PETE ZIEBRON
Brian Baker won 8 matches in 8 days, including today's Final 6-4 6-3 against Frenchman Augustin Gensse to win the $50K Savannah Challenger. The win is the second Challenger title of Baker's career, he improves to 28-7 in 2012 and most importantly, wins a wild card into the main draw of Roland Garros.
Through an arrangement with the French Tennis Federation, the USTA awards one men’s singles main draw wild card to the 2012 French Open. The wild card is awarded to the American player with the highest total of cumulative singles main draw ranking points from the ATP Challenger events in Sarasota and Savannah.
Last week, Baker advanced through qualifying and reached the 2nd round in Sarasota, losing a 3-set match to American Sam Querrey. Baker would secure his wild card ticket to Roland Garros yesterday with a semifinal victory over Blake Strode.
In 2005, I saw Brian Baker play a 1st round qualifying match at the now defunct ATP Scottsdale, AZ tournament. Baker was steamrolled by German Michael Kohlmann 6-0 6-3. Later that year, Baker defeated 9th seed Gaston Gaudio in the 1st round of the US Open. However, several injuries would start to take their toll and Brain Baker did not play professional tennis from November 2007 until July 2011.
Ironically, Baker would win his first tournament when he came back, a $10K Futures tournament played on clay in Pittsburgh last July. In November, Baker won 7 consecutive matches, advancing through qualifying and getting all the way to the Final in the $50K Knoxville Challenger. With this Finals appearance, Baker raised his ranking to #462 in the world.
In his second tournament of 2012, Baker would win the $10K Futures tournament in Westin, FL in January and collect $1,300 for the 5 matches he won. Two months later, Baker would win another $10K Futures tournament in Costa Mesa, CA, collect $1,950 and raise his ranking to #337.
Last week in Sarasota, Baker advanced through qualifying of the $50K Challenger event and dropped a hard fought 3-set 2nd round match to fellow American and world #98 Sam Querrey. With this result, Baker's ranking improved to #293. Following today's Championship victory, Baker's ranking will be #214.
Coming into the Savannah Challenger, Brian Baker earned $8,295 for his results in the 9 tournaments he entered in 2012. Simply by playing the 1st round at Roland Garros, he will earn 18,000 EURO.
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