SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Gstaad; Umag; Los Angeles; Vancouver Challenger (1R) - July 27- May 2 Season I
AllianzSuisse Open Gstaad
1st Round - Gstaad
Men's Singles (Seeds & Other Entrants - Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
ATP Studena Croatia Open Umag
1st Round - Umag
Men's Singles (Seeds & Other Entrants - Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Countrywide Classic
1st Round - Los Angeles
Men's Singles (Seeds & Other Entrants - Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Odlum Brown Vancouver Open
1st Round - Vancouver
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Top seed Rob Bowenburg has made a winning start to his Challenger tournament in Vancouver after a comfortable victory over young Brit Edward Freeland. Bowenburg was rarely troubled in his decisive victory as he dispatched Freeland in little over an hour to advance to the second round with a 6-3 6-3 win. Joining him is Scotland Rivers who overcame an early scare to beat Dutch qualifier Ronald Bergsma. Rivers dropped service late in the first to give up an unlikely lead to the Dutchman, before roaring home and claiming the next two sets in fifty minutes to secure a 4-6 6-0 6-1. His next assignment is Manta Challenger champion Randy Bruce after the third seed also came from a set down to defeat a qualifier - Canadian Tony Nikolić.
AllianzSuisse Open Gstaad
1st Round - Gstaad
Men's Singles (Seeds & Other Entrants - Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
- CWLand's Jamee Hancianu has continued to terrorise lower ranked opposition; crushing Israel's Tal Cohen in straight sets to start his Gstaad campaign well. The sixth seed has made a habit of destroying those ranked well below him, but has lacked the physical strength to cause the best players in the world trouble. Cohen was unable to cause Hancianu any such problems as he was smacked in under an hour as Hancianu's accurate and assertive style helped him to victory. (Hancianu d. Cohen, 6-1 6-0)
- Fourth seed Randy Smeltz was likewise successful in his opening round clash against local qualifier Benjamin Hartmann. Hartmann, who had built up some good form over the weekend, was outclassed by the CWLander who, ranked nineteenth in the world, atoned for his first round exit in Hamburg last week. Whilst Hartmann troubled the CWLander early in both sets, Smeltz was able to get the best of his opponent as they progressed to secure a straight sets win. He now faces Argentina's Emelio Cobos who was one of two Argentine qualifiers to cause upsets; ousting Paraguay's Marcelo Alavos in two tight sets. (Smeltz d. Hartmann, 6-2 6-4)
- But the biggest shock in the round came in the final match as top seed Sven Oxenstierna sensationally bowed out in three sets to little known Belarusian Denis Isaev The French Open finalist came into the match as unbackable favourite and was also favourite to claim his maiden crown. But warning bells were sounding as early as the second game as Isaev broke service to edge ahead 2-0. Isaev took the first set and lead in the second 5-3 before Oxenstierna surged back to claim four games on the trot and looked even money to take the match comfortably. But the man ranked eighty places lower than his much fancied opponent opened the draw wide open with a sensational three-set win; the biggest of his career. (Isaev d. Oxenstierna, 6-3 5-7 6-4)
- Before the tournament, Oxenstierna and Jefferson Drake engaged in a war of words and both were left licking their wounds at the conclusion of the first round as the third seed followed The Ox out of Gstaad. Whilst he has the doubles to fall back on, Drake expected victory against Russian Oleg Puder and started smartly by taking the first set 7-5. But Puder dominated the match from there as Drake failed to capitalise on the form gained in Båstad where he won over an extremely strong field. But as the four time ATP champion has shown many times this season, his consistency is lacking along with his ability to focus on matches he should win - the Russian claiming a gutsy come-from-behind win in dominant style by bagelling the world's number eleven in the third set. (Puder d. Drake, 5-7 6-3 6-0)
- Finally, Jarkko Maxum's first match inside the world top hundred has ended in success after he produced a straight sets victory against Slovakia's Andrej Konc. On his preferred surface, the CWLand youngster capitalised on a quarterfinal appearance in Stuttgart to break the Slovak early with some aggressive baseline play. The break proved decisive in a too-ing and fro-ing opening set which saw Maxum edge a well-deserved lead. The second set was closer as Konc continued to bite away at the heels of the world number 95. But in an error-ridden tiebreaker which lasted the more than twenty minutes, Maxum prevailed after a series of lengthy rallies to secure a draining victory 10-8 in the breaker. He know faces a steep challenge against fifth seeded local Almen Benaglio who will be buoyed by the top half opening up for him in front of his home crowd. (Maxum d. Konc, 6-4 7-6(8))
- In the other upset of the day, Halle finalist Ivan Genov disappointingly crashed out in straight sets to Austria's Heinz Hainisch in a worrying return to some of his form earlier in the season.
- Seeded players out: Jefferson Drake; Ivan Genov; Sven Oxenstierna.
1st Round - Umag
Men's Singles (Seeds & Other Entrants - Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
- Umag also suffered a number of early casualties as three of the eight seeds fell in first round action. The biggest name was fifth seeded Li Wang who was stunned by world number 242 Miguel Molina. Li last week made the third round of the German Hamburg Open, but looked woefully underdone after arriving in Croatia the day before his match. Despite taking the set, he was outdone by the Ecuadorian who had a weekend's qualifying under his belt as he ran away with a three-set win. (Molina d. Li, 6-3 2-6 6-2)
- The oldest man on the tour, Vladimir Gryzlov also caused a massive upset in his first round clash as he came from a set down to destroy Italian seventh seed Antonio Bachunelli. Bachunelli, seeded at both the French Open and Wimbledon, has suffered a massive decline in form, but would have hoped to beat the 40-year old after claiming the first set 6-3. But he would take just three more games in the next fifteen as Gryzlov stormed into the second round with a three-set domination. (Gryzlov d. Bachunelli, 3-6 6-2 6-1)
- Finally, Hungarian eighth seed Janos Varga became the newest in a long line of players to suffer defeat at the hands of fast-rising Spaniard Marc Carretero in a three-set affair on Monday. Carretero, who upset Almen Benaglio last week in Hamburg, dropped the second set 1-6 but did enough in the other two to continue to impress in his surge up the rankings. He now faces a winnable clash with local Nilikar Midid in the second round - one of five Croatians to advance in their home tournament. (Carretero d. J Varga, 7-5 1-6 6-4)
- Seeded players out: Antonio Bachunelli; Li Wang; Janos Varga.
1st Round - Los Angeles
Men's Singles (Seeds & Other Entrants - Seeds - Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
- Seventh seed Jojo Mustard has proved last week's appearance in the final of Indianapolis wasn't a fluke as he continued his strong form with a straight sets win over China's Fok Zhenyu. Mustard started strongly after his defeat on Sunday; shooting out to a 4-0 lead against a stunned Fok. Fok managed to pull back one break of service against the World No. 28, but couldn't avoid going down in the first set 3-6. The second set started tigher, but against Mustard broke away from the World No. 88 and eventually secured the double break and a straight sets win. He now faces a rather difficult second round match against the always dangerous Jean-Alain Depuis of France. Depuis last week upset Heath Davis and Miroslav Brdar, and took a tight match against Romania's Bogdan Maurer on Monday.
- Also advancing was eighth seed Heath Davis who made up for exit to Depuis in Indiana with a straight sets thrashing of Finland's Lari Farkkila. Davis took just twenty-nine minutes in a dominant opening set which saw him thunder down nine aces in just three service games against the stunned Fin. Farkkila played much better tennis in the second set, but was against outclassed by the World No. 50 who secured a late break of service to advance in straight sets. Davis now faces a second round clash with wildcard Waylon Jones who took a three set win against Lithuanian qualifier Alexsander Alitspritsin. (Davis d. Farkkila, 6-0 7-5)
- But in his biggest win so far, CWLand qualifier Matt Bre has secured his maiden tour victory in a stunning come-from-behind victory over Brazil's Roberto Santos. Bre was competitive in the first set, but, after at one stage leading 3-1, looked to have done his dash as the Brazilian No. 1 claimed the first set 7-5. But in a second set full of stunning winners from the talented young Bre, he managed to again wrest the control from his much fancied opponent - levelling the match in just thirty-five minutes to head into the decider with the momentum. But the experienced Santos took an early break of service and looked to have secured the match, before the World No. 222 sounded a warning to the tennis world by staging a dramatic comeback and advancing to the second round. Bre now faces a stiff task in the second round with sixth seed Jason Bradley awaiting. (Bre d. Santos, 5-7 6-1 7-5)
- Seeded players out: None.
1st Round - Vancouver
Men's Singles (Finals - Top Half - Bottom Half)
Men's Doubles (Draw)
Top seed Rob Bowenburg has made a winning start to his Challenger tournament in Vancouver after a comfortable victory over young Brit Edward Freeland. Bowenburg was rarely troubled in his decisive victory as he dispatched Freeland in little over an hour to advance to the second round with a 6-3 6-3 win. Joining him is Scotland Rivers who overcame an early scare to beat Dutch qualifier Ronald Bergsma. Rivers dropped service late in the first to give up an unlikely lead to the Dutchman, before roaring home and claiming the next two sets in fifty minutes to secure a 4-6 6-0 6-1. His next assignment is Manta Challenger champion Randy Bruce after the third seed also came from a set down to defeat a qualifier - Canadian Tony Nikolić.
- Seeded players out: Mikel Fosdike; Samuel Thorpe.
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ITSTL in Gstaad. Drake's third first round exit, and amazingly the first time Ox has gone in the first two rounds of any tournament he's been in.