Nadal Rolls to 5th 2013 Title in Madrid
Nadal Rolls to 5th 2013 Title in Madrid
Rafael Nadal continued cruising on clay this week in Madrid, finishing off Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-4 for his 5th ATP title of the year. Earlier in the week, Nadal took out Pablo Andujar, David Ferrer, Mikhail Youzhy and Benoit Paire. Andujar was a surprise semifinalist and beat Kei Nishikori in the quarters.
Wawrinka continued to have his own tremendous year, following up an Estoril title with wins against Marius Copil, Grigor Dimitrov, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych. His final 3 matches before making the final all went 3 sets, and he showed tremendous grit and fitness to win them all. For Berdych, meanwhile, he suffered another mental let down that let Wawrinka come back and win.
The Bryans won their 5th Madrid doubles crown over Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares.
—Steen Kirby
Shelby Rogers and Alex Kuznetsov Ready To Do Some Hurt In The Dirt At Roland Garros
Shelby Rogers and Alex Kuznetsov Headed to Roland Garros With USTA Wild Cards
Kuznetsov in Tally
Two East Coasters are headed to Roland Garros as USTA Wild Cards. Charleston’s Shelby Rogers won the Women’s Wild Card by winning the Charlottesvile Challenger and making the quarters in Dothan. Richboro, Pennsylvania native and current Tampa resident Alex Kuznetsov won in Sarasota and made the quarters in Tallahassee and Savannah. They spoke with members of the press (and with me as well) during a USTA Conference call this afternoon.
Neither player admitted to changing their game over the last month. For Kuznetsov, it’s his first trip to Roland Garros since being a junior finalist at the French Open all the way back in 2004, when he lost to Gaels Monfils. For Rogers, it’s her first trip to Paris…ever.
“Honestly, to think I guess it’s been almost 10 years that this will be my first French Open main draw, I would have said I’d liked to have been in a couple before now.”, Kuznetsov said.
Kuznetsov is headed to Nice, while Rogers will play in St. Gaudens.
Both players went on an April run to take the wild cards, as neither player had a won a match in months prior to the USTA Har-Tru Wild Card Challenge, which featured three separate tournaments for the men and the women.
‘I hadn’t won a round since November of last year’, said Rogers, who grew up on the green clay in Mount Pleasant, S.C., in the shadow of the Family Circle Cup Tennis Center.
Rogers first stop in Paris is the Eiffel Tower, “but hopefully to stay on the red clay as long as I can”.
Rogers has no regrets for turning pro instead of entering college.
It’s always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I can always take classes, but I can’t always play on tour.
Both grew up on clay and were extensively trained on Har-Tru. Both would like to see more Har-Tru tournament opportunities in the U.S., especially Kuznetsov.
I would be for it, but I also think being that our main Grand Slam is on hard court, there also needs to be obviously an equal amount of hard court tournaments. Like Shelby, I also grew up playing on clay on the East Coast. I played at a club in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, which had indoor red clay. I think it’s a good surface to start younger kids on. I think they develop better on a clay court than they would a hard court. But, yeah, I’d also be for it if they had a few more events. But I’d like for them to keep some hard court tournaments, as well.
Do they like the round-robin format as opposed to a direct playoff?
Rogers was emphatic. “I think it’s a great way. It shows the players who can be consistent rather than over a weekend or a week. You have to bring your game throughout the whole three weeks.”
Kuznetsov Clinches
Kuznetsov clearly prefers the round-robin format as well, and implied that he may have been cut out of the Australian Open Wild Card field last December somewhat arbitrarily.
I think they chose the players they wanted in that one. I think this is an opportunity for the player who is playing the best tennis at the time. You’re also competing against players from different countries, so you’re not only competing against Americans. Obviously there’s players from South America and from Europe who grew up playing on clay, so they have a lot of experience. You deserve the wild card if you’re able to do that.
—Steve Fogleman
Longines Future Tennis Aces US Qualifier Adam Neff is One to Watch
Adam Neff of Bradenton, FL
Longines Future Tennis Aces US Qualifier Adam Neff is One to Watch
Lance Luciani is the President of Baseline Tennis and his most-promising prodigy is 11-year-old Adam Neff, who just won the Boys’ 12s National title. Neff will represent the United States when he competes against finalists from 15 countries around the world at the Longines Future Tennis Aces in Paris, France during the first week of the 2013 French Open.
The USTA Boys’ & Girls’ 12s National Spring Championships presented by Longines and hosted by the City of Delray Beach served as the U.S. qualifier for Longines Future Tennis Aces with the winner of the Boys 12s singles division earning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Paris to play against qualifiers from 15 other nations. In addition to winning an all-expense-paid trip and the opportunity to play tennis in the center of Paris, Adam will compete to receive financing for his tennis equipment until his 16th birthday, courtesy of Longines.
Neff, who will turn 12 on May 30, competed against 128 other top-ranked U.S. players in the week-long USTA-sanctioned event. En route to the title, Neff was nearly flawless and never dropped a set to any of his competitors.
Last Sunday, I had a chance to ask Coach Luciani about Adam’s physical development, how he got here and where he’s headed.
How is Adam developing?
He’s physically maturing now. He’s almost 5’8”, and it’s turning in to a lot of muscle now. Before he was shorter and he was a little bit larger kid but now he’s slimmed down. He’s trying to get a six-pack. He’s getting stronger every month. Adam’s physical trainer (Doru Murariu) is doing a really good job.
Adam battled a setback in France last month, and that may have poised him to make the run through Delray Beach for a return trip to France. Did Coach Luciani actually expect him to win it all at Boys Nationals?
I kind of thought that Adam was going to be peaking about that time, because he was really mad that we went all the way to France for a tournament (Auray) about 6 weeks ago. It was really cold and it was indoor tennis. They don’t heat their indoor facilities, so you’re blowing smoke indoors.
We went in there about 5 days earlier, and the day of the 1st round match he got sick with the Norwalk virus. He just couldn’t move. He said ‘I came all this way and I can’t even move’. He lost in 3 sets to someone he shouldn’t have lost to. He lost 13 pounds after that. It really made him determined over the month in between that tournament and Delray that he was going to put on a good show.
He said, “I’m going to try to go back to France again. I’m going to do this.” And he didn’t lose a set. When we found out the prize at Nationals was a Longines trip to France, he was happy his dad wouldn’t have to pay for the trip back. He said, “now I’m going to go over there again and show them what I can do”.
What can Adam expect from the Longines support?
They’re going to pick up all the flights and hotels and all the food, and it looks to me like they put on one heck of a show. They treat the kids first-rate. To be playing at Roland Garros during the French Open! What’s a better experience than that?
How do you like Adam’s chances at the Longines Future Tennis Aces at Roland Garros?
With the 12s, Adam definitely has a chance to beat just about any 12-year-old. He’s getting stronger and bigger. I’ll just try to get him ready correctly and see how it goes.
When did you become involved with Adam and tell us the history of the training facility you’ve built at his home.
When I heard about Adam about four years ago after I left IMG, I started with him. I looked at what his father looked like. His dad is about 6’4 and he’s just a big boy. His dad said, ‘What do you need for Adam to have a chance to play professional tennis?”
I thought about it for a while and told him ‘the first thing you’ll need is a facility with European red clay. It can’t be Har-Tru. You can save a lot of money putting that in, but he’s got to grow up on the red. So the first court we put in, we imported Italian red clay. We have one of the only real European red clay courts in the country. Second court we put in is similar to the Sony Open court. It’s a little bit of a slower court. It has seven layers on it. It’s still good on his ankles and joints. It’s a slower court so that when Adam was working on form, he didn’t have to change his form because the ball was already past him.
Right now, we’re constructing a faster US Open court. It’s got 11 layers of cushions and it’s still good on their joints.
They also have a full indoor gym and a CVAC Recovery Pod, just like Novak Djokovic. Since Adam’s dad is a doctor, he researched the product first. Then Luciani flew to California to the manufacturer for a week to investigate the pod. Adam’s ranking was #282 nationwide and #38 in Florida when he began using the pod last July. Today, he’s ranked #4 nationwide and #1 in Florida. Luciani calls it “a bit of an improvement”.
The pod gives him ‘even more of an ability to come back daily’, according to Luciani.
Neff at Boys’ Nationals
What is Adam’s typical tennis routine?
Four hours per day during the week, a half-day Saturday or a tournament on the weekend, a daily hour of private fitness and a 90 minute recovery regimen, including CVAC pod time.
What style of coaching do you employ on Adam?
When you train someone like Adam, you can’t really work them 110% intensity morning and afternoon all the time, because they’d die a violent death! You’re always gauging every day how much they handle. Now that he’s winning tournaments, I’ve got to count matches like baseball managers count pitches.
Whose game does Adam’s resemble the most?
His game is based on Agassi. That’s my method. Control, hurt, finish. That’s how big points are built. Control your opponent, knock them off the court, make them run, and if they give you a chance, then you finish them. It’s a very aggressive system, but in my opinion, it’s what America is waiting for again. Someone who can entertain them. We’re missing that right now. Serena and Venus have entertained us, but their careers are coming to a close. Who’s next? Who’s going to make the other guy run?
Though Neff’s style is reminiscent of Agassi, Adam’s personal favorite is Rafael Nadal. “That’s who he looks up to” said Luciani. When not playing tennis, being home-schooled or spending time with his family, Adam enjoys his dogs Rafa & Coco, watching ESPN, and texting friends.
He’s just a good kid. For me to be with someone for four years, that says something because I usually lose patience with them and if they don’t listen, I’ll get rid of them. There’s definitely no reason to get mad at him.
Barcelona and Paris are next before Adam moves into 14s. Coach Luciani and Adam are hoping for a high seed in the Orange Bowl or Eddie Herr at the end of the year.
Now you know: Adam Neff is one to watch. America needs more kids like Adam and we’re hoping to see him on a US Open-style court at the US Open in the years ahead.
—Steve Fogleman
Longines is the proud Official Partner and Timekeeper of the French Open at Roland Garros since 2007. Longines Future Tennis Aces – On the Road to the French Open is part of Longines’ global commitment to support and develop tennis’ superstars of tomorrow. All the players who qualify for the tournament will have the opportunity to visit the red-clay courts of Roland Garros and attend a French Open match.
Countries participating in Future Tennis Aces program include Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italia, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the U.S.
Longines has been based at Saint-Imier, Switzerland, since 1832. Its watchmaking expertise reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and performance. It has generations of experience as the official timekeeper at world championships and as a partner of international sports federations. Over the years, the brand has built strong and long-lasting links with the equestrian sports.
Alex Kuznetsov Takes Early Lead In French Open Wildcard Race #RG13
Alex Kuznetsov Takes Early Lead In French Open Wildcard Race
American Alex Kuznetsov qualified for the Sarasota challenger before rolling off 7 straight match wins (3 in qualifying, 4 in the main draw) to take an early lead in the points race for the USTA French Open Wild Card. Kuznetsov crushed Wayne Odesnik 6-0, 6-2 in the final after beating Benjamin Becker, Tim Smyczek, Steve Johnson and Somdev Devvarman.
Kuznetsov had lost 5 straight matches going into Sarasota and though he was formerly a star junior player, he has only played 3 ATP level matches since 2011. He has not registered a win in any of them and is effectively known as a journeyman, but he certainly hopes for bigger things now.
Odesnik took 2nd place in the Har-Tru challenge by beating Alex Bogomolov, Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, Facundo Arguello and Denys Molchanov.
—Steen Kirby
Longines Announces Partnership with USTA National Spring Championships
LONGINES ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP
WITH USTA NATIONAL SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS
APRIL 7-12, 2013
TOURNAMENT WILL SERVE AS QUALIFIER FOR LONGINES’ YOUTH TENNIS INITIATIVE FUTURE TENNIS ACES – ON THE ROAD TO THE FRENCH OPEN
Weehawken, NJ (March 21, 2013) – Longines, the official timekeeper and partner of the French Open, announced today an expansion of their pioneering youth tennis initiative, Longines Future Tennis Aces – On the Road to the French Open, by partnering with the USTA Boys’ & Girls’ 12s National Spring Championships. As one of the nation’s most prestigious amateur tennis tournaments, the highest-ranked 256 players in the country will come to compete April 7-12, 2013 at the USTA Boys’ & Girls’ 12s National Spring Championships presented by Longines, hosted by the City of Delray Beach.
The Spring Championships will serve as the U.S. qualifier for Longines Future Tennis Aces with the winner of the Boys 12s singles division earning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Paris to play against qualifiers from 16 other nations. Participants must be born after June 1, 2000 to be eligible for the grand prize. Names of top-ranked athletes to compete will be announced at a later date.
In addition to winning an all-expense-paid trip and the opportunity to play tennis in the center of Paris, the U.S. qualifier will compete to receive financing for his tennis equipment until his 16th birthday, courtesy of Longines.
Longines looks to build upon the success of the program over the past three years. Previous Longines Future Tennis Aces U.S. qualifying tournaments took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, site of the U.S. Open, in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., and included selected players from the USTA’s Eastern, Middle States, New England and Northern California sections.
Rachel Lim
Rachel Lim of Briarcliff Manor, NY, won the Longines Future Tennis Aces qualifying event last year and represented the United States at Roland Garros, where she competed against 15 girls, 13-and-under from every corner of the world.
Rachel Lim
Longines is the proud Official Partner and Timekeeper of the French Open at Roland-Garros since 2007. Longines Future Tennis Aces – On the Road to the French Open is part of Longines’ global commitment to support and develop tennis’ superstars of tomorrow. All the players who qualify for the tournament will have the opportunity to visit the red-clay courts of Roland Garros and attend a French Open match.
Countries participating in Future Tennis Aces program include Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italia, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the U.S.
—S. Pratt
Nadal Takes His 7th French Open Title
Nadal Takes His 7th French Open Title
By Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com
It took Rafael Nadal an extra day due to the rain, but he capped off another dominating French Open run, taking his 7th title in 4 sets over a great but not fantastic Novak Djokovic, 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5. It was a dominating run from start to finish for Nadal, as he dropped only one set the entire tournament (3rd set against Djokovic) and rolled over veteran clay courters Juan Monaco, Nicolas Almagro and David Ferrer in the 2nd week to do it. Not a single player provided him much resistance.
Djokovic gutted his way to the final, coming back from 2 sets down to beat a red hot Andreas Seppi, saving 4 match points to beat home favorite Jo Wilfried-Tsonga and beating a less than top-notch Roger Federer in straights. When he got into the final against Nadal, he performed much the same he had in their previous matches on clay this year in Monte Carlo and Rome, both of which he lost in straights. While he played well enough to beat about any player on the tour, against Nadal, he just didn’t have enough as his strokes and movement weren’t sharp enough against the King of Clay. He quickly lost the 1st 2 sets, the 2nd being interrupted by rain even though he had moments of success in both. In the 3rd, he shockingly found some holes to pick and took them but as the rain moved in again, the match was called and wouldn’t resume until the next day, killing any momentum Djoker may have had.
Thus, when the match began Monday, Rafa was back in the zone and closed it out 7-5 in what was a choppy but unsurprising final. While many had high hopes for this final, like a repeat of their epic Aussie open final that lasted 5+ hours and sets, the fact is Nadal has simply done better on clay and Novak has not found the formula to beat him on the surface yet. Now as things turn to grass and then hard courts the playing field will be a bit more balanced.
In other 2nd week news and notes, Juan Martin Del Potro scored a nice 5 set win over Tomas Berdych before pushing Roger Federer to 5 sets but running out of gas and falling short. Tsonga beat nemesis Stanislas Wawrinka in 5 and then had 4 chances to knock Djokovic out of the tournament, but it was not to be as he gave away the 4th set and then proceed to collapse in the 5th, handing Novak another semi-final appearance. David Ferrer turned in nice wins over fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers and the unhappy warrior Andy Murray, who gave him a bit of a test but let his head get the best of him once again. Ferrer again came up disappointing against countryman Nadal, only winning 5 games in 3 sets off of him.
Nadal only lost 1 match this clay court season, to Fernando Verdasco on the smurf clay of Madrid, which makes that match a bit of anomaly. Nadal otherwise completely dominated all fellow travelers. He won titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Paris once again, holding off the critics about his knee and other possible problems.
Daniel Nestor of Canada and Max Mirnyi of Belarus took the doubles title over the Bryan Brothers 6-4 6-4. It was Nestor’s 3rd straight Roland Garros doubles title and Nestor/Mirnyi will continue to be the top ranked doubles team on the ATP tour.
Longines Future Tennis Aces Tournament Recap #RG12
Stefanie Graf, U.S. representative Rachel Lim, and WTA touring pro Sabine Lisicki pose for a photo on Saturday in Paris
Three generations of players come together for the
Longines Future Tennis Aces Tournament Roland Garros 2012
Paris (France) / St. Imier (Switzerland), 9 June 2012 – After two days of highly emotional tennis, the final of the Longines Future Tennis Aces Roland Garros 2012 tournament was held over the final weekend at Roland Garros. Destanee Aiava from Australia won the tournament, beating Haruna Arakawa from Japan. This exciting duel was followed by an exhibition match that brought together three generations of players. The two finalists of the Longines Future Tennis Aces Roland Garros 2012 tournament teamed up with Stefanie Graf and Sabine Lisicki, with Mansour Bahrami also joining in the fun. Afterwards, Longines presented the two youngsters with an annual bursary of $2,000 to pay for their tennis equipment until their 16th birthday.
The U.S. was represented in Paris by Rachel Lim, a 12-year-old, from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., who won the Longines Future Tennis Aces qualifying tournament for U.S. participants last month. Lim, USTA ranked No. 22 in the 12-and-under division, lost in the first round last Thursday against the top-seeded player from Russia.
The Longines Future Tennis Aces Roland Garros 2012 tournament was a huge success. Through this tournament, Longines – the official partner of Roland Garros – aims to look for tomorrow’s tennis champions and to promote sport as well as respect, fair play and tolerance, which are essential for the enjoyment of sport. Over two days, the 16 players, all under the age of 13 and from all corners of the world, did their best to qualify for the final on Saturday morning.
A press conference was held in the Tennis Museum at Roland Garros to wind up the Longines Future Tennis Aces Tournament Roland Garros 2012, with the presence of Walter von Känel, President of Longines, Graf, Lisicki, Florence Ollivier-Lamarque, General Director Swatch Group France, Gilbert Ysern, General Director of the French Tennis Federation and Director of the French Open and Nelson Montfort.
Represent: Rachel Lim On the Road to Longines Future Tennis Aces at Roland Garros
US REPRESENTATIVE RACHEL LIM TO COMPETE AT LONGINES FUTURE TENNIS ACES TOURNAMENT AT ROLAND GARROS, JUNE 7-9, 2012
Lim to Compete for a Chance to Play with Tennis Legend
Stephanie Graf Prior to the French Open Final
WEEHAWKEN, NJ – May 30, 2012 – Rachel Lim, the United States representative for the ‘Longines Future Tennis Aces’ is on the road to the French Open tournament at Roland Garros, and is currently training near her home in Briarcliff Manor, NY in preparation for her first International tournament. Lim qualified for the all-expense-paid trip to Paris following a victory at last month’s Future Tennis Aces U.S. qualifying event at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, site of the U.S. Open, in Flushing Meadows, NY. Ranked No. 22 nationally in the 12-and-under division, Lim will compete against 15 finalists from around the world during the final weekend of the French Open.
In addition to winning an all-expense paid trip to Roland Garros, Lim will compete for a chance to play with former world No. 1 and Longines Ambassador of Elegance Stefanie Graf and member of the Longines Rising Tennis Stars Sabine Lisicki (ranked 12th at the WTA) in an exhibition match prior to the French Open Women’s Final, and financing for her tennis equipment until her 16th birthday, courtesy of Longines.
“I’m very excited to meet and play against other players from around the world,” said Lim. “I can’t wait to experience their different styles of play. This will be my first trip overseas to play a tennis tournament. I am very excited to finally be able to visit the Eiffel tower, learn about the French culture and go to the French Open at Roland Garros and have the chance of a lifetime to play on the brick clay.”
Lim started playing tennis at 5 years of age and appeared in her first national competition at age 8. Last November, she won her first USTA National Open in the 12-and-under singles division and most recently captured her second national title at the USTA National Open at Owning Mills, MD. She also placed 3rd in doubles at the same tournament.
Longines Future Tennis Aces is part of the brand’s global commitment to support and develop tennis’ superstars of tomorrow. All the players who qualified for the World Final event in Paris will have the opportunity to attend the French Open Women’s Final on June 9.
Longines is the official timekeeper of the French Open of Roland Garros. Countries competing at the Longines Future Tennis Aces World Final include: Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italia, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the United States.
A complete schedule of events follows:
Longines Future Tennis Aces World Championship Tournament
Date: Thursday and Friday, June 7-8
Time: 10 am – 6 p.m. local time Paris
Location: Roland Garros Courts 14 & 16
Longines Future Tennis Aces World FINAL
Date: Saturday, June 9
Time: 10:15 am local time
Paris Location: Roland Garros Court 7
Stefanie Graf Exhibition Match featuring finalists from Longines Future Tennis Aces
Tournament Date: Saturday, June 9
Time: 11:15 am local Paris time
Location: Roland Garros Court 7
Sweet as a Georgia Peach: Melanie Oudin, @IrinaFalconi Advance to 2nd round of @RolandGarros For 1st Time #RG12
Melanie tackles the Terre Battue and Larsson, Too
Melanie Oudin and Irina Falconi, two of Tennis East Coast’s favorite players, were both set in for early first round singles matches this morning by Roland Garros schedulers. It meant an early rise on the East Coast for fans, but it also started the French Open in a very good way for American tennis.
Oudin dispatched Johanna Larsson of Sweden 3 and 3, and was clearly elated to notch her first-ever main draw singles win at Roland Garros.
Falconi started slower, but found her form in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Edina Gallovits-Hall of Romania. She also claimed her first win on the famed ‘terre battue’. Falconi has a date with Sam Stosur in the second round, while Oudin will face the winner of Sara Errani/Casey Dellacqua.
Irina Falconi
Both players have Georgia connections. Oudin is a Marietta native and Falconi was a Georgia Tech All-American who now lives in Atlanta.
As a fan, I couldn’t have asked for a better start. There are a lot of Americans who wish they could have filled the empty seats at Roland Garros today.
–S. Fogleman
2012 French Open Week 1 Men’s Preview #RG12
2012 French Open Week 1 Men’s Preview
By Steen Kirby, TennisEastCoast.com
Roland Garros
Grand Slam
Paris, France
May 27-June 6 2012
Prize Money: €6,555,000
It is finally time for the pinnacle of the clay court season, the French Open, which kicks off Sunday in Paris and will run for a full 2 weeks that will certainly be full of thrilling tennis action from shocking upsets to dynamic winners, 5 set battles and rowdy French fans. Players like Rafa return to try and continue their dominance, while others seek to make a name for themselves in the biggest clay court event of the year.
Top 8 seeds
1: Novak Djokovic
2: Rafael Nadal (defending champ)
3: Roger Federer (last year’s finalist)
4: Andy Murray
5: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
6: David Ferrer
7: Tomas Berdych
8: Janko Tipsarevic
The only notable players missing in the field are Kei Nishikori and French favorite Gael Monfils, both of whom withdrew with injury. Monfils had been struggling recently but he always brought a certain flair and spark to Chatrier and will be missed. Who can forget this epic match in the dark with Fabio Fognini?
1st round matchups to watch:
Blaz Kavic vs. (wc) Lleyton Hewitt
Rusty will make his return to the Tennis tour after yet another bout with injury and a brisk recovery against the Slovenian Blaz Kavic. If Hewitt can advance, he could get a rematch with the man he took to an epic 4 sets at the Aussie Open, Novak Djokovic.
(22) Andreas Seppi vs. Nikolay Davydenko
Davydenko has shocked most everyone reaching the Nice semifinals this week. He has already upset Isner and is still in the running for the title. Seppi has had some fine results himself, most recently reaching the quarterfinals of ATP Rome and winning the ATP Belgrade title. Those fine performances have rocketed him into the top 25 and clay is his favorite surface. Should be an interesting matchup.
(wc) Brian Baker vs. Xaiver Malisse
In a compelling human interest story, Brian Baker, a former American top prospect who suffered numerous bouts with injury including multiple hip surgeries and was forced to retire from the tour a few years ago, has made a stunning return. That return saw him tear up the challenger circuit to earn the USTA wild card for the French Open and now reach the Nice semi-finals where he is still competing for the title. He knocked off Gael Monfils to get there. Malisse is a veteran himself and it should be interesting to watch these guys push themselves. The winner likely faces French favorite Gilles Simon.
(26) Andy Roddick vs. Nicolas Mahut
Roddick has been struggling as of late, losing a couple of matches in the World Team cup in Dusseldorf, his first matches on clay of the year (he last played in Miami where he knocked off Federer before losing to Juan Monaco). While he is ranked higher than Mahut, Mahut has to be given at least a puncher’s chance, considering he knows the surface and has had more playing time.
Benoit Paire vs. Albert Ramos
Paire, who was a finalist in Belgrade and is a home favorite Frenchmen will take on Ramos, who was a finalist in Casablanca. It should be a rowdy match-up between dirt ballers and the winner likely gets David Ferrer in a tough match-up.
Bjorn Phau vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu
Phau and Mathieu are both wily veterans hoping for a career renaissance and while neither has made too much noise as of late Mathieu, should have an eager crowd behind him.
Donald Young vs. Grigor Dimitrov
In a battle of the former phenom vs the still somewhat current phenom, a subliminally slumping Donald Young will try to pull it together for a match against the tricky Dimitrov. Young hasn’t won a match since Memphis in February, but that match was oddly enough against Dimitrov, albeit on a different surface. Dimitrov hasn’t done much himself and has mostly been lurking around the challenger circuit.
Santiago Giraldo vs. Alejandro Falla
In a battle of countrymen, the Colombian dirtballers Falla and Giraldo will duke it out. Giraldo is ranked higher (by 1 spot) and both players have had similar results recently.
Juan Ignacio Chela vs. Marcos Baghdatis
In another match-up of veterans, Chela, who hasn’t won a match since Acapulco in February, will take on Baghdatis. Though Baghdatis is higher ranked, he is still trying to pull things together.
Igor Kunitsyn vs. Denis Istomin
Kunitsyn, another veteran who is ranked just outside the top 100 and has been playing challengers recently, seeks to knock off top 50 player Istomin in a battle of the Russians. The winner likely faces Rafa.
Paris: Where Bad Artwork Looks Slightly Better
Now to preview the 1st week of the French Open. This preview will split into 2 parts the 1st with week 1 predictions and early round previews and the 2nd with week 2 predictions and late round previews coming Saturday.
Djokovic’s quarter:
Top seed Novak Djokovic, who recently changed clothing sponsors if you haven’t heard, starts off with Italian Potito “Potato Starch” Starace before a possible Aussie open rematch with the always dangerous Hewitt. If he gets through that, he will face either 30 seed Jurgen Melzer or a qualifier. It is an easy enough early round draw for the world number 1.
14 seed Fernando Verdasco, who has had some good results recently, starts off with Steve Darcis of Belgium (who goes in as a bit of a sleeper), before a likely match-up with Gilles Muller and then the dangerously hot Andreas Seppi. Seppi gets Davydenko and then Ernest Gulbis or Mikhail Kukukshkin. A 3rd round match-up between Verdasco and Seppi if they are on their games would certainly be a cracker.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 5 seed, opens up against a qualifier, followed by either dirtaballer Joao Souza or young German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. If he can get through that, with the crowd urging him on, he could face either Bucharest finalist Fabio Fognini or Serbian Viktor Troicki (who had a good run at the French last year and is seeded 28th).
Gilles Simon, who got put in the same part of the draw with fellow French favorite Tsonga, will take on American Ryan Harrison before a match-up with either Malisse or Brian Baker. Baker is a guy that most of the tour is slightly terrified of playing right now because he is doing so well. Simon just lost to Almagro in the Nice semi-finals and if he can get through Baker or Malisse, he will probably face another dangerous player, Stanislas Wawrinka, the 18 seed. Wawrinka will face Flavio Cipolla and then probably Casablanca champ Pablo Andujar.
Federer’s quarter:
Roger Federer, the ATP Madrid champ and 3 seed, opens up against veteran German Tobias Kamke. Afterward, he probably faces another vet still playing well who prefers clay, David Nalbandian. It gets slightly easier from there though as his 3rd round match-up will be either Roddick/Mahut or Dancevic/Klizan. Dancevic is coming off injury while Roddick is slumping, Roddick last beat Federer in Miami, though, so that would be a compelling 3rd round match-up.
15 seed Feliciano Lopez, another veteran Spaniard, starts off against a qualifier before a match-up with either Karol Beck or Polish doubles specialist Lukasz Kubot, then he likely faces 23 seed Radek Stepanek and then Federer.
7 seed Tomas Berdych, one of the favorites outside the top 5 this week will open up against Dudi Sela, before a match-up with either Frenchman Michael Llodra or GGL. Then he probably gets another big man, 31 seed Kevin Anderson, and another big man, the 9 seed Juan Martin Del Potro, in what is the “big man” part of the draw.
Del Potro opens up against Albert Montanes, then will face either Frenchmen Edourd Roger-Vasselin or Vasek “Vashy” Pospisil, the young Canadian. The 3rd round match-up would probably be with 21 seed Marin Cilic in a rematch of their previous battles including in Davis Cup play on clay. Cilic will have to get through Juan Carlos Ferrero first, though, and that is never an easy task on the dirt.
Murray’s quarter:
Murray is the 4 seed but this isn’t exactly “his” quarter for the taking. Never the less, he actually has a somewhat easy draw starting off with Tatsuma Ito of Japan who performed admirably in Dusseldorf this week, and then either Jarkko Niemenen or Igor Andreev. Then he will get either 25 seed Bernard Tomic, not exactly on a hot streak himself, a qualifier or Colombians Falla or Giraldo.
16 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov opens up against Ukranian Sergiy Stakhovsky and then will likely face Italian Fillipo Volandri before meeting 17 seed Richard Gasquet.
Gasquet gets a qualifier and then Dimitrov or Young. He comes in a bit under the radar but he is another French favorite and certainly a handful. He knocked off Murray in a 3-set battle in Rome and Murray could get a chance at revenge.
6 seed David Ferrer, who is the odds on favorite in this quarter of the draw, even while playing second fiddle to Nadal most of the clay court season has done quite well in his own right. He opens up against Lukas Lacko, before facing either Ramos or Paire and then either 27 seed Mikhail Younzhy/James Blake or Robin Haase/Ivan Dodig. Nothing too tricky for him early on.
10 seed John Isner, who has struggled recently, even though he was a “dark horse” pick for Roland Garros earlier in the year and is the American almost everyone is still pinning their slim clay court hopes on opens up against a qualifier and then the Mathieu/Phau winner. Then he likely faces dangerous Spanish dirtballer Marcel Granollers and then Ferrer. It is a pretty unlucky draw for the tall American.
Nadal’s quarter:
Rafa is the odds on favorite to win it all once again in Paris after dominating the clay court season winning titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome. His only slip up was against Verdasco in Madrid (he also reclaimed the number 2 ranking from Federer after losing it momentarily). Nadal starts off against Italian Simone Bollelli and then will face the Istomin/Kunitsyn winner. 32 seed Florian Mayer of Germany or Ivo Karlovic are his likely 3rd round match-ups and then Juan Monaco in the 4th round. It is an easy early draw for the Spaniard.
Monaco opens up against wild card Guillumane Rufin of France and then will get the Carlos Berlocq/Lukas Rosol winner. If he faces Berlocq it will be a battle of Argentines. 19 seed Milos Raonic is his likely 3rd round match up .
Janko Tipsarevic, the 8 seed, lost to Wawrinka in Rome but also reached the semis in Madrid and is also in the final for Serbia in Dusseldorf where he knocked off Philip Kohlschreiber. He begins against American Sam Querrey before facing either Frenchman Jeremy Chardy or Yen-Tsun Lu. He then will likely get another Frenchman, 29 seed Julien Benneteau, and then 12 seed Nicolas Almagro, who has reached the final in Nice.
Almagro, another clay court favorite, will face Paolo Lorenzi, the Baghdatis/Chela winner and then 24 seed Philip Kohlschreiber of Germany.
Dark Horses (one for each quarter of the draw): Stanislas Wawrinka, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alexandr Dolgopolov/Marcel Granollers and Phillip Kohlschreiber.
Wawrinka, the 18 seed, could easily reach the quarterfinals if he can get past Simon, who has been toiling away in Nice and will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He’ll also have to take out Tsonga, who has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride recently (getting thumped by Djokovic in Rome after beating Del Potro, losing to Dolgopolov in Madrid and Haas in Munich). If Wawrinka does this, he could be the most hated man in France for dashing French hopes. For his part, his last loss was a thriller in Rome to Andreas Seppi.
Ferrero, the former world number 1, French Open champ (2003) and French Open runner up (2002), seeks another dashing run in Paris after a nice couple of wins in Rome over Anderson and Monfils. He faces a wild card and then 21 seed Cilic. Then he would face 2 other big men, Del Potro and Berdych reach the quarterfinals. Though it is unlikely, in this part of the draw it is possible.
Dolgopolov has a great shot to reach the quarters if he can knock off Gasquet on home clay and then Murray, who is always unpredictable these days. He might even be lucky enough to avoid Murray and get Tomic in the 3rd round. He was forced to retire during his match vs. Verdasco in Rome but reached the quarters of Madrid.
Granollers is the other dark horse in this quarter (considering Murray struggles don’t exactly make him the favorite) and if he could knock off a slumping John Isner on his favorite surface, he would then most likely face Ferrer. While he would be a heavy underdog to his countryman Ferrer, stranger things have happened.
Kohlschreiber, the Munich champ, lost to Tipsarevic in the semis of the world team cup in Dusseldorf after winning a couple of matches and before that, lost to Isner in the 1st round of Rome. He has a good chance to reach the quarters if he can get past Nice finalist (and possible champ) Almagro and then get his revenge on Tipsarevic.
Week 1 predictions (4th round match-ups)
Djokovic v. Verdasco
Tsonga v. Simon
Federer v. Lopez
Berdych v. Del Potro
Ferrer v. Granollers
Murray v. Dolgopolov
Tipsarevic v. Almagro
Nadal v. Monaco
And for what it’s worth, here is my full French Open bracket prediction http://www.tourneytopia.com/RacquetBracketFrenchOpenATP/FrenchOpenATP/pool/entrypicks.aspx?entryid=297104&confirmed=true&existing=true
Quarters:
Djokovic d. Simon (dashing French hopes)
Federer d. Berdych (in a rematch of the Madrid final)
Ferrer d. Dolgopolov
Nadal d. Tipsarevic (in a rematch of the Barcelona quarter finals)
Semis:
Federer d. Djokovic (gets his revenge from the Rome defeat)
Nadal d. Ferrer (for the third time in a row on clay possibly)
Final:
Nadal d. Federer in a rematch of last year’s final. Nadal has only lost once in Paris (to Robin Soderling in 2009) and carries a 45-1 record with him. He has also dominated the rest of the clay court season and also now holds the record for most wins on clay all time.
