Photo by Brett Connors Photography
MEN’S NEWS
Australian Open
Singles – Fourth Round: (2) Novak Djokovic def. (15) Fabio Fognini 6-3 6-0 6-2
Novak Djokovic and Fabio Fognini are old friends, but Djokovic didn’t show a hint of mercy here. Which means that Fognini will almost certainly end up at #15.
Singles – Fourth Round: (3) David Ferrer def. Florian Mayer 6-7(5-7) 7-5 6-2 6-1
David Ferrer was the only high seed even to lose a set on this day, but still, he came through. One more win and he will stay ahead of Juan Martin del Potro in the contest for #3 (see the Feature). It appears Florian Mayer will be #30.
Singles – Fourth Round: (7) Tomas Berdych def. (19) Kevin Anderson 6-2 6-2 6-3
This means no return to the Top Twenty for Kevin Anderson (in fact, he’ll fall from #21 to #22), so it appears Grigor Dimitrov is in. Tomas Berdych retains his tiny lead on Stanislas Wawrinka in the contest for #6…
Singles – Fourth Round: (8) Stanislas Wawrinka def. (17) Tommy Robredo 6-3 7-6(7-3) 7-6(7-5)
…but Wawrinka remains on his heels. Tommy Robredo will have to settle for #16 or #17.
Doubles – Third Round (13) Michael Llodra/Nicolas Mahut def. (2) Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares 7-6(7-4) 6-4
This was the day’s only really substantial upset, in singles or doubles, but it doesn’t make much difference; Peya/Soares will remain #3/#4.
Doubles – Third Round (5) Leander Paes/Radek Stepanek def. Yuki Bhambri/Michael Venus 6-3 6-2
This moves Paes and Stepanek past Fernando Verdasco in the doubles rankings; we’d stay they’ve now clinched their Top Ten spots. We currently show the Top Twelve as follows:
1..(1) Bryan………….13040
1..(1) Bryan………….13040
3..(3) Peya……………7400
3..(3) Soares………….7400
5..(5) Melo……………5360
6..(7) Dodig…………..5290
7..(6) Marrero…………4880
8..(9) Paes……………4385
9.(10) Stepanek………..4350
10..(8) Verdasco………..4310
11.(13) Zimonjic………..3760
12.(14) Bopanna…………3750
Doubles – Third Round (12) Treat Huey/Dominic Inglot def. (7) Rohan Bopanna/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-4 7-6(7-1)
Obviously there will be no Top Ten spots for Bopanna or Qureshi.
Doubles – Third Round Alex Bolt/Andrew Whittington def. Pablo Carreno Busta/Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-7(4-7) 7-6(7-5) 7-5
We know nothing about Bolt/Whittington, but maybe we should be keeping our eyes on them….
Mixed Doubles – First Round: Raymond/Fyrstenberg def. (3) Huber/Melo 6-2 6-2
An interesting contest of ex-partners, but one that doesn’t tell us much about the Mixed rankings, because Huber/Melo were the #3 seeds under both regular and Mixed rankings!
Mixed Doubles – First Round: (8) Vesnina/Bhupathi def. Parra Santonja/Marrero 6-7(3-7) 6-4 10-5
Mixed rankings would have promoted Vesnina/Bhupathi, so it is surprising that they struggled so much.
Mixed Doubles – First Round: An. Rodionova/Fleming def. Kuznetsova/Zimonjic 6-4 6-4
Mixed Doubles – First Round: Hantuchova/Paes def. Tomljanovic/Duckworth 7-5 4-6 10-7
Another surprisingly close result; Hantuchova/Paes would have been close to being seeded under Mixed.
Mixed Doubles – First Round: Spears/Inglot def. Hradecka/Emmrich 6-1 7-6(7-5)
Men’s Ranking Update: Australian Open
The race may not always be to the swift, but right now, the swift are doing just fine, thank you. Rafael Nadal is #1, and he will stay #1, and he will be #1 by a very wide margin. We still don’t know how wide, but he will lead Novak Djokovic by a lot more than a thousand points.
That may be as wide as his lead gets. After all, Nadal has to start defending soon, and from then on he has pretty much everything to defend until the end of the year. So right now is his best chance to build a cushion. So far, he has been doing just fine at that.
Still, Novak Djokovic has enough points that he would be #1 in a lot of years. He is secure at #2, and will remain secure for many months, and could threaten Nadal in a few months if Nadal falters.
It’s at #3 that things start to get interesting. Juan Martin del Potro, because he had less to defend than David Ferrer and Andy Murray, is currently #3 in safe points, but Ferrer could pass him with a semifinal, or Murray with a final. (Theoretically, Tomas Berdych or Stanislas Wawrinka or Roger Federer are also in the contest, but they all need titles. And what are the odds of that? Federer, maybe, but Berdych?) If Murray makes the final and Ferrer the semifinal, then Ferrer stays #3 and Murray #4; if Murray wins Melbourne, he is #3 no matter what.
To repeat, Berdych, Wawrinka, and Federer are all still in the hunt for #3, but it’s not very likely. A more realistic goal is #5, but even that will take a final for any of them. More likely, they are competing for #6. And they’re close enough together that the one who lasts longest will likely get it, with ties broken in the order Berdych, Wawrinka, Federer.
At least they’re all sure of being Top Ten, and effectively sure of being Top Eight.
The last two Top Ten spots will almost certainly belong to Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, with Tsonga needing a semifinal to overtake his countryman.
Out of the Top Fifteen is Nicolas Almagro, who didn’t play Melbourne this year; he is likely to be replaced by Fabio Fognini, although there are a few others with outside chances. Out of the Top Twenty is Jerzy Janowicz; his replacement is Grigor Dimitrov. Andreas Seppi and Jurgen Melzer are out of the Top Thirty; Gael Monfils and Florian Mayer are in.
In doubles, the Bryans are sure to stay co-#1, and Peya/Soares are sure to stay co-#3. Marcelo Melo is almost but not quite certain to stay #5; Ivan Dodig is likely to rise to #6, replacing David Marrero. Marrero is at least assured a Top Ten spot. Fernando Verdasco, Leander Paes, and Radek Stepanek are the others currently in the Top Ten, but Verdasco could still lose his spot. It appears Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, who at this time a year ago were probably the #2 team behind the Bryans, will be falling out of the Top 20.
RANKINGS
Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings
As of January 19, 2014
Rank &
Prior…Player………..Points
1..(1) Nadal………….13310
2..(2) Djokovic……….10620
3..(5) Del Potro……….5370
4..(3) Ferrer………….5280
5..(4) Murray………….4540
6..(7) Berdych…………4180
7..(8) Wawrinka………..4070
8..(6) Federer…………3815
9..(9) Gasquet…………3050
10.(10) Tsonga………….2885
11.(11) Raonic………….2770
12.(12) Haas……………2435
13.(13) Isner…………..2320
14.(15) Youzhny…………2145
15.(16) Fognini…………2100
16.(18) Robredo…………1980
17.(14) Almagro…………1930
18.(17) Nishikori……….1915
19.(19) Simon…………..1700
20.(22) Dimitrov………..1630
21.(20) Janowicz………..1615
22.(21) Anderson………..1580
23.(24) Gulbis………….1443
24.(28) Paire…………..1380
25.(30) Pospisil………..1359
26.(27) Lopez…………..1355
27.(23) Kohlschreiber……1330
28.(26) Tursunov………..1314
29.(32) Monfils…………1245
30.(37) Mayer…………..1245
**DRAWS
Australian Open (Slam — Weeks of January 13-26)
…………………3R……………4R
1 Nadal…………..(1)Nadal………Nadal
25 Monfils………..(25)Monfils
24 Seppi………….Young
16 Nishikori………(16)Nishikori….Nishikori
11 Raonic…………(11)Raonic
22 Dimitrov……….(22)Dimitrov…..Dimitrov
27 Paire………….(27)Paire
5 Del Potro……….Bautista Agut….Bautista Agut
4 Murray………….(4)Murray……..Murray
26 Lopez………….(26)Lopez
[21 Kohlschreiber]…Robert(LL)…….Robert
13 Isner………….Klizan(LL)
10 Tsonga…………(10)Tsonga…….Tsonga
18 Simon………….(18)Simon
31 Verdasco……….Gabashvili
6 Federer…………(6)Federer…….Federer
7 Berdych…………(7)Berdych…….Berdych……..Berdych
32 Dodig………….Dzumhur
19 Anderson……….(19)Anderson…..Anderson
12 Haas…………..Roger-Vasselin
14 Youzhny………..F.Mayer……….Mayer
20 Janowicz……….(20)Janowicz
29 Chardy…………(29)Chardy
3 Ferrer………….(3)Ferrer……..Ferrer……..Ferrer
8 Wawrinka………..(8)Wawrinka……Wawrinka……Wawrinka
28 Pospisil……….(28)Pospisil
17 Robredo………..(17)Robredo……Robredo
9 Gasquet…………(9)Gasquet
15 Fognini………..(15)Fognini……Fognini
23 Gulbis…………Querrey
30 Tursunov……….Istomin
2 Djokovic………..(2)Djokovic……Djokovic…..Djokovic
STATUS OF SEEDS
1 Nadal
2 Djokovic
3 Ferrer
4 Murray
5 Del Potro……….lost 2R (Bautista Agut)
6 Federer
7 Berdych
8 Wawrinka
9 Gasquet…………lost 3R (Robredo)
10 Tsonga
11 Raonic…………lost 3R (Dimitrov)
12 Haas…………..lost 1R (Garcia-Lopez)
13 Isner………….lost 1R (Klizan)
14 Youzhny………..lost 2R (Mayer)
15 Fognini………..lost 4R (Djokovic)
16 Nishikori
17 Robredo………..lost 4R (Stanislas)
18 Simon………….lost 3R (Tsonga)
19 Anderson……….lost 4R (Berdych)
20 Janowicz……….lost 3R (F. Mayer)
21 Kohlschreiber…..WITHDREW
22 Dimitrov
23 Gulbis…………lost 2R (Querrey)
24 Seppi………….lost 2R (Young)
25 Monfils………..lost 3R (Nadal)
26 Lopez………….lost 3R (Murray)
27 Paire………….lost 3R (Bautista Agut)
28 Pospisil……….WITHDREW from 3R
29 Chardy…………lost 3R (Ferrer)
30 Tursunov……….lost 2R (Istomin)
31 Verdasco……….lost 2R (Gabashvili)
32 Dodig………….lost 2R (Dzumhur)
******** SCORES ********
SUNDAY
Australian Open
Singles – Fourth Round
(2) Novak Djokovic def. (15) Fabio Fognini 6-3 6-0 6-2
(3) David Ferrer def. Florian Mayer 6-7(5-7) 7-5 6-2 6-1
(7) Tomas Berdych def. (19) Kevin Anderson 6-2 6-2 6-3
(8) Stanislas Wawrinka def. (17) Tommy Robredo 6-3 7-6(7-3) 7-6(7-5)
Doubles – Third Round
(13) Michael Llodra/Nicolas Mahut def. (2) Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares 7-6(7-4) 6-4
(5) Leander Paes/Radek Stepanek def. Yuki Bhambri/Michael Venus 6-3 6-2
(12) Treat Huey/Dominic Inglot def. (7) Rohan Bopanna/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-4 7-6(7-1)
Alex Bolt/Andrew Whittington def. Pablo Carreno Busta/Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-7(4-7) 7-6(7-5) 7-5
Mixed Doubles – First Round
Raymond/Fyrstenberg def. (3) Huber/Melo 6-2 6-2
(8) Vesnina/Bhupathi def. Parra Santonja/Marrero 6-7(3-7) 6-4 10-5
An. Rodionova/Fleming def. Kuznetsova/Zimonjic 6-4 6-4
Hantuchova/Paes def. Tomljanovic/Duckworth 7-5 4-6 10-7
Spears/Inglot def. Hradecka/Emmrich 6-1 7-6(7-5)
WOMEN’S NEWS ******
Australian Open
Singles – Fourth Round: (14) Ana Ivanovic def. (1) Serena Williams 4-6 6-3 6-3
Serena Williams reportedly picked up an injury in practice a few days ago, and maybe she had a hard time dealing with it in Sunday’s relatively cool weather; she complained about her shots in her press conference. But most watchers agreed that Ana Ivanovic played very well — one said it was the best match the Serb ever played. She will be rewarded; this should take her from #14 to #12, and if she can win her next match (against Eugenie Bouchard), she’ll be #11.
Serena Williams of course will remain #1. And she has now taken the record for most Australian Open matches played. But the rather silly talk about her winning the Grand Slam this year (as if there could be any serious talk about someone winning a Grand Slam before she wins even the first of the four!) will obviously end. And she will have to wait a little longer to tie Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert on the all-time Slam list.
Singles – Fourth Round: (4) Li Na def. (22) Ekaterina Makarova 6-2 6-0
When Ekaterina Makarova is on, she’s an upset machine. When she’s off… you get this. Makarova was a quarterfinalist last year, so she will fall from #22 to probably #28. Li Na, obviously, still has more to defend; she will need at least one more win to keep the #4 ranking, and that’s if Agnieszka Radwanska loses to Garbine Muguruza.
Singles – Fourth Round: (28) Flavia Pennetta def. (9) Angelique Kerber 6-1 4-6 7-5
It was a day for players who once seemed washed up to post big upsets. Flavia Pennetta has now reached the quarterfinals of two Slams in a row; it’s possible that that will put her in the Top Twenty. One more win would clinch it. Angelique Kerber will not rise above her current #9, and will fall to #10 if Simona Halep makes the semifinal. That in turn just about assures that Jelena Jankovic will stay at #8.
Singles – Fourth Round: (30) Eugenie Bouchard def. Casey Dellacqua 6-7(5-7) 6-2 6-0
The breakthroughs continue for Eugenie Bouchard; she is up to #22 in safe points — and one more win would make her Top Twenty.
Doubles – Third Round: (1) Errani/Vinci def. Adamczak/Rogowska 6-2 6-2
There was no reason to expect a competitive match here, and obviously we didn’t get one. Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci keep alive their hopes of staying #1, but they’re still a mere #5 in safe points.
Singles – Fourth Round: (4) Peschke/Srebotnik def. (13) H Chan/Huber 6-2 6-7(6-8) 6-4
The big Peschke/Srebotnik comeback keeps getting bigger. This will probably put Kveta Peschke back in the Top Fifteen. But it’s Katarina Srebotnik whose ranking we should keep our eyes on — she remains #3 in safe points, and a final very well might make her #1.
Singles – Fourth Round: Peer/Soler Espinosa def. Hradecka/Krajicek 4-6 7-6(7-5) 6-2
A surprising end to Lucie Hradecka’s hopes of returning to the Top Ten. That probably guarantees that Hsieh, Peng, Srebotnik, Vesnina, Errani, Vinci, Makarova, and Petrova will be Top Ten after this is over, although the last two spots are still in the air. We currently estimate the Top Twelve as follows:
1..(3) HSIEH …………. 7675
1..(3) PENG ……………7675
3..(7) SREBOTNIK ……… 7105*
4..(5) VESNINA ……….. 6560*
5..(1) ERRANI ………….6495*
5..(1) VINCI …………. 6495*
7..(6) MAKAROVA ………..6361*
8..(8) Petrova ……….. 6225
9.(11) HLAVACKOVA ………5350*
10.(10) MIRZA …………. 5335*
11.(13) HRADECKA ………..4790
12.(14) BLACK …………. 4580*
Doubles – Third Round: Gajdosova/Tomljanovic def. Babos/Martic 6-2 7-5
This seems rather symbolic of why Timea Babos remains relatively low-ranked in both singles and doubles: Having collected a big scalp when they beat last year’s finalists Barty/Dellacqua, Babos/Martic lost tamely in the next round.
************ STATS AND FACTS ************
Rankings
Estimated WTA Rankings As of January 19, 2014
Rank &
Prior
Rank …Name …………. Points
1..(1) SWILLIAMS ……… 13000
2..(2) AZARENKA ………..6391*
3..(3) SHARAPOVA ……… 5416*
4..(5) ARADWANSKA ………5210*
5..(4) LI ……………..5000*
6..(6) KVITOVA ……….. 4745
7..(7) ERRANI ………….4440
8..(8) JANKOVIC ………..4310*
9..(9) KERBER ………….4030
10.(11) HALEP …………. 3570*
11.(10) WOZNIACKI ……… 3370
12.(14) IVANOVIC ………..3160*
13.(12) VINCI …………. 3020
14.(15) LISICKI ……….. 2980
15.(16) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..2745
16.(17) STOSUR ………….2705
17.(13) STEPHENS ………..2415*
18.(18) Kirilenko ……… 2325
19.(19) FLIPKENS ………..2255
20.(29) PENNETTA ………..2165*
21.(21) CIRSTEA ……….. 2020
22.(31) BOUCHARD ………..2019*
23.(24) CIBULKOVA ……… 1996*
24.(23) KANEPI ………….1932
25.(25) CORNET ………….1870
26.(30) PAVLYUCHENKOVA …..1840
27.(26) SAFAROVA ………..1805
28.(22) MAKAROVA ………..1801
29.(20) KUZNETSOVA ………1712
30.(27) Hampton ……….. 1601
Draws
Australian Open (Slam — Weeks of January 13-26)
………………..3R……………….4R………QF
1 S Williams……..(1)S.Williams……..Williams
31 Hantuchova…….(31)Hantuchova
17 Stosur………..(17)Stosur
14 Ivanovic………(14)Ivanovic………Ivanovic…Ivanovic
12 Vinci…………Zheng
18 Flipkens………Dellacqua…………Dellacqua
30 Bouchard………(30)Bouchard………Bouchard…Bouchard
7 Errani…………Davis
4 Li…………….(4)Li…………….Li………Li
26 Safarova………(26)Safarova
22 Makarova………(22)Makarova………Makarova
15 Lisicki……….Niculescu
9 Kerber…………(9)Kerber…………Kerber
23 Vesnina……….Riske
28 Pennetta………(28)Pennetta………Pennetta…Pennetta
6 Kvitova………..Barthel
8 Jankovic……….(8)Jankovic……….Jankovic
32 Rybarikova…….Nara
21 Cirstea……….Diyas(Q)
11 Halep…………(11)Halep…………Halep
16 Suarez Navarro…(16)Suarez Navarro
20 Cibulkova……..(20)Cibulkova……..Cibulkova
25 Cornet………..(25)Cornet
3 Sharapova………(3)Sharapova………Sharapova
5 A Radwanska…….(5)A.Radwanska…….Radwanska
29 Pavlyuchenkova…(29)Pavlyuchenkova
24 Kanepi………..Muguruza………….Muguruza
10 Wozniacki……..(10)Wozniacki
13 Stephens………(13)Stephens………Stephens
19 Kuznetsova…….Svitolina
33 Jovanovski…….Meusburger
2 Azarenka……….(2)Azarenka……….Azarenka
STATUS OF SEEDS
1 S Williams………lost 4R (Ivanovic)
2 Azarenka
3 Sharapova
4 Li
5 A Radwanska
6 Kvitova…………lost 1R (Kumkhum)
7 Errani………….lost 1R (Goerges)
8 Jankovic
9 Kerber………….lost 4R (Pennetta)
10 Wozniacki………lost 3R (Muguruza)
11 Halep
12 Vinci………….lost 1R (Zheng)
13 Stephens
14 Ivanovic
15 Lisicki………..lost 2R (Niculesu)
16 Suarez Navarro….lost 3R (Cibulkova)
17 Stosur…………lost 3R (Ivanovic)
18 Flipkens……….lost 2R (Dellacqua)
19 Kuznetsova……..lost 1R (Svitolina)
20 Cibulkova
21 Cirstea………..lost 1R (Erakovic)
22 Makarova……….lost 4R (Li)
23 Vesnina………..lost 1R (Riske)
24 Kanepi…………lost 1R (Muguruza)
25 Cornet…………lost 3R (Sharapova)
26 Safarova……….lost 3R (Li)
27 Hampton………..WITHDREW
28 Pennetta
29 Pavlyuchenkova….lost 3R (A. Radwanska)
30 Bouchard
31 Hantuchova
32 Rybarikova……..lost 2R (Nara)
33 Jovanovski……..lost 2R (Meusburger)
******** SCORES ********
SUNDAY
Australian Open
Singles – Fourth Round
(14) Ana Ivanovic def. (1) Serena Williams 4-6 6-3 6-3
(4) Li Na def. (22) Ekaterina Makarova 6-2 6-0
(28) Flavia Pennetta def. (9) Angelique Kerber 6-1 4-6 7-5
(30) Eugenie Bouchard def. Casey Dellacqua 6-7(5-7) 6-2 6-0
Doubles – Third Round
(1) Errani/Vinci def. Adamczak/Rogowska 6-2 6-2
(4) Peschke/Srebotnik def. (13) H Chan/Huber 6-2 6-7(6-8) 6-4
Peer/Soler Espinosa def. Hradecka/Krajicek 4-6 7-6(7-5) 6-2
Gajdosova/Tomljanovic def. Babos/Martic 6-2 7-5
Topics: 10sballs, Ana Ivanovic, Angelique Kerber, Australian Open, David Ferrer, Ekaterina Makarova, Eugenie Bouchard, Fabio Fognini, Fernando Verdasco, Flavia Pennetta, Florian Mayer, Kevin Anderson, Li Na, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Serena Williams, Sports, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News, Tomas Berdych, Tommy Robredo