ATP South Korea, Sofia and Tel Aviv Tournaments

SOUTH KOREA OPEN

ROUND 2

Top Half of the Draw

1     Casper Ruud                                              vs        Nicolas Jarry

Yoshihito Nishioka                                           vs         Taro Daniel

3     Taylor Fritz                                                vs        Mackenzie McDonald

Alessander Kovacevic                                      vs        Chun Hsin Tseng

Bottom Half of the Draw

Radu Albot                                                       vs         Steve Johnson

4     Denis Shapovalov                                    vs         Jaume Munar

8     Jenson Brooksby                                    vs          Soonwoo Kwon

2     Cameron Norrie                                      vs          Kaichi Ushida 

SOFIA OPEN

ROUND 2

Top Half of the Draw

1     Jannik Sinner                                  vs      Nuno Borges

Fernando Verdasco                                vs   Aleksandar Vukic

3     Grigor Dimitrov                              vs      Ilya Ivashka 

5     Holger Rune                                    vs     Lorenzo Sonego

Bottom Half of the Draw

Dusan Lajovic/                                     vs       Ugo Humbert

4      Lorenzo Musetti                           vs       Alexander Lazarov

8      Oscar Otte                                    vs       Kamil Majchrzak 

2      Pablo Carreno-Busta                     vs       Marc-Andrea Huesler 

TEL AVIV OPEN 

ROUND 2

Top Half of the Draw

1    Novak Djokovic                             vs        Pablo Andujar-Alba

Vasek Pospisil                                      vs       Edan Leshem

3    Diego Schwartzman                      vs         Arthur Rinderknech

Tomas-Martn Etcheverry                   vs          Roman Safiullin

Bottom Half of the Draw

 Constant Lestienne                            vs         Emil Ruusuvuori

4     Maxime Cressy                           vs         Sebastian Korda

5     Botic van de Zandschulp            vs         Liam Broady

2   Marin Cilic                                   vs         Dominic Thiem

 It is very difficult to keep track of match-ups in minor tournaments.    Two matches in Korea have thus far been cancelled and in one of those a lucky loser was called up from the qualification round to replace the absent player - in that case Nakashima.    In the second match - the one involving the 6-seeded Borna Coric -   has been cancelled, but there is no indication yet whom of the two did not turn up to play and which lucky loser will replace the absent player.   Will try and find out what the situation is going to be.   

There is no indication yet of the main draw in the Tel Aviv series -  the present information only deal with the -

*   8 qualification matches to be played today; and 

*   4 qualification matches to be played tomorrow.

One can assume that sometime today it will come clear whether aside from the 4 qualification games  any Round 1 matches will be played tomorrow. 

So far the only top players playing this week are Ruud, Sinner, Norrie and Fritz - bar for a possibility in Tel Aviv - none of the others will be playing this week.

Next week there are two ATP500 games played - 1 in Japan and 1 in Kazakhstan - so one can assume that the top players will all play next week.  The only question is when Zverev will start playing again. - the hot cookies is missing him and there is no one with placards asking him to marry them.  

A funny one from the past - in a match in Hamburg someone in the crowd shouted to Steffi Graf - "Marry me Steffi".   She shouted back "How much money have you got?"    Mind you she had  the best legs I have seen of any woman tennis player - only Sharapova came close.    

Novak will be playing in Tel Aviv.

what do you think if his demolition job of Tiafoe?

if i recall correctly, you said he would be cleaned up badly.

you still laughing, Comrade?

I did not say anything like you referred to above - I merely referred to the posibility that Djokovic  may not be match-fit.    He was playing a player ranked no 19 in the world - so if he did not win it would show lack of match-fitness.

Anyway - I just finished the updating of the Tel Aviv tournament and Djokovic is playing as number 1 seeded player.   There is no other Top 10 player in the tournament and only 2 players  in the Top 20 category playing  - Schwartzman and Cilic - so no real opposition for Djokovic in this tournament.    He must be readying himself to play in one of the two ATP 500 tournaments next week - probably in Kazakhstan.

I think Zverev may also start playing again in Kazahstan - he is a Russian speaking person and all his Russian mattes will be there.    Alcaraz may play in the Japan tournament - where Ruud will also be playing.    Those two tournaments will most likely be more interesting as well.       

.          

Novak is keeping his fitness level up as hest he can incase australia revoke his ban.

Hope he does - but something tells me it might not work out.   Something happened in the Laver Cup that is a repeat of  what happened in most tournaments this year.   Djokovic last one match and lost the next in tournaments - that shows his match-fitness has limitations at present.     

All the players really rate the EOYT is the one they really aspire to - they rate it higher than the not the majors and openly say so.   If Djokovic fail to make that tournament - he will be out of tennis for virtually three months again and that is not a good sign for him in the Aussie Open.

I think the favorite to win the Aussie Open this year will be Alcaraz - neither Nadal or Djokovic will win that one for obvious reasons. .   

SOUTH KOREA OPEN

QUARTERFINALS

Top Half of the Draw

1     Casper Ruud                                          vs        Yoshihito Nishioka

Mackenzie McDonald                                     vs         Alessander Kovacevic

Bottom Half of the Draw

4     Denis Shapovalov                                   vs          Radu Albot

2     Cameron Norrie                                     vs         8     Jenson Brooksby

SOFIA OPEN

QUARTERINALS

Top Half of the Draw

1       Jannik Sinner                              vs      Aleksander Vucic

 5      Holger Rune                                 vs      Ilya Ivashka

Bottom Half of the Draw

4      Lorenzo Musetti                           vs       Jan-Lennard Struff  

Marc-Andrea Huesler                          vs       Kamil Majchrzak 

TEL AVIV OPEN 

QUARTERFINALS

Top Half of the Draw

1    Novak Djokovic                           vs         Vasek Pospisi

Arthur Rinderknech                           vs         Roman Safiullin

Bottom Half of the Draw

 4     Maxime Cressy                            vs          Constant Lestienne

2     Marin Cilic                                    vs          Liam Broady

SOUTH KOREA OPEN

SEMIFINALS 

Yoshihito Nishioka                                     vs      Alessander Kovacevic

4     Denis Shapovalov                               vs       8     Jenson Brooksby

SOFIA OPEN

SEMIFINALS

1       Jannik Sinner               vs       5     Holger Rune

4       Lorenzo Musetti         vs        Marc-Andrea Huesler 

TEL AVIV OPEN 

SEMIFINALS

1    Novak Djokovic                 vs       Roman Safiullin

2     Marin Cilic                       vs        Constant Lestienne

The ATP 250 tournaments were a mess - the results this week in three tournaments only showed a desperate search for points quests to get into the EOYT Championship.   Another point is also the fact that players nominated themselves and then did not bother to turn up to play at all. 

Some of the seeded players were not in the Top 30 players in the world.    In essence in the case of the 3 tournaments this week there are only 3 top 10 players left - Djokovic, Ruud and Norrie - and only 2 other Top 20 players - Sinner and Cilic.    The rest of the quarterfinal players are basically unknown players who rarely goes through to Round 2 in other tournaments.   

Djokovic will face no real opposition if the quarterfinal - Pospiel  rarely won anything and he got into the series as a Lucky Loser.   So Djokovic will go through to the semi.

Sinner will face a total unknwon in the quarterfinal - so he  will e anothr top player in the semi's.

Ruud struggled   badly in the Round 2 match playing a total unknown qualifier from Chile -  and now face anoth er total unknown in the Quarterfinal,   Another likely semifinalist.       

So how did the Top ten players do in the Semi's Ruud was shit poor and lost against of all players Nishioka.    Norie as even worse and lost in Round 2 against  Ushida- have anybody hard about that player before?    Then we had Djokovic who scraped through to Pospiel a Lucky Loser qualifier who is not the 149 ranked player in the world.     He won the fist set in a tie-breaker and the second set he had one  service break and won.

Sinner and Djokovic may win in two of the three tournaments - but they definitely did not perform on the level expected from them. .                

FINALS

SOUTH KOREA

4     Denis Shapovalov         vs     Yoshihito Nishioka 

Congrats to Nishioka in winning his first ATP title.   What is wrong with Shapo - he was a top ten player at one stage - but is sliding down the ratings rapidly,    He will ahve to get to Nur-Sultan by tomorrow where he will meet Steve Johnson in Round 1 and one of two qualifiers in Round 2.       

SOFIA 

5     Holger Rune                  vs     Marc-Andrea Huesler

Congrats to Huesler in winning his first ATP title. Another complete outsider winning an AT}Congrats to Nishioka in winning his first ATP title.    

TEL AVIV

1    Novak Djokovic           vs       2    Marin Cilic

Congrats to Djokovic for being the only seeded player who won in the three tournaments.   

If one looks at the three tournaments - the quality of players participating was poor and even in those the ultimate finalists were struggling at times.     Two examples - has anyone ever heard of the player Djokovic played in the semi?    Huesler is a 26-year-old player and  the first time he played in a semi leave alone final in any ATP tournament.  Boh the opponents of Djokovic were other than Cilic not in the top 150 ranked APT players - it says a lot about the quality of the three tournaments and the quality of tennis produce d.  

It's an ATP 250 tournament, Mike.

Of course you will find young and upcoming talent trying to make a go of it.

Winning the tournament is not the sole purpose of Novak.

Surely you know that?

Winning every tournament is essential for Djokovic - since he has to to get in to the EOY Championship in November and is at present no 15 in the said ranking and only 8 players are allowed to play.   That Championship is what every player works and strive to get into all year long.    All the top players will tell you that.      

Duplication