Updates:
* Simon loses Montpellier opener, will not rise above #20
* Tursunov also upset
* Youzhny gets sick, loses in Zagreb
* Almagro wins in return to action
* Defending champion Zeballos falls in Vina del Mar
****** TODAY’S MEN’S NEWS
Montpellier
Singles – Second Round: (1) R Gasquet def. (WC) P Mathieu 6-1 6-3
So much for any thought of Paul-Henri Mathieu staging some sort of comeback here. He’ll remain somewhere far south of #125. But defending champion Richard Gasquet now needs only one more win to keep the #9 ranking.
Singles – Second Round: (Q) M Gicquel def. (2) G Simon 7-6(7-4) 6-3
Just as well, perhaps, that Gilles Simon wasn’t on the French Davis Cup team. By the looks of things, he still isn’t really over the injury that almost forced him out of the Australian Open. He loses the chance to rise above #20, although he isn’t likely to fall.
Singles – Second Round: (3) J Janowicz def. A Mannarino 7-6(7-2) 6-3
If Gilles Simon does fall in the rankings, it will be because Jerzy Janowicz makes the final here. That didn’t seem too likely as he struggled in the first set. But he really cleaned things up after that, and his serve was working very well.
Singles – Second Round: D Istomin def. (4) D Tursunov 7-5 6-4
Denis Istomin will probably hit the Top Forty, but Dmitry Tursunov loses what should have been a good shot at the Top 25.
Singles – Second Round: (5) G Monfils def. J Sousa 6-3 6-2
With Gilles Simon and Dmitry Tursunov out, Gael Monfils is now the top player in the bottom half of the draw here. He hasn’t moved yet, but if he makes the final, he could well hit the Top 25. Joao Sousa will be just above #50.
Singles – Second Round: (6) J Nieminen def. (WC) P Herbert 7-6(7-5) 7-6(7-5)
Jarkko Nieminen still needs one more win to defend his points. #36 coming in, he will fall to #37, or possibly lower, unless he defends.
Singles – Second Round: (7) E Roger-Vasselin def. D Brown 6-3 6-4
Edouard Roger-Vasselin still hasn’t clinched a spot in the Top 35, but this makes it significantly more likely.
Singles – Second Round: (Q) A Olivetti def. N Davydenko 7-6(7-5) 6-7(5-7) 7-5
This two and a half hour contest pretty definitely gets the “Nailbiter of the Day” award. Albano Olivetti had 28 aces here, against a speedy returner. Too bad he faces Richard Gasquet next.
Doubles – Quarterfinal: Kontinen/Nieminen def. (1) Begemann/Emmrich 7-6(7-5) 6-3
We’ve seen some really crazy doubles results this week — perhaps because all the doubles draws have been so weak (Begemann/Emmrich had a combined ranking of #89, and yet they managed to snag the #1 seeds). But this was the one that really surprised us. Perhaps it shouldn’t; Henri Kontinen has quietly risen to #104 in doubles. Still, he came here with only seven career doubles wins!
Doubles – Quarterfinal: Gicquel/Mahut def. (3) Hanley/Marray 6-4 7-6(7-4)
This leaves no seeds in the top half. A crazy event.
Zagreb
Singles – Second Round: (1) T Haas def. B Becker 4-6 6-3 6-3
Good to see that Tommy Haas still remembers singles after all the doubles he has been playing. But this doesn’t make any difference; this isn’t enough points to count, and even if he wins the title, he cannot rise above his current #12.
Singles – Second Round: (Q) B Phau def. (2) M Youzhny 4-6 7-5 6-1
A lousy week for #2 seeds — Gilles Simon, Youzhny, and Tommy Robredo all lost their openers. Mikhail Youzhny had no possibility of rising above #14 this week, but this increases the danger that he will fall.
Singles – Second Round: (3) P Kohlschreiber def. A Golubev 6-4 6-2
A nice result for Philipp Kohlschreiber, given that there was some question about his health after Davis Cup. This isn’t enough points to count, but if he wins his next match, he ought to hit the Top 25.
Singles – Second Round: (4) I Dodig def. I Karlovic 7-6(7-5) 6-3
For such a close match, this went very fast — just an hour and 19 minutes. Presumably because, for the most part, if a first serve went in, that was the end of it. Ivo Karlovic faced only one break point, but he lost it. (By contrast, Ivan Dodig saved all seven he faced.) That lets Dodig defend his points, meaning that he probably won’t fall in the rankings and might rise.
Singles – Second Round: (Q) And. Kuznetsov def. (8) I Sijsling 1-6 6-3 7-6(7-5)
We’d be tempted to blame this on the usual post-Davis Cup curse, but if Igor Sijsling was tired, Andrey Kuznetsov would have been tired, too, due to qualifying. Maybe he just had more time to adapt to the surface.
Singles – Second Round: D Sela def. L Lacko 6-3 6-2
Dudi Sela faces Bjorn Phau next, so he has a chance to make a very substantial move here.
Singles – Second Round: (LL) D Evans def. (Q) M Berrer 1-6 6-1 7-6(7-4)
Is Daniel Evans sending some sort of message about Davis Cup, perhaps? This isn’t a huge win, but he is a streaky player, and he definitely seems to be on one of his hot streaks.
Doubles – Quarterfinal: (2) Rojer/Tecau def. Stakhovsky/Youzhny walkover
This presumably helps explain what happened to Mikhail Youzhny in singles…. He said after his singles loss that he felt sick.
Doubles – Quarterfinal: Marx/Mertinak def. (WC) Androic/Cilic 7-5 6-3
Vina del Mar
Singles – Second Round: (1) F Fognini def. A Bedene 6-4 7-6(7-0)
Fabio Fognini seemed forever on the brink of busting this match open, and never quite succeeded. But he came through, and although he hasn’t added any points yet, Mikhail Youzhny’s loss gives him a real opening to rise to #14.
Singles – Second Round: (3) N Almagro def. (Q) M Alund 4-6 6-3 6-4
This was Nicolas Almagro’s first match back after missing the Australian Open, and the rust was showing. Still, he got better as the match went along. It looks as if this will take him from #18 to #16, although that is probably as far as he can go this week.
Singles – Second Round: (5) J Chardy def. P Carreno Busta 6-3 7-6(7-5)
Jeremy Chardy now appears to be safe in the Top Fifty, but he still needs one more win to defend his points.
Singles – Second Round: (Q) T Daniel def. (8) F Delbonis 1-6 7-6(7-5) 7-6(9-7)
A terrible place to be an even-numbered seed…. They’re all out. But this is the most surprising upset. Taro Daniel is 21, had never played an ATP match before, and is Japanese — not the sort of player you would expect to be winning on clay, but living in Valencia obviously helps! #226 coming in, he will rise to around #190.
Singles – Second Round: D Gimeno-Traver def. H Zeballos 6-2 6-4
This is officially an upset. It’s hardly a surprise, though, given the way Horacio Zeballos has been playing. He was last year’s champion — and that was more than a third of his points. He came here at #67. He can expect to fall to #110 or a little below. Which is well behind Daniel Gimeno-Traver.
Doubles – Quarterfinal: (1) Granollers/M Lopez def. Bracciali/Starace 6-4 6-4
Doubles – Quarterfinal: (2) Cabal/Farah def. (WC) Garin/Jarry 4-6 6-3 10-8
This is worth thinking about: In the first round, Garin/Jarry (combined age: 35), beat Kas/Sa. Kas is 33, Sa 36. In other words, Andre Sa alone is older than the opponents who beat him combined. Not quite as big a gap here; Cabal and Farah are both 27. Still, the fact that the kids can do so well in doubles — usually an older player’s game — is intriguing. Now if only they could learn to finish off matches!
Doubles – Quarterfinal: (3) Marach/Mergea def. Lorenzi/Volandri 2-6 6-3 10-7
******** THIS WEEK IN TENNIS ********
THIS WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:
Vina del Mar (250/Clay). Defending Champion: Horacio Zeballos
Montpellier (250/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Richard Gasquet
Zagreb (250/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Marin Cilic
NEXT WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:
Rotterdam (500/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Juan Martin del Potro
Memphis (250/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion (as an ATP 500): Kei Nishikori
Buenos Aires (250/Clay). Defending Champion: David Ferrer
******** STATS AND FACTS ********
RANKINGS
Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings
As of February 6, 2013
Rank &
Prior…Player………..Points
1..(1) Nadal………….14330
2..(2) Djokovic……….10580
3..(3) Wawrinka………..5710
4..(4) Del Potro……….5370
5..(5) Ferrer………….5280
6..(6) Murray………….4795
7..(7) Berdych…………4540
8..(8) Federer…………4355
9.(10) Tsonga………….2885
10..(9) Gasquet…………2845
11.(11) Raonic………….2690
12.(12) Haas……………2435
13.(13) Isner…………..2320
14.(14) Youzhny…………2100
14.(15) Fognini…………2100
16.(18) Almagro…………1975
17.(17) Nishikori……….1965
18.(16) Robredo…………1960
19.(19) Dimitrov………..1810
20.(20) Simon…………..1700
21.(21) Janowicz………..1615
22.(22) Anderson………..1580
23.(23) Gulbis………….1443
24.(25) Pospisil………..1359
25.(26) Lopez…………..1355
26.(27) Kohlschreiber……1330
27.(28) Tursunov………..1314
28.(24) Paire…………..1275
29.(30) Monfils…………1270
30.(29) Mayer…………..1245
**DRAWS
Montpellier — week of February 3, 2014
………………..QF
1 Gasquet………..(1)Gasquet
8 Benneteau………Olivetti(Q)
3 Janowicz……….(3)Janowicz
7 Roger-Vasselin….(7)Roger-Vasselin
5 Monfils………..(5)Monfils
4 Tursunov……….Istomin
6 Nieminen……….(6)Nieminen
2 Simon………….Gicquel(Q)
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Gasquet
2 Simon………….lost 2R (Gicquel)
3 Janowicz
4 Tursunov……….lost 2R (Istomin)
5 Monfils
6 Nieminen
7 Roger-Vasselin
8 Benneteau………lost 1R (Davydenko)
Vina del Mar — week of February 3, 2014
………………..QF
1 Fognini………..(1)Fognini
5 Chardy…………(5)Chardy
3 Almagro………..(3)Almagro
8 Delbonis……….Daniel(Q)
7 Garcia-Lopez……(7)Garcia-Lopez
4 Granollers……..Giraldo
6 Dolgopolov (WC)…Gimeno-Traver
2 Robredo………..L.Mayer
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Fognini
2 Robredo……….lost 2R (L. Mayer)
3 Almagro
4 Granollers…….lost 2R (Giraldo)
5 Chardy
6 Dolgopolov (WC)..lost 1R (Gimeno-Traver)
7 Garcia-Lopez
8 Delbonis………lost 2R (Daniel)
Zagreb — week of February 3, 2014
………………QF
1 Haas…………(1)Haas
8 Sijsling……..(Q)And.Kuznetsov
3 Kohlschreiber…(3)Kohlschreiber
[(LL)Evans]…….Evans(LL)
5 Cilic………..(5)Cilic
4 Dodig………..(4)Dodig
6 Rosol………..Sela
2 Youzhny………Phau(Q)
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Haas
2 Youzhny………lost 2R (Phau)
3 Kohlschreiber
4 Dodig
5 Cilic
6 Rosol………..lost 1R (Sela)
7 Stepanek……..WITHDREW
8 Sijsling……..lost 2R (Kuznetsov)
******** SCORES ********
THURSDAY
Montpellier
Singles – Second Round
(1) R Gasquet def. (WC) P Mathieu 6-1 6-3
(Q) M Gicquel def. (2) G Simon 7-6(7-4) 6-3
(3) J Janowicz def. A Mannarino 7-6(7-2) 6-3
D Istomin def. (4) D Tursunov 7-5 6-4
(5) G Monfils def. J Sousa 6-3 6-2
(6) J Nieminen def. (WC) P Herbert 7-6(7-5) 7-6(7-5)
(7) E Roger-Vasselin def. D Brown 6-3 6-4
(Q) A Olivetti def. N Davydenko 7-6(7-5) 6-7(5-7) 7-5
Doubles – Quarterfinal
Kontinen/Nieminen def. (1) Begemann/Emmrich 7-6(7-5) 6-3
Gicquel/Mahut def. (3) Hanley/Marray 6-4 7-6(7-4)
Zagreb
Singles – Second Round
(1) T Haas def. B Becker 4-6 6-3 6-3
(Q) B Phau def. (2) M Youzhny 4-6 7-5 6-1
(3) P Kohlschreiber def. A Golubev 6-4 6-2
(4) I Dodig def. I Karlovic 7-6(7-5) 6-3
(Q) And. Kuznetsov def. (8) I Sijsling 1-6 6-3 7-6(7-5)
D Sela def. L Lacko 6-3 6-2
(LL) D Evans def. (Q) M Berrer 1-6 6-1 7-6(7-4)
Doubles – Quarterfinal
(2) Rojer/Tecau def. Stakhovsky/Youzhny walkover (Youzhny/Illness)
Marx/Mertinak def. (WC) Androic/Cilic 7-5 6-3
Vina del Mar
LATE WEDNESDAY
Singles – First Round
(5) J Chardy def. (WC) C Garin 7-5 6-0
H Zeballos def. (WC) G Lama 6-3 6-3
Singles – Second Round
L Mayer def. (2) T Robredo 3-6 7-6(8-6) 6-4
S Giraldo def. (4) M Granollers 7-6(9-7) 7-6(7-2)
(7) G Garcia-Lopez def. P Lorenzi 3-6 7-5 6-4
Doubles – First Round
Bracciali/Starace def. (WC) Lama/Saez 6-0 3-6 10-6
Lorenzi/Volandri def. Delbonis/L Mayer 7-6(7-5) 4-6 10-6
THURSDAY (so far)
Singles – Second Round
(1) F Fognini def. A Bedene 6-4 7-6(7-0)
(3) N Almagro def. (Q) M Alund 4-6 6-3 6-4
(5) J Chardy def. P Carreno Busta 6-3 7-6(7-5)
(Q) T Daniel def. (8) F Delbonis 1-6 7-6(7-5) 7-6(9-7)
D Gimeno-Traver def. H Zeballos 6-2 6-4
Doubles – Quarterfinal
(1) Granollers/M Lopez def. Bracciali/Starace 6-4 6-4
(2) Cabal/Farah def. (WC) Garin/Jarry 4-6 6-3 10-8
(3) Marach/Mergea def. Lorenzi/Volandri 2-6 6-3 10-7
Topics: 10sballs, Benjamin Becker, Denis Istomin, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Ivan Dodig, Mikhail Youzhny, Paul Henri Mathieu, Richard Gasquet, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Tommy Haas, Tommy Robredo