T42: Antwerpia, Moskwa 2021

[Damian]

European Open



Antwerpia - pary II rundy turnieju kwalifikacji:

[1] Jenson Brooksby vs [8] Norbet Gombos

[2] Brandon Nakashima vs [6/Alt] Pierre-Hugues Herbert

[3] Roberto Carballes Baena vs [5] Henri Laaksonen

[4] Andreas Seppi vs [7] Dennis Novak

[Damian]

Scouting Report: Sinner Top Seed In Antwerp, Rublev Leads Russians In Moscow

Spoiler:

An executive summary of what every fan should know about the coming week
The ATP Tour moves to Europe this week, where there will be two ATP 250 events on indoor hard courts. Jannik Sinner leads the way as the top seed at the European Open in Antwerp, and Andrey Rublev will try to retain his trophy in Moscow at the VTB Kremlin Cup.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each tournament.


View Draws: Antwerp | Moscow

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ANTWERP
1) Sinner’s Turin Push: Washington champion Sinner is still in contention for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The Italian trails ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz, who currently sits in the last qualifying position [Rafael Nadal, eighth in the Race, will not compete in Turin due to a foot injury] by 360 points.

Sinner will play a countryman — Gianluca Mager or #NextGenATP Lorenzo Musetti — in the second round. The 20-year-old made the semi-finals on his Antwerp debut in 2019.


2) De Minaur & Schwartzman Chasing Title: Australian Alex de Minaur enjoyed a run to the championship match in Antwerp in 2020 and will look to go one step better this year and capture his third tour-level title of the season. Seeded sixth, he faces a qualifier in the first round.

Argentine Schwartzman, who reached the final at the ATP 250 event in 2016 and 2017, arrives in form after advancing to the quarter-finals in San Diego and Indian Wells.

3) Murray Accepts Wild Card: Former World No. 1 Murray will compete in Antwerp, where he went on a magical run to the title in 2019, overcoming Stan Wawrinka for the trophy. The 34-year-old arrives at the European Open off the back of advancing to the third round in Indian Wells, where he beat #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. The Scot will play American Frances Tiafoe in the first round, with Schwartzman looming in the second round.

4) Bergs Is Back: Last year in Antwerp, Zizou Bergs made his mark as the World No. 528, stunning Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas before pushing Karen Khachanov deep into a third set in the second round before falling short. Bergs, now inside the Top 200, is back at the ATP 250 as he tries for another big showing on home soil. The Belgian, who is a wild card alongside Murray and Richard Gasquet, opens against seventh seed Lloyd Harris.


5) Malisse Returns With Pupil: Xavier Malisse, the 41-year-old Belgian who cracked the world’s Top 25 in singles and doubles, will compete for the first time in more than five years this week. The 2004 Roland Garros doubles champion (w/Rochus) will play doubles alongside the player he coaches, Harris. This will be Malisse’s first appearance at any level since the Meerbusch ATP Challenger Tour event in 2016. The top seeds in the doubles draw are Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo, who made the Indian Wells semi-finals.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MOSCOW
1) Former Champions In Action: World No. 5 Rublev is the reigning champion in Moscow and returns to defend his title as he aims to win his second tour-level trophy of the season. Croatian Marin Cilic, who captured the crown in 2014 and 2015, 2017 winner Damir Dzumhur and 2018 titlist Karen Khachanov are also in the field.

2) Home Hopes: Rublev, Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Khachanov and 2021 breakthrough star Aslan Karatsev are the leading Russian hopes in Moscow. Karatsev and Rublev will take confidence into their home tournament after reaching the doubles final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Rublev and Khachanov are former singles champions in Moscow, while Karatsev will compete at the event without having to go through qualifying for the first time. This year’s Australian Open semi-finalist is 1-4 at the ATP 250.


3) Bublik Rising: Alexander Bublik has enjoyed the best season of his career, reaching a career-high World No. 34 in September. The Kazakshtani has reached ATP Tour finals this season in Antalya and Singapore. The fifth seed will try to earn his first tour-level crown in Moscow, where he made the quarter-finals as a qualifier in 2016 and 2017.

4) Russian Wild Cards: The three singles wild cards were awarded to Russians, headlined by the country’s ATP Cup captain, Evgeny Donskoy. The 31-year-old made the semi-finals here in 2015. Roman Safiullin and Alibek Kachmazov also received wild cards, and they will play Frenchman Adrian Mannarino and Argentine Federico Coria, respectively.

5) Klaasen/McLachlan Top Seeds: The top seeds in the doubles draw are Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan, who won the Washington title together earlier this year. Although Karatsev and Rublev made the final as a team in Indian Wells, Karatsev will pair with countryman Richard Muzaev and Rublev will play alongside Khachanov. The second seeds are Andrey Golubev and Hugo Nys.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/antwerp ... ing-report

[Damian]

Will Murray Earn Revenge Against Tiafoe In Antwerp?

Spoiler:

Rublev could play Mannarino in 2019 Moscow final rematch
Frances Tiafoe beat Andy Murray less than two months ago in Winston-Salem. At the European Open in Antwerp, Murray will have a chance to earn revenge against the American.

Murray will play Tiafoe for the third time in their ATP Head2Head series, it was revealed when the draw for the ATP 250 was made this weekend. The former World No. 1 triumphed in their first clash last year at the Western & Southern Open.

"My level is around 50 or 60 in the world. It's frustrating because if wasn't moving great and not feeling good physically then I would be a bit easier on myself,” Murray said. “But when I'm winning a low percentage of second-serve points, that's got nothing to do with the physical side of things.”


Murray won just 47 per cent of his second-serve points against Tiafoe in August, and will try to turn that around on the indoor hard courts of Antwerp, where the Scot memorably claimed his 46th tour-level singles title — and his first after his most recent hip surgery — two years ago. The winner will face second seed Diego Schwartzman.

Another intriguing first-round match will see Belgian wild card Zizou Bergs challenge seventh seed Lloyd Harris. In 2019, Bergs upset Ramos-Vinolas on home soil and pushed Karen Khachanov in a tough three-setter.

Eight seed Dusan Lajovic will have his hands full against former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet. In their only previous clash three years ago in Madrid, Lajovic needed two tie-breaks to dispatch Gasquet.

You May Also Like: Scouting Report: Sinner Top Seed In Antwerp, Rublev Leads Russians In Moscow
Former Champions To Meet In Moscow Opener
Marin Cilic and Damir Dzumhur have both emerged victorious at the VTB Kremlin Cup, but only one will advance to the second round. Cilic, the two-time tournament champion and Dzumhur, the the 2017 champion, will meet for the second time (Cilic leads 1-0).

Top seed Andrey Rublev received a bye into the second round, in which he will play countryman Roman Safiullin, a wild card, or Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. Rublev defeated Mandarin 6-4, 6-0 in the Moscow final two years ago.

Although both men are unseeded, one of the most intriguing first-round matches at the VTB Kremlin Cup is between Australian John Millman and Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi.

Millman, last year’s Nur-Sultan champion, is one of the toughest outs on the ATP Tour due to his fighting spirit and physical game. Bonzi, however, is full of confidence thanks to winning six ATP Challenger Tour titles this year.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/antwerp ... aw-preview

[Damian]

VTB Kremlin Cup



Moskwa - plan gier na poniedziałek:

Centre Court – start o 10:
Liudmila Samsonova vs Ajla Tomljanovic

Nie przed 11:30:
Dayana Yastremska vs [Q] Anna Kalinskaya

Nie przed 13:30:
John Millman vs Benjamin Bonzi
[Q] Damir Dzumhur vs [6] Marin Cilic

Nie przed 17:30:
Daria Kasatkina vs Anhelina Kalinina

Nie przed 19:
James Duckworth vs [Q] Borna Gojo

Court 1 – start o 10:
[PR] Laslo Djere / Guido Pella vs Ilya Ivashka / Pedro Martinez
[WC] Pavel Kotov / Roman Safiullin vs [PR] Dominic Inglot / Ken Skupski GB

Nie przed 13:30:
[Q] Aleksandra Krunic vs [Q] Bernarda Pera
[Q] Qinwen Zheng vs [Q] Lesia Tsurenko
Anna Danilina / Arina Rodionova vs [3] Marie Bouzkova / Lucie Hradecka

Court 2 – start o 10:
[4] Nadiia Kichenok / Raluca Olaru vs Tereza Martincova / Marketa Vondrousova

Nie przed 13:
[4] Tomislav Brkic / Nikola Cacic vs Alexander Bublik / Adrian Mannarino

[Damian]

European Open



Antwerpia - plan gier na poniedziałek:

Center Court – start o 13:
[2] Brandon Nakashima vs [6/Alt] Pierre-Hugues Herbert
[1] Jenson Brooksby vs [8] Norbert Gombos

Nie przed 16:30:
Federico Delbonis vs Arthur Rinderknech
[WC] Richard Gasquet vs [8] Dusan Lajovic
Alexei Popyrin vs Botic van de Zandschulp

Court 1 – start o 13:
[4] Andreas Seppi vs [7] Dennis Novak
[3] Roberto Carballes Baena ESP vs [5] Henri Laaksonen

Nie przed 16:30:
Lorenzo Musetti / Benoit Paire vs Nicholas Monroe / Reilly Opelka

[DUN I LOVE]

Nakashima i Brooksby w MD Antwerpii.

[Damian]

European Open



Antwerpia - wyniki II rundy turnieju kwalifikacji:

[1] Jenson Brooksby d. [8] Norbet Gombos 6-4 6-2 T. Mevel

[2] Brandon Nakashima d. [6/Alt] Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2 6-4 C. Rask

[5] Henri Laaksonen d. [3] Roberto Carballes Baena 7-5 6-1 S. Noble

[7] Dennis Novak d. [4] Andreas Seppi 7-6(9) 3-6 7-6(6) L. Boucharinc

[Damian]

European Open



Antwerpia - drabinka główna:
(uzupełniona o kwalifikantów)

[1] Jannik Sinner wolna runda
Lorenzo Musetti vs Gianluca Mager
Federico Delbonis vs Arthur Rinderknech
[WC] Richard Gasquet vs [8] Dusan Lajovic

[4] Roberto Bautista Agut wolna runda
[Q] Dennis Novak vs Marton Fucsovics
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
[WC] Zizou Bergs vs [7] Lloyd Harris


[5] Reilly Opelka vs [Q] Jenson Brooksby
Alexei Popyrin vs Botic Van de Zandschulp
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Jordan Thompson
[3] Cristian Garin wolna runda

[6] Alex De Minaur vs [Q] Brandon Nakashima
[Q] Henri Laaksonen vs Benoit Paire
Frances Tiafoe vs [WC] Andy Murray
[2] Diego Schwartzman wolna runda

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

VTB Kremlin Cup



Moskwa - plan gier na wtorek:

Centre Court – start o 10:
[WC] Roman Safiullin vs Adrian Mannarino

Nie przed 11:30:
[5] Alexander Bublik vs [Q] Illya Marchenko

Nie przed 13:30:
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs [5] Ons Jabeur
[WC] Anastasia Potapova vs [8/WC] Simona Halep

Nie przed 17:30:
[WC] Evgeny Donskoy vs [7] Ilya Ivashka

Nie przed 19:
Veronika Kudermetova vs [Q] Oksana Selekhmeteva

Court 1 – start o 10:
[LL] Irina Bara vs Tereza Martincova

Nie przed 11:30:
[9] Anett Kontaveit vs Katerina Siniakova
Miomir Kecmanovic vs [Q] Egor Gerasimov
[8] Laslo Djere vs [PR] Gilles Simon

Nie przed 16:
Karen Khachanov / Andrey Rublev vs [3] Luke Saville / John-Patrick Smith

Nie przed 17:30:
[7] Elena Rybakina vs Marketa Vondrousova

Court 2 – start o 10:
Tommy Paul vs Mikael Ymer
[PR] Guido Pella vs Pedro Martinez
Viktoria Kuzmova / Alexandra Panova vs Vitalia Diatchenko / Monica Niculescu
Elixane Lechemia / Sabrina Santamaria vs Oksana Kalashnikova / Miyu Kato
Jelena Ostapenko vs Andrea Petkovic
Kaitlyn Christian / Erin Routliffe vs Anna Kalinskaya / Anastasia Potapova

[Damian]

European Open



Antwerpia - plan gier na wtorek:

Center Court – start o 13:
[WC] Ruben Bemelmans / Kimmer Coppejans vs [2] Nicolas Mahut / Fabrice Martin

Nie przed 14:30:
[Q] Henri Laaksonen vs Benoit Paire
[5] Reilly Opelka vs [Q] Jenson Brooksby

Nie przed 18:30:
Frances Tiafoe vs [WC] Andy Murray

Nie przed 19:30:
[WC] Zizou Bergs vs [7] Lloyd Harris

Court 1 – start o 13:
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Jordan Thompson

Nie przed 14:30:
[6] Alex de Minaur vs [Q] Brandon Nakashima
Lorenzo Musetti vs Gianluca Mager

Nie przed 17:
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
[Q] Dennis Novak vs Marton Fucsovics

[DUN I LOVE]

Nakashima skasował De Minaura.

Iwaszka chyba mocniej się uszkodził. Kolejny turniej z którego się wycofał.

[Mario]

Co należy zrobić, żeby przegrywający wszystko jak leci ludzie pokroju Simona i Musettiego nagle wygrali? Postawić przeciwko nim.

[DUN I LOVE]

Lel, byłęm przekonany, że to ogarnie Djere po wygraniu pierwszej partii.

Opelka ograny przez Brooksy'ego. Jenson, do w spółki z Brandonem, dobrze się bawią w Antwerpii.

[Damian]

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Kolejny kurnikowy epik między Murrayem, a Pachoł.

Przerwa w LM, odpalę.

[no-handed backhand]

Aż się ten szitfest z Boredo przypomniał.