Wk.21- A Look Back at Last Week

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

I am focusing on the French Open and that means a shorter report on last week than usual. So, I will get straight in with the recap. Sorry I won't be making a long introduction but here, enjoy this Gulbis video instead:



Only Gulbis would do that.



*WEEK 21 CHAMPIONS*
DUSSELDORF, GERMANY
S: Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Ivo Karlovic 6-2/7-6(4)
D: S.Gonzalez/Lipsky d. Emmrich/Kas
NICE, FRANCE
S: Ernests Gulbis def. Federico Delbonix 6-1/7-6(5)
D: Klizan/Oswald d. Bopanna/Qureshi


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: GULBIS, LAT
...The hurricane fully came upon us in 2010, though it originated in Latvia in about 2008. We did not know it yet, but Gulbis was going to become a tour de force on the ATP tour. He would become one of the best in the interview room, just behind Roddick, Federer and the like, one of the most unpredictable on court and the funniest to watch. The man with the forehand that shouldn't work, but somehow does, soon took us all by storm. He showed us he was a breath of fresh air. He was something different, he had something of Ilie Nastase about him. He beat Federer in 2010, he made everyone think he was going to be the next big thing. Then disaster struck, he fell out of form, he could not do anything at the majors. He became an outcast, a loner. We forgot about the legend, the man behind the mystifying shot selection and hilarious temper tantrums, the man behind the madness. Then he came back. He could have retired, he could have retired a martyr, retired as an enigma wrapped in a backhand. He managed to get to 6-0 in finals. The man who makes Richard Gasquet look like Bjorn Borg mentally has gone through six finals and dropped just two sets, beaten the likes of Karlovic, Fish and Tsonga. He won two titles last year and two this year so far. He looks to be back. He was ranked 24th in October 2010, 52nd in October 2011, 159 in October 2012 and 24th in October 2013. His is a tale of redemption and of the backhand that makes Djokovic envious not to mention that forehand which is best left unmentioned. In Nice, he made it six love in ATP finals. It is wonderfully fitting that he has achieved such a record. No doubt, he will never lose a final except one -- Wimbledon. Knowing Ernests like we do, Wimbledon will be his last final. He will have won every other final he has been in, but at the last hurdle he will finally fall, going 15-1 in finals.
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RISER: KOHLSCHREIBER, GER
...The man known only as Kohl because it suits him so well once again won something in Germany. I am not surprised. He wins in Germany like it's going out of fashion [and it kind of is, they're losing tournaments] and that's good. It's nice to have a place where you always win. I wish I had a place I could always win in, apart from my head of course. Kohl once again strung a good week together on German clay, once again strung a good week together when we were least expecting it. He proved to us he can still bring it. It did not come easily, however. He started off confidently, feeling comfortable on his home soil, his home clay. He lost just four games in dismantling Gabashvili. He struggled more against Delic but won 6-1 in the third anyway. He needed three long sets to finally edge Istomin, too, but Istomin is a very underrated player and needing three sets to get past him is more than understandable. He cruised through the first set 6-2, but had to survive a fightback before winning the final set 6-4 to finally put away the Uzbeki number one. Surely, Dr. Ivo would present more of a challenge. The man who could not be broken is a challenge for anyone, but luckily this is not grass. He won the first set 6-2, before coming through the second in a break 7-4 to become king of Dusseldorf. Luckily for Kohl, Halle is coming up. I must remember to pick him to reach the final there.
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SURPRISE: DELBONIS, ARG
...Being left-handed sure does help when one is playing tennis. Would Kvitova be the player she is? Would Nadal have that huge advantage over Federer? Would Sharapova have that surprisingly effective lob? Delbonis had a great run, which was surprising considering the path he was given. It was likely there would be one or two surprise runs in the tournaments leading up to the slams. Delbonis [seeded 7] beat Kukushkin 7-5/6-3 to open up his challenge. He then dismissed talented Frenchman Mathieu in the second round, despite having the crowd against him. Next he overcame Isner in an epic match, winning it in a third set breaker. It's always a positive achievement when one hits one's seeding but the Argentine did not stop there. He faced Simon next, again with the crowd against him and defeated him 6-2/6-4. He managed to break down the wall that is Simon. That alone is impressive, but the manner in which he did it was impressive. Despite playing well in the final, he just came up short in the end.
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FRESH FACE: KUBLER, AUS
...A promising junior, the Australian is taking his first steps into the world of the ATP. He won his first ever ATP singles match, beating an Italian qualifier. He then led Istomin before falling in three tight sets. The 21-year old, born in Brisbane, made the 2011 boys Wimbledon semifinals. Could future success be coming for him?
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VETERAN: KARLOVIC, CRO
...There are three men over 35 in the ATP top fifty. Haas and Stepanek are two of them. Dimitrov is the youngest in the top fifty. The average age of the top ten has got to be about 28 or so. Yes, Kei brings it down a little but Federer and Ferrer keep it up. But I digress, Karlovic has been around for ages. He made another deep run this week. He is currently a top forty player and Wimbledon may decided to award him a low seed or he may earn that if he does particularly well during the grass court season. He made a final run this week just gone, his tenth overall. With five titles from those ten finals it is apparently possible to serve your way into a good career.
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DOWN: ISNER, USA
...Yep. No excuses. I know this isn't America but Isner should have served his way through that tournament. He was top seeded and he was in a different class to most of the field. He should not have lost more than a set or two, let alone a whole match. Disappointing.
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UPSET: MONACO, ARG
...Yes, Isner was top seeded in Nice and lost early, but part of us expected him to lose, part of us was doubtful. Monaco dismissed clay court genius Granollers 6-1/6-2. Granollers does not get beat like that on dirt unless he is playing one of the top four, and even then it isn't that bad.


1. NICE QF - GULBIS d. TURSUNOV
...6-3/3-6/7-6 An interesting match-up with the finesse and bizarre techniques of Gulbis coming up against the raw firepower of the Russian. Gulbis came up trumps and improved to 2-2 against the Russian. After nearly losing to Klizan [6-7/6-4/6-1] he would easily win his next two matches to claim the title. I shall repeat myself and say he is unbeaten in ATP finals. How is this possible?
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2. DUSSELDORF SF - KOHLSCHREIBER d. ISTOMIN
...6-2/4-6/6-4. Kohl came through a tough test to make another final in Germany. He used his variety to out-do the solid, if one-dimensional, Uzbeki. He served big and played the clay court tennis he is capable of. Fun fact: Isner and Kohl only ever win titles in their home countries. With one exception this holds true -- in Auckland New Zealand.
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3. NICE QF -DELBONIS d. ISNER
...6-4/5-7/7-6.. It took him three long sets, but the Argentine got the upset. He needed a lengthy third set breaker [8-6] but in the end he was able to triumph over the big serving yank. Isner's clay court miseries continue. Sorry, Isner's European miseries continued. If it isn't in the States, Isner isn't interested.
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4. NICE QF - MONTANES d. MAYER
...6-7/6-4/6-4. In three grueling sets, the Spaniard triumphed over the qualifier. He ran out of gas for the semifinal and was blown away by Gulbis, however.
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