Week of 7-19-21: ATP 250 Umag, ATP 250 Gstaad, ATP 250 Los Cabos

[James P]

Three ATP 250s on tap this week, two clay and one hardcourt. Umag (clay) features a seeded Carlos Alcaraz for the first time in his career. Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Dusan Lajovic are the top seeds. Gstaad (clay) features a bevy of really young players, led by Dominic Stricker. Denis Shapovalov, Roberto Bautista Agut, and last week's Bastad winner, Casper Ruud are the top seeds. Los Cabos is the summer hardcourt season's opening foray and features the ATP tour level returns of young Americans Brandon Nakashima and JJ Wolf who also happen to be playing one another in the first round. Top seeds are Cameron Norrie and John Isner. (Edit: drawsheets came out small and poorly legible, so I've included links to the draw sheets in their names below)

Umag:

Gstaad:

Los Cabos:

 

[stringertom]

I’m hoping Krajinovic can rebound from the disappointment of losing yesterday in Hamburg and finally win a title this next Sunday in Umag. He may need to be Filip the Teen Slayer to get there (possible 2R vs Rune and QF vs Alcaraz). After his Children’s Crusade it’s a probable ARV SF and then an encounter with defending champion/countryman Lajovic in the final. Umag has produced first time champions in two of the last three tournaments held (Rublev in 2017). Why not 3 of 4?

 

[Moose Malloy]

some of the young talents scheduled today:

Stricker vs Rinderknech in Gstaad
Alcaraz vs Pouille in Umag

 

[Deleted member 771911]

Disney would be proud of the draws this week

 

[stringertom]

some of the young talents scheduled today:

Stricker vs Rinderknech in Gstaad
Alcaraz vs Pouille in Umag

All three teens in Gstaad (Stricker, his fellow Swiss and good buddy Riedi and Argentine JM Cerundolo) lost in straight sets.

Alcaraz is playing in the evening at Umag.

 

[fundrazer]

All three teens in Gstaad (Stricker, his fellow Swiss and good buddy Riedi and Argentine JM Cerundolo) lost in straight sets.

Alcaraz is playing in the evening at Umag.

And he's down a set to Pouille.

I actually took under 20.5 games for this one thinking Pouille has been bad the entire year. Alcaraz came out with some weird strapping on his arm though. Not sure what that's about. Not the highest quality match though. A lot of errors from both guys. Alcaraz playing from way far back, Pouille hitting big shots or spraying.

Hoping Pouille closes it out now.

 

[stringertom]

And he's down a set to Pouille.

I actually took under 20.5 games for this one thinking Pouille has been bad the entire year. Alcaraz came out with some weird strapping on his arm though. Not sure what that's about. Not the highest quality match though. A lot of errors from both guys. Alcaraz playing from way far back, Pouille hitting big shots or spraying.

Hoping Pouille closes it out now.

Wish not granted. Alcaraz looks to take this in three now.

 

[fundrazer]

Wish not granted. Alcaraz looks to take this in three now.

Yeah...I was expecting a scoreline like these last two sets. Oh well.

 

[stringertom]

Ivo out at Los Cabos, losing 1R Tuesday night to Jordan Thompson, 4&5.

Kudla won a 3rd set TB in the wee hours of Monday night/Tuesday morning, edging Kokkinakis 4-6 7-6(4) 7-6(3).

Other winners in the first NA HC tournament this summer include two with California ties: Ernesto Escobedo beat fellow Cali kid Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets and USC grad Emilio Gomez (ECU) also won in straight sets over Nicolas Mejia (COL).

 

[James P]

Hmmm, Arthur Rinderknech takes out RBA. Surprising result.

 

[stringertom]

Hmmm, Arthur Rinderknech takes out RBA. Surprising result.

Also another French uprising is Gaston (with an opening bagel!) over Delbonis. Almost WTA style scoreline 6-0 6-7(2) 7-6(3).

Really looking forward to Casper vs Novak on Thursday. Could be a blockbuster!

 

[fundrazer]

Also another French uprising is Gaston (with an opening bagel!) over Delbonis. Almost WTA style scoreline 6-0 6-7(2) 7-6(3).

Really looking forward to Casper vs Novak on Thursday. Could be a blockbuster!

With how Ruud has been playing I don't think so. Man is cleaning up these 250 clay events.

 

[stringertom]

With how Ruud has been playing I don't think so. Man is cleaning up these 250 clay events.

Trying to have some humor on this increasingly dark forum. Sorry if that intent wasn’t clear. Should have added a or a to delineate.

 

[fundrazer]

Trying to have some humor on this increasingly dark forum. Sorry if that intent wasn’t clear. Should have added a or a to delineate.

Well you just got a laugh out of me so it worked, even if I didn't catch the intended sarcasm. lol

 

[stringertom]

Well you just got a laugh out of me so it worked, even if I didn't catch the intended sarcasm. lol

It’s totally appropriate to goof on this subject at Gstaad…newly crowned Wimbledon king fedr traveled to Gstaad immediately after winning at SW19 in 2003. He got a cow from the tournament organizers as a reward and then stuck around to make the final, a 5-set thriller he lost. His opponent that day was Novak…Jiri Novak.

 

[stringertom]

#265 ranked Duke Adjukovic was hanging tough vs #45 and top seed ARV. Then at 5-6 first set form pulled away with a break for the set. Hopefully he can regroup and get back in the match.

 

[James P]

Nakashima makes his second career QF with a straight setting of Sam Querrey. Nice result, tough but winnable match against Jordan Thompson tomorrow.

 

[fundrazer]

Well the Ruud match was maybe a little closer than I expected, but still a straight sets win, 6-4 7-6. Think he was 90%+ on first serve points won. He's able to do a lot of damage once he gets a forehand after the serve. Not going to compare him to Rafa, but the spin and precision he gets does kind of remind me of Rafa's forehand at times. Tiebreaker was fairly straightforward, just needed one mini break to do the job. Played one pretty defensive point with a few moonballs and was able to steal a point on Novak's serve. After that he was just way too solid on his own service points.

Now if Shapo does the same thing I will be a happy guy today.

 

[stringertom]

Well the Ruud match was maybe a little closer than I expected, but still a straight sets win, 6-4 7-6. Think he was 90%+ on first serve points won. He's able to do a lot of damage once he gets a forehand after the serve. Not going to compare him to Rafa, but the spin and precision he gets does kind of remind me of Rafa's forehand at times. Tiebreaker was fairly straightforward, just needed one mini break to do the job. Played one pretty defensive point with a few moonballs and was able to steal a point on Novak's serve. After that he was just way too solid on his own service points.

Now if Shapo does the same thing I will be a happy guy today.

Ruud on clay is getting consistent positive results until he runs into an opponent that also hits big. Then he sometimes reverts to his bad old habits on return games of camping 3 meters behind the baseline and staying there.

It’s a shame Ruud went into top half here; otherwise we could have had both Swiss clay finals featuring Ruud vs Shapo. It will have to be a SF instead if form holds.

 

[threehandedbackhand]

Novak is out of tournament.

Spoiler: scoreline

 

[NoleIsBoat]

embarrassing from Shapovalov here

 

[stringertom]

Yeah, Denis. Did you choose Gstaad just so you could visit your Swiss banking firm again and count your money? Pathetic!

 

[fundrazer]

It figures that would happen. I went for a small parly with Ruud + Shapo both straight sets. 3/4 of the way there before disaster struck. He was cruising along in that first set but perhaps was a bit too casual. Dunno what happened in the third.

 

[stringertom]

It figures that would happen. I went for a small parly with Ruud + Shapo both straight sets. 3/4 of the way there before disaster struck. He was cruising along in that first set but perhaps was a bit too casual. Dunno what happened in the third.

Your fund was razed, no?

 

[Cage Rattler]

Yeah, Denis. Did you choose Gstaad just so you could visit your Swiss banking firm again and count your money? Pathetic!

Closer than you think .. there is another reason why he is there.

 

[stringertom]

Alcaraz is playing Andrej Martin, who had some success in Umag with a finals run in 2016. This guy will play anywhere they have some clay courts (82 matches on dirt at all levels in 2019; 4 off of clay.) The Rock wins the first set 6-3 from 1-3 down.

 

[fundrazer]

Your fund was razed, no?

Yep! I saw somebody comment on fairly large odds shift pre match though. I noticed it before the match started but then saw other folks mention it in the chat window on my usual livestream. Shapo went from -900 to ~700. Dunno how abnormal that is if at all. I was a little afraid he might not be as focused, but figured this was still a qualifier that he shouldn't have much trouble with. Oh well.

Probably backing Ruud again tomorrow against Paire though, maybe even Rinderknech against Djere.

 

[stringertom]

Yep! I saw somebody comment on fairly large odds shift pre match though. I noticed it before the match started but then saw other folks mention it in the chat window on my usual livestream. Shapo went from -900 to ~700. Dunno how abnormal that is if at all. I was a little afraid he might not be as focused, but figured this was still a qualifier that he shouldn't have much trouble with. Oh well.

Probably backing Ruud again tomorrow against Paire though, maybe even Rinderknech against Djere.

It seems Gstaad/Umag are a continuation of the Hamburg success with all 3 Serbs advancing to at least QFs. It took a grooved Krajinovic to cool off Djere in the SFs up there. Lajovic has needed only one win to get that far this week in Umag and gets the qualifier Altmaier tomorrow. Likewise, PK got a bye and then looked solid today vs Albot. He has a tougher matchup vs the teen Alcaraz tomorrow.

Is all this Serbian success an omen for Joe Kovic and Kecmanovic in Tokyo?

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

I thought I was seeing things when I saw Ymer losing in Los Cabos and winning in Gstaad today. Then I realized that they are brothers and not the same person.

 

[Sudacafan]

Novak is out of tournament.

Spoiler: scoreline

Sad. He could have taken advantage that Nagal wasn’t playing.

 

[threehandedbackhand]

Sad. He could have taken advantage that Nagal wasn’t playing.

Yes. Nagal decided to play Olympics despite injury.

 

[Sudacafan]

embarrassing from Shapovalov here

Beat by a Czech player named Kopriva, ATP #249, making his ATP debut.

Vít Kopřiva - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Tennisfan339]

I'm really enjoying Alcaraz's game (Umag). 2 good wins against Pouille and Martin. Martin is a clay specialist but was completely outplayed today.
This guy has no apparent weakness, except maybe his serve. The backhand is just as good as the forehand. He barely makes any UE. He attacks and defends well. But more importantly, he isn't just a dumb ball basher or a boring pusher. He constructs his points. He often rushes to the net and volleys very well.
For those who compare him to Nadal or say he has a similar game... I really don't see it. It's apples and oranges. Of course, he will never have half of Nadal's career, but his game is much more pleasant to watch.
The next match against Krajinovic should be interesting.

In Gstaad, Shapopalov was truly pathetic. Beaten by a Q guy ranked 249, who had NEVER won a match on the main tour, prior to this tournament. Shapopalov even tanked the 3rd set. It seems like he will need time to recover from Wimbledon.

 

[stringertom]

I'm really enjoying Alcaraz's game (Umag). 2 good wins against Pouille and Martin. Martin is a clay specialist but was completely outplayed today.
This guy has no apparent weakness, except maybe his serve. The backhand is just as good as the forehand. He barely makes any UE. He attacks and defends well. But more importantly, he isn't just a dumb ball basher or a boring pusher. He constructs his points. He often rushes to the net and volleys very well.
For those who compare him to Nadal or say he has a similar game... I really don't see it. It's apples and oranges. Of course, he will never have half of Nadal's career, but his game is much more pleasant to watch.
The next match against Krajinovic should be interesting.

In Gstaad, Shapopalov was truly pathetic. Beaten by a Q guy ranked 249, who had NEVER won a match on the main tour, prior to this tournament. Shapopalov even tanked the 3rd set. It seems like he will need time to recover from Wimbledon.

Alcaraz has many similarities to another Spaniard…his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. The all-court skills have been handed down quite well.

The most glaring similarity to The Nadal would be their audio volume at point of ball contact. Maybe one of his friendly rivals will get to tease him about that trait while they exho together for a good cause:

 

[norcal]

hahaha, Johnson just yelled "********! Bull F-ing ****!" over a line call that cost him the game.

The British announcer says, "I apologize for the industrial language."


Does 'Industrial' mean 'blue collar'?

 

[stringertom]

Gaston has continued his surprising run at Gstaad, winning a final set TB 13-11 over #4 seed Garin. He will play the Djere/Rinderknech winner. Djere leads that match by a set and they are on serve midway through the second set.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Garin had his opportunities to close out his match but his opponent just fought on and prevented it like 3-4 times during the 3rd set. Garin could not win the one point to end the match and move on! Gaston deserve to be in the semis!

 

[stringertom]

Djere has continued his good form from Hamburg and reaches the SF at Gstaad, 6-4 in the third over Rinderknech.

 

[ttwreader]

World No. 249 Vit Kopriva who upset Shapo yesterday took the 1st set 6-1 over Ymer and is leading 3-0 the second set.

 

[ttwreader]

World No. 249 Vit Kopriva who upset Shapo yesterday took the 1st set 6-1 over Ymer and is leading 3-0 the second set.

He won 6-1, 6-0 eventually to advance to SF of Gstaad and will play either Ruud or Paire.

 

[fundrazer]

Looks like Paire pushing Ruud to a third set potentially. Broke to go up 6-5 and serving for the second.

I ended up not touching this one as I didn't like the odds. I also thought Paire might be tricky + he has a pretty vocal support group in the crowd. Might be giving him some motivation.

 

[stringertom]

He won 6-1, 6-0 eventually to advance to SF of Gstaad and will play either Ruud or Paire.

Ruud will know what this newbie is feeling from his own evolution in 2016-17. Ruud actually entered as a qualifier and won a Challenger in Seville in September’16 to show a bit of his potential but it took until Rio’17 to make a stunning run to the SFs and very close to beating PCB in that SF. Sadly, he couldn’t hold that form and struggled quite a bit the rest of 2017 with a lot of one step forward, two steps back and Vice versa. The light bulb finally came on and stayed on for Casper in late 2018 on HCs of all places when he got some consistent results and three straight Challenger SFs in U.S./Canada.

The jury is still out on Kopriva as to outdoor HC potential. His entire 2020/21 match history is on either clay or HC indoors and all right there in Europe, probably limited to that zone by pandemic travel restrictions.

 

[kevin qmto]

Anybody catch the Thompson/Nakashima match? Brandon saved triple match point and came back to win, proud of him, he's really coming along.

 

[stringertom]

Alcaraz makes the Umag SFs by baking a 3rd set breadstick vs Krajinovic. The win sets up an all-Spanish SF vs crafty lefty veteran ARV. It is a rematch of the teen’s premiere main draw contest on the ATP Tour at Rio’20, a match he won in a 3rd set TB.

 

[kevin qmto]

Someone please tell that Brit Tennis Channel commentator that Brandon’s last name isn’t Nashakima...

 

[Hamnavoe]

Ruud on track for the 2021 Swiss sweep, with just a match against the tricky Gaston to negotiate having won Geneva in May and with no Basel later in the year to spoil his unbeaten record.

He's heading to Kitzbuhel next week, potentially looking to complete the Alpine double and make it a three-peat of clay 250 wins this summer.

 

[Hamnavoe]

I hope Alcaraz can win Umag, though this sort of tournament is Ramos Vinolas' bread and butter. I'm surprised ARV only has 3 titles, I thought he'd have hoovered up a few more in the South American and summer clay swings.

Rooting for Norrie to finally get his first title after four final defeats, including three this year, and jump to #12 in the race in the process.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Brandon Nakashima #134, is 19 year old American is in the Finals after winning against John Isner! Here is his bio show below:

https://www.atptour.com/en/players/brandon-nakashima/n0ae/overview

In Wimbledon, Nakashima has a close match 1st rd. match against Fritz!

Is Brandon the next American moving up to the top 50s?

 

[stringertom]

Gasquet has to go three but defeats Altmaier, 6-3 in the third. He will try for his first title in three years vs the ARV/Alcaraz winner.

 

[Red Rick]

Open stream. First point is Alcaraz absolutely murdering a forehand DTL

I hope this kid is actually the one to take over