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Brian Swartz · 05-13-2016, 11:43 PM

Madrid Masters

There were a few early surprises here as the clay season really gets going. Bourdet lost to his countryman Poilblan in the first round, Kinczllers was knocked out in the second, former contender Marcek in the third. Both of Sri Lanka's top players had left very early the previous year. Girish Girsh had the misfortune of meeting Gustavo Caratti in the third round, and after a good first set he yielded meekly, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Still a round further than he went a year ago and a reversal of the Monte Carlo final a few years ago, but the Argentine is a rising force esp. on the dirt. Tough to get too upset about this.

Benda against T. Herrera was the highlight of the quarterfinals, with the German winning a tough one, 7-5 in the third. Meanwhile Anil Mehul had a disappointing end though also better than last year, losing to Elias Trulsen . Trulsen is a very good player getting better, but typically not much of a force on clay. Mehul took the first but then fell off, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. His serve did nothing today.

The Swede would win just two games against the steamrolling Caratti in the semis, while Benda outlasted Iglar in a classic, going to a third-set tiebreak. He had enough left to claim the title, leaving the new kid on the block with two finals losses in two clay masters so far, 7-6(3), 6-3. Bjorn Benda 's win here is less than three months shy of the record for oldest player to win a Masters. He's nearly 31; Gorritepe of course holds it at 31 years, 5 weeks. Quite the accomplishment.

Ritwik Dudwadkar lost both qualifiying matches in Den Haag, meaning he'd be back out there again the following week. In doubles, he went up against Ritwik Suksma, the guy who was ditched so I could have him. A pair of 6-3 sets later, the trend of Suksma being the better player early on continued.

Rome Masters

A week later, and we do it all over again in one of the most storied and famous cities in the world. Shreya Ujjaval was here this time and did his usual thing; qualify, beat another qualifier in the first round, lose horribly in the second, this time to Alberti. The real stunner was when Antonin Iglar lost in the third round to Agustin Herrera, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. He was a little better but uncharacteristically didn't have it on his break chances(2 of 8) and just couldn't quite get it done. It creates a bit of an opening for Mehul and Benda to close the gap on him a little more, though he still has a substantial lead. It had been five years since the legendary Czech failed to reach the quarterfinals of any major event. It's not something we're used to.

At the same stage, both of my players struggled through matches they shouldn't have. Girsh lost a tiebreak to Radek Smitala before looking in full control the last two sets, while Anil Mehul needed a lot of drama to outlast Perry Mockler 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(5). That match bounced around all over the place and really defied categorizing, then went right down to the wire in the decider. But they both survived, albeit barely, and moved on to the quarterfinals.

Lots of close matches in the next round. A. Herrera backed up his win over Iglar by defeating Gaskell with an almost identical score. Girish Girsh lost a close second set to push his match with Trulsen the distance ... and then served up a bagel. Not often you see a 6-0 third set, especially in a big tournament like this. It's still been a heck of a couple weeks for the Swede, who will be a serious threat at Wimbledon most likely. Benda squeezed through a closer-than-expected encouter with Alberti, and it was Mehul's chance to try and stop Caratti. He couldn't do it, a tough straight-sets loss for his second straight quarterfinal departure.

More good matches in the semis, with Girsh coming through in a third-set breaker to finally end Herrera's run, while Benda again was narrowly better than Caratti. This was all about preparation. The Argentine overplayed going into these events, while the German veteran did not. That's the only difference between the two right now. Playing Benda on clay for the first time in nearly two years, Girsh got the same result he has the other two times it's happened; he lost. It was a heck of a match though, going to 7-5 in the third and just three points separating the two.

Girsh has hung in with but ultimately lost these last couple weeks against the two best clay-courters in the world right now, coming off a win at Monte Carlo. He has every reason to expect to be a long-shot but in the mix at Roland Garros. And for all of that, while he gained in the rankings he's actually further behind Benda who refuses to give up his rule on the clay. He's now won 15 Masters, which is good enough for clear 6th all-time; only the Big 5 have more. A lot more, 5th is Haresign with 23, but his refusal to go away is really moving him up in terms of his historical legacy.

Meanwhile, Prakash Mooljee ended up seeded 5th in a crowded field of players close to the same ranking at tier-2 challenger in Fergana. He had the worst possible quarterfinal draw against veteran Alex Beamer(ZAF, 52nd). Nearly 31, Beamer has never been great with a peak of 38th, but he's also refused to just fade away. This was really a coin-flip going in, and it played out that way. It was one of those that Mooljee just found a way in, 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-6(7). Each set was a war and he could easily have lost, but as he does far more often than not he pulled through. Total points were dead-even at 124 each. In the final, Mooljee won his third final in the last several months over Khasan Zakirov, though this one was closer. They split the first two sets and both were close, but Mooljee pulled away 6-1 in the finale. He even managed to qualify and make the quarterfinals in doubles for a change.

Ritwik Dudwadkar didn't do any better this week, again losing his first match in both singles and doubles.

Coming Up ...

Dudwadkar will be out there again for a third straight week hoping for something to shake loose. The other three get a week off before Roland Garros. The big story there not be them though; it will be Bjorn Benda. If he keeps up his recent success and wins RG, he will be the oldest by nearly a year to win a Slam. Eric Gorritepe was just over 30 years old when he won his last one. Benda's not supposed to still be doing this stuff at his age -- nobody does. But yet here he is. As a result, the top 4 is bunching up. At the start of the year, Iglar was five thousand up on the field basically. He's now less than four ahead of Girsh, and it's possible Mehul could lose his #2 spot to Benda again. By comparison, Girsh is actually a little further ahead of #5 Gaskell, than he is behind #1 Iglar.

Lots of things could happen in France in a couple weeks. It should be an exciting ride, and we can't forget Caratti who has risen from 10th to 7th, and is just a hair behind Marcek so he'll soon probably gain another spot.

05-13-2016, 11:43 PM	#353
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Madrid Masters There were a few early surprises here as the clay season really gets going. Bourdet lost to his countryman Poilblan in the first round, Kinczllers was knocked out in the second, former contender Marcek in the third. Both of Sri Lanka's top players had left very early the previous year. Girish Girsh had the misfortune of meeting Gustavo Caratti in the third round, and after a good first set he yielded meekly, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Still a round further than he went a year ago and a reversal of the Monte Carlo final a few years ago, but the Argentine is a rising force esp. on the dirt. Tough to get too upset about this. Benda against T. Herrera was the highlight of the quarterfinals, with the German winning a tough one, 7-5 in the third. Meanwhile Anil Mehul had a disappointing end though also better than last year, losing to Elias Trulsen . Trulsen is a very good player getting better, but typically not much of a force on clay. Mehul took the first but then fell off, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. His serve did nothing today. The Swede would win just two games against the steamrolling Caratti in the semis, while Benda outlasted Iglar in a classic, going to a third-set tiebreak. He had enough left to claim the title, leaving the new kid on the block with two finals losses in two clay masters so far, 7-6(3), 6-3. Bjorn Benda 's win here is less than three months shy of the record for oldest player to win a Masters. He's nearly 31; Gorritepe of course holds it at 31 years, 5 weeks. Quite the accomplishment. Ritwik Dudwadkar lost both qualifiying matches in Den Haag, meaning he'd be back out there again the following week. In doubles, he went up against Ritwik Suksma, the guy who was ditched so I could have him. A pair of 6-3 sets later, the trend of Suksma being the better player early on continued. Rome Masters A week later, and we do it all over again in one of the most storied and famous cities in the world. Shreya Ujjaval was here this time and did his usual thing; qualify, beat another qualifier in the first round, lose horribly in the second, this time to Alberti. The real stunner was when Antonin Iglar lost in the third round to Agustin Herrera, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. He was a little better but uncharacteristically didn't have it on his break chances(2 of 8) and just couldn't quite get it done. It creates a bit of an opening for Mehul and Benda to close the gap on him a little more, though he still has a substantial lead. It had been five years since the legendary Czech failed to reach the quarterfinals of any major event. It's not something we're used to. At the same stage, both of my players struggled through matches they shouldn't have. Girsh lost a tiebreak to Radek Smitala before looking in full control the last two sets, while Anil Mehul needed a lot of drama to outlast Perry Mockler 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(5). That match bounced around all over the place and really defied categorizing, then went right down to the wire in the decider. But they both survived, albeit barely, and moved on to the quarterfinals. Lots of close matches in the next round. A. Herrera backed up his win over Iglar by defeating Gaskell with an almost identical score. Girish Girsh lost a close second set to push his match with Trulsen the distance ... and then served up a bagel. Not often you see a 6-0 third set, especially in a big tournament like this. It's still been a heck of a couple weeks for the Swede, who will be a serious threat at Wimbledon most likely. Benda squeezed through a closer-than-expected encouter with Alberti, and it was Mehul's chance to try and stop Caratti. He couldn't do it, a tough straight-sets loss for his second straight quarterfinal departure. More good matches in the semis, with Girsh coming through in a third-set breaker to finally end Herrera's run, while Benda again was narrowly better than Caratti. This was all about preparation. The Argentine overplayed going into these events, while the German veteran did not. That's the only difference between the two right now. Playing Benda on clay for the first time in nearly two years, Girsh got the same result he has the other two times it's happened; he lost. It was a heck of a match though, going to 7-5 in the third and just three points separating the two. Girsh has hung in with but ultimately lost these last couple weeks against the two best clay-courters in the world right now, coming off a win at Monte Carlo. He has every reason to expect to be a long-shot but in the mix at Roland Garros. And for all of that, while he gained in the rankings he's actually further behind Benda who refuses to give up his rule on the clay. He's now won 15 Masters, which is good enough for clear 6th all-time; only the Big 5 have more. A lot more, 5th is Haresign with 23, but his refusal to go away is really moving him up in terms of his historical legacy. Meanwhile, Prakash Mooljee ended up seeded 5th in a crowded field of players close to the same ranking at tier-2 challenger in Fergana. He had the worst possible quarterfinal draw against veteran Alex Beamer(ZAF, 52nd). Nearly 31, Beamer has never been great with a peak of 38th, but he's also refused to just fade away. This was really a coin-flip going in, and it played out that way. It was one of those that Mooljee just found a way in, 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-6(7). Each set was a war and he could easily have lost, but as he does far more often than not he pulled through. Total points were dead-even at 124 each. In the final, Mooljee won his third final in the last several months over Khasan Zakirov, though this one was closer. They split the first two sets and both were close, but Mooljee pulled away 6-1 in the finale. He even managed to qualify and make the quarterfinals in doubles for a change. Ritwik Dudwadkar didn't do any better this week, again losing his first match in both singles and doubles. Coming Up ... Dudwadkar will be out there again for a third straight week hoping for something to shake loose. The other three get a week off before Roland Garros. The big story there not be them though; it will be Bjorn Benda. If he keeps up his recent success and wins RG, he will be the oldest by nearly a year to win a Slam. Eric Gorritepe was just over 30 years old when he won his last one. Benda's not supposed to still be doing this stuff at his age -- nobody does. But yet here he is. As a result, the top 4 is bunching up. At the start of the year, Iglar was five thousand up on the field basically. He's now less than four ahead of Girsh, and it's possible Mehul could lose his #2 spot to Benda again. By comparison, Girsh is actually a little further ahead of #5 Gaskell, than he is behind #1 Iglar. Lots of things could happen in France in a couple weeks. It should be an exciting ride, and we can't forget Caratti who has risen from 10th to 7th, and is just a hair behind Marcek so he'll soon probably gain another spot. Last edited by Brian Swartz : 05-14-2016 at 12:56 AM.