Super Sunday: Shocks and Surprises Occur In Bstaad and Umag Adam Addicott, Tennis Atlantic
This weekend was one of the busiest of the year for the 2016 ATP Tour with a total of seven events taking place as well as the Davis Cup. Amongst the seven was a duo of European qualifying tournaments in Croatia and Switzerland. Those events saw a series of shocks and surprises with the lower ranked players outdoing the achievements of the draw favourites.
The Swiss Open: Top seed Thiago Monteiro Strolls into the main draw
The qualifying draw for the 49th Swiss Open was perhaps one of the easiest for top seed Brazilian player Thiago Monteiro. The 22-year-old is currently at a ranking high of 122nd in the world and won his first Challenger titles earlier this year in Aix En Provence, France. Playing in Gstaad, he had the luxury of receiving a first round bye in qualifying. Targeting a spot in the main draw, Monteiro faced Italy’s Matteo Trevisan, who upset sixth seed Miki Jankovic in the first round. The top seed eased into the main draw by crushing Trevisan 6-2, 6-1, in just 57 minutes.
A total of five home players participated in the qualifying draw, however, only one of them was successful. Former top-200 player Yann Marti reached his first ATP main draw for two years by upsetting two seeded players. After stunning Argentine second seed Marco Trungelliti 7-6(2), 6-3, he encountered tougher resistance from seventh seed Tomas Lipovsek Puches. Puches achieved a ranking best of 250th in April this year. In the roller coaster encounter, Marti battled past the seventh seed 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, to reach his fourth Gstaad main draw.
Czech veteran Jan Mertl rolled back the years with his duo of straight sets wins. The 34-year-old was granted an easier draw in his section after third seed Nicolas Kicker crashed out at the first hurdle to Adrien Bossel. Facing Bossel in the final round, Mertl managed to win 6-1, 6-3, despite only managing to get 49% of his first serves in. He will now be bidding to get his first ever ATP main draw win at the age of 34.
Finally, fourth seed Tristan Lamasine came through qualifying for a second consecutive week following his triumph at the Swedish Open. The Frenchman recently achieved a milestone in his career by successfully qualifying for Wimbledon, his first grand slam main draw. His SW19 experience was short-lived after a straight sets loss to Viktor Troicki. At the Swiss Open he booked a showdown with Agustin Velotti after battling past Italy’s Marco Bortolotti 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(3). He managed to squeeze into a qualifying place by defeating Velotti 7-5, 7-5, winning just five more points than his opponent.
First round matches:-
Q Yann Marti SWI Vs Q Jan Mertl CZE (head-to-head of 1-1)
Q Thiago Monteiro BRA Vs WC Antoine Bellier SWI (first meeting)
Q Tristan Lamasine FRA Vs Radu Albot MDA (head-to-head of 1-1)
Croatian delight for Enrique Lopez-Perez in Umag
Almost 500 miles away from the Swiss Open, the qualifying competition at the Croatian Open saw a duo of players produced milestone wins on the ATP Tour.
Spanish world No.201 Enrique Lopez-Perez has reached his maiden ATP main draw with a 6-4, 7-5, win over Argentina’s Juan Pablo Paz in the final round of qualifying. Lopez-Perez, who received a bye in the opening round, has already won back-to-back future titles in China earlier this year and reached the final of a Challenger tournament in Turin, Italy. Regardless of his performance in the main draw, the Spaniard is set to break the top-200 for the first time in his career.
Lopez-Perez wasn’t the only player to reach his first ATP main draw. Another was 25-year-old Serbian Nikola Cacic. Cacic has been ranked as high as 281st in 2014 before falling down the rankings after missing all of last year due to injury. Since returning to the tour, he has won a Futures title in Croatia, his first since 2014. He achieved the breakthrough by dismissing Czech player Michal Konečný 6-3, 6-2.
A more familiar name to grab a qualifying spot was Brazil’s Andre Ghem. Since achieving his ranking high of 118th last year, Ghem has dropped outside the top-200 and hasn’t reached the semifinal at a tournament since a Brazilian Challenger event last September. Nevertheless, he has given his season a much needed boost with a hard fought 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, win over Croatian wild card Kristijan Mesaroš. Ghem will now be bidding to win his first ATP main draw match since the 2013 Dusseldorf Open, when he upset Juan Monaco in the first round.
Grabbing the final Umag qualifying spot was Austria’s Michael Linzer. Linzer secured his place by defeating two top-five players. In the opening round, the 26-year-old dismissed Spanish fifth seed Oriol Roca Batalla 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Then in his final match, Linzer fired five aces during his 6-2, 6-4, win against French third seed Axel Michon.
First round matches :-
Q Andre Ghem BRA Vs Renzo Olivo ARG (Ghem leads the head-to-head 2-1)
Q Michael Linzer AUG Vs 8 Jiri Vesely CZE (first meeting)
Q Nikola Cacic SRB Vs Aljaz Bedene GBR (Bedene leads the head-to-head 1-0)
Q Enrique Lopez-Perez ESP Vs 7 Martin Klizan SLO (first meeting)
Arrivederci Umag! Tuesday Report from @CroatiaOpenUmag Stefano Berlincioni, Tennis Atlantic
My fourth day at Croatia Open in Umag started with a short press conference with Gael Monfils.
He told press he didn’t feel very well in the last weeks but after he arrived here everything feels OK. He was asked about his absence in the Davis Cup tie and he replied that he talked with the team captain, and as Gael doesn’t feel comfortable on grass, they agreed to let others play: “It’s just not my surface”.
He said his favourite sport out of tennis is basketball and his favourite non-tennis athlete is Carmelo Anthony.
He had very kind words for the local young idol Borna Coric and said he will be surely one of the top players in the next years.
He was asked about his second round opponent, Mikhail Youzhny (as Misha did not have to play the first round against Trinker!) and he replied the usual stuff like, “great opponent, great matches with him in past, will be tough”, etc. By the way, a couple of hours later, Trinker beat Youzhny.
Last question was about his attitude about tennis. The Croatian press compared him to Ivanisevic as a sort of underachiever because of the mental issues. He said he will try to be more focused about tennis and he aims to attain top 5 status within two years.
Lorenzi def. Trevisan 1-6 6-2 7-5
Trevisan showed good tennis during qualies but in the first set he was really stunning. He completely outplayed Lorenzi who could only stay 3 meters behind the baseline and hope for Matteo’s errors. It is really incredible that a player with Trevisan’s talent is stuck playing ITF tournaments. After the first set, Lorenzi became more solid and Trevisan looked more and more tired exactly as he did against Bagnis on Monday.
But again, after a half tanked set he managed to regroup and take the lead in third set. The last set level was not so good as Trevisan was less effective and Lorenzi kept making stupid errors. Trevisan had two chances to break Lorenzi to go *5-2 up but Lorenzi played well on both points. That would have been a great achievement for Trevisan, but in the end, he had no more energy. Before match point told his box that at dinner he would eat his racquet and his own wrist. That’s how unhappy for how he played last games. I hope this tournament will give him enough self-confidence because he clearly has at least 200 potential.
His forehand rocked but Trevisan lost after failing to convert 2 break points for *5-2 third set #Umagpic.twitter.com/YKoRUC6Bi4
Coric def. Granollers 63 63
I watched only a few games and Coric played really well, being in control of the rallies and looking for winners. He obviously has great support here and it looks like he really likes to be on the stage.
Haider Maurer def. Fabbiano 63 64
Quick notes also from this match as Haider Maurer outpowered Fabbiano and he never looked really in danger. Fabbiano is a very solid player from the baseline but when he has to face players with big power, it’s very tough for him.
Haider Maurer outpowered Fabbiano yesterday and this guy was cheering madly. Wristband flying in the last pic #Umagpic.twitter.com/k0L5CRCu29
Dzumhur def. Rosol 63 60
The Bosnian has great support here and was very pumped, while Rosol didn’t care that much for the whole match. Rosol didn’t tank in the second set but he didn’t look so interested. It was a good match for Dzumhur who now has to face Fognini, so I guess his tournament should be over if Fabio shows up with the 1st round attitude.
Rosol shot was out so Dzumhur had just won the match. They argued for a bit after handshake pic.twitter.com/42C8n2tPDP
Rosol/Junaid def. Mamata/Monfils 62 62
I arrived just to watch the second set and it has to be said that the Frenchman played a sort of exhibition match. Gael never cares too much about doubles and Mamata can play tennis, but this level is too much for him.
Klizan def. Carreno Busta 76 67 61
This match was quite even with Klizan looking for winners and Carreno trying to outback as many balls as possible. Klizan also looked very motivated when I watched him training at 4 pm under the sun, so it was not a surprise to see him fighting in the third set after wasting chances to close the match in straights. He also had great support from his team.
My adventure here is over, my 4th year at Umag ATP is finished and I had a great time as always because the tournament is perfectly organized and all players love to be here.
Organizers decided to start matches at 5 pm because of the heat so I arrived a bit earlier because they arranged a little press conference with Toni Androic, Lawrence Frankopan, Ronald Korotaj and Lord Nicholas Windsor. During the conference, Androic said something like, this year “ATP Umag” should have been named “Survivor” as the TV reality show because it’s really tough for players to compete under this sun.
Lord Nicholas Windsor (his father is the Sir that lifts the trophy at the end of Wimbledon) is enjoying his stay here and he loves Croatia as his wife was born here.
After this quick press, there was a models show organized by Lotto This video shows here you some nice models.
Later I came to the courts, finding Monfils practicing doubles with Mamata, a pretty unknown guy who he is playing doubles with here. Gael looked very relaxed, but training was very serious.
Gael Monfils practiced doubles with this guy that is supposed to be his doubles partner here: Paterne Mamata. pic.twitter.com/h24OmDEWt5
Finally, last round qualifying matches started and I decided to attend Bagnis-Trevisan as I thought this could have been a close and entertaining match.
Trevisan def. Bagnis 76 16 61
Bagnis was too erratic during first set but Trevisan had to dictate rallies with forehand because when the Argentinean was hitting cross forehand on his backhand he was often in trouble. Like yesterday, Trevisan played a great tiebreak again but it has to be said that the end was quite shocking: Bagnis served 3-6 on tiebreak, failed first serve, got angry with the umpire because ballkids were moving and hit the second serve underarm superflat on purpose in the middle of the net. What a way to end a set!
Trevisan had a break point in the first game of the second set but Bagnis saved it and then cruised, playing way better so I left the court to attend other matches. I came back with Trevisan 2-0 up in the third and the Italian was playing very solid again, serving very well and hitting huge forehands. Bagnis wasn’t playing his best, but credit to the Italian who also served a 222 kmh last serve of the match.
Fabbiano def. Gonzalez 64 64
I could watch only the end of the match, as when I arrived the Argentinean was having a medical time out for a problem to his right foot. It didn’t’ appear to be a bad injury but Fabbiano stayed focused and played really solid tennis, very deep with no unforced errors. He was so happy in the end as an ATP qualification for a player with his ranking is always a nice achievement.
Trinker def. Melzer 76 62
I arrived here on 76 31* and they were playing a very long game, with Melzer fist-pumping after every break point saved, but yesterday he didn’t serve well. Melzer looked completely dead and spent after he was broken and Trinker held very easily on *4-1. I expected Melzer to be broken here because he was really walking on court, but Trinker was not able to put a single return on court. He then held with ace, ace, ace, service winner.
Fognini def. Vesely 64 64
Night session match was the highlight of the day: Fognini-Vesely.
Umag is quite close to Italy (45 min by car from the border) so Fabio has a lot of Italians fans here and he is loved everywhere he plays because he is one of the much entertaining players on court.
From the very first rallies, you could notice that Fognini was quite relaxed and focused and he had the full control of the match. It was just a matter of time for him to take the lead. He complained with the umpire for the court conditions at the baseline (and he was right) but he never got angry as the court was adjusted during next changeover. He was almost always dictating the rallies and Vesely had a tough time looking for winners. The match appeared to be almost over with Fognini leading 64 20 and 3 straight breakpoints. Vesely saved them all with some stunning winners and ‘someone’ was worried, because you never know with Fabio. He didn’t lost control of his nerves despite a probable drunk guy in the stands cheering very loudly for Vesely. Fognini took the set, 64 and the match.
I had a quick chat with Fognini’s father (Fulvio) who always gives Fabio great support and he said he was very happy with Fabio’s performance as he never looked in danger and was physically and mentally ready to play a great tournament. He was also worried when Vesely held that 0-40 and he was very satisfied with Fabio’s reaction after he lost that game.
We even talked a bit about Trevisan and Fulvio told me that when Matteo was 18 yo he was really impressive. He could hit very hard, but Fulvio said that when you are young and you are one of the best you have to do the right choices or the guys that are behind you…pass you. He was also happy for Trevisan’s qualification as the guy really deserved bigger stages than the ITF provides.
Opponents Wilt as Qualifying Continues @CroatiaOpenUmag, Ballboy Caught Texting Stefano Berlincioni for Tennis Atlantic
Fognini Cincinnati (Photo: Dave Gertler)
Umag, Croatia July 19, 2015–Yesterday evening, I met Fabio Fognini’s father at the elevator and as soon as he saw me told me, “Stefano, it’s too hot here, I’m dying!” Fulvio Fognini is as funny as Fabio and he is right: Umag is really like hell these days. By the way, at the end of the day after the Ivanisevic-Coric exhibition, which was funny and had packed stands, I met Fabio playing darts with a friend of his and later, Bagnis arrived with Gonzalez!
Fabio congratulated Facundo for the Pan-Am Games gold medal and asked who were his opponents and if Argentina paid him for the medal. For the records, Fabio lost the 1st darts match and was saying “porcodiaz” (his typical expression) every three words, very funny and relaxed.
Today, matches surprisingly started at 11 am, a bit late in my opinion considering the insane heat.
Trinker def. Mitak 61 61
As expected, Trinker disposed very easily of the local wild card, who is no amateur but cannot compete at this level. The Austrian kept the focus for the whole match showing a good form again.
Gerald Melzer in action today: didn’t serve very well but was enough. He also got a warning for racquet abuse #umagpic.twitter.com/ZYn7XTYYkc
As I said in yesterdays’ report, Surchenko was absolutely not impressive yesterday but today was very pumped and played two times better than yesterday, serving much better and hitting quite hard. Melzer was a bit surprised at the beginning, but after getting broken he cruised until 6-1. He lost focus and went down 0-2 in second set, even getting a bit angry (destroyed a racquet) but managed to regroup and win quote comfortably. Not a stunning performance though.
Marcora def. Trinker 46 44 ret.
This was on paper one of the closest matches of the day. The first set was decided by a double fault of Marcora facing break point on 4-4 and he looked in control of the match, even leading by a break early in the second set. He was more solid from the baseline and very motivated, grunting loudly after every shot. In the middle of the second set, he started showing problems with his wrist/arm and began losing points with blatant errors so he decided to give up at 4-4.
Leonardi knew that his opponent would have not been so slow on court as Santiago Gonzalez yesterday and the ball speed difference was very clear from the beginning. It has to be said that Leonard played at a very decent level but Bagnis was really too much for him.
Gonzalez def. Leite 62 64
I could not watch many games of this match as I arrived in the middle of second set. Leite looked fresher and after being broken on 62 *32, he made a sign to his wife as if he was going to quit because exhausted. He kept fighting until the end of the set but was quite lucky because he managed to break Leite on 4-4 from 30-0 with the Brazilian missing a winner by one centimeter.
Trevisan def. Skugor 36 61 76
I arrived at the match at 4-1 second set and Skugor fully tanked the service game and especially the return game, not even trying to return. He was not injured though, just saving energy for the third set under Umag’s terrible Sun.
Ballkid had no balls for Trevisan because he was texting on a mobile that the guy behind him brought to him. pic.twitter.com/yprpyOL4HZ
The last set was quite entertaining with great winners from both sides as they are players who don’t like to wait for their opponent’s errors. At 3-3, Trevisan asked for a MTO because he was exhausted due to the heat and he needed more ice on his neck and head. He had a few break chances at 3-3 and he even had to save match points at 4-5. With both players almost down to no legs, the match went to a final tiebreak where Trevisan won 6 points in a row from *0-1 down, playing very aggressive and deserving the win. The Italian almost lost control of his nerves when he was serving to stay in the match because in the middle of the game, the ballkid had no balls for him to serve because he was texting on a mobile phone that a guy from the stands passed to him. A very unusual scene. He stopped texting, gave back the mobile and the guy disappeared from the stands in five seconds. Maybe some very urgent issue but still very strange.
Last little note: I attended Paolo Lorenzi practicing with Andre Sa and it was really amazing to see the intensity of Lorenzi during training.
Another day with insane heat is finished then and tomorrow, thankfully, matches will start at 5 pm.
Heat Strokes Beat Ground Strokes @CroatiaOpenUmag Qualifying Stefano Berlincioni for Tennis Atlantic
Arrived in Croatia yesterday evening and checked in with Bastian Trinker, an Austrian guy that every year comes and plays here with good support on the stands from his family.
Quick dinner where I met Thomas Fabbiano and Agustin Velotti, both apparently travelling alone. During dinner the qualifying draw came out: no big names because of Davis Cup and a lot of Challengers scheduled next week.
This morning at breakfast I saw very relaxed Brazilians Wilson Leite and Andre Sa and then I headed to the tournament.
Already in the morning at 9 we had more than 30°C so the heat will be a key factor also this year: it will not be easy for any player to play three qualifying rounds in three consecutive days under this heat.
Surchenko def. Biljesko 63 62
I attended this match because I was curious to watch the local Domagoj Biljeskos, 18 years old who was #38 as junior. He appeared sick and nervous from the very beginning as he got broken in first game of the match with 3 double faults. He has no particular weapon but was quite evident that the match was very even because Surchenko is really nothing special. Self confidence was at a very low level, which killed any hope for the local guy who played a terrible match: 17 double faults in 9 service games say it all.
Linzer def. Galovic 61 63
Another apparently one way match from the score but the match was quite close. Galovic can hit very hard and he is always unlucky with quail draws here in Umag, Unfortunately for him, Linzer was more consistent but I have to say this was the best match of the day from a quality point of view.
Marcora def. Sabry 63 62
I watched only a few rallies but Marcora appeared always in control of the match, clearly overpowering the Egyptian.
Mitak def. Sudic 61 62
Local young players out of ATP top 1500, with Mitak being clearly better but both playing quite poorly.
Velotti looked very motivated, fist pumping after every point won. He played at good level and in the first few games the match was quite close, but then the Serbian fell apart and retired for illness.
Trinker def. Viola 64 26 62
I arrived at the end of second set and the Austrian looked really spent because of the heat and I thought Viola would have won quite easily the third set. The match has been quite funny because both were looking for winners and quick rallies and no one could play long rallies under the noon Umag sun. Viola lost focus at the beginning of third set and the Austrian managed to hold until the end thanks to his big serve. The Italian tanked the last game because he had no more energy to fight.
I arrived on 63 21 and I was pretty surprised by the Croat because he was serving well and hitting decent shots from baseline. After a very long rally he went to the net and retired almost from nowhere. He also cited illness as his reason for retirement.
Leite def. Urbanja 60 63
Leite was a nightmare match-up for Urbanja who plays Umag quail every year with good local support (Slovenia being so close to Umag) but he really had no chance against the Brazilian.
The Brazilian doubles player started very well, being aggressive and consistent from baseline. Trevisan probably didn’t expect such a motivated opponent and got broken early. The match was quite good with the Italian showing his powerful forehand but also his unforced errors. He didn’t lose his head despite being 3-5 down in the first set, managed to win the next 7 games and then had just to stay focused.
Leonardi def. Gonzalez 62 64
Match was quite funny because the Mexican was barely moving from the warm-up. The Italian just had just to play consistent tennis and hit drop shots as soon as he could: Gonzalez ran as in slow motion trying to reach the ball for a couple of times and he didn’t even try on some of them. Credit to Leonardi to have played with focus, but in the second round against Bagnis his opponent will fight much more.
First round qualifying matches ended at about 2 pm and started at 11 am today. Again, it will not be easy to play under this hot sun.
This evening exhibition on Center Court with Goran Ivanisevic and friends. Last year was very funny so I expect a good show also this year.
2014 ATP Clay Court Season In Review Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
In review: The 2014 ATP Clay Court Season
After Kitzbuhel concluded last week, the clay court calendar portion of the 2014 ATP season came to an end. With that conclusion, we can now review which players performed the best, and which players underachieved on the dirt this season. Clay courts comprise a large portion of the ATP calendar so there is a much larger sample size to draw from compared to, say, the grass court season.
27 year old journeyman Argentine Leonardo Mayer has transformed himself into a top 30 player this season and his best results have come on clay. He posted 18 wins on the surface compared to just 10 losses this season at the ATP level and scored wins over household names David Ferrer, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Joao Sousa and Tommy Robredo on the surface; he also pushed top 6 player Tomas Berdych to three sets in Oeiras.
He reached his first career final in Vina Del Mar, but fell short against Fabio Fognini there, and he finally got his maiden title in Hamburg over Ferrer in 3 sets. Winning that final set tiebreak ended a long journey to the top 30 for Leo and he remains an under recognized and underappreciated Argentine player. With Del Potro perpetually injured and Nalbandian now retired, Argentine will have to look to the likes of Mayer to carry Davis Cup and national hopes for a while. He reached the third round of the French Open and had quarterfinal appearances in both Oeiras and Nice to round out his best results on clay for 2014.
Honorable mentions for clay court surprise: Carlos Berlocq, Santiago Giraldo, Kei Nishikori, Roberto Bautista Agut
Carlos Berlocq joins his countryman Mayer as a surprising player this season. He won an ATP title for the second year in a row, this time coming in Oeiras where he upset and outlasted Tomas Berdych. The loud and flamboyant dirtballer also posted quarterfinals in Nice and a semifinal in Bastad to compliment his win in Oeiras. This highlights an overall 16-9 record on clay at the ATP level for 2014. He tends to get overmatched in the masters level and grand slam events but against a 250 level field he often flourishes. Notable opponents he defeated this year on clay include Andreas Seppi, Milos Raonic, Ferrer and Lleyton Hewitt at the French, along with the aforementioned Berdych.
Santiago Giraldo, a shotmaking Colombian with a huge forehand, has also had some of the best success of his career this season. He went 19-11 on clay and though he did not win a title, he reached the final in Barcelona, his second career final, along with semis in Houston and Vina Del Mar, and a pair of quarterfinals in Madrid and Stuttgart. Giraldo beat top players Tommy Robredo, Andy Murray, Nicolas Almagro, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga this season. Giraldo joins Mayer as a first time top 30 player after success on clay.
Kei Nishikori had an underappreciated clay court season this year, partially due to the fact that he had to battle injuries during that portion of the season, He played just three tournaments but posted a 10-2 record in them with a title in Barcelona and a final in Madrid, where he took a set off Nadal but had to retire during the third set of the match. He had top tier wins over Roberto Bautista Agut, Marin Cilic, Ferrer, Ernests Gulbis, and Raonic among his 10 overall and should he be able to stay healthy he has shown himself to be a threat on clay.
Bautista Agut is the last player I’ll discuss. He went 12-5 on clay and won his first title on the surface in Stuttgart over Lukas Rosol. Success on clay has helped him reach the top 20 for the first time in his career and he beat Robredo, Fernando Verdasco, and Fognini this year on the surface. RBA doesn’t play prototypical Spanish tennis but he’s still a top performing Spaniard on red clay.
Biggest upset: ATP Barcelona quarterfinals: Nicolas Almagro d. Rafael Nadal 2-6 7-6(5) 6-4
The powerful Spaniard Almagro had been outclassed by his much more successful countryman Nadal eight previous times on clay. Finally, Nico was able to get a victory against perhaps the greatest clay courter of all time. The first set was a routine affair, but Almagro fought back hard and Rafa played poorly, resulting in Nadal’s first loss on clay after winning the first set in over six years. Nadal had his chances to close out the match in the second, and didn’t face break points himself, but he couldn’t convert and the tiebreak went against him, giving Almagro an opening he took advantage of by winning a decisive fifth and final break in the third set to seal the victory. Nadal struggled to win his service points, and at the time, many were deeply worried about how he was playing going into the French Open. The fact Rafa did win the French perhaps makes this victory by Almagro look even more improbable and top quality, given Rafa showed his career wasn’t in serious decline yet.
Clay court breakthroughs: Dominic Thiem, Alex Zverev and Dusan Lajovic
A trio of young players found maiden ATP success on clay, while new Austrian number one Dominic Thiem was a mere 12-8 on clay at the ATP level. He went 4-0 in qualifying matches on the surface and won multiple main draw matches in Barcelona, Madrid and Hamburg. He finally reached his first career ATP final on home soil in Kitzbuhel and appears very close to his first career ATP title. Thiem had notable wins over Radek Stepanek and Stan Wawrinka this year on clay.
Alex Zverev, a teenager, notably made the semifinals in Hamburg, a one off showing but clearly a sign of things to come for the young German. Zverev had wins over Mikhail Youzhny and Giraldo en route. I have a feeling Thiem vs. Zverev may develop into a clay court rivalry in the future. Both players have things to work on but we could have a Germany vs. Austria French Open final come 2018 or beyond.
Dusan Lajovic established himself as a top 70 player with a strong clay court season. He also established himself as the Serbian number 2 behind Djokovic and should feature on their Davis Cup team for quite some time. He went 14-11 in both ATP main draw action and qualifying on clay this season and along with quarters in Hamburg and Bastad, he reached the round of 16 at the French Open, his best ever result in a major. He didn’t beat many top names this season but he still proved he can grind out matches to increase his ranking.
Clay Court Disappointments: Tommy Robredo, Stan Wawrinka, Gilles Simon, Joao Sousa and Andreas Seppi
The well-liked veteran Spaniard Robredo went just 15-12 this year on clay after going a tremendous 25-10 on the surface in 2013. His age may finally be catching up with him as he reached just one final, one semi and one quarterfinal this season along with posting seven early round exits. Once he finishes this season he will have a lot to think about going into to 2015.
Wawrinka did not have a terrible clay court season, but he underachieved after high expectations were placed on him after winning his first grand slam in Australia at the start of the year. He won Monte Carlo, but that was the only highlight of his 6-3 clay court season. He had a trio of surprising early exits in Madrid, Rome and the French Open, and next season he will have much to gain during the clay court portion of the year. He posted a 43-17 record on clay over the previous two seasons before this one and has the ability to do much better than he did in 2014.
Veteran Frenchman Gilles Simon has struggled to stay healthy in 2014 and he had a disappointing clay court season that has contributed to his fall from the top 30. He won consecutive matches in a clay court tournament just twice this season and failed to beat any players ranked above him on the surface. He also had bad losses to Teymuraz Gabashvili, Lukasz Kubot and Pablo Andujar. He was a subpar 8-9 on the surface overall in 2014. ‘
After a breakthrough 2013, top Portugese player Joao Sousa was a disappointing 7-13 on clay in 2014, struggling against ATP level competition on the surface. He reached one quarterfinal and one final but suffered ten opening match exits and eleven early round exists overall with multiple losses to players ranked below him. Sousa will need to improve considerably and adjust his game if he hopes to be more successful on clay in the future.
After struggling on clay in 2013, Italian veteran Andreas Seppi did so again in 2014. He is just 18-22 on the surface over the past two seasons and was 11-12 this season. He failed to reach a semifinal in any clay court tournament this year.
First time winners: Federico Delbonis, David Goffin and Pablo Cuevas
23 year old Argentine Federico Delbonis won his maiden title in Sao Paulo and has been successful on clay overall this season, posting an 18-13 ATP record. He later made a final in Nice, semifinals in Casablanca and a quarterfinal in Stuttgart to complement his Sao Paulo victory. Delbonis also showed his prowess on the red stuff last season when he reached the final in Hamburg and he should be a name to watch in many clay court tournaments to come.
David Goffin snagged a maiden title in Kitzbuhel at the tail end of the clay court season after getting red hot on the ATP Challenger Tour prior. Goffin, who had that run to the fourth round as a qualifier at the 2012 French Open, and has seen his once promising career fade from the spotlight since then, returned to the challenger tour to find his game and hopefully he will be able to keep himself at the ATP level this time. Goffin is undersized and many players were able to hit him off the court at the top level but perhaps he has rediscovered a path to success for himself given the limitations of his physical stature.
Lastly, Pablo Cuevas, who has overcome multiple knee and shoulder injuries and built his ranking back up to ATP status from the challenger tour, won his maiden title at 28 years old in Bastad, then followed it up with a title in Umag a couple of weeks later. Cuevas makes his living on clay and has been rapidly improving as of late. He pushed Fernando Verdasco to five sets at the French Open and has wins over Robredo, Fognini, Seppi, Sousa, and Verdasco this season. Cuevas’ rise is a testament to his tenacity and the work he has put into his game.
2014 ATP Atlanta, Umag and Gstaad Previews & Picks Steen Kirby, Tennis East Coast
A trio of 250 events are on tap for the ATP world tour this week: two on Europe in clay, and of course, the start of the summer US Open Series in Atlanta on outdoor hard courts. Since I no longer live in Atlanta, we unfortunately do not have onsite coverage from the tournament this year like we have had the previous two years.
BB&T Atlanta Open
ATP World Tour 250
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
July 21-July 27, 2014
Prize Money: $568,805
Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: John Isner (12)
2: Kevin Anderson (17)
3: Gael Monfils (23)
4: Vasek Pospisil (34)
Richard Gasquet pulled out of Atlanta, so the tournament now has two top 20 players in the field, both of whom met in the final last year.
First round matchups to watch:
(8)Marinko Matosevic vs. Victor Estrella
Matosevic is playing his first tournament since Wimbledon with a strong grass court season overall. His recent performances have very nearly propelled him into the top 50. Estrella reached his first career ATP semifinal in Bogota at the age of 33 and he played some great tennis in the Colombian capital, including a straight sets upset victory over Richard Gasquet. Matosevic has a stronger career record and is better on hard courts, but Estrella has the mojo. This match will be interesting, but I don’t see Estrella being able to rebound so quickly, so Matosevic should advance.
(9)Sam Querrey vs. Steve Johnson
Surprisingly, the two top 70 ranked Americans have never met before, but they will meet in the opening tournament of the US Open series. Querrey has not played since Wimbledon, while Johnson has had a career year so far. They both do their best on faster surfaces, and the form advantage favors Stevie J. He should get past Sam here.
Lukas Lacko vs. (WC)Nathan Pasha
ATP journeyman Lukas Lacko will take on UGA tennis star Nate Pasha in what should be an intriguing match. Pasha got a wild card into qualies here the last two years, and both times he pushed his opponent to three sets before losing both matches. Lacko will be a heavy favorite, but he comes off a very poor showing in the Granby Challenger and he has always been known as an inconsistent player. I give Pasha a puncher’s chance to pull off a great upset victory here, and it is worth watching to see what the NCAA player can accomplish.
Top Half:
Local boy John Isner, the top seed, who has never played poorly in Atlanta, will face Robby Ginepri/Sergiy Stakhovsky in round 2. After that, he will get one of Matosevic/Burgos/Ryan Harrison/Tim Smyczek in the quarters.
Harrison will be under some pressure here, as he is defending semifinal points that he can’t afford to lose given his ranking already outside the top 140. Remember that he had to take a wild card to get main draw entry here. Harrison beat Matosevic in Atlanta last year, but I think that result will flip this time and we will see an Isner vs. Matosevic quarterfinal.
Gael Monfils, making his Hotlanta debut, will face Jack Sock or Alejandro Gonzalez. Sock played well in Newport where he reached the semis, and he has a bit of a dark horse shot here. Yet Monfils, who is playing for the first time since Wimbledon, beat him at the AO this year in straights and will likely reach the quarterfinals. Monfils should face Denis Istomin at that stage. Denis the Menace has a qualifier and Pasha/Lacko as his first two opponents. That’s a very easy route to quarterfinal points. Monfils has two indoor victories against Istomin including one this year, but Istomin had a good grass court season, so it should be a high quality match.
Bottom Half:
Kevin Anderson came up just short of taking the title last year and should be thirsty for continued success here. He faces a qualifier in his first match, and then one of Rendy Lu/qualifier/Matt Ebden/Benjamin Becker in the quarterfinals. That’s an easy-breezy route for the top South African player to get to the semifinals and he may not drop a set along the way. Both Lu and Becker have had patches of success this season and Lu likely has the best chance at the quarterfinals.
Vasek Pospisil still cannot find his form since returning from his back injury, and he is in serious trouble of taking a big tumble down the rankings soon. He still has that bye seed line for this tournament and his first opponent will be a qualifier and then Querrey/Johnson in the quarters.
Atlantan Donald Young could spoil the party though. He faces Dudi Sela first. Vashy and Stevie J are very similar players in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, but Steve is playing better right now and has a 2-0 h2h edge, so I have Johnson through to the semis.
Dark Horse: Jack Sock
Steve Johnson is also an unseeded dark horse this week, but Sock gets the designation. Gonzalez, his first opponent, isn’t known to be a particularly gifted hard court player and Monfils has always struggled with consistency. Should he upset the Flying Frenchman, Istomin in the quarters and then Isner/Matosevic in the semis would be his next two opponents. He just upset Isner in Newport after losing three previous meetings, including a meeting in Atlanta in 2012. Sock has the momentum right now.
Predictions Semis:
Isner d. Monfils
Anderson d. Johnson
Isner and Monfils have a lengthy history against each other, and Isner comes out on top in the hard court h2h 4-2. Atlanta is one of the few places that Isner will have more crowd support than Monfils and that should pull him through a potential semifinal meeting.
Anderson and Johnson have met in Auckland and Delray this season already and the h2h record is split. This match could go either way, but Anderson played well here last year and the courts and hot temps seem to suit him well.
I have him going through, probably by winning a pair of tiebreaks.
Final:
Isner d. Anderson
They met last year, and played three nail biting tiebreaks before Isner finally prevailed in the heat. Overall, he has beaten the South African twice in Atlanta and 6 times overall, while Anderson has 4 wins out of their ten meetings. This match would again be all about breaking serve and tiebreaks. A single break of serve or a tiebreak victory likely will swing the needle one way or another if they meet. I’m going with a repeat of last year and Isner to get the title.
ATP Umag
Vegeta Croatia Open Umag
ATP World Tour 250
Umag, Croatia
July 21-July 27, 2014
Prize Money: € 426,605
Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Fabio Fognini (15)
2: Tommy Robredo (20)
3: Marin Cilic (22)
4: Joao Sousa (35)
The clay 250 in Umag boasts two top 20 players and a solid-enough overall field.
First round matchups to watch:
Albert Montanes vs. (SE)Alex Zverev
Montanes has been in awful form as of late, and that makes this match prime pickings for Zverev, who reached his first career ATP semifinal in Hamburg at the age of 17. After being dealt baked goods by David Ferrer in that semi, the young German may be fatigued. It’s hard to predict how he will do. If he’s fresh, he should win this match. Zverev showed excellent skill and mental fortitude in Hamburg, well beyond his years.
(7)Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs. (WC)Borna Coric
ERV is playing his first tournament since Wimbledon, and he faces another great young player, Coric, who is seeking his first career ATP win after three previous 3 set losses between this season and last. Coric hasn’t had quite the rise that Kyrgios and Zverev have had, but he is due for a breakthrough as well, because he is just as gifted of a player. This week, he has a chance to announce his arrival on the main stage.
Top Half:
Fabio Fognini is struggling and he was upset early by Filip Krajinovic in Hamburg. The defending finalist could face a strong opening test with Zverev (or Montanes) but he is still my pick to get through to the quarterfinals to face one of Roger-Vasselin/Coric/Ante Pavic/qualifier. A hypothetical Zverev vs. Coric quarterfinal would be a battle of the young guns. Pavic/qualifier is not that imposing for Coric/ERV.
I am intrigued to see who will survive this section.
Joao Sousa will face Dusan Lajovic/Teymuraz Gabashvili in his first match. Sousa beat Lajovic recently in Bastad and both players have had good seasons overall. Lajovic comes off the quarters in Hamburg and a Sousa-Lajovic round 2 meeting is an absolute toss-up.
Sousa/Lajovic are likely to face Andreas Seppi in the quarterfinals, as Seppi, who has not had a good season, has a weak section featuring a pair of a qualifiers and wild card Mate Delic with whom to do battle. As a three-time semifinalist and a reliable clay court player throughout his career, the Italian number 2 should reach the quarters.
Bottom Half:
Tommy Robredo has continued to struggle. He’s just 1-2 in his last three matches, but with Benoit Paire/Albert Ramos as his first slated opponent, the defending champion should still be able to reach the quarterfinals. Ramos and Robredo have a 1-1 split h2h with both meetings on clay, and Ramos has qualified for both Bastad and Hamburg in consecutive weeks. Robredo/Ramos are likely to meet Carlos Berlocq in the quarters.
The Argentine has had a solid season, but has lost two straight matches. He opens with a qualifier and should be able to snap his losing streak before facing Pablo Carreno Busta/Paolo Lorenzi. PCB has a chance to sneak in the quarterfinals as well, but form is not in his favor after having lost two straight matches.
2012 champion and local favorite Marin Cilic will face Igor Sijsling/Julian Reister in his first match and then likely Lukas Rosol, who is in great form right now, in the quarterfinals. Rosol must first beat Diego Sebastian Schwartzman and Pere Riba/Jiri Vesely. Rosol made the final in Stuttgart and the quarters in Hamburg, but Cilic, who is playing for the first time since Wimbledon, has beaten him three previous times without dropping a set.
Rosol and Vesely are Davis Cup teammates, so if they meet in round 2, they will know each other’s games very well.
Dark Horse: Dusan Lajovic
Coric, Zverev and Ramos could all make solid runs this week, but Lajovic likely has the best chance at doing the improbable. The in-form Serbian must first get past Gabashvili and Sousa, but after that, with Seppi and one of Fognini/Zverev/Coric/ERV awaiting in the semis, he could find himself in the final this week in what would be his first career ATP final.
Predictions Semis:
Fognini d. Lajovic
Cilic d. Berlocq
Fognini is an incredibly inconsistent player right now and he very well could crash out with a double bagel in his first match, but if can play anywhere near up to par, the quality of his opponents should allow him to reach the final. Cilic is a local favorite and a strong player overall who should be able to get through to the final, with Berlocq having a slight edge to advance to the semis.
Final:
Cilic d. Fognini
Cilic and Fabio have a 1-1 clay h2h and Cilic beat Fognini in the Umag semis in 2011. With Fognini being terribly inconsistent, Cilic should take another ATP title this week.
Gstaad Official Site (Photo: Valeriano Di Domenico)
ATP Gstaad
Credit Agricole Suisse Open Gstaad
ATP World Tour 250
Gstaad, Switzerland
July 21-July 27, 2014
Prize Money: € 426,605
Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes) (ATP ranking in parentheses)
1: Mikhail Youzhny (19)
2: Marcel Granollers (28)
3: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (31)
4: Fernando Verdasco (33)
Gstaad has the strong traveling Spanish Armada contingent but just one top 25 player, making it the weakest tournament this week.
First round matchups to watch:
Thomaz Bellucci vs. (Q)Gerald Melzer
The younger Melzer is seeking his first career ATP main draw victory, as he qualified here. Melzer has had a hard time breaking through to this level but he will have a chance against Bellucci, who hasn’t been a good player in a while and has continued to struggle recently. He’s lost two straight on clay and hasn’t had a good result since before the French Open. Melzer should get that elusive first career ATP win in this one.
(8)Dominic Thiem vs. (WC)Viktor Troicki
Usually, the young Dominic Thiem is the focal point of his featured matches, but this time it is Troicki, who is returning from a very contentious doping suspension 12 months later. Troicki has been practicing with his compatriot Novak Djokovic among others to stay in shape. He is playing his first tournament match in a year and he starts from scratch in terms of ranking. There was some contention about whether he would get a wild card here. Gstaad did finally award him one, but Thiem is a tough opponent in any return to the tour. This week, he is seeded for the first time in his career at the ATP level and he has had an excellent season. He won a pair of matches in Hamburg last week and he should give Troicki a good workout as the Serbian seeks to return to his former level, with a serious chip on his shoulder this time.
Top Half:
Mikhail Youzhny will face Filippo Volandri/Kenny De Schepper in his first match. The defending champion has not had a good season and he lost to Zverev in Hamburg, but he should reach the quarters given king Kenny and Super Pippo are in even worse form right now. Youzhny vs. Robin Haase is the expected quarterfinal. That would be a rematch of last year’s final here, though the Dutchman Haase is also struggling and hasn’t had a good season. He faces Aleksandr Nedovyesov first, then one of Gianni Mina or Henri Laaksonen. The Swiss Laaksonen will have a dark horse chance at the quarters, but Youzhny may well reach the semifinals by default this week, thanks to a lucky draw.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez will face Juan Monaco/Victor Hanescu first up, then one of Melzer/Bellucci/Dustin Brown/Frederico Delbonis in the quarters. Both Delbo and GGL have lost two straight matches, but they are still likely to be quarterfinalists here, with Hanescu and Monaco both in awful form and Brown too inconsistent to be the pick. I would favor GGL through to the semifinals.
Bottom Half:
Marcel Granollers lost to Thiem in Hamburg and he’s had a poor season overall. However, with his first match against Yann Marti/Daniel Gimeno-Traver, he still should reach the quarters. Gilles Simon is the seed above Granollers. He faces Pablo Andujar first before Blaz Rola/Fabiano De Paula.
This section is likely to be the most competitive: Andujar has a win on clay against Simon and he won three matches in Hamburg, while Simon won just one and has had a poor season. The Spaniard will have a chance at the upset. Rola is the player to watch here however. He’s been rising up the rankings, mostly under the radar, and he just had a good result in a clay challenger in Poland. This is the type of draw he could take advantage of and reach the quarterfinals or better.
Fernando Verdasco will face Andreas Haider-Maurer or JL Struff in round 2, then one of Thiem/Troicki/Andrey Golubev/Inigo Cervantes in the quarters. Verdasco has lost two straight matches where he was a strong favorite, and it’s Thiem who should get through all that and reach the semis over the Spaniard.
Dark Horse: Blaz Rola
As mentioned above, Rola has a realistic path to the semifinals this week, with Simon/Andujar and Granollers both struggling veterans. These small 250 events tend to produce interesting results and Rola could be another player with a breakthrough this year.
Predictions Semis:
Garcia-Lopez d. Youzhny
Thiem d. Rola
GGL has never lost to Youzhny on clay (4-0) and he has had a better season than the Russian. Thiem-Rola would be a young gun semi, and I like the Austrian to continue his career year and reach his first career ATP final this week in Gstaad.
Final:
Thiem d. Garcia-Lopez
They have never met before, but I’m tipping Thiem to win his maiden ATP title this week. He’s due for one and it should be the first of many, especially on clay.
