Cup World Group semifinal between Great Britain and Australia featured action in the opening pair of singles rubbers. Andy Murray played Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first match of the afternoon quickly followed by Daniel Evans vs Bernard Tomic.
Andy Murray d. Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3 6-0 6-3
The partisan British crowd welcomed their number one player on to the court with a thunderous ovation as the first rubber got under way.
The Scot, playing at home in Glasgow, would apply the early pressure after a strong opening service game by earning an early break point. Kokkinakis would save that particular one, but he soon found himself under more and more pressure. Murray pressed for a break in the Aussie’s following service game but yet again the 19 year old played the big points well.
There was a stark contrast in the service games with Murray holding easily whilst his opponent struggled. It would all be too much for Kokkinakis who after a valiant effort to save break points, lost his serve to go 4-2 down. The Brit would serve out the set much to the delight of the Glasgow crowd. Murray only lost two points on serve the entire first set.
The Brit rallied again in the second set, winning all six games for the loss of only five points to give himself what seemed like an unassailable lead. The backhand was on fire and the teenager was struggling to hit through the Brit’s defence on a slow indoor hard court.
Kokkinakis managed to get on the scoreboard early in the third but it would all be in vain. Murray would break for a fifth time in the match with a return winner. Murray was cruising, and keen to waste as little energy as possible he broke again to take the first victory for Great Britain.
Kokkinakis struggled to get anything going in this match with Murray’s defence and backhand causing him multitude of problems. The Scot also served at 76% and lost only six points behind serve. The Aussie struggled hugely behind his second serve only winning 21% behind it, compared to Murray’s 77%.
It was a fine start for Great Britain as they got the ball rolling with an easy 6-3,6-0, 6-3 victory.
“I started the match really well,” Said Murray of his performance post match.
“At the beginning he had some big serves, and once I got that break at the middle part of the first set I started to just continue to play better and he wasn’t getting as many free points on his serve after that.”
Kokkinakis also spoke of the Brit’s performance.
“There’s not too many players in the world that get close to him when he’s playing like that,” Kokkinakis said post-match.
“I just got outplayed today, just too good. I guess he knows my game and the court plays nicely for him, he was able to do what he wanted. Just shows where I need to get to. I was already motivated but that gives me more to work on and see where I’m going to get too.”
Murray also spoke of the crowd support and how they helped boost him towards victory.
“Obviously it gives you a lift,” Said Murray.
“It’s a big occasion and to have the support behind you makes, it makes a huge difference. I don’t know why that it, but it’s the case in every single sport in my opinion. I don’t know any football teams that play worse when they play at home, you know.
“It’s… all of the British performed I would say better at the Olympics when it was held in London, yeah. It’s just it helps when you have the backing of the crowd, it makes a difference.”
Bernard Tomic d. Dan Evans 6-3 7-6(2) 6-7(4) 6-4
So it was left to Tomic to restore some order on the Australian side as he attempted to extract revenge on Evans who beat him in New York two years ago.
The 23 year old Aussie was keen for his team not to go 2-0 down in the tie and earned an early break. Chances to double that lead came and went, but Tomic was comfortable on serve and managed to hold on to take the first set 6-3.
It looked like we could be in for a repeat of the previous match, only in the favour of the Aussie after a break in the opening game of the second set. But Evans had been in this situation before against Tomic, and he was keen to repeat his comeback from the US Open in 2013. The Brit managed to break back and force a second set tiebreak. But then Tomic once again took over proceedings, racing away with the breaker 7-2.
The Australian number one would yet again break early in the third set as he looked to not waste too much time on the court- But Evans had other ideas. The Brit earned 15-40 whilst Tomic served for the match but the break points were saved. One more break back chance went begging but the Brit did not give up the fight and pumped up by the Glasgow crowd he was able to extend the match at least for a little while longer.
It would go to a second consecutive tiebreak to decide the third. It was a nervy breaker but the Brit pulled out an exquisite drop shot at 4-3 to earn the first mini break. That would be enough to seal the third set as the comeback certainly gained some real traction.
But Tomic would stop that process in it’s tracks with a break a the fourth set. Evans fought to try get them back on terms in the fourth set, but instead the world number 300 would fall behind a double break. The Aussie failed to serve out the match (again), though third time would prove to be a charm for Tomic, who served it out to love to claim a 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 victory.
“It was very emotionally tough out there, the crowd the atmosphere it drains you every point every game. “ Said Tomic
“Today was a little bit different that I’ve played in Davis Cup. It was more atmosphere, tougher situation and playing a player that was striking and felling the ball very well. So for me this moment was very tough and I was getting tired quickly out there after the third set so I’m happy I held it together in the end.”
“Yeah it was very good out thee.” Said Evans of the crowd.
“I was saying earlier that when I went out to the opening ceremony I was a bit taken back by how loud it was here. It was, you know, they do help you and spur you on when you’re down and that’s part of Davis Cup and having a home tie.”
Doubles ahead on Saturday
With the tie firmly poised at 1-1 heading into the second day, the big question is whether Andy will partner his brother Jamie Murray for the doubles. We had previously seen the world number three partner up with his brother to defeat France. Will Leon Smith bring Andy in again? Well Murray doesn’t know.
“It isn’t my decision. It’s up to the captain to decide that. You know obviously now I have the option to be picked I think as the match was quick,” said Murray.
“I think everyone on the team wants to play doubles. I mean everyone wants to try and help where they can. And ultimately the decision is up to the captain and the players who go on the court have a job to do when they get out there, but we don’t make the decisions.”
It will most certainly be big serving Sam Groth and Lleyton Hewitt for the Aussies in what could end up being the crucial match in deciding this tie. But for now it’s finely balanced at 1-1, and you can catch what happens in the doubles rubber tomorrow.
Tennis Atlantic is live in Glasgow, Scotland for the Davis Cup semi-final between Great Britain and Australia over the weekend of the 18th-20th of September. The Brits are searching for their first Davis Cup success for nearly 80 years when they take on the Aussies at the Emirates Arena this weekend. Confidence is high around the UK that this could be the year Team GB breaks into the final, and with recent victories over France and USA there is little reason to doubt them.
Leon Smith’s team is spearheaded by world number three Andy Murray, whose heroics at Queens in July earned GB a 3-1 victory over France. The Scot played all three days despite physical struggles, and earned key victories over Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon in the single rubbers.
Lleyton Hewitt claimed that all the pressure will be on Andy this weekend as the clear number one British player, but Murray insists that it is not all on him and it will come down to the entire team. “I would say [The Pressure] is all on me.” The 28 year old said. “We got into this position by everyone on the team playing their part, and there is pressure on everybody.
Murray will be joined by his brother Jamie Murray, Dominic Inglot, and Dan Evans, as they try replicate the success that dates back to the days of Fred Perry. Both Kyle Edmund, who had an ankle injury concern earlier in the week, and James Ward are alternates for Team GB but were not included in the formal nominations. “I went for a scan last night” The British number three Edmund said. “And when it came back it showed nothing, just a little bit of a bump, that’s it.” Despite the results, Smith went for a player nobody expected to be drafted in. Dan Evans was chosen over Ward and Edmund as the second singles player.
“It wasn’t an easy one but having thought about it a lot, the fact that Dan has played an awful lot of tennis this summer, won a lot of matches, I said the other day it’s obvious at Futures level that winning really helps, and he comes with a lot of confidence.” The GB captain said. “Obviously Kyle, although he’s almost fit, he still had a fall the other day and I think at this stage it was wasn’t worth risking anything happening over the weekend especially when you go in with the make-up of two singles players and two doubles players, if anything had happened with Kyle Friday we would have been up against it. “For James, the tie came maybe the wrong time for him after a summer that’s been quite tough results wise, but he’s played a big, big part in the team to date and I’m sure he’ll play a big part in the future as well, but I felt that Dan was in the best place to win for the weekend.”
Australia are bidding for their first title in 12 years, and one man remains from that victories team back in 2003. Hewitt is making his final appearance in the Davis Cup this year, and boy he would love to go out on a bang. The former two time grand slam champion is joined by Bernard Tomic, Sam Groth and Thanasi Kokkanakis as they look to combine youth and experience to take down the Brits. “Yeah it obviously means a lot [to play his last Davis Cup]” Hewitt said. “It is my last year playing, and it is a great opportunity. “With my experience and the other boys’ youth, I think we have really mixed it up well this year” “I think as a team we have gotten stronger as the year has gone on, which is a really good sign. We are here to put our best foot forward and we won’t be leaving anything in the locker room that’s for sure.”
The noticeable omission is their number two player, Nick Kyrgios. The 20 year old ‘bad boy’ of tennis recently was surrounded in controversy after comments made about Stan Wawrinka’s girlfriend. The Aussie is serving a one month suspension from the ATP, but he still eligible to play Davis Cup, so he was just left out of the squad. “After Nick played Andy at the US Open we sat down two days later. Nick has had a really full year in more ways than one, so we just kind of felt mutually that this was the best fit for him and the team.” Said Aussie captain, Wally Masur.
The Draw
The draw to see who will play who was made on Thursday, and here is how it came out.
The British number one, Murray, will face Aussie youngster, Kokkanakis in the first rubber tomorrow afternoon. The pair know each other well due to practicing a lot together and playing doubles in Miami. However this is their first competitive meeting. “Yeah it will be a tough match obviously.” Murray said of the Kokkanakis challenge “I practiced with him a lot and have spent a lot of time watching him as well, and speaking to him. So I know for one of the younger guys, I know his game better than most. “You know we have practiced together at the French Open and the US Open, we obviously played doubles together as well in Miami, so I know his game well and obviously it will be a tough match. But at the same time it’s a tough match-up for him as well, you know the atmosphere is going to be challenging for them as well, and that’s something that will hopefully give us a big boost.
The Aussie meanwhile is relishing the opportunity to play one of the world’s best players on this big of a stage. “Yeah should be a great challenge up ahead, great player and to play him in his home ground in Glasgow will be a huge opportunity for me. I like the courts here, boys have been training really well, and it’s going to be a huge honour to play. Thank you guys for picking me again, and to play first up, I’ll be ready to go.” Kokkanakis said.
The only time these two met was two years ago at the US Open when Evans shocked Tomic with a four sets win. The Australian number one will now look to avenge that loss in the second rubber tomorrow evening. “Honestly? I was up 6-1 3-0 and couldn’t make a ball after that, and that’s all I remember.” Tomic said in recollection of that match in New York. “It was a very windy day, it was tough, he was very confident at the moment and he beat Nishikori prior to me. So he was playing well, I had a chance, I was comfortable I was cruising, obviously he started playing more free, and he beat me so it’s not an easy match, it’s very tough for me.”
“My game matches up pretty well to him, and that’s what I’ve got to try and do on Friday, play that way again.” Evans said. “Everyone, they do remember when you’ve played someone before, like I remember when I’ve lost to someone before – that’s always in someone’s head as well.” “I think coming back to Scotland is nice, I mean the atmosphere last time when I watched it on television sounded very good but it was obviously better in the stadium so yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
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