Wk.7- El Rey Rides Again

Hey, all. Galileo here.

In the past four tournaments on the ladies side, Italians have triumphed in three. It is turning out to be quite the swan song and Italy is, of course, the theme on the WTA side of this blog. But here we are focusing on a different nation, though one with a similar affinity for clay. Argentina.

A few years ago, Juan Martin Del Potro was destined to break open the Nadal and Federer domination. He had more weapons than either Murray or Djokovic. He had more game than Soderling. He had Ferrer’s number and Roddick was fading. He was the future. But then injury struck and, just like that, Argentina lost its prince. The hand over from Nalby to Delpo was intended to be smooth though their game styles are oil and water. Now he is reduced to the role of spoiler.

Injury means he comes back for six months every now and then, rises meteorically, then has to take time out again. It is his career pattern, but the breath of fresh air he brings is fantastic and almost worth the disappointment. He dominated the old-fashioned way - with a big serve and a bigger forehand. That forehand was too much for anybody to handle. His 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 domination of Nadal in the semi-finals of the 2009 U.S. Open will live long in the memory. Then he showed guts and determination as he ground the greatest player ever to play the sport into dust in a five set final.

The inner champion still lives within the tower from Tandil. He is still dangerous and could yet win another slam. The Argentinian is back once more and looking for another one. And he could have it. This week his serve was working just like it always has. His forehand was on song, too. He wasn’t fully back into the swing, but the Argentine menace is coming back slowly. Even the backhand wasn’t too far off. He wasn’t entirely back in Delray Beach, but he will be soon. In fact, he has found enough form that he is going to be dangerous in March.

The rest of the tour had better watch out. That forehand is back.

But what else happened this past week? Well let’s find out...

=RANKINGS WATCH=
Top 32 - Kyrgios rises eight places to 33. The field is praying he gets a seed for the big March tournaments. Karlovic drops five but stays at 31 while Dolgopolov rises a place to 32.
Top 10 – No change. Tsonga is at 9, Gasquet is at 10, Isner sits at 11. Gaps are starting to widen. But everything will be all shaken up at the big tournaments we have coming up.
Top 8 – Ferru falls two places. Nishikori and Berdych benefit and move up a place each. Those three round out the last eight seedings.
Top 4 – No change. Djokovic, Murray, Federer, Wawrinka.

*WEEK 7 CHAMPIONS*
MARSEILLE, FRANCE
S: Nick Kyrgios def. Marin Cilic 6-2/7-6(3)
D: Pavic/Venus d. Erlich/Fleming
RIO de JANEIRO, BRAZIL
S: Pablo Cuevas def. Guido Pella 6-4/6-7(5)/6-4
D: Cabal/Farah d. Carreno Busta/Marrero
DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA (USA)
S: Sam Querrey def. Rajeev Ram 6-4/7-6(6)
D: Marach/Martin d. Bryan/Bryan


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: NICK KYRGIOS
...This was the Australian’s first title. With it he rose to within striking distance of being guaranteed a seed at the "March slams." He is an enigma but oh so talented at the same time. The way he was with Gavrilova during the Hopman Cup was very mature. He played the role of veteran and partner brilliantly. He has ball control you don’t see in just anybody and there is no shot he can’t hit. For that matter there isn’t a shot he won’t hit, either. Throughout the week he tried drop shots, volleys and outrageous forehands. Even his slice is a weapon. The raw athleticism he has is just another weapon that few players, beyond Monfils, have. The last week in Marseille he did not drop a set and won 47 service games out of 47. It was a week where he displayed his sheer dominance over all and sundry. He opened with Pospisil and Gabashvili, beating both 6-4, 6-4. Then he blew away third seed Gasquet 6-0, 6-4. He is a top ten player who has recently won a title. Kyrgios swept him aside as easy as you like. Then he beat Berdych 6-4, 6-2. Another top ten player was shaken off and made to feel weapon-less. Berdych has a cannon for a serve and was still broken multiple times. In the final Kyrgios beat Cilic 6-2, 7-6[3] but that scoreline is generous. He made Cilic look old and useless for large stretches. It was an electrifying, gripping week and perhaps the start of something big.
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RISER: PABLO CUEVAS
...The Uruguayan number one has won another clay title. He faced only one seeded player, Nadal, in Rio de Janeiro but it is still an impressive title run. It is his fifth final since July 2014 and he has gone 4-1. The loss to Federer is excusable and expected. How he beat Nadal is unfathomable. It is Rafa’s second loss since 2005 on clay to a player ranked out of the top 30. They battled for three and a half hours and finished at 3:19 a.m. It was the second latest finish in ATP history. Pablo won 6-7[4], 7-6[3], 6-4 but somehow hit only 48 winners. It was an epic clay war but one Nadal had no business losing. He just looks increasingly tired and worn. Why is he still battling out these long matches? He is in a huge slump and one he will likely not recover from. The incredible thing about his opponent is that after the war he went out and beat Pella in the final 6-4, 6-7[5], 6-4. The endurance he has is mind-blowing. Fun fact about Cuevas: back in 2008 he and Horna won the men’s doubles at the French. They beat Nestor/Zimonjic 6-2, 6-3.
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FRESH FACE: GUIDO PELLA
...in Rio, at the age of 25, he has made his maiden final and that means his first title is only a matter of time. He has also risen to 42 in the world and that ranking is enough for a seed in a surprisingly large amount of tournaments. It is the beginning of a very bright future. He should never have beaten Isner, seeded fourth, in the first round. He did so 7-6[5], 5-7, 7-6[8] but then decimated Giraldo 6-4, 6-0. Then he escaped again, defeating Tracer 5-7, 6-1, 7-5. Following this pattern, Pella dismissed Thiem 6-1, 6-4 to make the final. Losing to Cuevas was disappointing, but he could not escape for a third time. Still, getting hot on clay could come in handy. He has to eke out some results in March, but the European swing should be a good one for him.
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VETERAN: JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO
...He is now 26 and far removed from his darling run to the '09 U.S. title. He is older, more grizzled and more experienced. He may still have that fire burning but he also has a mental ability to win matches and he has shed the immaturity he had. He is still the player beloved for his friendly fan interaction and the way he can turn any match friendly. But he has scars, too. He showed what he can do, what we knew he could do, this week in Delray Beach. Now it is time to back it up. The semi-final run was so impressive but he must consolidate now. But whether or not he can remains to be seen. This BACKSPINNER believes he will be in the top 50 by year's end, but then predictions on here are notorious for being very wrong.
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SURPRISE: SAM QUERREY
...Back to back finals, winning one this weekend in Delray Beach. He has suddenly clicked on and he will be dangerous during this hard-court jaunt we are about to embark upon. If he can stay in the top 30 or so, he will be a very dangerous mine in the Wimbledon draw, too. It’s good work from the oft-forgotten American.
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DOWN: RAFAEL NADAL
...This BACKSPINNER is in shock. Nadal is broken and seems unable to fix the damage. It isn’t just that he’s losing, it is how he’s losing. He swept Almagro aside very easily in Rio but then choked quite badly against the underpowered Cuevas. Rafa used to eat the clay-grinders for breakfast. Nadal would bend them to his will, dominate them and slowly squeeze out their life. He would run rampant over the Ferrer’s of this world and not spare a glance back. But now he can’t even beat a grinder out of the top 30 who hasn’t been in form this year. It’s quite embarrassing. There are two good silver linings, however. The first is that he still ranked number five which gives him some protection from dangerous opponents. The other good news is that he is consistently making semi-finals and can string together runs. But this year feels like it must be his last.
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UPSET: BENOIT PAIRE
...The Frenchie edged the Swiss 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 in the Marseille quarterfinals. It is only the second win in eight meetings for Paire over Stan. Wawrinka has had a very inconsistent season, but even so he was heavily favoured here. Stan needs to find some of that magical form before the big events and the clay swing. He has to defend the French Open he won, but to do that will require finding some form. The loss in Australia to Raonic will still be hurting a little.
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Notes from the week...
1 - In Dubai, the eight women's seeds went a combined 0-8. It is the first time in ATP or WTA history that all the seeds have lost their first match in any given tournament. It just shows how fragmented and unpredictable the WTA is going to become soon.
2 – Following on from that, there were a slew of upsets in our ATP tournaments, as well. The seeds had a poor time of it in general.
3 – Kyrgios is one of the youngest first time title winners, aged just 20. He is the same age Tomic was when he won his maiden title.
4 – Why is Nadal still number five? Why is Radwanska number 3 in the world? There are some bizarre kinks in the system it must be said.
5 – Can Djokovic win the March double for the third year in a row?


1. Rio Final - Cuevas d. Pella 6-4, 6-7[5], 6-4
...After beating Rafa in an epic that finished at three in the morning, he wins another three set epic later that day. Tell me that isn’t insanity. It feels like insanity to me. Cuevas deserved his title simply for the last two matches, never mind the rest. The South American showed more than mettle in winning. He showed impressive mental abilities for one ranked so low.
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2. Marseille SF - Kyrgios d. Berdych 6-4, 6-2
...How does 15 aces and a first serve win percentage of 93 sound to you? To me it sounds like a rout. It isn’t just on serve, it’s everywhere, but the dominance is still a surprise. We know he can do it but it is still frightening when he does make it work. Berdych beat him in three controlled sets in Melbourne, but was powerless here. Thiem will make a run, but Nick could win a slam this year.
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3. Rio QF - Thiem d. Ferrer 6-3, 6-2
...This was an exhibition in ruthlessness. The Spaniard barely lasted an hour as he succumbed to the form of the Austrian. Thiem is having a banner year and it continued as he dominated 2nd seeded Ferrer. The loss to Pella was odd but Thiem could make a deep slam run at some point this year. In fact, you should expect it.
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4. Delray Beach SF - Querrey d. Del Potro 7-5, 7-5
...The Argentine’s run came to an end. In-form Querrey made it back to back finals with his tight straight sets win over the Tandil native. The serve was king here despite the slower courts at Delray.
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*DUBAI*
=SF=
Djokovic [1] d. [4] Agut
Wawrinka [2] d. Kyrgios
=FINAL=
Djokovic [1] d. [2] Wawrinka

...Djokovic will reign supreme, especially without Federer here. Actually Murray isn’t here, either. So it will be Djokovic. And Wawrinka is good enough to get to the final, if not challenge him. Kyrgios opens with a seed, but it is Kyrgios so anything can happen.

*ACAPULCO*
=SF=
Ferrer [1] d. [5] Tomic
Nishikori [2] d. [4] Thiem
=FINAL=
Ferrer [1] d. Nishikori [2]

...Don’t expect Cilic to produce anything in back to back weeks. Tomic is just solid enough to get to the semi-finals, but this is Ferru’s pet tournament. Nishikori is in form which means danger for the rest of the field. But I still like Ferrer even on the hard-courts.

*SAO PAULO*
=SF=
Cuevas [3] d. [1] Paire
Bellucci [2] d. Granollers
=FINAL=
Bellucci [2] d. [3] Cuevas

...The Brazilian should win his home tournament. Paire is not reliable at all, but Granollers is. This is a much weaker tournament so expect a lot of surprises. Bellucci was born, raised and still lives in the city. He also made his first final on Brazilian soil. Will he be able to conjure the magic once more?

Garcia made it all the way to the semi-finals in Dubai. Mladenovic won her opening match, beating Tsurenko in straights, but lost to Vandeweghe in three tight sets in the second round. Kiki is up to 29 in the world, from 30. The Frenchies made the final where Kiki was defending champion. They did not lose a set until the final, where they lost in straights. Kiki falls from 5th to 11th in the doubles rankings. Dubai finalist Strycova just beat Kiki in straight sets in Qatar in the singles, as well. Mladenovic/Garcia are seeded third in Qatar but do avoid top seeded Mirza/Hingis. Their first opponent is K.Bondarenko/Savchuk, with 7th seeds Atawo/Spears in the quarterfinals.


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