****** EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ******
* Kukushkin stuns Seppi in Moscow, will face Gasquet
* It’s Haase vs. Haas in Vienna
* Ferrer struggles past Gulbis, to face Dimitrov
* Bjorkman/Lindstedt shock Stockholm finalists
****** TODAY’S MEN’S NEWS ******
Moscow
Singles – Semifinal: (1) R Gasquet def. I Karlovic 6-4 7-5
Finally the points start to count for Richard Gasquet. It’s not a big help in the Race, but it’s something. Ivo Karlovic, unfortunately, was defending semifinalist points, so he’ll stay right about where he came in.
Singles – Semifinal: (Q) M Kukushkin def. (2) A Seppi 6-1 1-6 6-4
Mikhail Kukushkin had been slowly rebuilding his ranking lately, but there wasn’t any hint he could do this! It’s his first final since he won his only career title at St. Petersburg three years ago. He’s increased his points by more than a quarter, and should be in the #70 range. But Andreas Seppi, last year’s champion, will lose his Top 25 spot.
Doubles – Final: Elgin/Istomin def. Skupski/Skupski 6-2 1-6 14-12
Mikhail Elgin is so obscure that, at age 32, he still doesn’t have an ATP file photo. He had won only about 40% of his career doubles matches. He had never won a doubles title. A big day for him. And also for Denis Istomin, who also wins his first title of any kind (but who of course has had a much better singles career). Neal Skupski can at least claim a first final.
Stockholm
Singles – Semifinal: (1) D Ferrer def. (5) E Gulbis 3-6 6-4 6-1
Let’s hope this was David Ferrer finally discovering his indoor form and not Ernests Gulbis melting down again. At least Gulbis lasted long enough to put himself in the Top 25; he is likely to end up at #24.
Singles – Semifinal: (7) G Dimitrov def. (6) (WC) B Paire 4-6 6-2 6-2
This was the battle for a Top 25 spot; if Benoit Paire won, he clinched, but if he lost, then he left the door open for Grigor Dimitrov. Admittedly it’s a rather narrow door, since Dimitrov has to beat Ferrer in the final. But if he can do that, Dimitrov will rise all the way to #22, with Paire #26. Otherwise, Dimitrov is #26 and Paire #25.
Doubles – Semifinal: Bjorkman/Lindstedt def. (4) S Gonzalez/Lipsky 6-4 6-4
Jonas Bjorkman says he isn’t planning a comeback, and we believe him — but what does this say about the current state of doubles?
Vienna
Singles – Semifinal: R Haase def. (1) J Tsonga 7-5 7-6(7-4)
Ordinarily we’d say this doesn’t matter too much to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s Race chances. But he isn’t playing either of next week’s 500 point events! So he will not be gaining any ground on the leaders in the contest for the last spots. He will still be in the hunt at Paris, but he may well find himself at a distinct handicap. He’s giving Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka, and Richard Gasquet a real opening.
Singles – Semifinal: (2) T Haas def. (8) L Rosol 3-6 6-4 7-6(7-0)
This had an ugly ending. Lukas Rosol, down 6-0 in the final tiebreak, ruined his racquet — and suffered a point penalty and was done.
Tommy Haas remains #12 in both Race and rankings, and that can’t change this week, but at least he’s giving himself a faint shot to still be alive in the London race come Paris. And he’ll be the #2 seed at Valencia, as he is here. Rosol added points, but won’t rise above the #44 ranking he came in with.
We will, of course, have a Haase versus Haas final. Gonna be fun to write about that. But they’ve earned it. Between them, they’ve taken out five seeds here.
Doubles – Semifinal: (3) Knowle/Nestor def. (PR) Levinsky/Pavic 6-3 6-2
Doubles – Semifinal: Mergea/Rosol def. (WC) Neuchrist/Thiem 6-4 6-4
****** TODAY’S FEATURE ******
Men’s Look Forward: Basel, Valencia
At least Rafael Nadal won’t be stealing Roger Federer’s limelight.
Nadal was supposed to be the top seed at Basel, which had a field that almost looked like a Masters. Nadal, however, has withdrawn, citing tiredness. It was a nice thing to do, in a way — it opens the doors for players who are contending for London. Even without him, this week’s events are strong.
Valencia is a little odd: There is only one Top Ten player (#1 seed David Ferrer) — but then it has seven of the players from #12 to #20. It sort of makes you think that all those mid-level players are trying to get some big points at a relatively soft event — although, with so many of them there, that may prove tricky. Tommy Haas is seeded #2. Nicolas Almagro has the #3 seed; he is in Ferrer’s half. John Isner is #4. Jerzy Janowicz, who still seems to be trying to find his form, is #5 and in Ferrer’s quarter; Gilles Simon is #6 and in Haas’s; Fabio Fognini is #7 and in Almagro’s; Kevin Anderson is #8 and in Isner’s.
And most of them can expect to be challenged. Ferrer, who has struggled this fall, opens against Gael Monfils, then Feliciano Lopez or Julien Benneteau. Almagro could face Fernando Verdasco in the second round (assuming Verdasco is over his injury). Fognini starts against long-missing Martin Klizan, then Janko Tipsarevic or Marcel Granollers. Anderson will face either Albert Montanes (who hates indoors but is Spanish) or Dmitry Tursunov in round two. Isner opens against Ernests Gulbis, then Jeremy Chardy or Florian Mayer. Simon’s second round will be against Benoit Paire or perhaps Jarkko Nieminen. Haas has to open against his fellow German Philipp Kohlschreiber, then Mikhail Youzhny (who just missed seeding) or Bernard Tomic.
Basel has its own peculiarities. With Nadal out, it has none of the Top Four (Ferrer is the only one of the top four in action this week) — but then it has five of the next six players (including all of the serious London contenders except Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Milos Raonic), and then falls off a cliff. We have five of the Top Ten — but only one of the next ten! It’s as if the London contenders want to settle things this week and not wait for Paris.
Juan Martin del Potro is the #1 seed — and the only player who has clinched for London, although he didn’t know when he signed up that he would have clinched. #2 Tomas Berdych will probably clinch this week. #3 Roger Federer (who is in Berdych’s half), #4 Stanislas Wawrinka, and #5 Richard Gasquet (who is in del Potro’s quarter) are all London contenders. Then comes that cliff we mentioned: Kei Nishikori, who isn’t even in the Top Fifteen, is the #6 seed and in Berdych’s quarter. Andreas Seppi, who just lost his Top 25 spot, is #7 and in Wawrinka’s. And Grigor Dimitrov is #8 and in Federer’s.
There isn’t much depth to the field, either. The only seed who really looks likely to be threatened is Nishikori, who could face Ivan Dodig in the second round. Still, there are a few interesting matches. Del Potro could face Marcos Baghdatis in the second round — and Baghdatis, who is having a terrible year, would obviously like to redeem himself. Gasquet has to open against his countryman Michael Llodra. Dimitrov starts against Radek Stepanek, with Alexandr Dolgopolov likely to follow. And Berdych will have a fireballing opener against Ivo Karlovic, followed perhaps by Vasek Pospisil.
The Rankings
This week is big. Not as big as Paris, but both the week’s events are 500 pointers, so they will substantially affect the Race. As well as the rankings, of course.
David Ferrer was the champion at Valencia, with Alexandr Dolgopolov the finalist and Ivan Dodig and Jurgen Melzer the semifinalists. Juan Martin del Potro won Basel, over Roger Federer; Paul-Henri Mathieu and Richard Gasquet were semifinalists.
That doesn’t spell movement at the top. Not quite. Rafael Nadal is safe at #1, and Novak Djokovic at #2. David Ferrer’s lead over Andy Murray is big enough that he can spare the loss of those points and remain #3; Murray will stay #4, and del Potro #5. But Roger Federer could easily lose his #6 spot to Tomas Berdych, and almost anything could happen at the bottom of the Top Ten.
Dolgopolov looks as if he could lose his Top Fifty spot; Dodig will probably end up below the Top Thirty, and Melzer seems sure to end the year below that mark. Mathieu (who is in the qualifying but needed three sets to win his opener) appears to be about at the end of the road; he may end the year below #200.
In the Race, if one of our major London contenders (Federer, Wawrinka, Gasquet) can win Basel, we’d say he’ll effectively clinch. Especially if it is Federer or Wawrinka, since they are the leaders among that group. But things won’t be settled until Paris, and this week will determine just how unsettled things will be. It is odd to see Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Milos Raonic not playing; that will hurt Tsonga, and is likely to be fatal to Raonic. Raonic’s decision to play Stockholm (where he couldn’t earn significant points) rather than one of the 500 pointers looks like very bad strategic thinking.
KEYWORDS: Preview Basel Valencia
******** 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 18, 2013
Rank &
Prior…Player………..Points
1..(1) Nadal………….11520
2..(2) Djokovic……….11120
3..(3) Ferrer………….6800
4..(4) Murray………….6295
5..(5) Del Potro……….5275
6..(7) Federer…………4245
7..(6) Berdych…………4090
8..(9) Wawrinka………..3240
9..(8) Tsonga………….3235
10.(10) Gasquet…………3120
11.(11) Raonic………….2860
12.(12) Haas……………2325
13.(13) Almagro…………2200
14.(14) Isner…………..2070
15.(15) Janowicz………..2060
16.(16) Simon…………..2060
17.(17) Fognini…………1965
18.(18) Nishikori……….1885
19.(19) Robredo…………1830
20.(20) Anderson………..1775
21.(21) Youzhny…………1735
22.(23) Melzer………….1460
23.(24) Kohlschreiber……1445
24.(26) Gulbis………….1431
25.(25) Paire…………..1425
26.(28) Dimitrov………..1400
27.(22) Seppi…………..1395
28.(27) Tipsarevic………1310
29.(29) Dodig…………..1295
30.(30) Lopez…………..1275
**DRAWS
Moscow — Week of October 15
……………QF…………….SF…………F
1 Gasquet……(1)Gasquet……..Gasquet…….Gasquet
8 Mannarino….Gabashvili(WC)
3 Tipsarevic…Khachanov(WC)
5 Istomin……Karlovic……….Karlovic
6 Zeballos…..Golubev(Q)
4 Dolgopolov…Kukushkin(Q)……Kukushkin…..Kukushkin
7 Sousa……..Roger-Vasselin
2 Seppi……..(2)Seppi……….Seppi
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Gasquet
2 Seppi
3 Tipsarevic….lost 2R (Khachanov)
4 Dolgopolov….lost 2R (Kukushkin)
5 Istomin…….lost 2R (Karlovic)
6 Zeballos……lost 2R (Golubev)
7 Sousa………lost 1R (Stakhovsky)
8 Mannarino…..lost 1R (Gabashvili)
Stockholm — Week of October 15
……………..QF………….SF………F
1 Ferrer………(1)Ferrer……Ferrer…..Ferrer
8 Dodig……….Verdasco
3 Janowicz…….(3)Janowicz
5 Gulbis………(5)Gulbis……Gulbis
7 Dimitrov…….(7)Dimitrov….Dimitrov…Dimitrov
4 Anderson…….de Schepper
6 Paire (WC)…..(6)Paire…….Paire
2 Raonic (WC)….(2)Raonic(WC)
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Ferrer
2 Raonic (WC)…lost QF (Paire)
3 Janowicz……lost QF (Gulbis)
4 Anderson……lost 2R (de Schepper)
5 Gulbis……..lost SF (Ferrer)
6 Paire (WC)….lost SF (Dimitrov)
7 Dimitrov
8 Dodig………lost 1R (Verdasco)
Vienna — Week of October 15
……………..QF…………SF……..F
1 Tsonga………(1)Tsonga…..Tsonga
6 Monfils……..Thiem(WC)
3 Fognini……..(3)Fognini
7 Pospisil…….Haase………Haase…..Haase
8 Rosol……….(8)Rosol……Rosol
4 Kohlschreiber..Bemelmans(Q)
5 Stepanek…….(5)Stepanek
2 Haas………..(2)Haas…….Haas……Haas
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Tsonga………lost SF (Haase)
2 Haas
3 Fognini……..lost QF (Haase)
4 Kohlschreiber..lost 2R (Bemelmans)
5 Stepanek…….lost QF (Haas)
6 Monfils……..lost 1R (J Pospisil)
7 Pospisil…….lost 2R (Haase)
8 Rosol……….lost SF (Haas)
Basel — Week of October 22
1 del Potro
Laaksonen (WC)
Baghdatis
Qualifier
Qualifier
Llodra
5 Gasquet
4 Wawrinka
Roger-Vasselin
Hanescu
Qualifier
Gimeno-Traver
Kubot
Brands
7 Seppi
8 Dimitrov
Stepanek
Dolgopolov (WC)
de Schepper
Istomin
Zeballos
Mannarino
3 Federer
6 Nishikori
Chiudinelli (WC)
Berlocq
Dodig
V Pospisil
Haase
Karlovic
2 Berdych
Valencia — Week of October 22
1 Ferrer
Monfils
F Lopez
Benneteau
Garcia-Lopez
Qualifier
Qualifier
5 Janowicz
3 Almagro
Andujar
Verdasco (WC)
Qualifier
Tipsarevic
Granollers
Klizan
7 Fognini
8 Anderson
Bautista Agut
Montanes
Tursunov
F Mayer
Chardy
Gulbis
4 Isner
6 Simon
Qualifier
Nieminen
Paire
Youzhny
Tomic
Kohlschreiber
2 Haas
******** SCORES ********
SATURDAY
Moscow
Singles – Semifinal
(1) R Gasquet def. I Karlovic 6-4 7-5
(Q) M Kukushkin def. (2) A Seppi 6-1 1-6 6-4
Doubles – Final
Elgin/Istomin def. Skupski/Skupski 6-2 1-6 14-12
Stockholm
Singles – Semifinal
(1) D Ferrer def. (5) E Gulbis 3-6 6-4 6-1
(7) G Dimitrov def. (6) (WC) B Paire 4-6 6-2 6-2
Doubles – Semifinal
Bjorkman/Lindstedt def. (4) S Gonzalez/Lipsky 6-4 6-4
Vienna
Singles – Semifinal
R Haase def. (1) J Tsonga 7-5 7-6(7-4)
(2) T Haas def. (8) L Rosol 3-6 6-4 7-6(7-0)
Doubles – Semifinal
(3) Knowle/Nestor def. (PR) Levinsky/Pavic 6-3 6-2
Mergea/Rosol def. (WC) Neuchrist/Thiem 6-4 6-4
Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Atp, Benoit Paire, David Ferrer, Ernests Gulbis, GRIGOR DIMITROV, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Tommy Haas