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Brian Swartz · 10-15-2019, 02:38 AM

Thanks! The journey continues …

Rome

Hughes/Hart didn't even make it past the second round, upset in a close TB 10-8 by Stachovsky/Plushenko, an apparently new unseeded pairing. They would reach the final before losing in a tight match of their own against 2-seeds Nives/Godinic. It'll be curious to see how the Irish bounce back, and whether or not these upstarts continue playing together and succeeding. As for Chiba/Guha, they didn't even make it out of qualifying -- an 11-9 nailbiter in the decisive super-TB against Mathou/de Boer. A couple of quality players there but very little doubles acumen. Major disappointment here and basically an empty week for us.

Calisto Aviles returned to the singles final, but against a new opponent and without the support of the crowd. So it was that #3 Tobias Velilla prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, his second Masters and first final at any of the big clay events. Velilla crushed the fatigued Il-Sung Jung in his semi, while Ollie Haas was even more surprising in the first. Lucas Perez, Harald Wentz, and of course Chisulo Mpakati were all luminaries losing in the quarterfinals. And there was one unexpected name there as well; Acke Kjaerstad, who recently became the Swedish no. 1. Kjaerstad was fresh off the biggest win of his career, knocking out top-ranked Nicolas Perez 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4. A dead-even match that could have gone either way but he probably should have lost … still for a 'balanced' player who lists clay as his least favorite surface, this was a huge result.

Nasir Chittoor exited in the third round again, playing well enough to make the score look closer than it was and fighting hard in the concluding tiebreak in a 6-4, 7-6(7) defeat to L. Perez. He got there by eliminating Clavet Moniotte in an epic third-set breaker the previous match. Chittoor would have liked a deep run at one of these - Madrid the last week was his chance - but he's the only unseeded player to reach the third round so he should really count his blessings. Ross Vicars (Velilla) and Amrik Kasaravalli (Mpakati) also departed at the same stage. Rome has been kind to Amrik the last two years with runs to the quarters and semis … but this year it was not to be.

Tommy Fitzpatrick got by his first match before falling to Kjaerstad, Mark Smith did the same before being easily dismissed by #2 Wentz, Willy Weigl lost in the second round to Velilla and Algot Hakanson to Kasaravalli. The Anilophile contingent suffered a couple of first-round exits also, with Joao Narciso going down in three to Gonzoles who just won't freaking go away, and Helmut Edlund did well to push Vicars the distance before being eliminated.

Coming Up …

A week off right now for pretty much everyone, and then Roland Garros concludes our adventures on the dirt. Three Masters on the clay, three different champions. Aviles might be favored all things being equal, but he's really up against it having unwisely chosen an extra event in Barcelona and being quite worn out, the likely cause of his defeat in the Rome final. I'd have to say despite the early loss here Nicolas Perez is still among the favorites particularly given that he's relatively fresh, but really it's quite a wide-open field and several players will consider themselves to have a chance. I can see all my players, singles and doubles, making a fairly deep run or losing in the early rounds. Paris is soon to play host to a critical fortnight for both the Sri Lanka contingent and the larger tour as a whole.

10-15-2019, 02:38 AM	#1225
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Thanks! The journey continues … Rome Hughes/Hart didn't even make it past the second round, upset in a close TB 10-8 by Stachovsky/Plushenko, an apparently new unseeded pairing. They would reach the final before losing in a tight match of their own against 2-seeds Nives/Godinic. It'll be curious to see how the Irish bounce back, and whether or not these upstarts continue playing together and succeeding. As for Chiba/Guha, they didn't even make it out of qualifying -- an 11-9 nailbiter in the decisive super-TB against Mathou/de Boer. A couple of quality players there but very little doubles acumen. Major disappointment here and basically an empty week for us. Calisto Aviles returned to the singles final, but against a new opponent and without the support of the crowd. So it was that #3 Tobias Velilla prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, his second Masters and first final at any of the big clay events. Velilla crushed the fatigued Il-Sung Jung in his semi, while Ollie Haas was even more surprising in the first. Lucas Perez, Harald Wentz, and of course Chisulo Mpakati were all luminaries losing in the quarterfinals. And there was one unexpected name there as well; Acke Kjaerstad, who recently became the Swedish no. 1. Kjaerstad was fresh off the biggest win of his career, knocking out top-ranked Nicolas Perez 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4. A dead-even match that could have gone either way but he probably should have lost … still for a 'balanced' player who lists clay as his least favorite surface, this was a huge result. Nasir Chittoor exited in the third round again, playing well enough to make the score look closer than it was and fighting hard in the concluding tiebreak in a 6-4, 7-6(7) defeat to L. Perez. He got there by eliminating Clavet Moniotte in an epic third-set breaker the previous match. Chittoor would have liked a deep run at one of these - Madrid the last week was his chance - but he's the only unseeded player to reach the third round so he should really count his blessings. Ross Vicars (Velilla) and Amrik Kasaravalli (Mpakati) also departed at the same stage. Rome has been kind to Amrik the last two years with runs to the quarters and semis … but this year it was not to be. Tommy Fitzpatrick got by his first match before falling to Kjaerstad, Mark Smith did the same before being easily dismissed by #2 Wentz, Willy Weigl lost in the second round to Velilla and Algot Hakanson to Kasaravalli. The Anilophile contingent suffered a couple of first-round exits also, with Joao Narciso going down in three to Gonzoles who just won't freaking go away, and Helmut Edlund did well to push Vicars the distance before being eliminated. Coming Up … A week off right now for pretty much everyone, and then Roland Garros concludes our adventures on the dirt. Three Masters on the clay, three different champions. Aviles might be favored all things being equal, but he's really up against it having unwisely chosen an extra event in Barcelona and being quite worn out, the likely cause of his defeat in the Rome final. I'd have to say despite the early loss here Nicolas Perez is still among the favorites particularly given that he's relatively fresh, but really it's quite a wide-open field and several players will consider themselves to have a chance. I can see all my players, singles and doubles, making a fairly deep run or losing in the early rounds. Paris is soon to play host to a critical fortnight for both the Sri Lanka contingent and the larger tour as a whole.