ATP WORLD TOUR. TENNIS FINALS FROM DC / RAONIC VS. POSPISIL & THE BIG 3 IN ACTION NEXT WEEK

Written by: on 2nd August 2014
ATP Tennis Tournament in Washington, DC.
ATP WORLD TOUR. TENNIS FINALS FROM DC / RAONIC VS. POSPISIL & THE BIG 3 IN ACTION NEXT WEEK

epa04339173 Milos Raonic of Canada returns a shot to Donald Young of the United States during their semifinal singles match at the Citi Open ATP tennis tournament in Washington, DC, USA, 02 August 2014. EPA/PETE MAROVICH  |

Results. :

* Raonic overpowers Young; will face Pospisil in all-Canadian final in Washington

* Goffin beats Thiem in Kitzbuhel to win first title

****** TODAY’S MEN’S NEWS ******

 

Kitzbuhel

 

Singles – Final: (WC) D Goffin def. (5) D Thiem 4-6 6-1 6-3

One way or another, we were guaranteed a first-time winner here. Not only were both players in their first finals, neither had ever made a semifinal before. David Goffin had three ATP quarterfinals (Chennai 2012, Winston-Salem 2012, Valencia 2012); Dominic Thiem had two (Kitzbuhel and Vienna 2013). But Goffin came in having won three Challengers in a row. Clearly he believed in himself — and hung on to the end. It won’t take him to a career high — he has been as high as #42, and this leaves him only about #50. But it looks as if it’s coming.

Dominic Thiem will hit a career high. It appears he is up to #44. And although he didn’t win his first career title, given how well he has been playing, it seem pretty clear that there will be a first title someday. Perhaps not too long after now.

Doubles – Final: Kontinen/Nieminen def. Bracciali/Golubev 6-1 6-4

It was a day for first time champions. David Goffin isn’t the only one. 24-year-old Henri Kontinen had never so much as made a final, singles or doubles, before this; his lack of results is such that he doesn’t even have an ATP file photo. But teaming with his veteran countryman Jarkko Nieminen finally gives him something to put in his trophy cabinet. For Nieminen, it’s title #4 — with four different partners; he’s now won with Tursunov, Brunstrom, Lindstedt, and Kontinen. Three of his four wins (Gstaad 2010, Munich 2013, and now this) have been on clay. Odd, given that he shows no particular preference for clay in singles (of his 13 singles titles and finals, four have been on clay, four on outdoor hardcourt, five on indoor hardcourt).

Washington

 

Singles – Quarterfinal: (13) Vasek Pospisil def. (10) Santiago Gonzalez 6-7(4-7) 6-3 6-4

The good news is, this clinches a Top Thirty ranking for Vasek Pospisil. The bad is, it leaves him having to play two matches (or, at least, a match plus a set) in one day, and he has big points to defend at the Canadian Open next week….

Singles – Semifinal: (2) M Raonic def. D Young 6-4 7-5

Given how much of a tussle he gave Milos Raonic, maybe Donald Young really does deserve to be the #2 American. He will rise to around #50; Raonic regains the #6 ranking from David Ferrer (although perhaps not for long).

Singles – Semifinal: (13) V Pospisil def. (6) R Gasquet 6-7(5-7) 6-3 7-5

When Richard Gasquet went up 3-0 (one break) in the third set of this, it looked as if it was all over. But Vasek Pospisil clawed back to 4-4, and even had a break chance in the ninth game. That break didn’t materialize, but in game eleven, after two hours and twenty minutes, Pospisil earned another break, and served it out. That means that Richard Gasquet will have to settle for the #13 ranking, but Pospisil is up to #26 — just short of his career high — and will get to play an all-Canadian final with Raonic. Too bad he had to spend so much time on the court….

Doubles – Semifinal: Groth/Paes def. (WC) Johnson/Querrey 4-6 6-3 10-8

Doubles – Semifinal: Rojer/Tecau def. (Q) Erlich/R Ram 6-4 6-2

****** TODAY’S FEATURE ******

 

Men’s Look Forward: Canadian Open

 

It’s sad, in a way, to see how many men can end up missing a required event. The first mandatory tournament of the summer hardcourt season is missing two of the top ten. Rafael Nadal, the defending champion, is absent, and of course Juan Martin del Potro has been out all year.

At least world #1 Novak Djokovic is here, looking to strengthen his grip on the top spot. With Nadal out, that’s effectively guaranteed. Nadal’s absence is also good news for Roger Federer, who gains the #2 seed as a result. His countryman Stan Wawrinka is #3 and in Djokovic’s half, so we have the possibility of an all-Swiss final. Tomas Berdych, who looked bad, or at least Berdych-like, in Washington is the #4 seed. David Ferrer, who has been struggling, is the #5 seed and is in Federer’s quarter — a nice draw for Federer. #6 Milos Raonic, Canada’s #1 hope, is in Berdych’s quarter — and wouldn’t that be a power-fest of a quarterfinal. Grigor Dimitrov, who had to pull out of Washington, will try to come back as the #7 seed; he is in Wawrinka’s quarter. The #8 seed and last bye belongs to Andy Murray, who is drawn to face Djokovic. Yes, in the quarterfinal. Not much evidence of “Big Four”-ness in this draw!

In the Round of Sixteen, Djokovic is drawn against #13 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Murray would take on #12 Richard Gasquet, who has been in fine form in Washington. Wawrinka has drawn #16 Fabio Fognini, who has not been in fine form and who has been playing mostly clay. Dimitrov would face #9 Kei Nishikori, who didn’t play his best in Washington. Raonic is drawn against #11 Ernests Gulbis, who has been pretty invisible in recent weeks. Berdych will take on #14 Roberto Bautista Agut, who has been rising fast but mostly due to results on traditional surfaces; hardcourt may prove a different sort of test. Ferrer’s opponent is #10 John Isner, whose ranking has been sliding. And Federer is up against #15 Marin Cilic.

As usual at a Masters, there is no guarantee that the seeds will come through. Djokovic will have to open against either Gael Monfils or Radek Stepanek. That’s a very French part of the draw; Djokovic’s eighth contains Monfils and Tsonga, plus Edouard Roger-Vasselin (who opens against Tsonga) and Jeremy Chardy (the likely second round opponent of the winner). Gasquet (who makes it five Frenchmen out of the top eight names in the draw) opens against Canada’s #2 Vasek Pospisil (who however will be very tired after Washington), then perhaps Ivo Karlovic. Murray’s first opponent just might be Wimbledon surprise Nick Kyrgios, who is in on a wildcard. Fognini’s path runs through Mikhail Youzhny and Kevin Anderson, who happen to be the #4 and #2 unseeded players and who both probably like hardcourt better than Fognini. Nishikori opens against Philipp Kohlschreiber (who, however, looked bad in Kitzbuhel), then Gilles Simon (struggling) or Dominic Thiem (at a career high, but tired). Bautista Agut opens against fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez — and how many people would have expected Bautista Agut to be the seed in that contest? Another Spaniard, Tommy Robredo, might follow. (It’s almost as if this draw is organized by nations; the Berdych/Bautista Agut quarter contains four Spaniards — Bautista Agut, Lopez, Robredo, and Marcel Granollers, who could face Berdych in round two.) Isner starts against Ivan Dodig, whose ranking has been badly hurt by injury and who probably isn’t all the way back, but who is a real threat if he can recover. And Federer might start against Jerzy Janowicz.

The Rankings

Rafael Nadal, as we’ve said, was last year’s champion. Luckily for him, he has a big margin over #3 Federer, so he is safe at #2 — and Novak Djokovic of course is safe at #1 despite having semifinalist points to defend. Vasek Pospisil was the other semifinalist (this was the event that arguably started his big breakthrough) and Milos Raonic the finalist — it was a big event for Canadians! Quarterfinalists were Richard Gasquet, Marinko Matosevic (who does not have direct entry this year and might end up below #75), Nikolay Davydenko (also not in the draw; he’s already out of the Top Hundred, and is in line to fall to around #160), and Ernests Gulbis. Of the other top players, Federer did not play last year; Wawrinka, Ferrer, and Dimitrov lost their openers; while Berdych, del Potro, and Murray lost in the Round of Sixteen.

That means, as we said, that Djokovic and Nadal are safe at #1 and #2, respectively. We know that the Swiss duo of Federer and Wawrinka will be #3 and #4 in some order; Federer leads Wawrinka by 300 points, meaning that Wawrinka needs at least a semifinal to have a shot at the #3 ranking, plus he must outlast Federer.

Below #4, we could start to have more movement. #5 Berdych has a big lead on Ferrer, and Raonic has a lot to defend, but it’s just possible Berdych could lose the #5 spot to one or the other. Ferrer would need at least a semifinal; what Raonic needs depends on how he does in Washington, but he’ll likely need a title.

Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Wawrinka, Berdych, and Ferrer are sure to be #7 or better; Raonic is a good bet for the #7 spot but could be passed by Dimitrov or perhaps Murray. Those nine seem almost sure to stay Top Ten. Del Potro, the #10 player, looks as if his days in the Top Ten are finally over; the question is whether it will be Nishikori, Gulbis, or someone else who replaces him. Given what each player has in safe points, Nishikori looks like the best bet by a wide margin.

Richard Gasquet, despite the points he has to defend, look pretty safe in the Top Fifteen; we may not have any new Top Fifteen players. We probably will have someone new in the Top Twenty; #16 Dolgopolov isn’t here, and #17-#20 Cilic, Fognini, and Robredo are very close together and not much ahead of the field. Pospisil, who as of the time this is written (before action in Washington ends) is contending for a spot in the Top Thirty, could fall below the Top Fifty if he loses his Washington semifinal and his Toronto opener.

 

RANKINGS

 

Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings

As of August 2, 2014

 

Rank &

Prior…Player………..Points

1..(1) Djokovic……….13130

2..(2) Nadal………….12670

3..(3) Federer…………6070

4..(4) Wawrinka………..5770

5..(5) Berdych…………4410

6..(6) Ferrer………….4085

7..(7) Raonic………….4055

8..(9) Dimitrov………..3270

9.(10) Murray………….3040

10..(8) Del Potro……….2860

11.(11) Nishikori……….2780

12.(13) Gulbis………….2680

13.(14) Gasquet…………2460

14.(12) Isner…………..2435

15.(15) Tsonga………….1910

16.(16) Bautista Agut……1785

17.(17) Dolgopolov………1680

18.(18) Cilic…………..1665

18.(19) Fognini…………1665

20.(20) Robredo…………1645

21.(21) Anderson………..1605

22.(22) Monfils…………1545

23.(23) Youzhny…………1530

24.(24) Kohlschreiber……1505

25.(25) Lopez…………..1500

26.(36) Pospisil………..1370

27.(27) Mayer…………..1354

28.(29) Almagro…………1270

29.(26) Haas……………1250

30.(31) Karlovic………..1205

30.(34) Giraldo…………1205

DRAWS

 

Washington — Week of July 28, 2014

 

………………3R………………QF…………SF…………F

1 Berdych………(1)Berdych

13 Pospisil…….(13)Pospisil……..Pospisil……Pospisil……Pospisil

10 Giraldo……..(10)Giraldo………Giraldo

8 Lopez………..Estrella Burgos

 

4 Nishikori…….(4)Nishikori……..Nishikori

16 Lu………….Lacko

12 Chardy………Smyczek

6 Gasquet………(6)Gasquet……….Gasquet……Gasquet

 

7 Anderson……..(7)Anderson………Anderson

11 Stepanek…….Jaziri

15 Istomin……..(15)Istomin

17 Benneteau……Young……………Young……..Young

 

5 Isner………..Johnson………….Johnson

9 Karlovic……..(9)Karlovic

14 Hewitt………(14)Hewitt

2 Raonic……….(2)Raonic………..Raonic…….Raonic……Raonic

 

STATUS OF SEEDS:

1 Berdych…….lost 3R (Pospisil)

2 Raonic

3 Dimitrov……WITHDREW (replaced by Benneteau)

4 Nishikori…..lost QF (Gaquet)

5 Isner………lost 2R (Johnson)

6 Gasquet…….lost SF (Pospisil)

7 Anderson……lost QF (Young)

8 Lopez………lost 2R (Estrella Burgos)

9 Karlovic……lost 3R (Johnson)

10 Giraldo……lost QF (Pospisil)

11 Stepanek…..lost 2R (Jaziri)

12 Chardy…….lost 2R (Smyczek)

13 Pospisil

14 Hewitt…….lost 3R (Raonic)

15 Istomin……lost 3R (Young)

16 Lu………..lost 2R (Lacko)

17 Benneteau….lost 2R (Young)

Kitzbuhel — Week of July 28, 2014

WINNER: David Goffin

………………..QF……………..SF………..F

1 Kohlschreiber…..Goffin(WC)………Goffin…….Goffin

6 Haase………….Lorenzi

3 Rosol………….(3)Rosol

8 Carreno Busta…..(Q)M.Gonzalez……Gonzalez

 

7 Nieminen……….Monaco………….Monaco

4 Seppi………….(4)Seppi

5 Thiem………….(5)Thiem………..Thiem……..Thiem

2 Granollers……..(2)Granollers

 

STATUS OF SEEDS:

1 Kohlschreiber…lost 2R (Goffin)

2 Granollers……lost QF (Thiem)

3 Rosol………..lost QF (M Gonzalez)

4 Seppi………..lost QF (Monaco)

5 Thiem………..lost F (Goffin)

6 Haase………..lost 1R (Lorenzi)

7 Nieminen……..lost 2R (Monaco)

8 Carreno Busta…lost 1R (M Gonzalez)

Canadian Open/Toronto — Week of August 4, 2014

 

1 Djokovic

–bye

Stepanek

Monfils

Chardy

Delbonis

Roger-Vasselin

13 Tsonga

 

12 Gasquet

Pospisil

Karlovic

Qualifier

Giraldo

Kyrgios (WC)

–bye

8 Murray

 

3 Wawrinka

–bye

Qualifier

Falla

Anderson

Qualifier

Youzhny

16 Fognini

 

9 Nishikori

Kohlschreiber

Simon

Thiem

Young (SE)

Dancevic (WC)

–bye

7 Dimitrov

 

6 Raonic

–bye

Sock (WC)

Melzer

Hewitt

Benneteau

Sousa

11 Gulbis

 

14 Bautista Agut

Lopez

Qualifier

Robredo

Lu

Granollers

–bye

4 Berdych

 

5 Ferrer

–bye

Mahut

Qualifier

Seppi

Qualifier

Dodig

10 Isner

 

15 Cilic

Istomin

Garcia-Lopez

Qualifier

Polansky (WC)

Janowicz

–bye

2 Federer

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

 

SATURDAY

Washington

Singles – Quarterfinal

(13) Vasek Pospisil def. (10) Santiago Gonzalez 6-7(4-7) 6-3 6-4

Singles – Semifinal

(2) M Raonic def. D Young 6-4 7-5

(13) V Pospisil def. (6) R Gasquet 6-7(5-7) 6-3 7-5

Doubles – Semifinal

Groth/Paes def. (WC) Johnson/Querrey 4-6 6-3 10-8

Rojer/Tecau def. (Q) Erlich/R Ram 6-4 6-2

Kitzbuhel

Singles – Final

(WC) D Goffin def. (5) D Thiem 4-6 6-1 6-3

Doubles – Final

Kontinen/Nieminen def. Bracciali/Golubev 6-1 6-4

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