BB&T Atlanta Open Preview
Play continues on the ATP World Tour this week ahead of
the Olympics. With the games in Rio set to start next week, there is
still a decent field of 28 in this year’s BB&T Atlanta Open, otherwise known as the John Isner
Invitational. Isner is the three-time defending champion of this event
and has been to the final four of the last five years. He is back to
lead this year’s field as the top seed. Rounding out the top four seeds
are Nick Kyrgios, Kevin Anderson and Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Isner is the bell cow for this event, going 20-3 at this event during
his career. In six years of playing this event, he has only failed once
to make the final.
Kyrgios comes to Atlanta for the first time and off the heels of a
shocking exit at the Rogers Cup to 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov.
Anderson had a nice run in Toronto last week, making the quarterfinals
and has gone 8-5 in Atlanta. This is his first trip back since 2014,
when he was an upset victim in his first match to Thiemo de Bakker.
Fourth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov plays Atlanta for just the second time.
He dropped his opener last year to Go Soeda.
As those last two tidbits point out, there are certainly some upsets
that happen in Atlanta. Surprisingly, by the numbers, there have not
been a large number of seeded upsets early the last few years. Two or
fewer seeds have lost their first matches in Atlanta over the the last
three years. What should stick out though is that a top four seed has
fallen victim to a first match upset in each of the last five years.
Last year, the third and fourth seeds both lost early. Only the top seed
has been immune to that upset bug in the last five years. With that to
chew on, let’s take a look at this week’s Seed Report.
BB&T Atlanta Open Preview
Play continues on the ATP World Tour this week ahead of
the Olympics. With the games in Rio set to start next week, there is
still a decent field of 28 in this year’s BB&T Atlanta Open, otherwise known as the John Isner
Invitational. Isner is the three-time defending champion of this event
and has been to the final four of the last five years. He is back to
lead this year’s field as the top seed. Rounding out the top four seeds
are Nick Kyrgios, Kevin Anderson and Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Isner is the bell cow for this event, going 20-3 at this event during
his career. In six years of playing this event, he has only failed once
to make the final.
Kyrgios comes to Atlanta for the first time and off the heels of a
shocking exit at the Rogers Cup to 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov.
Anderson had a nice run in Toronto last week, making the quarterfinals
and has gone 8-5 in Atlanta. This is his first trip back since 2014,
when he was an upset victim in his first match to Thiemo de Bakker.
Fourth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov plays Atlanta for just the second time.
He dropped his opener last year to Go Soeda.
As those last two tidbits point out, there are certainly some upsets
that happen in Atlanta. Surprisingly, by the numbers, there have not
been a large number of seeded upsets early the last few years. Two or
fewer seeds have lost their first matches in Atlanta over the the last
three years. What should stick out though is that a top four seed has
fallen victim to a first match upset in each of the last five years.
Last year, the third and fourth seeds both lost early. Only the top seed
has been immune to that upset bug in the last five years. With that to
chew on, let’s take a look at this week’s Seed Report.
Seed Report (Record in Atlanta) 1. John Isner (20-3)
No matter his form heading into Atlanta, Isner has seemed to turn up a
winner here. In skipping the Olympics, you would think he will be
focused again this week after a loss to Ryan Harrison in the second
round of the Rogers Cup. He will face Adrian Mannarino or qualifier
Mischa Zverev to open, so the upset potential should be relatively low
in round two for the defending champ.
2. Nick Kyrgios (0-0)
If you’re looking for one of the top four seeds to fall flat early,
Kyrgios will likely be a popular pick. Most of that will come from his
loss to Shapovalov last week. He has also never played Atlanta, so the
heat and humidity are something to consider as first timers deal with
those tough conditions. He will open against Jared Donaldson or Sam
Groth.
Groth is a woeful 4-14, but does own two wins against Donaldson.
Donaldson could have some confidence though after a surprising third
round run in Toronto last week. With Kyrgios’ propensity to float in and
out with his concentration, he’s still going to be a potential upset
victim. Donaldson might be the tougher out.
3. Kevin Anderson (8-5)
Anderson looked to snap out of a season-long funk in Toronto. The big
South African made the quarters before being dismantled by Stan Wawrinka
in straight sets. He head to Atlanta perhaps with some confidence, but
fitness is still a concern for me with him. Anderson will face Reilly
Opelka or qualifier Christopher Eubanks. Opelka could be tough despite
his lack of an ATP win. His massive serve is a weapon that keeps him in
sets and gives him a chance. Eubanks is in the main draw of this event
for the 2nd year in a row. The Georgia Tech product loss to Radek
Stepanek 6-2, 6-2 in 2015 in his lone ATP main draw match to date.
4. Alexandr Dolgopolov (0-1)
Of the top four seeds, Dolgpolov to me is the one who will have the
toughest potential match to open. Off the bye, he could face Daniel
Evans or Yoshihito Nishioka. Evans has played very competitive tennis
the last month and Nishioka is tough on this surface albeit with most of
his best results at the Challenger level. He won the Winnetka
Challenger in July on hard courts. Either one could give The Dog a run
for his money
Seed Report (Record in Atlanta) 1. John Isner (20-3)
No matter his form heading into Atlanta, Isner has seemed to turn up a
winner here. In skipping the Olympics, you would think he will be
focused again this week after a loss to Ryan Harrison in the second
round of the Rogers Cup. He will face Adrian Mannarino or qualifier
Mischa Zverev to open, so the upset potential should be relatively low
in round two for the defending champ.
2. Nick Kyrgios (0-0)
If you’re looking for one of the top four seeds to fall flat early,
Kyrgios will likely be a popular pick. Most of that will come from his
loss to Shapovalov last week. He has also never played Atlanta, so the
heat and humidity are something to consider as first timers deal with
those tough conditions. He will open against Jared Donaldson or Sam
Groth.
Groth is a woeful 4-14, but does own two wins against Donaldson.
Donaldson could have some confidence though after a surprising third
round run in Toronto last week. With Kyrgios’ propensity to float in and
out with his concentration, he’s still going to be a potential upset
victim. Donaldson might be the tougher out.
3. Kevin Anderson (8-5)
Anderson looked to snap out of a season-long funk in Toronto. The big
South African made the quarters before being dismantled by Stan Wawrinka
in straight sets. He head to Atlanta perhaps with some confidence, but
fitness is still a concern for me with him. Anderson will face Reilly
Opelka or qualifier Christopher Eubanks. Opelka could be tough despite
his lack of an ATP win. His massive serve is a weapon that keeps him in
sets and gives him a chance. Eubanks is in the main draw of this event
for the 2nd year in a row. The Georgia Tech product loss to Radek
Stepanek 6-2, 6-2 in 2015 in his lone ATP main draw match to date.
4. Alexandr Dolgopolov (0-1)
Of the top four seeds, Dolgpolov to me is the one who will have the
toughest potential match to open. Off the bye, he could face Daniel
Evans or Yoshihito Nishioka. Evans has played very competitive tennis
the last month and Nishioka is tough on this surface albeit with most of
his best results at the Challenger level. He won the Winnetka
Challenger in July on hard courts. Either one could give The Dog a run
for his money
5. Fernando Verdasco (0-0)
Another first timer in Atlanta, Verdasco is also transitioning off clay.
The Spaniard opens against Serb Dusan Lajovic who owns a win on clay
against him from last year. Lajovic has never had great results on hard
courts with a 14-27 mark in his career on the surface. He is just 2-4
this year, but did score those wins at the Australian Open and the Miami
Open. Lajovic also took Roberto Bautista Agut to five sets in
Melbourne. Expect a tough effort from the Serb and with Verdasco a bit
inconsistent at times during surface transitions, he’s not immune to
getting knocked out here.
6. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (0-0)
Another Spaniard makes his Atlanta debut against Argentine Horacio
Zeballos in the opening round. Both players come off clay, so they are
in the same boat. Neither is especially experienced at this period
before the U.S. Open, so it is a bit of a crap shoot. GGL has had more
moments on this surface though than Zeballos with two consecutive third
round runs at the U.S. Open as well as a fourth round Australian Open
appearance in 2015 and third round this year.
7. Donald Young (1-5)
Young’s hometown tournament has been anything but friendly over the
years. He’s won just the one main draw match back in 2010. Since then,
he is one and done every year he has been in the main draw at this
event. He gets qualifier Austin Krajicek to start. Krajicek hasn’t won
in a main draw since Delray Beach, so perhaps Young catches a break
here. Still, he will face an opponent who is match play tough in
conditions and that will make this another iffy proposition for Young.
8. Taylor Fritz (0-0)
The American teen gets what appears to be an advantageous early draw
with wild card Austin Smith to open. Smith is a University of Georgia
product whose only experience outside of college has been a couple
handfuls of Futures events. This is a big step up for him and for Fritz
this is a must win, especially with a good draw where he could
reasonably be expected to get to the quarterfinals.
5. Fernando Verdasco (0-0)
Another first timer in Atlanta, Verdasco is also transitioning off clay.
The Spaniard opens against Serb Dusan Lajovic who owns a win on clay
against him from last year. Lajovic has never had great results on hard
courts with a 14-27 mark in his career on the surface. He is just 2-4
this year, but did score those wins at the Australian Open and the Miami
Open. Lajovic also took Roberto Bautista Agut to five sets in
Melbourne. Expect a tough effort from the Serb and with Verdasco a bit
inconsistent at times during surface transitions, he’s not immune to
getting knocked out here.
6. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (0-0)
Another Spaniard makes his Atlanta debut against Argentine Horacio
Zeballos in the opening round. Both players come off clay, so they are
in the same boat. Neither is especially experienced at this period
before the U.S. Open, so it is a bit of a crap shoot. GGL has had more
moments on this surface though than Zeballos with two consecutive third
round runs at the U.S. Open as well as a fourth round Australian Open
appearance in 2015 and third round this year.
7. Donald Young (1-5)
Young’s hometown tournament has been anything but friendly over the
years. He’s won just the one main draw match back in 2010. Since then,
he is one and done every year he has been in the main draw at this
event. He gets qualifier Austin Krajicek to start. Krajicek hasn’t won
in a main draw since Delray Beach, so perhaps Young catches a break
here. Still, he will face an opponent who is match play tough in
conditions and that will make this another iffy proposition for Young.
8. Taylor Fritz (0-0)
The American teen gets what appears to be an advantageous early draw
with wild card Austin Smith to open. Smith is a University of Georgia
product whose only experience outside of college has been a couple
handfuls of Futures events. This is a big step up for him and for Fritz
this is a must win, especially with a good draw where he could
reasonably be expected to get to the quarterfinals.
Quarters Preview Quarter #1: John Isner (1)
Fritz is the seed opposite of Isner here and realistically the only
player who might have a shot to take down the top seed before the
semifinals. Fritz got a look at the massive serve of Ivo Karlovic in
Toronto, so maybe that will help him a bit to mentally prepare if he
faces Isner. There does not appear to be a ton of intrigue in this
quarter assuming full health for Isner.
Quarter #2: Kevin Anderson (3)
Anderson’s half should run through the third seed if he doesn’t stumble
out of the gates. A win over Opelka or Eubanks puts him into the
quarters. Donald Young would be the seed to see him there, but as
mentioned, this just is not his lucky tournament. Still, his draw is not
difficult. If he gets by Krajicek, it’s lucky loser Thiago Monteiro or
Tim Smyczek. But wait, Smyczek has won four straight from Young – so
even if he surprises by not losing his first rounder, he could still
fall short.
Quarter #3: Alexandr Dolgpolov (4)
This ranks as one of quarters that could the unseeded semifinalist
trend. Dolgpolov and Garcia-Lopez are the seeds in this quarter. The
danger men could come in the form of the winner between Sergiy
Stakhovsky and Ivan Dodig in round one, but watch out there as neither
really loves playing in the heat. Dodig in particular already had
trouble with the heat in D.C. a few weeks ago.
The winner gets Garcia-Lopez. Stakhovksy could cause the bigger
problem for Garcia-Lopez. Down with Dolgopolov, if he advances out of
the second round, Garcia-Lopez is the trickier match-up for him. GGL is
3-1 against The Dog, while the fourth seed has beaten Stakhovsky three
of five times they have played.
Quarter #4: Nick Kyrgios (2)
This quarter just screams turmoil. Maybe that’s just Nick Kyrgios being
involved. The other seed here is Verdasco who could make some waves, but
also does have some potential pitfalls early. The floaters here include
Julien Benneteau, Sam Groth and Jared Donaldson. Toss in qualifier John
Patrick Smith and there is enough fringe talent to take advantage of
any less than full efforts from the seeds. If Verdasco is engaged and
starts strong, The Pig thinks he could make the most noise here outside
of Kyrgios griping at umpires and lines people. Don’t be stunned to see a
surprise semifinalist come out of this quarter though.
Quarters Preview Quarter #1: John Isner (1)
Fritz is the seed opposite of Isner here and realistically the only
player who might have a shot to take down the top seed before the
semifinals. Fritz got a look at the massive serve of Ivo Karlovic in
Toronto, so maybe that will help him a bit to mentally prepare if he
faces Isner. There does not appear to be a ton of intrigue in this
quarter assuming full health for Isner.
Quarter #2: Kevin Anderson (3)
Anderson’s half should run through the third seed if he doesn’t stumble
out of the gates. A win over Opelka or Eubanks puts him into the
quarters. Donald Young would be the seed to see him there, but as
mentioned, this just is not his lucky tournament. Still, his draw is not
difficult. If he gets by Krajicek, it’s lucky loser Thiago Monteiro or
Tim Smyczek. But wait, Smyczek has won four straight from Young – so
even if he surprises by not losing his first rounder, he could still
fall short.
Quarter #3: Alexandr Dolgpolov (4)
This ranks as one of quarters that could the unseeded semifinalist
trend. Dolgpolov and Garcia-Lopez are the seeds in this quarter. The
danger men could come in the form of the winner between Sergiy
Stakhovsky and Ivan Dodig in round one, but watch out there as neither
really loves playing in the heat. Dodig in particular already had
trouble with the heat in D.C. a few weeks ago.
The winner gets Garcia-Lopez. Stakhovksy could cause the bigger
problem for Garcia-Lopez. Down with Dolgopolov, if he advances out of
the second round, Garcia-Lopez is the trickier match-up for him. GGL is
3-1 against The Dog, while the fourth seed has beaten Stakhovsky three
of five times they have played.
Quarter #4: Nick Kyrgios (2)
This quarter just screams turmoil. Maybe that’s just Nick Kyrgios being
involved. The other seed here is Verdasco who could make some waves, but
also does have some potential pitfalls early. The floaters here include
Julien Benneteau, Sam Groth and Jared Donaldson. Toss in qualifier John
Patrick Smith and there is enough fringe talent to take advantage of
any less than full efforts from the seeds. If Verdasco is engaged and
starts strong, The Pig thinks he could make the most noise here outside
of Kyrgios griping at umpires and lines people. Don’t be stunned to see a
surprise semifinalist come out of this quarter though.
Well obviously after the fact since he is getting pounded any way, but I would never bet chalk on guys to win +1.5 sets especially in these smaller tourneys. Just never know.
Well obviously after the fact since he is getting pounded any way, but I would never bet chalk on guys to win +1.5 sets especially in these smaller tourneys. Just never know.
DY up a break in the 3rd brother....nice call on the over eagles...I followed your posts when you posted on SBR. Another nice call on Mischa +1.5 the other day. Was on that too.
I played at Texas A&M with Austin K so I went to his matches on Sunday and Monday. Tough loss against DY- had a couple match points in the 2nd set tiebreak. He was so gassed after the two 3 set matches in the qualifiers. Clutch tiebreaker wins against Duckworth on Sunday though. Watched the match with Ginepri. He was into it haha.
DY up a break in the 3rd brother....nice call on the over eagles...I followed your posts when you posted on SBR. Another nice call on Mischa +1.5 the other day. Was on that too.
I played at Texas A&M with Austin K so I went to his matches on Sunday and Monday. Tough loss against DY- had a couple match points in the 2nd set tiebreak. He was so gassed after the two 3 set matches in the qualifiers. Clutch tiebreaker wins against Duckworth on Sunday though. Watched the match with Ginepri. He was into it haha.
Heh. Jinx reversal works? I dont know what happened to AK this year. Last year he look on the verge of being a productive ATP level guy. This year he is lucky to win matches anywhere.
Heh. Jinx reversal works? I dont know what happened to AK this year. Last year he look on the verge of being a productive ATP level guy. This year he is lucky to win matches anywhere.
He's definitely a better doubles player. Him and Conor Pollock (rest in peace) were a top 5 doubles duo all throughout college at A&M. He's fabulous at the net but he comes too much and comes in at the wrong times (short approach shots). He has great spin with his shots. Proved well in the Duckworth match but DY was too much late in the match. He has a great serve which has kept him in matches...
He's definitely a better doubles player. Him and Conor Pollock (rest in peace) were a top 5 doubles duo all throughout college at A&M. He's fabulous at the net but he comes too much and comes in at the wrong times (short approach shots). He has great spin with his shots. Proved well in the Duckworth match but DY was too much late in the match. He has a great serve which has kept him in matches...
Yeah I did notice some good doubles results in Challengers. Unfortunately I think bouncing between that and ATP level stuff on occasion keeps him from getting a regular partner. Would be cool if he could team up with someone on the reg and see what he can do for a full season of dubs.
Yeah I did notice some good doubles results in Challengers. Unfortunately I think bouncing between that and ATP level stuff on occasion keeps him from getting a regular partner. Would be cool if he could team up with someone on the reg and see what he can do for a full season of dubs.
Everything outside of one of the Monday picks was a simple fade of all chalk on totals. Wanted to see how it went. Think if I did the math right, up a bit over a unit for the week.
Everything outside of one of the Monday picks was a simple fade of all chalk on totals. Wanted to see how it went. Think if I did the math right, up a bit over a unit for the week.
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