Elias Beats Fellow Qualifier In Sydney 2017 Monday Highlights
Elias Beats Fellow Qualifier In Sydney 2017 Monday Highlights
Jan092017
Barton upsets Edmund on Monday
Fifth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber brought his best tennis on Monday at the Apia International Sydney, recording a convincing 6-4, 6-4 win over a tricky opponent in Fabio Fognini.
Kohlschreiber landed 75 per cent of his first serves in the second set and controlled the baseline rallies throughout the match to prevail in one hour and 21 minutes. Next up for him is the winner of the wild card battle between Aussies Jordan Thompson and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
In other first-round matches, Australian qualifier Matthew Barton delighted the local crowd with a 7-6(3), 7-6(5) win over Kyle Edmund. In a match featuring no breaks of serve, Barton saved a set point serving at 4-5 and grabbed the final three points of the contest to prevail in one hour and 43 minutes.
Barton, ranked No. 198 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, will look to reach his first ATP World Tour quarter-final when he faces the winner between sixth seed Gilles Muller and Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Daniel Evans recovered from a mid-match lapse to move past qualifier Thiago Monteiro, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. The Brit will now play the winner of the all-Spanish battle between eighth seed Marcel Granollers and Fernando Verdasco.
Paolo Lorenzi survived an epic 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(5) battle against Florian Mayer. Next up for the Italian is third seed and two-time defending champion Viktor Troicki.
Gastao Elias produced the comeback of the day against Aussie qualifier Christopher O’Connell, rallying from down a set and 1-4 to record a 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-1 victory. The Portuguese player is rewarded for his efforts with a clash against top seed Dominic Thiem in the next round.
DOUBLES: The lone doubles match of the day saw Troicki/Nenad Zimonjic win their first-round match 6-3, 6-4 over Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Martin Klizan. They will play the winner between third seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo and Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah
Johanna Konta, Heather Watson, Laura Robson and Jocelyn Rae have been named in the British Fed Cup squad for February’s matches in Estonia.
It is the first team to be picked by new captain Anne Keothavong.
Two changes can be made before the final selection deadline on 7 February.
“In Johanna Konta we are lucky to have a player who is at the very top of the game right now,” said Keothavong of the British number one, who broke into the world’s top 10 last year.
“Along with Jo, we have fantastic experience in Heather and Laura, with nearly 40 Fed Cup rubbers between them, and Joss Rae gives us a strong doubles option.”
Robson has been chosen ahead of Tara Moore who, at 165 in the world, is currently ranked higher, while Naomi Broady has not made herself available for selection.
The round-robin pool matches in the Euro/Africa group will take place between 8 and 10 February, with the winners competing in promotion play-offs on 11 February.
Two nations will advance to the World Group II play-offs on 22-23 April.
Britain’s Johanna Konta and Dan Evans have progressed to the second round at the Sydney International.
Sixth seed and British number one Konta beat Australian Arina Rodionova 6-3 6-4 in her opening match of the tournament.
Unseeded Evans won 6-3 4-6 6-3 against Thiago Monteiro of Brazil.
But British number two Kyle Edmund went out after losing 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5) against Australian qualifier Matthew Barton, who sits 153 places below the world number 45 in the rankings.
Grigor Dimitrov secured his fifth ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, defeating Kei Nishikori 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. The Bulgarian, who is in the process of returning to his top level, has demonstrated that he is well on his way after the first tournament of the 2017 season. Following his victory over Nishikori, Dimitrov’s coach Dani Vallverdu assessed his pupil’s preseason regimen, how he continues grow and learn and his great week in Brisbane.
“Normally, the focus is never on the first week of the year, but you intend to be prepared to compete well,” Vallverdu told ATPWorldTour.com. “The priority of the preseason is to create a good plan for the year. It is a plus that he played well in Brisbane. The truth is that the preseason went well and the work was very tough. That gives you confidence because you have put in hours of work on the court.
“Mentally, it helps to have extra confidence and to not have doubts if you are prepared or not. Nowadays, all training is tough. Everyone goes through the preseason intending to improve, as much phsyically as tactically.”
Dimitrov has shown he is phsyically fit in the first battles of the year, showing off his quick agility with his strong lower body and lungs, a result of hard work paying off.
“He is close to the best form that he can be in, but the important thing is to maintain it now,” Vallerdu added. “At this moment he is feeling good physically, but still we can improve a little more. I am very happy with how he is playing and how he is competing in all his matches from start to finish. For me, the match against Raonic in the semi-finals has shown how much better he is playing since we have been together.”
With his pupil up to No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Vallverdu believes that he still has a long road ahead and is only first starting to realize his potential.
“We are in the first phase of our work. You are not able to create habits in a player in just three or four months. To create habits is the work of eight, 10 or 12 months doing the right things. And above all, they have to be the right habits in the important matches. Dimitrov has played important matches, but I want to see it in the semi-finals and finals. That is where you can see if the habits are where they have to be.”
A LOOK BACK
Wind Energy Holding Bangkok Open (Bangkok, Thailand): Fifth seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia showed off the form that’s taken him as high as No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, moving past Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia in the Bangkok championship match, 6-3, 7-6(1). It was his 12th Challenger title in total and first since August at the $125,000 event in Qingdao, China. Tipsarevic, who continues his ascent towards the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, rises to No. 118. Kavcic, meanwhile, continued his run of form in Bangkok, having won the Challenger title there in September.
City Of Onkaparinga Tennis Challenger (Happy Valley, Australia): Peter Gojowczyk started 2017 on a high note with a convincing win in the final over local favourite and wild card Omar Jasika, 6-3, 6-1. This is the German’s fifth Challenger title and first since prevailing in September 2015 in Nanchang, China. Tecnifibre player Jasika was competing in his first Challenger final.
Challenger BNP Paribas (Noumea, New Caledonia): Top seed Adrian Mannarino of France lived up to the billing by defending his Noumea crown over Nikola Milojevic of Serbia, 6-3, 7-5. Mannarino didn’t drop a set throughout the week. The 28-year-old has excelled in Noumea throughout his career, having also prevailed in 2013. The 21-year-old Milojevic was also competing in his first Challenger final.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Tipsarevic: “Winning the first Challenger in Bangkok means a lot to me. You start the year with a win and it gives you a lot of confidence. I’m coming back from a serious injury and these matches I’ve won will only help my goal to come back faster.”
Jasika: “Peter played an unbelievable match. I couldn’t really do anything about it. Sometimes you have to take your hat off and say ‘Too good.’”
“I’ve definitely got a lot of confidence going into the Australian Open now. I’m happy I got a lot of matches this week and I’m definitely not complaining.
A LOOK AHEAD
There are two Challengers on the calendar this week, with the $75,000 event in Canberra, Australia, taking top billing. All eight seeds are inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, with World No. 63 Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany as the top seed and World No. 68 Gerald Melzer of Austria as the second seed. #NextGenATP star Quentin Halys and Wimbledon junior champion Denis Shapovalov are also in the draw.
Bangkok also hosts another $50,000 tournament this week. Tipsarevic will look for another title as the top seed, while Christian Garin of Chile is the second seed.
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