Tennis Acumen

2021 French Open final expert picks: Djokovic vs. Tsitsipas

This article originally appeared on The Grandstand.

Expert picks are back one last time at the 2021 French Open for Sunday’s singles final between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas. A three-team panel previews the action and makes its predictions.

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas

Ricky Dimon: I wouldn’t pick a non-Big 3 player over any member of the Big 3 in a Grand Slam final even if the Big 3 player was coming off an 11-hour semifinal match and had to be brought onto the court for the final in a wheelchair. Let’s just get that out of the way right now. I’ve seen enough in recent years to know that. Dominic Thiem should have won the 2020 Australian Open but crumbled at the end against Novak Djokovic. Daniil Medvedev was pretty much an even betting favorite with Djokovic in this year’s Aussie final and got blown out. Medvedev had a much better chance against Rafael Nadal at the 2019 U.S. Open, but Nadal was too tough. Other examples are Kevin Anderson (against Djokovic at Wimbledon and Nadal at the U.S. Open) and Marin Cilic (against Federer at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon). Those non-Big 3 failures don’t automatically mean that Stefanos Tsitsipas will roll over on Sunday. But they do indicate just how tough the Big 3 are in these situations. Tsitsipas vs. someone other than Nadal is actually the most competitive matchup we could get…but it still won’t make a difference. Djokovic was incredible against Nadal in the semis and on the stage of a Grand Slam final he will surely be just as good if not better. Djokovic in 4: 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

Cheryl Murray: Tsitsipas was in tears after his five-set semifinal win over Alexander Zverev, the importance of having earned a spot in his first Grand Slam final not lost on the Greek. But what he finds when he gets there will be an inspired Djokovic, who dethroned Nadal in a semifinal epic for the ages in their evening match on Friday. Tsitsipas and Djokovic have met seven times already. The world No. 1 lost two of his first three matches against the Greek, but since the 2019 Shanghai Masters it’s been one-way traffic-all going Djokovic’s direction. If the Serb wins on Sunday, he’ll have secured a double-career Grand Slam (at least two titles at each major). Tsitsipas has played well all clay season; he even took out arch rival Medvedev en route to the final, But on Sunday he runs into the unmovable wall that is Djokovic and his record-breaking ambitions. He is just two slam titles away from equalling the record of 20 shared by Nadal and Federer. A first-time slam finalist doesn’t seem like a likely candidate to keep Djokovic from adding No. 19. Djokovic in 5: 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4.

Pete Ziebron: Djokovic, following a 5-0 deficit to begin his semifinal match against Nadal, then steadied his game to win 22 of the next 34 games to advance to the final against Tsitsipas. This euphoric momentum will be able to be carried forward against a first-time major finalist. Tsitsipas will feel fortunate to be in the final after appearing to be in complete control of his semifinal before recovering just in time in the fifth set to withstand a valiant effort by Zverev. Djokovic and Tsitsipas met in the semis of Roland Garros last year, as well as in Rome this year, with the Serb winning both matches despite having to go the distance each time. Match play experience in finals will be on display from Djokovic, as well as his amazing ability to quickly recover from the last three grueling matches. Tsitsipas will have to settle for a string of six impressive consecutive wins and the runner-up trophy, as Djokovic gets within one major title of both Federer and Nadal by winning No. 19. Djokovic in 4: 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

Karlovic Saves 3 MPs, Puig Survives & Tomic Retires Early

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

Ivo Karlovic won the last five points of the 3rd set tiebreaker to defeat American Tennys Sandgren 4-6 6-4 7-6(6) on Grandstand Court to open his campaign at the Western & Southern Open on Saturday.

The match was played at a rapid pace as thirty games were completed before hitting the ninety minute mark.  Only two breaks of serve were recorded in the match and ironically, they came in consecutive fashion.  Sandgren broke at love as Karlovic was attempting to take the opening set into a tiebreaker at 4-5.  Ironically, the last four games of the opening set were won at love, including the break of serve to close the first set.

Sandgren fell behind 0-40 in the opening game of the second set, got back to 30-40 and then dropped the next point as Karlovic nosed ahead 1-0.  In the sixth game of the second set, Karlovic fell behind 0-40 before winning the next five points to take the game and go up 4-2.  

Neither player threatened to break for the rest of the match as aces and serve and volley dictated play for the majority of the rest of the match.  In fact, seven of the first eight games of the final set were holds of serve at love.

Sandgren raced to leads of 5-1 and 6-3 in the third set tiebreaker.  However, it was Karlovic who steadied his game when it counted most as he would win both of his points while serving to stay in the match at 3-6, take both of the points when Sandgren served at 6-5 and 6-all and then close the match with his 25th ace of the match to complete the victory.

Karlovic advances to play Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third match on Court 7 in the final round of qualifying.

Monica Puig serving to Anastasia Potapova on Court 10 in Cincinnati.  Pete Ziebron Images

Both Anastasia Potapova and Monica Puig struggled during the warmups, as a rally of more than three consecutive strokes was a rarity on Court 10 shortly after 10 AM.  The sloppy play prior to the beginning of the match carried into the opening set as eight breaks of serve were recorded, including six in a row beginning at three-all.  

Potapova did manage to steady her game a bit in the tiebreaker as she jumped to a 4-1 lead and served two aces when leading at 5-2 to close the breaker and take the opening set.  This were the only aces struck by either player in the first set.

However, Potapova would win just eleven points in the second set as Puig broke the Russian in her first two service games of the set and would coast to take the set at 6-1 and even the match.

With Puig serving at 1-2 in the final set, Potapova broke in a lengthy 14 point game to lead 3-1 but was not able to consolidate and we were back on serve.  Following a Puig hold to square the set at 3-all, neither player could hold in the next three games and Puig would serve for the match at 5-4.  It was a struggle as Potapova battled to 30-all before Puig pulled away and won the final two points to claim a 6-7(2) 6-1 6-4 victory in 2 hours and 28 minutes.

Monica Puig advances and will play another Russian, Veronika Kudermetova again on Court 10 at 10 AM on Sunday.

Bernie Tomic retires after nine minutes in Cincinnati.  Pete Ziebron Images

Less than one hundred people gathered to watch Bernie Tomic play Andrey Rublev on Court 7 on Saturday afternoon.  Tomic looked loose and casual during the warmups and carried that "style of play" immediately into the match.  As a result of his quick serving, he double faulted twice as Rublev broke at love.  

After dropping the opening game of the second game, Rublev won the next four points and hit consecutive aces to jump to a 2-0 lead.  Then it became apparent that something was wrong with Tomic as he was hitting serves with no pace.  After double faulting to go down 0-30, he managed to win the next three points as Rublev leaked errors as he attempted to return serves with no pace on them at all.  After double faulting for the fourth time in two games to get to deuce, Tomic somehow managed to win the next two points to take the game.  

Next, Tomic immediately called for the trainer and was favoring his right shoulder and the right side of his neck.  After a brief consultation, Tomic shook the hand of the chair umpire and retired. Rublve advances and will play Mikhail Kukushkin on Grandstand Court in the final round of qualification play.

The match lasted nine minutes.

 

 

 

Alex De Minaur Tops Taylor Fritz to Win 2019 BB&T Atlanta Open

KARL CORBETT in ATLANTA

 

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Alex De Minaur, the Champion in Atlanta as confirmed by the video board.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Champion Alex De Minaur and Finalist Taylor Fritz after receiving their trophies.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Alex De Minaur celebrates after winning the title.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Sunday July 28th in Atlanta, and it's the finals at the men’s 250 tennis tournament here. Our competitors are American Taylor Fritz and Australian Alex De Minaur. Since the tournament moved here from Indianapolis in 2010, an American has won every title every year except one, and an Australian won it that year. An American and an Australian face each other across the net today. Cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 80s, with a slight breeze, make for ideal conditions for match play. With veteran Mohammed Leyani in the chair, our match gets underway right on time.

Fritz serves. He has to shake the cobwebs off and save a break point in order to hold. De Minaur gives up just a single point in his service game and we are underway. Serving at 2-3. De Minaur is hitting the ball so hard he breaks a string. He holds at love once again. From the chair, Leyani makes sure the racket is sent to be restrung.

At 3-3, Fritz faces a breakpoint. The crowd, pulling for the American, erupts once he saves it. But De Minaur, unflappable, earns another break point…. and Fritz double faults. They change hands with De Minaur serving, and leading 4-3. The crowd calls out: “Come on, Taylor!”, but it doesn't help. De Minaur holds again and leads, 5-3. Fritz is looking discouraged… and De Minaur keeps charging: scrambling to run balls down and sending back an unpredictable variety of ground strokes over the net. Fritz wins a point, and only one, in his own service game. So De Minaur takes his seat, having won the first set, 6-3. He's given up just one point against serve, and has taken the first set in 30 minutes.

Mohamed Lahyani in the Chair for the Atlanta Final.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Second set, serving at 1-2, Fritz delights the crowd with an ace down the “T”, a challenge won and a screaming forehand winner down the line to take the game. We stand at 2-2. However, the championship seems to be slipping away from Taylor Fritz. Fritz doesn't seem to have any answers… and he can't make a real dent in De Minaur’s service games. In a matter of minutes, De Minaur walks to the bench with another service hold, and leads 4-3. 

New balls, please. 

Taylor Fritz crushes a first serve in Atlanta.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Fritz leads, 40-love on his serve, gives up a point and then smacks a 128 mile per hour service ace. We're tied at 4-4. It's been one hour, exactly since the match began. The crowd is like a rollercoaster, cheering on Fritz's serve and deadly quiet on De Minaur’s, especially in this next game. Another love hold puts De Minaur ahead, 5-4. The crowd roars as Fritz holds at love. The score is 5-5. De Minaur takes the ball and runs Fritz side to side, eventually blowing the ball by him, point after point and caps his love hold with an ace. It's 6-5, with De Minaur in the lead, and we are running out of time.

Fritz aces, then makes a rare appearance at the net to take the first two points and marches on to hold. Now it’s 6-6. Let’s have a tie-break. Fritz hasn't lost his confidence, but De Minaur keeps putting a dent in it. Fritz wins De Minaur’s first service point on a challenge. De Minaur takes it right back on the next point. 1-1. Fritz takes another De Minaur service point to go up 2-1. De Minaur takes it right back. It's 2-2, and then the wheels come off. De Minaur rips off five straight points and it's over.

Alex De Minaur on his was to the second title of his career.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Taylor Fritz serving big in Atlanta.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Fritz, known as a big server, hit nine aces in the match. De Minaur nearly matched him with 8. De Minaur lost only 10 points on serve in his 10 service games as he took this title. It was just flawless tennis. 

It's a final. The trophies are presented. Everyone is thanked, and it's on to the next town for this circus that we call professional tennis. Fritz has hit a new career-high at number 30, and he has off to Los Cabos. De Minaur has his second tour-level title….  and he's off to Washington. We look forward to their next meeting.

Alex De Minaur Defeats Reilly Opelka to Advance to Atlanta Final

KARL CORBETT in ATLANTA

Before the semifinal in the tunnel & following the match at net.  Photos: Karl Corbett

Reilly Opelka was 17 years old, and Alex De Minaur was 16 when the two met in the 2014 Wimbledon juniors. Opelka won the third set, 13 games to 11. In Sydney this year, De Minaur had home court advantage and beat Opelka in the second round 6-4, 7-6 on his way to the title. Both players are up-and-coming. Opelka is at a career-high of number 43 this week and De Minaur stands at number 31.

Opelka starts as expected, with two aces and 3 serves over 130 miles per hour in just the first game. De Minaur holds at love and the players settle in for battle, as action continues. De Minaur starts expressing his frustration at his inability to block Opelka’s pounding serves back into play.  De Minaur sends an occasional serve straight to Opelka body, taking away any power his return would otherwise have. Both players are willing to charge the net. This is entertaining tennis. At 3 all, 30-30, Opelka follows up his serve with a cross-court rocket for a winner, pumps his fist and roars. He takes the game and we are at 4-3, with De Minaur now serving. New balls, please.

Opelka wins his first return point of the match, but it's the only point he will win this game. De Minaur already has three love holds. His service is surprisingly effective. This is clearly not going to be a one-sided affair. At 4-4, De Minaur earns a break point with a half-volley that lands at the feet of a charging Opelka. Opelka saves that, and a second break point, then closes the game with back-to-back aces. Opelka leads, 5-4.

Of course, we go to a 6-6 tiebreak. De Minaur seems to have the upper hand. He's lost only 2 points against serve, one of those on a double fault. His scrambling style is serving him well. Two players, staring at each other across the net and Opelka blinks first. He double-faults at 4-4.  De Minaur serves it out to win the first set.

Alex De Minaur takes the opening set in a tiebreaker.  Photo: Karl Corbett

In the second-set, parity continues. When De Minaur serves and takes a 3-2 lead, Opelka is shouting at himself back in his chair at the change of ends. De Minaur’s variety,  including short balls that Opelka can't reach, are taking their toll. Opelka gives up three of the first four points in his service game and he is staring at 15-40. Break point one: He wins the rally with a series of devastating forehands. Break point two: an ace at 122 miles per hour down the ‘T’. Opelka rights the ship. Four straight points get us to 3-3.

From there, the bombing continues. Nobody gets close to a break point, and we arrive at 6-6 in the second set. It’s tiebreak time, and it goes back and forth. With Opelka serving at 5-6, De Minaur hits a ball at the baseline off his ankles and down the line, a scorching winner.  Opelka counters with an ace at 141 miles an hour. With the tiebreak on the line Opelka draws an error to win the second set. He leaps into the air, beating his chest, pumping his fist. The crowd roars with him.

In the land of the Falcons, the lengthy wingspan of Reilly Opelka.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Two hours in…. and set 3 begins. This is good tennis. Both players are steady, moving well and showing good ball control, creating angles when they come to the net. Nobody gets close to a break point. The high quality of play continues to two games all. Then, De Minaur draws two errors and wins a break point on yet another Opelka error, this one driven into the net. Now, it's De Minaur’s turn to roar. He now serves, up 3-2 and holds to 4-2. Opelka is off kilter, missing first serves and making routine balls look difficult. Opelka saves two break points, then double faults to set up a 3^rd. He gets himself out of trouble with massive serves, but he is still down a break and De Minaur is fired up. He holds at love and leads 5-3. Opelka struggles in his service game which goes to deuce,   then advantage out and then game set and match.

De Minaur has not been broken in the entire tournament this far, giving up very few points in his 32 service games.

After the match, De Minaur talked about his ability to stay calm and focused. He did exactly that today. He also talks about the rhythm, the practice and the repetition which has made his serve so devastating. Looking forward to tomorrow's final., he doesn’t say much. He just smiles.

Alex De Minaur will next face American Taylor Fritz in the BB&T Atlanta Open Final.

 

 

 

Reilly Opelka Advances to Atlanta Semifinals

KARL CORBETT in ATLANTA

Reilly Opelka on his way to the Atlanta semifinals.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Another quarter-final match here at the Atlanta 250 tennis tournament. Playing each other for the first time, we have Daniel Evans, a 29-year old from Birmingham, England standing across the net from 21-year old American Reilly Opelka, who has broken into the top 50 with his success this week in Atlanta. 

Opelka starts out shaky and goes down 0-30 to begin the match. He evens the score with a 136 mph serve and takes the 1st service game. By the end of the game, Opelka has served five aces. He is looking sharp. They have played enough points that you can tell:  Daniel Evans knows how to handle a serve. The war is on. 

Minutes later, Evans takes his service game to 40-love after a 20-ball rally, serves an ace down the ‘T’ and the match is tied at two games all

At three games apiece, Evans begins to pump himself up, jumping around as he's ready to receive a serve. That fresh energy comes in handy for Evans. Serving at 3-4, he saves two break points to stay on track. Four games all. 

By the time Opelka finishes his service game to go ahead 5-4, he has banged out 11 aces. With Evans serving at 5-6, Opelka makes an unfortunate error and shows signs of being visibly upset. Now, he is chirping with his box and talking to himself. He makes a couple of extra errors to take the first set to a tiebreaker. 

Opelka starts the tiebreak and again makes an error shouting his dismay as Evans goes ahead by one service point.  Opelka wins Evans first service point with a screaming cross-court winner, and we are all even. Improbably, Evans double faults. Now, he’s given up both his service points. The scales have shifted radically in under a minute.  Serving at 3-1, Opelka makes another error, screams in frustration, and we end up on the benches tied at three all.

After the change of ends, Opelka wins Evans’ next service point with solid baseline play. We now have five points against serve, out of seven points played. Evans does not win another point, and Opelka takes the first set tiebreak, 7-3. Evans scored 39 points in the set, but Opelka’s 38 points were better timed.

At this point, it is offense against defense: Opelka attacking his ground strokes and coming to the net, Evans scrambling and hustling on every point, keeping the ball in play.

Dan Evans competing in the Atlanta quarterfinals.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Fast forward to 3-3 in this second set, Evans has one only two points against serve, Opelka just three points. This is just superb tennis. Evans has proven he can take a punch, and now he is serving as effectively as his opponent. Evans shows amazing defense, returning two overhead smashes, back to back, forcing Opelka to put a ball away for a third time.  This is “lights out” play on both sides of the net.

At five all, both players have managed only four points against serve. Now, the game changes. Something has to give, and it’s Evans. Serving at 5-5, Evans makes an error at deuce and Opelka has a break point. He converts, to go ahead 6-5. Driving it off the lot, Opelka serves aces at 143 and 145 mph, shows deft touch on a rally to go up 40-0 and closes the match with a 134-mph ace.

In his press conference, Opelka said: “He hurt with that backhand slice. It’s a low ball, and it’s tough for a big guy to get down and go after it. I didn't feel comfortable out there, but I found a way to win, even though I wasn’t at my best. I was prepared to go into a third set. I even had a game plan in mind that I was pretty confident with. Glad to finish in two sets, of course.”

Alex De Minaur Wins Battle of Australians in Atlanta to Advance to Semifinals

KARL CORBETT in ATLANTA

Warmups prior to the opening quarterfinal in Atlanta.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Friday, the 26th July in Atlanta and, on another perfect day for tennis, we are into the quarterfinals. Two Australians face off, once again. 20-year old Alex De Minaur is nicknamed “Demon”, and his opponent, 26-year-old Bernard Tomic, has demons of his own.

Tomic comes out playing steady, graceful tennis. He saves two break points at 1-2. He has good hands, guides the ball expertly, and wins a lengthy game with patience and variety. At this point, however, Tomic is showing signs of physical problems.

Alex De Minaur unleashes a forehand on his way to a quarterfinal win.  Photo: Karl Corbett

De Minaur is hitting the ball as hard as he can, most of the time. He slows it down occasionally, and gives away the fact that he is coming to the net, which he is fond of. Serving at 2-3, Tomic cannot overcome another 15-40 deficit. He is broken twice in a row and the first set goes to the “Demon”, 6-2.

At the break, Tomic calls a trainer, complaining about his taped back and his abdomen, where he has suffered serious injuries before. In the second set, De Minaur breaks Tomic right away for a 2-0 lead. De Minaur makes a statement, winning his next service game with four straight Aces, to go up 3-0. 

Bernie Tomic prior to a 2nd set retirement.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Tomic retires, citing injury, and the match is over. Does this raise questions about attitude and effort on Tomic’s part? It shouldn’t, at least this time. He played well for as long as he could. In De Minaur’s comments on court after the match, he said: “I'm happy to win but I like to play matches out, not win this way.” De Minaur is on to the semi-finals here in Atlanta, marked improvement who came into this tournament with only four match wins in the last four months. 

Ironically, De Minaur and Tomic may meet again next week in Washington in the 2nd round.  De Minaur has a 1st round BYE and Tomic will need to defeat Andrey Rublev in the opening round for the rematch to unfold.

Tomic Wins & Will Face Another Australian in the Quarterfinals in Atlanta

KARL CORBETT in ATLANTA

A view of the city from the Grandstand at the BB&T Atlanta Open.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Thursday was a gorgeous day in Atlanta. Warm and breezy and a perfect day for tennis.

The featured match of the day demonstrated the international nature of the game. Matt Ebden, age 31, was born in The Republic of South Africa.

Bernard Tomic, age 26, was born in Germany and lives in Monte Carlo. They both play under the Australian flag.

Tomic has won all three matches they have played, most recently a qualifying match in Cincinnati, almost 5 years ago.

The stage is set for two Australians to go head-to-head. Compared to the big servers, this match seems really slow. First serves range from 95 to 110 miles per hour with an occasional  120. Second serves come across the net at below 75 miles per hour.

There were three breaks early on in the first set, back to back, in games 3, 4 and 5.

It’s fun to watch. Lots of slices. Placement versus power. Both players massaging the ball unpredictably. It's not furious, but it is entertaining tennis.

Bernie Tomic advances to the Quarterfinals.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Both players are playing well and serving well,  going for big shots and making them consistently. Ebden used the drop shot to great effect, but Tomic’s extra break in game 5 held up and, and the first set went to Tomic, 6-4. 30 points were scored on each side of the net.

In the second set, a pattern of rapid play emerges. Both players’ service games are, on average, under 2 minutes. At 5-5, Tomic has a break point, but Ebden wins the rally when Tomic leans the wrong way and watches helplessly as an Ebden forehand drops on the baseline. With three double faults in that game alone, Ebden is lucky to escape and get to a tiebreak.

Ebden’s luck does not hold, and a double fault gives Tomic the edge he needs to win the second set tiebreaker and the match.

Tomic will go on to play Alex de Minaur, another Australian ‘up and comer’, in the quarterfinals

 

Opelka vs. Isner - Battle of the Titans in Atlanta

KARL CORBETT in ATLANTA

Monday night at the BB&T Atlanta Open.  Photo: Karl Corbett

It’s a battle of the titans here in Atlanta, as the two biggest servers in the game face off.

Looking at all of the service records in men’s tennis, we are seeing a changing of the guard that happens just once in a generation. At forty years old, six foot eleven inches tall, Croatian Ivo Karlovic has held just about every record over the years, including a top ten record of 59 aces in a single match, earlier this year at the Australian Open.

American John Isner, standing six feet ten inches tall, is best remembered for a marathon match at Wimbledon in 2010, with a fifth set ending with Isner on top, 70 games to 68. Both Karlovic and American John Isner have placed serves in excess of 156 miles per hour.

On Monday, 34-year old American John Isner faced a new titan, American Reilly Opelka, age 21.

Isner has the home court advantage here in Atlanta. He played college tennis at the University of Georgia, and has won this tournament five times. 

Opelka can walk on court with confidence, however, having beaten Isner twice this year, in New York, where he took his first title, and at the Australian Open. 

Reilly Opelka on his way to advancing in Atlanta.  Photo: Karl Corbett

This is predictable tennis. Ace after ace, six games all in the first set. As the tiebreak begins, Isner has already hit twelve aces, Opelka eleven. Only twelve points have been scored against the serve in twelve games. 

Early in the first set tiebreaker, Opelka blocked a couple of serves, managed to stay in some points and earned a point against serve. At 4-1, an easy put-away shot by Isner, at the net, comes back as a screaming cross-court winner. Opelka leads 5-1, then hits an amazing shot that just grabs the line, and takes the first set.  

In the second-set, serving at 1-2, Opelka sends a 110 mile per hour serve out wide. It's both power and finesse now, Opelka adding accuracy to raw speed. Isner can't touch the ball. Then, ace after ace, Opelka caps of the first set tiebreak with a serve at over 130 miles an hour.

Second set. Over and over, returners watch a ball go by, nod their heads, and carry on with grim determination. At change-overs, Isner always marches back on court with a towel between his teeth. Opelka adjusts his hat to settle in for another game. Serving at 4-4, Isner double-faults to 15-30 and the crowd comes alive, calling his name. It’s home court advantage, and Isner takes the next three points to close out the game. How about a tiebreak, once again? Early on, Opelka unleashes at 138 miles per hour. Not every ball is an ace, though. With Opelka serving at 2-3, Isner blocks a serve back into play and wins a rare rally to go up 4-2. In a matter of moments. Isner serves the tiebreak out, winning 7-5.

5-time Atlanta Champion John Isner.  Photo: Karl Corbett

One set all. 

These games are predictable, yet awesome to watch. It is a war game, after game.

It’s the third set, tied at 5-5. We are even, at 27 points apiece.  Serving at 15-30, Opelka falters. He double-faults, and Isner has his first break points, after two hours and 15 minutes. Opelka goes big to Isner’s backhand, saves both break points, and then a third. 

Why don’t we just have a third-set tiebreak?

When we do see a rally, Isner is hitting the ball flat and hard. Opelka is lifting and steering the ball, sacrificing speed for placement. Early in the tiebreak, Opelka blocks a serve to the body, and it comes back as an improbable drop shot winner. Opelka leads, 2-1. Next point, Opelka hits his fastest serve of the night, 139 miles per hour, for a clean ace. It’s 3-1. Next ball. An ace up the ‘T’, and it’s 4-1. 

Isner takes his points, but with Opelka serving at 4-3, Isner can’t take advantage of a rally, and hits a ball short and wide, that drops at the umpire’s feet. 

Pressure. Opelka has match point, serving at 6-5, but misses his first serve. Isner takes the second serve, creates a rally and comes to the net. Opelka places the perfect passing shot to take the match.  

Three tie-break sets, Opelka winning two sets to one. So far, this year, Opelka stands 3-0 against Isner, and every one of their ten sets played has gone to a tiebreak.

Reilly Opelka held his ground in Atlanta, John Isner’s home turf. He’s certainly a force to be reckoned with. With this victory, Opelka hits a new career high at number 46 in the world…  

 

Savannah Challenger Final - Coria Defeats Lorenzi

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 3^rd 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.

Savannah Challenger Semifinals

KARL CORBETT in SAVANNAH

Photo: Karl Corbett

Every tennis tournament is a war of attrition. Only one player emerges unscathed. There are always surprises and setbacks, upsets and injuries. Everything is running true to form here at the 2019 Savannah Challenger event.

Of the 16 seeded players, only #2 and #15 remain, one on each side of the draw. Two of our seeds fell to injuries, and twelve were imply beaten.

Diversity, again, is the order of the day. Our semifinalists include an Argentine, an Australian, and Indian and an Italian. 17 Americans have been sent home.

Our first semifinal:

#15 seed Federico Coria (ARG) has played tough tennis, taking out two French adversaries and beating the #1 seed, American Tennys Sandgren, in straight sets. He’ll face Aleksandar Vukic (AUS), who had to fight his way through the first two rounds, playing three tiebreak sets overall. He’s played just one set since then, given an opponent’s injury in round 3 and a walkover in round 4.

The two have never met.

Our second semifinal:

#2 seed Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) has only dropped one set so far, taking out the #6 and #16 seeds along the way. Ranked #108, this clay court veteran could move up to #102, should he take the title here. His opponent, Sumit Nagal (IND), entered this event ranked #332 in the world, and has improved his ranking 29 places just by getting this far. His play keeps getting stronger as the week rolls on. Like our first semifinal, it’s the first time Nagal and Lorenzi have played

Semi-final #1: Match report.

Federico Coria advances to the Savannah Final  Photo: Karl Corbett

It is hard to describe the intensity of live men’s tennis. Nothing you see on television will give you a clue. However, our first semi-final was about finesse, not power. There was not a single ace served in the match. In his second service game, Aleksandar Vucik sent one down the middle and came to the net. Federico Coria punished him with a screaming winner down the line, setting up a break point. Vucik never tried that tactic again.

Later, receiving at 4-4, Coria parked out wide in the ad court and pummeled forehands again and again to earn a break. At 5-4, Coria took the first set with a stylish drop shot that Vucik never touched.

Until the last few weeks, Vucik had not played clay courts since June of ‘18, and it was starting to show. In the second set, Vucik’s opening service game ended with a lengthy rally, capped off by yet another Coria drop shot. Coria took a love hold and the air went out of the stadium. Vucik was broken again, having won a total of two points thus far in the set  . As Coria is served at 3-0, Vucik missed two easy put aways. You could see it on his face. You could read it in his eyes. It was effectively over. Errors kept coming. Vucik tried a drop shot that landed six feet short of the net,  and  gave up another break to 5-0. Coria held at love,  and the match was over. In the second set, Coria’s first serve  fell in at 88%, and he won 25 of the set’s 31 points, to move in to tomorrow’s final. Well earned.

Semifinal #2: Match report

Rain fell the minute the first match ended, and a passing shower hammered the canvas roof on stadium court, but the second match got underway on schedule.

Sumit Nagal broke Paolo Lorenzi at 2-2 with a thunderous cross-court winner, as rain threatened again. Storms passed to the north and south. Our venue at The Landings slipped through the eye of the needle without a drop of rain. It was such a close call that officials called a lightning delay, even though the horizon was starting to show blue skies.

Play resumed, and Nagal held at 3-2, leaping in the air to take high, bouncing balls and smash them downward into Lorenzi’s side of the court.

Even with his aggressive play, Nagal could not hold. It’s all even at 3. Lorenzi returned the aggression with an ace, the first of the match, to start his service game, and held at love. The war was on. New balls, please. High quality tennis, long rallies, grunts and shouts at every shot. Nagal cracked under the pressure. Serving at 4-5, he double faulted, with the second serve dropping six feet past the service line. Then three errors and Lorenzi had the first set, 6-4.

At age 37, Paolo Lorenzi has seen it all. When he comes to the net and is beaten with a screaming passing shot, he carries on. Broken, down 2-0 in the second set, he painted the lines on second serves, charged the net for ridiculous drop shot winners and held at love. Three games later, Lorenzi broke back. 3 all in the second. New balls, please.

Somewhere along the line, the changeover music played: “Hold On, I’m Coming”, which only worked for the next two games. Then, Nagal broke at 4 all and served out the second set, 6-4

The war rages on. Storms are looming on the court and on the weather radar. Lorenzi breaks for a 2-love lead. Nagal screams with rage. The skies darken.

2019 Savannah Semifinalist Sumit Nagal  Photo: Karl Corbett

Another break for Lorenzi and a medical timeout for Nagal. “Hold On, I’m Coming” two more times and Lorenzi leads, 4-1. Storms pass to the north and south, and the Savannah Challenger once more slips through the eye of the needle. Nagal serves at 2-5. Lorenzi starts throwing up lobs on every ball until Nagal throws a lob back his way. Then Lorenzi hits the hardest, flattest ball in his repertoire and draws an error. Lorenzi is serving at match point. Another lob, another error, and it’s over.                   

Dispirited, Nagal shakes hands at the net. Lorenzi is going to the final. The house music starts up with a snappy little tune: “Happy”. Lorenzi is. Nagal isn’t.

Savannah Challenger Quarterfinals

KARL CORBETT in SAVANNAH

On site at the Savannah Challenger  Photo: Karl Corbett

The game of tennis is all about diversity: differing styles, different surfaces, differing skills and strengths. The world is well represented here in Savannah. Today’s singles matches pit nation against nation: Two French players match up against an Argentine and an Indian, two Americans face an Australian and an Italian in the Challenger’s quarterfinals.

There’s diversity in these athletes, as well. Differences in height: 9 inches (23 cm), in weight, 35 pounds (16 kg) and in age: 17 years. They rank from #108 in the world to # 354.

This diversity creates uncertainty. Who will be ‘on their game’? Whose style will stymie their opponent? The stage is set: four battles on the green clay of Georgia. Four winners will emerge. When the dust clears, we will share what we have seen.

Federico Coria of Argentina  Photo: Karl Corbett

First match results: Coming off a surprise win against #1 seed Tennys Sandgren the previous day, Federico Coria would be favored by most against Frenchman Alexandre Muller, and this match really was not a contest. Coria is quite comfortable on clay. 38 of his last 40 tournaments have been on this surface, while 8 of Muller’s 10 tournaments in 2019 were on hard courts. From the first ball, Coria’s footwork was on display, shuffling with geometric precision to set up each shot.

Muller, ranked #310 in the world, is not afraid to show his emotions, punishing himself with his racket and talking softly to himself after each miss. His most notable moments have been a 2017 wild-card entry into the French Open, where he ran out of gas and lost the 5^th set 6-0. At the time, he described the event “a dream, to be playing against top 100 players.” His biggest win came in 2018, when he returned to the French Open and beat American Donald Young in the qualifiers.

Coria has been recently surrounded by controversy. In June of 2018, Coria was banned from the sport for two months for behavior referred to in press releases as "gambling-related activities”.  By August, he was back on the clay, winning his first tournament, a Futures event in Romania.

Today in Savannah, Coria defeated Muller handily, 6-4, 6-1. In the second set, Muller won just 9 points in total, including a love hold when he served at 0-5.

Frenchman Alexandre Muller  Photo: Karl Corbett

The second scheduled match never happened. Tommy Paul withdrew, citing a turned ankle. His aggressive baseline style has served him well in recent weeks, and earned him a wild card entry into the 2019 French Open. After winning 11 of his last 12 matches, Paul was unable to continue his winning streak. 

As a result, Aleksandar Vukic of Australia advanced to the semifinals without having to hit a ball today.  In fact, Vukic needed just one set to reach the quarters when his opponent in the 3rd round, American Collin Altamirano retired after losing the first set in a tie breaker.

 

American Tommy Paul won the USTA Wild Card into the Main Draw of Roland Garros  Photo: Karl Corbett

Australian Aleksandar Vukic  Photo: Karl Corbett

Third match up: The smallest players left in the draw, Sumit Nagal and Corentin Moutet, are equals in age, height and weight, but they have little else in common. Moutet, from France, ranks # 126. Nagal, from India, stands at # 332. Nagal is a right-hander, Moutet a lefty. Nagal was cool under fire. Moutet gave up break points at critical moments.

Nagal is lightning quick, with a massive forehand, which he played cross-court to the Moutet backhand with great effect. Any weak effort from the Frenchman saw Nagal at the net, putting angled volleys away for winners.  Moutet was steady, with an occasional flare of acrobatic skill as he elevated to put away backhand winners.

Nagal always seemed to be a step ahead, however,  Moutet did save critical points with stunning drop volleys, never afraid to work his way to the net.  In the end, Nagal took it away in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5.

Sumit Nagal of India  Photo: Karl Corbett

Corentin Moutet of France  Photo: Karl Corbett

Besides wearing their hats with the bill in back, Chris Eubanks and Paolo Lorenzi have very little in common.

Eubanks was born in Atlanta, Lorenzi in Rome. Eubanks is 22, Lorenzi 37. Since last year’s French Open, Eubanks has played in 2 clay court tournaments, Lorenzi in 20.

The Italian took the first set 6-3 on 2 consecutive unforced errors by the American. Lorenzi consistently out-rallied Eubanks, winning a great majority of Eubanks’ second serve points, and even more of his own. Use of the drop shot showed Lorenzi’s experience, as he kept his 6’ 7” opponent scrambling and guessing.

Eubanks started to show his emotions in the opening game of the second set, giving voice to his frustration and  slamming his racket onto the green clay of Savannah. He held off  5 break points, but could not hold off 6, and Lorenzi was off and running for a 6-3 win, and a slot in Saturday’s semis in Savannah.

Christopher Eubanks of the United States  Photo: Karl Corbett

Paolo Lorenzi of Italy  Photo: Karl Corbett

Saturday's Semifinals feature Federico Coria vs. Alaksandar Vukic  and Sumit Nagal vs. Paolo Lorenzi.  There is up to a 90% chance of rain for the middle of the afternoon on Saturday in Savannah.

 

Revisiting Tommy Paul Saving ALL 15 Break Points vs. Tennys Sandgren in Sarasota

KARL CORBETT in SAVANNAH

In the interview posted yesterday with Tennys Sandgren, a match was discussed in which he was not able to convert any of the 15 Break Point Chances he had against fellow American Tommy Paul last week in Sarasota.

Today, we will hear from Tommy Paul as well as Mike Cation about the match from Sarasota.

Tommy Paul in action today in Savannah.   Photo: Karl Corbett

Tommy Paul struggled in Savannah.  He has seen a lot of that, missing five months due to injury in 2018.  The hard work is staring to pay off.  On the 2019 clay court swing through the Southern US, he has seen triumph, winning 10 of his 11 matches.  In Sarasota, he took the title.  In Tallahassee, he reached the final.

He’s made a good start in Savannah, where Tennis Acumen had an exclusive interview on court after a difficult second-round victory. We asked him about a remarkable match the week before in the Tallahassee semifinals. Facing Tennys Sandgren Paul saved 15 out of 15 break points to notch the victory

TA: You gave us an incredible performance last week, saving all fifteen break points you faced against Tennys Sandgren.

TP: Thanks.  In the match against Sang, I definitely played well on the on the big points. You know, the break points were kind of the key points in the match, and I really stepped up in those points.

TA: How was the level of play in that contest?

TP: I feel like there were definitely some of those break points where he had chances. I know he had a short ball on one of them, but I feel like most of them were high-quality points from both of us. I feel I got most of them working hard, playing good points.

TA: That's what he said. He says that you took most of those points right off his racket.

TP: That’s right. I played so many points really well. I hit some forehand winners, I had good serves. Some of them, were long points, but it went well.

TA: Sandgren described that as playing “lights out”. How does that feel, when you are in zone?

TP: Well, I’d rather be up 40-15, than facing break points, you know? I’d much rather that it not be break point.

TA: Absolutely, but you kept going. How did it feel when you walked in and shook his hand at the net?

TP: It really felt good. It was my second Challenger title. I was pretty pumped, just ‘cause I'm working really, really hard. So, to finally get another win is always, always a good thing. I've been working hard, so I feel like I earned. It was good.

Tommy Paul survives a grueling 3 setter and advances in Savannah.  Photo: Karl Corbett

Mike Cation has likely seen more tennis matches than anyone else you’ll ever meet. He provides commentary for the USTA as they stream every Challenger level match live, atwww.livstream.com/atp.  Cation covers matches, start to finish, day after day, all season long.

Tennis Acumen spoke with Cation in Savannah, Georgia, and ask for his analysis on a remarkable final that had taken place two weeks prior.

TA: We had a remarkable match, the final in the Sarasota Challenger, between Tennys Sandgren  and Tommy Paul, in which Paul saved all 15 break points he faced. I have spoken with both Sandgren and  Paul about the match, but you were there, too, Mike. From the booth, what was the experience?

MC:  You don’t notice that it’s starting to get crazy until about 10 break points in. A lot of it was just kind of back and forth between the two of them. It was pretty normal, but I think it just got more and more frustrating for Sandgren,  knowing exactly what Tommy was going to do with the kick serve out wide to the ad side, combined with Tennys’ inability to solve it early. And Tennys certainly has those moments where he lets things get to him, and they just kind of bubble and percolate and it just got worse and worse and worse for him. Then, it just got to a point where I don't think that anybody courtside even believed that he would be able to find a break.

TA: With the pressure mounting, how did the players handle it, from your point of view, Mike?

MC: Sandgren has mental hurdles that he places in front of himself, at times. So, he was the one who struggled with it, and it just got worse and worse and worse. Sandgren was talking to himself about the fact that he wasn't able to convert.

There was one game, early in the second set (Cation refers to the meticulous handwritten notes he keeps)…   Yes, it was the  second game of the of the second set. He had seven break chances and then he had two the next game…  three the next game… so it just seems like a three-game stretch where he had break chance after break chance and just couldn't get it. So it just got worse and worse. In those three games, when he wasn’t able to convert the last one, the match was done.

TA: Have you seen other matches like that? Is that rare or remarkable?

MC: Yeah, I think I think it's more remarkable just because of the setting. This was a final. Obviously, now it has a lot of implications for the French Open wildcard that Tommy just earned here in Savannah.

MC: I worked a match in Sacramento, it was Taylor Fritz’ first Challenger title. In that final, I think he fought off 15 out of 16 against Jared Donaldson. So I mean, it's not unheard of, by any means. Even Roger Federer has those days where he can't convert a break chance.  That's rather well known in tennis circles. So it's not unheard of. There was just a lot riding on that match.

TA: And did you talk with the players after the match, Mike?

MC:  I talked to Tommy and I mean, he just said that it was very simple. He was just going back to the well, while Sandgren couldn't solve it. Tommy Paul was  able to go back to that serve time after time, and he was just going to do that until Sandgren was able to figure it out. And unfortunately for Tennys, he wasn't able to do that.

TA: Thanks for sharing the story, Mike. We’ll talk soon, I hope.

 

Savannah Challenger - 1st & 2nd Round Coverage from Tuesday

KARL CORBETT in SAVANNAH

The 2019 edition of the ATP Savannah Challenger  Photo: Karl Corbett

Savannah, Georgia is the sweet spot of the southern United States. This week’s Challenger event is set at The Landings, a beautiful forested setting in the suburbs. Towering Live Oak trees are draped with Spanish Moss, creating a beautiful setting for professional tennis. This is the 3rd week of the clay court swing through the southern United States. The Landings first hosted the tournament in 2009.

The St. Joseph's / Candler Savannah tournament took on an added air of importance when, at the last moment, a former champion, Tennys Sandgren, accepted a wild card and entered the tournament as the number one seed.

The field is dominated by the home country, with 16 Americans in the draw. Europeans and in the field hail from: Great Britain, France, Germany Switzerland and Denmark, Italy and Croatia. South Americans represent their home countries of Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Venezuela.

Federico Coria of Argentina in 1st round action.  Photo: Karl Corbett

In second round matches, South Americans showed their clay court prowess. Marcelo Barrios Vera, a 21-year-old from Chile, lost the first set to Croatian Nino Serdarusic. Barrios Vera had more first serves in the box in the first set, but was broken twice, while Serdarusic saved both break points he faced. In the second and third sets,  Serdarusic had a higher first serve percent, but Barrios Vera prevailed in both sets to take the match. He moves on to face American Chris Eubanks in the third round. Eubanks defeated Denis Yevseyev from Kazakhstan in straight sets, putting in 80% of his first serves in both sets.

Pictured above, Federico Coria of Buenos Aires served at a 76% first serve percentage to defeat Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-2 7-5.  Next up Coria in insured of playing an American, either #1 seed Tennys Sandgren - Alexander Ritschard.

Demonstrating the international nature of the game, Vietnamese pro Nam Hoang Ly, ranked #418 in the world, notched  a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Venezuela’s Ricardo Rodriguez-Pace to set up a second round matchup against the tournament's number 2 seed, Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi.

Third round action begins on Wednesday and a high of 82F is expected.

 

Mikhail Kukushkin & Matteo Berrettini Win Semis, Meet in Inaugural Phoenix Final

PETE ZIEBRON in PHOENIX

Greeted by a Canadian Goose on Semifinal Day at the Arizona Tennis Classic.  Pete Ziebron Images

Saturday afternoon at the Phoenix Country Club, a near capacity crowd enjoyed sunny 80F temperatures at the first Arizona Tennis Classic, an impressive new edition to the ATP Challenger schedule.  The sun and warmth was a far cry from the unseasonable cold just 72 hours earlier.

Mikhail Kukushkin advances to the Final.  Pete Ziebron Images

Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan raced to a 6-1 opening set win over Italian Salvatore Caruso, who upset #1 seed David Goffin on Friday afternoon.  The world #43 Kukushkin broke the Italian in his first service game and two more times in the opening set.  In the next set, Kukushkin also did not face a break point against and finally did break Caruso as he served for a 6-5 lead in the second set.  Following the break, Kukushkin closed out the match on his serve for a 6-1 7-5 victory.

Next up, Matteo Berrettini of Italy took on Argentine Guido Andreozzi.  The opening set was high quality tennis as there were no breaks of serve, although Berrettini failed to break on all six of his chances.  In the eleventh game of the first set, there were nine deuces, Berrettini did not convert breaks on four occasions and finally Andreozzi won the game on his fifth game point.  In total, 23 points were played in the eleventh game.  Although the next game also went to deuce, Berrettini hit his fifth ace of the set to take it to a tiebreaker.  The players split the first four points before the Italian took the next four to claim a 6-2 lead.  Two points later, the world #57 Berrettini won the opening set 7-6(3).

Matteo Berrettini cruises to victory in the second set.  Pete Ziebron Images

Although Andreozzi won 47 points in the first set, he could only manage to win just nine in the second set as Berrettini coasted to a 6-1 second set win to advance to the final.

Ironically, Matteo Berrettini and Mikhail Kukushkin also met in an ATP Challenger Final last year on this same week, at the now defunct Irving Challenger.  Kukushkin won that match 6-2 3-6 6-1 and is the higher ranked player heading into today's Final.

The Canadian Geese arriving at the Arizona Tennis Classic.  Pete Ziebron Images

 

Casper Ruud & David Goffin Advance in Phoenix

PETE ZIEBRON in PHOENIX

Casper Ruud of Norway defeats Elias Ymer of Sweden   Pete Ziebron Images

Following the initial three games of the Jeremy Chardy - Lorenzo Sonego match on Center Court at the Arizona Tennis Classic, I ventured over to Court 2 to watch an intriguing battle between youngsters Elias Ymer of Sweden and Casper Ruud of Norway.

The Swede took control of the match early on and yielded just 14 points in the opening set to Ruud in winning 6-1.  However the Norwegian was able to correct course in the following set.  Despite the fact that Ruud was able to convert just one of the five break points he had, it would prove to be enough as the match was now leveled at a set apiece with a 6-3 tally in the middle set.  In the final set, Ruud earned an early break and it seemed that it would just be a matter of time until he would advance to the next round.  The Norwegian was able to find another gear in the final set while Ymer never really threatened in the match following a solid opening set.

My vantage point for the match was exactly between Elias Ymer's Father and Casper Ruud's family.  They sat in the top row of three rows of bleachers while I stood behind the temporary seating arrangement.  Ironically they played the match on a court where Madison Keys won a $75K title in 2012 in the now defunct Goldwater Classic.  

Immediately following Ruud's win, Italian Lorenzo Sonego stunned Jeremy Chardy on Center Court.  In the three games I saw in that match, Sonego's service motion and a bit of his game reminded me of Robin Soderling.  Next up on Center was the David Goffin - Roberto Carballes Baena match, with the winner to take on Ruud the following day.

The first row behind the baseline features a very unique vantage point.  Picture the short wall down the right field line in Fenway Park and this is basically what we have in Phoenix, a wall no higher than four feet tall.  Sitting in this seat enabled me to watch the backswing from an entirely new perspective.

Goffin cruised to an easy 6-1 first set win and it appeared that he would be off the court in an instant.  However Carballes Baena had other ideas and was able to break the Belgian twice and rally back from a 1-4 deficit.  Unfortunately, the Spaniard was not happy with a call that would have given him a 40-0 lead.  Instead, he lost the point in question and proceeded to lose the next three points to get broken.  Despite breaking back and holding, Goffin served out the match and won the second set 6-4.

The following day, Goffin would defeat Ruud 7-6(4) 7-6(4) to advance to the quarterfinals.

 

Arizona Tennis Classic Observations - More Like an ATP 375 Rather Than A Challenger

PETE ZIEBRON in PHOENIX

The Arizona Tennis Classic at The Phoenix Country Club  Pete Ziebron Images

When the draw for the inaugural Arizona Tennis Classic was released on Sunday it looked like something better than an ATP 250 but not quite an ATP 500 - more like an ATP 375, if such a thing existed.  Five ATP top 50 players entered the Main Draw, including world #21 David Goffin, the #1 seed in this ATP Challenger.

Today I arrived on the grounds of the Phoenix Country Club just before 4 PM local time and was able to see one full match and parts of two others.  Poland's Kamil Majchrzak defeated Mikael Ymer of Sweden 7-6(3) 6-3 in 89 minutes on Court 2 to advance to the second round.  Majchrzak was extremely efficient in break point conversions, winning all four on the day.  The twenty year-old Ymer showed flashes of talent in the match but struggled to find his first serve, coming in at just 51% in the match.

Britain's Dan Evans in early round action in Phoenix.  Pete Ziebron Images

The next match on Court 2 featured {Alt} Ernesto Escobedo of the United States against Daniel Evans of Great Britain.  The opening game took ten minutes before the American finally claimed it.  In fact, the Brit looked a bit bewildered at the overall pace of Escobedo's game, particularly his serve.  During the match, Escobedo's coach confirmed to me that his serve tops out near 140 MPH.  Despite falling behind 1-3. Evans broke at love to get back on serve and then took the opening set 6-4 at exactly 6:00 PM local time.  Evans then stated to the umpire that it was too dark to continue and that he "wouldn't even be playing golf in this poor light."  The brit got his wish and the match was suspended due to darkness.

Moving to Center Court, Elias Ymer, older brother of Mikael, faced veteran Czech Lukas Rosol.  The Swede dazzled the crowd with spectacular shot making and took the opening set 6-3.  Next, he was up a break at 3-2 when the heavy rain returned and washed out the remainder of play for the day in Phoenix.

This new ATP 375 tournament, OOPS I mean ATP Challenger, is a nice opportunity for player to get competitive match play following their departure from Indian Wells and prior to Miami.

 

 

Stakhovsky Turns Tables on Lestienne in Most Unusual Manner - 269

PETE ZIEBRON - Tennis in 269

In nearly every sport, the player or team that scores or accumulates the most points wins the game or match.  Not necessarily in tennis as fuzzy math can sometimes make an appearance, as was the case on back to back days at a recent ATP 250 tournament in France.

Last week in Marseille, Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine faced Frenchman Constant Lestienne in the 2nd round of qualifying.  Despite the fact that Stakhovsky won 12 more points in the match (94-82), it was Lestienne who won 7-5 1-6 7-5 to advance to the Main Draw.

Ironically, Stakhovsky's fortune turned when he gained entry into the Main Draw as a Lucky Loser, replacing an injured Gael Monfils.  In a twist of fate, the Ukrainian was placed in the draw to play Lestienne yet again, for the second consecutive day!

This time, Lestienne won more points in the match (89-88) yet did not achieve victory.  Instead, Stakhovsky edged out a 7-6(3) 1-6 6-3 win to advance to the second round.

Players who meet in the final round of qualifying have indeed previously met again immediately in the first round of the Main Draw.  However, this may be the very first time that the winner of these matches actually tallied a lower number of total points on consecutive days.

Stakhovsky was able to win his next match in Marseille, against yet another Lucky Loser, Gregorie Barrere, before falling in the quarterfinals to eventual Champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Marseille was the first quarterfinal berth at an ATP event in nearly four years for Stakhovsky.  The most recent being February 2015 in Dubai.

 

 

Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov - 269 Flashback to Indian Wells Opening Round

PETE ZIEBRON

Earlier this year, I attended one day of matches at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.  The marquee match was the return of Serena Williams, who defeated Zarina Diyas 7-5 6-3 to open the Thursday night session.  However, two men's matches involving a pair of 21 year-old Russians intrigued me significantly more.

During the day session, Daniil Medvedev, then ranked #57 defeated American Steve Johnson 7-6(0) 6-4 to advance to the second round.  The match was featured on Center Court and the Russian provided just a glimpse of the electrifying tennis that he would produce much later in 2018.  In January, as a qualifier, Medvedev won the ATP 250 event in Sydney.  However, during the spring months, he would suffer a five match losing streak.  However, Medvedev would defeat Johnson once again in August, this time in the Winston-Salem final.  In October, he would beat Kei Nishikori to win the ATP 500 in Tokyo.  Medvedev ended 2018 with three titles and ranked 16 in the world.

Well after 11 PM at Indian Wells, Stadium 2 featured two more Russians doing battle in the 3rd set, this time world #41 Karen Khachanov against #76 Evgeny Donskoy.  Khachanov served for the match but was broken and Donskoy would eventually prevail in a breaker 6-3 1-6 7-6(4).  Khachanov, who won the 250 in Marseille in February, would also win the Paris Masters 1000 in October, defeating Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-4 in the final.  The lanky Russian defeated four consecutive top ten players and finished 2018 as world #11.

Qualifier Marius Copil Reaches Basel Final

PETE ZIEBRON

Marius Copil in action against Marin Cilic in Cincinnati.  Peter Ziebron Images 

 

Marius Copil defeated both Zverev brothers en route to the ATP Basel 500 Final, where he competed exceptionally well before falling to defending Champion Roger Federer 6-7(5) 4-6 last Sunday i n Switzerland.  Copil advanced to world #60 from #93 as a result of his run to the final.

The Romanian won both qualifying matches in straight sets: 7-5 7-5 over Mischa Zverev and 6-3 6-4 over Dusan Lajovic to gain entry into the main draw.

In each of his main draw matches, Copil played a tiebreaker and won all of them until the semifinals.  Round one saw Copil defeat American Ryan Harrison 6-2 7-6(8).  Next up, the Romanian ousted world #6 Marin Cilic 7-5 7-6(2).

Marius Copil in Cincinnati at the Western & Southern Open.  Peter Ziebron Images

Earlier this year, I saw Copil compete quite well against Cilic in the 2nd round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.  Copil won the opening set in a breaker before falling to the former Cincinnati Champion 7-6(4) 4-6 4-6.  His victory over Cilic in Basel was actually the third time they played since August, as they would again meet in the opening round of the US Open, with Cilic winning 7-5 6-1 1-1 (RET).

Following the win in Basel over Cilic, Copil faced upstart American Taylor Fritz and won 7-6(6) 7-5 to advance to the semifinals to face world #5 Alexander Zverev.  Despite finally dropping a breaker in Switzerland, Copil won the match 6-3 6-7(4) 6-4 to reach the final and face Federer.

The Swiss was a bit too good for Copil on Sunday as he won his 99th career title 7-6(5) 6-4.

Throughout the main draw matches, Copil hit 89 aces with just 14 double faults, including a 21 ace, zero double fault performance against Cilic.

 

Novak Djokovic the First to Win All Nine Masters 1000 Titles, Defeats Roger Federer in Cincinnati

PETE ZIEBRON

Novak Djokovic wins Cincinnati on his sixth trip to the Final.  

Novak Djokovic saved his best tennis of the week in Cincinnati for the Final and as a result, he was finally able to win the Western & Southern Open on his sixth attempt.  The Serb defeated seven-time Champion Roger Federer 6-4 6-4 last Sunday.

In three previous finals against Federer in Cincinnati, Djokovic was only able to break serve one time.  However, despite saving the meager five break points against him all week in the tournament, Federer quickly had to stave off two break points in the opening game of the match.  After two easy service games at love, Federer again faced break points when he served for the fourth time at 3-all and this time, Djokovic was able to secure the break on his second opportunity of the game.

Despite that fact that Djokovic had been broken thirteen times during the week, Federer's lone break would come when the Serb double faulted to hand a 2-0 lead to the Swiss early in the second set.  At this point, the sold out crowd was delirious in attempting to lift Federer and his game.  The fever pitch would be short lived as Federer fell quickly behind at 0-30 and was broken back immediately as he failed to consolidate the break.

After three routine holds of serve, Federer was broken yet again in the seventh game of the set as Djokovic took firm control of the match and marched to a 6-4 6-4 victory. Djokovic now leads the head to head with Federer 24-22 and is the favorite to win the US Open.

World #1 Simona Halep Defeats Upstart Aryna Sabalenka to Advance to Cincinnati Final

PETE ZIEBRON

Last Sunday, world #1 Simona Halep won the title in Montreal.  Today, she will attempt to win on consecutive Sundays, this time in Cincinnati at the Western & Southern Open as the Romanian beat world #34 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3 6-4 to advance to the final.

Following three consecutive breaks of serve early in the opening set, Halep led 3-2.  The top ranked women's player would go on to take the opening set 6-3 as her 20 year-old counterpart double faulted twice in the final game of the set.

Halep immediately held serve comfortably at 15 to open the second set and would get another early break to cruise to a 3-1 lead.  However, the Belorussian broke back immediately  and then consolidated the break to square the set at three games apiece.  

The finest tennis of the match appeared in the last two games of the set.  First, Halep dug out of 0-30 and 15-40 holes to reach deuce.  Then she saved a break point and proceeded to win the next two points to take a 5-4 lead and force Sabalenka to serve to stay in the match.

Despite falling behind 0-30, Sabalenka won the next three points to put herself at a game point.  The Romanian would then win the next two points and stood at Match Point.  Sabalenka saved Match Point with an ace but dropped the next two points and Halep advanced to the Cincinnati Final for the second consecutive year.

Simona Halep will face Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands who defeated Petra Kvitova in the first semifinal.

Following the match, I asked Sabalenka if she felt that she may be able to take control of the match in the last two games of the second set:  "Yeah, it was so close.  But she's a good player.  She put everything in.  I think I was waiting for her mistake.  Next time I'm going to be more focused on the points.  But she play really well and I was so angry after the match."

Halep elaborated a bit on her game plan for the match:  "She's a very powerful opponent.  You have to adjust yourself on court.  She's hitting the ball very strong.  The serve was huge.  It was a really tough one.  But I stayed there.  I stayed focused.  I tried to stop missing and just push her back.  I tried to return and I think I did it pretty well today.  I feel happy that I could go through this one."