ROME MEN’S TENNIS NEWS AND UPDATE & SCORES & ROGER FEDERER WINS AS DOES “RAFA” RAFAEL NADAL

Written by: Staff on 13th May 2015

ROME MEN'S TENNIS NEWS AND UPDATE & SCORES & ROGER FEDERER WINS AS DOES "RAFA" RAFAEL NADAL

epa04747057 Roger Federer of Switzerland returns the ball to Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, during their match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2015. EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI |

PRO TOUR NEWS – MEN

TENNIS TIDBITS

* Big day of upsets; Dimitrov, Lopez, Bautista Agut, Tsonga fall, Simon hurt

* Federer bounces back from Madrid loss with quick win over Cuevas

* Nadal loses only two games

* Another inexplicable loss for Bryans; Zimonjic out of Top Five

ROME RESULTS

Singles – Second Round: (2) R Federer def. P Cuevas 7-6(7-3) 6-4

Pablo Cuevas must be getting sick of seeing Roger Federer at big moments. This costs him his Top Twenty chance. He will probably be #22 — which, admittedly, is effectively as good as being #20 as far as the Roland Garros seeds are concerned.

Singles – Second Round: (3) A Murray def. J Chardy 6-4 6-3

Andy Murray just keeps winning on clay. That’s ten straight. He drops Jeremy Chardy, who was defending quarterfinalist points, out of the Top Forty, which obviously means no Roland Garros seed for Chardy.

British player Andy Murray returns the ball to Jeremy Chardy of France during their second round match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2015. EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI

Jeremy Chardy of France returns the ball to Britain’s Andy Murray during their second round match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2015. EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI

Singles – Second Round: (4) R Nadal def. (Q) M Ilhan 6-2 6-0

Maybe losing at Madrid was good for Rafael Nadal. It got some of his juices flowing. Problem is, he is still stuck at #7, and needs a lot more than this to get back up to #4 in time for Roland Garros; more on this in the Feature.

Singles – Second Round: (5) K Nishikori def. J Vesely 7-6(7-3) 7-5

Kei Nishikori keeps himself right on the heels of Tomas Berdych in the contest for the #4 Roland Garros seed. Jiri Vesely is out of the seeding race; it looks as if he’ll be #37.

Singles – Second Round: F Fognini def. (10) G Dimitrov 7-6(11-9) 4-6 6-0

It’s amazing how Grigor Dimitrov seems to stick to the #11 ranking like glue. He won’t rise; he won’t fall. But Fabio Fognini is now effectively certain to return to the Top Thirty.

Fabio Fognini of Italy returns the ball to Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during their second round match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2015. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria serves the ball to Fabio Fognini of Italy during their second round match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2015. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI

Singles – Second Round: V Troicki def. (11) F Lopez 6-7(2-7) 6-4 6-3

Feliciano Lopez must really be looking forward to the end of the clay season…. The good news is, it appears in light of the next result that he will earn the #12 Roland Garros seed. Viktor Troicki hasn’t mathematically clinched the #32 seed, but it now looks certain in practice.

Singles – Second Round: D Thiem def. (12) G Simon 7-6(7-5) 2-0, retired

Tough news for France: Barring a withdrawal, no Frenchman will be among the top twelve seeds in Roland Garros. Gilles Simon will be their top player, and he’ll be #13. Dominic Thiem is the lowest-ranked player left in the field here; even with his win, he’s only #42, making him the last player who could pass Viktor Troicki to earn the #32 seed — and even he needs a semifinal.

Singles – Second Round: D Goffin def. (13) J Tsonga 6-2 4-6 7-5

He had to save three match points, but this will almost certainly take David Goffin to a career high #19. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will fall from #14 to #15, leaving him the #3 Frenchman. The French have the #13-#16 block at Roland Garros pretty well locked up: Gilles Simon, Gael Monfils, and Tsonga will all be in there. It appears they’ll have five seeds in Paris all told; Richard Gasquet and Adrian Mannarino can also expect seeding.

Singles – Second Round: (Q) T Bellucci def. (14) R Bautista Agut 1-6 6-1 6-4

Roberto Bautista Agut’s depressing 2015 continues. He may rise one spot, to #18, but he won’t get a Top Sixteen Paris seed.

Singles – Second Round: (16) J Isner def. L Mayer 7-6(8-6) 6-4

If John Isner can keep up his current clay form through Roland Garros, he will very probably make the Top Fifteen at least. But, for the moment, he has not moved; he’s still at #17 in safe points. Leonardo Mayer will probably be #24.

Singles – Second Round: G Garcia-Lopez def. (Q) A Dolgopolov 6-4 6-3

Not much movement yet for Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, but one more win would take him to #26, and two more could earn him a Top 24 Paris seed. The tough part of that is, he would have to beat David Ferrer and Andy Murray to earn those two wins.

Doubles – First Round: Bopanna/Mergea def. L Mayer/Monaco 6-3 6-4

Six straight for Bopanna/Mergea.

Doubles – Second Round: Anderson/Chardy def. (1) Bryan/Bryan 6-1 7-5

The strange season continues for the Bryans. Their #1 rankings still aren’t in danger, and won’t be for months, but it’s looking as if it could happen late this year if they can’t break this funk.

Doubles – Second Round: (2) Dodig/Melo def. (WC) Donati/Napolitano 6-4 6-3

Doubles – Second Round: Murray/Peers def. (4) Matkowski/Zimonjic 7-6(7-4) 7-5

That does it: Nenad Zimonjic (who was the defending champion here with Daniel Nestor) is out of the Top Five, to be replaced by either Jack Sock or Ivan Dodig.

Doubles – Second Round: (5) Granollers/M Lopez def. Almagro/Garcia-Lopez 6-4 6-4

Doubles – Second Round: Cabal/Farah def. (7) Peya/Soares 7-6(7-3) 3-6 11-9

It was a tough day for seeds, but this isn’t much of a surprise, given how much Peya/Soares have been struggling.

Doubles – Second Round: Kyrgios/Sock def. (8) Bolelli/Fognini 2-6 6-1 10-4

Ironic — Bolelli/Fognini finally start getting seeded, and what happens? They lose their opener. Of course, Jack Sock is pretty close to unbeatable in doubles these days. Which is why he’s the player most likely to take the Top Five spot Nenad Zimonjic is losing.

ROLAND GATROS SEED UPDATE

The question remains: Where will Rafael Nadal be seeded at Roland Garros?

The top three seeds are set: Novak Djokovic will be #1, Roger Federer #2, Andy Murray #3. But who gets #4? Nadal? Kei Nishikori? Tomas Berdych?

Rafael Nadal of Spain in action agiainst Marsel Ilhan of Turkey during their second round match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2015. EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI

Obviously almost everyone thinks that it should be Nadal. But he came into Rome at #7, and with finalist points to defend. That put him some 600 points behind Berdych and Nishikori. He was 400 points behind Milos Raonic — although, with Raonic not playing, the Canadian has no chance of being #4. But Nadal finds himself with a very tall order on his hands: The only way he can earn the #4 seed is to win Rome and have both Berdych and Nishikori lose before the semifinal. If Nadal fails to win, or either of the others makes the semifinal, Nadal will be seeded for the quarterfinal.

As between Berdych and Nishikori in the contest for #4, it’s almost dead even. Whoever lasts longer gets it, with ties to Berdych.

The seeds from #5 to #8 will be the guys who don’t make it to #4 (i.e. two of the three Berdych, Nadal, and Nishikori), plus Raonic, and almost certainly David Ferrer; only Stan Wawrinka can catch Ferrer, and only with a title, and only if Ferrer loses fairly early. If Raonic can’t play Paris (which sounds possible), then it will almost certainly be Wawrinka who moves up to the #8 seed.

Seeds #9-#12 will be Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov, and probably Feliciano Lopez.

Seeds #13-#16 will be Gilles Simon, Gael Monfils, probably Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and one other. Kevin Anderson leads, but John Isner could pass him with one more win, or David Goffin with a semifinal.

#17-#24 will be John Isner, Roberto Bautista Agut, Tommy Robredo, David Goffin (or Anderson if Isner or Goffin moves up), Richard Gasquet, Pablo Cuevas, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and one other, currently Leonardo Mayer, and there isn’t much chance of anyone else moving up; Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, the next active player, needs a semifinal.

#25-#32 will be Ernests Gulbis, Ivo Karlovic, Bernard Tomic, Garcia-Lopez, Fabio Fognini, Nick Kyrgios, and probably Adrian Mannarino and Viktor Troicki. Dominic Thiem still has an outside chance.

RANKINGS

Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings

As of May 13, 2015

Rank &

Prior…Player………..Points

1..(1) Djokovic……….12935

2..(2) Federer…………8725

3..(3) Murray………….7040

4..(5) Berdych…………5140

5..(6) Nishikori……….5130

6..(4) Raonic………….4800

7..(7) Nadal…………..4480

8..(8) Ferrer………….4220

9..(9) Wawrinka………..3575

10.(10) Cilic…………..3325

11.(11) Dimitrov………..2760

12.(13) Lopez…………..2280

13.(12) Simon…………..2255

14.(15) Monfils…………2065

15.(14) Tsonga………….2045

16.(16) Anderson………..1970

17.(17) Isner…………..1935

18.(19) Bautista Agut……1750

19.(20) Goffin………….1745

20.(18) Robredo…………1710

21.(21) Gasquet…………1625

22.(24) Cuevas………….1502

23.(23) Kohlschreiber……1490

24.(25) MayerL………….1487

25.(22) Gulbis………….1480

26.(26) Karlovic………..1345

27.(28) Garcia-Lopez…….1335

28.(27) Tomic…………..1320

29.(31) Fognini…………1295

30.(30) Kyrgios…………1230

DRAWS

Rome — Week of May 11

…………………3R

1 Djokovic………..(1)Djokovic

14 Bautista Agut…..Bellucci(Q)

11 Lopez………….Troicki

5 Nishikori……….(5)Nishikori

3 Murray………….(3)Murray

13 Tsonga…………Goffin

9 Cilic…………..Garcia-Lopez

7 Ferrer………….(7)Ferrer

8 Wawrinka………..(8)Wawrinka

12 Simon………….Thiem

16 Isner………….(16)Isner

4 Nadal…………..(4)Nadal

6 Berdych…………(6)Berdych

10 Dimitrov……….Fognini

15 Anderson……….(15)Anderson

2 Federer…………(2)Federer

STATUS OF SEEDS

1 Djokovic

2 Federer

3 Murray

4 Nadal

5 Nishikori

6 Berdych

7 Ferrer

8 Wawrinka

9 Cilic……………lost 1R (Garcia-Lopez)

10 Dimitrov………..lost 2R (Fognini)

11 Lopez…………..lost 2R (Troicki)

12 Simon…………..lost 2R (Thiem)

13 Tsonga………….lost 2R (Goffin)

14 Bautista Agut……lost 2R (Bellucci)

15 Anderson

16 Isner

SCORES

WEDNESDAY

ROME

Singles – Second Round

(2) R Federer def. P Cuevas 7-6(7-3) 6-4

(3) A Murray def. J Chardy 6-4 6-3

(4) R Nadal def. (Q) M Ilhan 6-2 6-0

(5) K Nishikori def. J Vesely 7-6(7-3) 7-5

F Fognini def. (10) G Dimitrov 7-6(11-9) 4-6 6-0

V Troicki def. (11) F Lopez 6-7(2-7) 6-4 6-3

D Thiem def. (12) G Simon 7-6(7-5) 2-0, retired

D Goffin def. (13) J Tsonga 6-2 4-6 7-5

(Q) T Bellucci def. (14) R Bautista Agut 1-6 6-1 6-4

(16) J Isner def. L Mayer 7-6(8-6) 6-4

Doubles – First Round

Bopanna/Mergea def. L Mayer/Monaco 6-3 6-4

Doubles – Second Round

Anderson/Chardy def. (1) Bryan/Bryan 6-1 7-5

(2) Dodig/Melo def. (WC) Donati/Napolitano 6-4 6-3

Murray/Peers def. (4) Matkowski/Zimonjic 7-6(7-4) 7-5

(5) Granollers/M Lopez def. Almagro/Garcia-Lopez 6-4 6-4

Cabal/Farah def. (7) Peya/Soares 7-6(7-3) 3-6 11-9

Kyrgios/Sock def. (8) Bolelli/Fognini 2-6 6-1 10-4

CONTENT VIA BOB LARSON NEWS SERVICE.

Topics: ATP Roma, Internazionali BNL D'Italia, Italian Open, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Rome Masters, Tennis News

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May 13, 2015 at 6:55 pm

#ROME MEN’S #TENNIS NEWS AND UPDATE & SCORES & @rogerfederer WINS AS DOES @RafaelNadal http://t.co/vYvCSwKXDm #InternazionaliBNLdItalia #ATP