Front Office Football Central - View Single Post

Brian Swartz · 06-14-2015, 12:03 AM

The brief 'offseason' is now over. The WTC Playoffs are upon us, but first there are other goings-on to get caught up on.

World Tour Finals

This year's final has a couple of interesting things to note, and provides an opportunity to look at the current situation with respect to the 'changing of the guard' Involved in this are essentially three generations of players.

The Greatest

Eric Gorritepe's string of 11 straight WTF events ends this year, though not by much. Sullivan and Prieto each managed 10 appearances, so once again Gorritepe has the top spot in the record books here. He hasn't won a major event in two years now and lost in the round-robin-stage each of the past two seasons, but still finished just 90 points out of the final spot -- not bad for a guy more than four years older than anyone in the field.

Alastra & Co.

Gabriel Alastra comes in with the best chance of taking the year-end #1 for the third straight year. If he makes the final, that spot will be assured, yet for all his success he has never won tennis's 'fifth pillar'. Mick Elder, who took the #1 for several weeks late in the year, was the undefeated champion last year in his debut and will need to do that again to have any realistic chance of getting that perch back. David Almagro, David Prieto, and Oliver Challenger are all making at least their fourth straight appearance. It looks likely to be the last go-round for Challenger, and indeed it could be the final time that this generation of contenders dominates the field. Despite a shocking run to the Paris title a few weeks ago, Spasoje Kucerovic will not be back.

Generation Next

The next-gen players are approximately three years younger than Alastra et al, and only one has been here before: Perry Hogue lost in the round-robin stage last season, upsetting Gorritepe in his final match to keep the legend from making it any further. Bjorn Benda and Evgeni Topolski make their first appearances this time around. All three hope to use this as a springboard to greater success next year.

There are others in the same age group that could make a push next year -- Jens Oberg, David Alvarez, and Viktor Goncharenko, who is particularly noteworthy as he's the best athlete of the bunch. The parity in the top 12-15 right now is extreme, and the difference in those who succeed and those who don't is miniscule. Often proper management and optimal preparation for the big events, or frankly just plain luck is what will matter most over the next year or two.

Round-Robin Stage

Alastra plowed through without losing a match in the first group, not a huge surprise. More surprising was that Bjorn Benda failed to win a set against either the word no. 1 or Oliver Challenger, ending his first WTF as a group play loser. In the second group, the story was Perry Hogue who also went through unbeaten, while defending champion Mick Elder was eliminated on tiebreakers. This assured that Alastra would retain the year-end #1 position.

Elimination Stage

The semifinals were anticlimactic straight-set affairs, and Alastra met Hogue in the final, both men having won all four of their matches to reach this point. Days before his 29th birthday, the Argentine claimed the one big trophy that has eluded him, barely outlasting the American challenger 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4). He actually lost more points than he won(99-103) but was stronger in the big moments, saving 8 of 10 break points.

Not that there was much doubt about it as it was, but this cements Gabriel Alastra's place as this era's premier player. It also provides him with a considerable cushion in the rankings. Everyone else will be chasing him for a good part of next year at a minimum. Hogue is clearly on the rise after making the final here and in Paris, and wih Topolski also reaching the semifinals that meant two of the three participants of the younger generation acquitted themselves well. Next year, they could well be in the majority here.

06-14-2015, 12:03 AM	#39
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	The brief 'offseason' is now over. The WTC Playoffs are upon us, but first there are other goings-on to get caught up on. World Tour Finals This year's final has a couple of interesting things to note, and provides an opportunity to look at the current situation with respect to the 'changing of the guard' Involved in this are essentially three generations of players. The Greatest Eric Gorritepe's string of 11 straight WTF events ends this year, though not by much. Sullivan and Prieto each managed 10 appearances, so once again Gorritepe has the top spot in the record books here. He hasn't won a major event in two years now and lost in the round-robin-stage each of the past two seasons, but still finished just 90 points out of the final spot -- not bad for a guy more than four years older than anyone in the field. Alastra & Co. Gabriel Alastra comes in with the best chance of taking the year-end #1 for the third straight year. If he makes the final, that spot will be assured, yet for all his success he has never won tennis's 'fifth pillar'. Mick Elder, who took the #1 for several weeks late in the year, was the undefeated champion last year in his debut and will need to do that again to have any realistic chance of getting that perch back. David Almagro, David Prieto, and Oliver Challenger are all making at least their fourth straight appearance. It looks likely to be the last go-round for Challenger, and indeed it could be the final time that this generation of contenders dominates the field. Despite a shocking run to the Paris title a few weeks ago, Spasoje Kucerovic will not be back. Generation Next The next-gen players are approximately three years younger than Alastra et al, and only one has been here before: Perry Hogue lost in the round-robin stage last season, upsetting Gorritepe in his final match to keep the legend from making it any further. Bjorn Benda and Evgeni Topolski make their first appearances this time around. All three hope to use this as a springboard to greater success next year. There are others in the same age group that could make a push next year -- Jens Oberg, David Alvarez, and Viktor Goncharenko, who is particularly noteworthy as he's the best athlete of the bunch. The parity in the top 12-15 right now is extreme, and the difference in those who succeed and those who don't is miniscule. Often proper management and optimal preparation for the big events, or frankly just plain luck is what will matter most over the next year or two. Round-Robin Stage Alastra plowed through without losing a match in the first group, not a huge surprise. More surprising was that Bjorn Benda failed to win a set against either the word no. 1 or Oliver Challenger, ending his first WTF as a group play loser. In the second group, the story was Perry Hogue who also went through unbeaten, while defending champion Mick Elder was eliminated on tiebreakers. This assured that Alastra would retain the year-end #1 position. Elimination Stage The semifinals were anticlimactic straight-set affairs, and Alastra met Hogue in the final, both men having won all four of their matches to reach this point. Days before his 29th birthday, the Argentine claimed the one big trophy that has eluded him, barely outlasting the American challenger 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4). He actually lost more points than he won(99-103) but was stronger in the big moments, saving 8 of 10 break points. Not that there was much doubt about it as it was, but this cements Gabriel Alastra's place as this era's premier player. It also provides him with a considerable cushion in the rankings. Everyone else will be chasing him for a good part of next year at a minimum. Hogue is clearly on the rise after making the final here and in Paris, and wih Topolski also reaching the semifinals that meant two of the three participants of the younger generation acquitted themselves well. Next year, they could well be in the majority here. Last edited by Brian Swartz : 06-14-2015 at 12:04 AM.