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** And I did it again. I think I'm posting drunk lately. Except I don't drink :P**
Race Standings
Initial Post-Wimbledon Edition
In
Anil Mehul -- 7,740
Antonin Iglar -- 6,310
Gustavo Caratti -- 5,215
A great start to the year has Mehul in the top spot, while Iglar has a lot of work to do if he is to finish as year-end #1. He'll be the favorite in at least four more big events so there's no desperation here, but he can't afford any more setbacks. Meanwhile Caratti is barely fourth in the Race overall, but as RG champ his first qualification is assured.
Probable
Bjorn Benda -- 5,910
Girish Girsh -- 5,090
Pierce Gaskell -- 3,600
Benda is all but in, and Girsh is a matter of time as well though his biggest concern at this point might well be holding off Caratti to retain the #4 spot. Gaskell is sort of in no-man's land, strongly favored to qualify, and nobody really near him above or below.
Contenders
Marcelo Herrera -- 2,460
Thiago Herrera -- 2,330
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Elias Trulsen -- 2,310
Mugur Kinczllers -- 2,120
The Herreras have the edge right now but with the closeness here it could be an interesting tussle for the last couple of spots. My money right now is that these positions get reversed. That won't make me many fans in Peru, but Trulsen is too good not to make it and Kinczllers is a fine hardcourt player who should have plenty of chances to make some noise in the upcoming US swing. After finishing ninth last year, this is really his best chance -- he's as good as he's going to get and will probably start a slow decline next year.
Long Shots
Perry Mockler -- 1,940
Agustin Herrera -- 1,880
Cestmir Marcek -- 1,760
Theodore Bourdet -- 1,600
Tobia Alberti -- 1,570
Roger Federer -- 1,565
Afanasy Bereznity -- 1,520
John Condon -- 1,490
Xavier Caminha -- 1,440
Radek Smitala -- 1,420
Davide Poilblan -- 1,360
Boy are there ever a lot of them. This is partly due to parity in the 'Second 10' right now, and partly due to the fact that the last couple of qualifying spots have never been this low in points at this part of the year since I started tracking the Race. This is almostly completely a collection of has-beens, wanna-bes, and never-wases at this point. Bourdet has a chance, though he largely bungled it with first-round exits during the clay season, but he's about the only one realistically speaking. The one thing he does have going for him is that he has the potential for a big finish in Paris with his indoor proficiency. By the end of the US Open the men are usually separated from the boys, and that'll mean saying goodbye to the prospects of most of those listed here. Almost all of them are spending their careers spinning their wheels playing twice as many(or more) events as they should, most of them 250s.
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