Men Tennis Update (08/18/12): Cincinnati, Winston-Salem, Rankings

Written by: Staff on 18th August 2012

Men Tennis Update (08/18/12): Cincinnati, Winston-Salem, Rankings

epa03292942 Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns to compatriot Viktor Troicki during their fourth round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 02 July 2012. EPA/JONATHAN BRADY |

Cincinnati

Singles – Semifinal: (2) N Djokovic def. (6) J del Potro 6-3 6-2

Take away the pressure of the Olympics and suddenly Juan Martin del Potro is no match for Novak Djokovic. Del Potro will have to settle for being a rather weak #8. Djokovic extends his winning streak to nine. But could he make it to #1 this week? The answer to that would depend on the second singles match….

Singles – Semifinal: (1) R Federer def. S Wawrinka 7-6(7-4) 6-3

This was perhaps a little less close than the score; Roger Federer faced only one break point in the first set (which he saved); Stanislas Wawrinka faced seven. And the second set was pretty much all Federer. So Wawrinka will have to settle for a U. S. Open seed below the Top Sixteen; we show him at #19. As for Federer, he has clinched the #1 ranking for another two weeks, as well as the #1 U. S. Open seed. Win the final and he will be just about sure of the top spot even after the Open.

Because Djokovic will face Federer in the final, we are now assured that one of the Big Four will win the event. The tournament pointed out that that makes sixteen straight Masters events won by one of the Big Four; the last time someone else won was at Paris 2010, won by Robin Soderling. Plus we have played seven Slams and two year-end Championships since Soderling’s win, and the Big Four won all of those. So this makes twenty-five consecutive top-tier events won by Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, or Murray.

Doubles – Semifinal: (4) Lindstedt/Tecau def. (2) Bryan/Bryan 7-5 6-7(5-7) 10-2 (Match TB)

That’s a blow to the Bryans’ #1 chances. Still, they’ve added enough points lately to put real pressure on Mirnyi/Nestor. Lindstedt/Tecau strengthen their grip on the #3 Race spot. They’re lower in the rankings, but one suspects they too will be climbing at the U. S. Open.

Doubles – Semifinal: (6) Bhupathi/Bopanna def. Dodig/Melo 6-4 6-3

One of the few genuinely good results for Bhupathi/Bopanna this year. This is a big boost to their London chances; they should move up to #7 in the Race.

—————————

Men’s Look Forward: Winston-Salem

Summer. North Carolina. Presidential battleground state. So it’s hot, humid, uncomfortable, and barraged with negative political ads. Sounds like a great reason to stay away, doesn’t it?

Not if you’re a tennis player. Winston-Salem is only a 250 point event, and an oversize one at that (48-draw, 16 seeds, all seeds have byes), so it’s a lot of work in the heat for the winner — but the field features three Top Ten players, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, and John Isner.

Of course, Tsonga is trying to overcome a bad knee, Berdych is trying to find his lost form, and Isner is the defending champion, but it’s still an impressive list for a 250. Tsonga is the #1 seed, Berdych took a wildcard to earn the #2 spot, and Isner is #3. Alexandr Dolgopolov is the #4 seed and the last Top Twenty player. Andy Roddick, who remains up-and-down, is #5. Marcel Granollers, who seems intent on playing everything, has the #6 spot. Sam Querrey, who was talking about making the Top Twenty by the U. S. Open, isn’t going to make it, but he’ll try to get a little closer as the #7 seed. Julien Benneteau is #8, Feliciano Lopez #9, and Viktor Troicki #10, meaning that we have ten of the Top Thirty. Rounding out the seeds are Denis Istomin, Kevin Anderson, Jurgen Melzer, David Nalbandian (in on a wildcard), Pablo Andujar, and Jarkko Nieminen.

There aren’t a lot of really strong unseeded players, but Tsonga will have to open against either Thomaz Bellucci or Marcos Baghdatis. Granollers is likely to open against Ryan Harrison (another guy in on a wildcard). Benneteau might start against Tommy Robredo. Nalbandian’s first opponent will be either Robin Haase or Nikolay Davydenko. And Roddick starts against James Blake or Albert Ramos.

The Rankings

This almost isn’t worth the bother, since the post-Winston-Salem rankings will be used to seed the week after the U. S. Open — and that’s Davis Cup week, so it doesn’t matter anyway. Besides, 250 point events hardly matter to the top players. Still, defending Winston-Salem champion John Isner could fall to #11 if he fails to make the final. He obviously won’t move up. Neither will Tsonga or Berdych, our other top players in action. So the only possible change in the Top Ten will be at #10.

The Winston-Salem finalist last year was Julien Benneteau; he could well fall a couple of spots. 2011 semifinalist Andy Roddick might fall one spot if he fails to defend. The other semifinalist, Robin Haase, could slide to below #50.

Topics: Cincinnati Open, Men Rankings, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis News, Winston Salem Open