Tennis Prose




Apr/15

15

Sarasota Open Wednesday

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Jared Donaldson continued his fine form, powerfully dismissing Gastao Elias in straight sets. The eighteen year has really, really impressed me here this week on and off the court. The score was 62 64.

Another young American who has greatly impressed me is Francis Tiafoe. “Big Foe” was training today lightly with his long time coach Mischa, who has worked with Francis since the age of nine. Tiafoe reminds me of a boxer, he has the perfect physique for tennis and a middleweight boxer. As he ripped baseline forehand/backhands back and forth off feeds, he looked like a pugilist unleashing combinations on the punch mitts. Emile Griffith was a Jamaican boxer who worked in a garment factory in New York City and his boss Howie Alpert saw his muscular physique sans shirt one day and had him become a boxer. Starting boxing in his 20s, Griffith, managed by Alpert and Gil Clancy, became a Hall of Fame welterweight and middleweight champion.

Tiafoe projects that kind of presence, his confidence is clear and firm but not offensive at all. Even on he court, he likes to work the crowd and enjoy the game, but he does it in a manner which makes you like him.

On breaks he would sit down and chat with myself and Josh Meiseles, asking questions about Josh’s coverage plans, showing attentive curiosity about how the media business works.

Then he’d go out and pummel the ball, perfecting his game. Readying for the featured night match on Thursday vs. Bjorn Fratangelo.

One fan who surely will be there watching is Dick Vitale who has been here daily, loving every bit of it. I did an interview with Vitale, about tennis, and boy does he love the game. He just might be the number one high profile fan promoter of tennis, like Spike Lee and the NBA and Jerry Seinfeld for baseball.

It’s been uncanny this week how every single doubles match has been exciting. James Cerretani and Ruben Bemelmans took on Hyeon Chung and Shivan but lost a nailbiter 57 67. Cerretani won a Challenger doubles title (with A Van Der Duim) recently (aided by two walkovers) but has lost ten of his last 12 matches.

Rajeev Ram pulled out of the singles yesterday because he wasn’t feeling well and wanted to save himself for doubles. Today he and partner Austin Krajicek took on the giant lefty Frenchman Fabrice Martin and his partner Purav Raja of India, a short, chubby bald guy with a headband. I had never seen Raja’s name or game before and thought he might be a local throw in. But Scott Lipsky told me he’s been around for a while at the Challenger level, grinding it out. Well he played a great match, serving bullets and making volleys. The rag tag pair of Raja and Martin upset the established Ram and Krajicek 76 36 11-9.

Frank Moser and Frank Dancevic also lost a super close doubles match to Przysiezny/Brunstrom 36 67.

The favorites to win the singles are Federico Delbonis and Facundo Arguello of Argentina but Mike Russell believes the lesser heralded Argie Renzo Olivo is going to win the event. Iron Mike lost 36 46 to the hard hitting yet steady Olivo on Tuesday. Today, Olivo took out Colombia’s Alejandro Gonzalez 63 63. An upset of sorts today was Horacio Zeballos falling to Australia’s Jason Kubler 67 67. Kubler has already had four knee surgeries and a wrist surgery and can only play clay court events. He does not play or practice on hard court or grass because of his troubled knees.

Tomorrow’s singles matches include Tiafoe vs. Fratangelo, Facundo Bagnis vs. Krajicek and Facundo Arguello vs. James McGee or Ireland.

bigfoe

Dick Vitale Photo by Emarie Marcan.

Francis Tiafoe Photo by Josh Meiseles.

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10 comments

  • Dan Markowitz · April 16, 2015 at 8:15 am

    Interesting, I’ve never heard of a player who can’t play on hard courts. Imagine, an Aussie playing only on clay. They probably don’t have a clay court event in the entire country.

    Tiafoe seems primed for the spotlight. I’d like to see him win this event. Of course, James McGee, who we highlighted during his run through the Qualis last year at the USO, is a Tennis-Prose.com favorite.

    Izzie is about to step on the court versus Nadal. That could be fun.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 16, 2015 at 8:45 am

    Was shocked to hear that about Kubler, you learn so many intricacies and details of the sport when you are on the scene. Talked with Rajeev Ram a bit, the guy they call “Rampras” because of his similar form to Pistol Pete, he said that was the guy to emulate when he got into playing, but he didn’t work with a coach until mid teens. The first player he really took a shine to was Boris Becker. Ram said he got to hit with Pete a few times in California. Ram pulled out of the singles in order to concentrate on doubles yesterday which he lost. That’s the first time I ever heard of a player withdrawing from singles (wasn’t feeling well after travel day) to focus on dubs. Tiafoe is the real deal. With his athleticism and physique, if he started boxing training next week with someone like Freddie Roach or the late Emanuel Steward and tried to be a boxing champ, I think he would do it. Just like Emile Griffith. McGee still grinding it out. He’s here with a coach but it’s not Salzy.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 16, 2015 at 8:54 am

    Kubler played nothing but clay events last year and this year. Here’s the proof…

    http://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=100128002

  • JG · April 16, 2015 at 9:02 am

    Tiafoe has to be feeling fatigue, playing 3 straight 3 set matches just to get into the main draw. Shows how tough these challenger tournaments are, and it must really be tough for the “older” 20 something (year olds) to be surpassed at this level by teenagers. Has to be demoralizing.

  • Dan Markowitz · April 16, 2015 at 9:24 am

    Scoop, you’re picking Mayweather to take out Pacquiao, right.

    Izzie was up 5-3 in the breaker and then 6-5, I think, after the umpire came down from chair and ruled Izzie’s inside in forehand hit the back of the line (Hawkeye showed it did, but they don’t use that on clay–Rafa was claiming it was out), but Izzie missed both first serves on the set points and on one he was tentative on a forehand and netted it. Surprisingly, Izzie’s breaker record for the year is now 10-12.

    Alright, Scoop, it’s 2015, in 2020, rank these players: Sock, Harry, Tiafoe, Kozlov, Donaldson, Rubin and McDonald. Will they all be Top 100? Will any be Top 10? Will any win a slam by 2020?

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 16, 2015 at 9:24 am

    And JG it has been HOT down here in the afternoons, like 90. Agree it is crushing mentally for a veteran to lose to the new kids on the block, and Gulbis is the one who suffered this indignity the worst, losing FOUR time to the kids (Thiem twice, Kokkinakis in five at Aussie Open, and straight sets to Coric).

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 16, 2015 at 9:40 am

    Pacquiao by early knockout Dan. Floyd is even talking about losing and about himself in the past tense. This fight is over before the first bell. Floyd was forced into this fight against his will. He’s even saying he doesn’t enjoy boxing anymore, it’s just business. Put your money on Pac Dan. Sock is the top dog of these Americans but I think Kozlov, Donaldson, Tiafoe have top 25 potential. Rubin has falled off the radar, will check to see how he’s doing at Wake Forest. Harrison should get to top 50. MacMac…not sure, the buzz about him as disappeared. Who knows, maybe Taylor Fritz, Michael Mmoh and Reilly Opelka will be part of the discussion too.

  • JG · April 16, 2015 at 8:10 pm

    Wow, Tiafoe made that look easy. Nice to see a varied game, not just sticking to the baseline.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 16, 2015 at 10:15 pm

    Yep, Tiafoe has looked great all week, this could be his emergence. Kid’s got it all. Power, talent, intensity, focus, swag, charisma. And as he’s showing this week, he can win pro matches in succession at the Challenger level.

  • Ashoke GANGULI · April 17, 2015 at 8:30 am

    Hi Scoop,
    We missed seeing you at the tournament yesterday.McGee played a good match to beat Arguello in almost three hours.Emile was a great fighter.Sad what happened to Benny Kid.Hope you are playing some tennis between the matches at Lakewood Ranch with your friend Harry.

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