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Brian Swartz · 10-24-2022, 10:56 PM

Cincinatti Masters

Stuff happened this week. Buckle up.

8th-ranked Oleg Urazov didn't show up. Boo. Johann Przalowik did, beating Voronets before pushing Cananis to three sets in round three. Ok. Gonna say it now;

I WAS WRONG ABOUT PRZALOWIK.

Just gotta get that mea culpa out there in all caps. He clearly belongs, and is likely Top 10 soon. I don't think I've ever seen someone who doesn't have generational abilities just leave challengers and totally skip the gradual progression phase, crashing the party of the higher tiers. But he's doing it somehow. The third round also had a fun all-Spanish battle, with Toni Bardales losing to Goya Banqueria, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4. This is a pretty convincing demonstration that Banqueria is going to be effective off of clay. Which leads to the next headline, not related just to this event:

THE SPANIARDS ARE COMING!! THE SPANIARDS ARE COMING!!

Banqueria lost in straight-sets to Polychroniadis, no shame there, in the quarterfinals. Still, he's ranked 17th and is 22. We knew that already. Hector Mendias is 21 and ranked 19th. Ene Caballero is ranked 20th and is 20, mentioned him as a shocking teen phenom at the start of the year. Matias Aldecoa is 24th, 24 years old, and still improving even if not in the class of the others.

This is not a off-in-the-future development. It is a clear and present danger. If your name is not Ben Faille and you aren't a fan of Spain, be afraid. Be very, very afraid.

Ok, back to the tournament. Bardales was the only top-eight seed to bow out before the quarters. Jochen Weigle gave Faille a surprisingly competitive battle before losing 6-4, 6-4; Renke Cananis rallied from a set down against ... Ale Ballok? I think basically Cananis is really falling off a cliff or is in a serious slump. He's just not himself. And Solitris Papadias made an upset bid before losing in three to Xanthos. So three of the four matches were quite competitive.

Straight-sets exit for Leon Polychroniadis against Faille in the semis, and Cananis looked downright bad in getting thumped 6-2, 6-3 by Themis Xanthos. Xanthos kept it up, surprising Ben Faille 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 in an entertaining final. It could have gone either way and Faille probably was very slightly the better player, but the #4-ranked Cypriot takes his 6th Masters Shield, first in four years here at Cincinatti and first anywhere in a year and a half (IW '99).

The head-to-head was 5-5 coming in, but the French phenom had won five straight on hardcourt, the only recent defeats coming indoors. So this is a surprising and significant reversal of that trend. Or an interruption at least.

Heading into the US Open, the top three in the rankings:

1 - Cananis, 13,030 pts
2 - Polychroniadis, 12,920 pts

You can't get much closer than that.

3 - Faille, 11,880 pts

Last year's results: Polychroniadis over Cananis in the final, Faille QF. The veneer of invincibility for the top two is shattered now, but you can make a case for any of them as favorite, and for any of them to be #1 when it's over. My money is on Faille though.

Elsewhere ...

Not nearly as dramatic, but we had some excitement as well. Aparna Chandrasekharan found a weakness in the amateur schedule, with four events on the same surface - hardcourt - serving to dilute the opposition. He was seeded 2nd in both draws in Changchun, China. Doubles saw a second-round upset, and it didn't look good for him going into his third-round singles match against (12) Stephane Domench. In what I would term a moderate upset, Chandrasekharan rallied 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 for the victory ... and he would allow no more than four games in a match the rest of the tournament. First Amateur title!!

The danger of over-reacting is very real here. One win is great, but it doesn't mean he'll escape the Amateurs in the immediate future, and frankly he's not quite good enough for Futures yet IMO though he's getting close. But on the other hand, he'll now have a good seed in most events, and one more win in the next couple of tries will have him right on the edge of graduating the Amateur level. No points to defend the next two months-plus. He's getting close.

10-24-2022, 10:56 PM	#1308
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Cincinatti Masters Stuff happened this week. Buckle up. 8th-ranked Oleg Urazov didn't show up. Boo. Johann Przalowik did, beating Voronets before pushing Cananis to three sets in round three. Ok. Gonna say it now; I WAS WRONG ABOUT PRZALOWIK. Just gotta get that mea culpa out there in all caps. He clearly belongs, and is likely Top 10 soon. I don't think I've ever seen someone who doesn't have generational abilities just leave challengers and totally skip the gradual progression phase, crashing the party of the higher tiers. But he's doing it somehow. The third round also had a fun all-Spanish battle, with Toni Bardales losing to Goya Banqueria, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4. This is a pretty convincing demonstration that Banqueria is going to be effective off of clay. Which leads to the next headline, not related just to this event: THE SPANIARDS ARE COMING!! THE SPANIARDS ARE COMING!! Banqueria lost in straight-sets to Polychroniadis, no shame there, in the quarterfinals. Still, he's ranked 17th and is 22. We knew that already. Hector Mendias is 21 and ranked 19th. Ene Caballero is ranked 20th and is 20, mentioned him as a shocking teen phenom at the start of the year. Matias Aldecoa is 24th, 24 years old, and still improving even if not in the class of the others. This is not a off-in-the-future development. It is a clear and present danger. If your name is not Ben Faille and you aren't a fan of Spain, be afraid. Be very, very afraid. Ok, back to the tournament. Bardales was the only top-eight seed to bow out before the quarters. Jochen Weigle gave Faille a surprisingly competitive battle before losing 6-4, 6-4; Renke Cananis rallied from a set down against ... Ale Ballok? I think basically Cananis is really falling off a cliff or is in a serious slump. He's just not himself. And Solitris Papadias made an upset bid before losing in three to Xanthos. So three of the four matches were quite competitive. Straight-sets exit for Leon Polychroniadis against Faille in the semis, and Cananis looked downright bad in getting thumped 6-2, 6-3 by Themis Xanthos. Xanthos kept it up, surprising Ben Faille 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 in an entertaining final. It could have gone either way and Faille probably was very slightly the better player, but the #4-ranked Cypriot takes his 6th Masters Shield, first in four years here at Cincinatti and first anywhere in a year and a half (IW '99). The head-to-head was 5-5 coming in, but the French phenom had won five straight on hardcourt, the only recent defeats coming indoors. So this is a surprising and significant reversal of that trend. Or an interruption at least. Heading into the US Open, the top three in the rankings: 1 - Cananis, 13,030 pts 2 - Polychroniadis, 12,920 pts You can't get much closer than that. 3 - Faille, 11,880 pts Last year's results: Polychroniadis over Cananis in the final, Faille QF. The veneer of invincibility for the top two is shattered now, but you can make a case for any of them as favorite, and for any of them to be #1 when it's over. My money is on Faille though. Elsewhere ... Not nearly as dramatic, but we had some excitement as well. Aparna Chandrasekharan found a weakness in the amateur schedule, with four events on the same surface - hardcourt - serving to dilute the opposition. He was seeded 2nd in both draws in Changchun, China. Doubles saw a second-round upset, and it didn't look good for him going into his third-round singles match against (12) Stephane Domench. In what I would term a moderate upset, Chandrasekharan rallied 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 for the victory ... and he would allow no more than four games in a match the rest of the tournament. First Amateur title!! The danger of over-reacting is very real here. One win is great, but it doesn't mean he'll escape the Amateurs in the immediate future, and frankly he's not quite good enough for Futures yet IMO though he's getting close. But on the other hand, he'll now have a good seed in most events, and one more win in the next couple of tries will have him right on the edge of graduating the Amateur level. No points to defend the next two months-plus. He's getting close.