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Roger Federer vs Roberto Bautista Agut – Cincinnati Masters 2015 Preview

Posted: Aug 18, 2015

Roger Federer

Roger Federer makes his return to the tour later tonight when he faces Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters. Check out the Federer vs Bautista Agut Head to Head matches.

It is first outing since Wimbledon, where he suffered defeat in the final to Novak Djokovic for the second year running. This tournament has historically been very successful for Federer, who has a perfect 6 for 6 record in finals including last year when he beat David Ferrer in straight sets.

It has been another impressive year for Federer, now at the age of 34, who has gone 40-7 to date. He held the number two ranking for almost 10 months before losing it to Andy Murray last week after the Scot was victorious at the Montreal Masters. A title would secure second place again as Federer looks to secure a better seeding to aid his bid for the elusive 18th slam.

He has dominated his Spanish opponent in their three meetings, winning in straights at the US Open, Shanghai and Wimbledon with very few sets even all that competitive. Bautista Agut has not won more than four games in any of the eight sets he has played against Federer. Bautista Agut comes into the tournament ranked just outside the top 20 but missed a big chance to move further up after blowing match point in his second round clash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga last week.

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Cloud Nine for Murray as he Masters Djokovic in Montreal

Posted: Aug 18, 2015

Andy Murray survived three-hour war of attrition to topple Novak Djokovic for Montreal title on fifth match point. The Brit notched his 11th win over a World No. 1 on Sunday, stunning the Serbian 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 for the Rogers Cup title.

Murray extended his win streak in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 matches to 11 straight, capturing his 11th title at the level and second of the year (Madrid). The latest player to secure his spot at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, he won tour-level crown No. 35 and his third at the Rogers Cup, following a pair of title runs in 2009-10. Amelie Mauresmo and Jonas Bjorkman’s charge moves to 48-0 when winning the first set this year.

“To win this one was nice, especially the way the match went as well,” Murray said. “It would have been easy for me to let that one slip away. But I fought well and stayed calm in the important moments of the third set. “I think I did come up and play aggressively when I needed to. Especially in the third set when I was breakpoints down, I finished a couple of points at the net, got some free points on my first serve, as well. I would say the margins were so fine… I felt like I played as aggressively as I could today. That helped.”

EMIRATES AIRLINE US OPEN SERIES BONUS CHALLENGE STANDINGS

There was much at stake in Sunday’s clash, with three-time Rogers Cup champion Djokovic (2007, ’11-12) chasing a 25th Masters 1000 crown and 55th overall at the tour-level. The top-ranked Serb had won 12 consecutive Masters 1000 finals, since falling to Roger Federer in Cincinnati 2012. Djokovic was also in the midst of a 30-match win streak at the Masters 1000 level, including title runs in Paris 2014 and Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Rome this year.The Scot, who will return to World No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time in two years, handed Djokovic just his fourth defeat this year and first in their ATP Head-to-Head rivalry since Wimbledon 2013 – ending an eight-match losing streak. Djokovic remains in front by a 19-9 overall margin.

“Andy is deservedly a winner today on the court,” said Djokovic. “I thought what made the difference was his serve and my serve. I didn’t serve well the first set and a half. “But not taking anything away from him, from his victory. He deserved it. He stepped in, played some great shots. Most of all the moments when he needed to, he served very, very well.”

Murray takes home $685,200 and 1,000 Emirates ATP Rankings points, while Djokovic earns $336,000 and 600 points in defeat. Both players will next head to Cincinnati for the Western & Southern Open, as the Emirates US Open Series continues to heat up.
Both players started strong, with Murray earning the first break opportunities following a brilliant half volley at 15/30 in the fourth game. Djokovic would do well to save five chances, but the second seed Murray finally broke through on No. 6 after 10 minutes, utilizing an aggressive game-plan in capturing more than double the baseline points won. He continued to pick up where he left off after yielding just three games to Kei Nishikori in Saturday’s semi-finals, consolidating for 4-1 in the first set.

But Djokovic would strike back. Murray had a 15/40 glimpse on the Serb’s serve for a double break lead and failed to convert. Djokovic dug deep, grinding from the back of the court with his backhand and drawing a Murray error to break back in the seventh game. The clock struck one hour on the match at 4-4 and Murray would save a break point to halt the slide, holding for 5-4. With the set on the line, he turned in another strong return game to break Djokovic for the opener 6-4.

Djokovic would respond swiftly, however, winning the first eight points of the second set to break immediately and consolidate for 2-0. Murray secured the break back for 3-3, rifling a cross-court return winner, but was unable to sustain the momentum as Djokovic broke once again to pull ahead 4-3. Murray looked to continue apply pressure on return, but the Belgrade native refused to concede the lead again, forcing a decider.

Murray answered in kind in the third set, breaking in the second game and surging ahead 3-0. Djokovic entered the match with a streak of 24 consecutive deciding-set wins at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level and was poised to break back, but Murray held after a mesmerizing 15-minute, 10-deuce fifth game, saving six break points for 4-1. He would miss a trio of match points on Djokovic’s serve at 5-2, but would not disappoint a game later, saving two break points and sealing the win after exactly three hours.

STATS-METER

The loss ended an 8-match winning streak for Novak against the Scot overall (since Wimbledon 2013 Final) and also ended a 10-match winning streak on hard for the Serb (since losing the 2012 US Open Final).
Overall Novak’s head-to-head against Andy: 19-9 (overall); Hard: 16-7; Clay: 3-0; Grass: 0-2.
Andy’s win over Novak was his 1^st win against the World No.1 in a decider set (“best of 3 sets”); having lost the last 5 matches when a decider was played.
Novak is 11-5 in Masters Events against the British No.1; but trails the Scot 3-4 in finals (Andy had won the first 3 finals before losing the next 3).
Novak was contesting a career-best ninth straight ATP World Tour final dating back to this year’s Australian Open and riding a 12-match winning streak in ATP Masters 1000 finals since falling to Roger Federer in the Cincinnati decider in 2012.
Novak had won his past 30 ATP Masters 1000 matches (Top 5 win streaks in Masters Events):
- 31: Djokovic (2011)
- 30: Djokovic (2014–2015)
- 29: Federer (2005–2006)
- 25: Djokovic (2013–2014)
- 23: Nadal (2013)
Novak and Andy have now played 7 finals in Masters Events (Most Finals against each other):
- Nadal v Djokovic, 12 times (5-7)
- Nadal v Federer, 10 times (3-7)
- Murray v Djokovic, 7 times (4-3)
It was No.1 vs No.2 seed in the Canada Masters Final for the 1st time since 2004 (2004 Toronto: (1) Federer d. (2) Roddick) & 1st time in Montreal since 1995 (1995 Montreal: (1) Agassi d. (2) Sampras).
The Big 4 have won 11 of the last 12 Canada Masters Titles (only exception – Jo Wilfried Tsonga 2014).
Andy Murray has now won 11 Masters Titles (9 Hard, 1 Indoor Hard, 1 Clay; 11-4 in Masters Finals); tied with Pete Sampras for the 10^th Rafa leads the way with 27 Masters Crowns.
Djokovic is 52-4 this year (6-3 in finals); Murray is 53-8 this season (4-2 in finals). They have combined to win all the 6 Masters Events this year (Djokovic – Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Rome) & (Murray – Madrid, Montreal).
Novak and Andy are the only players to have qualified for the season-ending World Tour Finals (played at the O2 Arena).

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Fernando Verdasco Cincinnati 2015 Preview and Prediction

Posted: Aug 17, 2015

Tsonga

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga looks to extend his winning record over Fernando Verdasco to 4-1 when the pair meet on Tuesday in Cincinnati. Check out the Tsonga vs Verdasco Head to Head matches.

Verdasco is in the midst of a four match losing streak beginning from Wimbledon but losses to Rafael Nadal, Stanislas Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios and Nicolas Almagro suggest bad luck just as much as they do a bad run of form for the 31 year-old. Verdasco holds a 7-6 record on the year on hard courts but four of those losses were to players in the top 10 at the time.

Since returning from injury in March, Tsonga has had a solid year at 16-9. He had a solid run to the quarter finals in Montreal, including a tough comeback victory over Roberto Bautista Agut, before losing to eventual champion Andy Murray for the second time in two meetings.

It seems likely that Verdasco’s losing streak will move to five in a row but he still will remain solid inside the top 50. However, if Verdasco wants to jump into the seeded spots at the US Open he will need a good run here to do given that he is currently 180 points off 32 ranked Fabio Fognini. A similar jump will be needed for Tsonga to move into the top 16 spots for the tournament.

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Nick Kyrgios vs Richard Gasquet Cincinnati 2015 Preview and Prediction

Posted: Aug 17, 2015

Richard Gasquet

Nick Kyrgios has been in the news for the wrong reasons but will look to refocus the attention back on his tennis when he plays Richard Gasquet on Tuesday. Check out the Gasquet vs Kyrgios Head to Head matches.

The Aussie received a fine for his comments in his match against Stan Wawrinka, one of a number of misdemeanours from the talented 20 year old in recent months. Another of those came when he last faced Gasquet in a four set loss at Wimbledon this year with tanking allegations aimed at Kyrgios during the second set of that match. In the midst of the controversy, Kyrgios stepped onto court the next day to take on John Isner and was soundly beaten in straight sets.

All will be hoping for a far more dramatic affair as Kyrgios looks to reverse the 1-3 deficit he is facing in the head to head against Gasquet at this moment. While it was the epic five set win at Wimbledon in 2014 that launched Kyrgios on to the scene, he was found wanting on the three other occasions including the aforementioned Wimbledon 2015 match and a straight sets loss in the Estoril final on clay.

Meanwhile, Gasquet was absent in Canada and will play his first match since blowing a handy lead against Jack Sock in Washington. It was his third loss in four matches on hard courts after beginning 10-2 in 2015. It would appear that the Frenchman has learnt from his mistakes in the first Wimbledon match and is well prepared to handle the temperamental youngster. However, it will be the first hard court match after two clay and two grass court matches so far.

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Cincinnati Masters 2015 Draw Analysis and Predictions

Posted: Aug 17, 2015

The Cincinnati Masters (aka the Western and Southern Open) is the Grand Slam of the Midwest, the last stop on the road to the U.S. Open and one of the most historic events in American tennis. Needless to say, there’s plenty at stake in the 2015 edition.

While action is still underway at the Rogers Cup in Toronto and Montreal, the top men and women will soon land in Mason, Ohio, to kick off a thrilling week of action at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Because Cincinnati is the final tune-up event before the U.S. Open, it always takes on added importance as players desperately fight for momentum. And the draws this year will be absolutely loaded.

Six-time champion Roger Federer is back in action at the Western & Southern Open. The Defending champion headlines the field, though worthy challengers like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and others are eager to steal their crowns. Andy defeated Novak to win the 2015 Rogers Cup in Montreal moving back to the No.2 spot in the ATP rankings (leapfrogged Roger).

Who will boost their chances before New York? We’ll soon have answers.

Top Half

1^st Quarter – (1) Novak Djokovic & (5) Stan Wawrinka

World No.1 Novak Djokovic has Stan Wawrinka as a potential quarter-final opponent in his quest to claim the Career Golden Masters (by winning all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments). Top seed Djokovic will bid to become the first singles player to claim the Career Golden Masters, currently holding titles at eight of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments. The Serb, who won in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Rome this year (also in the finals of Rogers Cup), leads the top half of the draw and faces a stern test with a stacked quarter in his path. Fifth seed Wawrinka is a potential quarter-final opponent, with young guns David Goffin, Dominic Thiem and Borna Coric also looming. Old rivalries are renewed in the first round as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga clashes against Fernando Verdasco and Ivo Karlovic battles 10th seed Gilles Simon.

QF – (1) Novak Djokovic vs. (10) Gilles Simon – Djokovic in straight sets : Undisputed Nole should be too good for Simon; he’s won the last 8 against him.

2^nd Quarter – (4) Kei Nishikori (withdrew due to hip injury) & (6) Tomas Berdych

World No.4 Kei Nishikori has pulled out of the Western & Southern Open for a second year running. The tournament announced on Sunday that the Japanese star would not be participating this year due to a hip injury.

Sixth seed Tomas Berdych and American No.1 John Isner are potential semi-final opponents for Djokovic. Berdych saw his Masters 1000 quarter-final streak end at seven straight in Montreal (l. to Donald Young). The Czech could duel with 2013 runner-up John Isner, while Gael Monfils, Bernard Tomic and 18-year-old Jared Donaldson are potential QF opponents for the “Birdman”.

QF – (14) Gael Monfils vs. (11) John Isner – Isner in straight sets : The US No.1 has been playing great tennis this summer (11-2; winner in Atlanta; final in Washington; QF in Montreal).

Bottom Half

3^rd Quarter – (3) Andy Murray & (7) Marin Cilic

Newly Crowned World No.2 & Rogers Cup Champion Andy Murray is the only other player in the draw with multiple titles at the Western & Southern Open. The two-time champion – in 2008 and ‘11 (d. Djokovic both years) – will face either 2010 runner-up Mardy Fish or Viktor Troicki in the second round, with seventh seed Marin Cilic, 12th seed Richard Gasquet and 16th seed Grigor Dimitrov also in his quarter. The Scot won his 10th Masters 1000 crown in defeating Nadal earlier this year in Madrid.

QF – (3) Andy Murray vs. (7) Marin Cilic – Murray in straight sets : Cilic should be no match for the 2-time former champion & in-form Andy.

4^th Quarter – (2) Roger Federer & (8) Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer faces a tough path in his quest to successfully defend his Western & Southern Open crown, with Rafael Nadal in his quarter. The second-seeded Swiss could potentially square off against eighth seed and long-time rival Nadal in the quarter-finals, with a semi-final duel with third seed Andy Murray also looming large. Federer got the better of Murray en route to last year’s title, his sixth at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. Cincinnati is one of six tournaments in which he has at least six titles, also including Halle (8), Wimbledon (7), Dubai (7), the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (6) and his home event in Basel (6).

Champion in 2005, ‘07, ‘09-10, ’12 and ‘14, Federer is seeded second this year and will face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Pablo Cuevas after receiving a first-round bye. He is 3-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head against Bautista Agut and holds a 2-0 record against Cuevas. Nadal, meanwhile, opens his bid for a second Cincinnati title in three years against either recent Newport champion Rajeev Ram or Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. The Spaniard is looking to build on his record 27 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles. Ninth seed Milos Raonic also looms in their quarter.

QF – (2) Roger Federer vs. (8) Rafael Nadal – Roger in 3 sets : Tennis’ greatest rivalry should be back; a repeat of their classic 2013 Cincy QF (which Rafa won in 3 sets). Roger’s been playing better on the hard-courts; expect him to win this titanic tussle.

Possible SF

(1) Djokovic vs. (11) Isner – Djokovic in 3 sets : The 6ft 10in Isner is expected to be put up a tough fight for the “Serbinator”. Novak’s won the last 4 against the American (Isner won their only meeting in Cincinnati).

(2) Federer vs. (3) Murray) – Federer in 3 sets : The battle for the “World No.2 ranking” and a golden opportunity to avoid Novak until the finals at Flushing Meadows. This is a tough one to predict but given the speed of the surface; expect Roger to take home this classic (Roger will have to win the title to reclaim the No.2 ranking).

Finals

(1) Djokovic vs. (2) Federer – Djokovic in 3 sets : The Serb is way ahead of the rest of the field and anticipate him to win his 1^st Cincinnati Masters after 4 runner-up finishes and complete the Career Golden Masters. Roger’s unquestionably going to show-up for the show-piece match.

What are the chances that Djokovic can win Cincinnati and complete the Career Golden Masters? Who will take home the No.2 ranking going into the 2015 US Open – Federer or Murray?? The battle begins..

STATS-METER

Roger is the most decorated champion at the Cincinnati Masters having won 6 times (2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014); he’s never lost a final in Cincinnati (6-0). He shares the record for the most finals in Cincinnati with his coach Stefan Edberg – 6 finals.
With a victory in Ohio, Federer will join Rafa as the only player to win 7 or more titles at the same Masters event (Rafa’s won 8 in Monte Carlo & 7 in Rome).
Andy Murray returns to World No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after downing Kei Nishikori in the Montreal SF. With the win, the 28 year old is projected to move ahead of Roger Federer for World No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday, entering the Top 2 for the first time since August 2013.
On Monday, Murray will return to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since the week of Aug. 12, 2013. It will be the 19th week overall Murray ranks No. 2. He first became No. 2 on Aug. 17, 2009 and was there for four weeks. He regained No. 2 on May 13, 2013 and held that spot for 14 consecutive weeks. Murray is also the second player, after Djokovic, to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. It will be the eighth consecutive year Murray has qualified for the season finale (did not play in 2013). He has a 10-9 career record, reaching the semi-finals in 2008, 2010 and 2012. This is the second time Murray enters Cincinnati at No. 2. Two years ago he fell in the Round of 16 (bye, d. Granollers, l. to Gulbis).

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Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray Rogers Cup 2015 Final Preview

Posted: Aug 16, 2015

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic looks for his fifth Masters 1000 title of the year when he faces Andy Murray in tonight’s Montreal final. The Serbian looks to further extend his unassailable lead in the rankings with almost a 6600 point lead over his opponent if he were to win tonight.

At 52-3, Djokovic is on course to match or even better his outstanding 2011 season aside from the winning streak that he began the year with. He hasn’t quite looked like a dominant force at all times this week, especially in his victory over Ernests Gulbis. Gulbis held a break lead in the second set and 2 match points in the tiebreak during the same set but Djokovic would not be denied and the third set was never in doubt from them on with Gulbis winning just one more game.

Meanwhile, Murray bounced back from a surprise loss to Teymuraz Gabashvili in Washington by making the final without losing a set. Most impressive was his win over the No.5 Kei Nishikori, breaking 6 times in a 6-3 6-0 victory although the Japanese star did appear to be suffering with injury.

Now back as World No.2, Murray will hope to make a statement against his opponent but the head to head in this match as now shifted wildly back in Djokovic’s favour after previously looking like it might be quite even a few years back. Djokovic has won eight straight, dating back to the Miami Masters final last year. More so than that, Murray has won very few sets with just one in the five BO3 encounters. In the matches that Murray did win sets, he faltered quickly in the final set of three of them twice losing the last set 6-0 (Miami 2015, Australian Open 2015) and another 6-1 (French Open 2015).

There seems little to suggest that Murray can reverse the slide at this current time with Djokovic capable of bettering him in most aspects of the game and if he does push him, the Serbian will still be confident of outlasting his opponent. Djokovic is yet to lose a Masters 1000 match this year and next week will go for the one title he has yet to win in Cincinnati.

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Simona Halep vs Belinda Bencic Rogers Cup 2015 Final Preview

Posted: Aug 16, 2015

Belinda Bencic looks to win her second WTA title in Toronto when she faces Simona Halep tonight. The Swiss youngster made it three years running that an unseeded player made the final after Venus Williams and Sorana Cirstea did so in 2014 and 2013 respectively.

Bencic will be hoping to do better than the pair who didn’t win a set between them and is a definite threat to win if she can repeat the performance she put in against Serena Williams. The World No.1 had lost just one match all season and it looked like she would move to 44-1 after taking the first set 6-3.

Bencic fought back to earn set point but after double faulting and eventually getting broken. Having recovered from 0-40 in the following service game at 5-5, she took the set and took the momentum into the decider, going 4-0 and 5-1 up. Serena was forced into action and looked like she would win after getting the match on serve but Bencic was fearless in the final game, breaking to 30 to pick up the best win of her career. It caps a very tough run to the final that included Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Sabine Lisicki and Ana Ivanovic.

Halep’s run to the final was no cakewalk either with the in-form Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska and Sara Errani defeated on her way to the final. Halep is now 27-2 on hard courts this year with losses to Serena Williams, and Ekaterina Makarova. The Romanian will boosted by her home contingent in the crowd once more who have been very vocal throughout the week.

Unlike many of the prospects in recent years, Bencic’s rise has been gradual with the 18 year old suffering a number of disappointing losses alongside her impressive weeks. However, the grass season seems to have been what was needed for Bencic who has been on a cracking run since it began. Toronto marks her third final after ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Eastbourne, the latter of which she had won.

It would be fair to assume that Bencic might not have enough in the tank to defeat a reasonably well-rested Halep but in the form she is in, it wouldn’t be a shock to see this supremely talented prospect cap a dream week off in style with another top 10 win. She moved into the top 15 with victory and a title would put her in the top 12, which could aid her in getting a kinder US Open draw should it hold until then.

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Serena Williams vs Andrea Petkovic Rogers Cup Toronto 2015 Preview

Posted: Aug 13, 2015

Serena Williams backhand

Serena Williams looks to move closer to her third Canadian Open title when she takes on Andrea Petkovic in tonight’s headline match in Toronto.

Serena is gearing up for one of the most important months of her career as she aims to secure her second Calendar Slam and fifth slam title in a row in a months time in New York.

At a stunning 41-1 on the year, Serena is in the midst of the best year of her career at age 33 and shows no signs of letting up. While the occasional blip shows in her matches, she still looks unstoppable at her best with very few ready to challenge her unless she has a very bad match or her serve collapses. Plenty such occasions showed in France and Wmbledon but she would always show enough grit to recover.

Petkovic, 0-4 against Serena, is now back solidly in the top 20 but has looked shaky so far in her few matches since beginning the North American swing. Carina Witthoeft and Francoise Abanda took Petkovic to three setters while Mona Barthel was victorious in one in Stanford last week.

While it is unlikely to have any impact on who makes the final in general, the top half of the draw has seen 5 seeds out before the round of 16. Included in them were Lucie Safarova and Caroline Wozniacki while Ana Ivanovic remains the highest ranked possible opponent for the winner of this match before the final.

Expect Serena to push on in this match, having avoided a scare against Flavia Pennetta in her opener.

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Rafael Nadal vs Mikhail Youzhny Rogers Cup 2015 Preview and Analysis

Posted: Aug 13, 2015

Rafael Nadal

Mikhail Youzhny hopes to continue his recent revival in Montreal but will have his work cut out against three time winner and current world No.9 Rafael Nadal. Check out the Nadal vs Youzhny Head to Head.

Youzhny has had a torrid 2015, going just 6-18 prior to this event. He qualified thanks to wins over John Patrick Smith and Pierre Hugues Herbert before completing shock wins against Viktor Troicki and Gilles Simon in fairly straight forward fashion, not losing a set in any of his matches.

It signifies an impressive turnaround for the Russian who lost to a player ranked outside the top 400 last month and has fallen outside the top 100 himself, a mighty fall for the once top-10 player. A win tonight will ensure his return there but he is currently 99 in the live rankings.

Nadal hopes to keep his momentum going against an opponent he is 12-4 against and 7-0 against in the last seven – spanning a 7 year time frame. Nadal extended his winning streak to six with victory over Sergiy Stakhovsky to go with his Hamburg title.

The pair last met at the Australian Open where Nadal won easily in straight sets 6-2 6-3 6-2. While Youzhny seems to have found some form, the Russian has been on the decline for a while and will find it hard to take advantage against the Spaniard. Working in his favour though, despite having played 4 matches this week already, will be that none of them were lengthy affairs.

A quarter final date with Kei Nishikori or David Goffin awaits the winner. Nadal leads the head to head with Nishikori 6-0 but was mightily fortunate to win the last encounter after the Japanese star’s body failed him in the late moments. It is also worth noting the level of improvement by Nishikori over the period the head to head lasted.

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Rogers Cup 2015 Draw – Detailed Analysis and Predictions

Posted: Aug 11, 2015

The road to the US Open 2015 has just begun for the game’s elite as play is set to get underway at the 2015 Rogers Cup to be held in Montreal this year.

Back in action for the first time since triumphing over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic returns to a testing draw at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal, in the Quebec Province of Canada. The fact is every time Novak Djokovic steps onto the court, he is the strong favorite to win no matter what the opposition is or the conditions are. This perhaps again holds true as he gets ready for his charge at a 2nd US Open title in a month’s time.

It seems strange, but the U.S. summer hard-court season just isn’t what it used to be. Years ago, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and even guys like Patrick Rafter and Yevgeny Kafelnikov would play several events leading up to the US Open. These days, for most of the top guys it’s one event (Roger Federer), likely two (Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal) and sometimes if we are lucky three (Andy Murray). The U.S. Open series also features a handful of mid-level tournaments, but most of the stars will opt out or rest at places like Atlanta, Washington and the Winston-Salem Open. The top stars rarely prioritize them. The real focus will be Masters 1000 tournaments at Canada (Montreal this year for the men), Cincinnati and the year’s final major at New York’s U.S. Open.

The major headlines coming out in Montreal were that Roger Federer would not be there (resting perhaps) as well as David Ferrer missing out due to an injury. Two lucky players benefited from that greatly. Those players were Rafael Nadal and Milos Raonic.

With the withdrawal of those players, Raonic and Nadal have now received opening round byes which were given to the top eight seeds. Also with the withdrawal (of Federer), Andy Murray moves to the opposite side of the bracket as Novak Djokovic, and Kei Nishikori gets his own quarter in this first Masters 1000 event of the North American hard court season.

Top Half

1st Quarter – (1) Novak Djokovic & (5) Tomas Berdych

Novak is a 3-time winner of the Rogers Cup (2007, 2011 & 2012) and the draw has been spread out nicely for the World No.1. His half of the draw includes French Open Champion Stan Wawrinka (the man who dashed hi Roland Garros dreams), World No.6 Tomas Berdych and crowd favorite Canadian Milos Raonic. The quarter doesn’t look too bothersome for the 28-year old Serb to deal with. He opens against South American clay-court specialist Thomaz Bellucci before possibly facing American Jack Sock or 14th Seed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov has struggled this season (23-14) and was nursing a right shoulder injury in his 3-set loss to American Steve Johnson at the Citi Open.

The other top seed in Novak’s quarter is Czech veteran 5th seed Tomas Berdych. Berdych will have to plot a course to a QF meeting with Nole by possibly beating South African Giant Kevin Anderson or the in-form Austrian Dominic Thiem. The Austrian has been playing his best tennis off late picking up titles in Umag and Gstaad and is about the crack the top 20 for the 1st time in his career.. His 10-match winning streak was finally ended by German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Kitzbuhel SF.

Berdych has a woeful 2-19 record against the World No.1 and has hardly troubled Novak in spite of his big game and heavy groundstrokes. Kevin Anderson brings in the surprise element in this section. The South-African nearly took out Djokovic in the Wimbledon 4R with a two sets to love lead only for Novak to dig deep and fight his way back to a victory. That victory did give Novak the fuel and thrust for his 3rd Wimbledon title.

Nole is yet to lose a match at the Masters level this season. He’s won all four Masters events that he’s played in this season (skipped Madrid) so he’ll be looking to add a fifth to what’s been a dominant year for the Serb (21-0; won in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome; also won Paris last season). In fact he is on a 26 match winning streak at this level (last loss at this level to Roger Federer – Shanghai SF). An early exit last year to giant slayer and eventual champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will give motivation to the Serb to find a way to get through and perform better this year.

QF – (1) Novak Djokovic vs. Dominic Thiem – Djokovic in straight sets

Master vs. Apprentice – should be a good lesson for Thiem

2nd Quarter – (3) Stan Wawrinka & (8) Milos Raonic

Swiss No. 2 and Roland Garros Champion Stan Wawrinka can produce some serious firepower and his section includes big servers John Isner and Ivo Karlovic.

Wawrinka, who was present at the draw ceremony in Montreal on Friday evening, is set to play for the first time since Wimbledon, where he reached the quarter-finals. The Swiss will be tested from the start as he faces Fernando Verdasco or Nick Kyrgios in his opening second-round match, before a likely third round against Wimbledon quarter-finalist and home hope Vasek Pospisil (wildcard & 2013 Semifinalist) or the in-form John Isner who recently won the Atlanta Open (also is in the final of the Citi Open).

Nick Kyrgios is back on the scene for the first time on the ATP World Tour since his Wimbledon loss to Richard Gasquet. The Aussie put on a show with and without his racket by showing off his astounding shot-making but also threw in a tank job in a game, hugged a ball kid, and even argued with the chair umpire for taking too long to change his socks.

Wawrinka potential QF opponent could be crowd favorite and native son Milos Raonic, the last man to receive a bye as the 8th seed. Raonic reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in Montreal two years ago (l. to Rafa Nadal). The Toronto native, whose season has been marred by injury, faces a tricky opener against Ivo Karlovic. He is seeded to face Wimbledon semi-finalist Richard Gasquet in the third round before a projected clash with Wawrinka.

Most of this discussion has been about the players in Wawrinka’s section rather than the man himself. He has been cleared by doctors to play at the Rogers Cup after pulling out from Gstaad a couple weeks ago due to a shoulder injury which doesn’t bode well that he’s back at a major event for his first tournament back. Milos Raonic is probably licking his chops at another opportunity for a fantastic showing in the biggest tournament in his home country. This is his chance to repeat that feat.

Perhaps the expectations surrounding the big-serving 24-year-old should be tempered, however, considering the circumstances. Raonic had surgery in May to repair a pinched nerve in his foot. Since reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals in January, he has entered a limited number of events, missing the French Open as well as Davis Cup play in Belgium, and he was not himself in a Round of 32 loss at Wimbledon to Nick Kyrgios. Raonic has not claimed an ATP title this season. He has six career titles, including Washington, where he beat Pospisil in the lead up to last year’s Rogers Cup in Toronto, but is trying to avoid going without a tournament win for the first time since 2010.

Raonic is the last Canadian to have reached the final and is attempting to become the first Canadian winner in the Open era since Robert Bedard in 1958.

QF – (3) Stan Wawrinka vs. (8) Milos Raonic – Raonic in 3 sets

Expect the crowd to play a big part in this match. Also Wawrinka is not that consistent when it comes to the Masters level.

Bottom Half

3rd Quarter – (4) Kei Nishikori & (7) Rafael Nadal

Fresh from capturing the Hamburg crown on clay last week, Rafael Nadal headlines the bottom half of the draw with 2nd seed Andy Murray.

Seeded 7th , Nadal is looking for a strong showing on the North American hard courts this summer to mount a charge in the race to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Spaniard has won the Canadian Masters 1000 three times, most recently two years ago in Montreal (managed to win the Triple Crown – Canada, Cincinnati, US Open). He opens his bid against Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky.

The 2013 Rogers Cup champion nursed a shoulder injury in the Hamburg final. He was spinning his first serves in from about 90-100 MPH. That may have worked against second-tier opposition in Germany but that will not cut it against the best of the best. The biggest advantage which Rafa has this summer is that he has not points to defend (missed the entire US Open Series due to injury last season).

The 29-year-old Nadal is seeded to face 9th seed Frenchman Gilles Simon (Wimbledon QF) in the third round, with a possible clash against Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. Simon does have the game to trouble Nadal on the hard-courts as his game is predicated on deep, solid groundstrokes and consistency. He doesn’t have a go-to weapon, but when you’re as consistent as he is, you’ll force your opponent to go for more to shorten the points.

2014 US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori is the top seed in this section. The 4th seeded Japanese will face wildcard Canadian Frank Dancevic or a stubborn Pablo Andujar in his opener. He is seeded to face Belgian David Goffin or in-form American Steve Johnson in the 3R before the big QF against Rafael Nadal. Despite this being a relatively easy draw, Nishikori did pick up an injury to his leg in his Citi Open SF match against Marin Cilic (a rematch of their 2014 US Open Final).

QF – (4) Kei Nishikori vs. (7) Rafael Nadal – Nadal in 3 sets

A contrast of styles brings us to the intriguing conclusion that this match could very well go the distance. Expect Kei to be a little fatigued after reaching the Citi Open Final.

4th Quarter – (2) Andy Murray & (6) Marin Cilic

British number one Andy Murray was one of the major beneficiaries of Federer’s withdrawal. He avoids having to see his fellow Big Four rival who dispatched him at Wimbledon with relative ease and avoids seeing Djokovic until the final should they both get there. He’s got the most difficult of the opening round matchups of the top four, meeting Tommy Robredo who outlasted Feliciano Lopez in three sets.

Robredo and Murray have had some phenomenal matches in their recent history with the most memorable ones coming last season in the finals of Shenzhen and Valencia, a home tournament for Robredo, as the Brit took him out in three gruelling sets in both the finals (saved multiple match points in both the matches).

The Scot, a two-time champion in Canada (2009 & 2010), could face 15th seed Gael Monfils in the third round, though the Frenchman has a blockbuster opener against Fabio Fognini (tennis’ two unconventional yet entertaining characters).

Murray is projected to face 6th seed Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals, though defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is also in that section, but the Frenchman has a tough opener against Croatian young gun Borna Coric. The Croat has the weaponry to make things challenging for Tsonga especially if the defending champ is having an off day. Tsonga’s potential 3R opponent could be another Croat Marin Cilic.

Marin Cilic, the reigning US Open champion is just coming off a disappointing three set loss to Nishikori in the Citi Open semifinals in a tournament where he never looked at his best. He looked very vulnerable in all his matches but looked most vulnerable against Querrey. He was let off by the American’s poor shot choices in both tiebreakers which allowed him to take the match in straight sets. He’s got an interesting second round matchup with quirky Bernard Tomic should the 22-year-old Aussie defeat Joao Sousa.

Murray is coming off a horrendous showing at the Citi Open where he lost in his opening match to Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili but expect him to rebound in Canada where a strong showing moves him closer to surpassing Roger Federer for world number two.

Andy will pass Roger next Monday if he reaches the final in Montreal and take the No.2 ranking as Roger will drop 1000 points for his Cincinnati win last season. This is because of the extra week being played on the tour this season.

QF – (2) Andy Murray vs. (6) Marin Cilic – Murray in 3 sets

One compelling match-up but expect Andy to hold forth against the reigning US Open Champion.

Possible SF

(1) Djokovic vs. (8) Raonic – Djokovic in straight sets

Raonic is 0-5 against the Serb and expect him lose for the 6th time.

(7) Nadal vs. (2) Murray) – Murray in 3 sets

This is a tough one to predict but Rafa is yet to play his best hard-court tennis this season (rewind 2013) so expect Murray to win this nail-biter.

Finals

(1) Djokovic vs. (2) Murray – Djokovic in straight sets

Murray is 0-8 since the 2013 Wimbledon final against Novak. The Serb is way ahead of the rest of the field and expect him to win his 4th title in Canada.

STATS METER

• Only Patrick Rafter (1998), Andy Roddick (2003) and Rafael Nadal (2013) have completed the Triple Crown, and for each of them it was the last time they would win the U.S. Open (Nadal can still add another).
• Notable legends such as Pete Sampras and Roger Federer never achieved the Triple Crown, even though the Swiss Maestro has two Canada Open titles, six Cincinnati titles and five consecutive U.S. Open titles from 2004 to 2008.
What are the chances that Djokovic can win this Triple Crown of late summer (Canada, Cincinnati & US Open)? After all, he has not won any of these three titles since Canada in 2012.

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