Week 30 - Challenger $50K - Lexington, USA

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

RE: Week 30 - Challenger $50K - Lexington, USA

steven · Tennis legend

Jamie can't really complain at drawing a qualifier, can he, even if there are some dangerous players in the qualifying draw, but it looks like the winner of his R1 match will play no. 2 seed Bobby Reynolds, which isn't good given that Jamie needs two wins to be in contention for a place in USO Q.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Qualifier for Baker.... which will either be a great draw, or a terrible draw... he has to avoid Guccione or DevVarnam or he'll be out of US Open qualies, although Guccione has been in a shocking run of form at the moment, and has a slight shoulder injury which restricts his serving.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Guccione is a set and a break down.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Jamie will play one of Alberto Francis, Somdev Devvarman, Rylan Rizza and Justin O'Neal.

Somdev would be horror and I just don't want it as I want both to win. Plus Jamie has little chance against him unless he plays his best tennis.

Rizza and Francis are most beatable, although Rizza did brilliantly to beat Guccione.

And Justin O'Neal? He is one of the weirdest cases you will ever encounter in tennis! He is 30 years old and played his first Futures in September 2006, and has been only mildly successful till now with a ranking of 748. But out of nowhere, he qualified for Indy and gave Lu a great match and now he has done it here again!
I am not sure if I want Jamie drawing him as he's playing like a man possessed.

-- Edited by Kung Fu Panda at 21:06, 2008-07-20

Salmon · Tennis legend

My mistake, he did play Futures/Sats (without too much success) till 1999 but then took SEVEN years off from international tennis.

What a legend, anyway!

I'm definitely becoming his fan.

-- Edited by Kung Fu Panda at 21:07, 2008-07-20

Salmon · Tennis legend

I knew from last week that this would happen.

Jamie got Somdev.

Jamie plays doubles with friend Brendan Evans - http://www.atptennis.com/en/common/TrackIt.asp?file=http://www.atptennis.com/1/posting/2008/586/mdd.pdf

A nice article on O'Neal, if you want to read it - http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20080716_He_s_getting_back_that_competitive_edge.html

goldfish · Futures qualifying

Tough on Jamie - the lad deserves a break!

Interesting story concerning O'Neal. Will be a good one to follow in the next months.

Shhh · Challenger level

Whats the story on Somdev? I cant see he's been walking through futures events this year but he's been a pro for a few years. Is he coming back from an injury and even if he is, how come his form is so good this time around?

Salmon · Tennis legend

Somdev turned pro only last month.

Seriously... he's like the most successful college player ever (that's skewed by the fact that many quit before him, of course) but he's a cert for the top 100 and possibly higher. Last week, he beat Sela, Kendrick and Querrey in an exho on Har Tru.

I've followed him a bit since he played Washington and very closely since the middle of last year, and he's a great player and person. Game lacks anything major, but he's as fast as a tennis player can get, and I haven't seen a fitter looking player in my life.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Shhh wrote:

Whats the story on Somdev? I cant see he's been walking through futures events this year but he's been a pro for a few years. Is he coming back from an injury and even if he is, how come his form is so good this time around?

He's been at college in America, but dominated the college circuit, just like Isner, Querrey and Becker have done in previous years, and I think now his studies have finished and he's playing full time on the tour.

It's a tough draw for Baker, but he can take hope from the fact that all of Somdev's big wins have been on the clay (the wins over Sela and Kendrick, which mean nothing on clay), and the 2 futures events he dominated where on clay as well, but he beat no-one of note during those events.

Lexington courts are fast I think, and last time he played on fast courts where on the grass in the Davis Cup, where he got thrashed by Denis Istomin, so on faster courts he's beatable (he's lost to Fognini and Massa on hard courts before, both of whom are total clowns on the surface), and he needed a 3rd set TB against Suzuki, who's semi-retired and hasn't got a baseline game at all

That said, Baker isn't the favourite for this match, but Somdev isn't quite as unbeatable as people are making him out to be (but he'll probably be top 100 within the next year/year and a half)

Salmon · Tennis legend

I say that he goes into the top 100 within his next 13 Challengers/Tour events.

steven · Tennis legend

I seem to remember Jamie dominating two Futures events in a row not so long ago too ... and they were on American hard courts.

Salmon · Tennis legend

ForeverDelayed wrote:
just like Isner, Querrey and Becker have done in previous years, and I think now his studies have finished and he's playing full time on the tour.

It's a tough draw for Baker, but he can take hope from the fact that all of Somdev's big wins have been on the clay (the wins over Sela and Kendrick, which mean nothing on clay), and the 2 futures events he dominated where on clay as well, but he beat no-one of note during those events.

Sam Querrey never went to college. Somdev's record is better than Isner's and Becker's put together, I think.

He can play very well on hard courts, given that he has played and beaten guys like Isner, Anderson, Levine and many others. While he is still new to hard courts in pro tennis, I don't doubt that he'll eventually catch up.

Not that I mind if Jamie wins tomorrow, of course. I'd be delighted if he reaches the USO.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Kung Fu Panda wrote:

Sam Querrey never went to college. Somdev's record is better than Isner's and Becker's put together, I think.
He can play very well on hard courts, given that he has played and beaten guys like Isner, Anderson, Levine and many others. While he is still new to hard courts in pro tennis, I don't doubt that he'll eventually catch up.

Not that I mind if Jamie wins tomorrow, of course. I'd be delighted if he reaches the USO.

I could be wrong on Querrey (and probably am), but have vague memories of reading something about him playing 1 year of college before going onto the tour (could just be bad journalism though)

I'm sure Somdev will catch up with the top players on hard courts, and he has had some decent wins on them, but at the moment he's not unbeatable on them, and losing to Fognini and a well past-it Goldstein last year suggests that at least back in 2007, he struggled on them.

His results show him as being much stronger on the slower courts, which is where most of his success will come this year, although I'd expect him to do well in some of the US challengers, there will be some where he'll lose to someone is better than because he's not fully there on faster courts yet.

He does look to be a great prospect from the college scene though, and isn't a ball-basher, which is what usually comes out of the system (judging by what I've heard about him, as I've never seen him play), and he's going to be in the top 100 within the next 12/18 months though

I do think Somdev will win tomorrow against Baker, as I don't think Baker was the weapons to hurt him, given that he's very quick around the courts and so will get a lot back (he may have to develop a weapon though to make the top 10/20, as just getting balls back won't get him that high)