****** EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ******
* Djokovic wins Shanghai to continue hot Asian form
* Dodig/Melo win first title to effectively assure London spot
****** TODAY’S MEN’S NEWS ******
Shanghai
Singles – Final: (1) N Djokovic def. (6) J del Potro 6-1 3-6 7-6(7-3)
At least Novak Djokovic is keeping things interesting. And we’re not talking about that wild scoreline.
Juan Martin del Potro couldn’t do much in the first set; Djokovic was running him all over the place. But the Argentine’s power started to tell as he built a 3-0 lead. That won him the second set, but from then on, there wasn’t much to separate them until the end — Djokovic had two match points in the twelfth game of the set, couldn’t convert, but obviously won it in the tiebreak.
And that keeps him at least close to Rafael Nadal in the rankings. He’s now some 400 points behind in the contest for #1. Nadal still has a huge edge, but this at least lets Djokovic maintain some hope.
Juan Martin del Potro came in at #5, and there he stays. But he’s now a very strong #5, more than a thousand points ahead of #6 Tomas Berdych. He will very likely end the year at #5, and he still has a shot at #4.
Doubles – Final: (5) Dodig/Melo def. (8) Marrero/Verdasco 7-6(7-2) 6-7(6-8) 10-2
Things just keep getting better for Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo. They had quietly been been having a great year, but it wasn’t showing that strongly in their rankings. That’s because they had been posting a lot of upsets but not winning titles. Given the current ATP point table and lack of bonus points, that’s a way to not get ahead. Now, they have their first team title (the first for Melo since he won Brisbane with Robredo, and — amazingly — the first doubles title of Dodig’s career, although the team did make the Wimbledon final). As a result, they are now effective locks to make the London championships — they’re #3 in the Race. We don’t know when they will officially qualify, but it probably won’t be long. Marrero/Verdasco are likely to make it, too, but they may not go in with anything like the same momentum.
******** THIS WEEK IN TENNIS ********
THIS WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:
Moscow (250/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Andreas Seppi
Stockholm (250/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Tomas Berdych
Vienna (250/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Juan Martin del Potro
NEXT WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:
Valencia (500/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: David Ferrer
Basel (500/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Juan Martin del Potro
******** STATS AND FACTS ********
RANKINGS
Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings
As of October 13, 2013
Rank &
Prior…Player………..Points
1..(1) Nadal………….11520
2..(2) Djokovic……….11120
3..(4) Ferrer………….6800
4..(3) Murray………….6295
5..(5) Del Potro……….5525
6..(6) Berdych…………4340
7..(7) Federer…………4245
8..(9) Tsonga………….3295
9..(8) Wawrinka………..3240
10.(10) Gasquet…………3060
11.(11) Raonic………….2860
12.(12) Haas……………2265
13.(16) Almagro…………2200
14.(13) Isner…………..2070
15.(14) Simon…………..2060
16.(15) Janowicz………..2060
17.(17) Fognini…………1965
18.(18) Nishikori……….1885
19.(19) Robredo…………1830
20.(20) Anderson………..1775
21.(21) Youzhny…………1735
22.(22) Seppi…………..1555
23.(25) Melzer………….1460
24.(23) Kohlschreiber……1445
25.(26) Paire…………..1380
26.(24) Tipsarevic………1355
27.(28) Gulbis………….1341
28.(27) Dimitrov………..1340
29.(29) Dodig…………..1300
30.(30) Lopez…………..1275
**DRAWS
Shanghai — Week of October 7
WINNER: Novak Djokovic
……………..3R…………..QF……….SF………F
1 Djokovic…….(1)Djokovic…..Djokovic….Djokovic…Djokovic
16 Robredo…….Fognini
9 Gasquet……..Monfils………Monfils
5 Federer……..(5)Federer
3 Ferrer………(3)Ferrer
13 Simon………Mayer………..Mayer
12 Nishikori…..(12)Nishikori
7 Tsonga………(7)Tsonga…….Tsonga……Tsonga
6 del Potro……(6)del Potro….del Potro…del Potro..del Potro
11 Haas……….(11)Haas
15 Almagro…….(15)Almagro…..Almagro
4 Berdych……..(4)Berdych
8 Wawrinka…….(8)Wawrinka…..Wawrinka
10 Raonic……..(10)Raonic
14 Isner………Berlocq
2 Nadal……….(2)Nadal……..Nadal…….Nadal
STATUS OF SEEDS
1 Djokovic……WON TOURNAMENT
2 Nadal………lost SF (del Potro)
3 Ferrer……..lost 3R (Mayer)
4 Berdych…….lost 3R (Almagro)
5 Federer…….lost 3R (Monfils)
6 del Potro…..lost F (Djokovic)
7 Tsonga……..lost SF (Djokovic)
8 Wawrinka……lost QF (Nadal)
9 Gasquet…….lost 1R (Pospisil)
10 Raonic…….lost 3R (Wawrinka)
11 Haas………WITHDREW from 3R
12 Nishikori….lost 3R (Tsonga)
13 Simon……..lost 1R (Paire)
14 Isner……..lost 2R (Berlocq)
15 Almagro……lost QF (del Potro)
16 Robredo……lost 2R (Fognini)
Moscow — Week of October 15
1 Gasquet
–bye
Baghdatis
Donskoy
Sela
Qualifier
Gabashvili (WC)
8 Mannarino
3 Tipsarevic
–bye
Khachanov (WC)
Ramos
Karlovic
Kudla
And. Kuznetsov (WC)
5 Istomin
6 Zeballos
Berankis
Qualifier
Qualifier
Bogomolov
Qualifier
–bye
4 Dolgopolov
7 Sousa
Stakhovsky
Vesely
Roger-Vasselin
Volandri
Lorenzi
–bye
2 Seppi
Stockholm — Week of October 15
1 Ferrer
–bye
Sock
Tomic
Nieminen
Becker
Verdasco
8 Dodig
3 Janowicz
–bye
Qualifier
Garcia-Lopez
Kamke
Sijsling
Chardy
5 Gulbis
7 Dimitrov
Qualifier
Struff
Qualifier
de Schepper
Eriksson (WC)
–bye
4 Anderson
6 Paire (WC)
Giraldo
Zopp (PR)
Carreno Busta
Qualifier
Falla
–bye
2 Raonic (WC)
Vienna — Week of October 15
1 Tsonga
–bye
Brands
Haider-Maurer
Thiem (WC)
Gimeno-Traver
Matosevic
6 Monfils
3 Fognini
–bye
F Mayer
Kubot
Qualifier
Haase
Hewitt
7 Pospisil
8 Rosol
Huta Galung
Russell
Qualifier
Hajek
Qualifier
–bye
4 Kohlschreiber
5 Stepanek
M Fischer (WC)
G Melzer (WC)
Lacko
Qualifier
Andujar
–bye
2 Haas
******** SCORES ********
SUNDAY
Shanghai
Singles – Final
(1) N Djokovic def. (6) J del Potro 6-1 3-6 7-6(7-3)
Doubles – Final
(5) Dodig/Melo def. (8) Marrero/Verdasco 7-6(7-2) 6-7(6-8) 10-2
****** EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ******
* Stosur wins Osaka to start to redeem disappointing year
* Kerber tops Ivanovic in Linz
* Pliskovas earn first doubles title
****** TODAY’S WOMEN’S NEWS ******
Osaka
Singles – Final: (3) Samantha Stosur def. (5) Eugenie Bouchard 3-6 7-5 6-2
This has been a pretty dreadful year for Samantha Stosur — even though she won San Diego, her ranking has been sinking steadily; she came here having fallen all the way to #20. That’s twice the ranking she had at the end of last year. But she had one thing Eugenie Bouchard didn’t have: Experience. Bouchard broke three times in the first set, but starting from 5-5 in the second — when Stosur won seven of the last eight points of the set — it was all Stosur. It wasn’t exactly the toughest trophy she has ever earned — Bouchard, at #35, was the top opponent she beat — but she earns career title #5 (the first, be it noted, coming here in 2009), and her second of the year. In the process, she rises to #19, and earns enough points that she will probably be able to stay Top Twenty when Moscow comes off next week. Which means that she has qualified for Sofia.
Eugenie Bouchard didn’t win her first title, but she did earn her first final; we show her rising to #32. That probably means she will be seeded at the Australian Open. And that in turn probably means she isn’t done climbing.
Doubles – Final: (2) Mladenovic/Pennetta def. Stosur/Zhang 6-4 6-3
Not a big surprise after Samantha Stosur played more than two hours of singles. Still, a nice finish to the year for Kristina Mladenovic, who started the year very well but then faded. This is her fifth title of 2013, but her last was at Palermo. (The others were Memphis, Charleston, and Oeiras.) The person who is really celebrating, though, may be Flavia Pennetta. She was once #1, but this is her first title since she and the retired Gisela Dulko won the 2011 Australian Open!
Linz
Singles – Final: (1/WC) Angelique Kerber def. (3) Ana Ivanovic 6-4 7-6(8-6)
Where has Angelique Kerber been hiding this all year? She’s earned a quarter of her points for the year in the last three weeks!
It wasn’t exactly a smooth final — there were five breaks in the first set, and Kerber had to fight off four set points in the second. But she managed to survive all that to earn her first title of the year. She is still only #10 in the rankings, but she is guaranteed to move up to #9 next week, and will have a good shot at the year-end #8.
Ana Ivanovic is still seeking her first title since winning the “other” year-end championships at Bali two years ago. And, because she lost this and will be playing in Moscow this week, she will not qualify for Sofia this year. (Which appears to mean Elena Vesnina has clinched.) So it looks like a rather disappointing year end for her. But at least she did well enough here to return to the Top Fifteen — we show her rising to #14.
Doubles – Final: Pliskova/Pliskova def. (1) Dabrowski/Rosolska 7-6(8-6) 6-4
It will perhaps tell you all you need to know about this doubles draw that Dabrowski/Rosolska have a combined doubles ranking of #129, yet were seeded first here. And while Alicja Rosolska is a veteran with three doubles titles to her name, Gabriela Dabrowski is a youngster with almost no big match experience. And the two haven’t played together much. The Pliskova twins are also young, and didn’t have any titles either — but they’ve been playing together all their lives. Experience as a team can help a lot….
******** THIS WEEK IN TENNIS ********
THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:
Moscow (Premier/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Caroline Wozniacki
Luxembourg (International/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Venus Williams
NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:
Istanbul (Championships/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Serena Williams
************ STATS AND FACTS ************
**RANKINGS
Estimated WTA Rankings As of October 13, 2013
Rank &
Prior
Rank….Name…………..Points
1..(1) SWilliams ……… 13260
2..(2) Azarenka ………..8206
3..(3) Sharapova ……… 6941
4..(4) ARadwanska ………6195
5..(5) Li ……………..5365
6..(6) Errani ………….4435
7..(7) Kvitova ……….. 4315
8..(8) Jankovic ………..3860
9..(9) Wozniacki ……… 3845
10.(10) KERBER ………….3805*
11.(11) Vinci …………. 3195
12.(12) STEPHENS ………..3185
13.(13) Bartoli ……….. 3172
14.(16) IVANOVIC ………..2845
15.(14) LISICKI ……….. 2830
16.(15) Kirilenko ……… 2755
17.(18) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..2735
18.(17) Halep …………. 2685
19.(20) STOSUR ………….2595*
20.(19) FLIPKENS ………..2495
21.(23) CIBULKOVA ……… 2195
22.(21) CIRSTEA ……….. 2170
23.(22) Kuznetsova ………2142
24.(24) Makarova ………..2066
25.(25) Vesnina ……….. 1960
26.(27) Cornet ………….1790
27.(26) Hampton ……….. 1781
28.(28) Safarova ………..1775
29.(29) Kanepi ………….1751
30.(30) Pavlyuchenkova …..1750
**DRAWS
Linz — Week of October 7
WINNER: Angelique Kerber
………………QF………………SF…………..F
2 Stephens……..(2)Stephens
8 Hantuchova……Voegele………….Voegele
3 Ivanovic……..(3)Ivanovic………Ivanovic……..Ivanovic
7 Cibulkova…….(7)Cibulkova
5 Flipkens……..(5)Flipkens
4 Suarez Navarro..(4)Suarez Navarro…Suarez Navarro
6 Cirstea………Mayr-Achleitner(WC)
1 Kerber (WC)…..(1)Kerber(WC)…….Kerber……….Kerber
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Kerber (WC)…….WON TOURNAMENT
2 Stephens……….lost QF (Voegele)
3 Ivanovic……….lost F (Kerber)
4 Suarez Navarro….lost SF (Kerber)
5 Flipkens……….lost QF (Suarez Navarro)
6 Cirstea………..lost 1R (Mayr-Achleitner)
7 Cibulkova………lost QF (Ivanovic)
8 Hantuchova……..lost 1R (Knapp)
Osaka — Week of October 7
WINNER: Samantha Stosur
……………..QF…………………SF……..F
9 Mladenovic…..Zheng
6 Keys………..(6)Keys…………….Keys
3 Stosur………(3)Stosur…………..Stosur….Stosur
7 Robson (WC)….Doi
5 Bouchard…….(5)Bouchard…………Bouchard..Bouchard
4 Pennetta…….Zahlavova Strycova(Q)
8 Puig………..Nara……………….Nara
2 Lisicki……..Hercog
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Jankovic (WC)…WITHDREW
2 Lisicki………WITHDREW from 2R
3 Stosur……….WON TOURNAMENT
4 Pennetta……..lost 1R (King)
5 Bouchard……..lost F (Stosur)
6 Keys…………lost SF (Stosur)
7 Robson (WC)…..lost 1R (Date-Krumm)
8 Puig…………lost 2R (Nara)
9 Mladenovic……lost 2R (Zheng)
Moscow — Week of October 15
1 Kerber
–bye
Pavlyuchenkova
Garcia
Qualifier
Hantuchova
Cibulkova
5 Halep
3 Kirilenko
–bye
Rybarikova
Pervak (WC)
Lepchenko
Kleybanova (WC)
Qualifier
6 Suarez Navarro
7 Stosur
Kanepi
Svitolina
Cornet
Qualifier
Zakopalova
–bye
4 Ivanovic
8 Kuznetsova
Tsurenko
Qualifier
Voskoboeva
Vesnina
Shvedova
–bye
2 Vinci
Luxembourg — Week of October 15
1 Wozniacki
Minella (WC)
Cadantu
Niculescu
Hsieh
Qualifier
Schiavone
8 Jovanovski
3 Lisicki
Vekic
Mladenovic
Qualifier
Knapp
Qualifier
Petkovic
7 Bouchard
5 Safarova
Peng
Pironkova
Beck
Watson (WC)
Wickmayer
Qualifier
4 Flipkens
6 Barthel
Voegele
Dominguez Lino
Ka. Pliskova
Meusburger
Begu
Bacsinszky (WC)
2 Stephens
******** SCORES ********
SUNDAY
Osaka
Singles – Final
(3) Samantha Stosur def. (5) Eugenie Bouchard 3-6 7-5 6-2
Doubles – Final
(2) Mladenovic/Pennetta def. Stosur/Zhang 6-4 6-3
Linz
Singles – Final
(1/WC) Angelique Kerber def. (3) Ana Ivanovic 6-4 7-6(8-6)
Doubles – Final
Pliskova/Pliskova def. (1) Dabrowski/Rosolska 7-6(8-6) 6-4
Topics: 10sballs, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray, Angelique Kerber, Atp, David Ferrer, Eugenie Bouchard, Fernando Verdasco, Juan Martin Del Potro, Li Na, milos raonic, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Samantha Stosur, Sara Errani, Serena Williams, Sports, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News, Victoria Azarenka, Wta
RT @10sBalls_com: Men’s / Women’s Tennis Tour News: ****** EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ****** * Djokovic wins Shanghai to continue … http://t.co/4P…