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Brian Swartz · 12-26-2017, 09:07 AM

Rankings Update

1. Mateo Kaspar(FRA, 27) -- 17,460

It's been a terrible year for Kaspar; he's already lost twice! He was clearly the best player at Wimbledon though, and all evidence indicates he'll continue to be untouchable on hardcourts. So he's lost a step or two, but primed to continue historically-great dominance.

2. Ritwik Dudwadkar(SRI, 26) -- 9,060

47-5 including his first Slam title is quite a fine first half of the year. Dudwadkar now looks to try to pull away from a pesky Zarco and do what he can to close the gap with the legend.

3. Martin Zarco(ESP, 27) -- 8,500

Martin may be down a spot, but he's still hanging out right there, close enough to pounce if Ritwik falters.

4. Guus Dircx(NLD, 26) -- 7,190

5. Hsuang-tsung Teng(NZL, 26) -- 6,890

The top five has really gotten stronger this year. At the beginning of the season, 5th place was 1500 points fewer here. Teng in particular has impressed even though he's only up one spot from 6th.

6. Gillo Fangio(ITA, 28) -- 4,560

Here there's a big drop-off, as Fangio continues to decline. The split between the haves and the have-nots is quite apparent.

7. Ruben Piazzola(CHI, 25) -- 4,245

Steady, basically just waiting for others to slide past. Mooljee just did, and the Italian is probably next.

8. Prakash Mooljee(SRI, 32) -- 4,120

Still hasn't had a major slip-up, reaching the QFs in all of the big events so far. Only once(Madrid) has he gone further though. Holding as a second-tier player at 32 is quite impressive.

9. Sigmund Kronecker(DEU, 28) -- 3,360

A brief renaissance for the German has elevated him above the other challengers. Obviously the big win for him was taking out Kaspar in Madrid to end the streak, and reaching the final there; he also got his first Slam QF of the year in Wimbledon.

10. Matthew Panter(USA, 25) -- 2,775

Hasn't looked very good lately, and lost in the third round of Slams already twice(AO, WIM). Wasn't overwhelming(4th round) at the US Masters either. He needs to show more in the second half if he wants to stay here.

11. Alexey Nikitin(UKR, 24) -- 2,750

Despite being regularly overplayed, Nikitin has almost gotten to the first page now. He's done fairly well in the small events, and consistent in the big ones; but no second-week results yet.

12. Gilberto Chinaglia(ITA, 23)

Unquestionably one of the big surprises of the year, Chinaglia was 37th at the start of the season. Wimbledon(4th round) was his 4th Slam of the year and he's played only one Masters(Rome). He has won several 250s already though. Strange profile, but I'm sure we'll be seeing him on the big stages from here-on out. He is a clay-focused player who has almost no hardcourt ability, a crucial weakness. For that reason, it's hard to see him going much further this year.

20. Karl Kaspar(FRA, 21)

The younger brother of Mateo it would seem, Karl is a second big surprise. He was 44th when the calendar turned. Doesn't have the same ability as his brother(who does?), but he's strong, has been well-handled, boasts excellent endurance, and technical abilities are quite good for his age. I'm going to call right now that he's the most likely candidate to take over for Mateo as the next #1(managed by the same person, hugoboy). He's not as good as Nikitin/Blake/etc., but probably will be by the time the job is up for bid again, and it's unlikely that Chiba will be quite as good as he is.

30. Hugo Cordova(USA, 22)

He'll bear watching also.

74. Stanley Edleman(USA, 20)

Edleman did win a match at Wimbledon, but he's only got one challenger title in the last several months. Lots of runner-up finishes though. He's close to making a bigger move, but right now still butting his head against the ceiling.

131. Sushant Chiba(SRI, 20)

Made it to the final at his first-ever 'plus' Challenger at Braunschweig during the second week of Wimbledon. That was a big moment for him, and going into the most challenger-heavy portion of the schedule, he figures to make more of a push and hopefully crack the Top 100 in the second half of the year.

Manager Ranking: 30.4k points, up to 3rd. Dudwadkar's strong season has been enough to start increasing this for the first time in quite a while.

12-26-2017, 09:07 AM	#736
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Rankings Update 1. Mateo Kaspar(FRA, 27) -- 17,460 It's been a terrible year for Kaspar; he's already lost twice! He was clearly the best player at Wimbledon though, and all evidence indicates he'll continue to be untouchable on hardcourts. So he's lost a step or two, but primed to continue historically-great dominance. 2. Ritwik Dudwadkar(SRI, 26) -- 9,060 47-5 including his first Slam title is quite a fine first half of the year. Dudwadkar now looks to try to pull away from a pesky Zarco and do what he can to close the gap with the legend. 3. Martin Zarco(ESP, 27) -- 8,500 Martin may be down a spot, but he's still hanging out right there, close enough to pounce if Ritwik falters. 4. Guus Dircx(NLD, 26) -- 7,190 5. Hsuang-tsung Teng(NZL, 26) -- 6,890 The top five has really gotten stronger this year. At the beginning of the season, 5th place was 1500 points fewer here. Teng in particular has impressed even though he's only up one spot from 6th. 6. Gillo Fangio(ITA, 28) -- 4,560 Here there's a big drop-off, as Fangio continues to decline. The split between the haves and the have-nots is quite apparent. 7. Ruben Piazzola(CHI, 25) -- 4,245 Steady, basically just waiting for others to slide past. Mooljee just did, and the Italian is probably next. 8. Prakash Mooljee(SRI, 32) -- 4,120 Still hasn't had a major slip-up, reaching the QFs in all of the big events so far. Only once(Madrid) has he gone further though. Holding as a second-tier player at 32 is quite impressive. 9. Sigmund Kronecker(DEU, 28) -- 3,360 A brief renaissance for the German has elevated him above the other challengers. Obviously the big win for him was taking out Kaspar in Madrid to end the streak, and reaching the final there; he also got his first Slam QF of the year in Wimbledon. 10. Matthew Panter(USA, 25) -- 2,775 Hasn't looked very good lately, and lost in the third round of Slams already twice(AO, WIM). Wasn't overwhelming(4th round) at the US Masters either. He needs to show more in the second half if he wants to stay here. 11. Alexey Nikitin(UKR, 24) -- 2,750 Despite being regularly overplayed, Nikitin has almost gotten to the first page now. He's done fairly well in the small events, and consistent in the big ones; but no second-week results yet. 12. Gilberto Chinaglia(ITA, 23) Unquestionably one of the big surprises of the year, Chinaglia was 37th at the start of the season. Wimbledon(4th round) was his 4th Slam of the year and he's played only one Masters(Rome). He has won several 250s already though. Strange profile, but I'm sure we'll be seeing him on the big stages from here-on out. He is a clay-focused player who has almost no hardcourt ability, a crucial weakness. For that reason, it's hard to see him going much further this year. 20. Karl Kaspar(FRA, 21) The younger brother of Mateo it would seem, Karl is a second big surprise. He was 44th when the calendar turned. Doesn't have the same ability as his brother(who does?), but he's strong, has been well-handled, boasts excellent endurance, and technical abilities are quite good for his age. I'm going to call right now that he's the most likely candidate to take over for Mateo as the next #1(managed by the same person, hugoboy). He's not as good as Nikitin/Blake/etc., but probably will be by the time the job is up for bid again, and it's unlikely that Chiba will be quite as good as he is. 30. Hugo Cordova(USA, 22) He'll bear watching also. 74. Stanley Edleman(USA, 20) Edleman did win a match at Wimbledon, but he's only got one challenger title in the last several months. Lots of runner-up finishes though. He's close to making a bigger move, but right now still butting his head against the ceiling. 131. Sushant Chiba(SRI, 20) Made it to the final at his first-ever 'plus' Challenger at Braunschweig during the second week of Wimbledon. That was a big moment for him, and going into the most challenger-heavy portion of the schedule, he figures to make more of a push and hopefully crack the Top 100 in the second half of the year. Manager Ranking: 30.4k points, up to 3rd. Dudwadkar's strong season has been enough to start increasing this for the first time in quite a while. Last edited by Brian Swartz : 12-26-2017 at 09:12 AM.