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Brian Swartz · 03-29-2019, 01:34 AM

Q3 Rankings Update

1. John Hart(27, IRE) - 14,790

Emergency alert - Hart has lost twice in the span of two months after a SF defeat at Wimbledon to countryman Hughes. That drops him to merely 62-3 on the year. The group of players not-really-chasing him have all lost 7-14 matches though, so he just might be ok. I guess John will have to settle for only winning most of the big events this year.

2. Brian Meikeljohn(27, IND) - 8,845

After claiming his first Slam title at Wimbledon - the last place I expected his legendary footspeed to give him a breakthrough - there is no more debate about the top challenger spot. Consistency and whether he can close the gap at all with Hart (pretty doubtful) are now the only questions here. Meikeljohn is the best of the rest.

3. Sushant Chiba(29, SRI) - 6,890

Punctuating the worst year of his top-flight professional career, Chiba lost yet another match to an inferior opponent in the 4th round of Wimbledon. In straight sets. Having nearly-completely squandered the opportunity afforded by Prince Kaspar's early exit to doubles, Sushant may well drop further. He'll probably snap out of it and start playing somewhat better eventually - but it's already too late for that to matter much. Frankly the main goal now is just to stay in the Top 4 and stop losing to journeymen.

4. Seamus Hughes(27, IRE) - 6,400

After a disappointing year had him in 7th at the start of the year, Hughes made it to the final of Wimbledon, surprising his more well-known comrade from Ireland, and came up just short of getting a Slam title of his own. That has him up to a career-best of 4th, with Chiba in his sights next.

5. Barry Molyneaux(27, USA) - 6,190

Last year's USO champ has only a runner-up at Monte Carlo to show for this year, and hasn't really taken advantadge of that title. First-week exits at both RG and Wimbledon have him still in the weeds, and if lightning doesn't strike a second time at Flushing Meadows, the top American will no longer be a threat to move up at all.

6. Ali Solberg(25, SWE) - 5,760

A finalist at last year's Wimbledon, Solberg was somewhat less successful with a QF exit this time around. He's still the youngest of the scrum of players ranked 3rd-6th, and has made the final eight of almost every big event in the last 12 months. Ali is going to continue to be a force, but the challenge is to beat the other top players more consistently.

7. Isa Solheim(26, DEN) - 4,450

4th-round exits in the last two Slams didn't back up that SF run at the Australian very well, and Madrid/Rome were no better. Solheim is kind of sputtering right now.

8. Nicolas Perez(22, ARG) - 4,005

Perez has next whenever Hart decides to slow down, but the Rome finalist is not consistently good yet. He is also just 22, so merely being in the Top 10 is quite newsworthy. Even adequate showings at the rest of the Masters events this year will having him breathing on the necks of that 3rd-6th grouping if not fully joining them. Next year, he figures to leave them in the dust.

9. Mike Rhodes(27, PHI) - 3,710

The Walking Serve was runner-up at RG and has the Barcelona 500 title to his credit ... and little else. Good news is he's up from 11th last year, his first journey into the Top 10. Bad news is that with the clay season over, quality results will be hard to come by for a while.

10. Valery Stachovsky(26, RUS) - 3,445

Russia's top player exited in the first round at Wimbledon four straight years - until a breakthrough SF this season (l. Meikeljohn). IF he makes it to the WTF, his excellence on indoor courts will make him a major threat there. Catch is he has to do well enough on other surfaces to qualify.

11. Harald Balzer(26, SWE)

We may have seen the last of the meteoric Swede on the first page. He's a rare player who splits the court surfaces fairly evenly, meaning that clay and grass success are at a premium. He exited both channel Slams two rounds earlier this season than last, falling from 6th at the start of the year.

12. Srba Dogic(26, CRO)

Steady progress, up from 16th, as Dogic was a QF finisher at Indian Wells and claimed the Dubai 500. Disappointing third-round exits at the recent Slams though are holding him back.

13. Samuel Aas(25, SWE)

The shocking unseeded champion at the Rome Masters, Aas proceeded to lay an egg at Wimbledon in a first-round straight-set loss ... all tiebreaks! Still, that works out to a big move up from 21st. Hopefully will enough cracks at more beneficial draws he will continue that progression.

15. Tim de Jong(24, NLD)

Only up two spots this year, with a QF at RG and SF at Rome the key moments. He's really done nothing elsewhere, but that gets into the Top 16 seeded-everwhere group so it'll be interesting to see what that translates into over the second half of the campaign.

16. Fabrizio Abinati(26, ARG)

Abinati needed to make a big move on clay this year if he's was going to be more than he is. Instead he didn't get past the third round anywhere, and is down a spot from 15th at the start of the year. You gotta figure we've seen what we're going to see from his career.

17. Ollie Haas(23, NLD)

A close win over countryman de Jong got Haas to the 4th round of Wimbledon, where he eventually pushed Hart to four sets in the QFs. That pair is going to be rough in the WTC for the next few years. Ollie didn't even make the start-of-the-year rundown, because he was only ranked 34th. You might want to get used to his name.

20. Constantino Gonzoles(24, ARG)

QF results at MC and Rome, but Gonzoles is looking like one of those guys who is ever-dangerous but never quite gets there. He needs a breakthrough soon.

21. Clavet Moniotte(24, FRA)

Also just kind of hanging out.

22. Santino Belmon(23, ITA)

A clay-focused player and one of many who decided Chiba was too big for his britches this year. Belmon is up from 35th ... despite a QF showing at Canada last year. We'll see if he somehow duplicates that, but he got to the final eight at Wimbledon. Overall though, most of his best results came towards the end of last year, which isn't encouraging.

23. Chisulo Mpakati(21, ZIM)

Mpakati joins us from the ranks of the unknown, placing just 44th at the start of the year. Now he's the youngest player of elite standing, still having much of his points from challenges but also a Dubai(500) SF and Istanbul(250) title. I'm likely to be taking a closer look at the end of the year, by which time we'll get a better picture of just what kind of package he brings. Chisulo is already the highest-ranking Zimbabwian(??) in over a half-century.

25. Jose Luis Robredo(25, USA)

Robredo is listed here because he beat Chiba at Wimbledon, making the second week. Also just beat Balzer in a tournament taking place at press time, so that's a thing. 40th at the start of the year, so he's a late-developing American. Limited results at the 250s and none elsewhere, so I'm skeptical.

26. Emilien Mathou(24, FRA)

Up from 33rd, mostly on the strength of QF showings at MC and Queen's Club(500). Also made the Wimbledon 4th round, so there's a bit of momentum here. We'll see.

27. Guillermo Valturri(25, MEX)

32nd last year, was up to 21st, then fell a bit again. What's going on here? Well, the current Mexican no. 2 behind Campos(19th) continued success in 250s begun late last year, then made the SF at Acapulco (500). It hasn't translated into the big events though yet.

28. Patrick Sanchez(25, ARG)

Treading water it would seem.

31. Stefan Baloch(26, ITA)

Started the year 27th ... yeah there's nothing to see here right now.

34th-39th are all 22-24 years old. I don't see any reason to profile them yet, but just know there is a group of youngsters chomping at the bit right now. For the moment though, they are still Challenger players. And getting in the way of ...

70. Fabigo Cagide(19, ESP)

These guys often don't amount to much. Take Henriksson, who I think was the last teenage Top 100, at least that I bothered to notice. He peaked at 18th and is now struggling to stay out of the challenger ranks (32nd). Cagide turns 20 in two weeks, but I don't know that I've ever seen a teenager this high up. 134th is the next-highest-ranked U20. So let's just file away this Spaniard's name for mental safe-keeping.

61. Amrik Kasaravalli(23, SRI)

Been floating in the low-mid 60s all year with a high of 59th. At Braunschweig, the big CH+ that takes place during Wimbledon, he lost a year ago to Sweden's Algot Hakanson in the SF. This year the field was stronger, and that meeting took place a round sooner. Bad news is he lost again; good news is he pushed it to three sets instead of winning just four total games. In general Amrik is pushing closer to the bevy of strong top Challenger players. I think he's playing at about a Top-50 level right now and I'm beginning the schedule him accordingly; mostly singles-only, hitting the bigger challenger events, etc. It's time for him to try to make his move, but there's a lot of traffic.

71. Joao Narcisco(21, BRA)

Playing a mix of big events and Challengers, Narcisco has seen the business end of a number of CH2s. No titles yet, but a lot of QFs and a few betters. Gradual progress, up from 84th at the start of the year. A win over a qualifier at RG (l. 20th-seeded Geng in the next match) is a highlight.

775. Tommy Fitzpatrick(19, IRE)

Two futures events under his belt - one runner-up, one first-round exit - and a third currently underway. He continues to be somewhat ahead of Chittoor's pace, and ranks 2161st in doubles.

896. Rakesh Kayeeda(18, SRI)

Like Intodia, awaiting his first futures action.

917. Nasir Chittoor(18, SRI)

That first futures tournament ... well, it didn't go as planned. First qualifying hurdle in doubles? Failed, the first defeat for the Chittoor/Guha combo since juniors. I'm sure it won't be the last. Meanwhile Nasir also lost in the first-round, matched up against a 4-seed from China. Semi-competitive and it went three sets, but he won't be taking the futures level by storm.

935. Ritwik Intodia(18, SRI)

Out of the amateur ranks, but Intodia has yet to dib his toe into the futures waters.

1359(D). Satyajit Guha(18, SRI)

Nearing his 19th birthday, Guha continues to ascend doubles faster than singles - where he is ranked 2153rd. For his part, he won a single game in his first futures qualifying match. I need to get those doubles results going so these guys actually get a decent amount of experience and matches from their futures weeks. Gonna be a bit rough until that happens.

03-29-2019, 01:34 AM	#929
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Q3 Rankings Update 1. John Hart(27, IRE) - 14,790 Emergency alert - Hart has lost twice in the span of two months after a SF defeat at Wimbledon to countryman Hughes. That drops him to merely 62-3 on the year. The group of players not-really-chasing him have all lost 7-14 matches though, so he just might be ok. I guess John will have to settle for only winning most of the big events this year. 2. Brian Meikeljohn(27, IND) - 8,845 After claiming his first Slam title at Wimbledon - the last place I expected his legendary footspeed to give him a breakthrough - there is no more debate about the top challenger spot. Consistency and whether he can close the gap at all with Hart (pretty doubtful) are now the only questions here. Meikeljohn is the best of the rest. 3. Sushant Chiba(29, SRI) - 6,890 Punctuating the worst year of his top-flight professional career, Chiba lost yet another match to an inferior opponent in the 4th round of Wimbledon. In straight sets. Having nearly-completely squandered the opportunity afforded by Prince Kaspar's early exit to doubles, Sushant may well drop further. He'll probably snap out of it and start playing somewhat better eventually - but it's already too late for that to matter much. Frankly the main goal now is just to stay in the Top 4 and stop losing to journeymen. 4. Seamus Hughes(27, IRE) - 6,400 After a disappointing year had him in 7th at the start of the year, Hughes made it to the final of Wimbledon, surprising his more well-known comrade from Ireland, and came up just short of getting a Slam title of his own. That has him up to a career-best of 4th, with Chiba in his sights next. 5. Barry Molyneaux(27, USA) - 6,190 Last year's USO champ has only a runner-up at Monte Carlo to show for this year, and hasn't really taken advantadge of that title. First-week exits at both RG and Wimbledon have him still in the weeds, and if lightning doesn't strike a second time at Flushing Meadows, the top American will no longer be a threat to move up at all. 6. Ali Solberg(25, SWE) - 5,760 A finalist at last year's Wimbledon, Solberg was somewhat less successful with a QF exit this time around. He's still the youngest of the scrum of players ranked 3rd-6th, and has made the final eight of almost every big event in the last 12 months. Ali is going to continue to be a force, but the challenge is to beat the other top players more consistently. 7. Isa Solheim(26, DEN) - 4,450 4th-round exits in the last two Slams didn't back up that SF run at the Australian very well, and Madrid/Rome were no better. Solheim is kind of sputtering right now. 8. Nicolas Perez(22, ARG) - 4,005 Perez has next whenever Hart decides to slow down, but the Rome finalist is not consistently good yet. He is also just 22, so merely being in the Top 10 is quite newsworthy. Even adequate showings at the rest of the Masters events this year will having him breathing on the necks of that 3rd-6th grouping if not fully joining them. Next year, he figures to leave them in the dust. 9. Mike Rhodes(27, PHI) - 3,710 The Walking Serve was runner-up at RG and has the Barcelona 500 title to his credit ... and little else. Good news is he's up from 11th last year, his first journey into the Top 10. Bad news is that with the clay season over, quality results will be hard to come by for a while. 10. Valery Stachovsky(26, RUS) - 3,445 Russia's top player exited in the first round at Wimbledon four straight years - until a breakthrough SF this season (l. Meikeljohn). IF he makes it to the WTF, his excellence on indoor courts will make him a major threat there. Catch is he has to do well enough on other surfaces to qualify. 11. Harald Balzer(26, SWE) We may have seen the last of the meteoric Swede on the first page. He's a rare player who splits the court surfaces fairly evenly, meaning that clay and grass success are at a premium. He exited both channel Slams two rounds earlier this season than last, falling from 6th at the start of the year. 12. Srba Dogic(26, CRO) Steady progress, up from 16th, as Dogic was a QF finisher at Indian Wells and claimed the Dubai 500. Disappointing third-round exits at the recent Slams though are holding him back. 13. Samuel Aas(25, SWE) The shocking unseeded champion at the Rome Masters, Aas proceeded to lay an egg at Wimbledon in a first-round straight-set loss ... all tiebreaks! Still, that works out to a big move up from 21st. Hopefully will enough cracks at more beneficial draws he will continue that progression. 15. Tim de Jong(24, NLD) Only up two spots this year, with a QF at RG and SF at Rome the key moments. He's really done nothing elsewhere, but that gets into the Top 16 seeded-everwhere group so it'll be interesting to see what that translates into over the second half of the campaign. 16. Fabrizio Abinati(26, ARG) Abinati needed to make a big move on clay this year if he's was going to be more than he is. Instead he didn't get past the third round anywhere, and is down a spot from 15th at the start of the year. You gotta figure we've seen what we're going to see from his career. 17. Ollie Haas(23, NLD) A close win over countryman de Jong got Haas to the 4th round of Wimbledon, where he eventually pushed Hart to four sets in the QFs. That pair is going to be rough in the WTC for the next few years. Ollie didn't even make the start-of-the-year rundown, because he was only ranked 34th. You might want to get used to his name. 20. Constantino Gonzoles(24, ARG) QF results at MC and Rome, but Gonzoles is looking like one of those guys who is ever-dangerous but never quite gets there. He needs a breakthrough soon. 21. Clavet Moniotte(24, FRA) Also just kind of hanging out. 22. Santino Belmon(23, ITA) A clay-focused player and one of many who decided Chiba was too big for his britches this year. Belmon is up from 35th ... despite a QF showing at Canada last year. We'll see if he somehow duplicates that, but he got to the final eight at Wimbledon. Overall though, most of his best results came towards the end of last year, which isn't encouraging. 23. Chisulo Mpakati(21, ZIM) Mpakati joins us from the ranks of the unknown, placing just 44th at the start of the year. Now he's the youngest player of elite standing, still having much of his points from challenges but also a Dubai(500) SF and Istanbul(250) title. I'm likely to be taking a closer look at the end of the year, by which time we'll get a better picture of just what kind of package he brings. Chisulo is already the highest-ranking Zimbabwian(??) in over a half-century. 25. Jose Luis Robredo(25, USA) Robredo is listed here because he beat Chiba at Wimbledon, making the second week. Also just beat Balzer in a tournament taking place at press time, so that's a thing. 40th at the start of the year, so he's a late-developing American. Limited results at the 250s and none elsewhere, so I'm skeptical. 26. Emilien Mathou(24, FRA) Up from 33rd, mostly on the strength of QF showings at MC and Queen's Club(500). Also made the Wimbledon 4th round, so there's a bit of momentum here. We'll see. 27. Guillermo Valturri(25, MEX) 32nd last year, was up to 21st, then fell a bit again. What's going on here? Well, the current Mexican no. 2 behind Campos(19th) continued success in 250s begun late last year, then made the SF at Acapulco (500). It hasn't translated into the big events though yet. 28. Patrick Sanchez(25, ARG) Treading water it would seem. 31. Stefan Baloch(26, ITA) Started the year 27th ... yeah there's nothing to see here right now. 34th-39th are all 22-24 years old. I don't see any reason to profile them yet, but just know there is a group of youngsters chomping at the bit right now. For the moment though, they are still Challenger players. And getting in the way of ... 70. Fabigo Cagide(19, ESP) These guys often don't amount to much. Take Henriksson, who I think was the last teenage Top 100, at least that I bothered to notice. He peaked at 18th and is now struggling to stay out of the challenger ranks (32nd). Cagide turns 20 in two weeks, but I don't know that I've ever seen a teenager this high up. 134th is the next-highest-ranked U20. So let's just file away this Spaniard's name for mental safe-keeping. 61. Amrik Kasaravalli(23, SRI) Been floating in the low-mid 60s all year with a high of 59th. At Braunschweig, the big CH+ that takes place during Wimbledon, he lost a year ago to Sweden's Algot Hakanson in the SF. This year the field was stronger, and that meeting took place a round sooner. Bad news is he lost again; good news is he pushed it to three sets instead of winning just four total games. In general Amrik is pushing closer to the bevy of strong top Challenger players. I think he's playing at about a Top-50 level right now and I'm beginning the schedule him accordingly; mostly singles-only, hitting the bigger challenger events, etc. It's time for him to try to make his move, but there's a lot of traffic. 71. Joao Narcisco(21, BRA) Playing a mix of big events and Challengers, Narcisco has seen the business end of a number of CH2s. No titles yet, but a lot of QFs and a few betters. Gradual progress, up from 84th at the start of the year. A win over a qualifier at RG (l. 20th-seeded Geng in the next match) is a highlight. 775. Tommy Fitzpatrick(19, IRE) Two futures events under his belt - one runner-up, one first-round exit - and a third currently underway. He continues to be somewhat ahead of Chittoor's pace, and ranks 2161st in doubles. 896. Rakesh Kayeeda(18, SRI) Like Intodia, awaiting his first futures action. 917. Nasir Chittoor(18, SRI) That first futures tournament ... well, it didn't go as planned. First qualifying hurdle in doubles? Failed, the first defeat for the Chittoor/Guha combo since juniors. I'm sure it won't be the last. Meanwhile Nasir also lost in the first-round, matched up against a 4-seed from China. Semi-competitive and it went three sets, but he won't be taking the futures level by storm. 935. Ritwik Intodia(18, SRI) Out of the amateur ranks, but Intodia has yet to dib his toe into the futures waters. 1359(D). Satyajit Guha(18, SRI) Nearing his 19th birthday, Guha continues to ascend doubles faster than singles - where he is ranked 2153rd. For his part, he won a single game in his first futures qualifying match. I need to get those doubles results going so these guys actually get a decent amount of experience and matches from their futures weeks. Gonna be a bit rough until that happens. Last edited by Brian Swartz : 03-29-2019 at 01:37 AM.