Contemplating The Future After Tough 2015 Season Jean-Yves Aubone, Tennis Atlantic
Jean-Yves Aubone, Niceville
For the first time in my career, I will finish the year ranked lower than where I started. I’m farther from my goal of making it into a grand slam than I was a year ago.
The first response is, why?
I always gave it my best effort. I took care of my body like a professional should. I managed my off-court activities to the best of my abilities so I could stay focused. My coaches and I constantly studied the top guys who I wanted to model my game around, and made adjustments where necessary.
The end result: my ranking dropped 100 spots in singles and doubles.
So if I did everything I was supposed to do to put myself in the best position to move up the rankings, then why am I farther from my goal?
Me.
I was unable to perform when it mattered this year. Even though I had some great moments, overall it was a bad year.
I’d like to say I feel better knowing I did everything I could, but how could I? I poured my heart and soul into tennis. It’s not like I’m 30 in the world and failed to make it to 10, while still raking in half a million dollars. I finished the year ranked in the low 500’s, with more debt, knowing I will still be in the minor leagues next year.
I’ve always believed I would succeed in whatever I put my mind to. It was just a matter of time. But this journey started when I was playing with racquets that were bigger than me, dreaming of being like my dad. And here I am, more than two decades later, still grinding on this everlasting journey to make it to the big show.
I know of all the players competing into their mid to late 30’s, but they are top 100. Before that they were in the 100’s and 200’s. I’ve only made it to 450! And I get it, being ranked the 450th player in the world at one point isn’t so bad to most people, but to me it is. I want to be the best. I want to be number 1. I want to be on Arthur Ashe on that first Sunday in September. I don’t want to be on Court 11 at the Bluewater Bay Resort in Niceville, FL (no offense guys) where we get kicked off the practice court because of a ladies league tennis match.
Jean-Yves Aubone, Niceville
I’m not out of my mind (well maybe a little). I know I’m not going to be number 1. I understand that I can’t make such a dramatic improvement in my game when I’m closer to 30 than 20 in age. But I do believe I can make it to the main draw of grand slams. I do believe I can compete with the best.
I can believe all I want but my results don’t lie. While I’ve succeeded to give it everything I possibly can, I have failed to deliver in the clutch. If this career was one that provided enough financial return at the minor league level that it made sense to stick it out and continue to pursue my dream, then I’d fight until my body gives out.
The tough reality is that it’s not.
So the question must be asked: at what point do I say, “it’s time to move on?”
You can continue the journey with J.Y. and see his decision on continuing to play pro tennis on his new website http://jyaubone.com . Future blog posts can be found at that link. It’s been a pleasure to have J.Y. writing for us this year, and his insights have been invaluable.
2015 Guangzhou and Santiago Challenger Recaps Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic
Guangzhou
Top seed Blaz Kavcic’s first tournament since Zagreb in the first week of February ended in disaster, as he got pummelled in the first round by Ze Zhang, 6-1 6-3. A similar faith was bestowed upon two other seeds, #3 Aleksandr Nedovyesov and #5 John Millman, as they fell in the first round as well. Nedovyesov couldn’t build on his Davis Cup victory against Fognini, as he lost 6-2 7-6(5) to Somdev Devvarman, while Millman lost 6-2 1-6 6-2 to Roberto Marcora. The remaining seed, #7 Hiroki Moriya, didn’t outperform them by much, as he lost convincingly to Aldin Setkic in the second round, 6-3 6-1. Two players came out on top after this exodus of seeds, Marton Fucsovics and Marcora. They faced off in the semi-final in an absolutely epic encounter, that was eventually won by Marcora, 7-6(3) 6-7(9) 6-4.
In the bottom half #2 seed Hyeon Chung did what was expected from him and reached the semi-final of a Challenger for the fourth consecutive time. Here the surprising part started, however, as Belgian Kimmer Coppejans beat him there 6-4 2-6 6-2 to reach his second career Challenger final. The final against Marcora, an even bigger rookie with zero previous finals, was a tough one. The first two sets couldn’t be closer, but in the third set Coppejans clearly outperformed the Italian. Final score 7-6(6) 5-7 6-1, as Coppejans took down his second Challenger title.
Santiago
The top section got blown wide open after top seed Joao Souza withdrew and got replaced by a lucky loser. Jordi Samper-Montana took full advantage, taking out veteran Ramirez Hidalgo in the quarterfinal to set up a semi-final encounter with #4 seed Facundo Bagnis. Bagnis took out qualifier Caio Zampieri a round before, who in his turn took out #5 seed Horacio Zeballos. Bagnis beat Samper-Montana in a close encounter, 4-6 6-2 6-4, to reach his tenth Challenger final.
I predicted his opponent in the final to be one of the Gonzalez’s, Maximo or Alejandro, but one player clearly wasn’t agreeing with that. Guilherme Clezar absolutely bulldozered through the draw, beating Maximo 6-4 6-2 in the quarterfinal and Alejandro 6-1 6-1 in the semi-final, reaching his fourth Challenger final in very impressive fashion. Bagnis proved himself to be a bridge too far, however, beating Clezar 6-2 5-7 6-2 to take down his fifth career Challenger title.
Coming off a final in Cherbourg the week before, #4 seed Benoit Paire looked to be ready to repeat that achievement in Quimper and perhaps even go one step further. He surely started in impressive fashion, not dropping a set on his way to the final. Even top seed Farrukh Dustov couldn’t threaten him and fell 6-4 6-2 to the Frenchman in the semi-final. In the bottom half the seeds were unable to impress, with #7 seed Liam Broady withdrawing prior to his first match, while #3 seed Andreas Beck and #2 seed Kenny De Schepper both fell in the second round. #5 seed Iliya Marchenko went one round further, before he fell to French veteran David Guez, 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 6-2. Wild card Gregoire Barrere was the one who took out De Schepper and continued his run against the twelve year older Guez in the semi-final, beating his countryman 6-3 1-6 6-1.
Paire was the overwhelming favorite in the final, but it was a lot closer than most people expected, with him just edging out Barrere in a very tight encounter, 6-4 3-6 6-4. It meant a lot to him, dropping to his knees and burying his head in his hands, and understandably, as it marked his return to the top 100 after a long battle against his knee injury. Paire rises eighteen spots to #89, while Barrere makes a monster jump from #435 to #324.
2015 Noumea and Happy Valley Challenger Recaps Chris De Waard, Tennis Atlantic
Noumea
Jarmere Jenkins started off the tournament by upsetting second seed Kenny De Schepper in the first round with a solid 6-4 6-4 victory. Unfortunately for him he was unable to build on that win, losing to Chase Buchanan in the next round. The player who profited most from De Schepper bombing out was #7 seed Adrian Menendez-Maceiras, who easily beat Buchanan 6-1 6-2 in the quarterfinal before winning a marathon semi-final against #4 seed Jimmy Wang, 5-7 6-4 7-6(2).
In the top half #3 seed Horacio Zeballos lost 6-2 6-3 in the second round, but it wasn’t an upset. Steve Darcis, despite not even being seeded, was a firm favorite and he didn’t disappoint. The only weapon that Zeballos managed to pull off was the most casual racquet toss of the week.
Prior to the tournament I predicted Darcis to beat top seed Adrian Mannarino, which he did relatively comfortably in the semi-final, 6-4 7-5. The final was an even more one-sided affair, with Darcis prevailing 6-3 6-2 over Menendez-Maceiras. Funny enough the result made them end up next to each other on the ranking, with Darcis rising twenty-seven spots to #131 and Menendez-Maceiras landing at #130, an improvement of sixteen.
Happy Valley
Will 2015 become the year of Ryan Harrison, I asked in my preview. He certainly went off to an excellent start here, taking out top seed Blaz Rola in the second round in an interestingly scored match, 1-6 6-1 7-5. In the second section home player Alex Bolt was sweeping up the competition. Bolt, playing on a wild card, took out #8 seed Marton Fucsovics in the second round, 3-6 7-6(5) 6-1, after which he went on to take out #4 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu in the quarterfinal, 7-5 7-5. There he was stopped by Harrison, who faced no problems in a 6-3 6-3 victory.
In the bottom half, self-proclaimed future top 10 player Marcos Baghdatis was the big favorite to reach the final and he didn’t disappoint. He dropped a set in the quarterfinal against #5 seed Alexander Nedovyesov, 3-6 6-2 6-2, and dismissed qualifier Andrew Harris in the semi-final, 6-4 6-4. He went into the final against Harrison as the favorite, but Harrison quickly took control of the match and won 7-6(6) 6-4. This marked his best result since Atlanta in 2013, when he reached the semi-final. Perhaps this is the first step towards finally fulfilling his potential. It is going to be a long road, however, as he only sits at #160 on the ranking. Baghdatis creeps a little bit closer towards his top 50 goal for this year, rising five spots to #77.
As you can see some of the higher ranked players are missing, but a lot of those absences aren’t surprising. #1 Gilles Muller and #5 Go Soeda are far from admirers of clay, while #6 David Goffin hasn’t played the mandatory ten events to be eligible for this event. He is also ranked 22nd at the moment, of course, so he probably wouldn’t have entered anyway. #8 Albert Ramos-Vinolas and #10 Jan-Lennard Struff not competing might be a surprise, but then again, the schedule isn’t very convenient with both of them having played their last match in QR1 of the Paris Masters three weeks ago.
Groups
Group A
Simone Bolelli
Victor Estrella Burgos
Andreas Haider-Maurer
Maximo Gonzalez
Group B
Diego Schwartzman
Blaz Rola
Joao Souza
Guilherme Clezar
Round-robin match-ups to watch
Simone Bolelli – Victor Estrella Burgos
This is a heavyweight match-up between the two favorites to take down the title, there is a good chance we will see them face off in the final again. However, if they tire each other out too much, Schwartzman, who has an easier group, might take advantage. Estrella Burgos and Bolelli have never met each other, but you have to give Bolelli an edge here. Especially when they get entangled in backhand rallies I expect Bolelli to put a lot of pressure on Estrella Burgos’ defensive slices. Bolelli hasn’t played on clay since the first week of August, but he has time to find his rhythm since it will be the final encounter of the group.
Diego Schwartzman – Joao Souza
Schwartzman has had a great year, reaching six Challenger finals and winning four of them and climbing up to a career high ranking of #76. Souza has been less fortunate in finals, racking up a 1-3 record. However, he clearly had a great year, climbing fifty ranking spots to #90. They faced off once this year, in the final of the San Juan Challenger, with Schwartzman winning 7-6(5) 6-3. However, this tournament is played at the club where Souza grew up, so that might inspire him to make it a closer encounter this time around.
Group A
I have mentioned that Bolelli and Estrella are the favorites, but the competition isn’t too shabby. The last match Haider-Maurer played was in QR2 in Basel against Bolelli, with the Italian only barely scraping through: 3-6 6-4 6-3. Both players are very well-rounded, so a similar close encounter on clay wouldn’t be surprising. The wild card in this group is Gonzalez. It’s hard to predict what he is going to do. When is he on, he is as good as any of these guys, but he can just as easily have a bad day and become a walk-over. This happened at the Guayaquil Challenger last week, where he got hammered by Facundo Arguello: 6-4 6-0.
Group B
This group is likely to be unbalanced, with Brazilian wild card Clezar being ranked significantly lower than the other three. I expect Schwartzman to come through as the group winner, but the battle between Rola and Souza for the second spot is going to be really interesting. They met once this year, on clay, with Rola winning 3-6 7-6(2) 6-3. No doubt their match here will be just as close. Perhaps Souza’s home advantage can get him through this time.
2014 Orleans, Napa, Kenitra, Sibiu, Pereira and Porto Alegre Challenger Recaps Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
Orleans
World #24 Philipp Kohlschreiber took a wild card into the event after pulling out with injury in Metz the week before, which didn’t turn out well as he lost 7-6(3) 6-1 to Tim Puetz in the first round. Suspiciously enough, the last time he played a Challenger involved a similar scenario, when he took a wild card into Orleans ranked #18, losing in straight sets in the first round as well. Puetz went on to beat Dustin Brown and lose to #6 seed Sergiy Stakhovsky in the quarterfinal, 6-7(3) 6-1 6-3. Stakhovsky won an interesting encounter with Jiri Vesely in the semi-final, 6-7(5) 7-5 6-0. There to meet Stakhovsky in the final was fifth seed Thomaz Bellucci, who took out #2 seed Igor Sijsling and #7 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu in straight sets. The final went no further than straight sets as well, but this time it had Bellucci on the losing end, as Stakhovsky won the title after a 6-2 7-5 win over the Brazilian. This strengthened Stakhovsky’s top 100 position considerably, as he rose eighteen positions to #72. Bellucci is ranked just above him, rising eleven spots to #68.
Napa
#1 seed Sam Querrey survived a big scare in the second round against the young Swede Elias Ymer, going down a set and a break before winning 6-7(6) 7-6(5) 6-3. #3 seed Marcos Baghdatis hadn’t recovered from the ankle injury that made him pull out of the US Open. He won his first round match, but had to retire against John Millman in the following one. Millman lost in the quarterfinal to Alex Bolt, who took out #5 seed Peter Polansky in the first round. Another surprise semi-finalist was Jared Donaldson, who took advantage of both seeds in his section falling in the first round: #4 seed Bradley Klahn fell to Wayne Odesnik and #8 seed Frank Dancevic to qualifier Daniel Nguyen. In the semi-final, Donaldson almost managed to pull off the upset against #2 seed Tim Smyczek, but fell just short, 3-6 6-4 6-3. Querrey had no problems against Bolt, 6-2 6-3, and repeated that dominance in the final with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Smyczek. The victory meant a return into the top 100 at #47, improving seven spots. Smyczek stayed put at #99.
Kenitra
#6 seed Matteo Viola, who has been in great form as of late, got upset in the first round by Rui Machado, 7-6(3) 7-6(4). Outside of Viola, the seeds performed well, with three of the top four seeds reaching the semi-final. Only Roberto Carballes Baena squeezed himself in as an outsider, beating #8 seed Ramirez Hidalgo in the first round and beating #4 seed Aljaz Bedene in the quarterfinal after saving a match point, 7-6(3) 2-6 7-6(5). He continued his good form against #1 seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, but came up just short, 4-6 6-4 6-3. In the bottom half, #3 seed Daniel Gimeno-Traver was on a roll after slumping in his past couple of tournaments. He didn’t drop a set en route to the final, humiliating #2 seed Damir Dzumhur, 6-3 6-0.
In the final, Ramos-Vinolas also wasn’t given a chance, as Gimeno-Traver won 6-3 6-4. Gimeno-Traver inches closer to the top 100, rising sixteen spots to #113. Ramos-Vinolas had a minor improvement, rising four spots to #66.
Sibiu
The two top seeds didn’t last long, as #1 seed Blaz Rola lost 6-3 7-6(1) to Radu Albot in the first round and #2 seed Albert Montanes lost 6-3 6-1 to Jason Kubler in the second. Both wins turned out to be far from flukes, as both men made it all the way to the final.
Albot got through after #3 seed Pere Riba retired while being 7-6(3) 3-1 down, while Kubler barely scraped through against #7 seed Potito Starace, 2-6 7-6(3) 6-0. In the final, Kubler did no such thing, however, as he dominated Albot and won his first Challenger title, 6-4 6-1. This also meant a new career high ranking for the 21-year-old Australian, rising 39 spots to #155. Albot dropped fourteen spots to #186, as he was defending a Challenger win in Uzbekistan.
Pereira
#1 seed Victor Estrella Burgos recovered nicely after his disappointing second round loss last week, marching all the way to the final without dropping a set. This includes victories against last week’s Quito runner-up Nicolas Jarry, Daniel Munoz-De La Nava and #7 seed Guido Pella. In the bottom half, the seeds fared less well. #2 seed Alejandro Falla fell in the first round to Agustin Velotti, 6-3 4-6 6-3. In reality, that’s not that big of a surprise considering Falla’s clay résumé. #3 seed Paolo Lorenzi’s loss was surprising, however, as he fell to Andres Molteni in the second round, 4-6 6-3 6-1. Last week’s Quito winner, #6 seed Horacio Zeballos, fell in the first round as well, 7-6(8) 4-6 6-3 to Christian Lindell. Velotti marched all the way to the semi-final, where he lost to #5 seed Joao Souza in a dramatic match, 3-6 6-4 7-6(4). Even more dramatic was the final, where Estrella Burgos prevailed over Souza in another thriller after saving a match point, 7-6(5) 3-6 7-6(6). The result makes Estrella Burgos creep closer to his career high ranking of #69, as he rises ten spots to #71. Souza is comforted by the fact he entered the top 100 again, rising eight spots to #93.
Porto Alegre
The slump of #3 seed Facundo Bagnis continued as he lost 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 to Gianni Mina in the second round. Mina surprised by reaching the semi-final in Campinas last week and repeated that feat here. #1 seed Carlos Berlocq was way too strong, however, dismissing the French youngster 6-1 6-2. Berlocq took on #2 seed Diego Schwartzman in the final, who came off a Challenger win in Campinas the week before. In a strange, but high quality final, Berlocq eventually won 6-4 4-6 6-0. Schwartzman was up 40-0 at both 4-3 and 4-4 in the first set, but lost both games due to some spectacular points from Berlocq, but also a particularly easy volley miss at one of the break points. He then went on to produce a stunning tweener lob at 4-5 15-30, but he couldn’t save the set. After imitating Berlocq’s first set heroics and recovering from a 1-2 0-40 deficit in the second set, he clearly was too tired to put up a fight in the third. The victory meant a rise of ten ranking spots for Berlocq, landing at #59. Schwartzman improved six spots to #82, just shy of his career high ranking of #79.
2014 Orleans, Napa, Kenitra, Sibiu, Pereira and Porto Alegre Challenger Previews, Picks Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
A packed schedule on the Challenger tour this week. There will be two hardcourt events in France and the United States, plus four on clay, played in Morocco, Romania, Colombia and Brazil.
Open D’Orleans
ATP Challenger Tour
Orleans, France
22-28 September
Prize Money: €106,500
The last direct acceptance is Yann Marti, ranked 209th. French youngsters Laurent Lokoli and Tristan Lamasine have received wild cards. An extremely tough field, with all seeds being top 100 players.
First round match-ups to watch
(2) Igor Sijsling – Alexander Zverev
Zverev disappointed with a first round loss last week, but he can avenge himself here with a win over a top 100 player. Sijsling has been in shaky form ever since his semi-final run at Rotterdam in February, although he did push eventual finalist Joao Sousa to a third set tiebreak in the second round of Metz last week.
(6) Sergiy Stakhovsky – (WC) Tristan Lamasine
The young Frenchman has been making some waves on the clay Challenger circuit, so it will be interesting to see how he translates onto hardcourt. He had some good results in Futures event this year, but a player like Stakhovsky is obviously an entire different ball game.
Top Half
World #24 Philipp Kohlschreiber took a wild card into the event after retiring in Metz last week, so one has to assume that his injury isn’t too serious. Dustin Brown is sure to test that in the second round and take revenge for his lost third set tiebreak in Halle this year, when they went all the way to 18-16. But in this strong of a field anything can happen, he also has fellow seeds Jiri Vesely and Nicolas Mahut, in the bottom section, to compete against.
Bottom Half
Igor Sijsling leads this half, but as said he has a tough opener against new kid on the block Alexander Zverev. If he survives that Kenny De Schepper awaits, so it remains to be seen if he even makes the quarterfinal. #7 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu had a good showing in Metz last week, where he choked painfully to Joao Sousa in the quarterfinal (missed 4 MP), who beat Sijsling the round before.
Predictions
Semis:
Kohlschreiber > Mahut
Mathieu > Sijsling
Final:
Kohlschreiber > Mathieu
If Kohlschreiber is fit he should be able to keep up his #1 seed, even though the road to the title is sure to be a tough one with Brown, Stakhovsky, Mahut and Mathieu on his way. Regardless of Kohlschreiber’s superior ranking it would be no surprise if he falls to one of them. One thing is sure, this tournament is bound to provide us with a lot of high quality matches.
Napa Valley Challenger
ATP Challenger Tour
Napa, CA, USA
20-28 September
Prize Money: $50,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Sam Querrey (52)
2: Tim Smyczek (102)
3: Marcos Baghdatis (107)
4: Bradley Klahn (118)
5: Peter Polansky (122)
6: Michael Russell (124)
7: Denis Kudla (125)
8: Frank Dancevic (147)
The last direct acceptance is Bjorn Fratangelo, ranked 348th.
First round match-ups to watch
James McGee – Elias Ymer
This will be McGee’s first tournament since his great US Open, where he managed to qualify for his first Grand Slam. He takes on 18 year old Ymer, who is having a breakthrough season of himself, starting the year outside of the top 750 and now is ranked inside of the top 250.
(4) Bradley Klahn – Wayne Odesnik
A tough draw for Klahn against the veteran. Last year’s encounter between the two at Aptos ended in a 7-5 4-6 6-2 victory for Klahn, so he surely will be warned for what is waiting for him in this match. Odesnik has been performing well at American hardcourt Challengers, with a semi-final and a final at respectively Lexington and Binghamton in July.
Top Half
On one hand you would say that Querrey should definitely win this. On the other he is prone to random losses and tight matches against a wide variety of players. However, he has an overwhelming head to head advantage of 7-0 against the other seed in his quarter, Michael Russell, so it would be very surprising if he lost to him. Marcos Baghdatis won back to back Challengers before retiring at the US Open against Marin Cilic in the first round, so if he is healthy again he could pose a major threat.
Bottom Half
This half is dominated by Northern Americans, with Tim Smyczek, Bradley Klahn, Denia Kudla and Frank Dancevic being the seeded players. Along with them you have guys like Wayne Odesnik, Ryan Harrison and Robby Ginepri who are all well capable of making a deep run. It’s pretty much impossible to make an accurate prediction since they’re all so close to each other, it really will come down to their form of the day more than ever.
Predictions
Semis:
Querrey > Baghdatis
Harrison > Ginepri
Final:
Querrey > Harrison
Harrison really needs to regroup after bombing at the main level this year and struggling with injury, he surely has the potential to do so. Querrey leads the head to head against Baghdatis 3-0, two of them very close however, and I see him as the favorite against Harrison as well. Yes, Harrison beat him at straight sets in Auckland almost three years ago, but that was a different Harrison.
Morocco Tennis Tour Kenitra
ATP Challenger Tour
Kenitra, Morocco
22-27 September
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Albert Ramos-Vinolas (71)
2: Damir Dzumhur (115)
3: Daniel Gimeno-Traver (135)
4: Aljaz Bedene (144)
5: Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (160)
6: Matteo Viola (182)
7: Lucas Pouille (199)
8: Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (213)
The last direct acceptance is Inigo Cervantes, ranked 297th.
First round match-ups to watch
(7) Lucas Pouille – Henri Laaksonen
Pouille comes off a great week at the previous Moroccan Challenger in Meknes, where he reached the final, in which he lost to Kimmer Coppejans in three sets. He isn’t used to playing that much tennis, so perhaps Laaksonen can take advantage here if Pouille is suffering from tiredness.
Top Half
Top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas should be marked a clear favorite here. He lost in the final of the Banja Luka Challenger two weeks ago and lost in the second round in Meknes last week, but that was against Matteo Viola, who is in great form. Pouille is in his quarter and Coppejans in his half, so if they can continue their forms of last week he will have tough competition. If they’re tired and can’t back it up he might cruise all the way to the final.
Bottom Half
#3 seed Daniel Gimeno-Traver has been in bad form lately, but he has a good draw here and should create some momentum for himself by reaching the semi-final at the very least. There he will most likely face in form Matteo Viola or second seed Damir Dzumhur. Dzumhur trashed Viola 6-1 6-2 earlier this year, so against him and a slumping Gimeno-Traver he should be the favorite to reach the final.
Predictions
Semis:
Ramos-Vinolas > Bedene
Dzumhur > Gimeno-Traver
Final:
Ramos-Vinolas > Dzumhur
Sibiu Open 2014
ATP Challenger Tour
Sibiu, Romania
22-28 September
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Blaz Rola (85)
2: Albert Montanes (110)
3: Pere Riba (112)
4: Adrian Ungur (132)
5: Victor Hanescu (139)
6: Marton Fucsovics (142)
7: Potito Starace (149)
8: Marco Cecchinato (151)
The last direct acceptance is Tomislav Brkic, ranked 294th.
First round match-ups to watch
(4) Adrian Ungur – Andrea Arnaboldi
The high seeded player might be in danger here. The last time the two met on Moroccan clay, in 2010, Arnaboldi took the match in three sets: 2-6 6-2 6-4. He nearly beat Viola during his run to the Biella title, so it looks like Arnaboldi is recovering some form after his losing streak before.
Jaroslav Pospisil – Marius Copil
33 year old Pospisil has been stringing some good results together in his latest clay Challenger appearances, reaching two semi-finals and a quarterfinal. In the mean time Copil just can’t seem to force the breakthrough a lot of people were predicting him to make, although he did hammer Elias Ymer in straight sets at their Davis Cup tie last week.
Top Half
It’s hard to look past top seed Blaz Rola here, although he has a very tricky draw with Radu Albot in the first round, who reached the semi-final at Trnava last week, where he lost in three sets to the eventual winner Andreas Haider-Maurer. #3 seed Pere Riba has been slumping and might be taken out by veteran Filippo Volandri in the second round. Marco Cecchinato is my pick to advance to the semi-final from that section.
Bottom Half
The players who have the best chance to reach the final are all in the bottom section. Albert Montanes, Antonio Veic and Marton Fucsovics should all be able to beat the threats coming from the bottom section, Potito Starace, Andrea Arnaboldi and Adrian Ungur.
Predictions
Semis:
Rola > Cecchinato
Fucsovics > Starace
Final:
Rola > Fucsovics
Seguros Bolivar Open
ATP Challenger Tour
Pereira, Colombia
22-28 September
Prize Money: $40,000
The last direct acceptance is Theodoros Angelinos, ranked 361st.
First round match-ups to watch
(8) Austin Krajicek – Gonzalo Lama
Krajicek is back in Colombia after surprising everyone by winning the Medellin Challenger on clay three weeks ago. He faces Lama, who did pretty well himself there by reaching the quarterfinal. It will be interesting to see if Krajicek can repeat his form and make another deep run here.
Top Half
Estrella Burgos disappointed last week with a loss against low ranked Gonzalo Escobar after missing several match points. He now faces Nicolas Jarry in the first round, who reached the final at the same tournament. Given Estrella Burgos’ shaky last tournament I would favor fourth seed Alejandro Gonzalez to get out of this half and quite possibly go all the way in his home country, as long as he doesn’t face his nightmare match-up Paolo Lorenzi in the final.
Bottom Half
#4 seed Horacio Zeballos comes off a tournament win at Quito last week, but given his dodgy fitness as of late it remains to be seen if he will handle playing back to back tournaments well. #2 seed Alejandro Falla isn’t playing on his best surface, so this might be an opportunity for the other two seeds, who are both in the top section: Joao Souza and Paolo Lorenzi.
Predictions
Semis:
Gonzalez > Estrella Burgos
Lorenzi > Zeballos
Final:
Lorenzi > Gonzalez
Lorenzi absolutely dominates the head to head against Gonzalez, not having dropped a set in four meetings. This includes two meetings on clay this year: 6-4 6-2 and 6-2 6-1.
Aberto de Tenis do Rio Grande do Sul
ATP Challenger Tour
Porto Alegre, Brazil
22-28 September
Prize Money: $40,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Carlos Berlocq (67)
2: Diego Schwartzman (98)
3: Facundo Bagnis (116)
4: Facundo Arguello (117)
5: Gastao Elias (137)
6: Guido Andreozzi (171)
7: Axel Michon (181)
8: Guilherme Clezar (191)
The last direct acceptance is Fabiano De Paula, ranked 385th.
First round match-ups to watch
(4) Facundo Arguello – Andre Ghem
Arguello disappointed with a second round loss this week in Campinas, while Ghem surprised and went all the way to the final, where he lost to Diego Schwartzman. Ghem is having an amazing last couple of tournaments, going from outside of the top 250 to close to the top 150, all at the age of 32. If he keeps his form the #4 seed is in trouble here.
Top Half
#1 seed Carlos Berlocq is the clear cut favorite here and I can’t see anyone getting close to him. Maybe in the final someone like Ghem or Schwartzman can push him, but otherwise this seems like a breeze for the Argentinian veteran. #8 seed Guilherme Clezar is a good pick to upset #3 seed Facundo Bagnis for the other semi-final spot, Clezar has won their past two meetings in straight sets, both last year.
Bottom Half
Like I said above, I see Ghem and Schwartzman making it to the SF again, after battling it out in the final of Campinas last week. Given their respective ages you would say Schwartzman can handle the back to back deep runs a bit better, so I see no reason why the result would be any different here.
Predictions
Semis:
Berlocq > Clezar
Schwartzman > Ghem
Final:
Berlocq > Schwartzman
Berlocq is simply the big favorite to win this tournament, after which we will surely be treated to one of his trademark shirt rippings.
2014 Izmir, Meknes, Trnava, Campinas and Quito Challenger Recaps Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
Izmir
The early round match-ups that we were looking forward to either didn’t happen or didn’t deliver. Philipp Petzschner had to retire in his first round match against top seed Malek Jaziri, while Alexander Zverev lost in the first round to qualifier Yaraslav Shyla to deny us of an interesting match-up of 17 year olds between him and Borna Coric. That same Coric didn’t disappoint, however. Not only that, he went all the way to the final, where he took down Jaziri 6-1 6-7(7) 6-4 to win his first Challenger title. He showed great tenacity in the final, keeping his composure after missing five match points in the second set and facing break points at 4-3 and 5-4 in the third.
The win puts him inside of the top 150 for the first time in his career, at #140, an increase of 38 spots. Jaziri jumps 14 spots to #18.
Meknes
The aspirations of Pablo Carreno Busta to win back to back titles quickly ended when he got absolutely hammered by Lucas Pouille in the quarterfinal: 6-3 6-0. Matteo Viola continued his excellent form by beating #2 seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4 6-3 in the second round, before losing to Kimmer Coppejans in the semi-final: 0-6 6-2 6-4. Pouille also reached the final, which guaranteed another young winner, since both are 20 years old. Coppejans won the encounter 4-6 6-2 6-2 to win his first title on the Challenger circuit. After a jump of 64 ranking spots it also means his first top 200 position, at #196. Pouille rises 29 spots, landing at #170, also a career high ranking.
Trnava
Unsurprisingly, the tournament of top seed Robin Haase didn’t end well. The Dutchman has been slumping and lost eleven games in a row against Radu Albot in their second round encounter 1-6 6-3 6-0. Albot lost in the semi-final to Andreas Haider-Maurer, who made his second final in three Challengers. There he faced Antonio Veic, who took out second seed Blaz Rola in the quarterfinal: 7-5 6-3. In the semi-final seventh seed Marton Fucsovics got routined as well: 6-3 6-2. In a very close final Haider-Maurer eventually prevailed to take down his second Challenger title of the month: 2-6 6-3 7-6(4). Veic can’t be too displeased, however, as he was ranked outside of the top 300 only two months ago and after two finals finds himself at the verge of the top 200: #204. Haider-Maurer jumped 21 spots and finds himself in the top 100 again at #92.
Campinas
For three of the four top seeds, the tournament already was over before the quarterfinal. #2 seed Facundo Bagnis lost 2-6 6-3 7-5 in the first round to Richard Becker, #4 seed Gastao Elias lost 6-4 7-5 to Ivo Klec in the same stage and #3 seed Facundo Arguello lost to Jose Pereira in the second round. The top seed didn’t disappoint, however, as Diego Schwartzman took down the tournament after two very tough three set matches 5-7 6-4 7-6(5) in the semi-final against #5 seed Guido Andreozzi and 4-6 6-4 7-5 against #8 seed Andre Ghem in the final. For Ghem, it’s yet another great run after a final and a semi-final and Prague and Medellin in his past tournaments. He rises 26 spots to #171, a new career high ranking, not too shabby for a 32 year old. Schwartzman rises 10 spots to #88.
Quito
A disappointing tournament for top seed and defending champion Victor Estrella Burgos, losing 4-6 6-3 7-6(4) to Gonzalo Escobar in the second round after missing several match points. #2 seed Joao Souza got upset in the semi-final by the surprise of the tournament Nicolas Jarry, an 18 year old Chilean. Another surprising semi-finalist was Andres Molteni, who took #3 seed Horacio Zeballos to the edge: 5-7 6-3 7-5. Zeballos got pushed again by Jarry in the final, but eventually prevailed: 6-4 7-6(9). He remarkably managed to win the tournament without beating a single seed, only facing players ranked outside of the top 300. Jarry jumped 61 places to #244, while Zeballos re-entered the top 100 at #96, rising 18 spots.
2014 Izmir, Meknes, Trnava, Campinas & Quito Challenger Previews Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
Turkey, Morocco, Slovakia, Brazil and Ecuador will provide the venues for this week’s Challenger events, with all of them except for Izmir in Turkey (hardcourt) being played on clay.
Izmir Cup
ATP Challenger Tour
Izmir, Turkey
15-21 September
Prize Money: €106,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Malek Jaziri (96)
2: Filip Krajinovic (107)
3: Alexander Kudryavtsev (132)
4: Evgeny Donskoy (135)
5: Ante Pavic (138)
6: Marsel Ilhan (142)
7: Iliya Marchenko (148)
8: Alexander Zverev (150)
The last direct acceptance is Mirza Basic, ranked 304th.
First round match-ups to watch
(1) Malek Jaziri – (PR) Philipp Petzschner
Petzschner comes off his best week after coming back from injury, reaching the semi-final of the Istanbul Challenger, where he lost in three sets to Tatsuma Ito. Jaziri, on the other hand, lost in the first round of that same tournament to #310 Fabrice Martin 6-4 6-2. We may well see the top seed leave the tournament in the first round for the second week in a row.
Ilija Bozoljac – Borna Coric
Coric is rumored to carry a minor knee injury, but he played a Davis Cup match this weekend on clay, losing in straights to Robin Haase. Prior to that he had a great result on hardcourt, however, reaching the second round of the US Open after beating world number 27 Lukas Rosol. With Bozoljac anything could happen, but a lot of people are hoping Coric will prevail to set up a second round match with another 17 year old: Alexander Zverev.
Top Half
This is a tricky half to predict, with a lot of outsiders having a chance to make a deep run. I’d rate #4 seed Evgeny Donskoy the favorite, but he doesn’t have an easy draw with Mirza Basic, Konstantin Kravchuk/Hiroki Moriya and Ante Pavic being on his path. In the top section, I have the feeling Petzschner will upset top seed Jaziri, making a run to the semi-final to face off with Donskoy.
Bottom Half
A second round match-up between 17 year olds Alexander Zverev and Borna Coric would be really interesting, but Coric has a tricky opener against Ilija Bozoljac. #3 seed Alexander Kudryavtsev also had a bad draw, facing off against Egor Gerasimov in the first round, against whom he lost in straight sets only two months ago. In the bottom section, #2 seed Filip Krajinovic should be able to get through, although Ruben Bemelmans is a dangerous floater when he is on his game. If Krajinovic does well at this tournament, it could mean he enters the top 100 for the first time.
Predictions
Semis:
Donskoy > Petzschner
Krajinovic > Zverev
Final:
Krajinovic > Donskoy
Krajinovic is the player who looks the most consistent and stable at the moment, which should get him through this tournament and into the territory of direct qualification for main tour events. He comes off a great Davis Cup weekend, where he beat Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri to secure a 3-2 victory for his team, so his confidence level should be high.
Morocco Tennis Tour Meknes
ATP Challenger Tour
Meknes, Morocco
15-20 September
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Pablo Carreno Busta (74)
2: Albert Ramos-Vinolas (75)
3: Damir Dzumhur (113)
4: Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (163)
5: Roberto Carballes Baena (213)
6: Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (218)
7: Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (222)
8: Lucas Pouille (225)
The last direct acceptance is Yannik Reuter, ranked 295th.
First round match-ups to watch
(8) Lucas Pouille – Gerard Granollers
Pouille comes off a good run in Szczecin, where he reached the semi-final and fell to the eventual winner Dustin Brown. Granollers just fell short in his last two first round matches, losing in three sets both times. However, with 42% of his ranking points to defend in the remainder of the year, Granollers desperately has to make something happen.
Top Half
Top seed Carreno Busta is back for more after his victory in Seville last week and I see no reason why he shouldn’t reach another final here. The other seeds in this half are Lucas Pouille, Adrian Menendez-Maceiras and Roberto Carballes Baena, whom I can’t see threatening him. That shouldn’t be a surprise, given that the ranking of #4 seed Menendez-Maceiras is about 100 spots worse than Carreno Busta’s.
Bottom Half
What Carreno Busta is to the top half, Ramos-Vinolas is to the bottom half. The only one relatively close to his ranking is Damir Dzumhur, but he played Davis Cup on indoor hardcourt this weekend, so his form remains to be seen. Ramos faces Matteo Viola, last week’s Biella winner, in the second round, which could be a challenge, but he should be able to get through. Ramos lost to Viktor Troicki in a very close encounter in the final of the Baja Luka Challenger last week, so his form is good.
ATP Challenger Tour
Trnava, Slovakia
15-21 September
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Robin Haase (70)
2: Blaz Rola (93)
3: Pere Riba (110)
4: Albert Montanes (111)
5: Andreas Haider-Maurer (118)
6: Adrian Ungur (134)
7: Marton Fucsovics (140)
8: Victor Hanescu (143)
The last direct acceptance is Arthur de Greef, ranked 250th. Last week’s Biella semi-finalist Benjamin Balleret entered the tournament as a special exempt. Jan Hajek, Miloslav Mecir and Karol Beck entered the tournament on a wild card.
First round match-ups to watch
(PR) Steve Darcis – Marco Cecchinato
An interesting encounter between two players who could have well been seeded. Cecchinato picked up his form a bit as of late, reaching a quarter and a semi-final in his last two tournaments. Darcis played Davis Cup on indoor hardcourt this weekend, so it remains to be seen how he will adapt.
(5) Andreas Haider-Maurer – (SE) Benjamin Balleret
Will Balleret be able to continue his form after his unlikely lucky loser run to the semi-final last week? After losing to the world #1616 in qualifying, he got another chance and perhaps should’ve given himself more than a semi-final spot, considering he missed a match point in that match. Haider-Maurer comes off a tournament victory and a semi-final last week, so that’s not an easy customer to try and continue your form against.
Top Half
Top seed Haase should make it to the quarterfinal, but there Darcis, Cecchinato or Ungur will be a tough opponent against whom he could potentially lose. In the bottom section, Haider-Maurer should be able to continue his good form with another semi-final, especially considering #4 seed Albert Montanes isn’t playing his best tennis at the moment.
Bottom Half
#2 seed Blaz Rola ran into Viktor Troicki last week, and here his draw isn’t that pleasant either. In the second round he could face last week’s Biella runner-up Filippo Volandri, after which Mate Delic could wait for him, who had a solid Davis Cup weekend. In the top section, #3 seed Pere Riba has lost his previous two first round matches and is desperately looking for a turnaround. A lot of dangerous unseeded players are lurking here, among them Andrea Arnaboldi and Jason Kubler.
Predictions
Semis:
Haider-Maurer > Haase
Rola > Fucsovics
Final:
Rola > Haider-Maurer
Rola and Haider-Maurer played each other earlier this year on clay in Panama, with Rola winning 7-5 6-3.
Campeonato Internacional de Tenis de Campinas
ATP Challenger Tour
Campinas, Brazil
15-21 September
Prize Money: $40,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Diego Schwartzman (85)
2: Facundo Bagnis (98)
3: Facundo Arguello (116)
4: Gastao Elias (139)
5: Guido Andreozzi (166)
6: Axel Michon (179)
7: Guilherme Clezar (189)
8: Andre Ghem (194)
The last direct acceptance is Fernando Romboli, ranked 409th.
First round match-ups to watch
(7) Guilherme Clezar – Gonzalo Lama
Lama entered the top 200 for the first time this month and is well capable of upsetting the seed here. Clezar had a great semi-final run at San Marino last month, but has been a bit shaky in his last couple of matches.
Top Half
Top seed Diego Schwartzman is having a great year, which saw him enter the top 100 for the first time. He should be a fair favorite to advance in this half, although players like Clezar, Facundo Arguello and Guido Andreozzi could pose a threat if they’re on their game. The safest bet here is a Brazilian or Argentinian advancing, since there are only two players with another nationality in this half.
Bottom Half
Second seed Facundo Bagnis is a bigger favorite to reach the final than Schwartzman. Perhaps a dangerous floater like Christian Lindell can trouble him, but I expect Bagnis to reach the final fairly comfortable. Fourth seed Gastao Elias comes off a Davis Cup tie in Russia and hasn’t been in the best of forms lately, so I don’t expect him to pose a threat.
Predictions
Semis:
Schwartzman > Arguello
Bagnis > Ghem
Final:
Schwartzman > Bagnis
XX Challenger ATP Trofeo Ciudad de Quito ‘Diario El Comercio’
ATP Challenger Tour
Quito, Ecuador
15-21 September
Prize Money: $40,000
The last direct acceptance is Juan Carlos Spir, ranked 433rd.
First round match-ups to watch
(3) Horacio Zeballos – Martin Cuevas
The younger brother of Pablo Cuevas will try to make something happen against the much higher ranked opponent here. Zeballos started the year inside of the top 70, but hasn’t been performing up to that level and now sits at #114.
Top Half
Nobody expected it to happen, but Victor Estrella Burgos even managed to hold his own at the main level this year, at the tender age of 34. With third rounds at Washington and the US Open and a semi-final at Bogota he has performed extremely well and posted a career high ranking of 69. In this field one has to mark him a favorite, especially considering he is 2-0 against #3 seed Zeballos, with both matches ending in straight sets. Perhaps fifth seed Austin Krajicek can cause another surprise, after winning Medellin Challenger out of nowhere two weeks ago. Last year Estrella won the title here, so he should feel really comfortable coming back.
Bottom Half
Second seed Joao Souza lost the final of the Medellin Challenger to Krajicek and in this half he should be favored to reach another final. He is likely to face Guido Pella in the semi-final, but he hasn’t been in great form and should be beaten quite easily by Souza. None of the other players in this half have been displaying a good enough form to be able to beat Souza, so any of them rising up to the occasion would be a big surprise.
Predictions
Semis:
Estrella Burgos > Zeballos
Souza > Pella
Final:
Souza > Estrella Burgos
Hard one to predict, since it can go either way. Souza leads the head to head 3-2, with three of those ending in three sets and one with Estrella retiring in the second set.
2014 Szczecin, Istanbul, Bana Luka, Biella and Seville Challenger Previews Chris De Waard, Tennis East Coast
A clay oriented week on the Challenger circuit, as only Istanbul will be played on hardcourt.
Pekao Szczecin Open
ATP Challenger Tour
Szczecin, Poland
8-14 September
Prize Money: €106,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Jan-Lennard Struff (77)
2: Dustin Brown (97)
3: Aleskandr Nedovyesov (107)
4: Albert Montanes (114)
5: Andreas Beck (115)
6: Pere Riba (116)
7: Facundo Arguello (120)
8: Marton Fucsovics (152)
The last direct acceptance is Ivo Klec, ranked 334th. Last week’s Brasov finalist Guillaume Rufin entered the tournament as a special exempt. Grzegorz Panfil and Christian Garin received a wild card. This will be Garin’s first tournament with Fernando Gonzalez as his coach.
First round match-ups to watch
(SE) Guillaume Rufin – Potito Starace
Rufin made a dream run last week, reaching the final of the Brasov Challenger after qualifying. Starace is a tricky opponent, but there will be chances if Rufin can build on his good form. Last week Starace lost 6-4 6-1 to Christian Lindell in the first round of the Genova Challenger.
(2) Dustin Brown (WC) Grzegorz Panfil
Panfil is a mysterious player à la Attila Balazs. He created quite the buzz for himself at the Hopman Cup in the beginning of this year, where he beat Andreas Seppi and Milos Raonic in straight sets and lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets. But since then his best result at Challenger level has been a second round appearance and he is ranked lower than where he started the year: 357th. Perhaps a relatively high profile player like Brown can inspire him, resulting in a very entertaining match.
Top Half
Top seed Jan-Lennard Struff reached the second round of the US Open, where he lost to John Isner. He should be able to comfortably reach the quarterfinal here, but after that he is well capable of losing to guys like Marton Fucsovics, Christian Garin or Facundo Arguello, although he will still be the favorite to advance to the final. Upset-wise, I can see Garin beating third seed Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the second round.
Bottom Half
Dustin Brown leads this half and will look to make a start with battling himself back into the top 100, after falling out of it this week. He is projected to play fifth seed Andreas Beck in the quarterfinal, who has been solid in clay Challengers as of late, reaching two semi-finals and a final in his last five events. However, Brown won their only clay encounter last year comfortably in straight sets, so the second seed should still be favored here. #6 seed Pere Riba will try to overcome his disappointing first round loss of last week and will most probably face #4 seed Albert Montanes in the quarterfinal.
Predictions
Semis:
Struff > Garin
Riba > Brown
Final:
Struff > Riba
Riba leads the head to head over Brown 3-0, including a 7-6(6) 7-5 victory earlier this year in Kitzbühel. Struff will prove too strong in the final, however.
Amex-Istanbul Challenger
ATP Challenger Tour
Istanbul, Turkey
8-14 September
Prize Money: $75,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Tobias Kamke (73)
2: Malek Jaziri (88)
3: Adrian Mannarino (89)
4: Tatsuma Ito (126)
5: Yuichi Sugita (128)
6: James Ward (131)
7: Jimmy Wang (132)
8: Marsel Ilhan (144)
The last direct acceptance is Yaraslav Shyla, ranked 577th.
First round match-ups to watch
(1) Tobias Kamke – Vincent Millot
A tough draw for Kamke, coming up against someone who reached a Challenger final last week and probably feeling good. In his last four main draw matches on hardcourts, Kamke lost against someone outside of the top 80, so there are definitely chances for an upset here.
Alexander Kudryavtsev – Yoshihito Nishioka
Two players, who, in terms of their game, might as well have been seeded. Both qualified at the US Open, with Kudryavtsev also winning his opening round in the main draw. Nishioka went on to win his first Challenger title last week, so this is bound to be a very interesting encounter.
Top Half
#3 seed Adrian Mannarino has a favorable draw and with top seed Kamke already being in danger of going out in his first round match, he might be able to take advantage and go all the way to the final. In the semi-final, he might face #6 seed James Ward, who has been in good form lately and currently sits on a career-high ranking.
Bottom Half
The bottom section here is especially interesting, with seeds Marsel Ilhan and Malek Jaziri being complemented by Kudryavtsev, Nishioka and Philipp Petzschner, all of which are capable of going through. In the other section, Jimmy Wang, Alexander Zverev and Tatsumo Ito will battle it out for a semi-final spot.
Predictions
Semis:
Mannarino > Ward
Jaziri > Wang
Final:
Mannarino > Jaziri
Banja Luka 2014
ATP Challenger Tour
Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
8-14 September
Prize Money: €64,000
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Blaz Rola (87)
2: Albert Ramos-Vinolas (95)
3: Andreas Haider-Maurer (110)
4: Aljaz Bedene (133)
5: Ante Pavic (138)
6: Chase Buchanan (158)
7: Jaroslav Pospisil (195)
8: Nikola Mektic (218)
The last direct acceptance is Boris Pashanski, ranked 432nd. Marko Djokovic received a wild card into the main draw.
First round match-ups to watch
(3) Andreas Haider-Maurer – Tristan Lamasine
The young Frenchman reached the semi-final of the Alphen Challenger last week, losing to the eventual winner Jesse Huta Galung, while Haider-Maurer took the title in Brasov. What makes this match even more interesting is the fact that they played each other in the quarterfinal of Meerbusch last month, which ended up being an absolutely epic encounter. Lamasine won 5-7 7-6(5) 7-6(9) and hopefully we will have another match in that category here.
Top Half
Viktor Troicki made it into the draw without receiving a wild card or having to play qualifying and he is likely to at least make the semi-final, in which he would probably face top seed Blaz Rola. Last week, Troicki lost to Mate Delic in a third tiebreak in the quarterfinal, so he isn’t unbeatable, but he should still be marked a favorite in fields like these.
Bottom Half
The first round match between Haider-Maurer and Lamasine will most probably determine the semi-finalist of the top section. However, there, one of them is likely to face second seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who is in excellent form and convincingly won the Genova Challenger last week. That should be too much for the two as Ramos-Vinolas is simply the better clay court player between them.
Predictions
Semis:
Troicki > Rola
Ramos-Vinolas > Lamasine
Final:
Ramos-Vinolas > Troicki
Back-to-back titles for Ramos-Vinolas as he ousts Troicki in the final, but this would be an excellent result for Troicki as well in his battle to return to old heights.
Challenger Pulcra Lachiter Biella
ATP Challenger Tour
Biella, Italy
8-14 September
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Benoit Paire (98)
2: Filippo Volandri (148)
3: Marco Cecchinato (160)
4: Andrea Arnaboldi (172)
5: Matteo Viola (193)
6: Jason Kubler (197)
7: Henri Laaksonen (280)
8: Dennis Novak (281)
The last direct acceptance is Walter Trusendi, ranked 453rd. Benoit Paire was by far the highest ranked player here, but he withdrew, citing a left knee injury. Benjamin Balleret takes his place in the draw.
First round match-ups to watch
(7) Henri Laaksonen – Alessandro Giannessi
This is bound to become a three set encounter. Both players have spent 2014 mixing up promising results with flops, eventually being unable to make their way up the rankings. This is a nice chance for both players to make a dent, especially considering they’re in the quarter of which top seed Paire withdrew.
Top Half
There are some other players who are looking to go deep here, of whom I give #5 seed Matteo Viola the biggest shot. He is projected to play #4 seed Andrea Arnaboldi in a quarterfinal, but his countryman is on a seven match losing streak. Viola isn’t in his greatest form either, but he leads the clay head to head 2-1 and should be able to profit. A Laaksonen – Viola semi-final is the most likely scenario here, with a healthy chance of Giannessi being in Laaksonen’s spot.
Bottom Half
This half is really open, with Dennis Novak, Jason Kubler, Marco Cecchinato and Filippo Volandri all having a good shot at making the final. Neither of them has displayed good form recently, so it is hard to predict who will take advantage. Last week, Kubler barely lost to Fucsovics in the quarterfinal of Genova, so when you absolutely have to pick one based on recent form you might go for him.
Predictions
Semis:
Viola > Laaksonen
Kubler > Volandri
Final:
Viola > Kubler
Pretty much a coin toss, this final, so I’m going for the easy way out and pick Viola because of the home advantage.
Copa Sevilla
ATP Challenger Tour
Seville, Spain
8-14 September
Prize Money: €42,500
Seeds (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Pablo Carreno Busta (74)
2: Daniel Gimeno-Traver (101)
3: Pierre-Hugues Herbert (136)
4: Gerald Melzer (145)
5: Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (159)
6: Taro Daniel (186)
7: Roberto Carballes Baena (212)
8: Flavio Cipolla (225)
The last direct acceptance is David Perez Sanz, ranked 362nd.
First round match-ups to watch
(2) Daniel Gimeno-Traver – Daniel Munoz-De La Nava
A very tricky draw for the second seed against the man who comes off a final in Alphen last week, where Gimeno-Traver himself lost in the quarterfinal. However, Munoz-De La Nava is known to be very inconsistent, so it won’t be surprising either if he throws in a horrific performance here. Gimeno-Traver leads the head to head 5-1.
Top Half
It’s hard to look past Carreno Busta. He surprised everyone by reaching the third round at the US Open and should be even more comfortable at this clay Challenger, considering his immense success at these events in the past. One has to wonder how long he will keep up playing them. #3 seed Herbert played an event on hardcourts last week, so he might well go out against one of the six Spaniards in his section.
Bottom Half
The deciding match of this half will probably be played in a quarterfinal between Taro Daniel and Daniel Gimeno-Traver, with the Japanese perhaps being able to surprise. He lives in Valencia and is very comfortable on Spanish clay, while Gimeno-Traver has been looking shaky as of late, having dropped almost 40 ranking spots compared to the start of 2014. The other two seeds, Flavio Cipolla and Gerald Melzer, have been in bad form and are unlikely to pose a threat, just like any of the unseeded players in that section.
Predictions
Semis:
Carreno Busta > Cervantes
Daniel > Gimeno-Traver
Final:
Carreno Busta > Daniel
Carreno Busta is simply too strong at the moment and it wouldn’t even surprise me if he won the tournament without dropping a set.
Tennis Atlantic 