INDIAN WELLS MEN’S UPDATE

Written by: Staff on 8th March 2014

INDIAN WELLS MEN'S UPDATE |

* Gonzalez finally earns first ATP win

* Lorenzi continues hot streak

* Lopez shows signs of breaking out of slump with win over Sela

****** TODAY’S MEN’S NEWS

Indian Wells

Singles – First Round: T Gabashvili def. N Mahut 6-2 7-5

Teimuraz Gabashvili has, very quietly, been climbing the rankings recently; he came here at #60. This won’t help him much, but most of his move has been the result of Challengers. If he can start winning at the ATP level also, he might start climbing even faster.

Singles – First Round: J Sousa def. A Nedovyesov 6-4 6-1

Joao Sousa keeps climbing, too — one more win might put him in the Top Forty, although we’d guess he’ll need two victories.

Singles – First Round: Y Lu def. T Kamke 6-0 6-4

Yen-Hsun Lu probably needs one more win to stay Top Fifty, but this will keep him close.

Singles – First Round: M Kukushkin def. (Q) S Groth 6-4 2-6 7-6(7-4)

Mikhail Kukushkin is two or three wins away from the Top Fifty. Let’s hope he doesn’t have too many more matches like this along the way!

Singles – First Round: J Benneteau def. (Q) D Munoz-de la Nava 3-6 6-1 6-3

Julien Benneteau will probably be pretty stiff after this two hour contest, but he finds himself back just below #60 as a result.

Singles – First Round: M Matosevic def. B Klahn 6-4 6-4

In the desperate quest to find some sort of future for American tennis, Bradley Klahn doesn’t get much attention — and yet, he came here with his ranking up to #64, only seven places below Sam Querrey! In fact, as of now, we show him only six points behind Querrey. But he won’t be passing Querrey just yet….

Singles – First Round: V Hanescu def. (Q) S Robert 7-5 3-6 6-4

Victor Hanescu just barely got direct entry here (he came in at #87), but he obviously knew what to do once he was in!

Singles – First Round: A Gonzalez def. A Mannarino 5-7 6-4 7-6(8-6)

Alejandro Gonzalez finally gets his first ATP win (he’s now 1-6, plus 0-5 in doubles), although it took him more than two hours and forty minutes. But he did it impressively, saving four match points. It appears this will drop Adrian Mannarino below #70.

Singles – First Round: R Bautista Agut def. (WC) S Johnson 6-3 6-3

Roberto Bautista Agut is now very, very close to the Top Fifty. This won’t quite put him in, but one more win just might.

Singles – First Round: H Zeballos def. (WC) R Ram 6-3 7-6(7-4)

This was by no means an open-and-shut match; Horacio Zeballos has fallen so far that he isn’t ranked much ahead of Rajeev Ram; he only made the main draw because the entries were finalized before he turned into a pumpkin. But the courts here don’t seem to be fast enough to reward Ram’s game; he was really struggling on second serve, and although he was only broken once, you knew he would be in trouble if it came down to a tiebreak….

Singles – First Round: N Davydenko def. (LL) D Goffin 7-6(7-5) 4-6 7-6(7-3)

David Goffin made the main draw when Michal Przysiezny pulled out with a wrist injury. What a way to celebrate — two and a half hours on the court, and then to lose like this!

Singles – First Round: R Haase def. (Q) J Smith 6-4 6-4

Robin Haase wasn’t defending anything, so this makes it just about certain that he will stay Top Fifty.

Singles – First Round: J Nieminen def. D Brands 4-6 6-2 6-2

Jarkko Nieminen still needs at least one more win to stay Top Forty. He’s still better off than Daniel Brands, whose ranking has been sinking all year.

Singles – First Round: F Lopez def. D Sela 7-5 6-3

Feliciano Lopez lost his opener last year, so he might actually move up the rankings slightly in a year when he has mostly lost ground.

Singles – First Round: (Q) D Thiem def. (Q) D Kosakowski 6-2 7-6(7-1)

This is only the second ATP event of Daniel Kosakowski’s career, and he’s ranked #366, so merely making it through qualifying and playing a respectable main draw is a pretty good result.

Singles – First Round: (Q) P Lorenzi def. P Carreno Busta 3-6 6-1 6-2

Paolo Lorenzi is definitely on a hot streak — a final last week, and now three straight wins (counting qualifying) here. He leaves Pablo Carreno Busta still stuck below #60.

Doubles – First Round: (3) Dodig/Melo def. Mirnyi/Youzhny 6-3 6-2

This would seem to imply that Max Mirnyi still hasn’t found a permanent partner for 2014. It’s getting a bit late in the season….

Doubles – First Round: (5) Marrero/Verdasco def. Andujar/Pospisil 7-6(7-4) 6-3

Doubles – First Round: Federer/Wawrinka def. (6) Bopanna/Qureshi 6-2 6-7(4-7) 10-6

This may be mostly about Davis Cup preparation, but suddenly it looks as if Federer/Wawrinka could do a lot of damage this year. Especially since they seemed to be enjoying themselves here.

Doubles – First Round: Huey/Inglot def. Fognini/Seppi 4-6 7-5 10-6

Doubles – First Round: Marray/A Murray def. Monaco/Monfils 6-4 4-6 11-9

Interesting to see Andy Murray playing here .

RANKINGS

Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings

As of March 7, 2013

Rank &

Prior…Player………..Points

1..(1) Nadal………….13095

2..(2) Djokovic………..9910

3..(3) Wawrinka………..5570

4..(4) Ferrer………….5150

5..(6) Murray………….4715

6..(5) Berdych…………4540

7..(8) Federer…………4455

8..(7) Del Potro……….4280

9..(9) Gasquet…………2870

10.(10) Tsonga………….2615

11.(11) Raonic………….2405

12.(12) Haas……………2355

13.(13) Isner…………..2320

14.(14) Fognini…………2215

15.(15) Youzhny…………2145

16.(16) Dimitrov………..2095

17.(17) Robredo…………2005

18.(19) Almagro…………1805

19.(18) Anderson………..1770

20.(20) Janowicz………..1715

21.(21) Nishikori……….1680

22.(22) Gulbis………….1536

23.(24) Kohlschreiber……1510

24.(25) Monfils…………1485

24.(23) Simon…………..1485

26.(26) Cilic…………..1420

27.(27) Pospisil………..1343

28.(28) Paire…………..1240

29.(30) Tursunov………..1212

30.(29) Mayer…………..1210

**DRAWS

Indian Wells — week of March 3, 2014

1 Nadal

28 Dolgopolov

23 Monfils

13 Fognini

10 Raonic

18 Janowicz

32 Andujar

5 Murray

3 Wawrinka

29 Seppi

17 Anderson

14 Youzhny

11 Haas

19 Nishikori

27 Tursunov

7 Federer

8 Gasquet

30 Verdasco

22 Kohlschreiber

12 Isner

15 Dimitrov

20 Gulbis

26 F Mayer

4 Berdych

6 del Potro

25 Pospisil

21 Simon

9 Tsonga

16 Robredo

24 Cilic

31 Dodig

2 Djokovic

STATUS OF SEEDS

1 Nadal

2 Djokovic

3 Wawrinka

4 Berdych

5 Murray

6 del Potro

7 Federer

8 Gasquet

9 Tsonga

10 Raonic

11 Haas

12 Isner

13 Fognini

14 Youzhny

15 Dimitrov

16 Robredo

17 Anderson

18 Janowicz

19 Nishikori

20 Gulbis

21 Simon

22 Kohlschreiber

23 Monfils

24 Cilic

25 Pospisil

26 F Mayer

27 Tursunov

28 Dolgopolov

29 Seppi

30 Verdasco

31 Dodig

32 Andujar

******** SCORES ********

FRIDAY

Indian Wells Singles – First Round T Gabashvili def. N Mahut 6-2 7-5 J Sousa def. A Nedovyesov 6-4 6-1 Y Lu def. T Kamke 6-0 6-4 M Kukushkin def. (Q) S Groth 6-4 2-6 7-6(7-4) J Benneteau def. (Q) D Munoz-de la Nava 3-6 6-1 6-3 M Matosevic def. B Klahn 6-4 6-4 V Hanescu def. (Q) S Robert 7-5 3-6 6-4 A Gonzalez def. A Mannarino 5-7 6-4 7-6(8-6) R Bautista Agut def. (WC) S Johnson 6-3 6-3 H Zeballos def. (WC) R Ram 6-3 7-6(7-4) N Davydenko def. (LL) D Goffin 7-6(7-5) 4-6 7-6(7-3) R Haase def. (Q) J Smith 6-4 6-4 J Nieminen def. D Brands 4-6 6-2 6-2 F Lopez def. D Sela 7-5 6-3 (Q) D Thiem def. (Q) D Kosakowski 6-2 7-6(7-1) (Q) P Lorenzi def. P Carreno Busta 3-6 6-1 6-2 Doubles – First Round (3) Dodig/Melo def. Mirnyi/Youzhny 6-3 6-2 (5) Marrero/Verdasco def. Andujar/Pospisil 7-6(7-4) 6-3 Federer/Wawrinka def. (6) Bopanna/Qureshi 6-2 6-7(4-7) 10-6 Huey/Inglot def. Fognini/Seppi 4-6 7-5 10-6 Marray/A Murray def. Monaco/Monfils 6-4 4-6 11-9