Winston-Salem / New Haven

Written by: on 23rd August 2013
ATP Masters
Winston-Salem / New Haven

epa03829775 Rafael Nadal, of Spain, serves to John Isner, of the United States, during the final round of the ATP Masters in Mason, Ohio, USA, on 18 August 2013. EPA/Mark Lyons  |

TODAY’S MEN’S NEWS

 

Winston-Salem

 

Singles – Semifinal: (9) J Melzer def. (6) S Querrey 6-2 4-6 6-3

Surprising to see Jurgen Melzer do so well, given the year he has been having. Even more surprising to see it on an outdoor hardcourt, probably his worst surface historically. He’s up to about #29 — and Sam Querrey, even though he defended his points, appears to be out of the Top Thirty.

Singles – Semifinal: (15) G Monfils def. (10) A Dolgopolov 7-6(11-9) 6-3

The Great Gael Monfils Comeback continues. He fell behind early but came back strong — and, in consequence, he’s back in the Top Forty. Right behind Alexandr Dolgopolov, in fact, who added points but remains stuck at no better than #38.

Doubles – Semifinal: Inglot/Huey def. Begemann/Emmrich 4-6 6-3 10-5

 

 

TODAY’S FEATURE

 

Men’s Look Forward: U. S. Open

 

Now we break the tie.

In practical terms, we’ve seen the ATP shift to a “big three” model — Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal. Each has one Slam im 2013. If one of them wins the U. S. Open, he will be the obvious candidate for the year-end #1 — if it’s Nadal, it will become pretty close to certain.

The big question, in that context, was which half #3 seed Murray would end up in. It turned out to be #1 Djokovic’s. #2 Nadal has drawn #4 seed David Ferrer — a match-up that probably doesn’t worry him much. More interesting is the fact that he faces #7 Roger Federer in the quarterfinal. On the other hand, Federer wilted a bit in the third set of their last meeting, and this is best of five….

#1 seed Djokovic’s quarterfinal is against #6 Juan Martin del Potro. Murray has drawn #5 Tomas Berdych. That makes Ferrer the lucky one in the quarterfinal; he faces #8 Richard Gasquet, who is seeded that high only because Jo-Wilfried Tsonga can’t play and who doesn’t particularly care either for hardcourts or late rounds of Slams.

In the Round of Sixteen, Djokovic faces #16 Fabio Fognini (pretty open-and-shut in terms of the match, but the post-match interviews could be something…). Del Potro is against #12 Tommy Haas. Murray’s opponent is #15 Nicolas Almagro, which shouldn’t be too tough on this court. Berdych faces #9 Stanislas Wawrinka. Gasquet is against #10 Milos Raonic, with Ferrer facing #14 Jerzy Janowicz (a fascinating contrast of skills, that). On tap for Federer is #11 Kei Nishikori. And Nadal would have a rematch with #13 John Isner, whom he just edged in Cincinnati.

In the third round, we have Djokovic against #25 Grigor Dimitrov, Fognini versus #24 Benoit Paire, Haas taking on #21 Mikhail Youzhny, Del Potro opposed by #29 Jurgen Melzer, Murray versus #28 Juan Monaco, Almagro up against #20 Andreas Seppi, Wawrinka facing #17 Kevin Anderson (a lot of potential upsets in that part of the draw), Berdych taking on #31 Julien Benneteau, Gasquet facing in-form #32 Dmitry Tursunov, Raonic matching serves with #23 Feliciano Lopez, Janowicz’s big power against the returns of slumping #18 Janko Tipsarevic, Ferrer opposing upset artist #30 Ernests Gulbis, Federer dealing with American #2 Sam Querrey (seeded #26), Nishikori against #19 Tommy Robredo, Isner and his big serves facing the defense of #22 Philipp Kohlschreier, and Nadal facing his countryman #27 Fernando Verdasco.

Looking for interesting early round matches, Dimitrov will take on Jarkko Nieminen in round two. Murray has to start against tricky but fading Michael Llodra. Monaco’s path runs through Florian Mayer and Martin Klizan. Almagro starts against Denis Istomin. Wawrinka opes against Radek Stepanek. Benneteau’s second round is likely to be against Jeremy Chardy. Nishikori could face Bernard Tomic in that round. Isner might be against Gael Monfils. Verdasco opens against Ivan Dodig, then maybe Nikolay Davydenko. And Nadal’s path leads through two of the best young North Americans, Ryan Harrison (in on a wildcard) ad Vasek Pospisil.

The Rankings

You probably remember all the hoopla when Andy Murray won his first Slam here last year. Novak Djokovic was the finalist. David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych were semifinalists; Roger Federer, Marin Cilic (who isn’t in the draw), Janko Tipsarevic, and Juan Martin del Potro were quarterfinalists. Rafael Nadal didn’t play, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (missing this year) lost second round, and Richard Gasquet and Stanislas Wawrinka went out in the Round of Sixteen. That gives us this Top Ten in safe points:

 

1..(1) Djokovic………..9790

2..(2) Nadal…………..8870

3..(3) Murray………….6710

4..(4) Ferrer………….6500

5..(6) Del Potro……….4390

6..(5) Berdych…………4365

7..(7) Federer…………4345

8..(8) Tsonga………….3425

9..(9) Gasquet…………2455

10.(10) Wawrinka………..2440

There are many interesting things about this list. Starting from the bottom, Gasquet and Wawrinka are just about tied, so the one who loses first will be in grave danger of falling out of the Top Ten. Similarly, Federer, Berdych, and del Potro are effectively tied; whichever lasts longest will be #5. (With Tsonga out, the players below them have no shot at moving up.)

Murray and Ferrer are also pretty close to tied. There is a real chance that Murray could fall to #4.

But the big news is at #1. Novak Djokovic’s lead on Rafael Nadal is only about 900 points, and this is a 2000 point event. So if Nadal can win the title, facing anyone other than Djokovic in the final, he will return to #1. If Djokovic loses before the quarterfinal, Nadal can become #1 with just a final.

Cilic will fall to around #25, and Tipsarevic could be around #35.

 

 

THIS WEEK IN TENNIS

 

THIS WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:

Winston-Salem (250/Hard). Defending Champion: John Isner

NEXT WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:

U. S. Open (Slam/Hard). Defending Champion: Andy Murray

 

 

STATS AND FACTS

 

RANKINGS

 

Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings

As of August 23, 2013

 

Rank &

Prior…Player………..Points

1..(1) Djokovic……….10980

2..(2) Nadal…………..8860

3..(3) Murray………….8700

4..(4) Ferrer………….7210

5..(5) Berdych…………5075

6..(6) Del Potro……….4740

7..(7) Federer…………4695

8..(8) Tsonga………….3470

9..(9) Gasquet…………2625

10.(10) Wawrinka………..2610

11.(11) Raonic………….2555

12.(12) Nishikori……….2405

13.(13) Haas……………2185

14.(15) Janowicz………..2113

15.(16) Almagro…………2110

16.(17) Simon…………..2040

17.(14) Isner…………..2025

18.(18) Fognini…………2025

19.(19) Cilic…………..1805

20.(20) Anderson………..1740

21.(21) Tipsarevic………1685

22.(22) Robredo…………1620

23.(23) Seppi…………..1550

24.(24) Youzhny…………1475

25.(25) Kohlschreiber……1445

26.(26) Lopez…………..1435

27.(27) Paire…………..1415

28.(28) Dimitrov………..1375

29.(32) Melzer………….1325

30.(30) Verdasco………..1315

 

 

DRAWS

 

Winston Salem — Week of August 19

 

……………….3R…………….QF………..SF…………F

1 Berdych (WC)…..Berankis……….Berankis

14 Klizan……….bautista Agut

11 Nieminen……..(11)Nieminen

6 Querrey……….(6)Querrey……..Querrey…..Querrey

 

3 Isner…………Bogomolov

13 Tursunov……..(13)Tursunov……Tursunov

9 Melzer………..(9)Melzer………Melzer……Melzer……..Melzer

5 Paire…………(5)Paire

 

7 Verdasco (WC)…(7)Verdasco(WC)….Verdasco

12 Rosol……….Haase

15 Monfils……..(15)Monfils……..Monfils…..Monfils…….Monfils

4 Robredo………(4)Robredo

 

8 Monaco……….(8)Monaco

10 Dolgopolov…..(10)Dolgopolov…..Dolgopolov..Dolgopolov

16 Andujar……..Lu……………..Lu

2 Seppi………..Johnson(Q)

 

STATUS OF SEEDS:

1 Berdych (WC)…….WITHDREW

2 Seppi…………..lost 2R (Johnson)

3 Isner…………..WITHDREW

4 Robredo…………lost 3R (Monfils)

5 Paire…………..lost 3R (Melzer)

6 Querrey…………lost SF (Melzer)

7 Verdasco (WC)……lost QF (Monfils)

8 Monaco………….lost 3R (Dolgopolov)

9 Melzer

10 Dolgopolov……..lost SF (Monfils)

11 Nieminen……….lost 3R (Querrey)

12 Rosol………….lost 2R (Haase)

13 Tursunov……….lost QF (Melzer)

14 Klizan…………lost 2R (Bautista Agut)

15 Monfils

16 Andujar………..lost 2R (Lu)

U. S. Open — Week of August 26

 

1 Djokovic

Berankis

Becker

Rosol

Kubot

Nieminen

Sousa

25 Dimitrov

 

24 Paire

Bogomolov

Smyczek (WC)

Duckworth (WC)

Zopp

Granollers

Ram

16 Fognini

 

12 Haas

Mathieu

Lu

Gimeno-Traver

Goffin

Dolgopolov

Mahut

21 Youzhny

 

29 Melzer

Donskoy

Sijsling

Qualifier (Q)

Hewitt

Baker (WC)

Garcia-Lopez

6 Del Potro

 

3 Murray

Llodra

Hanescu

L Mayer

Qualifier (Q)

Klizan

F Mayer

28 Monaco

 

20 Seppi

Malisse

Lacko

Qualifier (Q)

Kamke

Johnson

Istomin

15 Almagro

 

9 Wawrinka

Stepanek

Blake

Qualifier (Q)

Baghdatis

Qualifier (Q)

Brands

17 Anderson

 

31 Benneteau

Przysiezny

Stakhovsky

Chardy

Vesely

Kudla

Lorenzi

5 Berdych

 

8 Gasquet

Russell

Qualifier (Q)

Qualifier (Q)

Struff

Rufin (WC)

Bedene

32 Tursunov

 

23 Lopez

Qualifier (Q)

De Schepper

Klahn (WC)

Andujar

De Bakker

Qualifier (Q)

10 Raonic

 

14 Janowicz

Qualifier (Q)

Sock

Qualifier (Q)

Kuznetsov

Sela

Cuevas

18 Tipsarevic

 

30 Gulbis

Haider-Maurer

Qualifier (Q)

Qualifier (Q)

Bautista Agut

Bellucci

Qualifier (Q)

4 Ferrer

 

7 Federer

Zemlja

Giraldo

Berlocq

Zeballos

Mannarino

Pella

26 Querrey

 

19 Robredo

Matosevic

Haase

Qualifier (Q)

Ramos

Tomic

Qualifier (Q)

11 Nishikori

 

13 Isner

Volandri

Ungur

Monfils

Montanes

Roger-Vasselin

Altamirano (WC)

22 Kohlschreiber

 

27 Verdasco

Dodig

Williams (WC)

Davydenko

Qualifier (Q)

Pospisil

Harrison (WC)

2 Nadal

 

 

SCORES

 

FRIDAY

Winston-Salem

Singles – Semifinal

(9) J Melzer def. (6) S Querrey 6-2 4-6 6-3

(15) G Monfils def. (10) A Dolgopolov 7-6(11-9) 6-3

Doubles – Semifinal

Inglot/Huey def. Begemann/Emmrich 4-6 6-3 10-5

 

********

TODAY’S WOMEN’S NEWS

 

New Haven

 

Singles – Semifinal: (3) Petra Kvitova def. Klara Zakopalova 6-0 6-1

Finally an easy win for Petra Kvitova (at one stage she won seventeen of eighteen points) — and a noteworthy one, because it means she will stay Top Ten even if Marion Bartoli’s name stays on the rankings. If Bartoli goes off, then Kvitova will be #9.

Singles – Semifinal: Simona Halep def. (4) Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 7-5

This was mostly about Caroline Wozniacki, who after a good day on Thursday was very wild on Friday. But still, Simona Halep finished it off to reach the biggest final of her career. She also reaches a career high #20 (#19 if Marion Bartoli goes off).

Doubles – Semifinal: (2) Medina Garrigues/Srebotnik def. (4) Huber/Llagostera Vives 4-6 7-5 10-1

 

 

THIS WEEK IN TENNIS

 

THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:

New Haven (Premier/Hard). Defending Champion: Petra Kvitova

NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:

U. S. Open (Slam/Hard). Defending Champion: Serena Williams

 

 

STATS AND FACTS

 

RANKINGS

 

Estimated WTA Rankings As of August 23, 2013

 

Rank &

Prior

Rank….Name…………..Points

1..(1) SWilliams ……… 12260

2..(2) Azarenka ………..9505

3..(3) Sharapova ……… 8766

4..(4) RAadwanska ………6335

5..(5) ERRANI ………….5125

6..(6) Li ……………..4825

7..(7) Bartoli ……….. 4246

8..(8) WOZNIACKI ……… 3490

9.(10) KERBER ………….3420

10..(9) KVITOVA ……….. 3290*

11.(13) Stosur ………….3210

12.(11) Jankovic ………..3125

13.(12) VINCI …………. 3065

14.(14) Flipkens ………..2961

15.(15) Ivanovic ………..2940

16.(17) STEPHENS ………..2925

17.(16) Kirilenko ……… 2620

18.(18) LISICKI ……….. 2615

19.(20) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..2375

20.(23) HALEP …………. 2300*

21.(19) CIBULKOVA ……… 2281

22.(21) CIRSTEA ……….. 2250

23.(22) Petrova ……….. 2212

24.(24) VESNINA ……….. 2127

25.(26) MAKAROVA ………..1935

26.(25) Hampton ……….. 1881

27.(27) Kanepi ………….1781

28.(28) Cornet ………….1730

29.(29) Kuznetsova ………1679

30.(33) ZAKOPALOVA ………1600

 

 

DRAWS

 

New Haven — Week of August 19

 

……………..QF……………SF………….F

1 Errani………Makarova

5 Vinci……….Halep…………Halep……….Halep

4 Wozniacki……(4)Wozniacki…..Wozniacki

6 Stephens (WC)..(6)Stephens(WC)

 

7 Lisicki……..Pavlyuchenkova

3 Kvitova……..(3)Kvitova…….Kvitova…….Kvitova

8 Cibulkova……Zakopalova…….Zakopalova

2 Kerber………Vesnina

 

STATUS OF SEEDS:

1 Errani……….lost 2R (Makarova)

2 Kerber……….lost 2R (Vesnina)

3 Kvitova

4 Wozniacki…….lost SF (Halep)

5 Vinci………..lost 1R (Suarez Navarro)

6 Stephens (WC)…lost QF (Wozniacki)

7 Lisicki………lost 2R (Pavlyuchenkova)

8 Cibulkova…….lost 1R (Knapp)

U. S. Open — Week of August 26

 

1 Williams

Schiavone

Voskoboeva

Niculescu

Shvedova

Puchkova

Qualifier (Q)

29 Rybarikova

 

23 Hampton

Arruabarrena

Mladenovic

Medina Garrigues

Begu

U Radwanska

Minella

15 Stephens

 

12 Flipkens

V Williams

Bertens

Zheng

Qualifier (Q)

Qualifier (Q)

Davis

18 .Suarez Navarro

 

25 Kanepi

King (WC)

Voegele

Schmiedlova

Ka Pliskova

Bouchard

Hradecka

8 Kerber

 

3 A Radwanska

Soler-Espinosa

Torro-Flor

Erakovic

Cabeza Candela

Barty (WC)

Razzano (WC)

32 Pavlyuchenkova

 

24 Makarova

Hercog

Johansson

Mattek-Sands

Ormaechea

Date-Krumm

Qualifier (Q)

16 Lisicki

 

9 Jankovic

Keys

Puig

Kleybanova

Qualifier (Q)

Cadantu

Qualifier (Q)

19 Cirstea

 

30 Robson

Dominguez Lino

Garcia

Rogers (WC)

Cetkovska

Arvidsson

Govortsova

5 Li

 

6 Wozniacki

Qualifier (Q)

Scheepers

Qualifier (Q)

Cepelova

Qualifier (Q)

Hsieh

31 Zakopalova

 

22 Vesnina

Beck

Knapp

Qualifier (Q)

Tsurenko

Safarova

Babos

10 Vinci

 

14 Kirilenko

Wickmayer

Qualifier (Q)

Daniilidou

Vekic

Duque-Marino

Watson

21 Halep

 

27 Kuznetsova

Burdette

Peng

Meusburger

Gibbs (WC)

Pennetta

Morita

4 Errani

 

7 Kvitova

Doi

Jovanovski

Petkovic

Pironkova

Riske (WC)

Larsson

28 Barthel

 

20 Petrova

Qualifier (Q)

Qualifier (Q)

Vickery (WC)

Sanchez (WC)

Hantuchova

Qualifier (Q)

11 Stosur

 

13 Ivanovic

Tatishvili

Lepchenko

Dulgheru

Goerges

McHale

Svitolina

17 Cibulkova

 

26 Cornet

Qualifier (Q)

Qualifier (Q)

Qualifier (Q)

Wozniak

Dolonc

Pfizenmaier

2 Azarenka

 

 

SCORES

 

FRIDAY

New Haven

Singles – Semifinal

(3) Petra Kvitova def. Klara Zakopalova 6-0 6-1

Simona Halep def. (4) Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 7-5

Doubles – Semifinal

(2) Medina Garrigues/Srebotnik def. (4) Huber/Llagostera Vives 4-6 7-5 10-1

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