Men’s Tennis Update
Men's Tennis Update
Bastad
Singles – Final: C Berlocq def. (8) F Verdasco 7-5 6-1
Let’s hope this doesn’t mean Fernando Verdasco is hurt again…. He was getting pretty well pulverized on his serve. Which means that he will stay stuck right around the #35 ranking he came in with.
Carlos Berlocq came in with only one previous title, at Vina del Mar 2012. He lost it. Obviously it was a very big day for the thirty-year-old. And a big day for his ranking. He came in at #74. He’ll be rising to about #46 or #47. It’s not a career high; he has been Top Forty. But it’s pretty impressive when a guy his age makes that big a jump.
And he still had the doubles to contest!
Doubles – Final: Monroe/Stadler def. Berlocq/Ramos 6-2 3-6 10-3
This wasn’t quite as big a deal for Carlos Berlocq as the preceding — but it was guaranteed to be a big day for somebody. Either Berlocq would win singles and doubles at the same event — or Nicolas Monroe and Simon Stadler would earn their first doubles title. It has been a pretty good year for the two veterans (Monroe is 31, Stadler 29). They made their first final at Buenos Aires, and now they can claim a title. You wonder how they managed to survive so long with such poor results in the past. Presumably their financial situations just got a lot easier….
Stuttgart
Singles – Final: (5) F Fognini def. (2) P Kohlschreiber 5-7 6-4 6-4
What a day for first timers! First Carlos Berlocq, then, a couple of hours later, Fabio Fognini. He had lost both his previous finals, but this time, he played a solid match, and held serve after a slightly shaky start in the final game. “Finally, after two finals, I have won. I played great, great tennis this week. I am really happy to have beaten Philipp in the final. I was focused on my game and I think I felt fresh physically. The tension increased at the end, but then I got some luck. I just thought about my serve and playing solid. This gives me a lot of confidence. I will never forget my first title. It would be great to play on hard courts like this!”
It won’t quite earn him a career high; his best was #24, and we show him at #25. But first titles have a way of opening doors….
Philipp Kohlschreiber’s point total changes not at all; he’s one of those guys who is almost drowning in 250 point events. But it appears that he will rise from #25 to #24 even so. Yes, right above Fognini. We’ll have to wait and see if things stay that way.
Doubles – Final: Bagnis/Bellucci def. Bednarek/Kowalczyk 2-6 6-4 11-9
We’ll say it again: What a day for first-timers! Thomaz Bellucci came here with three singles titles, but this is his first-ever doubles title. As for Facundo Bagnis, this is his first title of any kind — indeed, he had never won a doubles match until this week. (He had one singles win.) There are going to be a lot of happy players celebrating tonight….
Newport
Singles – Semifinal: (4) L Hewitt def. (2) J Isner 5-7 6-2 6-4
Last year at Newport, John Isner beat Lleyton Hewitt in the final. This time, the tables were turned — in part, perhaps, because Isner suffered a problem with his left knee; he had the trainer out at the end of the first set. The result will cost Isner his Top Twenty spot, and ends his two-year reign as champion here. But the match took more than two hours, and Hewitt had another match to play….
Singles – Semifinal: N Mahut def. M Russell 6-2 6-2
Unlike Lleyton Hewitt, Nicolas Mahut finished quickly; this took only an hour and three minutes. Would it make a difference in the final?
Singles – Final: (WC) M Mahut def. (4) L Hewitt 5-7 7-5 6-3
Lleyton Hewitt served for this match in the second set, and was broken. He lost the next two games, too. It really did seem as if Hewitt might be wearing down. He was a little better in the third set, but then, in game eight, Nicolas Mahut broke, and served for the match. And, unlike Hewitt, he was able to pull it off. Easily, in fact.
It is the second title of his career, both in this year’s grass season. Guess we know what surface he likes best! He’s 12-2 on grass this year….
It’s doing wonders for his ranking — two-thirds of his points are from those two titles! #127 coming in, he’ll be shooting up to around #70.
Lleyton Hewitt was last year’s finalist, so he stays right about where he came in. You have to wonder, though, what might have happened had it not rained on Saturday. Hewitt himself declared, “If I could’ve had a day off and come back and played the final, I reckon things would’ve been different….”
Doubles – Semifinal: (2) Mahut/Roger-Vasselin def. (4) Demoliner/Sa 6-4 7-6(7-4)
An hour and 23 minutes for Nicolas Mahut’s third match of the day. Was he prepared to go for four? He didn’t have to. The final was postponed until Monday.
Men’s Look Forward: Hamburg, Bogota
Just in case there were any doubting Thomases out there, it’s now official: Roger Federer is in the Hamburg draw. He is the only Top Ten player in the 48-draw 500 point tournament. (16 seeds, all with byes.)
Even though Federer is the only Top Ten player, it’s not a bad draw at all; it features about half the players from #11 to #30. Tommy Haas is the #2 seed, with Nicolas Almagro #3 (and in Haas’s half). Jerzy Janowicz has the #4 seed. Defending champion Juan Monaco is #5 and in Almagro’s quarter, Andreas Seppi #6 and in Haas’s, Alexandr Dolgopolov #7 and in Federer’s, Jeremy Chardy #8 and in Janowicz’s. Federer could hardly have hoped for a kinder draw! — except, perhaps, in the third round, when he is to face #15 Ernests Gulbis. The other Round of Sixteen matches pit Dolgopolov against #11 Feliciano Lopez, Janowicz against red-hot #14 Fernando Verdasco, Chardy against #10 Tommy Robredo (which sounds upset-ish), Monaco against #9 Benoit Paire, Almagro against #13 Mikhail Youzhny, Seppi against #12 Fabio Fognini, and Haas against #15 Martin Klizan.
There are a few interesting unseeded players, too. Dolgopolov will open against the winner of a match between Nikolay Davydenko and Florian Mayer. Monaco will likely open against Gael Monfils. Paire will face either Paul-Henri Mathieu or Albert Montanes. Almagro might open against Lukas Rosol. And Seppi will have to face either Marcel Granollers or Thomaz Bellucci.
Next to that, Bogota looks like a Challenger. Some of that is that it’s a 250 point event, but it probably has more to do with the fact that it’s a new event in a part of the world with a rather poor reputation. There are only two Top Fifty players, and one rather suspects they were given appearance fees. #1 seed Janko Tipsarevic, after all, does not need more 250 point events! Kevin Anderson is the #2 seed. #3 Igor Sijsling and #4 Edouard Roger-Vasselin have the other two byes; the remaining seeds are #5 Adrian Mannarino, #6 Santiago Giraldo, #7 Aijas Bedene, and #8 Xavier Malisse. There are no obvious unseeded threats.
The Rankings
This is another week of year-after-Olympics unwinding. In 2012, there were three events in this week: The 500 pointer at Hamburg plus the 250s at Gstaad and Atlanta. Juan Monaco won Hamburg, with Tommy Haas the finalist and and Nicolas Almagro and Marin Cilic semifinalists. The title at Gstaad went to Thomaz Bellucci, over Janko Tipsarevic, with Paul-Henri Mathieu and Grigor Dimitrov semifinalists. Andy Roddick won Atlanta, over Gilles Muller, with John Isner and Go Soeda semifinalists.
Roddick of course doesn’t care, and Isner doesn’t need those points. But Bellucci does, and Tipsarevic, and Cilic, and Haas, and Muller — interesting that Cilic isn’t in the Hamburg draw.
The lack of high-ranked players in action means that there will be no changes in the Top Ten. Federer can’t add enough points to catch up with #4 Rafael Nadal, and no other Top Ten players are playing. Haas comes in at #11, but so far behind #10 Wawrinka that he can’t rise even if he wins Hamburg. He’s in greater danger of falling to #12. Tipsarevic, who is already out of the Top Fifteen, could lose another spot or two. Monaco’s Top Twenty spot is in grave danger. Bellucci could find himself not much above #100.
RANKINGS
Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings
As of July 14, 2013
Rank &
Prior…Player………..Points
1..(1) Djokovic……….12310
2..(2) Murray………….9360
3..(3) Ferrer………….7120
4..(4) Nadal…………..6860
5..(5) Federer…………5785
6..(6) Berdych…………4865
7..(7) Del Potro……….4500
8..(8) Tsonga………….3480
9..(9) Gasquet…………3045
10.(10) Wawrinka………..2915
11.(11) Haas……………2605
12.(12) Nishikori……….2495
13.(15) Raonic………….2225
14.(13) Cilic…………..2175
15.(17) Janowicz………..2154
16.(16) Almagro…………2135
17.(14) Tipsarevic………2130
18.(18) Simon…………..2055
19.(21) Querrey…………1730
20.(20) Monaco………….1680
21.(19) Isner…………..1610
22.(22) Anderson………..1590
23.(23) Seppi…………..1550
24.(25) Kohlschreiber……1535
25.(31) Fognini…………1515
26.(24) Dolgopolov………1500
27.(26) Chardy………….1486
28.(27) Paire…………..1405
29.(28) Robredo…………1335
30.(29) Dimitrov………..1330
DRAWS
Bastad — Week of July 8
WINNER: C Berlocq
…………….QF…………..SF………….F
1 Berdych…….(1)Berdych
6 Troicki…….de Bakker…….de Bakker
4 Robredo…….Ramos
7 Zeballos……Berlocq………Berlocq……..Berlocq
5 Dimitrov……(5)Dimitrov…..Dimitrov
3 Monaco……..(3)Monaco
8 Verdasco……(8)Verdasco…..Verdasco…….Verdasco
2 Almagro…….(2)Almagro
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Berdych….lost QF (de Bakker)
2 Almagro….lost QF (Verdasco)
3 Monaco…..lost QF (Dimitrov)
4 Robredo….lost 2R (Ramos)
5 Dimitrov…lost SF (Verdasco)
6 Troicki….lost 2R (de Bakker)
7 Zeballos…lost 1R (Berlocq)
8 Verdasco…lost F (Berlocq)
Stuttgart — Week of July 8
WINNER: Fabio Fognini
………………QF……………SF…………..F
1 Haas…………(1)Haas
5 Fognini………(5)Fognini…….Fognini………Fognini
3 Chardy……….Berrer(WC)
8 Klizan……….Bautista Agut….Bautista Agut
7 Rosol………..Hanescu……….Hanescu
4 Paire………..(4)Paire
6 F Mayer (WC)….Monfils
2 Kohlschreiber…(2)Kohlschreiber.Kohlschreiber..Kohlschreiber
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Haas………..lost QF (Fognini)
2 Kohlschreiber..lost F (Fognini)
3 Chardy………lost 2R (Berrer)
4 Paire……….lost QF (Hanescu)
5 Fognini……..WON TOURNAMENT
6 F Mayer (WC)…lost 2R (Monfils)
7 Rosol……….lost 1R (Bellucci)
8 Klizan………lost 2R (Bautista Agut)
Newport — Week of July 8
WINNER: Nicolas Mahut
……………….QF………….SF……..F
1 Querrey……….Mahut(WC)……Mahut…..Mahut
8 R Ram…………Przysiezny
3 Sijsling………(3)Sijsling
7 de Schepper……Russell……..Russell
6 Matosevic……..Hernych
4 Hewitt………..(4)Hewitt……Hewitt….Hewitt
5 Roger-Vasselin…Karlovic
2 Isner…………(2)Isner…….Isner
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Querrey………lost 1R (Smyczek)
2 Isner………..lost SF (Hewitt)
3 Sijsling……..lost QF (Russell)
4 Hewitt……….lost F (Mahut)
5 Roger-Vasselin..lost 1R (Karlovic)
6 Matosevic…….lost 1R (Sock)
7 de Schepper…..lost 1R (Kuznetsov)
8 R Ram………..lost 2R (Przysiezny)
Hamburg — Week of July 15
1 Federer
–bye
Lorenzi
Brands
Kubot (Q)
Hajek (Q)
–bye
15 Gulbis
11 Lopez
–bye
L Mayer
Struff (WC)
Davydenko
F Mayer
–bye
7 Dolgopolov
4 Janowicz
–bye
Schwartzman (Q)
Haase
A Zverev (WC)
Bautista Agut
–bye
14 Verdasco
10 Robredo
–bye
Delbonis (Q)
Reister (WC)
Andujar
Tursunov
–bye
8 Chardy
5 Monaco
–bye
Monfils
Golubev (Q)
Mathieu
Montanes
–bye
9 Paire
13 Youzhny
–bye
Garcia-Lopez
Gimeno-Traver
Kamke
Rosol
–bye
3 Almagro
6 Seppi
–bye
Granollers
Bellucci
Zeballos
Ramos
–bye
12 Fognini
15 Klizan
–bye
Berlocq
Bachinger (WC)
Kavcic (Q)
Hanescu
–bye
2 Haas
Bogota — Week of July 15
1 Tipsarevic
–bye
Barrientos (WC)
Bemelmans
J Wang
Ebden
Falla
8 Malisse
4 Roger-Vasselin
–bye
Marchenko
Viola
Pospisil
Przysiezny
Duckworth
7 Bedene
5 Mannarino
A Gonzalez
Arguello
Qualifier
Qualifier
Karlovic
–bye
3 Sijsling
6 Giraldo
Salamanca (WC)
Korolev
Qualifier
Qualifier
Struvay (WC)
–bye
2 Anderson
SUNDAY
Bastad
Singles – Final
C Berlocq def. (8) F Verdasco 7-5 6-1
Doubles – Final
Monroe/Stadler def. Berlocq/Ramos 6-2 3-6 10-3
Stuttgart
Singles – Final
(5) F Fognini def. (2) P Kohlschreiber 5-7 6-4 6-4
Doubles – Final
Bagnis/Bellucci def. Bednarek/Kowalczyk 2-6 6-4 11-9
Newport
Singles – Semifinal
(4) L Hewitt def. (2) J Isner 5-7 6-2 6-4
(WC) N Mahut def. M Russell 6-2 6-2
Singles – Final
(WC) M Mahut def. (4) L Hewitt 5-7 7-5 6-3
Doubles – Semifinal
(2) Mahut/Roger-Vasselin def. (4) Demoliner/Sa 6-4 7-6(7-4)
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