Week 14: Napoli [Maurer]; Saint-Brieuc [Tadić]

[SirBloody Idiot]

The clay season is underway in near enough full swing on the Challenger circuit, and Europe plays host to the first two:

Tennis Napoli Cup II - Men's Singles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bogdan Maurer won in the final, beating Marc Carretero, 6-4, 6-4.

ATP Ranking Points
W: 80
F: 48
SF: 29
QF: 15
R16: 6
R32: 0
Q: +3
Q8: 0
Q16: 0

Entry deadline: March 8, II
Seeding: March 22, II

1 Carretero, Marc ESP 65
2 Maurer, Bogdan ROU 87
3 Juraev, Anvar UZB 98
4 De Kinsele, Michael ITA 103
5 Prodi, Massimo ITA 120
6 Berianidze, Gocha GEO 128
7 Banks, Randy FRC 138
8 Scalforo, Pablo ITA 142
9 van der Cleer, Cameron NED 148
10 Varas, Renato CHL 153
11 Bonhof, Dieter GER 155
12 Zsasz, Victor SUI 156
13 Gonzá, Carlos COL 157
14 Pellegrini, Marco ITA 166
15 Fernando, Rafael ESP 168
16 Nesterov, Ilja KAZ 170
17 Thompson, Harrison AUS 178
18 Volkoff, Evgeny RUS 181
19 Molina, Miguel ECU 189
20 Räihä, Matti FIN 193
21 Olsen, Kim Roger NOR 195
22 Canadillas, Sergi ESP 197
23 Galindo, Eugenio ESP 198
24 Rizzo, Orazio ITA 206
25 Kulic, Novica SRB 207
26 (Q) Rose, Pierre FRC
27 (Q) Nikolić, Tony CAN
28 (Q) Stakhanov, Vladimir CDR
29 (Q) Aguilera, Alexis CHL
30 (WC) Rossi, Luca ITA
31 (WC) Ciano, Andrea ITA
32 (WC) Zanotti, Silvano ITA

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Prévadiès Saint-Brieuc II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Adem Tadić won in the final, defeating Jean-Christophe Genghini, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3).

ATP Ranking Points
W: 80
F: 48
SF: 29
QF: 15
R16: 6
R32: 0
Q: +3
Q8: 0
Q16: 0

Entry deadline: March 8, II
Seeding: March 22, II

1 Genghini, Jean-Christophe FRA 64
2 Harmel, Mark BEL 72
3 Bre, Matt CDR 83
4 Durand, Christopher FRA 109
5 Tadić, Adem CRO 123
6 Tobin, Matthew AUS 136
7 Lebègue, David FRA 147
8 Vučemilović, Stipo CRO 158
9 Lachance, Sébastien FRA 169
10 Deane, Marcuss FRC 182
11 Renard, Bertran FRA 183
12 Crespo, Guilermo ARG 184
13 Marzec, Radaslaw POL 187
14 van der Linden, Jochem MON 188
15 Bak, Piotr POL 203
16 Barral, Jaime ESP 208
17 Kao, Koal FRC 211
18 Wleft, Phoenix CDR 212
19 Schaap, Tommy NED 213
20 Tito, Brendan PUR 217
21 Rio, Benoît FRA 218
22 Seel, Peter GER 222
23 Soave, Guilliano ITA 224
24 Ivic, Srdjan SRB 226
25 (Q) Tarasovs, Juris LAT
26 (Q) Todorovski, Nikola MKD
27 (Q) Lawley, Jason FRC
28 (Q) Panov, Vitali RUS
29 (WC) Ducard, Henri FRA
30 (WC) Marchand, Romain FRA
31 (WC) David, Eric FRA
32 (WC) Berthier, Jean-Jacques FRA

[SirBloody Idiot]

Tennis Napoli Cup II
€30,000+H - 1st Round - Naples, Italy - Clay (Red)

Seeds
Finals
Top Half
Bottom Half

• Qualifier Pierre Rose has made a winner start to his clay season; taking a good three-set win over Jersey semi finalist Sergi Canadillas. Both players came from the hard courts in Jersey to Naples, but Rose was the player with the match practice on clay after winning three qualifying matches and benefitted to take the first set 6-3. While Canadillas continued to grind his way into the match, Rose was doing most of the shotmaking and the match looked to live and die off his racquet. Despite dropping the second by virtue of a poor tiebreaker, Rose created too many chances and showed good form on the red clay to secure a confidence-boosting 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-4 win.

• Rose now plays Australia's Harry Thompson who came from a set down to ease past eighth seed Randy Banks. Thompson dropped a tight first set, but played confident tennis in the next two as he played a scratchy Banks off the court with some calm and consistent tennis. The highly rated teenager is basing himself in Europe this quarter to get some more practice on the red clay, and it was a great way to rebound from his early exit in Barletta with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win. Banks, meanwhile, has work to do.

• Finally, qualifier Vladimir Stakhanov was bounced first round for the second week running as Georgia's Gocha Berianidze won 6-3, 7-5. Stakhanov copped a poor draw in Jersey against the eventual champion Gunther Heug, and struggled again against the stronger Berianidze who made up for his second round exit in Barletta last week. Berianidze hit few errors in comparison to his East CWLand opponent, and his patient display resulted in a convincing win.

• Seeded players out: Randy Banks; Massimo Prodi; Pablo Scalforo.

[Paid The Umpire]

I guess I missed out for this week... Drat.

Well i do need a week to get over my finals loss last week.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Prévadiès Saint-Brieuc II
€30,000+H - 1st Round - Saint-Brieuc, France - Clay (Red)

Seeds
Finals
Top Half
Bottom Half

• West CWLander Koal Kao has made an emphatic start to his clay court season as he smashed Russia's Vitali Panov in straight sets. Kao's form hasn't been top drawer this season, but Panov was no match for the teenager who played his shots and got full reward in his 6-0, 6-1 win. His task will be much bigger next round against fourth seed Christopher Durand who has won two Challenger titles this season.

• Eighth seed Marcuss Deane has missed a golden opportunity at advancing through to the second round as he dropped five games on the trot to bow out to Puerto Rico's Brendan Tito. Deane dominated the second set tiebreaker 7-2 and was looking in a perfect position as he led 5-2 in the third. Serving for the match at 5-3, Deane faltered and the grafting style of Tito produced a number of errors from Deane as the teenager lost the plot and bowed out 3-6, 7-6(2), 5-7.

• Qualifier Jason Lawley failed to capitalise on a good campaign as Poland's Radaslaw Marzec eased to a 6-2, 6-2 win. Lawley continues to breeze through qualifying (he didn't lose a set over the weekend), but found the step up against the World No. 192 hard work as Marzec was too strong and too powerful in his easy victory.

• Phoenix Wleft meanwhile is showing form that leads many to suggest he can follow the likes of Smeltz and Drake as East CWLand clay court prospects after he came from a set down to beat Pole Piotr Bak. Bak trounced Wleft in the first set 6-1, but was no match as Wleft found his footing in northwest France and breezed back into the match to secure a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.

• He plays third seed Matt Bre who makes an early start to his clay season after exiting in the second round of Miami last week. Bre was too good for Benoît Rio but suffered a brief scare in the second before coming from a break down to secure a 6-2, 7-5 win. Bre has little experience on the clay, but his aggression and fitness holds him in good stead to be a successful clay courter.

• Seeded players out: Marcuss Deane.

[Marcuss]

Wtf

[SirBloody Idiot]

Tennis Napoli Cup II
€30,000+H - 2nd Round - Naples, Italy - Clay (Red)

• For the second week running, Pierre Rose is through to the quarter finals of a Challenger tournament in a result that is almost certain to deliver a nice boost to his ranking. Rose was drawn against Australian teenager Harry Thompson in what was a massive chance for him to advance to the round of eight. But in the opening stages it was the Aussie who got the better of the qualifier as he used the lack of pace in the court to his advantage by drawing errors from the West CWLander whose range was a little off. After going down a break early, Rose was served the break back on a silver platter as Thompson double faulted at 30-40 to level the scores at 4-4. Neither player looked particularly impressive in a cagey start to the match, but Rose did just enough in the tiebreaker to clinch the first set with a rare approach to the net.

That seemed to fill Rose with confidence and he finally began to start creating more as he pushed Thompson further behind the baseline. The Australian was overwhelmed as Rose broke service three times in the second set to just the once as he surged into the quarters 7-6(3), 6-2.

Rose now plays third seed Anvar Juraev of Uzbekistan who is coming off a semi final appearance in Barletta last week. Juraev overcame a slow start against Canada's Tony Nikolić before easing to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory. If Rose is to make it through to the semi finals (likely against the raging favourite Marc Carretero), he must return well against the tall Uzbek and fore him to play shot.

• Seeded players out: Gocha Berianidze.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Prévadiès Saint-Brieuc II
€30,000+H - 2nd Round - Saint-Brieuc, France - Clay (Red)

• Teenager Koal Kao has a golden opportunity to win through to the semi finals in Saint-Brieuc as he produced the upset of the tournament so far by beating fourth seed Christopher Durand. Durand has increased his ranking from No. 154 to No. 97 in three months and is coming off title wins in Iquique and Cherbourg. But he's not taken a title on the clay, and he made far too many errors against the West CWLand junior in a shock straight sets loss. To Kao's credit, he was on the money today as he made the most of a limited serve to work Durand around the court and only offer two break points. He saved both of them, and set about peppering away at the Frenchman's serve which, although resilient for most of the match, fell apart at the times he couldn't afford it to. Kao's 6-3, 6-4 win sets up a quarter final showdown with Jaime Barral after the Spaniard came back from a horror start to beat Brendan Tito 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.

• Meanwhile, third seed Matt Bre recovered from a dreadful start to leave compatriot Phoenix Wleft wondering what might have been in their Thursday match. Wleft was dynamite early as he stormed to a double break and a 5-1 lead, but could not serve the set out on two occasions as Bre fought back to claim six games in a row. It was a sign of how far Bre has come and how far Wleft has got to go as Bre then put a breadstick on him in a 24 minute second set rout to charge into the round of eight 7-5, 6-1. While Wleft considers a downright embarassing second half performance, Bre turns his attention to Radaslaw Marzec who was impressive in his 6-2, 6-4 thrashing of sixth seed Matthew Tobin of Australia.

• Seeded players out: Christopher Durand; Matthew Tobin.

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Great win for Kao there. Durand has been on fire this season.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Tennis Napoli Cup II
€30,000+H - Quarter Finals - Naples, Italy - Clay (Red)

• Pierre Rose was on the end of a tennis lesson in Naples after third seed Anvar Juraev coasted to his second semi final in as many weeks with a 6-3, 6-2 win. Rose had been impressive in his first two matches, but was lacking the firepower to match the Uzbek who fired down eleven aces and twenty-nine winners in a comprehensive victory. He now plays top seeded 20-year old Marc Carretero who smashed Matti Räihä 6-3, 6-2.

• Seeded players out: None.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Prévadiès Saint-Brieuc II
€30,000+H - Quarter Finals - Saint-Brieuc, France - Clay (Red)

• Koal Kao is through to his second clay court semi final of the season after a tough three set win over Spaniard Jaime Barral. Kao, who made the semis in Meknes late last month, survived a thrilling encounter against the unseeded European before eventually prevailing 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4. Both players struggled with nerves on serve in the third set in a performance reminiscent of the WTA, but it was Kao who snapped a five game break fest to secure his passage into the semis. He needs to recover quickly, though, if he's to beat top seed Jean-Christophe Genghini after his 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 win over compatriot David Lebègue.

• Matt Bre bookended his quarter final performance with dominant sets to oust Pole Radaslaw Marzec in three sets. Despite dropping a very tight second set in a tiebreaker, Bre struck the ball well and confidently as he booked a semi final place with a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-0 win. He plays fifth seed Adem Tadić who upset Belgian veteran Mark Harmel in three sets.

• Seeded players out: Mark Harmel; David Lebègue.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Tennis Napoli Cup II
€30,000+H - Semi Finals - Naples, Italy - Clay (Red)

• Naples will play host to two top 100 players in the final as the top two seeds won their semi final matches in a top four shoot out. Top seed Marc Carretero recovered from a poor start to show his clay court credentials with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over Anvar Juraev.

• He plays Romania's Bogdan Maurer in the €30,000+H final after the second set beat local favourite Michael De Kinsele 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

• Seeded players out: Michael De Kinsele; Anvar Juraev.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Open Prévadiès Saint-Brieuc II
€30,000+H - Semi Finals - Saint-Brieuc, France - Clay (Red)

• It was a disastrous end to the Saint-Brieuc campaign for third seed Matt Bre as he was thrashed mercilessly by Croatia's Adem Tadić. Bre and Tadić are fairly similar players in similar form, or so it seemed before the Croat raced through the contest in less than an hour. Bre called for the trainer on a couple of occasions, but listlessly sleepwalked through his second set as Tadić controlled the contest to secure a 6-2, 6-0 win over the frustrated East CWLander.

• Koal Kao put in a much better performance in his semi final, but ultimately was outplayed by the World No. 64 Jean-Christophe Genghini. The Frenchman was the only local to make it through to the semi finals, but struggled in the first set as he trailed a break at 2-4. Nevertheless, he came back with aggression to secure a break back and a further one to take the set before asserting his dominance to bully the youngster in the second. Genghini's 7-5, 6-2 win earns him his first tour final at any level.

• Seeded players out: Matt Bre.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Tennis Napoli Cup II
€30,000+H - Final - Naples, Italy - Clay (Red)

• Second seed Bogdan Maurer has picked up his first title of the season by claiming a handy 80 points with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Marc Carretero. The older player used his physical advantage to bully Carretero around the court and eased to a confident victory despite being a break down in the second set. Maurer's win sees him rise eight places to No. 76 in the world in the next rankings.

• Seeded players out: Marc Carretero.

Open Prévadiès Saint-Brieuc II
€30,000+H - Final - Saint-Brieuc, France - Clay (Red)

• Croatia's Adem Tadić has survived a tough three set affair to defeat Jean-Christophe Genghini in the final of the Open Prévadiès Saint-Brieuc in France. Genghini, the top seed, was a big favourite to claim his first career title but it was the Croat who looked the goods at the most important moments as he played a perfect final tiebreaker to secure a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3) win and the World No. 110 spot.

• Seeded players out: Jean-Christophe Genghini.