ATP Tour goes to Europe, South America

This week, there are three ATP tournaments on the calendar.

Open Sud  de France - an ATP 250 category tournament, on Indoor Hard, in Montpellier, France.

Defending champion:

Lucas Pouille who defeated Richard Gasquet 7-6(4) 6-4

Lucas Pouille, world number 17, is top seed.

The other seven seeds are all in the top sixty, five of those in the top 40.

The top four seeds have first round byes.

Sofia Open - an ATP 250 category tournament, on Hard, Proflex, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Defending champion:

Mirza Basic who defeated Marius Copil 7-6(6) 6-7(4) 6-4

Karen Khachanov, world number eleven, is top seed.

The other seven seeds are all in the top forty, four of those in the top 20.

The top four seeds have first round byes.

Córdoba Open - an ATP 250 category tournament, on Red Clay, in Córdoba, Argentina.

Defending champion: Not played before

Fabio Fognini, world number fifteen, is top seed.

The other seven seeds are all in the top sixty, three of those in the top 25.

The top four seeds have first round byes.

Titles for Yastremska, Bertens

Finals in the Toyota Thailand Open and the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy tournaments in Hua Hin and St Petersburg respectively.

Hua Hin

Final

Dayana Yastremska (8) v Ajla Tomljanovic (6)

After breaking serve for 2-0 in the opening set, Yastremska repeated the job in the fourth game, a backhand return winner completing a love game and putting Tomljanovic on the ropes.

At 0-5, the Australian pulled back, holding serve for the first time, then taking advantage of two Ukrainian double faults to take it to 2-5.

However,  Yastremska contributed another solid returning game to break and take the set 6-2, a dozen winners incorporated.

The second set saw double faults become an issue for Yastremska and the unforced error count drop for Tomljanovic (14 in set one to 5 in this one) and it was reflected on the scoreboard, the last five games a cruise for the sixth seed as she tied things at 2-6 6-2.

Yastremska appeared to have regathered her form at the beginning of the decider with a 2-0 lead, but Tomljanovic mounted another run, based on outstanding defence, forcing errors and double faults from the Ukrainian racquet, and resulting in a 5-2 lead, serving for the title.

Yet another twist, with four straight games going the way of Yastremska, including the failure twice to serve out the match by Tomljanovic.  A Yastremska forehand return winner broke for 3-5, and a Tomljanovic double fault sealed a break for 5-5.

The Australian did stop the bleeding by holding serve and forcing a tie break.

Leading 3-2, with a serve to come, Tomljanovic again fell apart, losing the remaining five points and the match.

Yastremska won her second WTA title 6-2 2-6 7-6(3)

Tomljanovic remains winless from four WTA finals.

St Petersburg 

Final

Donna Vekic (8) v Kiki Bertens (2)

Vekic began brilliantly, breaking the Bertens serve twice and leading 5-2 in the opening stanza.  So close to taking the set, Vekic was overwhelmed by a Bertens blitz, where the Dutch number one took seventeen of the next eighteen points and led 6-5.

Vekic forced the tie break, but Bertens raced through that to lead the final 7-6(2).

An early break in set two had Bertens on a clear road to victory.  Vekic wasn’t one to crumble though, and she won three straight games to regain parity.  However, Bertens had one spare break up her sleeve, and produced it in time to win the eighth title of her career 7-6(2) 6-4.

Davis Cup qualifier results

Day Two of the 2019 Davis Cup (by BNP Paribas) Qualifiers was completed on 2 February 2019.  The results were as follows:

Brazil v Belgium (1)  1-3  BELGIUM WON

Sander Gille / Joran Vliegen (BEL) defeated Marcelo Melo / Bruno Soares (BRA) 6-4 7-6(4)

Kimmer Coppejans (BEL) defeated Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 6-3 6-4

Uzbekistan v Serbia (2)  2-3  SERBIA WON

Sanjar Fayziev / Denis Istomin (UZB) defeated Nikola Milojevic / Viktor Troicki (SRB) 2-6 6-1 6-3

Denis Istomin (UZB) defeated Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6-3 6-4

Filip Krajinovic (SRB) defeated Sanjar Fayziev (UZB) 4-6 6-3 6-0

Australia (3) v Bosnia/Herzegovina  4-0  AUSTRALIA WON

John Peers /Jordan Thompson (AUS) defeated Mirza Basic / Tomislav Brkic (BIH) 7-5 6-1

Alexei Popyrin (AUS) defeated Nerman Fatic (BIH) 6-1 7-6(2)

India v Italy (4)  1-3  ITALY WON

Rohan Bopanna / Divij Sharan (IND) defeated Matteo Berrettini / Simone Bolelli (ITA) 4-6 6-3 6-4

Andreas Seppi (ITA) defeated Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) 6-1 6-4

Germany (5) v Hungary  5-0  GERMANY WON

Tim Puetz / Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) defeated Gabor Borsos / Peter Nagy (HUN) 6-2 6-3

Alexander Zverev (GER) defeated Gabor Borsos (HUN) 6-3 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) defeated David Szintai (HUN) 6-7(5) 6-3 10-5

Switzerland (6) v Russia  1-3  RUSSIA WON

Jerome Kym / Henri Laaksonen (SUI) defeated Evgeny Donskoy / Andrey Rublev (RUS) 4-6 6-3 7-6(1)

Karen Khachanov (RUS) defeated Henri Laaksonen (SUI) 6-7(2) 7-6(6) 6-4

Kazakhstan (7) v Portugal  3-1  KAZAKHSTAN WON

Gastao Elias / Joao Sousa (POR) defeated Timur Khabibulin / Aleksandr Nedovyesov (KAZ) 3-6 6-3 6-4

Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) defeated Joao Sousa (POR) 6-4 6-1

Czech Republic (8) v Netherlands  1-3  NETHERLANDS WON

Robin Haase / Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) defeated Lukas Rosol / Jiri Vesely (CZE) 7-6(5) 3-6 7-6(7)

Robin Haase (NED) defeated Jiri Lehecka (CZE) 6-4 2-6 6-3

Colombia v Sweden (9)  4-0  COLOMBIA WON

Juan-Sebastian Cabal / Robert Farah (COL) defeated Markus Eriksson / Robert Lindstedt (SWE) 6-3 6-4

Alejandro González (COL) defeated Elias Ymer (SWE) 6-3 6-3

Austria (10) v Chile  2-3  CHILE WON

Oliver Marach / Jurgen Melzer (AUT) defeated Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera / Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (CHI) 6-4 2-6 7-5

Nicolas Jarry (CHI) defeated Dennis Novak (AUT) 6-4 3-6 7-6(2)

Christian Garin (CHI) defeated Jurij Rodionov (AUT) 6-2 6-1

Slovakia v Canada (11)  2-3  CANADA WON

Martin Klizan / Filip Polasek (SVK) defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime / Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 3-6 7-5 6-3

Denis Shapovalov (CAN) defeated Martin Klizan (SVK) 7-6(4) 6-4

Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) defeated Norbert Gombos (SVK) 6-3 6-4

China v Japan (12)  2-3  JAPAN WON

Mao-Xin Gong / Ze Zhang (CHN) defeated Ben McLachlan / Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) 5-7 7-5 6-4

Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) defeated Yibing Wu (CHN) 6-2 6-0

Taro Daniel (JPN) defeated Zhe Li (CHN) 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3

Finals ready in Thailand, Russia

Semi finals day in the Toyota Thailand Open and the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy tournaments in Hua Hin and St Petersburg respectively.

Hua Hin

Semi Finals

Ajla Tomljanovic (6) v Tamara Zidansek 

Not having dropped a set in the tournament to this stage, Tomljanovic opened the semi final by breaking the Zidansek serve, and winning 15 of 16 points on her first serve.  She maintained the break throughout the first set, taking it 6-4.

Set two was more decisive, the sixth seed racing to a 4-0 lead.  Zidansek finally held serve to register on the scoreboard, but at 1-5 needed to repeat that to stay in the match.

Tomljanovic stepped it up, however, returning serve with some of the best shots of the contest, the final winner a fitting finish to a 6-4 6-1 entree to the final.

This will be the fourth final of the Australian’s career, and her second in Thailand, the previous being in Pattaya City in 2015.

Maybe 2019 will bring the first title win for Ajla.

Dayana Yastremska (8) v Magda Linette 

18 year old Yastremska is set for big things on the WTA tour.  Already ranked in the top 50, and with a title under her belt (Hong Kong - September 2018), Dayana has made the quarter finals or better at three of the four tournaments contested since Hong Kong.  The one exception was a third round loss to Serena Williams at the Australian Open, hardly a disgrace.

A win over top seed Muguruza here in the quarter finals confirmed the potential of the Ukrainian teenager, and she continued her winning run against Poland’s Magda Linette.

It wasn’t plain sailing though, having to save four break points in the opening set, before breaking the Linette serve in the final game for a 6-4 lead.

Then down an early break in set two, Yastremska used all her resources to storm home and win her way into the final 6-4 6-3.

St Petersburg 

Semi Finals

Donna Vekic (8) defeated wildcard Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-2

Kiki Bertens (2) defeated Aryna Sabalenka (4) 7-6(5) 6-2

Davis Cup qualifiers - Day One

Day One of the 2019 Davis Cup (by BNP Paribas) Qualifiers was completed on 1 February 2019.  The results were as follows:

Brazil v Belgium (1)  1-1

Thiago Monteiro (BRA) defeated Arthur De Greef (BEL) 6-3 6-2

Kimmer Coppejans (BEL) defeated Rogerio Dutra Silva (BRA) 6-4 6-4

Uzbekistan v Serbia (2)  0-2

Dusan Lajovic (SRB) defeated Sanjar Fayziev (UZB) 7-6(4) 6-3

Filip Krajinovic (SRB) defeated Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-2 6-4

Australia (3) v Bosnia/Herzegovina  2-0

John Millman (AUS) defeated Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-3 6-2

Alex de Minaur (AUS) defeated Mirza Basic (BIH) 6-3 7-6(0))

India v Italy (4)  0-2

Andreas Seppi (ITA) defeated Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND) 6-4 6-2

Matteo Berrettini (ITA) defeated Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) 6-4 6-3)

Germany (5) v Hungary  2-0

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) defeated Zsombor Piros (HUN) 6-7(6) 7-5 6-4

Alexander Zverev (GER) defeated Peter Nagy (HUN) 6-2 6-2

Switzerland (6) v Russia  0-2

Daniil Medvedev (RUS) defeated Henri Laaksonen (SUI) 7-6(8) 6-7(6) 6-2

Karen Khachanov (RUS) defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler (SUI) 6-3 7-5

Kazakhstan (7) v Portugal  2-0

Alexander Bublik (KAZ) defeated Joao Sousa (POR) 6-7(1) 6-4 6-4

Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) defeated Pedro Sousa (POR) 6-2 6-0

Czech Republic (8) v Netherlands  1-1

Jiri Vesely (CZE) defeated Tallon Griekspoor (NED) 5-7 6-4 6-4

Robin Haase (NED) defeated Lukas Rosol (CZE) 6-2 6-4)

Colombia v Sweden (9)  2-0

Santiago Giraldo (COL) defeated Elias Ymer (SWE) 6-2 6-4

Daniel Elahi Galan Riveros (COL) defeated Mikael Ymer (SWE) 6-1 6-2

Austria (10) v Chile  1-1

Nicolas Jarry (CHI) defeated Jurij Rodionov (AUT) 7-5 7-5

Dennis Novak (AUT) defeated Christian Garin (CHI) 6-4 6-4

Slovakia v Canada (11)  1-1

Denis Shapovalov (CAN) defeated Filip Horansky (SVK) 6-4 7-5

Martin Klizan (SVK) defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 7-5 6-3

China v Japan (12)  1-1

Zhe Li (CHN) defeated Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-3 6-2

Taro Daniel (JPN) defeated Ze Zhang (CHN) 7-6(3) 6-4

Kvitová, Muguruza out in quarters

Quarter finals have been played in the Toyota Thailand Open and the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy tournaments in Hua Hin and St Petersburg respectively.

St Petersburg 

Quarter finals

• Petra Kvitová (1) v Donna Vekic (8)

Kvitová headed into this match with a 2019 match record of 13-2, a title from Sydney, and Australian Open finalist.

Vekic had pushed to a career high, on the back of a Brisbane semi final appearance.

The pair had only met once before, in Miami 2014, when Vekic was a teenager, and Kvitová won in straight sets.

This time, Vekic broke the Czech star in the opening game, but Kvitová struck back immediately, a clean forehand winner sealing it.

For most of the set after that, Vekic matched Kvitová in all parts, serving well, and exchanging at a high level in any extended rallies.

At 4-4, and 40-15, it was Kvitová who let it slip, throwing in unforced errors and a double fault to drop serve.  The Croatian served out the set 6-4, saving a break back point in the process.

In the opening game of set two, Kvitová’s forehand saved a break point and she held serve for 1-0.  After that it was a dominant Vekic, who ran all over the court, and manufactured winners to surprise Kvitová whose response was mostly to commit errors, ultimately 42 unforced for the match.

Five games in a row, and Vekic had given herself the biggest chance of a third ever win over a top five player, and the first over one in the top two.

Kvitová served to stay in the contest, and survived one match point.  After a few deuces, a second chance came the way of Vekic, and a failed Czech backhand ended the match.

Vekic won in a major upset 6-4 6-1

• wildcard Vera Zvonareva defeated Dasha Kasatkina (3) 6-3 7-6(3), and will play Donna Vekic in the semis
• Aryna Sabalenka (4) defeated qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-4
• Kiki Bertens (2) defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2 3-6 6-0, and will play Aryna Sabalenka in the semis

Hua Hin 

Quarter finals 

• Teenager Dayana Yastremska (8) upset Garbiñe Muguruza (1) 7-6(5) 6-1
• Magda Linette defeated Yafan Wang 6-2 6-3, and will play Dayana Yastremska in the semis 
• Ajla Tomljanovic (6) defeated Saisai Zheng (4) 6-1 6-3
• Tamara Zidansek defeated Viktorija Golubic 4-6 6-1 6-2, and will play Ajla Tomljanovic in the semis.

Quarter finals set in St Petersburg, Hua Hin

The second rounds are complete in St Petersburg and Hua Hin, and the quarter final match ups known.

St Petersburg 

Second round:

• qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated qualifier Tereza Martincova 7-5 6-2
• Aryna Sabalenka (4) defeated Alison Van Uytvanck 6-1 6-4
• Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated Jelena Ostapenko (6) 6-4 6-4
• Kiki Bertens (2) defeated qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure 6-4 6-2

Quarter finals will be:

Petra Kvitová (1) v Donna Vekic (8)

Dasha Kasatkina (3) v wildcard Vera Zvonareva 

Qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova v Aryna Sabalenka (4)

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Kiki Bertens (2)

Hua Hin 

Second round 

• Magda Linette defeated Monica Niculescu 4-6 6-3 6-2
• Yafan Wang defeated Shuai Zhang (5) 4-1 (retired)
• Viktorija Golubic defeated qualifier Yingying Duan 7-6(4) 7-5
• Tamara Zidansek defeated qualifier Jennifer Brady 6-3 0-6 7-6(9)

Quarter finals will be:

Garbiñe Muguruza (1) v Dayana Yastremska (8)

Magda Linette v Yafan Wang 

Ajla Tomljanovic (6) v Saisai Zheng (4)

Viktorija Golubic v Tamara Zidansek