****** EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ******
* Hewitt shocks Federer in Brisbane
* Nestor extends titles streak
* Wawrinka still gives the Swiss a winner
****** TODAY’S MEN’S NEWS ******
Brisbane
Singles – Final: L Hewitt def. (1) R Federer 6-1 4-6 6-3
This looked much too much like the Roger Federer of 2013 — the one who couldn’t find any answers. He said, “I didn’t play great today, which is a bit unfortunate — but also Lleyton was the best player I played this week. He made it toughest on me. So I have a clear idea what I need to work on, and I have a clear idea where my mind and body is at…. I’m very hungry and eager to attack the Australian Open next week.”
He had better be, because this leaves him only 175 points ahead of Tomas Berdych in the contest for #6, and he’s 900 points behind #5 Juan Martin del Potro. Federer is in real danger of slipping even lower in the rankings.
Lleyton Hewitt has been struggling even longer than Federer — this is career title #29, but he said himself that it has been a “couple years” since his last. In fact, it has been three and a half; his last victory was at Halle 2010. Over none other than Federer! And it’s Hewitt’s first win away from grass since Houston 2009. He naturally will make a big rankings move — we show him rising from #60 to #43.
Doubles – Final: (2) Fyrstenberg/Nestor def. (4) Cabal/Farah 6-7(4-7) 6-4 10-7
Everyone was expecting a major item for the record books today. And got one, but it wasn’t the one they expected. Roger Federer did not take sole possession of the #3 spot on the all-time ATP titles list. But Daniel Nestor won a title for the twenty-first year in a row! His first came back at Bogota 1994 with Mark Knowles, and he has won at least one in every year since then (his last, and his only title of 2013, being Winston-Salem 2013 with Paes). That’s 82 titles in all; he has now won with eight different partners: Fyrstenberg, Knowles, Lareau, Mirnyi, Paes, Stolle, Ullyett, Zimonjic. His ranking is still in the pits — this is going to take him only to around #20 — but it’s obviously a better start to the year than last year!
It’s rather historic for Mariusz Fyrstenberg, too. He’ll never threaten Nestor’s title total; this is only #15 for him. But it is the first time he has taken a title with anyone other than Marcin Matkowski. It must be nice to know he can do it with others.
Chennai
Singles – Final: (1) S Wawrinka def. (7) E Roger-Vasselin 7-5 6-2
There isn’t much to say about this. Edouard Roger-Vasselin had only one break chance against Stanislas Wawrinka, and he didn’t take it, and although the match was fairly close in general, Roger-Vasselin simply couldn’t do any damage. He still has a lot to celebrate — just reaching the final appears to have put him in the Top Forty.
Unlike Roger-Vasselin, Wawrinka won’t be moving in the rankings. But after struggling to win titles early in his career, he’s now getting to be fairly productive. This is career title #5, although all are bottom-tier events. He has won titles in four of the last five years (he missed in 2012), and he now, for the first time, has won a title twice; he also won Chennai in 2011.
Doubles – Final: (4) Brunstrom/Nielsen def. Draganja/Pavic 6-2 4-6 10-7
It was surprisingly quick for such a close match — just an hour and sixteen minutes. Maybe 22-year-old Marin Draganja was too excited about being in a final — he came here with a career doubles record of just 2-8, so this is better than his entire career to this point. 20-year-old Mate Pavic had ten doubles wins, so it isn’t quite as new for him, but he was probably nervous too — he had lost both his two previous finals.
It’s surely a relief for Frederick Nielsen: Finally, a title to show that his Wimbledon 2012 victory wasn’t a complete fluke. Just a very big one…. For Johan Brunstrom, it’s title #4 — and three of them in the last twelve months. They’re all small (Gstaad 2010 with Nieminen, Nice 2013 and Metz 2013 with Klaasen, and now this), but still, three titles on three different surfaces in the course of a year is pretty promising.
Australian Open
The pullouts are starting.
Just hours after Jeremy Chardy seemed to be eliminated from Melbourne seed contention, he went right back in — because Jurgen Melzer, who has suffered from shoulder problems for three months now, pulled out. That should allow #33 Chardy to earn the #32 seed. Ivan Dodig is now the #1 alternate
****** TODAY’S FEATURE ******
KEYWORDS: No Feature Today
******** THIS WEEK IN TENNIS ********
THIS WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:
Sydney (250/Hard). Defending Champion: Bernard Tomic
Auckland (250/Hard). Defending Champion: David Ferrer
NEXT WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:
Australian Open (Slam/Hard). Defending Champion: Novak Djokovic
******** STATS AND FACTS ********
RANKINGS
Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings
As of January 4, 2014
Rank &
Prior…Player………..Points
1..(1) Nadal………….13130
2..(2) Djokovic……….12260
3..(3) Ferrer………….5800
4..(4) Murray………….5560
5..(5) Del Potro……….5255
6..(6) Federer…………4355
7..(7) Berdych…………4180
8..(8) Wawrinka………..3890
9..(9) Gasquet…………3140
10.(10) Tsonga………….3065
11.(11) Raonic………….2860
12.(12) Haas……………2435
13.(13) Almagro…………2290
14.(14) Isner…………..2150
15.(15) Youzhny…………2145
16.(16) Fognini…………1930
17.(17) Nishikori……….1915
18.(18) Robredo…………1810
19.(19) Simon…………..1790
20.(20) Anderson………..1685
21.(21) Janowicz………..1615
22.(22) Kohlschreiber……1525
23.(23) Dimitrov………..1460
24.(24) Gulbis………….1418
25.(25) Seppi…………..1360
26.(31) Monfils…………1335
27.(28) Lopez…………..1310
28.(26) Paire…………..1300
29.(27) Melzer………….1290
30.(32) Pospisil………..1289
**DRAWS
Brisbane
WINNER: Lleyton Hewitt
…………..QF…………..SF……….F
1 Federer…..(1)Federer……Federer…..Federer
7 Tursunov….Matosevic
[4 Anderson]..Groth(WC)
8 Chardy……(8)Chardy…….Chardy
6 Lopez…….Hewitt……….Hewitt……Hewitt
3 Simon…….Copil(Q)
5 Dimitrov….Cilic
2 Nishikori…(2)Nishikori….Nishikori
STATUS OF SEEDS
1 Federer…..lost F (Hewitt)
2 Nishikori…lost SF (Hewitt)
3 Simon…….lost 2R (Copil)
4 Anderson….WITHDREW (replaced by Herbert)
5 Dimitrov….lost 2R (Cilic)
6 Lopez…….lost 2R (Hewitt)
7 Tursunov….lost 1R (Querrey)
8 Chardy……lost SF (Federer)
Chennai
WINNER: Stanislas Wawrinka
……………….QF………………SF……………F
1 Wawrinka………(1)Wawrinka………Wawrinka………Wawrinka
8 Bautista Agut….Kudryavtsev(Q)
3 Fognini……….Bhambri(WC)
5 Pospisil………(5)Pospisil………Pospisil
6 Granollers…….(6)Granollers…….Granollers
4 Paire…………(4)Paire
7 Roger-Vasselin…(7)Roger-Vasselin…Roger-Vasselin..Roger-Vasselin
2 Youzhny……….Sela
STATUS OF SEEDS
1 Wawrinka………WON TOURNAMENT
2 Youzhny……….lost 2R (Sela)
3 Fognini……….lost 2R (Bhambri)
4 Paire…………lost SF (Granollers)
5 Pospisil………lost SF (Wawrinka)
6 Granollers…….lost SF (Roger-Vasselin)
7 Roger-Vasselin…lost F (Wawrinka)
8 Bautista Agut….lost 1R (Kudryavtsev)
Doha
WINNER: Rafael Nadal
……………..QF…………SF……….F
1 Nadal……….(1)Nadal……Nadal…….Nadal
7 Gulbis………(7)Gulbis
4 Berdych……..Brown(Q)
6 Kohlschreiber..Gojowczyk(Q)..Gojowczyk
8 Verdasco…….Hanescu
3 Murray………F.Mayer…….Mayer
5 Gasquet……..Monfils…….Monfils…..Monfils
2 Ferrer………Brands
STATUS OF SEEDS
1 Nadal……….WON TOURNAMENT
2 Ferrer………lost 2R (Brands)
3 Murray………lost 2R (Mayer)
4 Berdych……..lost 1R (Karlovic)
5 Gasquet……..lost 2R (Monfils)
6 Kohlschreiber..lost 2R (Gojowczyk)
7 Gulbis………lost SF (Nadal)
8 Verdasco…….lost 2R (Hanescu)
Sydney
1 del Potro
–bye
Mahut
Qualifier
Stepanek
Groth (WC)
Querrey
5 Pospisil
4 Tursunov
–bye
Sousa
Rosol
Istomin
Andujar
Qualifier
7 Cilic
6 Benneteau
Ebden (WC)
Berlocq
Qualifier
F Mayer
Matosevic (WC)
–bye
3 Mayer
8 Granollers
Tomic
Qualifier
Nieminen
Roger-Vasselin
Dolgopolov
–bye
2 Janowicz
Auckland
1 Ferrer
–bye
Delbonis
Qualifier
Giraldo
Montanes
Garcia-Lopez
8 Haase
4 Anderson
–bye
Baghdatis (WC)
Brands
Lu
Sijsling
Qualifier
7 Monfils
5 Kohlschreiber
Carreno Busta
Volandri
Zeballos
Qualifier
Statham (WC)
–bye
3 Isner
6 Paire
Przysiezny
Bautista Agut
Qualifier
Sock (WC)
Mannarino
–bye
2 Haas
******** SCORES ********
SUNDAY
Brisbane
Singles – Final
L Hewitt def. (1) R Federer 6-1 4-6 6-3
Doubles – Final
(2) Fyrstenberg/Nestor def. (4) Cabal/Farah 6-7(4-7) 6-4 10-7
Chennai
Singles – Final
(1) S Wawrinka def. (7) E Roger-Vasselin 7-5 6-2
Doubles – Final
(4) Brunstrom/Nielsen def. Draganja/Pavic 6-2 4-6 10-7
Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Brisbane, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Jeremy Chardy, Lleyton Hewitt, Roger Federer, Sports, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News