Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 7 review. Soderling wins Swedish title; Chardy captures Mercedes Cup

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 7 review. Soderling wins Swedish title; Chardy captures Mercedes Cup

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Second seed Swede Robin Soderling captured his first ever clay-court today today in Bastad, with a convincing 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win over Argentine Juan Monaco.

Winning a title on home soil has always held precedent for the games elite. For Robin Soderling, one of his major tennis goals was accomplished today. Along with winning a major and becoming a top ten player, the Tibro native remained stern in his ambition of hosting hardware in his own backyard.

A two-time finalist in Stockholm (an indoor event held in the fall) would be the closet the 24-year would come to his dream before today.

Since his partnership with former world number two and 2000 French Open finalist Magnus Norman, Soderling’s viewpoints on the game have changed.

His rough edges have been glazed by his new coach—his competitive demeanor stronger than ever. Soderling had always been one of the most competitive and brash players on the circuit, now an aura of poise had also entered his game.

From the on-set of the match it was evident what Robin’s game plan would be going forward in the contest. Juan Monaco was a seasoned and talented clay-court machine, his evaluation of the crushed red brick was second to none.

Soderling’s tactics would be to repeat his first strike tennis of Paris; never allow for a Monaco grove to take place. The first set went by quick, the Swede had employed his strategy to perfection.

Set two contained more fight from the Argentine. His counter-punching skills settled in, and he would not go down without a fight. A tie-breaker was imminent. One break by either player, surrounded by teeing off on each others second serves, would prolong the contest towards Monaco’s favor—clay-courters love to be out there.

With the third set on the horizon and the grunts of Monaco gaining a heightened pitch with every swing, the power and confidence of Soderling meant Monaco would go home empty handed. The forth title of the Swede’s career had been captured.

The Soderling clay-court story is perhaps the most interesting and underrated story of 2009. Here is a guy who could not buy a clay-court win prior to 2009, a man who lost 6-0, 6-1 to Rafa Nadal in Roma. But with the confidence of Norman in his corner, the beasts anger has been tamed. Further clarity is now displayed through each and every swing. What a swing it is!

On the cusp of the top ten in tennis, Soderling had this to say after his first ever clay-court title.

“I’m so happy, I wouldn’t trade this victory for a Grand Slam,” Soderling said.

“He started playing well in the second set,” Soderling said. “I got nervous. I had a break point to 4-1, but the ball hit the top of the net. That was the match I thought. I got tense and he started playing better and better.”

One final ironic fact to add to the recent clay-court wizardry of Soderling: the last Swede to win the Bastad title was his coach Magnus Norman in 2000. The same year he reached the French final and became number two in the world. Perhaps a sign of things to come?

The forehand doesn’t fall far from the tree, that is for sure.

The quick turn-around will see Soderling shift gears to Hamburg next week; after all he still needs to attain the number two ranking.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

When the French contingent is discussed names such as Tsonga, Monfils and Richard Gasquet jump off the tongues of all who are concerned. France has never been short on French glory, or flair for that matter.

But how about Jeremy Chardy?

The 22-year old Pau native has never been short on the flamboyant factor, or cross-court forehands. A big serve coupled by his whip induced ground-strokes have lent themselves well to his over-all success. A current rank of 43 in the world would suffice such a notion.

With his first finals appearance in Johannesburg in February (a losing effort to countrymen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga) behind him, Chardy had learned from his defeat and would apply his experience going forward.

Chardy’s challenge today would be in the form of 6-foot-6 inch Victor Hanescu from Romanian. Not the best mover on the court, Hanescu packed a rocket serve, and the guile and court-court many veteran’s of the game possessed. Hanescu’s 27-years of talent were showcased today.

The first set went away from Chardy in a flash, his two singles matches from Saturday appeared to loom over his fatigued legs—being only 22 meant a second wind would be up shortly.

Set two provided more opportunity for Chardy. An understanding to make the points shorter was evident; Hanescu had his tank on full.

On the strength of one break point chance (the only one by either player throughout the set) Chardy evened the affair. A third and final set would bring a title and a new Mercedes to the winner.

Set three provided the proverbial set of nerves one would expect during the closing stages of capturing a maiden Tour title. Hanescu only had one trophy to his name as well.

After the nerves were accepted and the grip on his serve began to loosen-up, Chardy began to see the finish line, in his new Mercedes of course.

France recorded another winner today in the archives of their tennis legacy, perhaps Chardy will rewrite many books.

Final score: 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 48 minutes.

Chardy had this to say after his attaining his maiden ATP World Tour title win.

“It was very difficult,” Chardy said. “I was very nervous at the start and felt the pressure in the third.”

Hanescu acknowledged his opponents poise and control over the encounter during the post match presser.

“He absolutely deserved to win, he played very well,” Hanescu said.

The win will take Chardy to around the 35th spot in the world, come the Monday rankings. His title also banked €71,700 and 250 South African Airways 2009 ranking points. Not to mention a Mercedes-Benz E 350. Not a bad week for the flying Frenchmen.

Chardy will now shift his attentions the Hamburg event next, he hinted that he is fresh and ready to go.

That concludes another week of Tour coverage from TennisConnected.com. We hope you enjoyed our coverage from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Congrats once again go out to Robin Soderling for picking up his first ever clay-court crown at home, and Jeremy Chardy for capturing his maiden Tour title in Stuttgart.

Please stay tuned for next weeks coverage. We will now turn our attentions to Indianpolis, U.S.A and Hamburg , Germany for the beginning of the U.S. Open Series, as well as the continuation of the summer clay-court swing.

The tour is in full swing tennis fans. Get ready for some exciting tennis in the weeks ahead. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 6 review. Soderling, Monaco reach finals in Sweden; Hanescu, Chardy into finals in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Waves of confidence can grow mighty high in the world of professional tennis. When players reach the proverbial “zone”, seemingly nothing can stand in their way.

One such zone to make note of is the recent play of Swede, Robin Soderling. After an improbable run to the finals of the French Open, the current world number 12 has enjoyed resounding success on all surfaces. If not for Roger Federer, Soderling may have been the Paris winner for 2009.

Soderling’s current obstacle would be to win his first tour title of the season. His opponent on the calm and sunny shore in Bastad would be compatriot Andreas Vinicguerra— a who had endured his own trails and tribulations throughout the years, was playing well again—a surprise shot at the finals.

It was evident throughout the first set that Soderling would be in charge. His hammer-head forehand was blitzing past the left handed strokes of Vinicguerra; the lower ranked Swede being reintroduced to the big time.

The second set displayed much more of the form which had served Vinny well throughout the week. His use of angles coupled with an increase in his first serve percentage allowed for a tie-break to take place. Unfortunately Soderling would be too tough on the day. Final score: 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) for the Sod.

The 84 minute encounter was a good indication that Vinicguerra is here to stay, and that Soderling will be a dangerous entity going into the U.S. Open series.

With Soderling playing well on the dirt, one can only imagine how his innate fast court game will charge come Montreal. The Swede can be utterly devastating when he is on.

Robin had this to say after his victory.

“It’s going to be fun,” he said. “This is a tournament in which I really want to do well. I played well in the opening set. When I broke him early in the second I relaxed too much on the court and he came back.”

The home-town star will head into his second final of 2009 where he will meet Juan Monaco. The Argentine made a statement of his own, comprehensively dismantling defending champ Tommy Robredo 6-0, 6-2 in one hour and four minutes.

Monaco, historically has been another up and down character. There is no double that he can be a force when he is playing well. He seemingly has no weakness, and his game benefits from the clay-court surface.

The victory today was a bitter-sweet one for Monaco. With the win over Robredo, he avenged a loss to the Spaniard in Argentina (his home-town). But in the process robbed T-Rob of his chance to become a three-time winner at the event. The loss in Argentina would have been ideal for Monaco.

Throughout Saturday’s semifinal, the Argentine could do no wrong. Robredo was never allowed to fall into any sort of a rhythm, Monaco would constantly be on the attack. The stats for Monaco in this encounter included: 77 percent of his first serve points won, and six breaks of serve.

By contrast, Robredo managed to win only 50 percent of his first serve points and 24 percent of his second serve points. Life on tour is made hard with such numbers at ones disposal.

Monaco had this to say after reaching his second final of 2009.

“I think it was my best match of the year,” Monaco said. “I played the important points very well and I didn’t give him a chance to get into a rhythm.”

Sunday’s final promises to be a fine contest. Soderling and Monaco have met four times on the ATP World Tour, with the Swede holding a 3-1 head-to-head lead. Soderling holds a 2-1 lead when matches are played on clay.

Only a matter of time before Le Sod is top ten bound.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

The grind of the Tour continued for the ATP hopeful in Stuttgart on Saturday. First up, quarterfinal matches would be completed with Friday’s rain canceling two of the four encounters.

Home-town favorite Nicolas Kiefer did his best to stick around as long as possible by brushing aside the challenge of Lukasz Kubot 6-2, 6-1. Kiefer played like a man who knew he had two matches standing in front of him on the day. He needed only 63 minutes to progress.

His semifinal foe would be flair driven Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy who bounced the local hopes of Mischa Zverev 7-6 (7-4), 6-1. Chardy’s explosive serve and rocket forehand became too much for Zverev to deal with as the match continued.

After suitable rest, Kiefer and Chardy laced up their clay-court kicks once again to battle towards a finals berth.

Although Kiefer put forth a valiant effort against Chardy, the German’s lack of power would send him packing after only one hour and 18 minutes.

The match was very reminiscent of the old, versus new school brand of tennis. Chardy had the definite upper hand in the power department; Kiefer would struggle just to make ends meet with his consistent play.

It’s easy mathematics really, when you take a powerful consistent player, against a player who is only consistent, the former will win eight out of ten times.

Final score: 6-3, 7-5 for the Frenchmen.

With both remaining German’s brushed aside on Saturday, the days second semifinal match would include a Romanian and Italian.

Fourth seed Victor Hanescu was vying for his first Tour final of 2009. A current rank of 33 in world would not improve without significant ground covered. A win in Stuttgart would be a great beginning.

His opponent on Saturday would be a man who a certain swagger to his on-court presence, a man who was not consumed with the opinions of his peers.

Fabio Fognini had seen a steady climb up the ranking ladder. His improved serve and sensible tactics seemed to be embraced well in the “W” category.

Both men would be hungry for a finals spot; only one would stand opposite of Chardy on Sunday.

The first set featured scratchy play by both competitors. Sub-par serving stats followed by numerous unforced errors saw five breaks of serve: three to Hanescu, two by Fognini. The one extra break by Hanescu making the difference.

Set one would be the ice breaker, set two would be a full out battle. With a slight improvement in points won on first serves, the second set appeared to be going the distance. Fogini’s tournament was on the line and he had no inclination of stopping it in straight sets. Set three was on the horizon.

Once again much like the first semifinal the stronger more power player began to impose his will. Hanescu had no desire to sit back and allow Fognini to dictate from the back of the court—that was Hanescu’s territory.

First strike tennis became the order of play for the Romanian. Not only did he secure his first final of 2009, but he also sent notice to the tennis world of his more than capable abilities.

Final score: 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2.

Sunday’s final will be a battle of two gunslinger’s vying for a lone crown. Hanescu and Chardy have met twice on the ATP World Tour, with each man winning on two occasions. Chardy is youth personified; Hanescu is the librarian full of every trick in the book.

Look for slightly more court-craft from Hanescu, which may be the difference.

Please stay tuned, I will have a finals wrap-up from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 5 review. Monaco defeats Verdasco in Sweden; Davydenko dismissed in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

The wear and tear of two five set Davis Cup matches, coupled with a three hour plus affair with Daniel Koellerer on Thursday, finally became too much for top seed Fernando Verdasco. During the first game of set one today, Verdasco strained a right calf muscle. For the remainder of set it was evident that his injury would not alleviate and a retirement would be in order. After some careful thought, the Spaniard called the match after trailing 6-1, 3-1 to Juan Monaco of Argentina.

Verdasco had this to say after his retirement.

“I had real pain when serving, especially since the injury was in my my right leg,” explained World No. 9 Verdasco. “Monaco played well and didn’t make any mistakes. It was not easy for me, I tried to continue playing but when I saw that I had no chance to win I retired before injuring myself further. Bastad is one of my special tournaments of the year. It’s hard for me to retire here.”

Verdasco’s decision to play the event in the first place was a poor one at best. Especially after enduring two five set matches in Marbella over the weekend. The up coming hard-court swing contains two Masters 1000 events, as well as the U.S. Open. At this point in Verdasco’s career, those tournaments must take prescient.

For now, the hard hitting lefty will head back to Madrid to rest up and begin preparation for the Montreal Masters. That should have been the plan all along.

Monaco advances to his second ATP World Tour semifinal of 2009, he was also a finalist in Buenos Aires in February. The Argentine was also coming off of Davis Cup duty in the Czech Republic (he was defeated in both his singles matches).

Monaco will now look towards the challenge of defending champ and third seed Tommy Robredo who was a routine winner over Teimuraz Gabasvili 6-4, 6-0.

Robredo has won in Bastad on two occasions. The victory today propelled T-Rob towards a stellar 21-6 win/loss record at the event, reaching at least the quarterfinals on seven occasions.

Robredo and Monaco have played four times (all clay matches) on the ATP World Tour with each player winning twice. The last meeting between the pair came in Monte Carlo earlier this year with T-Rob prevailing in routine fashion.

Elsewhere, the hometown fans were treated to a double treat of Swedish success today, when Robin Soderling and Andreas Vinciguerra both recorded quarterfinal victories.

Second seeded Soderling dismissed fifth seed Nicolas Almagro 7-5, 6-3, and Vinicguerra continued his storybook run after battling past fourth seed Jurgen Melzer 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Soderling displayed his brand of power tennis at its best, winning 87 percent of his first serve points, hitting seven aces and breaking the Almagro serve four times. The win becomes the third impressive Spanish scalp for Robin during the season, after dispatching Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer at the French Open.

Soderling had this to say after his victory.

“I played well today,” Soderling said. “I hit the ball well. Maybe I didn’t move at 100 percent. Almagro is an excellent clay-court player and I beat him in two straight (sets), so that is very good for my confidence.”

The second piece of the all Swedish semifinal will bring forth the surprising efforts of Andreas Vinciguerra. Currently ranked 460 in the world, the 28-year old Malmo native had not won back-to-back matches on tour since 2003. The wild-card recipient staved off the unorthodox challenge from Melzer who appeared to be in the drivers seat after easily obtaining the first set.

The home crowd support has been an integral part of Vinciguerra’s confidence to continue his form this week. In similar fashion to Raemon Sluiter’s fantastic run, en route to the finals in Holland last month.

Saturday’s semifinal will be the first meeting between Soderling and Vinciguerra on the ATP World Tour. Vinny will undoubtedly be the underdog going into the encounter. But with the way he’s been striking the ball this week, one would have to give him a decent chance at the upset.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Second seed Nikolay Davydenko followed the same path of departed top seed Gilles Simon on Friday, by thoroughly collapsing against Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1 3-6 7-5.

After regaining order in set two, the Italian’s counter-punching style continued to weigh heavily on the ground-strokes of the Russian. Set three went down to the wire, but the superior serving of Fognini became the inevitable difference. A usual liability for the Fognini, his improved serve motion has allowed for a steady increase in the rankings.

Davydenko appeared in constant search of his tactics throughout, displaying the rust of a injury prone year.

Fognini will now progress the final four, where four seed Victor Hanescu awaits. The Romanian ousted lucky loser Alexandre Sidorenko 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.

The high flying service contest featured Hanescu winning 86 percent of his first serve points; 80 percent for Sidorenko, and only one break of serve captured be either player—Hanescu in set one.

With the win, the world number 33 advances to his first semifinal of 2009. Hanescu’s serving prowess will be of utter importance during his encounter with Fognini, with the Italian more adept off the ground.

Hanescu and Fognini have never met on the ATP World Tour.

The day’s remaining quarterfinal matches were postponed due to heavy rain.

When play resumes on Saturday, local favorite Nicolas Kiefer will battle Lukasz Kubot on Center court, with Mischa Zverev taking on Jeremy Chardy on the grandstand. The winners will then return to Center Court latter in the day to fight for a finals berth.

Zverev is the man responsible for handing top seed Gilles Simon an exit card during Thursday’s action. Zverev also defeated Simon during the Masters 1000 event in Roma, earlier this spring.

Please check back, I will have a Saturday semifinal wrap-up from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 4 review. Verdasco struggles in Sweden; Davydenko hits stride in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Top seed Fernando Verdasco began his Bastad campaign with a hint of adversity today, struggling to defeat Austrian Daniel Koellerer 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 7-5. The Spaniard was coming into Sweden off a disappointing five set loss over the weekend in Marbella. Although the Spanish team prevailed, Verdasco’s form was sub par at best.

The efforts which Fernando displayed throughout the first four months of the season appear to be on the significant decline. The doubt which had plagued him for much of his career has resurfaced—another trip to Vegas seems immanent.

Verdasco survived his second encounter today on the basis of sheer will and experience. Clean ball striking was not part the equation. Koellerer is an imposing player who is not intimidated by any foe. His in your face type game-style can never be taken lightly. A three hour plus battle against a top ten player would add to such logic.

At this stage in Verdasco’s career one wonders why he is even playing a clay event in July. His ranking is high enough that he will be secured a top ten seeding at the U.S. Open. With Indianapolis on deck next week, Verdasco would be much better served to have taken this week off, and prepared for the hard-court season. Poor judgment to be honest.

Nevertheless, the former “faux-hawk” finds himself in the quarterfinals, after winning only one match thus far and having a Thursday start. Not a bad deal.

With the win, Verdasco advances to face the winner of days final match between Juan Monaco and Victor Crivoi. Verdasco must be careful if he faces Monaco, no lapses in concentration can be granted.

Elsewhere, fourth seed Jurgen Melzer defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2, 6-2. Melzer will next meet Andreas Vinicguerra who was a 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4 winner over Guillermo Canas of Argentina. The victory for Vinicguerra marks the first time the Swede has won back-to-back matches on tour since Sopot in 2003. Talk about love for the game.

Fifth seed Nicolas Almagro was also a winner on Thursday, defeating the consistent efforts of Potito Starace 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. In reality Almagro should have a better clay-court resume, and will hope to add to his lone title which he captured in Acapulco earlier this year. Almagro awaits the challenge of second seed Robin Soderling who was a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Kristof Vliegen of Belgium in Wednesday’s night cap. Soderling was making his first appearance on the clay since reaching the finals in Paris.

Who would have thought going into 2009 that Robin Soderling would be considered a legitimate contender on clay-courts? The wacky world of professional tennis continues.

Fridays quarterfinal brackets will feature: Verdasco vs. the Monaco/Crivoi winner; 3rd seed Tommy Robredo vs. Teimuraz Gabasvili; Vinciguerra vs. Melzer; Soderling vs. Almagro. Some nice dirt ball tennis for those concerned.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Second seed Nikolay Davydenko progressed to the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup today with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over home-country favorite Michael Berrer. In recent times, Davydenko has entered somewhat of the delight stage in his career. He may at some point manage to crawl back into the top ten, but the days of semifinals in slams seem to be all but done.

The Russians clean strokes will always keep him in the game, allowing for a dangerous force on tour. Especially in these week long 250 point events.

The second seed displayed fine clay-court form today, breezing past his under-matched opponent in one hour and five minutes. Davydenko progressed to the final eight on the strength of 73 percent of first serve points won, two aces and four breaks of serve.

The world number 11 will next meet Italian Fabio Fognini who was a 6-4, 4-1 winner over Paul-Henri Mathieu, after the Frenchmen retired because of dizziness.

Davydenko and Fognini have played once on the ATP World Tour with the Russian holding a 1-0 head-to-head lead. Should be a nice clay-court battle.

Elsewhere, Lukasz Kubot defeated fifth Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-4; Jeremy Chardy dispatched Martin Vassallo Arguello 2-6, 6-3, 6-1; Nicolas Kiefer continued his strong showing at home with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over countrymen Simon Greul. Kiefer and Kubot will face each other in the round of eight.

Still to come on Thursday, top seed Gilles Simon battles Russian turned German Mischa Zverev in the days final singles match.

After a great start to the week for the German’s, only Nicolas Kiefer remains in contention, with Zverev having to take out Simon in order to give the home charge two shots at a title run.

The once mighty German contingent seems to have fallen off the map in a big way as of late. With the exception of Tommy Haas’ recent heroics in grand slam competition, there are really no other stellar player of German decent residing in the top 100.

Friday’s action in Stuttgart will feature: Simon/Zverev vs. Chardy; Kiefer vs. Kubot; Alexandre Sidorenko vs. Victor Hanescu; Davydenko vs. Fognini.

Please check back, I will have a quarterfinal recap from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers tennis fans.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 3 review. Robredo begins title defense in Sweden; Hanescu reaches quarters in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Defending champ Tommy Robredo progressed to the second round of the Swedish Open today with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Peter Luczak. After losing his singles match over the weekend in DC competition, Robredo maintained his composure throughout the contest in order to regain much needed confidence.

The 1:12 minute encounter was dominated by Spaniard, not allowing his Australian opponent any opportunities to settle in.

When speaking of results and ability, Robredo could be considered one of the premiere clay-court players on the planet. His loopy strokes and rock solid serve possess no visible flaws. The problem for Robredo for much of his career has been his inability to knock out his opponents. Whether his lack of major results can be drawn from mental or physical fortitude, Robredo will be destined to brides-maid territory for the remainder of his career.

After receiving a first round bye, Robredo’s win takes him into the round of eight where he will meet Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili. The hard-hitting Gabashvili was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Bjorn Phau of Germany. The win was the second in as many days for the Russian. Robredo and Gabashvili have never met on the ATP World Tour.

Elsewhere, the marquee match of the day saw fifth seed Nicolas Almagro dispatch unseeded Marat Safin 6-4, 7-6 (8-6). The high quality contest which lasted only 1:20 minutes featured glorious backhands by each player. Almagro also won the battle of the big servers, winning 86 percent of his first serve points. Safin by contrast had a good day at the office in terms of numbers, winning 80 percent of his first serve points and striking nine aces of his own.

It was evident throughout the affair that the Safin of old, is no more. His talent still resides, but his willingness to fight towards victory is even less than previous years. The loss today dropped the 007 Russian to a lowly 7-12 win/loss record for the year. The Monte Carlo native also lost his third consecutive match.

Safin is surely making his last year on tour one he soon would want to forget. He will get the opportunity shortly.

Almagro moves onto the second round where he will meet Italian Potito Starace who was a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 winner over Julien Benneteau of France.

The final completed match of day saw Daniel Gimeno-Traver defeat Fredirico Gil 6-1, 6-4 in first round action.

Second seeded Swede Robin Soderling will contest his match shortly on Wednesday against Kristof Vliegen of Belgium. The home town crowd will be excited to get behind their only true chance at tour success.

Thursday’s order of play will feature top seed Fernando Verdasco seeing his first action of the week against Daniel Kollerer; Nicolas Almagro takes on Potitio Starace; Juan Monaco vs. Victor Crivoi.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Fourth seed Victor Hanescu gained safe passage into the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-1 thrashing of local favorite Rainer Schuettler. Hanescu has really made a name for himself in recent times, reaching a career high of 26 in the world, and currently sitting at number 33 spot. The 27-year old Bucharest native is not the type of player who will hold up the hardware at weeks end. But when examining his results, he is consistently winning two or three matches a week—his ranking success will follow.

Schuettler on the other hand heads closer towards retirement by each passing event. His grinding game- style is touch to maintain, especially when one enters their 30’s. Schuettler did not give his fans much to cheer about today, winning only 38 percent of the total points played, and surrendering his serve on four occasions.

Schuettler is need of plan B in a major way. With his game-style, end-of-career adjustments will not be easy.

With the win, Hanescu advances to the final eight where he will meet Alexandre Sidorenko who was a winner or scrappy Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 21-year old Sidorenko will be hoping to make his maiden ATP World Tour semifinal with a win over the fourth seeded Romanian. Great draw for Hanescu.

Elsewhere in first round action, Paul-Henri Mathieu snapped a four match losing streak when he took down the formidable challenge of Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4). Mathieu has always been some what of a head-case. He holds immense talent; connecting the dots between focus and execution remains the primary weakness. Mathieu next opponent will be rough clay-court customer Fabio Fognini who was three set winner over Fabrice Santoro on Tuesday.

The final match day saw Martin Vassallo Arguello defeat Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. The Argentine will next face French Jeremy Chardy who was a first round winner on Tuesday.

Thursday’s action in Stuttgart will feature: top seed Gilles Simon vs. Mischa Zverev; fifth seed Phillipp Kohlschreiber vs Lukasz Kubot; second seed Nikolay Davydenko vs. Michael Berrer.

Please check back tennis fans, I will have continuing daily coverage from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 2 review. Monaco wins in Sweden; Kiefer upsets Berdych in Germany

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Unseeded Argentine Juan Monaco provided the biggest upset of the day during continued first round action in Sweden today, with a 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-1 victory over 8th seeded Maximo Gonzalez. Monaco showed a lot heart throughout the encounter, having to deal with the disappointment of losing both of his weekend Davis Cup matches. However the clay is back, and certainly many smiles of joy will resonate through Monaco’s monster forehand.

After winning a tight first set, Gonzalez fought back to square the contest at one set a piece. With the third set in bounds, Monaco elevated his game and his intensity to capture another win on the dirt.

Clay-court stats were written all over this encounter, with both players residing in the low to mid 60’s on their first serve points won. There were also 11 break points conversions in total; 6 for Monaco and 5 for Gonzalez.

The win with take the “Principality” to the round of 16, were he will meet Victor Crivoi who defeated Denis Istomin 6-0, 6-4 on Monday.

Elsewhere, a busy day in Bastad saw the following matches completed:

Kristof Vliegen defeated one of the very few uncomfortable Spaniards on clay, Marcel Granollers 7-6(7-3) 6-4; Guillermo Canas halted the hopes of potential future star Girgor Dimitrov 6-3 7-6 (7-2); Daniel “hothead” Kollerer took out Steve Darcis 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Kollerer will face top seed Fernando Verdasco on Thursday; Potito Starace squeezed past Julien Benneteau 7-6 (7-5) 6-3; Peter Luczak brushed aside Alberto Martin 6-2, 6-2; and Bjorn Phau whipped past Daniel Berta 6-3, 6-2.

Wednesday action in Bastad will feature top seed Nicolas Almagro vs. Marat Safin; Tommy Robredo vs. Peter Luczak; and Robin Soderling appearing on clay for the first time since making the finals of French Open. The Sod will take on Kristof Vliegen.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Tomas Berdych was another player who experienced the tribulations of Davis Cup hangover today, with a meek and fatigued performance. The powerful Czech came into Stuttgart after helping his DC squad dispatch Argentina over the weekend. Never one to hold the mental fortitude card in high esteem, Berdych appeared sluggish throughout the encounter against home-country hopeful Nicolas Kiefer, falling without a fight 6-3, 6-3.

Kiefer was in total control from the onset of the match, breaking Berdych’s serve on four occasions and winning 76 percent of his first serve points.

The German is exactly the type of player the big boys do not want to face when they are fatigued. Kiefer is feisty, can get under your skin, and is solid from every facet in the game.

Kiefer is also the defending Roger’s Cup finalist, and will have a ton of points to defend come the Masters 1000 event in about a months time. Nicolas better rack up as many wins a possible in the next little while, with a repeat to the finals in Montreal unlikely.

For now, Kiefer lives to fight another day and will take on Simon Greul who was a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) winner over Andreas Beck.

The good day for the German’s remained perfect with Phillipp Kohlschreiber continuing his fine form of late with a comprehensive win over Diego Junqueira 6-3, 6-2. Kohlschreiber put forth a world beater effort over the weekend in Marbella, defeating both Fernando Verdasco and Tommy Robredo. Kohlschreiber is an elite ball-striker, and if he continues his recent tear watch out.

Other German’s who were winners on Day 2 included: Rainer Schuettler over Ivo Minor 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4; and Mischa Zverev over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-4. All in all, six of the nine German’s who started the event remain alive in round two.

Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro became an upset casualty on Day 2, falling at the hands of Italian Fabio Fognini 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. Santoro was coming into the Germany from a semi-final showing in Newport last week.

Jeremy Chardy upset 8th seed Jose Acasuso 6-2, 7-6 (7-4); Alexandre Sidorenko brushed aside Daniel Munoz-De La Nave (longest name on tour?), 7-6 (7-3), 1-6, 6-2; and Oscar Hernandez bounced Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-4.

Last but not least, top seed Gilles Simon began his Stuttgart campaign in style with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Phillipp Petzschner. Petzschner is a talented German player, with ample power to spare. Gilles was on his game today, winning 73 percent of his first serve points, hitting 6 aces and breaking his opponents serve on four occasions.

Simon moves onto round two after 1:14 minutes and will next face Mischa Zverev of Germany.

Wednesday’s order of play will be highlighted by Mikhail Youzhny vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu, and Rainer Schuettler vs. Victor Hanescu.

Please check back, I will have continuing daily coverage from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 1 review. Vinciguerra wins first match of the season; Daydenko made to work in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Without perseverance what would tennis be like? Take Andreas Vinciguerra for instance. A young, vibrant player who was once touted as the next prominent Swedish tennis, quickly faded in the category of a never-was. Injuries and lack of motivation were the culprit towards Vinicguerra’s fall—and fall he did. Currently ranked 460 in world, Vinny had not exactly been breaking the bank in the winners column. His lone non-tour win of the season came in Dusseldorf, Germany against a struggling Robby Ginepri. Not exactly a top ten win.

Vinci’s fortunes changed today in Bastad, with the former world number 33 capturing his first official victory of the year against 6th seed Florent Serrra, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4.

It was truly a delight to see Vinicguerra on court today. His crafty left-handed game does not reside on the loins of power; touch and precision are his calling. After losing the first set to the Frenchmen, Vinicguerrapicked up his first serve percent in a big way to offset the rally rhythm of Serra. On the strength of 9 aces, 74% of first serve points won, and three breaks of serve, Vinny advanced to the round of sixteen—delight for the home crowd.

Vinciguerra’s next opponent will be either young hopeful Grigor Dmitriov or a qualifier. The Grigor challenge would be tough.

Elsewhere on a relative light day in Sweden, Victor Crivoi notched his fourthwin of the season, with a 6-4, 6-4 beat-down of Denis Istomin. Crivoiscored an impressive win earlier in the clay-court season with a win over American James Blake in Roma. He will now look forward to the challenge of either Juan Monaco or 8th seed Maximo Gonzalez. That match will be played on Tuesday.

The final match of the day had Teimuraz Gabashvilitied at one set a piece with 7th seed Christophe Rochus. Gabashvili is currently knocking the stuffing out of the ball, and Rochus is playing his counter-punching game to perfection. The winner of the match will take on either Bjorn Phau or wild-card recipient Daniel Berta in round two. That match will also take place on Tuesday.

Top seed Fernando Verdasco will begin his Catella Swedish Open campaign on Wednesday. The top seed Spaniard receives a first round bye.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Second seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenkowas made to work today in his first round match in Stuttgart. The apparent rust was all over the former top 5 players game—errant forehands and shallow backhands. His opponent Ivan Navarro was exactly the type of player one could not afford to be complacent against. His backboard type game-style embraced unforced errors from his opponent, with minimal to no power provided by the Spaniard alone.

With the first set in the bag, Navarro appeared a lock for a second round spot. Being down a break in set two, did not bode well for Davydenko.

In the sight of defeat, Nikolay changed gears. He began to take more chances and employ more first strike tennis on his opponent. Davydenko had been in similar situations many times. Roaring back to take set two, the Russian appeared to have his barrings in check, a win seemed to be possible.

The third set added little to no adversity for the second seed, with a single break-point chance all that was necessary for the victory. The 2:36 minute dogfight was over, the tournament still had its drawing card.

With the win, Davydenko progressed to round two, where he will meet the winner of Stefan Koubek or Michael Berrer. That match is currently on court in the early stages of set one.

Elsewhere, qualifier Lukasz Kubot added to his fine season on clay, after he dismissed Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-2, 6-4. Kubot made a name for himself earlier this year after making the finals of the inaugural Belgrade tournament in a losing effort to top seed Novak Djokovic. Kubot’s efforts on the ATP World Tour previous to this year, were centered around doubles participation. Hopefully his success on the singles court will persuade him to work harder to improve on his talents. Kubot will face Philipp Kohlschreiber or Diego Junqueira in round two.

The days final completed match saw 4th seed Victor Hanescu dispatch German wild-card Dominik Meffert 6-4, 7-6 (10-8). For those avid tennis fans out there, Hanescucan bring some fine tennis to the court. His current top 30 ranking would suggest such accolades, with the 6′6″ Romanian holding a significant shot at a title run this week. Hanescu will take on either Rainer Schuettler or Ivo Minor in round two. That match will be played on Tuesday.

Please stay tuned, I will have comprehensive coverage of all the events the tour has to offer from Bastad, Swede, and Stuttgart, Germany. The summer season is heating up, and there is no better place to be than TennisConnected.com. The clay-courts are upon us once again; don’t even pretend like the sliding wasn’t missed. Cheers.

Tournament Previews:

With the grass-court season out of the way, and the up-coming hard-court season waiting in the wings, what’s the ATP World Tour suppose to do while they wait? Answer…play a few clay-court events for all those who miss the red crushed brick.

It’s transition time on tour folks, the time of year when anything goes, and all surfaces receive adequate opportunity. This week the ATP World Tour brings back the mini clay-court swing with stops in Sweden and Germany. Those long lost names of the years second slam in Paris will once again resurface. Names such as Edurado Schwank and Oscar Hernandez will be prominent once again. (Just wait and see).

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the respective tour stops in Bastad and Germany, taking into account the seeded players, and the road the top players will likely endure.

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Fresh off of Davis Cup duty, top seed Fernando Verdasco begins what he hopes will be his first title of 2009. Nando will be coming in tired; two five set matches in Marbella are to blame. His 1-1 mark over the weekend should be more than enough motivation for the powerful Spaniard to whack a few forehands towards a title run.

Verdasco will be joined by home-country favorite and second seed Robin Soderling; third seed Tommy Robredo; and fourth seed Jurgen Melzer. Bastadmarks another interesting event in the sense that it is a 32 man field, with the top four seeds only having to win four matches to claim the title. Yes that’s right folks, the top four seeds receive a first round bye. Certainly not a bad deal when a tour title is concerned.

Without further adieu let’s take a look at the top and bottom half’s of the 2009 Catella Swedish Open, from Bastad, Sweden.

Top Half:

The question going into this week in Sweden will be whether or not top seed Fernando Verdasco will be feeling the ill efforts of a long DC weekend.

He will have sometime to regroup witha bye granted in round one. Moving along to round two, relative adversity for the Spaniard could be encountered with either Daniel “hothead” Koellerer or Steve Darcis waiting. Koellerer is an in your face competitor and will do whatever it takes to capture a victory. Darcisby contest, is a smooth and elegant ball-striker who could give Verdasco something to think about if they face off.

The quarterfinals could bring forththe challenge of two Argentines, with either 8th seed Maximo Gonzalez or unseeded Juan Monaco on deck. Monaco is coming off of DC duty as well, and will have to transition quickly from the indoor hard surface in Ostrava. Gonzalez falls into the category of the long, long, list of French Open names. Both guys can play, and will surely test the former faux-hawk in the round of eight.

The semifinals could bring forth a man whom Verdascoshared a flight to Sweden with, Tommy Robredo. T-Rob was a scratch for Juan Carlos Ferreroin the fifth rubber over the weekend, and his status in the event is unknown at this time. Robredo remains a significant threat in these week long events, no limelight present, shining moments can occur. Seventh seed Christophe Rochus is also in this half, but is flaky demeanor never lends to a true showing of his abilities.

All in all, if Verdasco shows up and is healthy, he should have no legitimate excuse for not reaching his second final of 2009.

Pick: Verdasco; dark-horse: Juan Monaco

Bottom Half:

Rocking Robin is back on clay ladies and gents, to hopefully prove that he is the real deal on the surface. With this being his first action on the dirt since losing to Roger Federer at the French final, Soderling takes the unfamiliar role of the favorite and not follower—will he like the favorite role?

The Sod also receives a first round bye, with the challenge of either Marcel Granollers or Kristof Vliegen in round two. Bothplayers are well adept on the clay, with Vliegen possessing more court-craft. Should be routine for Soderling.

The quarters could get tricky for the roundhouse Swede, 5th seeded Nicolas Almagro or unseeded Marat Safin could be potential opponents. Bothplayers have had success and failure in 2009, with Safin obtaining more of the latter. Almagro makes his bread and butter on clay, but his confidence and court sense seem to be in disarray. Again, Safin is not far behind. The often flaky Le Sod looks mighty good so far.

A coronation of sorts maybe in order come the final four. Wild-card recipient Girgor Dmitrov is in the house, and will be looking to make good on the claim that he is the next Roger Federer. Dmitriov still resides in dark-horse status for now, with fourth seed Jurgen Melzer and 6th seed Florent Serra providing more experience and poise at this stage.

All in all, The Sod seems to be in good standing in Bastadthis week, with a lot to prove, and the confidence of Roland Garrosto prove it with.

Pick: Soderling; dark-horse: Dmitriov

Champion: Soderling

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

What a difference a year makes. Just twelve months ago a tall, but unknown Argentine showed up in Stuttgart to get his game his game cooking after a dismal start to the 2008 season. The man in question is current world number five Juan Martin del Potro, and no he will not be defending his title.

The “maid” Argentine has the luxury of sitting pretty now, fine-tuning his hard-hitting game for the up-coming hard-court swing. In all honestly, it’s a great move for JMDP, he needs the rest and the point loss will not affect him greatly.

Moving onto the actual participants of the 2009 Mercedes Cup, top seed Gilles Simon will be joined by second seed Nikolay Davydenko; third seed Tomas Berdych; and fourth seed Victor Hanescu.

Other notables in the field have the Newport-Stuttgart bound Fabrice Santoro in his farewell tour, along side Paul-Henri Mathieu and Jeremy Chardy.

With the players pronounced, let’s take a look at the top and bottom half’s of the draw.

Top Half:

The top four players in Stuttgart do not have the pleasure of receiving a first round bye like their counterparts Bastad. That means first round upsets aplenty, which could include top seed Gilles Simon. The unstable Frenchmen will find immediate adversity in the form of unseeded Phillip Petzschner of Germany from the get go. The flat-hitting home-country favorite possesses a rocket serve, and has just the kind of game to send Gilles out of his least liked clay surface.

In the event Simon is able to withstand the Petzschner challenge, his Stuttgart draw will have him face either Mischa Zverev or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Zverevis coming off of Davis Cup duty, with Garcia-Lopez being the more realistic threat. Garcia-Lopez recently captured his maiden ATP World Tour title in Austria the week before the French Open, and also advanced to the semifinals of Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon. Now if he could only do something at the majors?

The quarterfinals could bring forthmore adversity for Simon with either 8th seeded Jose Acasuso or fellow Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy looming. Chardy has top ten talent, and Acasuso knows a thing or two about clay-court tennis. Tough draw for Simon.

The news does not get much better for Gilles in the semifinal round, where either in form 5th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber or third seed Tomas Berdych will be waiting. Both Kohlschreiber and Berdychare coming off of hard fought DC weekends, with Kohlschreiber providing serious clay-court opposition for the top seed.

All in all, Simon is never a shoe-in to win any clay event. His game is not conducive to sliding and shoulder level shots, and will likely be bounced in the quarterfinals if not earlier.

Pick: Acasuso; dark-horse: Garcia-Lopez

Bottom Half:

For the first time in his career, second seed Nikolay Daydenko can say he does not have enough tennis in him. During what has become an injury prone 2009 season, the Russian has seen his ranking drop out of the top 10 for the first time in five years. Perhaps his fresh limbs will bode well of the remainder of the year?

Davydenko does have the luxury of easing his way through a comfortable draw. First up for Niko will be Ivan Narravo of Spain. The danger of an upset during that encounter will be minimal at best.

The second round will seemingly be another comfortable outing for the Russian with either Michael Berrer or veteran Stefan Koubek waiting. Koubek is way past his prime, and Berrer is much more dangerous on a fast surface.

Quarterfinal time could be a match for old time sake, with 7th seed Fabrice Santoro on tap. In all honestly, Fabrice will find it difficult to perform well in Stuttgart. A) He is coming off of Newport’s grass last week, B) he does not move well enough on clay, at this stage in his career. He is 37-years old, after all. Italian Fabio Fognini is also in this section, and could be a dangerous floater for Davydenkoto deal with.

The semifinals could see Davydenko against either 4th seed Victor Hanescu or Estoril champion, 6th seed Albert Montanes. Both of these players love the clay, but do not match up well with Davydenko. Nikolay would exploit Hanescu’s movement, and beat up Montanes’ one-hand back-hand.

All in all a great draw for the workhorse, off the rise Russian.

Pick: Davydenko; dark-horse: Oscar Hernandez (as promised)

Champion: Davydenko

Please stay tuned, I will have comprehensive coverage of all the events the tour has to offer from Bastad, Swede, and Stuttgart, Germany. The summer season is heating up, and there is no better place to be than TennisConnected.com. The clay-courts are upon us once again; don’t even pretend like the sliding wasn’t missed. Cheers.

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