Cincinnati
Singles – Third Round: (16) T Robredo def. (1) N Djokovic 7-6(8-6) 7-5
Maybe Novak Djokovic suffered from one too many headlines. This is the one Masters event he has never won, so naturally everyone was wondering if he could win it this year. Even the court seemed to be on his side — Tommy Robredo called the trainer for a left ankle problem when one game from the match. But Robredo played on, and although Djokovic saved two match points, Robredo eventually finished it off. Djokovic will remain #1 for now, and will be #1 after the U. S. Open also, but this keeps the door slightly ajar for someone else to earn the year-end #1…Tommy Robredo is up to #18, and if he can win his next match, he’ll clinch a Top Sixteen U. S. Open seed.
Singles – Third Round: (2) R Federer def. G Monfils 6-4 4-6 6-3
Was that really Roger Federer out there? He was broken twice in the first set; he survived only because he broke three times. In the second, he never broke, and although he was broken only once, that was once too often. But he finally came to life in the third set to finish things off. He leaves Gael Monfils a probably #22.
Singles – Third Round: (3) S Wawrinka def. (14) M Cilic 3-6 6-0 6-1
First Roger Federer struggled in his opener, and again later in his third round, plus Stan Wawrinka struggled here. Doesn’t anyone want the #2 U. S. Open seed? Still, this keeps Wawrinka in the hunt. Marin Cilic will probably be #16; he will almost certainly be one of the Top Sixteen Open seeds.
Singles – Third Round: (5) M Raonic def. (WC) S Johnson 6-7(7-9) 6-3 7-6(7-4)
This took almost two and a quarter hours, and obviously Steve Johnson came very close to winning. But Milos Raonic survived, and is now only one win away from passing Tomas Berdych to take the #6 ranking. It looks as if Johnson will probably hit the Top Fifty, which would make him the third American in that group, but he won’t quite pass Donald Young; Young remains the #2 American.
Singles – Third Round: (6) D Ferrer def. M Youzhny 7-5 6-0
David Ferrer started slowly, but Mikhail Youzhny politely collapsed for him. Ferrer moves closer to clinching the #5 spot, leaving Youzhny at #24.
Singles – Third Round: (8) A Murray def. (11) J Isner 6-7(3-7) 6-4 7-6(7-2)
This took Andy Murray more than two hours and twenty minutes, and he had to save two match points, but he eliminates last year’s finalist. That keeps alive his hopes of earning the #8 Open seed — and costs John Isner his faint hopes of being #12 should Rafael Nadal withdraw; Isner, will fall from #14 to #15.
Singles – Third Round: (15) F Fognini def. Y Lu 3-6 6-3 6-3
This does it: The U. S. Open seed list is final. The order is not, but all remaining players are ranked high enough for seeding. Fabio Fognini, who continues his Survival by Stamina strategy, has now clinched a return to the Top Twenty and is likely to earn one of the Top 16 U. S. Open seeds. But Yen-Hsun Lu will have to live with the #37 ranking and being probably the #2 U. S. Open seeding alternate.
Singles – Third Round: J Benneteau def. J Janowicz 7-5 6-1
This appears to mean no return to the Top Fifty for Jerzy Janowicz. But Julien Benneteau is up to #33/#34 and looks set for an Open seed.
Doubles – Second Round: (1) Bryan/Bryan def. Butorac/Klaasen 6-1 6-4
A nice way for the Bryans to bounce back after their rather rough result last week.
Doubles – Second Round: (2) Peya/Soares def. Cilic/S Gonzalez 7-6(7-3) 7-6(8-6)
Peya/Soares continue their hot form from the Canadian Open — an interesting omen for the U. S. Open.
Doubles – Second Round: (WC) Johnson/Querrey def. (8) Marrero/Verdasco 7-6(7-4) 6-4
U. S. Open Seed Update
Supposedly Rafael Nadal will decide this week whether to play the U. S. Open. Until he does, a lot of potential U. S. Open seeds are like Schrodinger’s Cat: We don’t know what their fate will be.
One guy faces no uncertainty at all. That’s Novak Djokovic. He will be the #1 Open seed — and appears certain to be #1 both before and after the Open. But who will be seeded #2? It will be Nadal if he can play — but if not, then the #3 player in the world will get it. That will almost certainly be Roger Federer, but Stan Wawrinka could still take the spot with a title.
If Nadal plays, then Federer and Wawrinka will be #3 and #4 in some order. If Nadal doesn’t play, then the #5 player gets the #4 seed. That’s currently David Ferrer, but Milos Raonic could still pass him with a final.
For the rest of this feature, we’re going to assume that Nadal plays. If he does, then the seeds in the #5 to #8 group will be Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Raonic, and one other; it will probably be Grigor Dimitrov, but Andy Murray can pass him with a final. If Nadal pulls out, then Murray is guaranteed at least the #8 spot.
#9 to #12 will by Murray or Dimitrov, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kei Nishikori, and almost certainly Ernests Gulbis. With Juan Martin del Potro out, #13-#16 will probably be Richard Gasquet, John Isner, Marin Cilic, and either Fabio Fognini or Tommy Robredo — with Robredo needing to win his next match to make it. (If he and Fognini both win, then they’re both in the #13-#16 block and Cilic is out.)
The #17-#24 block will consist of Robredo (or Fognini or Cilic), Roberto Bautista Agut, Kevin Anderson, Feliciano Lopez, Gael Monfils, Alexandr Dolgopolov (if he can play), Mikhail Youzhny, and Philipp Kohlschreiber. Leonardo Mayer is next in line if Nadal or someone pulls out.
#25-#32 includes Mayer, Nicolas Almagro (if he can play), Ivo Karlovic, Santiago Giraldo, Gilles Simon, and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Tommy Haas would also be here, but he can’t play, so Jeremy Chardy and Julien Benneteau, who are tied for #33, appear to both be in.
Fernando Verdasco is in if we have another pullout, then Joao Sousa, Yen-Hsun Lu, Radek Stepanek, and Pablo Cuevas.
RANKINGS
Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings
As of August 14, 2014
Rank &
Prior…Player………..Points
1..(1) Djokovic……….12770
2..(2) Nadal………….10670
3..(3) Federer…………6670
4..(4) Wawrinka………..5985
5..(6) Ferrer………….4345
6..(5) Berdych…………4060
7..(7) Raonic………….4045
8..(8) Dimitrov………..3540
9..(9) Murray………….3150
10.(10) Tsonga………….2920
11.(12) Nishikori……….2680
12.(13) Gulbis………….2580
13.(11) Del Potro……….2410
14.(15) Gasquet…………2360
15.(14) Isner…………..1925
16.(19) Cilic…………..1845
17.(21) Fognini…………1835
18.(20) Robredo…………1825
19.(18) Bautista Agut……1800
20.(17) Anderson………..1775
21.(16) Lopez…………..1770
22.(23) Monfils…………1660
23.(22) Dolgopolov………1625
24.(25) Youzhny…………1540
25.(24) Kohlschreiber……1505
26.(26) Mayer…………..1354
27.(27) Almagro…………1250
28.(28) Karlovic………..1220
29.(30) Giraldo…………1180
29.(31) Simon…………..1180
DRAWS
Cincinnati — Week of August 11, 2014
………………3R…………..QF
1 Djokovic……..(1)Djokovic
16 Robredo……..(16)Robredo…..Robredo
12 Tsonga………Youzhny
6 Ferrer……….(6)Ferrer…….Ferrer
3 Wawrinka……..(3)Wawrinka…..Wawrinka
14 Cilic……….(14)Cilic
[Rola(LL)]……..Benneteau…….Benneteau
7 Dimitrov……..Janowicz
5 Raonic……….(5)Raonic…….Raonic
9 Gulbis……….Johnson(WC)
15 Fognini……..(15)Fognini…..Fognini
4 Berdych………Lu
8 Murray……….(8)Murray…….Murray
11 Isner……….(11)Isner
13 Bautista Agut..Monfils
2 Federer………(2)Federer……Federer
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Djokovic…….lost 3R (Robredo)
2 Federer
3 Wawrinka
4 Berdych……..lost 2R (Lu)
5 Raonic
6 Ferrer
7 Dimitrov…….lost 2R (Janowicz)
8 Murray
9 Gulbis………lost 2R (Johnson)
10 Gasquet…….WITHDREW (replaced by Rola)
11 Isner………lost 3R (Murray)
12 Tsonga……..lost 1R (Youzhny)
13 Bautista Agut.lost 2R (Monfils)
14 Cilic………lost 3R (Wawrinka)
15 Fognini
16 Robredo
******** SCORES ********
THURSDAY
Cincinnati
Singles – Third Round
(16) T Robredo def. (1) N Djokovic 7-6(8-6) 7-5
(2) R Federer def. G Monfils 6-4 4-6 6-3
(3) S Wawrinka def. (14) M Cilic 3-6 6-0 6-1
(5) M Raonic def. (WC) S Johnson 6-7(7-9) 6-3 7-6(7-4)
(6) D Ferrer def. M Youzhny 7-5 6-0
(8) A Murray def. (11) J Isner 6-7(3-7) 6-4 7-6(7-2)
(15) F Fognini def. Y Lu 3-6 6-3 6-3
J Benneteau def. J Janowicz 7-5 6-1
Doubles – Second Round
(1) Bryan/Bryan def. Butorac/Klaasen 6-1 6-4
(2) Peya/Soares def. Cilic/S Gonzalez 7-6(7-3) 7-6(8-6)
(WC) Johnson/Querrey def. (8) Marrero/Verdasco 7-6(7-4) 6-4
Topics: Andy Murray, Atp, Cincinnati, John Isner, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Tennis, Tennis News, Western & Southern Open
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