KARL CORBETT in SAVANNAH
Tennis players don’t have it easy. On any given day, they might face an opponent they have never seen before. Week to week, they can work in radically different climates. As the seasons change, they compete on grass, hard court and clay. Injury makes everything uncertain, and there’s no ‘bench’, no one to take their place when they are hurt. There’s pressure, too. Every tournament matters, especially here at the Challenger level. Just one win can boost a player’s ranking, allowing direct entry into tour-level tournaments.
Today, the heat is on. High heat and high humidity rule the day in Savannah, Georgia. Rain may well delay the proceedings, too.
Let’s look at our finalists. They’ve taken different paths to get to this title match. Earlier this week, Federico Coria (ARG) beat the number one seed, American Tennys Sandgren. On his way to the final, Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) knocked out players from India, the United States, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic.
Coria breezed through his semifinal match yesterday here in Savannah, beating his Australian opponent in just 77 minutes, and giving up just 6 points in the second set. Paolo Lorenzi waged war for 152 minutes plus a weather delay, and barely took more points than his Indian challenger, 94-90 in total points won. In their only other meeting, just six months ago, Lorenzi beat Coria in a 3rd set tiebreak.
Paolo Lorenzi is 37 years old, and has been ranked as high as #33 in the world. Federico Coria’s highest ranking has been #223. He is 10 years younger than Lorenzi, and 10 years younger than his brother, Guillermo, a former world #3.
2019 Champion Federico Coria Photo: Karl Corbett
Match report:
First set: Federico Coria got off to a quick lead in Savannah with two holds and a break. In the 4th game, he also converted his third break point with a screaming forehand down the line and went up 4-0.
Lorenzi changed gears and started hitting high, arcing shots to break Coria’s rhythm, and eventually to break Coria. Now it’s 4-1.
Lorenzi adjusts again. He hits short balls and comes up with nifty net play but it is not enough to hold. He has started to mutter to himself and shows definite signs of frustration. More adjustments. At 5-1, Lorenzi's lob takes the score to love-30 and he breaks Coria a second time.
At 5-2, new balls seem to help Lorenzi. At 30-all, closing a 20 shot rally, Coria dumps a backhand into the net, then sends a forehand long, and Lorenzi has a hold. Now, serving for the set, Coria engages in some self-talk, echoing his team's encouragement from the sideline and pushes through to win the set.
Coria walks off the court backwards, eyes locked with this team and points down to the green clay court as if to say: “I own this”. Lorenzi leaves for a break off court and the crew from The Landings comes out, dragging the clay surface and brushing the lines Lorenzi must be hoping that fresh clay brings a fresh start.
2019 Savannah Finalist Paolo Lorenzi Photo: Karl Corbett
Second set: In the second set, Lorenzi indeed has a fresh start and holds to love. Serving at 0-1, Coria misses an easy put away and his self-talk starts to show more frustration than confidence, yet he manages a hold. At 1-1, the drop shot is once again instrumental in Lorenzi's service hold. In the next game, Coria puts his own drop shot to good use, and holds at love. Thus far in the set, Coria’s first serve has gone in 92% of the time.
As play resumes at 2-2, what appears to be a crosscourt winner by Lorenzi is called out by the chair umpire. Paolo walks around the net, he and the umpire reading the marks in the clay like medieval fortune-tellers. Next ball, Coria clips the line with a winner and Lorenzi implores the umpire to come and take a look. The umpire doesn't budge. Lorenzi shrugs it off and wins the game.
At 4 all, Coria is still serving at 91% but things get away from him. Lorenzi gets him to love-40, and the crowd screams “Paolo… Paolo.” When Coria saves the first of three break points, his team exhorts him: “punto por punto”: one point at a time. The crowd’s adulation seems to buoy Lorenzi and he breaks Coria takes the second set 6-4.
Third set: As the final set begins, the Italian comes out swinging, the crowd urging him on. Lorenzi holds twice. Coria’s team is calling out: “’Segura… Segura…”. Confidence. It works, and he breaks Lorenzi for a 3-2 lead.
Somehow, down a break, Lorenzi still has a determined look on his face. Coria double-faults at game point, sends an ill-advised drop shot out-of-bounds, saves a break point, but still holds. There is determination on both sides of the net.
Serving, down 4-2, 15-40 someone in the crowd calls out: “You’ve got him on the ropes, Paolo.” This brings laughter from the crowd, and from Coria’s team.
Lorenzo hits an ace, his second of the match, and wins another point with clean crisp net play, but can't save a third break point. Coria is up two breaks, and the Argentine serves the match out for a 6-2 win, and the Savannah title.
Within seconds, Coria is surrounded by ball kids, and autographs every shirt and cap in sight. He hugs his team, and with a huge smile on his face, walks to the net, hugs Lorenzi and sits down to await the trophy presentation.
We certainly hope that you have enjoyed the Tennis Acumen coverage of the Savannah Challenger by Karl Corbett.
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