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Djokovic Still Cruising After Rout of Montanes
As expected, Novak Djokovic has almost no trouble with unseeded Albert Montanes on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Masters Series Hamburg. Next up for Djokovic could be a showdown with Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic extended his clay-court winning streak to eight matches on Friday, easing past Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-3 in the Hamburg quarterfinals. His next test could come in the form of Rafael Nadal, if the world No. 2 gets past Carlos Moya later today.
Djokovic was hardly tested against Montanes, although the Spaniard came out playing like he had nothing to lose and broke serve in the very first game. That, however, only seemed to wake up Djokovic, who immediately broke back. In fact, the Serb did not drop serve again over the entire match. Serving at 83 percent in the opening frame of play certainly helped Djokovic's efforts, and one more break of Montanes was all he needed, although he added a third break of serve to finish the set in style.
Montanes had three chances to start the second set just as he had begun the first, but Djokovic saved all of those break points and it was much more routine for him after that. The 78th-ranked player in the world simply did not have enough weapons to faze his opponent, and Djokovic dictated play with ease throughout the proceedings. Djokovic also looked to be aggressive and he picked the right times to come into net and finish off points with volleys after running Montanes all over the place.
Djokovic is now just one match away from overtaking Nadal's No. 2 position in the ATP rankings. If Nadal loses to Moya today or to Djokovic tomorrow, it will happen.Hamburg Quarterfinal: Albert Montanes vs. Novak Djokovic
On
paper it looks like a lopsided contest, but don't pencil in Novak
Djokovic to the Hamburg quarterfinals just yet. Albert Montanes is a
clay-court specialist and he has been on fire so far this week.
It will be the first-ever head-to-head meeting between Novak Djokovic
and Albert Montanes when the two quarterfinalists square off at the
Masters Series Hamburg on Thursday.
Montanes
appears to be running into Djokovic at just the wrong time, although
it's looking more and more like there is never a good time to play the
No. 3 player in the world. Djokovic has been on fire this season he is
currently in the midst of a seven-match winning streak on clay. So far
in 2008 the Serb has won titles at the Australian Open, at
the Masters Series Indiana
Wells, and last week at the Masters Series Rome. He also reached
the semifinals in Dubai and the semis in Monte-Carlo. He isn't missing
a beat in Hamburg, crushing Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-1 in round one
before getting past big-serving Ivo Karlovic 7-6(3), 6-3.
Djokovic
faces a much different, more obscure opponent in Montanes. The 5'9''
Spaniard is the essence of a clay-court specialist and once again
he is emerging from hard-court doldrums as the tennis season turns to
the red stuff. Montanes, ranked 78th in the world, won a Challenger
event in Italy last
month two weeks ago he reached the quarterfinals in Barcelona, where he
fell to Stanislas Wawrinka in a tough three-setter. So far in Hamburg
he has destroyed Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-3, eased past Jose Acasuso
7-6(3), 6-3, and obliterated Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 6-2.
---------------------------------Karlovic Becomes Latest Djokovic Victim
Novak
Djokovic's momentum continues to roll full steam ahead thanks to a
straight-set victory over Ivo Karlovic on Thursday in Hamburg. Djokovic
will be heavily favored in the quarterfinals against Albert Montanes.
For a brief period in the first set it looked like Djokovic's streak might be nearing an abrupt end. After a break of serve and apparently well on his way to a one-set advantage, Djokovic gave the break back and never could regain the lead. With Karlovic putting just enough first serves in (66 percent in the first set) and coming up with key aces (seven in the first set), the opening frame of play progressed to a tiebreaker. The 6'10'' Croat jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but shockingly he did not win a single point thereafter as Djokovic seized the decider seven points to three.
Despite a second-set scoreline that read 6-3, there really continued to be almost nothing that separated the two players. Karlovic went toe-to-toe with Djokovic from the baseline and made a point of looking to be aggressive. While the Serb had a bit of an advantage in rallies from the back of the court, the real difference was his stellar return game of Karlovic's booming serve. Even though the big man served at 64 percent and fired 12 aces during the match, Djokovic did a great job against it and got more and more of a read on it as the afternoon wore on. One loose service game by Karlovic was enough for Djokovic, who capitalized on the only break point he had all set. Djokovic, meanwhile, saved two break points himself in the second set, and that allowed him to serve things out the rest of the way.
The No. 3 seed will take on Cinderella story Albert Montanes in the quarterfinals. It will be their first-ever head-to-head encounter. The Spaniard is dangerous on clay, but there is no reason why Djokovic should not take care of business in straight sets.
Novak
Djokovic crushed Juan Ignacio Chela in the second round of the Masters
Series Hamburg on Wednesday. He advances to face big-serving Ivo
Karlovic in round three.
So much for a letdown after his title in Rome.
Novak
Djokovic picked up right where left off last week, rolling over Juan
Ignacio 6-3, 6-1 in the second round of the Masters Series Hamburg.
Right
from the start it was clear Chela would have no answer for Djokovic.
The Argentine quickly fell down 3-0, and a break of serve to get back
to 3-2 only provided false hope. Playing much more aggressively than
his opponent, Djokovic got the break right back and cruised in routine
fashion the rest of the way. The Serb fired 22 winners while
consistently standing well inside the baseline, eagerly looking to get
into net. By comparison, Chela could only hope that Djokovic's level
would fall off and his defensive approach resulted in just six winners.
The second-set proceedings were no different, although they went
even more in favor of the No. 3 player in the world. Djokovic won 10 of
11 first-serve points and dropped just five total points on serve
throughout the entire frame of play. He dominated Chela's serve with
almost as much ease, breaking three times. The last break of serve put
a merciful end to an evening in which Chela was completely overwhelmed.
Djokovic, who dictated play at almost every moment, blasted 34 aces
and kept his unforced error total to less than half of that (16). He
advances to face 6'10'' Croat Ivo Karlovic in the third round. It will
be the first career meeting between the two players.
Tipsarevic Fires Past Blake in Hamburg
Janko
Tipsarevic storms back from a set down to take out James Blake in the
second round of the Masters Series Hamburg on Wednesday. Next up for
Tipsarevic will be an all-unseeded clash with Albert Montanes.
The
second-round Masters Series Hamburg showdown between James Blake and
Janko Tipsarevic was billed as a shot-maker's paradise and it did not
disappoint on Wednesday afternoon. Tipsarevic raised his level of play
to spectacular heights over the final two sets to storm past Blake 4-6,
6-3, 6-3 in just under two hours.
Rarely does Tipsarevic make life easy on himself, and he certainly
did not do that against Blake by dropping the opening set. Almost
nothing separated the two players, who both came out aggressively,
throughout the first nine games of the match. Tipsarevic did not put
enough first serves in, however, and that finally caught up with him as
he served to stay in the set at 4-5. Blake capitalized on the only
break-point opportunity either player had in the opening frame of play
to take it 6-4.
The second set progressed in similar fashion, with both Blake and
Tipsarevic blasting away at short balls and also looking to come into
the net to finish off points. The difference, however, was that
Tipsarevic took advantage of his opportunities whereas Blake failed to
take his chances to seize a decisive lead in the match. Unlike in set
one, the American squandered countless looks at Tipsarevic's second
serve and could not win either of the two break points he had in the
second frame of play. The missed opportunities contributed to a minor
letdown in Blake's game and once Tipsarevic got up a break, Blake could
not recover. The Serb added an additional break of serve at 5-3 to
level the match at one set apiece.
From then on it was full steam ahead for Tipsarevic. His serve
picked up in both percentage and effectiveness, and he won every single
one of his 15 first-serve points in the deciding set. Tipsarevic also
put the pressure on his opponent by firing winners off both wings from
well inside the baseline and that forced Blake to go for huge shots of
his own at inopportune times. A quick break of serve to go up 2-0 was
all Tipsarevic needed, and he cruised the rest of the way to a 6-3
victory.
Tipsarevic moves on to the third round, where he will face Spaniard
Albert Montanes. It will be their first-ever head-to-head meeting.
--------------------------------------
Hamburg Second Round: Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Ignacio
Chela How will Novak Djokovic bounce back from his successful run
through the field last week at the Masters Series Rome? We will find out when
he faces a stern second-round test in Juan Ignacio Chela. Novak
Djokovic and Juan Ignacio Chela will square off for the second time in their
careers when they do battle in the second round of the Masters Series Hamburg
on Wednesday. Djokovic's win over Chela came last year on the hard courts of
Vienna, but it did not come without a titanic struggle. The Serb prevailed 6-3,
5-7, 7-6(2) in a two hour and fifty-four minute quarterfinal clash.
Djokovic went on to win the Vienna title as part of brilliant 2007 campaign,
and it's only been full steam ahead for the No. 3 player in the world this
year. He has won titles at the Australian Open, at the Masters Series Indiana
Wells, and last week at the Masters Series Rome. Djokovic also reached the
semifinals in Dubai and the semis in Monte-Carlo. His success in Rome and
Monte-Carlo has put to rest any questions that still lingered as to whether or
not Djokovic could be as successful on clay as he has been on hard courts.
Chela is one player who has certainly never had trouble getting it done on the
dirt. The Argentine hasn't really caught fire on clay yet this season, but to
some extent the surface has cured a fairly substantial slump. So far in 2008
Chela has reached the semifinals in Buenos Aires and most impressively the
quarterfinals in Barcelona. That may not be spectacular, but it's a lot better
than the results Chela has put up on hard courts ever since his surprising run
to last year's U.S. Open quaterfinals.
Even if Chela plays well, his only real hope is for Djokovic to be tired
following his run last week to the Rome title. There just isn't anything that
Chela does better than Djokovic. Hamburg's No. 3 seed has been on fire off both
wings from the back of the court recently and Chela cannot hang with him at the
baseline. Unfortunately Chela does not have a big enough serve to win a lot of
free points with it, something he really has to do if he wants to compete with
an in-form Djokovic. Chela's close contest with Djokovic last year inspires a
bit of hope and he should be able to make one set competitive, but count on the
favorite coming through in straight sets.
Hamburg Second Round: James Blake vs. Janko Tipsarevic Some
spectacular shot-making should be on display when James Blake takes on Janko
Tipsarevic on Wednesday in Hamburg. The winner has a good chance to make some
serious noise in a soft section of the draw.
James Blake and Janko Tipsarevic will square off for the first time in their
careers in the second round of the Masters Series Hamburg. As the No. 7 seed,
Blake received an opening-round bye, while Tipsarevic advanced with a 3-6, 6-3,
6-1 win over German wild card Andreas Beck.
Blake is ranked eighth in the world and he is still going strong at 28 years
old. So far this season he has reached the quarterfinals of the Australian
Open, the final in Delray Beach, the quarterfinals in San Jose, and the
quarterfinals of Masters Series events in both Indian Wells and Miami. All of
those tournaments were on hard courts, Blake's favorite surface, but his
clay-court campaign in 2008 is off to a strong start. The American made it to
the final in Houston before heading over to Europe, where he posted a solid
quarterfinal result in Rome. Blake, however, is still very inconsistent on the
dirt, and that was painfully obvious from his dreadful 6-1, 6-4 second-round
thrashing at the hands of Denis Gremelmayr in Barcelona.
Like Blake, Tipsarevic is no clay-court specialist but he is certainly capable
on the slow stuff. Tipsarevic, ranked 33rd in the world, brought a two-match
losing streak with him into Hamburg, although the second loss was nothing to be
disappointed about; 7-6 in the third set to Fernando Gonzalez in Rome. His
clay-court season started off promising, however, as the Serb won matches
against Paul-Henri Mathieu and Nicolas Lapentti in Monte-Carlo before falling
to David Ferrer. Tipsarevic's hard-court stretch included quarterfinal
appearances in Zagreb and at the Masters Series Miami, and of course an epic
five-set loss to Roger Federer in the third round of the Australian Open.
In order to score what would be a minor upset, Tipsarevic has to play
aggressive tennis and hope that will allow him to pick on the Blake backhand.
If Blake dictates play and sets up easy looks at his huge forehand, Tipsarevic
will be in trouble. The only real surprise would be if this match did not turn
out to be close. Blake, however, should be playing with just a little bit more
confidence having almost reached the semifinals in Rome, so look for him to
pull out a tough one in three sets.
Hamburg Preview: Second Round, Third Quarter Novak
Djokovic vs. Juan Ignacio Chela and James Blake vs. Janko Tipsarevic will steal
the headlines in the third quarter of the Hamburg draw on Wednesday. Two other
duels, however, should be wildly entertaining, especially on clay.
Albert Montanes vs. Jose Acasuso
While this is an all-unseeded matchup, it should be able to produce outstanding
clay-court tennis. Then again, there is no way this second-round pairing could
have featured any seeds, as this portion of the draw lost Tomas Berdych when
Andy Roddick withdrew, and then Nicolas Almagro pulled out after taking
Berdych's spot. As a result, Acasuso faced lucky loser Kristof Vliegen, who
retired down 2-5 in the first set. Montanes, meanwhile, erased unseeded
clay-court novice Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-3 in his opening match.
Acasuso, ranked 45th in the world, has always been a force on clay and it has
been no different in 2008. The Argentine reached the quarterfinals in Vina Del
Mar, the final in Buenos Aires, and the semifinals in Acapulco. Montanes, No.
78 in the rankings, is nothing if not a clay-court specialist. The Spaniard's
best result of the year came two weeks ago in Barcelona, where he took out
Marcel Granollers and Ivo Karlovic en route to the quarterfinals.
Acasuso is 4-0 against Montanes and has won all four matches in straight sets.
Three of those victories came on clay. Montanes has improved his game since those
meetings took place, but given that head-to-head history, you have to like
Acasuso's chances in this one.
(13) Tommy Robredo vs. Ivo Karlovic
Not only should this match feature high-quality tennis, as Robredo-Karlovic
could easily be a third-round or even quarterfinal showdown as opposed to
second round, but the contrast in styles should make it extremely interesting.
The 6'10'' Karlovic will try to impose his power game, while Robredo will play
defense and attempt to make his opponent hit too many balls.
Robredo came back from a set down to defeat Philipp Kohlschreiber 2-6, 7-6(5),
6-3 in the first round to continue his stellar clay-court campaign. This season
on the dirt he has reached the semifinals in Valencia, posted wins over
Stanislas Wawrinka and Robin Soderling in Monte-Carlo, and made it to the
quarterfinals in both Barcelona and Rome. Karlovic survived two tiebreakers in
his opening-round match with Mischa Zverev, winning 7-6(4), 7-6(3). That
victory improves Karlovic's clay-court record to a pedestrian 4-4 this season.
Karlovic, of course, must put his booming first serves in the court in order to
have a chance in this contest, as Robredo will have a huge advantage from the
back of the court. If the Spaniard can block balls back deep in the court and
keep Karlovic at the baseline, he should be able to prevail. Look for Robredo
to outlast Karlovic in three tough sets.
---------------------------------
Robredo Eliminates German Hope Kohlschreiber
Much
to the chagrin of the German faithful at the Masters Series Hamburg, Tommy
Robredo survives a three-set battle with Philipp Kohlschreiber on Tuesday. Next
up for Robredo is big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic.
If fans had hopes for their man Philipp Kohlschreiber making a deep run this
week in Hamburg, those hopes were dashed by Tommy Robredo before they could
even materialize. Robredo defeated the German 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in an
up-and-down first-round contest that lasted two hours and 30 minutes.
Kohlschreiber, however, did not go away without giving his fans something to
cheer about. He came out of the gates swinging and Robredo simply had no answer
for him in the first set. Known for his outstanding one-handed backhand,
Kohlschreiber caught fire with his forehand and overpowered his opponent with
it consistently throughout the first eight games of the match. Kohlschreiber
did an especially nice job of taking Robredo's unimposing serves early and
jumping all over them with down-the-line winners.
Kohlschreiber continued to be the aggressor in set two and again he found the
range against the Spaniard's serve. The difference, however, is that
errors--especially off the forehand side--began to creep into Kohlschreiber's
game and he was unable to take care of his own service games as he had in the
opening frame of play. The two players traded a pair of breaks as the second
set progressed to a tiebreaker. Serving down 4-5 in the decider, just two
points from elimination, Robredo survived a long baseline exchange to level
things at 5-5. An ace then gave him the lead and a set point, which he
capitalized on when Kohlschreiber could not handle a strong forehand approach
shot.
The German was not about to roll over and die in front of his home fans, and he
jumped out to quick break of serve at 2-1 in the final set. From then on,
however, Robredo was just too steady, getting far too many balls back for the
error-prone Kohlschreiber. The 16th-ranked Robredo broke back on consecutive
occasions for a 4-2 lead and he took care of his next two service games to
close out the match.
Kohlschreiber dictated play throughout the proceedings and it was his his match
to lose. He did in fact lose it, although that was due in no small part to
Robredo, who is always a terror to deal with on clay. Kohlschreiber fired 52
winners compared to Robredo's 20, but Robredo made just 25 errors while coaxing
his opponent into a whopping 59.
Robredo moves on to the second round, where he will face 6'10'' Ivo Karlovic.
The Croat is 2-0 in head-to-head meetings between the two players, including
1-0 on clay.
Janko
Tipsarevic and Jose Acasuso, favored to win their respective matches, take care
of business and move on to the second round of the Masters Series Hamburg.
Tipsarevic faces James Blake and Acasuso meets Albert Montanes.
Janko Tipsarevic d. Andreas Beck 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Beck, a German ranked No. 137 in the world, was part of the Masters Series
Hamburg because of a wild card, and he almost took full advantage. Even in
defeat, he did well for himself and has to be satisfied with his performance.
After all, Beck has been toiling (and finding success) on the Challenger
circuit recently and has not seen an opponent like the 33rd-ranked Tipsarevic
in quite some time. That did not matter to Beck in the first set. He overcame
seven Tipsarevic aces in the opening frame of play by jumping all over his
opponent's second deliveries and taking control of points early. Serving at 72
percent also aided Beck's efforts. After the first set, however, it was all
Tipsarevic. Sure Beck's form fell off a little bit, but there was really
nothing he could do. Tipsarevic started blasting winners off both sides from
the baseline and he was almost invincible on service points. All in all it was
a hard-fought match contested in good spirits, but save for that first set
hiccup, Tipsarevic was simply the better player.
Tipsarevic will play seventh-seeded James Blake, who received an opening bye,
in the second round. It will be the first-ever head-to-head meeting between the
Serb and the American.
Jose Acasuso d. Kristof Vliegen 5-2, retired
First Acasuso was supposed to play 9th-seeded Tomas Berdych, but after several
motions resulting from Andy Roddick's withdrawal, he was set to play No. 17
seed Nicolas Almagro. When the Spaniard pulled out with a wrist injury,
Acasuso's opponent turned out to be lucky loser Kristof Vliegen. Not
surprisingly, the Argentine had a much easier time with Vliegen than he
probably would have had with Berdych or Almagro. It was never a real contest,
as Vliegen's normally-impressive serve had no impact whatsoever on the clay
against Acasuso. The Belgian won a mere 11 of 27 points and serve, and
shockingly won less than half of his first-serve points. Getting free points on
serve was really Vliegen's only chance, as Acasuso completely dominated play
from the baseline. He ran his opponent right off the court despite serving at a
disappointing 45 percent clip.
Acasuso advances to face Albert Montanes in round two. Montanes, a Spaniard
ranked 78th in the world, crushed Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-3 on Monday. He won despite
donating seven double-faults while not firing a single ace. Fish, however,
served at a disgusting 36 percent rate and once points became rallies from the
back of the court, the clay-court specialist Montanes enjoyed a distinct
advantage.
Hamburg First Round: Tommy Robredo vs.
Philipp Kohlschreiber If Robredo won on a hard court, you would think he
definitely has the edge on clay courts. That’s where the Spaniard has enjoyed
most of his success and his biggest title ever came at this Hamburg event,
which he won in 2006. After a dismal end to 2007 and a slow start to this
season, Robredo appears to be turning things around swiftly and decisively on
the dirt. He reached the semifinals in Valencia, posted wins over Stanislas
Wawrinka and Robin Soderling in Monte-Carlo, and made it to the quarterfinals
in both Barcelona and Rome. Kohlschreiber’s 2008 campaign has been almost the
exact opposite. The German started out scorching hot with a quarterfinal
appearance in Doha, a title in Auckland, and an impressive run to the fourth
round at the Australian Open. Since then, however, he has just a 3-5 match
record in ATP events (not including Davis Cup ties). Kohlschreiber at least
managed to score two wins in Monte-Carlo before falling to Nikolay Davydenko in
the third round. This matchup is all about the surface. Kohlschreiber
would have a significant edge on either hard courts or grass, but Robredo—seemingly
a non-factor on anything other than clay—is proving that he is still a bona
fide force on the slow stuff. Robredo is outstanding on the defense and he has
much easier time of turning defense into offense on clay. Kohlschreiber is a
more aggressive player, but his lethal one-handed backhand will not give
Robredo as much trouble as it would on a faster surface. The German’s hope is
to surge to a fast start and get his home fans vociferously into the match. If
the pro-Kohlschreiber atmosphere rattles Robredo, things could get interesting,
but given their current form on clay this is Robredo’s match to lose.
With Tommy Haas injured and Denis Gremelmayr still really an unknown despite
his surprising run in Barcelona, Philipp Kohlschreiber is the German hope at
the moment. The pressure will be on in front of his home fans against Tommy
Robredo.
Tommy Robredo and Philipp Kohlschreiber will meet for the second time in their
careers when they square off in the first round of the Masters Series Hamburg
on Tuesday. Robredo got the better of Kohlschreiber early last season in
Auckland, but it took three sets and almost two hours.
Hamburg Preview: First Round, Third Quarter
An
already soft section of the Masters Series Hamburg draw got even easier when
Nicolas Almagro pulled out with a wrist injury. If Novak Djokovic is tired
after his win in Rome, the door could be open for either Janko Tipsarevic or
Jose Acasuso.
Janko Tipsarevic vs. Andreas Beck
Beck is in this tournament for one reason and one reason only: he's from
Germany and therefore got a wild card. Don't count him out, however, just
because he is ranked way down at No. 137 in the world (his career high). Beck
won a Challenger event on clay in Dresden last week and also captured a
Challenger title in Sarajevo earlier in the year. An ATP Masters Series, of
course, is a much different story and Tipsarevic will present all kinds of new
problems for Beck. The Serb took Roger Federer to 10-8 in the fifth set at the
Australian Open, reached the quarterfinals in Zagreb and at the Masters Series
Miami, and won two matches on clay in Monte-Carlo. Last week in Rome he fell to
Fernando Gonzalez in the opening round, but the match went to a third-set
tiebreaker. These two have squared off once before in a Challenger tournament
in Heilbronn on carpet back in 2006 and Tipsarevic prevailed in straight sets.
The 33rd-ranked player in the world is on a different level than players Beck
has been competing against recently, so he should be able to prevail. But Beck,
urged on by the German crowd, will make it close.
The winner will play seventh-seeded James Blake, who received an opening bye,
in the second round.
Jose Acasuso vs. Nicolas Almagro
First Acasuso was supposed to play 9th-seeded Tomas Berdych, but Berdych moved
into Andy Roddick's spot when the American withdrew. Then Acasuso was set to
play Nicolas Almagro, who was bumped into a 17th-seeded slot when Roddick
departed and Berdych moved. Now Almagro is out with the wrist injury he sustained
last week in Rome, so barring another turn of events, Acususo will meet Kristof
Vliegen. While Vliegen is no slouch on clay, Acasuso is far more accomplished
on the dirt and he is also enjoying a much better 2008 campaign than his
opponent. All you need to know about Vliegen's recent form is that he lost 6-1,
6-2 in Monte-Carlo to Richard Gasquet, who is mired in a terrible slump. This
is the first-ever head-to-head meeting between Acasuso and Vliegen. The
Argentine will pound away all day long from the baseline and he should be able
to take it in straight sets.
The winner will move on to face Albert Montanes in round two. Montanes, a
Spaniard ranked 78th in the world, crushed Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-3 on Monday.