Rhyne Williams Wins First Challenger Title in Dallas
Photo Credit: Tessa Kolodny (Challenger of Dallas FB page)
Photo Credit: Tessa Kolodny (Challenger of Dallas FB page)
The pride of Tennessee, Rhyne Williams took his first challenger title in Dallas last night 7-5, 6-3 over veteran and former top 20 Robby Ginepri. Williams dictated play and kept his cool, coming back from a break down in the 1st set to take it, then pushing through to break and take the match.
He also padded his resume this week with wins over Austin Kraijcek, the former Texas A&M standout, the seeded Rajeev Ram, Alex Kunetsov, and a 3 set semifinal win over the resurgent Frank Dancevic, who was playing really well up until that match. Williams will be at a career high ranking when the new rankings come out and continues his push to break into the top 150 and beyond.
He attributed many of his good results to an improved fitness level stating; “I had to cut back on carbs, junk food, pizza. I like my beer as well so can’t do that too often.” Great things seem to be ahead for the young American.
As for Ginepri, he had a nice resurgence this week after many were assuming retirement was near. He managed to beat Rik De Voest, Ryan Sweeting, Denys Molchanov and fellow former solid ATP pro James Blake in an all wild card semifinal.
—Steen Kirby
Florian Mayer Wrecks Great Storyline, but ‘Rhynestone Cowboy’ Williams Still Makes Mark Down Under
The Rhynestone Cowboy’s Memorable Match in Melbourne
The USTA Wild Card Winners have already made their mark at the 2013 Australian Open. Yesterday, Madison Keys marched to a straight sets win. Tonight, it was Rhyne Williams turn. The Rhynestone Cowboy was patiently outlasted by #25 seed Florian Mayer of France in four grueling sets, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (12), before Williams succumbed to the demons of Melbourne in the fifth set by a count of 6-1.
Even though Mayer destroyed a great American storyline, it was Williams who produced and impressed tonight. The Tennessean played a nice match and the trip has already paid off for him on his first venture down under. In addition to the google-trending and goodwill he’s earned, he made over $20,000 for making the trip.
—S. Fogleman
Rhyne Williams, Madison Keys Ready To Make Thunder Down Under @AustralianOpen
Rhyne Williams and Madison Keys are packing for the Southern Hemisphere this weekend, where they’ll compete and tune up before the Grand Slam of the Pacific beginning January 14 in Melbourne Park. I was able to ask them a few questions on Thursday before they headed out as part of a USTA conference call with USTA Public Relations Director Tim Curry.
TIM CURRY: Thanks, everyone, for joining us today. Thanks to Madison Keys and
Rhyne Williams for their time. We wanted to give you both an opportunity to tell your story a little bit to the media in advance of your trips to Australia. Madison and Rhyne won the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs last weekend in Atlanta. For Madison, it’s her second win in a row at the Australian Open Playoff. For Rhyne, it will be his first appearance at a Grand Slam other than the US Open where he qualified this year and played Andy Roddick. It is two consecutive slams for him. Rhyne is a former Tennessee Vol and was the NCAA runner-up two years ago as a sophomore. Why don’t we start off a little bit with both players talking about their run at the tournament and the opportunity they have now in Australia. Madison, do you want to talk about playing the tournament the second time and winning it.
MADISON KEYS: Yeah, it was a great opportunity that I was able to play it again. Just really excited to go play Australia again and hopefully do a little bit better than I did last year. Just overall really happy and excited.
TIM CURRY: Rhyne.
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Yeah, really thankful to the USTA for the opportunity to play this tournament. It’s a relief to win it and not have to worry about playing the qualifying down there. I know how hard it is to get through the qualifying. I’m really happy and excited to be in the main draw of Australia. It’s going to be my first trip down there. Looking to have fun with it and go out there and do my best.
TIM CURRY: We’ll open it up now for questions for Madison and Rhyne.
Q. (Tennis East Coast) Rhyne, you played more sets in Atlanta last week than any other player, be it male or female. I’m wondering what, if anything, you’re going to do to train for increased match endurance during your time in Melbourne.
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Well, I’ve been doing that all December to get ready for Australia. We’ve been hitting the fitness extremely hard. The off-court training has been pretty brutal. I’m a little beat up. I’m heading back to Knoxville today for a few days to rest up and get ready to head down there. I’m leaving Sunday. Hopefully I can get the body ready for that. I’m starting in Brisbane. Looking to start off on a good note. But we’ve been training extremely hard
down here. It’s really warm, just like Australia, maybe not quite the same temperature, but this is just about the best place you can train, Boca Raton. We’ve done a great job this off-season.
Q. (Tennis East Coast) We talked about your family’s tennis legacy. What was the reception from your family after your big win in Atlanta?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Well, they were extremely happy for me. I’m going to see them all this afternoon. I’m sure they’re fired up to have me back. I’m really excited to be home, kick back and relax for a few days.But I got calls from my grandfather and my uncles, texts from everyone just saying congratulations. But it’s just the beginning. I haven’t done anything yet. I just want to follow up on it.
Q. Rhyne, I know that you just mentioned about your off-court fitness training. I was wondering if you could go into a little bit of detail about what you actually do, what you feel like the most maybe three important things that you need to keep doing to keep up your fitness level. What do you actually do in the gym?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Well, I usually don’t pick up the weights too much, too often. Maybe a couple times a week, but not too heavy. Tennis is mostly a lungs and legs sport. It’s turned into that. We do a lot of stuff on the field, on the soccer field, a ton of endurance runs. We did that for the first three weeks. This past week we’ve done a lot more agility and quickness, running with cones and ladders, footwork drills. The main thing for the first part of the
off-season was legs and lungs. We really worked extremely hard and put in a lot of hours. I just need to keep making good decisions with my eating habits and getting good rest, stuff like that. Those are the main things we’ve focused on.
Q. When you say ‘a lot of hours,’ about how many hours of off-court training do you do in a week?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Per day we were doing an hour and a half of tennis and then two hours in the gym, then two hours in the afternoon on the field incorporating abs, stretching, shoulder, stuff like that. It’s a lot of long days.
Q. Madison, I read that you’re leaving to Australia on the 23rd, in just a few days. Tell me if that is true. How is it to miss Christmas with your family? Does it just come with the territory of being a professional tennis player?Also last year you had a tough first-round match in Australia. Tell me about that experience and how will that experience help you this year going into the Australian Open.
MADISON KEYS: I’m going to New Zealand the 23rd, and we land the 25th. I’m kind of sad that I don’t get to spend Christmas with my family, but we’re going to do a Christmas before I leave. It kind of comes with the territory. I mean, you’re pretty used to being gone on holidays and your birthday, so you’re kind of used to it.
Last year I kind of got my butt kicked by Zheng Jie. Obviously, I wish the outcome was a little bit better. But this year hopefully I can go down and do better.
Q. Madison, you trained for a long time at the Evert Academy. You’re still working at the USTA. Can you talk about that arrangement and talk about the fall. You won a couple of USTA Pro Circuit challengers, had a strong fall. I’m wondering if you feel like some pieces of your game are starting to come together now.
MADISON KEYS: Yeah, I trained at Evert Tennis Academy for like eight years. About a year and a half ago, two years ago, I started training with the USTA, and I’m still there. It’s basically the same center, but it’s just different coaches and different people I hit with.
Q. Talk about your fall. You had strong results on the circuit. Talk about your game, if you feel like those pieces are starting to come together for you and why.
MADISON KEYS: Yeah, I had a really good end of the season. I won a challenger in Canada, got to the semis of another one, then I won a $75K Pro Circuit event in Phoenix. It was a good way to end the season for me. I came off the year feeling really confident, having a good idea of how I wanted to play. So I think my game is kind of coming together a little bit better. I’m kind of understanding it a little bit. So I’m really excited just to go down to New Zealand and Sydney, the warmup tournaments for Australia, just really try to keep the moment going.
Q. When you say you understand your game better, what does that mean exactly?
MADISON KEYS: I feel like when I’m hitting good shots and stuff, I’m kind of moving forward a little bit more, looking for short balls, starting to come to the net a little bit more, knowing how to use my serve on big points. I’m understanding how to play tennis a little bit better.
Q. Rhyne, can you talk a little bit about playing for Tennessee and more importantly the importance of college tennis.
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Playing at Tennessee, those were probably the best two years of my life. Extremely fun to change it up and play for something bigger than yourself for a change. Tennis is a very individual sport. Playing with a group of guys that you love, it’s an incredible experience. I got a whole lot better in college. Our coaches really pushed me. I feel like our team pushed each other. We had a blast. Just an incredible couple years. We got a little unlucky in the championship match. But we really enjoyed every minute of being there. It was sad to leave but I feel like I did it at the right time. My buddy Tennys Sandgren and I both ended up leaving at the same time. We’re living together in Boca. We’re doing the whole traveling thing together. Playing for Tennessee was just absolutely incredible.
Q. So many guys for years skipped college tennis altogether. Now you have many guys playing college tennis. Is college tennis a viable alternative before turning pro?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Absolutely. There are several programs that can get you ready for pro tennis afterwards if that’s your goal. It’s just a great way to kind of get away from the pressure of turning pro at such a young age. I certainly needed it. I wasn’t really enjoying tennis from age 16 to 18. I needed to switch it up a little bit. I went to school and got away from the pressure of pro tennis. It was just a great way to learn, mature, get ready to commit to being a pro.
Q. (Tennis East Coast) Madison, I want to talk more about your Christmas plans. I understand that you’re going to New Zealand with some other reindeer from America this year. I wanted to ask you if you’re going to be hitting with or practicing with them Down Under?
MADISON KEYS: I think there’s a couple of us on the same flight from L.A. to New Zealand. Shelby Rogers, Lauren Davis, Maria Sanchez, Grace Min will all be there at the same time. I’m sure we’ll do something, go to dinner together so we’re not completely alone on Christmas.
Q. There’s your real family and then your New Zealand family?
MADISON KEYS: You have your real family and then your tennis family.
Q. (Tennis East Coast) As far as their chances Down Under, are you optimistic about them qualifying?
MADISON KEYS: Yeah, I’m very excited for all of us going down there. I think we’ve all worked very hard this off-season. I think everyone has put in the work. I think that it’s going to be a good couple weeks for us.
Q. Madison, can you follow up on your goals. You repeated the wild card playoff from last year, which is a pretty high, intense winner-take-all situation. How does that change your expectations going into next season and what are your expectations now that you feel like your game is coming together a bit more? What are you expecting out of yourself this coming year?
MADISON KEYS: Winning the wild card doesn’t really change my goals or expectations for next year. I’m still going to New Zealand to play the qualifying in Auckland. Getting into the main draw of the Open let me play Sydney before the tournament. I kind of want to try to keep what I have going, try to keep it going. You know, I just want to be happy with how I’m playing. So far I am. So if I can just keep this going…I think my biggest goal is maybe by Wimbledon or US Open being able to make main draw by myself, which would be top 100, would be incredible. That’s probably the biggest goal I have for the next year.
Q. What is the biggest difference for you in making that transition from the juniors to the pros?
MADISON KEYS: The first couple years were definitely hard especially because you don’t have a full schedule so you’re kind of bouncing back and forth from juniors to pros. You don’t always play the best. I think being able to play all pro tournaments has really helped me kind of find my game a little bit more. I’ve been working really hard, done lots of fitness. I’m kind of playing more like a pro instead of a junior, playing smarter, being more aggressive, just being in better shape. I think that’s just really helped me out.
Q. Have you stopped growing? How tall are you now?
MADISON KEYS: I’m like 5’10″ and a half and I’m done growing.
Q. Did you add or lose body weight in the training this off-season?
MADISON KEYS: I think I pretty much maintained it. I don’t think I really gained or lost any weight.
Q. But you feel fitter, leaner, stronger?
MADISON KEYS: Yeah, for sure.
Q. Rhyne, I would like to ask you who is your main coach, who have you been working with at Boca, and who is your main fitness coach?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: My main coach is my cousin, Christopher Williams. We started in July. Been working with him since. He moved down to Boca Raton. He currently lives with Tom Gullikson and Troy Hahn. They work with the USTA on the girls’ side. He travels with me everywhere I go. We work together every day. My fitness coach is Gabriel Echevarria. He is employed by the USTA. He is from Argentina originally and worked in Barcelona before. I think he’s been down in Boca for close to a year, maybe eight months or so. He’s been kicking my butt this off-season.
Q. Madison has been down there already. This is going to be your first visit to Australia. What do you know about the history of Australian tennis? It’s one of the great tennis nations. For instance, have you heard of Harry Hopman? Do you know who he was?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: I do not, sadly.
Q. Actually, he worked in Florida as a coach and was responsible for Australia winning 12 Davis Cups out of about 15 in the 1950s and 1960s. You’ll learn a lot about the history of Australian tennis. Presumably you’d like to play on Rod Laver Arena if you get the chance?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Well, yeah, in one of the later rounds. If I’m there first round, I would be playing Novak or Roger. That would be a pretty tough draw. It was an ultimate experience playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium this year against Andy Roddick. Yeah, I’ll probably definitely soak that up. It would be incredible to play on Rod Laver. Any court I’m on, it’s going to be incredible. I can’t wait to get down there and get started. I’ve worked hard. We’ll see how I play down there.
Q. Rhyne, you qualified for Indian Wells but spent most of the time on the USTA Pro Circuit. I notice that the final of the playoff was best-out-of-five sets. Talk a little bit about the Grand Slam experience compared to the smaller tournaments that you play in, the difference in playing a best-out-of-five match.
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Well, I’ve only played two best-out-of-five matches in my life. One was against Andy and one was in the final of the wild card tournament. It’s definitely a lot different. You got to try to pace yourself. You don’t want to waste any energy early in the match. Obviously you want to try and get that first set. It’s a huge relief to get that first set. I think I’ve seen a stat that the player that wins the first set wins around 70% of three-out-of-five matches. You really want to focus on winning that first set, trying to conserve energy because you know at any point it could turn around and you could be going for four or five hours. So that’s a lot different than the normal two-out-of-three sets you’re going to play on the USTA Pro Circuit.
Q. (Tennis East Coast) Rhyne, who are you traveling with? Are you traveling with Tennys Sandgren?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Tennys will be making the trip. But I’m traveling with my coach Christopher Williams. It will be he and I sharing rooms and doing all that. But, yeah, Tennys is my best friend, so he will be down there. We of course hang out every day, all that. He’ll be going by himself. Of course, we have the Vol team. We love to hang out. We’ll be seeing each other down there for sure.
Q. (Tennis East Coast) Do you feel optimistic about the qualifying chances of your tough opponents in Atlanta?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I know every American has been working hard this off-season. Tim Smyczek has been playing insane tennis to end the year. He kicked my butt the last couple times we played at the end of the year. He still played incredible in the final of the wild card tournament. Denis Kudla is a machine. So is Daniel Kosakowski. They definitely have a great chance of qualifying. I know Denis has actually done it already once actually down in Australia, I think it was last year. I’m definitely pulling for them. We’re all good buddies and I wish them the best.
Q. Speak a little bit about your experience with the U.S. Davis Cup team this year. I know you got a lot of work with those guys when you were with them. Talk about what that time with them was like and any advice Captain Jim Courier gave you.
RHYNE WILLIAMS: I got a great opportunity to go to Monte-Carlo with them to one of the coolest cities on earth. It was an incredible experience. The place is beautiful. Jim was awesome to be around. He’s a great character, a great coach, one of the nicest guys you can meet. He really worked us hard. We got in several hours of practice each day. It was awesome to be around John Isner and the Bryan brothers. Ryan Harrison and I grew up playing each other. It was great to see him again. I hadn’t been around him for a while. We’re great buddies, keep in touch. It was phenomenal to see them get the win. It reminded me of a college match the way we would cheer for them. It was just great. We were all pulling for each other. It was really cool to see the team aspect again.
Q. What are your goals for the year and how does getting a main draw Australian wild card accelerate anything schedule-wise this year?
RHYNE WILLIAMS: Well, I just want to keep making runs in Grand Slams. Hopefully I can get through the qualifying in Wimbledon and the French Open. I would love to be in the main draw of those off my ranking, but that’s going to be extremely tough to do that. I know how hard it is to move up the rankings. Now is the really tricky part to get from the 200s to the low 100s. It’s going to be difficult, but I’d like to keep competing hard and giving myself the best chance to succeed. Hopefully I can see the main draw of Wimbledon and French Open obviously after Australia. That would be great.
TIM CURRY: Thanks, everyone. That will conclude the call. Thank you, Madison and Rhyne, for your time. Safe travels and happy holidays.
Williams/Smyczek To Battle Yet Again, This Time For A Ticket To Melbourne #AOWC #AussieWildCard
Williams/Smyczek To Battle Yet again, This Time For A Ticket To Melbourne
Smyczek with the East Coast Crew
As I predicted earlier in the week (pat-pat), Rhyne Williams and Tim Smyczek will do battle for the third time in post-US Open events, this time in the final of the AO WC. Smyczek has won both previous encounters both on indoor hard courts and they know each other’s games very well. Will the third time be the charm for Williams?
Rhyne is Fine
As for how they won today’s matches, Smyczek eased through 6-2, 6-2 over Tennys Sandgren, who never got a foothold in the match, while Williams had a much tougher time, triumphing 5-7, 7-6, 6-1 over Denis Kudla.
Kudla had the edge for the first half of the match, breaking at the end of a long, tiring first set. After routine holds, he broke for 5-3 in the second and looked like he was headed to the final. Meanwhile, Williams was frustrated and looked mentally out of it, but Kudla did not close the deal when given the chance. The second set went all the way to a tiebreak in which Williams finally found enough consistency in his game to take it.
Slap-Happy Match
It was a slap-happy match with a lot of forehand errors on both sides, multiple instances of repeated mis-hits, and a lot of visible frustration, including audible monologuing and racket tossing from Williams. They also struggled to hit the drop shot and pretty much resorted to trying to pound each other out from the baseline.
In the third, Kudla checked out and played nowhere near the level he had in the first two sets, gifting the match to Williams in a long, bizarre, momentum swing affair. Williams-Kudla was also the only three set match of the weekend on both the men’s and women’s side.
—Steen Kirby
2012 Australian Open Wild Card: Rhyne Williams, the Luke Skywalker of American Tennis
Rhyne Williams was feeling good yesterday after an opening round win against Daniel Kosakowski at the 2012 Australian Open Wildcard Playoffs in Norcross, Georgia. The former University of Tennessee player noted that he has NEVER been to Australia before. He also mentioned his relief in not having to play Tennys Sandgren today, insisting that it’s never fun to play your best friend in the first round. Finally, he talked about the deep tennis legacy from which he hails.
Rhyne Williams, Tennis Jedi
—Steve Fogleman
Patricia Jensen Takes Us Down Under To The 2012 Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs
Patricia Jensen Takes Us Down Under To The 2012 Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs
by Steve Fogleman, TennisEastCoast.com
Patricia Jensen is Director of Tournament Operations for the Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs. She’s also the Queen Mum of American Tennis, having raised four pros. Yesterday, she let me know what to expect in Norcross this weekend.
No Georgia Male this year
Last year, we had Bobby Reynolds and Robby Ginepri representing Atlanta on the men’s side. Without a Georgia man in the mix, who is going to be the crowd favorite?
I can honestly say that we have one of the strongest draws that we’ve ever had. Even though it somewhat disappoints me that we don’t have a Georgia male player, we’re excited about Irina Falconi and Mallory Burdette, both training here in Georgia and being somewhat from Georgia.
From the crowd favorite perspective, Rhyne Williams, who played for Tennessee, who happens to related to one of the tennis world’s favorite coaches, Coach Mike DePalmer. His grandson is Rhyne Williams. So, alot of Atlanta has been following Rhyne for a long time.
Is this the first time that Irina Falconi has competed here since college?
She played the wild card event two years ago at the same facility. This is the fourth annual (Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs).
Irina was here last year in street clothes and got a great reception. Do we expect her to get the loudest cheers?
She has a very strong following here in Atlanta. All the Georgia Tech fans will be out here. I have so much respect for her, because last year, even though she wasn’t in the tournament, she came and played with the media, and she did a few appearances with TV and radio stations. She was really involved in the tournament, but she was there to support the event and her colleagues.
Will this be a homecoming for Mallory Burdette as well?
This is great for Atlanta. She has a great following because she did train at Racquet Club of the South at one time.
The Bryans will battle one lucky all-Georgia Team
Tell me about the “Battle of Georgia”, the exhibition where five local teams will battle it out on Friday night for the right to take on the Bryans.
All my money’s on (former pro) Grant Stafford! Seriously, we’re so happy that both Georgia and Georgia Tech are participating. Nathan Pasha from Georgia is a major fan favorite, not only because he played for Georgia, but he’s also from Atlanta. He was a wild card at the BB&T Atlanta Open last year. Atlanta has followed him very closely forever.
According to Jensen, event organizers have already sold more than 3,500 tickets for the Battle of Georgia exhibition with the Bryan Brothers.
How does the venue get this wonderful event every year?
The USTA has chosen us worthy and we’re doing an efficient and appropriate job in putting on this tournament.
NOTES: The largest Australian bakery in the United States will once again be on hand for the Taste of Australian Tennis Down Under… Virgin Australia is offering significant discounts on player and attendees who wish to fly to Australia for the Open…USTA Director of Player Development Patrick McEnroe will not be back in Norcross this year due to other commitments…Though neither Jensen nor I knew at the time of the interview, a third Georgian, Grace Min, will also be competing in the women’s draw.
Rhyne Time: Williams upsets Steve Johnson en route to Charlottesville Challenger Quarterfinals; Thursday OOP
Today isn’t over yet, but there’s already been another surprising win. After Jack Sock shocked Charlottesville and outlasted top seed Jesse Levine last night, Rhyne Williams made a little magic today in a three set comeback win over higher ranked Steve Johnson. At #253, Williams is the lowest-ranked quarterfinalist of the field thus far, but his determination today makes him one to watch going forward. Of course, if Somdev Devvarman advances to the QFs in tomorrow’s nightcap, his ranking of #733 would blow that stat out of the water.
In case you’ve lost track, the 1, 3,4 and five singles seeds are gone, leaving #2 Alex Bogomolov as the favorite along with #6 Bobby Reynolds, #7 Tim Smyczek and #8 Denis Kudla. Kudla is on first tomorrow, the same time slot he had on Monday in a convincing first round win. Bogomolov won in straights against Krajicek today. The third quarterfinalist is Alex Kuznetsov, who ended Fritz Wolmarans nice run at the Challenger in straights as well.
Tomorrow’s Order of Play:
11:00 am Court 7
Denis Kudla vs. Michael Lammer
JP Smith vs. Bobby Reynolds
Jack Sock vs. Izak Van der Merwe
Not before 5:30 pm
Brendan Evans/Jarmere Jenkins vs. Tim Smyczek/Ryan Sweeting
Somdev Devvarman vs. Taro Daniel
4:00 pm Court 9
Devin Britton/Austin Krajicek vs Bogo/Young OR Kuznetsov/Zverev
Not before 5:30 pm
Treat Huey/Bobby Reynolds vs. Drew Courtney/Christian Harrison
Don’t forget: You can watch the Charlottesville Challenger through the USTA stream.
SINGLES RESULTS October 31, 2012
A Kuznetsov d. F Wolmarans 6-4, 7-6(5)
R Williams d. S Johnson 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
A Bogomolov, Jr d. A Krajicek 6-3, 6-4
Memory Lane: Rando Photos from Racquet Club of the South #USTA
Here’s ten more shots from this month’s Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs in Norcross, Georgia. Until a Tumblr account is opened, there is where the photos will come to rest. And Happy New Year, y’all. Thanks for visiting the site in 2011, and special thanks to experienced bloggers and USTA reps for offering advice. Let’s bump into each other next year. See you in Charleston, Newport, DC, Atlanta, NYC, Charlottesville and Knoxville?
Nobody is more comfortable on a court than Rhyno.
Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs: OOP Sunday, December 18, 2011
1:00 pm Stadium Court
Women’s Final
(5) Gail Brodsky vs.
(6) Madison Keys
Men’s Final to follow
(2) Jesse Levine vs.
(4) Robby Ginepri
Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs: Semifinal Super Saturday
Sorry 'bout knocking off 2 RCS favorites
With the local women out of the event, it’s up to Robby Ginepri to keep the hometown mesmerized. Alison Riske and Madison Keys kick it off at 1:00 pm today at Racquet Club of the South. Riske didn’t have much competition yesterday while Keys dug down in three grueling sets for her victory. Today, we’ll know if Riske’s game is that good, since Keys will hardly be a walkover. These matches are difficult to predict. The easy way out is Vandeweghe and Keys. So let’s go for broke, take the points and look for Riske and Brodsky in the final.
We’ll also know if yesterday was a fluke for Rhyne Williams and Jesse Levine, who greatly outperformed their quarterfinal competitors. But Denis Kudla advanced the hard way, and in reality, he was not on top form. Jack Sock had beaten him in the previous four matches. Even so, he tenaciously battled Sock in the 2nd set and blew him out in the tiebreak. Kudla knows he is lucky to be in the semifinals of this event, and it would be surprising if he were to let down today.
Georgia's last hope?
As far as Robby Ginepri, you’ve got to love his chances even more. His fitness level is extraordinarily high, and he said yesterday that he knows “the window is closing”. This might be the beginning of the exciting conclusion to his pro playing career.
Against all odds, look for Kudla to advance in three. Not surprisingly, expect Ginepri in straight sets.
Friday’s Quarterfinal Scores
MEN
No. 8 Rhyne Williams (Knoxville, Tenn.) def.No. 1 Bobby Reynolds (Acworth, Ga.), 4-6, 6-4, 10-8
No. 2 Jesse Levine (Boca Raton, Fla.) def. No. 7 Daniel Kosakowski (Downey, Calif.), 6-2, 6-4
No. 3 Denis Kudla (Arlington,Va.) def. No. 6 Jack Sock (Lincoln, Neb.),3-6, 7-6 (4), 5-4, ret.
No. 4 Robby Ginepri (Kennesaw, Ga.) def. No. 5Steve Johnson (Orange, Calif.), 7-6 (4), 6-0
WOMEN
No. 1 Coco Vandeweghe (Newport Beach, Calif.)def. No. 8 Taylor Townsend (Stockbridge, Ga.),6-4, 6-4
No. 5 Gail Brodsky (Brooklyn,N.Y.) def. No. 4 Melanie Oudin (Marietta, Ga.),6-4, 4-6, 6-4
No. 6 MadisonKeys (Boca Raton, Fla.)def. No. 3 Jamie Hampton (Auburn, Ala.), 3-6, 6-4, 9-7
No. 2 Alison Riske (McMurray,Pa.) def. No. 7 Grace Min (Duluth, Ga.),6-0, 6-0
Saturday’s Semifinal schedule
Beginning at 1p.m. on Court 2
Alison Riske vs. Madison Keys
Followed by Denis Kudla vs. Jesse Levine
Beginning at 2p.m. on Stadium Court
Coco Vandeweghe vs. Gail Brodsky
Followed by Robby Ginepri vs. Rhyne Williams
