jcgatennismom
Hall of Fame
Time for a thread for this summer….
While there are currently 14 former or current collegians in ATP singles top 100, the percentage of collegians playing the summer Open HC series of ATP events is more than double that %-almost 40% of Atlanta 250 MD players had college ties, and even better- 50% of QFs, SF, and finalists were former collegians.
Will 2023 mark the emergence of smart strategic slightly older former Challenger players rocketing to the top 60 and higher? So far we have Chris Eubanks who at #29 is almost 100 rankings points higher than he was at the start of 2023 (#123) after his amazing run at Mallorca and Wimbledon. Hopefully he will have a good run in Citi. Ending his run at QFs in ATL was a disappointment for him, but the expectations of playing as the hometown hero, 200 fans watching his practices, signing autographs, and rain delays before his match vs Vukic probably prevented him from having the focus he needed to have a chance vs Vukic who he’d already lost to earlier in the year
Speaking of the Aussie, Vukic now #61 and former Illini was 130 at start of year, and was 3-8 at ATP level events prior to ATL-losing in the 1st rd in two US 250s (Houston, Newport). 2 of his ATP level wins were vs Eubanks (Delray) and Nakishima (Eastbourne)But in Atlanta, he just couldn’t lose until the final where he put up a great fight vs top 10 Fritz. Lots of TBs, 7-5 sets in his matches-figuring out how to win the 2nd set after an opponent cruised through the 1st. Any pro outside the top 20 who lets him take a 2nd set, better beware. My son who was a hitting partner at ATL was surprised that Vukic got past Frenchmen Humbert who has a wicked lefty serve. Vukic had lost the 1st set 3-6. Will be interesting to see the heights he will reach this summer and the ranking he’ll have in time for his home slam. Eubanks should be seeded in the US Open-if Vukic keeps up his smart play, he could be a seed at his home AO.
Vukic unfortunately only had today to rest before he plays his 1st round at Citi on Tuesday. If he beats Nakishima for the 2nd time this year, he will face Murray in 2nd! Young Ben Shelton has a rematch with younger Jerry Shang, the talented Chinese Qualifier he lost to last week in ATL. Citi being an ATP 500 has a smaller % of former or current collegians in MD (10 players 20%), but the Citi Qualis were full of collegians-Seelig and Trotter of OSU, Fenty of Mich, Holt of USC played but didn’t qualify plus 5 others. The only two former collegians to qualify were Klahn (Stanford) and Pannu (Columbus state Kiwi-top D2 player a few years back)
Seems like it is easier for a collegian to get in the Qualis of a 500 than the MD of a Challenger. The widely touted Accelerator program may be only giving out one MD WC to challengers for some events. I keep seeing guys on the top 20 ITA list playing Futures…
Speaking of Illinis and Aleks-there is another Aleks-Kovacevic who is in MD at Los Cabos 250. Kova was playing all the Challengers with Shelton, Eubanks, and Wolf in 2022. He reached the SFs of a 250 in South Korea in 2022. This year he only has only ATP level win-1st rd in Miami. Hope he does well at Los Cabos and possibly receives MD WC to Open.
ACC reunion at Los Cabos-Mansouri and Gojo from Wake, Rinky from UnC, and Kumar from Duke. Diallo too who at 140 has moved up quite a bit since he left Kentucky in 22. Norrie, Isner (who plays Rinky), Jung of Mich, and Koepfer round out the collegiate crew of 10 at Cabos. Two 250s this summer with close to 40% collegians-bet Winston will be too.
The questions tho does remain to be asked-are collegians making true progress in the ATP ranks or are they the only players desperate enough to play ATP events in the hot humid South? Are most of the Europeans waiting to Cincy to cross the Atlantic? Sure hope that tourney doesnt move to Charlotte...Tsitsi did come over for Cabos-wonder if he brought Badosa for beach time...
While there are currently 14 former or current collegians in ATP singles top 100, the percentage of collegians playing the summer Open HC series of ATP events is more than double that %-almost 40% of Atlanta 250 MD players had college ties, and even better- 50% of QFs, SF, and finalists were former collegians.
Will 2023 mark the emergence of smart strategic slightly older former Challenger players rocketing to the top 60 and higher? So far we have Chris Eubanks who at #29 is almost 100 rankings points higher than he was at the start of 2023 (#123) after his amazing run at Mallorca and Wimbledon. Hopefully he will have a good run in Citi. Ending his run at QFs in ATL was a disappointment for him, but the expectations of playing as the hometown hero, 200 fans watching his practices, signing autographs, and rain delays before his match vs Vukic probably prevented him from having the focus he needed to have a chance vs Vukic who he’d already lost to earlier in the year
Speaking of the Aussie, Vukic now #61 and former Illini was 130 at start of year, and was 3-8 at ATP level events prior to ATL-losing in the 1st rd in two US 250s (Houston, Newport). 2 of his ATP level wins were vs Eubanks (Delray) and Nakishima (Eastbourne)But in Atlanta, he just couldn’t lose until the final where he put up a great fight vs top 10 Fritz. Lots of TBs, 7-5 sets in his matches-figuring out how to win the 2nd set after an opponent cruised through the 1st. Any pro outside the top 20 who lets him take a 2nd set, better beware. My son who was a hitting partner at ATL was surprised that Vukic got past Frenchmen Humbert who has a wicked lefty serve. Vukic had lost the 1st set 3-6. Will be interesting to see the heights he will reach this summer and the ranking he’ll have in time for his home slam. Eubanks should be seeded in the US Open-if Vukic keeps up his smart play, he could be a seed at his home AO.
Vukic unfortunately only had today to rest before he plays his 1st round at Citi on Tuesday. If he beats Nakishima for the 2nd time this year, he will face Murray in 2nd! Young Ben Shelton has a rematch with younger Jerry Shang, the talented Chinese Qualifier he lost to last week in ATL. Citi being an ATP 500 has a smaller % of former or current collegians in MD (10 players 20%), but the Citi Qualis were full of collegians-Seelig and Trotter of OSU, Fenty of Mich, Holt of USC played but didn’t qualify plus 5 others. The only two former collegians to qualify were Klahn (Stanford) and Pannu (Columbus state Kiwi-top D2 player a few years back)
Seems like it is easier for a collegian to get in the Qualis of a 500 than the MD of a Challenger. The widely touted Accelerator program may be only giving out one MD WC to challengers for some events. I keep seeing guys on the top 20 ITA list playing Futures…
Speaking of Illinis and Aleks-there is another Aleks-Kovacevic who is in MD at Los Cabos 250. Kova was playing all the Challengers with Shelton, Eubanks, and Wolf in 2022. He reached the SFs of a 250 in South Korea in 2022. This year he only has only ATP level win-1st rd in Miami. Hope he does well at Los Cabos and possibly receives MD WC to Open.
ACC reunion at Los Cabos-Mansouri and Gojo from Wake, Rinky from UnC, and Kumar from Duke. Diallo too who at 140 has moved up quite a bit since he left Kentucky in 22. Norrie, Isner (who plays Rinky), Jung of Mich, and Koepfer round out the collegiate crew of 10 at Cabos. Two 250s this summer with close to 40% collegians-bet Winston will be too.
The questions tho does remain to be asked-are collegians making true progress in the ATP ranks or are they the only players desperate enough to play ATP events in the hot humid South? Are most of the Europeans waiting to Cincy to cross the Atlantic? Sure hope that tourney doesnt move to Charlotte...Tsitsi did come over for Cabos-wonder if he brought Badosa for beach time...
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