Trent Bryde

2015 ATP Atlanta (BB&T Atlanta Open) Weekend Qualifying Wrap: Americans and Veterans Prevail
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Somdev Devvarman vs. Treat Huey

Qualifying rounds 1 and 2 were completed over the weekend at the 2015 BB&T Atlanta Open. The side courts were utilized for qualifying (grandstand, Court 1, and one of the practice courts), as stadium court was used for the Commodores concert Saturday night and now after finishing touches the showcase court is ready for use for play on Monday when the main draw begins.

The conditions played a major factor in the match results, as it was blisteringly hot and sunny over both days, with only the occasional breeze making things more hospitable for players, officials, and spectators alike. All of the players who battled hard in their matches, win or lose, serve as a testament to the grit and will required to reach the ATP level in professional tennis, as all the qualifying participants certainly hope to reach that level, or get back to it.

Saturday Recap

On Saturday two of the young gun Americans, Jared Donaldson and Tommy Paul won hard fought matches, while 15 year old Trent Bryde shocked in his round 1 qualifying win, and Reilly Opelka didn’t have as much luck as his three fellow Americans and fell in defeat.

Donaldson maintained his composure, and confident attitude against Gastao Elias on grandstand, the first set lasted over an hour, though things were comfortably on serve up to 4-4. At that point Donaldson generated a break point and three deuce points against the Elias serve, only to fail to convert, and face a break point of his own at 4-5 serving, that game likewise going to three deuces before Donaldson held on.

The young American and his more experienced Portuguese rival both played high quality tennis overall, showing deft touch. Donaldson, given his background on fast surfaces was the more aggressive player, coming to net more often, while Elias moved well and imparted spin on the ball, given his background on clay. The first set went to a tiebreak, and serve proved relatively meaningless in that tiebreak with a total of five minibreaks created. Eventually Elias won three points in a row to get it to 6-3, and though he needed three set points, he did close out the first set.

Donaldson was disappointed but resolute as he battled back, perhaps helped by superior conditioning for the American summer weather. He broke Elias for 3-1 in set 2, and after saving a break point that would have given the break away in the next game, he would sail through the set without facing another breakpoint, closing it 6-3, after failing to convert three break point chances 4-1 up.

Jared Donaldson was clutch

Set three took a similar path as the previous two sets, play was calm and on serve until Elias got broken easily for 4-3 Donaldson, Donaldson would have two break points in the next game to go up 5-3, and then Elias was mentally and physically beaten at that point, getting broken on Donaldson’s third match point of the game the result finishing 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3. One thing to note is both players served poorly in terms of first serve % and the number of double faults they posted, but still generally held their serves.

Prior to that match Tommy Paul beat what is ranking wise the second best player in his American high school recruiting class, Walker Duncan 6-3 7-6(9) in a little over an hour and a half. Duncan had a lot of fans in the stands as he’s a local player and a future Georgia Bulldog, but the fans certainly respected the play of Tommy as well, and overall it was an exciting atmosphere for a round 1 qualifying match.

Both players started very tight and their serves were not up to ATP quality by any measure, Duncan especially as he posted just one ace and six double faults in the match. Duncan, who made efforts to get the crowd into the match and on his side, started out the stronger of the two players, as he had a break point at 2-3. However when he had a chance to put the point away and go up 4-2, he slipped and fell on the court instead, and after that the momentum entirely shifted to Paul’s favor.

The Jersey boy decked out in Nike apparel broke Duncan in the next game as Walker totally went off the boil and seemed to check out mentally. From 2-3 Duncan lost the next four games rather routinely, and after the first set it looked like he might be headed for the showers rather quickly.

However, to his credit the teenager fought back and pulled himself back into the match. Paul, who is a good mover and plays good defensive tennis, would have improved his chances by being more aggressive and moving up the court, as Duncan’s big hitting, including a powerful forehand, started to do damage in the second set, as he kept the errors down, unlike set 1. Duncan’s impressive power got him a break for 2-1, but he would give up that break serving 3-2, and from there things were straightforward on serve until 5-5.

The end of the second set is where things got rather hairy, and the match was hanging in the balance, Paul got broken again and Duncan had a chance to serve out the set and force a third set, a third set he may well have won, but with his poor serve he couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Paul broke and forced a tiebreak and though Duncan would have two more set points, Paul finally advanced on his 4th match point, taking it 11-9 after multiple minibreaks of serve.

Paul is a talent but needs to add weapons to his game to compliment his defense and strong footwork while Duncan has firepower from the baseline but must improve his serve and work on playing with controlled aggression, rather than just aggression. Still on hard courts at least, they both showed signs of promise, and it will be interesting to see how they develop.

Paul signing for fans post win with @sharkotennis standing by

Trent Bryde, 15, joined ranks with Felix Auger Aliassime, a 14 year old Canadian, as notable young teens to win against major pro opponents. Bryde shocked veteran journeyman Catlin Gard 7-6(4) 6-2 as Gard was 5-2 up in the first set and collapsed from there, winning just three more games the rest of the match.

Shuichi Sekiguchi is making his move at this BB&T Atlanta Open, and his wins over the weekend have moved him one match away from qualifying for his first ATP main draw tournament. The Japanese player has a game similar to his national counterparts, and many Asian men’s players. He’s a speedy counterpuncher who relies on moving his opponents around the court, but lacks the size and strength to impose himself, and thus has to stick to the baseline, and rallies over big serves. This approach worked deceptively well against the big American young gun Reilly Opelka, who is built similar to players such as John Isner and Kevin Anderson. Opelka, with is tall frame, is a big server, and has a powerful forehand to go with that, but his footwork was lacking, and he struggled to adjust his body around the court as Sekiguchi absorbed his power and moved the ball around.

Opelka winces from a tight shoulder

Opelka failed to generate a break point until the last game of the match and appeared to be bothered by pain in his shoulder/neck throughout, as he kept rolling his head and shoulder and wincing while toweling off. Sekiguchi broke at 3-2 in set 1 (the set finished 6-4), and then one final time for 5-4 in set 2, as he saved two break points, likely caused by nerves, and served out the match 6-4 6-4.

In other Saturday results doubles specialist Treat Huey beat Ryan Haviland 7-6(8) 6-3, Yuichi Sugita joined Sekiguchi as Japanese winners, Sugita advancing over local favorite Kevin King 6-4 3-6 6-3 as King put up a hard fought in front of friends and family. Evan Song blitzed Takanyi Garanganga 6-4 6-1, Evgeny Korolev survived a surprisingly close match with Antonio Ruiz-Rosales 6-2 2-6 7-6(3), and Andrew Carter got an automatic walkover vs. Matias Castro.

Sunday Recap

Sunday saw the qualifying seeds take to the courts and most of them performed well. #1 qualies seed Denis Kudla rolled past Bryde 6-1 6-1 in what was a great learning example for the teen, Marinko Matosevic beat Carter 6-3 6-2, as he tries to find form and snap his run of poor results, Guido Pella was skillful against Song 6-2 7-6(5) as the difference in ranking showed, and Sugita played a better match than Saturday and got past the still maturing Paul 6-3 6-3. American Austin Krajicek also played a great match, while Evgeny Korolev continued to show rust, Krajicek winning 6-3 6-3.

Two seeds fell in defeat however, Matt Ebden struggled in the heat and Sekiguchi upset him 7-5 5-2, conditioning explaining the upset, and Jared Donaldson played an extremely hard fought match and toppled J.P. Smith, an opponent he had lost two twice previously this year, 6-7(5) 7-6(3) 6-4. The match was close throughout, and Donaldson has twice engineered clutch comebacks in his matches.

In regards to Donaldson, he’s not only a clutch, and talented tennis player, he also comes across as a true class act on and off the court. Respectful to opponents, ball kids, and the officials, and very accommodating with fans, including a family that is a bit of a legend at the BB&T Atlanta Open as they are the spirit of the tournament. After his win over Smith, Donaldson was approached by the famous group that I’ve cataloged previously on this site as the young man is a huge fan of John Isner, loudly declaring it to anyone within earshot during matches, and the girl simply supports young American men on the rise, formerly Ryan Harrison, and now Jack Sock (and of course Donaldson).

He posed with them for photos, autographed their items, and went above and beyond, as he handed out his sweatbands and headbands for the kids, who reacted with glee. He then kindly posed for a group photo, and quipped back “Jack Sock, not me?” when the girl said her favorite player was now Sock, and Donaldson overheard, resulting in laughter from everyone. Simply put it’s great to see a young talent have such a humble and friendly attitude, and it should serve him well and win him many new fans.

Donaldson with BB&T Atlanta Open Superfans (note the head and sweatbands from JD)

In the other interesting match of the day Somdev Devvarman beat another former University of Virginia player Treat Huey 7-5 6-3. The first set was long, though the points themselves were quick, but eventually Huey’s serve and volley game couldn’t stand up to Devvarman’s superior ground game as the Indian advanced to final round qualifying. Eight players remain in qualies, and are competing for the final four qualifying spots on Monday.

American Young Guns Donaldson, Paul Highlight BB&T Atlanta Open 2015 Qualifying Draw
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Tennis action from Atlantic Station in Atlanta, GA will begin tomorrow morning at 10 A.M. local time as the 2015 BB&T Atlanta Open (ATP Atlanta) kicks off with round 1 qualifying. The seven highest ranked players to enter qualifying receive byes into round 2, but two American young guns, Jared Donaldson, and Tommy Paul are not among those seeds, and thus will begin their qualifying campaigns tomorrow.

The 18 year old Rhode Islander Donaldson, who now resides in California, has scored ATP main draw wins on US soil in both Memphis and Newport this year and also has a challenger title in Maui, Hawaii, and a successful ATP qualifying campaign at London Queens on his resume this year. The American all-courter decided to turn pro in 2014, and has steadily risen up the rankings since then.

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He will open with 24 year old Gastao Elias of Portugal who has yet to break the top 100 in his career. Donaldson beat Elias on clay in both Houston and the Sarasota challenger this year, and given that’s Gastao’s preferred surface, Donaldson should be a favorite to win their matchup tomorrow as well. Elias is on a two match losing streak in singles and last played Davis Cup for Portugal (where they beat Finland on clay).

2015 French Open junior champion Tommy Paul (18) was formerly committed to the University of Georgia, but recently turned pro instead, and the young New Jersey resident is one of the top American junior players around. Paul will face off with a young American who does plan to go to UGA in the Fall Walker Duncan. The 19 year old will have local support as he’s from Atlanta, and he’s the #2 college recruit in the country right now, while Paul was the #1. Both of these Americans could have strong futures in the pro game, so it will be interesting to see the result of their matchup tomorrow.

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15 year old Trent Bryde, another Atlanta resident, and the national #5 recruit for his class gets a wild card and will face off with Catalin Gard, a Romanian journeyman who tends to bat around the challenger tour. The winner of that matchup gets Denis Kudla, who made a name for himself at Wimbledon this year where he reached the round of 16.

Below them in the draw, former Louisville Cardinal Andrew Carter faces Matias Castro of Argentina who prefers clay, and the winner of that will face Australian veteran Marinko Matosevic, who has endured an abysmal 3-17 season after previously being an ATP regular. Matosevic hasn’t won a match in months but barring disaster it’s hard to see him not reaching final round qualifying against Kudla, who likewise shouldn’t have trouble winning his first match.

Zimbabwe’s #1 Takanyi Garanganga, another Atlanta resident, will open with former top recruit (class of 2011) Evan Song, an American, given Garanganga is an active player and Song sticks with the futures tour, he should be the favorite to advance, and setup a match with Argentina’s Guido Pella round 2. Pella, who prefers clay, was once a top 80 player but he now sits just outside of the top 100 at 25, and comes off a round 1 loss in Bogota to Sam Groth in 3 sets. Given his limited record on hard courts, he’s not guarantee to reach the final round of qualies, and regardless he’ll be a big underdog against Donaldson/Elias, or J.P. Smith.

Smith, a 26 year old Aussie, comes off one of his best career results as he upset Bernard Tomic and reached the semis in Newport. The former Tennessee volunteer qualified for both Delray Beach and Wimbledon this year, and he just beat Donaldson in Newport, which may give him an inside track to qualify, as Pella appears beatable.

One interesting non-American name in the qualifying is Evgeny Korolev, Korolev was once a top 50 player and has an ATP final on his resume, but outside of Davis Cup for Kazakhstan he hasn’t made waves in years, and he’s playing just his third event of 2015 in Atlanta, where he will open with futures level player Antonio Ruiz-Rosales of Mexico. Even while rusty one would presume Korolev, given his abilities, will work his way into round 2 and setup a meeting with Austin Krajicek who comes off a tough round 1 loss in Bogota, but at 25 has made his move up to the near ATP level finally this year. Krajicek has been struggling in singles as of late but he qualified in Memphis, Acapulco, and Miami, all on hard courts this past spring, and is surely looking to get back in form.

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Krajicek-Korolev could be interesting, as conditioning will certainly play a factor given how hot and humid it will be here in Atlanta with the sun beating down. In final round qualies they could meet Paul/Duncan or Kevin King/Yuichi Sugita. King is a tall former Georgia Tech standout who has been around the challenger tour for a while now, while Sugita qualified for Wimbledon and won matches in both Newport and Bogota, suggesting the Japanese journeyman baseliner is in good form. I’d presume Sugita would have enough to qualify over most likely Krajicek unless he wilts in the heat.

Matt Ebden didn’t win a tour main draw match until Wimbledon this year, but he’s 34-15 below that level, and he qualified for both Newport and Bogota in confident fashion, suggesting he’s playing into form going into Atlanta. Ebden is likely to have to face top American junior Reilly Opelka of Florida in round 2. Opelka won the 2015 Wimbledon junior title and he just recently turned pro. He will face off first against Shuichi Sekiguchi of Japan who is a relatively solid 27-11 in challengers and futures this year. I have a hunch Opelka is good enough to beat Sekiguchi, but an inform Ebden with his steady baseline offense probably proves too much, as the Aussie should reach final round qualifying.

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The last seed in the bracket is another player who regularly has played in Atlanta, Somdev Devvarman of India (and the University of Virginia). Devvarman is now 30, but he’s been in great form in recent weeks, he won the Winnetka challenger in Illinois on hard court, and also helped India win their Davis Cup tie. While he’s unlikely to turn into an ATP regular at this point, he’s still made a decent career for himself and will almost assuredly beat doubles specialist Treat Huey or 34 year old Ryan Haviland, an American futures regular, in round qualifying round 2. Devvarman-Ebden should be interesting, but given Devvarman’s form and his 2-1 h2h edge, I favor him to qualify.

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Picks to qualify:
Denis Kudla (d. Matosevic)
J.P. Smith (d. Pella)
Yuichi Sugita (d. Krajicek)
Somdev Devvarman (d. Ebden)

Tennis Atlantic will have on-site coverage from Atlanta all week, and be sure to keep checking the site for our latest reports from qualifying this weekend, and the main draw starting Monday.

Steen Kirby (Marseille)