Australian moves on in Miami qualifying with win over past foe Geller
Alex de Minaur and Axel Geller have a lot in common: They share a similar first name, a birth year (1999) and the potential for success on the ATP World Tour. They were on opposite ends of Court 6 in Crandon Park on Monday, where both teenagers battled in a first-round qualifying match at the Miami Open presented by Itau. De Minaur emerged victorious, 6-4, 6-0 after one hour and 27 minutes.
This was their second meeting in South Florida; in 2013, de Minaur and Geller met in the final of the Orange Bowl. Both were 14 years old at the time; on that occasion it was Geller who walked away the winner, 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-2, to lift the Orange Bowl trophy.
For de Minaur, the win on Monday over an “old” rival was sweet revenge.
“This is the second time I’ve played against him; we played before five years ago and it’s fun to cross paths with a childhood rival,” de Minaur told ATPWorldTour.com. “I’ve grown up since then; I’m stronger, I’m faster and I have more confidence. I’m happy with the win today; it’s tough to play in this kind of heat and humidity.”
The Australian #NextGenATP hopeful made his BNP Paribas Open debut last week by navigating his way through the qualifiers at Indian Wells. He earned his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 win (d. Struff) before falling to eventual champion Juan Martin Del Potro in the second round. Now, he’s one win away from qualifying for the main draw at Key Biscayne. On Tuesday, the 19-year-old plays Belgian Ruben Bemelmans, who defeated Brazilian Joao Souza 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the second round of qualifying.
Championship Rematch In Miami? Federer & Delpo Drawn Into Opposite Halves
Mar192018
Six-time winner Djokovic, second seed Cilic and others look to make a run
Juan Martin del Potro defeated World No. 1 Roger Federer at Indian Wells on Sunday, saving three match points to claim his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. And now, as the ATP World Tour travels to Florida for the Miami Open presented by Itau, the tennis world might be in for a treat: a rematch, just two weeks later.
Federer and Del Potro were drawn into opposite halves of the draw at the second Masters 1000 event of the season, and while recent form indicates that we may very well see both players across the net from one another again, one of them has a far more straightforward draw than the other.
World No. 1 Federer, who must advance to at least the quarter-finals to maintain his spot atop the ATP Rankings, has lost a total of two matches against the highest-ranked player he could face in each round en route to the final. And while he did lose a golden opportunity to retain his title in the Coachella Valley, don’t forget that Federer, a three-time champion in Miami, began his season 17-0 prior to that loss, a personal best for the 36-year-old.
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The Swiss will open against a qualifier, before potentially facing an always-dangerous Fernando Verdasco in the third round (Federer leads FedEx ATP Head2Head 6-0). And despite the lopsided results, the pair has played just once since the 2012 US Open, and the Spaniard showed good form by defeating reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov at Indian Wells.
Federer has won all five of his FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against potential fourth-round and quarter-final opponents, No. 16 Pablo Carreno Busta (1-0) and No. 6 Kevin Anderson (4-0). But there are some other dangerous opponents lurking in the quarter-finals, including No. 10 Tomas Berdych, Australian Open semi-finalist Kyle Edmund and big-hitting Marseille champion Karen Khachanov. Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who defeated Federer to win the Rogers Cup last year, is the second-highest seed in the Swiss’ half of the draw.
Del Potro, who is fresh off back-to-back titles for the first time since 2012 Vienna and Basel, will have to blast forehands through a minefield of opponents virtually every step of the way as he attempts to back up his Indian Wells/Acapulco trophies and achieve his best result yet in Miami, where he has only advanced past the Round of 16 once in nine attempts (2009 SF, l. to Murray).
Past Five Miami Open presented by Itau Champions
Year
Winner
2017
Roger Federer
2016
Novak Djokovic
2015
Novak Djokovic
2014
Novak Djokovic
2013
Andy Murray
The ‘Tower of Tandil’, who will guarantee himself a return to the Top 5 for the first time since February 2014 should he complete the ‘Sunshine Double’, will open his campaign against Yuichi Sugita (leads 2-0) or Robin Haase (leads 4-0), who are both inside the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings at No. 43 and No. 44, respectively. But former World No. 4 and 2016 Miami finalist Kei Nishikori looms as a possible third-round opponent with six-time Miami titlist Novak Djokovic possibly awaiting the winner in the Round of 16. While the Serbian did not play the event last season, he has won it in his past three appearances and on five of his past six showings, winning 30 of his past 31 matches at the tournament.
And if that was not a dangerous enough path already, Del Potro — should he get through that section — could play the likes of Dimitrov or Indian Wells semi-finalist Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals, with the red-hot No. 13 seed Diego Schwartzman, who claimed his first ATP World Tour 500-level trophy in Rio de Janeiro, projected to play the Canadian in the third round.
Don’t forget about No. 29 seed Borna Coric, either. The Croatian played the tournament of his life at the BNP Paribas Open, leading Federer by a set and 4-2 in the semi-finals, and also by a break on two occasions in the third set, before succumbing against the top seed. He could potentially play No. 8 Jack Sock in the third round.
And it’s impossible to ignore second seed Marin Cilic, also in the bottom half, who has made the final at two of the past three Grand Slams. The Croatian, who was upset in the third round at Indian Wells by Philipp Kohlschreiber, will not be able to play his way into the draw in Miami. He will face one of two players who made the Round of 16 in California: #NextGenATP American Taylor Fritz or Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Seventh seed David Goffin, who assisted at Monday’s draw ceremony, could meet Cilic in the quarter-finals of his first Masters 1000 tournament of 2018.
But Federer (17-1) and Del Potro (17-3), who are both tied with Dominic Thiem (17-4) for the most wins on the ATP World Tour thus far in 2017, have to be considered the favourites on their respective halves based on recent form. And after they brought the BNP Paribas Open to an epic close, there is a lot to be excited about at the second Masters 1000 event of the year.
Seeding rules in women’s tennis are a “kind of punishment” for players such as Serena Williams after maternity leave and “should be changed”, says the tournament director of the Miami Open.
James Blake, a former world number four, was speaking after Williams, 36, was drawn against Naomi Osaka in the opening round of this week’s event.
She is unseeded after taking 13 months off to have her first child.
“It makes sense to protect someone who goes on maternity leave,” said Blake.
“The rules should help her get the benefit of an easier draw and a better path.
“These kind of things shouldn’t happen. She has won this title so many times that she needs protection.
“It’s not as if she left because of injury and lost her passion for the game. She had a kid, which we should all be celebrating, so when she comes back there should be a grace period where she can still be seeded.”
Serena should have been top seed at Indian Wells – Halep
‘Long way to go’ after defeat by Venus – Serena Williams
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles winner, has no official ranking, which means she cannot be seeded for WTA events.
However, she can gain entry to eight tournaments in 12 months – including two Grand Slams – with her protected world number one ranking.
Her comeback in Indian Wells at the start of the month ended in the third round against sister Venus – their earliest meeting since the second round of the Australian Open in 1998.
An eight-time winner in Miami, she is now preparing to face 20-year-old Osaka, who won the Indian Wells title at the weekend but is not seeded either.
Special seedings were sometimes applied to players returning from long lay-offs, but that rule was scrapped by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
ATPWorldTour.com looks at the top Movers of the Week in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, as of Monday, 19 March 2018
No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro, +2 The Argentinean continues his rise up the ATP Rankings with his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown at the BNP Paribas Open. The 29-year-old saved three match points to beat Roger Federer in a thrilling Indian Wells final and moved up two spots to No. 6, his highest position since 24 February 2014 (No. 5). He also passed 400 match wins with victory over Milos Raonic in the semi-finals. Read & Watch Final Highlights
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The former World No. 4 is also in good shape for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November 2018, for the first time since 2013. Del Potro has a 17-3 match record this year, including two titles from finals (22 tour-level trophies overall), and is No. 2 in the year-to-date ATP Race To London behind Federer. Del Potro has made four appearances at the season finale (7-8 record), highlighted by a run to the 2009 title match (l. to Davydenko).
No. 10 (Career High) Lucas Pouille, +2 The Frenchman has broken into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time at No. 10 after a strong start to 2018 that includes a 1-2 record in finals. Pouille came within one victory of the Top 10 at the recent Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, but lost to Roberto Bautista Agut in the title match.
No. 14 Sam Querrey, +7 The 30-year-old American jumped six positions to No. 14 in the ATP Rankings, three places off his career-high of No. 11 (26 February 2018), after reaching the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals (l. to Raonic). Querrey has an 0-4 record in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-finals. Read: Querrey – My Masters 1000
No. 25 Milos Raonic, +13 The Canadian and former World No. 3, who continues to recover from a series of injury, moved up 13 places to No. 25 after advancing to his third semi-final (or better) in four years at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Raonic, who on 26 February this year was ranked No. 40, reached the 2016 final (l. to Djokovic).
No. 36 Borna Coric, +13 With a new team and renewed focus, the 21-year-old Croatian beat No. 9-ranked Kevin Anderson en route to the Indian Wells semi-finals, his first at Masters 1000-level, where he lost to Roger Federer in three sets. Coric, now 11-4 on the year, moved up 13 positions to No. 36 – three places off his career-high of No. 33 on 27 July 2015.
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Juan Martin Del Potro is finally a Masters 1000 winner after beating Roger Federer in a thrilling three set match,…
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