Kyrgios Into Miami 2016 SF
Kyrgios Into Miami 2016 SF
Mar312016
ATPWorldTour.com previews Thursday action at the Miami Open presented by Itau
DAY 9 PREVIEW: The quarter-finals in the bottom half of the draw on Thursday feature No. 6 Kei Nishikori, No. 12 Milos Raonic, No. 16 Gael Monfils and No. 24 seed Nick Kyrgios, who is the highest-ranked among the Next Generation players on the ATP World Tour. Monfils and Kyrgios are appearing in the quarter-finals for the first time. A double digit seed is guaranteed to reach the semi-finals here for the seventh straight year. The lone remaining player of the foursome to reach Sunday’s final will be attempting to capture a maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown.
In the second match on Stadium, No. 6 Nishikori and No. 16 Monfils square off for the second time. Nishikori won the previous meeting 61 36 63 on grass in the 2R of Halle in 2014. Nishikori is appearing in the Miami QF for the third straight year and two years ago he advanced to the SF. Monfils is making his first QF showing in Miami and he comes in with a 15-4 record on the season. He is trying to defeat a Top 10 opponent for the first time since April last year at ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo where he beat No. 2 Federer in the 3R en route to SF. He is 27-60 lifetime against Top 10 foes. He is 4-6 in ATP Masters 1000 QF matches and his last SF came in 2015 Monte-Carlo.
In the evening match, No. 12 Raonic and No. 24 Kyrgios meet for the fourth time (Raonic leads 2-1) and this is their first meeting on hard courts. The Canadian won the first two meetings in 2014 at Roland Garros 1R and Wimbledon QF before the Aussie won last year’s 3R encounter at Wimbledon in four sets. Both players have yet to drop a set in three rounds and Raonic has held serve all 30 games, saving 11 break pts. He also leads the tournament in aces (36) followed by Kyrgios (34) and Monfils (31). Raonic, who is off to a career-best 17-2 start, will return to the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since Oct. 26, 2015 if he reaches the SF and neither Goffin or Monfils win the title. Kyrgios, who is making his ATP Masters 1000 QF debut, is the first Australian to reach the Miami QF since Lleyton Hewitt advanced to the SF in 2002 (l. to Federer). If the 20-year-old reaches the SF, he will crack the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings next Monday. He would be the youngest in the Top 20 since Marin Cilic on Sept. 21, 2009.
DOUBLE-DIGIT SEEDS IN QUARTER-FINALS – This is the first time in Miami since 1991 there are five double digit seeds in the quarter-finals. The winner of the Raonic-Kyrgios match will guarantee a double digit seed in the semi-finals here for the seventh straight year. The last double digit seed to reach the final was No. 16 Berdych in 2010 and last double digit winner was No. 10 Djokovic in 2007.
World No. 1 improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Berdych to 23-2
Novak Djokovic never let Tomas Berdych into their quarter-finals match on Wednesday night and now will play for a chance at his sixth consecutive Miami Open final. The World No. 1 frustrated Berdych throughout their one-hour and 40-minute contest, winning 6-3, 6-3 at Crandon Park.
The Serb has now beaten Berdych 10 consecutive times, and he improved his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against the Czech to 23-2.
In the semi-finals, Djokovic will play Belgian David Goffin, who will be appearing in his first Miami Open semi-final after reaching the same stage in Indian Wells. Djokovic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 3-0, including a three-set win last year on the hard courts in Cincinnati.
On Wednesday, Djokovic suffocated Berdych with deep groundstrokes and a reliable net game for his 20th hard-court win in their series. It wasn’t good enough for Berdych to merely rally with Djokovic; he had to try to do more. But the No. 7 seed struggled to find the upper rungs of his game, hitting 45 unforced errors to 15 winners.
Berdych was especially vulnerable on his second serve. He double faulted five times, and when he did land a second offering, Djokovic pounced, winning 17 of those 23 points.
There were points when Berdych looked to be doing everything right. He’d be moving the World No. 1 side to side and keeping him behind the baseline, when all of a sudden Djokovic would deliver a shot that would skid off a line or land for a winner. The No. 7 seed could only shrug his shoulders.
Djokovic’s lower back was treated by a trainer midway through the second set but the injury didn’t appear to be a serious bother for the No. 1 seed.
World number one Novak Djokovic extended his winning run over Tomas Berdych to 10 matches with a straight-sets win at the Miami Open.
The top seed won their quarter-final 6-3 6-3 and will next face Belgian David Goffin.
Djokovic had treatment on his back in the second set, but asked about the issue he told BBC Sport: “No concerns, not at all.”
The 28-year-old is trying to win his sixth Miami title and third in a row.
It is three years since Berdych earned one of only two wins over Djokovic in 24 meetings – and again it was the Serb who dominated.
In blustery conditions, Djokovic broke twice in the first set and he took control of the second after Berdych followed a woeful smash with a double fault.
The only alarm came when he called the trainer, but Djokovic resumed in the same dominant form and sealed victory with another service break.
“I was trying to find the rhythm on the serve,” he said. “Evidently we both struggled with that.
“The swirly conditions on the court were quite tough. Once you toss the ball you can’t predict where it’s going to end up.
“That’s why I had a little bit of a spasm in the back but Paul from the ATP did a great job.”
Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka remain on course for the Indian Wells-Miami double, after both won in California two weeks ago.
Two-time Miami champion Azarenka, who reached the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-2 win over Britain’s Johanna Konta, will play German second seed Angelique Kerber on Thursday.
“I still feel that I’m far from my best and that’s what’s really exciting for me, to be motivated, to keep improving,” said Azarenka.
Kerber impressed in a 6-3 6-2 defeat of American Madison Keys, setting up a rematch with Azarenka after she beat the Belarusian on her way to winning the Australian Open in January.
“She had a great start of the year, of course,” said Kerber. “She is on fire, I think, right now.”
The Americans’ quest for Miami history remains intact
One of the greatest doubles teams of all-time will meet one of the hottest on the ATP World Tour in the Miami Open semi-finals.
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who have won 109 tour-level titles, will face Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, the Indian Wells doubles champions, in the semi-finals on Thursday.
The Frenchmen survived their countrymen on Wednesday, knocking out Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 10-7. Herbert and Mahut now have won eight consecutive matches.
The Bryans beat the Australian wild-card team of Omar Jasika and John-Patrick Smith 7-6(5), 6-3 on Wednesday. The Americans feasted on the Australians’ second serves, winning 58 per cent of those points. The future Hall of Famers are looking to become the first team to win three consecutive Miami titles since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde from 1995-97. The Bryans also won Miami titles in 2007-08.
The other semi-final match will feature Treat Huey of the Philippines and Max Mirnyi of Belarus against South African Raven Klaasen and American Rajeev Ram. Huey and Mirnyi beat Americans John Isner and Nicholas Monroe 6-1, 7-5. Klaasen and Ram beat Philipp Petzschner and Alexander Peya 7-6(5), 5-7, 10-7.
This week’s Ra’anana Challenger in Israel is not only an opportunity for local fans to watch top-ranked Israeli player and No. 2 seed Dudi Sela, but to also get a chance to watch the future of Israeli tennis in action.
Sela has been the top singles player in Israel for nearly a decade and won his 20th Challenger singles title last week, but could soon be joined by an emerging crop of new players in action this week in Ra’anana. Two of the country’s top teenagers, Edan Leshem and Tal Goldengoren (both age 19), received main draw wild cards, giving them the opportunity to square off against Sela and Israeli No. 2 Amir Weintraub in first-round matches on Wednesday.
READ: Sela Joins ’20 Titles Club’ In Shenzhen
“Tournaments like ours offer young tennis players the chance to earn ranking points and experience. It’s very important for Israel to host such competitions,” said Shlomo Glickstein, former World No. 22 and the current CEO of the Israel Tennis Association. “They attract sponsors, media and give our young players role models to look up to.”
Leshem put up a valiant effort before losing to Weintraub in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Meanwhile, Goldengoren struck plenty of impressive winners before losing to Sela, 6-2, 6-2. But for Goldengoren, the chance to square off against a player whose career he hopes to emulate is priceless.
“Dudi is an inspiration to me. He’s a role model to the younger generation and always does everything with such grace and modesty,” said Goldengoren. “He’s had amazing results over the years even though he’s had to deal with players who are physically bigger than him.”
Leshem also praised Sela for being a role model. Having competed alongside the World No. 84 in two Davis Cup ties, he said that Sela has become an unofficial mentor and given him advice that has proven invaluable.
“Since entering the Davis Cup team, I’ve tried to learn from his behavior and even occasionally gotten help from him on and off the court,” said Leshem. “He’s an inspiration for young players in Israel and makes us believe we can get there as well.”
Those sentiments were also echoed by Daniel Cukierman, a 20-year-old main draw wild card recipient. Although he lost his opening match on Tuesday to No. 1 seed Evgeny Donskoy, he said the experience of competing in Ra’anana has inspired him to continue working hard in the hopes of achieving a career comparable to Sela’s.
“I admired Dudi even as a child,” said Cukerman. “My goal is to reach the level of his game and possess the fighting spirit he has.”