2013/05/23

Notes from the Front – SAP Open 2013, Day Five

John Isner-2

Notes from the Front – SAP Open 2013, Day Five

by Kevin Ware

Day Five Quarterfinal Results

[4] T Haas (GER) d [WC] Steve Johnson (USA) 6-4, 6-2

[2] J Isner (USA) d [8] Xavier Malisse (BEL) 7-6(8), 6-2

[1] Milos Raonic (CAN) d [6] Denis Istomin (UZB) 7-6(0), 6-3

[3] Sam Querrey (USA) d Alejandro Falla (COL) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5

Match Notes

Steve Johnson bemoaned his lack of aggression in losing to Tommy Haas in the first quarterfinal of the day, feeling that he let Haas take control too often at key moments.  For his part, Haas is feeling good and grateful to be playing some of his best tennis towards the end of his career.  He’s especially happy to be able to do so in front of his 2 year-old who’s here in San Jose with dad.  “I know she probably won’t remember watching me play today, but maybe I can continue on playing and she’ll get to be around a couple of these tournaments and see me play competitively at a high level.”

John Isner didn’t play his best tennis in his quarterfinal match against Xavier Malisse, but he raised his level when needed to get by an opponent who was more than capable of a big upset. This was especially true in the first set tiebreaker after Isner dug a 0-3 hole with a mini-break on the first point.  The tide turned with a monstrous return on a Malisse serve to level at 5-all. He closed out the tiebreak with some mad scrambling on the baseline before flicking one final running forehand winner that was netted by the Belgian. First set to Isner.  Malisse’s level dropped off quickly in the second set.  Isner, with the first set in his back pocket, kept up the pressure on the slumping Malisse to close out an uneventful second set for the win.

The quarterfinal match between Milos Raonic and Denis Istomin turned out to be almost a carbon copy of their match in last year’s SAP Open final. Both men held serve easily and played to their strengths for most of the first set, with Istomin looking to be the stronger from the back court.  But once again, the tiebreaker was the deciding factor with Raonic sweeping all seven points for the first set.  After that, Istomin’s resolve slipped and Raonic’s confidence soared, and it was only a matter of time until Raonic closed it out.

Sam Querrey‘s win over Alejandro Falla was easily the best match of the day! It looked to be on track for a routine straight sets win by Querrey after a 6-3 first set.  No one told that to Falla, however, as the Colombian left scrambled with even more intensity in the second set.  In tennis, anything can happen when you make your opponent hit “one more shot”, and that was the case for Falla. Querrey’s level dropped, and a few key misses gave the set to Falla.  The tension was high for both guys in the third set, with neither giving an inch until the eighth game when Falla broke Querrey for 4-all, then held serve for a 5-4 lead.

A straight-sets victory was a distant memory with Querry playing loose shots on the deuce court to find himself at match point, 30-40. A crucial 133mph ace out wide to Falla’s backhand saved the point, and lit the fire under Sam that he needed to hold serve, break Falla for a 6-5 lead, then serve out the match.   That’s not to say that Falla didn’t have his chances, because he did.  Two netted shots for a game point at 5-all could easily have put the pressure back on Querrey’s serve to stay in the match. But it was not meant to be for Falla, and a chance for a huge upset.

Semifinal Notes/Picks

[4] T Haas (GER) vs [2] J Isner (USA)

Head-to-head: Isner leads 3-1

Quick Keys to the match: Isner needs to start aggressive and keep Haas from feeling like he has a chance.  He must serve well to blunt Haas’ return opportunities, and keep the points short by coming forward as he’s done in other matches.  For Haas, if he can get a handle on the Isner serve and make this a running match, he will have the edge for Isner.

Pick: Sticking with Isner for the win.

[1] M Raonic (CAN) vs [3] S Querrey (USA)

Head-to-head: Querrey leads 2-0

Quick Keys to the match: Raonic is going to come out firing on all cylinders with high intensity.  Conversely, drops in his intensity level have been Querrey’s main issue in both of his previous matches. For Querrey to win this match against the two-time defending champion, there can be no drops.  He has to maintain focus, serve well, and stay strong on the baseline.  If Raonic can maintain focus and intensity from first point to last, something that Querrey typically can’t do, he’ll have the edge.

Pick: Sticking with Raonic for the win.

Kevin Ware is in San Jose covering the SAP Open as media for Tennis Panorama News. Follow his live updates on twitter @TennisNewsTPN.  Follow his personal twitter @SFTennisFreak.

All photos by David Sweet

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Querrey Eases Into Semifinals

 

Sam Querrey

By Curt Janka

Los Angeles – The Farmers Classic quarterfinal between Xavier Malisse and Sam Querrey looked like it was going to be the match of the day, on paper, but the contest was cut short. Malisse was forced to retire, trailing 2-6, 1-3. It was clear early on that Malisse was bothered by the knee injury he brought into the match. At first, it seemed the problem might have only been with the wrapping, as he had it re-wrapped twice before ultimately conceding the match to his opponent.

 

Asked about the trouble today, Malisse explained, “I’ve been having some knee problems in the last three weeks. It’s on and off every day and I just felt that today it was too tough. I couldn’t move like I wanted to. I felt like it was better for me to quit than to aggravate it. You know next week’s coming up too.”

 

“Sam played well,” he added.

 

Despite his agitated opponent, Querrey came out of the gate playing very well. His two biggest strengths, his serve and his forehand, were both decidedly on. The shame is that Malisse was also striking the ball well when he could get his feet in the right place.

 

Querrey liked his chances at winning regardless of his opponent’s fitness. “We’ve played twice in the past and both have been really close, so if he was healthy it would have been much tougher,” he told Tennis Panorama News. “I still feel like I’m playing well and I believe that I could win.“

 

Querrey will play Rajeev Ram in an all-American semifinal tomorrow. When asked what he has to do beat Ram, Querrey told Tennis Panorama News, “I’ve got to serve well and pass well. He’s one of those few guys that serve and volley. He makes you play some tough slices, so I’m going to have to focus on those two things.“

 

Querrey is looking to win this title for the third time, having won in 2009 and 2010.

Curt Janka is covering the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles for Tennis Panorama News. Follow his updates on twitter @TennisNewsTPN.  His personal twitter is @CurtJanka.
2012 Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz

Results for Friday, July 27

Los Angeles Tennis Center-UCLA

SINGLES (Quarterfinals) – Ricardas Berankis, Lithuania, def. (4) Nicolas Mahut, France, 6-4, 6-4; Rajeev Ram, U.S., def. Leonardo Mayer, Argentina, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; (6) Marinko Matosevic, Australia, def. Michael Russell, U.S., 6-2, 6-3; (2) Sam Querrey, U.S., def. (5) Xavier Malisse, Belgium, 6-2, 3-1 (ret.).

DOUBLES (Quarterfinals) – Jamie Delgado, Great Britain / Ken Skupski, Great Britain def. Rajeev Ram, U.S. / Michael Russell, U.S., walkover (injury default); Steve Johnson, U.S. / Sam Querrey, U.S. def. Raven Klaasen, South Africa / Adil Shamasdin, Canada, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

2012 Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz

Order of Play for Saturday, July 28

Los Angeles Tennis Center-UCLA

Straus Stadium (start 1 p.m.)

Singles, Semifinals

(6) Marinko Matosevic, Australia vs. Ricardas Berankis, Lithuania

Doubles, Semifinals

(3) Jamie Delgado, Great Britain / Ken Skupski, Great Britain vs. Tobias Kamke, Germany / Bjorn Phau, Germany

(not before 7 p.m.)

Singles, Semifinals

Rajeev Ram, U.S. vs. (2) Sam Querrey, U.S.

Doubles, Semifinals

Ruben Bemelmans, Belgium / Xavier Malisse, Belgium vs. Steve Johnson, U.S. / Sam Querrey, U.S.

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Federer Makes 33rd Consecutive Major Quarterfinal

WIMBLEDON – No. 3 Roger Federer had to fight off Xavier Malisse to move into his 33rd consecutive major tournament quarterfinal with a 7-6 (1), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win at Wimbledon on Monday.

Federer was having problems with his back on Centre Court as he took a medical time out that was over eight minutes while up 4-3 in the first set.

“ I felt the back going the beginning of the first set,” Federer said, “and then I played on it maybe three, four games.  I asked for the trainer, the doctor to come out to just talk about it.  So I decided to have treatment inside.

“Yeah, I guess it must be a mix of maybe from the five‑setter and the two days off and the cold wind today.  So I guess it was unlucky in this regard.  Fortunately I pulled out the match the way I did today.”

Federer will play Mikhail Youzhny next:”I played him last week in Halle,” the Swiss said.  I played him here last year on grass, and again at Halle years back.  We’ve played a lot, to be honest, on grass.  We know what to expect, both of us.

“I think he’s a great player.  He can take the ball early.  He can, you know, mix it up well.  He’s a great fighter.  I had an extremely tough match with him last year on Court 1.  I expect something similar.

“So I hope to recover and play a good match against him, and hopefully victory is on my racquet.”

Federer Escapes Benneteau for Five-Set Win at Wimbledon

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Nick Bollettieri – “It Ain’t Easy”

WIMBLEDON – Well respected, well known, beloved tennis expert and mentor, Nick Bollettieri, has been linked to many champions in tennis: Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Aaron Krickstein, Monica Seles, Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova, Max Mirnyi, Tommy Haas and others like Radek Stepanek, Xavier Malisse, Heather Watson and Bernard Tomic, who use his academy in Bradenton, Florida for their off season training.

Bollettieri talked about his new book with Tennis Panorama News here at Wimbledon. “It ain’t Easy,” written by David Legge is about his life. Andre Agassi is on the back page and Jim Courier wrote the foreward. It will be published around Thanksgiving.

“It is not fundamentally a “tennis book,” said Bollettieri. “It’s what I’ve taught and what I’ve learned during my life – both on the courts and off.” Future products/publications include “mini-books,” videotapes, and instructional materials on how to live a meaningful, productive, and responsible life.

Bollettieri is having a busy week at the 126th edition of The Championships, Wimbledon where he seems delighted and proud of seeing his past pupils doing so well. German Tommy Haas, just won Halle beating Roger Federer in the finals, has a wild card here and will be on court on Tuesday. Maria Sharapova, having a “blessed” year, completing her career slam, played her first match yesterday as the No. 1 player in the world and as the top seed here at Wimbledon. Sabine Lisicki also won her first round yesterday, and so did Radek Stepanek who won Australian Open doubles title with Leander Paes.

All these players have had their share of injuries and comebacks. Perhaps they have learned from their mentor, Nick Bollettieri, that “It Ain’t Easy,”  but it is possible.

Visit the book’s website www.BollettieriBiography.com

Nick Bollettieri is the President of IMG Academies

Lucia Hoffman at Wimbledon for Tennis Panorama News

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Tennis News Net Notes for December 7, 2011

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic ended the 2011 season with a record $12.6 million in prize money. His year moves him into fourth place on the career prize money list withjust ahead of Andre Agassi $32.9 million.

 

The previous record for prize money won in a year was shared by both Roger Federer (2007) and Rafael Nadal at $10.1 million.

 

The Swiss Tennis Federation announced on Wednesday that Roger Federer has committed to play the first round of Davis Cup against the United States. The tie will take place in Fribourg, Switzerland February 10-12, 2012 at the Firbourg Forum on an indoor clay court.

 

 

Former No. 1 Marat Safin was elected into the Russian Federal Parliament, the Duma. As a member of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, has beenvoted into the Duma’s lower house as a representative for the Nyzhny Novgorod region.

“I’m in completely new shoes,“ Safin told the ATP Champions tour. “This is a completely new life, a new way of thinking, new way of doing things that’s nothing to do with tennis or sports at all. But the two things definitely have one thing in common and that is that you need to have a character. You have to be strong and you have to know where you’re going, what you want to do, and you have to be able to make sacrifices.”

 

The Davis Cup’s twitter account announced that Belgium’s Xavier Malisse has retired from Davis Cup competition. The 31-year-old said that it’s time for young players to take over.

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Ryan Harrison Struggles to Keep His Cool Down in Atlanta

Ryan Harrison

By Erik Gudris

NORCROSS, Georgia – Even before he stepped on court today, young American Ryan Harrison’s reputation preceded him in both positive and negative ways. On the positive side, he possesses an exciting all-court game that many love to watch. But Harrison’s other reputation as a volatile player who breaks racquets and yells obscenities at linespeople and umpires is one that doesn’t sit well with many fans who are ready to embrace Harrison as not just a breakout American star but also as a possible heir apparent to Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick as the next top U.S. player.

 

Harrison’s second round match at the Atlanta Tennis Championships against veteran Belgian Xavier Malisse had a little bit of everything including a tiebreak, a lengthy rain delay and several moments of hothead behavior from both players that culminated in a testy exchange of words late in the third set. Malisse and Harrison exchanged breaks in the first set leading to a tiebreak that saw Harrison go down a quick 0-4. In frustration, Harrison yelled out something that the umpire thought was an obscenity, leading him to give Harrison a verbal abuse warning. After Malisse went on to win the first set tiebreak, Harrison managed to compose himself in the second set to break Malisse at 3-2 and then hold serve to close out the set 6-4.

 

Early in the third set, dark clouds and persistent lightning suspended the match giving way to an hour and an half rain delay. When play resumed, Harrison dropped serve and dropped kicked his racquet to give Malisse a 3-1 lead and it seemed the veteran might race away with the win. But after Harrison won an extended rally to break back at 2-3, during the changeover, both men got into a testy exchange. Harrison held serve and then at 4-4, Malisse played a loose service game to give Harrison another break. Harrison then had no problem serving out the match 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4.

 

When asked about the exchange he had with Malisse afterwards, Harrison said, “When I broke him back (in third set) he said some things that I wasn’t too happy with. So I said some things back that I’m sure he wasn’t happy with either. There’s no reason to go into details about it. We’re both competitive and want to win. I’ve known him down in Florida for awhile and we’ve always been fine in the past and I have no resentment towards him.”

 

Handling his emotions on court when things are going well and going not so well seems to be the biggest challenge for Harrison right now. “It’s just the way my mind is wired. I like it when it gets intense. So when it gets competitive like that when someone says something to you, the ultimate goal is to go out and win and have the last laugh there. I had a couple of tough service games there late in the third set. Wasn’t a break point but the good thing about it was I was fired up and ready to play. So when I had something negative happen I let it go by and when I had something positive I tried to fuel it to get me going. So that’s something I need to work on more for future matches.”

 

Now into the quarterfinals, Harrison will next face another veteran, American Rajeev Ram. If Harrison can keep his cool, not only physically as another scorching day is expected weather wise, but also emotionally, is something U.S. tennis fans will be keeping a close eye on not only for this week, but for many months to come.

Erik Gudris writes and moderates the tennis news site Adjustingthenet.com. Follow him all week on Twitter at @GVTennisNews

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BNP Paribas Open Day 11: Welcome to No. 2

Novak Djokovic continued his perfect season with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Roger Federer in the semifinal of the BNP Paribas Open.  The victory will give the Serb a bump in the rankings come Monday, up to no. 2 in the world, while Federer will fall to No. 3.

Quotes on the match from Djokovic:

“That was the biggest test of the tournament for me today “Any time I play Roger, it’s a big challenge.

“I didn’t really pay too much attention on who is favorite or number one, number two in the rankings. I just wanted to take that match as another big challenge. It was very good.”

“It was a very close match up to the last point and you really couldn’t say who’s gonna take the win.”  “You could feel the intensity and the pressure with both of us.

“That fifth game in the third set was crucial to make a break, and then I played very solid.”

“I’ve played the best tennis of my life in the last three months … I think I deserve it.”

It Was Djokovic’s third consecutive win over Federer. The victory moves Djokovic to the final of Indian Wells where he’ll face Rafael Nadal. Nadal rallied from 1-4 down in the first set to defeat Juan Martin Del Potro 6-4, 6-4.

Going into the Sunday final Nadal holds a 5-o record against Djokovic in finals and Djokovic leads Nadal 7-5 in matches on hardcourt.

In Men’s doubles the new team of Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse defeated Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-7, 10-7 for the championship.

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Blake, Karlovic, Stepanek and Tipsarevic Added to 2011 Delray Beach ATP World Tour Field


DELRAY BEACH, FL (January 20, 2011) – Former Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (ITC) champions Xavier Malisse, Kei Nishikori and Ricardo Mello, along with 2010 runnerup Ivo Karlovic and 2007/2008 runnerup James Blake have signed up to play in the ITC’s 19th annual ATP World Tour event from February 21-27 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center.

Also committing to the draw: 2009 world No. 12 Radek Stepanek and Janko Tipsaravic, who played a hero’s role in leading Serbia to the 2010 Davis Cup title.

The group joins a pair of US Open Champions – Andy Roddick (2003) and Juan Martin del Potro (2009) – as well as current Top 20 players Mardy Fish and John Isner – in giving the ITC arguably its best draw in history.

“We can’t wait to see how this one plays out,” said tournament director Mark Baron, who has added a 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera to the $500,000 pool of prize money. “Our group of stars stands out, but the depth of talent in this draw and guys who have had great results is very impressive.”

Malisse, the winningest player in ITC history, reached the Chenai final earlier this month. The 31-year-old is a three-time champion (2 singles titles, 1 doubles title) and has reached three other singles finals at the ITC.

Nishikori’s incredible run in 2008 as an 18-year-old made him Delray Beach’s youngest champion, and Mello will long be known for winning the 2004 title following one of South Florida’s four hurricanes that season.

Karlovic enjoyed an exciting run to the ITC final last year that included a tournament-record 89 aces, while Blake, with an 11-5 record in this tournament, received a wildcard to play this year.

Stepanek has played in 11 career ATP World Tour finals – winning four – and was the Delray Beach doubles champion in 2004. Tipsaravic owns an impressive record vs. Top 10 players, and his win in the decisive 5t rubber in last year’s Davis Cup semifinal propelled Croatia to the final.

The tournament’s ATP Champions Tour event, featuring John McEnroe, Mats Wilander, Pat Cash, Todd Martin and Mark Philippoussis, will kick off the Delray Beach ITC on Friday, February 18 at the Tennis Center. Fans buying tickets on Monday and Tuesday, February 21 and 22, will see both ATP World Tour and ATP Champions matches.

Baron also announced a ‘blockbuster’ Tuesday evening session that will include Roddick’s opening match in addition to the ATP Champions Tour final. The world No. 8 is expected to be the top seed in the ITC’s ATP World Tour event.

Individual session tickets range in price from $15 for grandstand seats to $85 for box seats, while a wide variety of tournament packages are available from $200 to $490. A limited number of ON-COURT “Best Seats in the House” remain, and there are unique “Fan Experiences” also available for purchase.

Here is Delray Beach’s 2011 draw: Kevin Anderson (RSA), Igor Andreev (RUS), Benjamin Becker (GER), Julien Benneteau (FRA), Richard Berankis (LTU), James Blake (USA), Dustin Brown (GER), Brian Dabul (ARG), Juan Martin del Potro (ARG), Ivan Dodig (CRO), Mardy Fish (USA), Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS), John Isner (USA), Xavier Malisse (BEL), Adrian Mannarino (FRA), Ricardo Mello (BFA), Kei Nishikori (JPN), Bjorn Phau (GER), Michal Przysienzny (POL), Andy Roddick (USA), Rainer Schuettler (GER), Florent Serra (FRA), Radek Stepanek (CZE), Janko Tipsarevic (SRB); Balance of 32-player field will be filled by 4 qualifiers, 2 special exempts (at ATP discretion) & 1 wildcard.

Visit the Delray Beach ITC website www.YellowTennisBall.com to purchase tickets. For more information, please call 561-330-6000.

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