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Sep/14

29

Tokyo, Beijing and Kozlov vs. Harrison in Sacramento

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Some big events in Asia in Tokyo and Beijing, the return of Rafa Nadal, but I’m most intrigued by the first round match up at the Sacramento Challenger today between wildcard sixteen year old Stefan Kozlov vs. struggling American Ryan Harrison.

Harrison is bidding to score his first win in over a month, and to avoid his second loss to a teenaged junior – last week Harrison lost in straights to Rhode Island phenom Jared Donaldson.

Kozlov is a player on the rise. He made finals of Wimbledon juniors (loss to Rubin) and impressed at the US Open where he won a round in the mixed with Christina McHale, downing the experienced team of Zimonjic and Georges, saving match points.

Kozlov has received a wildcard into Valencia next month and if he can win the Tulsa ITF junior event in October he will lock down the ITF number one junior ranking.

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42 comments

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 29, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    Cilic makes a triumphant return beating Bai. Dimitrov outlasts Verdasco. Rafa loses in dubs with Andujar, to the towering tandem of Isner Berdych. Another nice win for Troicki who is making up for lost time. Sock dominates Dolgo. Hewitt pulled out of Tokyo but not sure why.

  • Dan Markowitz · September 29, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    What to make of Gulbis. Another disappointing loss to Benneteau this time. The Latvian is 6-5 since his French break through.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 29, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    I was surprised that Gulbis and Thiem are playing separate events in Asia this week. Maybe they are going to part ways after Thiem beat him in US Open? Because usually they always play same events. Or maybe one got an appearance fee.

  • jg · September 29, 2014 at 4:35 pm

    I am watching snippets of the Koslov/Harrison match–its painful to watch–Koslov has already broken, I hope Harrison wins, you just have to feel for him, he appears to be playing like its inevitable he is going to lose.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 29, 2014 at 4:54 pm

    His confidence is shattered. Kozlov beat him 62 in a practice set five months ago in Boca. Kozlov is even better now. Harrison has gone down since spring.

  • Andrew Miller · September 29, 2014 at 6:00 pm

    Listening to Kozlov-Harrison. Interesting commentary – a lot about Kozlov’s beauty of a backhand and Harrison’s grit (and racquet throwing).

    “The Backhand once again missing for Harrison…”

    “I have gasps for Ryan Harrison as he prepares to serve at 2-5…”

    “Constantly looking over at his crew, using that support” (not sure if this said about Kozlov or Harry).

    “Oh boy, suddenly we’re at deuce. Harrison right now, just at that point in his career…just as anything is going right…the talent is still there…just not there for long stretches…he gets the hold, 3-5, but now Stef. Kozlov has a chance to close out this match…”

    “Kozlov…takes a couples seconds, composes himself…tries to close out his first main draw challenger match…goes out slice, very simple…serving to the Harrison backhand…”

    “Harrison rips the backhand down the line”

    “Free point nonetheless unreturnable serve…two points away”

    “Such a contrast in styles…the raw power of Harriosn…now it is the calm control of Kozlov who has earned two match points…towels off…will be close to a warning once again…”

    “OUT….game set match…Kozlov 6-1 3-6 6-3 over Ryan Harrison…Kozlov…just very composed out here on court…one big step for this 16 year old…just continues to get some big wins…

  • Andrew Miller · September 29, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    Kozlov. 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. This is now the bottom for Harrison, who just last week played an exhibition with McEnroe, Sampras, Roddick. This is the bottom.

    Beat by Donaldson. Beat by Kozlov. Still being featured by the ATP as a player to watch? Why? Poor Harrison needs to man up, fire Berger, fire Moyano, fire the USTA, hire someone – hire his brother (or Pierce, hire Mary Pierce! Or Capriati! Or Mayotte! ) Hire someone who likes him, gets it. Or leave the U.S., go to France or Spain, or some training place. Just get whoever in his ear out of there.

    They’ve all failed – his agent, his coaches, all of them. You can’t be the future of U.S. tennis, a terrible idea anyways, if you aren’t beating Donaldson and Kozlov in their what,second, third week on the challenger circuit?

    Fire all of them. All of them. After firing them, start taking some classes or something and also train with someone who knows the game. Lansdorp or someone, anyone credible. Just someone who hasn’t killed his game – No to Berger. No to Gullickson. No to Moyano. No to Higueras. No to all these horrible, awful and terrible tennis instructors.

  • Andrew Miller · September 29, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    Credit Kozlov but…this is ridiculous. Kozlov has a fine backhand and so does Donaldson, but are you kidding me?

  • Andrew Miller · September 29, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    Hire Ginepri.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 29, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    I agree. Clean house. Start over. Harrison had potential, Mats Wilander said top 4. He has to clean the whole house out. Berger, Higueras, Moyano, Tres Davis, it’s time for a new voice, new way. I can’t recall ever seeing such a good prospect just fall completely off the rails into the abyss. This is a tennis disaster.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 29, 2014 at 8:46 pm

    The amazing thing about this match were the odds. If you get a hundred on Kozlov with Betfair you got a return of 330. If you bet 500 you got over l600. Harrison was a heavy favorite.

  • Dan Markowitz · September 29, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    Wow, Harry losing to a 16 year old and 17 year old. It’s not like Donald and Koz are the top juniors in the world. Harry might be at the point where he hangs it up. Seriously, you’re 22 and supposed to be supremely talented and then this! Amazing, sad.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 29, 2014 at 9:34 pm

    Dan actually Kozlov will be number one junior in the world if he wins Tulsa ITF title next month. Certainly within reach the way he is playing now.

  • Andrew Miller · September 29, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    Listened to Harrison interview after losing to Fognini in Indian Wells. Harrison at that point was putting so much pressure on himself to “be the man” – supposedly going after even other players, younger players or peers to push them etc., I guess we’d call that the “captain”. Mentioned how he competes on everything and had full faith in Diego Moyano etc., the most competitive person anywhere and wants to be THE premier U.S. player. Somehow – and maybe this is the fault of the media for the last four years enjoying talking to Harrison given he’s a good interview – he evolved into being the “spokesman” for U.S. tennis, maybe because guys like Isner just didn’t say much more than “we have good players, I’m one of them, but I care about my results at this tournament first and foremost”.

    When the country’s top player is basically saying about overall U.S. results, “I’m not responsible for that”, it’s tempting for the media to put players like Harrison on the spot, and he couldn’t help but step up to the plate in the interview room and say “well I want to be the future, I want to be the guy the U.S. pins its hopes on, I want the ball in my hands at the end of the game, I want the pressure, I want it all” – only to see that while admirable, that job sucks. He took pressure off where it belonged – on the many coaches out there giving horrible advice, or in the bigwig rooms where they made stupid decisions like taking away players coaches and substituting lousy coaches (the USTA is coming in for a beating on this one).

    Suddenly we’re calling Harrison the future, poor Harrison, and he hasn’t even had a chance to work on his game and stay focused on the only ball that counts, the one on the court. The media then said hey, this Harrison guy, wow, poor luck at the slams! He’s drawing Nadal, Federer, Dimitrov every time! Poor guy! That’s why the U.S. is doing bad and the future isn’t arriving – when you have to play Nadal first round, there is no future!

    The real story is different. Harrison’s ranking has not been good enough to warrant being anything more than a first round opponent for Federer or some other seed like Monfils, etc. And now, it actually doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the net – even if your ranking is in the high 1000s you could get a set off Harrison. And that’s not because the game at every level is better than ever (it’s not).

    No, my belief is that Harrison has told himself something that isn’t true. He’s said this: (1) my coaches have my best interest (even if they haven’t helped); (2) I’m going to save U.S. tennis (no, that’s not his job); (3) I’m doing fine, this is a blip (no, his results are bad, and no, this is a full-fledged, honest to goodness, super slump). His job isn’t to be the future of U.S. tennis, his job is to play tennis. I think once he gets some of this stuff out of the way he’s going to get some momentum and find himself, sooner rather than later, in the ATP draws and ready to rumble.

    For now, I think this is the rock bottom. But I still believe, personally, he has to fire all the USTA guys and hire someone credible. I’d also recommend (and this is crazy) him watching some old matches of himself and reading some good books (like Scoop’s book and Dan’s book, and probably old sports illustrated articles on Sampras) or better yet, get his dad and brother to read them. I’d recommend he stop doing the press conference shtick and keep his answers short and changing his answers from “I want the pressure, I want to be the future” to “I just care about my next match”.

    I mean look no further than Nadal last year before his Harrison match. What did he say? Did he say he wanted to do this for Spain? That he was looking forward to being in the finals? That he loved winning slams and it was all about the glory?

    First question, U.S. Open, August 24, 2003, he wins the U.S. open series and gets the u.s. open series trophy two days before his first round match.

    “Q. Now that you have the trophy, are you ready to take the other one for the US Open?
    RAFAEL NADAL: I hope to be ready to win, to play well first round against tough opponent like Ryan Harrison.
    I’m really very happy to receive this trophy. That means I had a great summer, but that’s all. Doesn’t mean nothing else. I hope to be very competitive for the first match.”

    That’s right. Nadal wanted to be ready for his match against Harrison two days later. Nothing more, nothing less. Maybe he wasn’t being quite honest – maybe we all know Nadal only enters to win a tournament. But one of Nadal’s great assets is that he focuses on what it takes to win the tournament, which consists of 7 matches. And that he’s aware he can only win them one point, game, set and match at a time.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 29, 2014 at 10:17 pm

    Good stuff Andrew. I believe Sock got rid of USTA influence, and went on his own, back to old coach and some help from Blake. Courier said in IW that Sock is taking a “lone wolf” approach. Obviously it worked out, he’s at 72 now, won Wimbledon doubles, some good singles wins. Harrison probably should do the same and get rid of the USTA guys. Berger Higueras, as respected as they are, simply aren’t producing any male players with any results really. Stefanki is out there. There are many options out there. Young Donaldson sought out Taylor Dent. He liked Dent and they made a commitment to each other. Harrison needs to find that missing link. To stay with the USTA guys is career suicide IMO.

  • Dan Markowitz · September 29, 2014 at 10:27 pm

    Did Kozlov win junior Wimby? No. Did he win Jr. US Open? No. He might be No. 1 junior, but he’s not winning the slams. Geez, he was getting his butt kicked by Mitchell Frank until Frank got hurt. Harry’s in deep doo.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 29, 2014 at 10:36 pm

    Kozlov is sixteen, he’s younger than these other top juniors. I think he’s already focusing on pro more than juniors. He dominated Frank except for the second set. I saw most of the match. The best performance of any of these juniors I saw was Kozlov almost beating Prszyzney in Newport last year, when Kozlov was just fifteen. Saved MPS in the second set TB and lost a tight third set. He also looked very good in losing to Coric in US Open qualies this year in 3 sets. Coric lost to Estrella in four, Estrella went on to lose to Raonic 676767 in third round, Estrella was playing top ten tennis. So Kozlov showed he is capable of top ten caliber tennis IMO. Kozlov also was amazing in the first set vs. the Bryans at Citi Open, he was better than his partner Donaldson who was tight and making mistakes and looked uncomfortable on the big stage, or not as comfortable and natural as Kozlov looked. Kozlov also was amazing in the mixed doubles with McHale, saving MPs to beat Zimonjic and Georges. Dan, I know you adore McGee but Kozlov is the future.

  • Dan Markowitz · September 30, 2014 at 5:39 am

    Scoop, some of the things you say…”Estrella was playing top ten tennis.” Why because he beat Coric, a 17-year-old and beat Sjsling and lost in 3 breakers to Raonic? That’s not Top 10 tennis. He didn’t take a set off the No. 9 player. How’s that Top 10 tennis.

    And Kozlov lost 2 and 2 in the last two sets against Coric. That suggests he’s not even close to the Croat’s level. Kozlov lost last week to a guy in a Futures I’ve never heard of. I don’t know how good Kozlov is, but if you didn’t win any of the junior slams, you’re clearly not the top junior in the world.

    These are the three juniors who won the junior slams: Zverev, Rublev, Rubin and Jasika. What’s happening to Donaldson and Kozlov is they’re playing pretty well, better in the case of Donaldson who beat a couple of good players in Napa and then played Monfils close in New York, but they’re feasting on a player who is self-imploding. It is a battery of reasons why Harry is losing every match he plays, but he likes Spadea in 2000 or 99 whatever year it was. The guy can’t win a match. He doesn’t know how to play.

    Why? There’s a whole host of reasons: he seems in turmoil in his personal life; his body grew and his girth became bigger; the expectations are killing him and he can’t get out of his own way. Be interesting to talk to Gambill now to see what his take his and what happened to their supposed union cut short.

  • Dan Markowitz · September 30, 2014 at 5:49 am

    Also Andrew, don’t want to say, ” I told you so…” but Kudla destroyed Altamirno or whatever his name is and McGee soundly beat Ginepri. Those were not good matchups.

    But how about these two names from the Sacramento qualis…Lovedeep Singh and Yale Goldberg. Tennis players have the best names.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 7:59 am

    Dan, Estrella lost in 3 tiebreakers to top ten player Raonic, he was right there in the match, just came up short to the big server in the breakers. I consider than to be a display of top ten quality tennis by Estrella, being that competitive with Raonic is impressive.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 8:00 am

    Lots of women players and even a cameo by Nadal to Li Na’s on court farewell in Beijing…but no appearance by either Williams. Hmmm. Jerzy up a set on Murray, eleven to nine in first set tb after blowing a five to one games lead. Murray smashed his Head. Always some kind of drama with JJ.

  • Andrew Miller · September 30, 2014 at 10:06 am

    Dan, i was wrong, no problem admitting. Mcgee cruahed ginepri and kudla altamarino. And i agree estrella is not top ten (but he is playing the best tennis hes ever played and i think tp is one of few places estrella has ever gotten any press). Sometimes players have what one tp commenter maybe gusta? Called a true ranking – youre playing better than your ranking etc. And no neither of the u.s. players are the worlds best junior not kozlov not donaldson.

    And ill agree 100% with dan on the self implosion- i listened to the harrison match yesterday and basically all kozlov needed to do was keep the ball in play, it was a harrison self implosion during the match.

    Jg said it too and jg watched it!

    Hey i enjoy that tp critiques the players. Get your free coching here.

  • Andrew Miller · September 30, 2014 at 10:09 am

    Doubt gambill will talk. But dans explanation ofwhats wrong was scary.accurate. harry is bigger. He is impatient. This is worth repeating:

    “Why? There’s a whole host of reasons: he seems in turmoil in his personal life; his body grew and his girth became bigger; the expectations are killing him and he can’t get out of his own way. Be interesting to talk to Gambill now to see what his take his and what happened to their supposed union cut short.”

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 10:10 am

    Of course I agree Estrella is not top ten but he did play top ten quality tennis in that match vs. Raonic on grandstand at US Open. Just like last night I hit an ATP quality backhand on the rise, cross court angle winner. I’m not an ATP quality player but that one shot sure was 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 10:12 am

    We are qualified to coach ATP playere here because I read in Bodo’s book how a ball kid told a losing 70’s pro Jeff Borowsiak to go to net more and he did and ended up winning the match, so if a ballkid can give free coaching to pro players so too can Tennis-prose.com 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 10:15 am

    Who knows, maybe the advanced tennis minds who reside on the glorious pages of tennis-prose can join together and figure out the elusive blueprint of how Federer can finally overcome Rafa Nadal 🙂

  • Andrew Miller · September 30, 2014 at 10:15 am

    Match report:
    Veteran newspaper journalist Paul Bauman, based in Sacramento, covers all levels of Northern California tennis. He does research, interviews sources and attends tournaments from Aptos to Redding. Contact him at norcaltennisczar@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @norcaltenczar.
    Tuesday, September 30, 2014

    Kozlov, 16, stuns Harrison in Sacramento Challenger
       Note: Photos will be added to this story later this morning.
       SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A few years ago, Ryan Harrison was in Stefan Kozlov’s tennis shoes.
       U.S. teenage sensation. The next men’s star in a nation starving for one. Future Grand Slam champion.
       If only it were that simple. Since reaching No. 43 in the world two years ago at age 20, Harrison has gone into a tailspin.
       It’s too soon to write off Harrison and anoint Kozlov, 16, as America’s savior. But the future looks a whole lot brighter for Kozlov at the moment.
       Kozlov stunned his mentor, Harrison, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on Monday in the first round of the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger on a gorgeous, 81-degree (27.2 Celsius) day at the Natomas Racquet Club.
       It was Harrison’s second first-round loss to a U.S. teenager in six days. He lost to another potential star, 17-year-old Jared Donaldson, in the $50,000 Napa Challenger. 
       At No. 183, Harrison is the highest-ranked player Kozlov has beaten.
       “This one means the world to me,” said the No. 763 Kozlov, who turned pro two years ago. “I’ve worked over the years, and this was a really important step into my professional career, to become a great professional.”
       Another U.S. prospect, 18-year-old Collin Altamirano of Sacramento, did not fare as well. Altamirano, last year’s USTA boys 18 hardcourt champion and this year’s runner-up, lost to fifth-seeded Denis Kudla of Boca Raton, Fla., 6-1, 6-1 in 49 minutes.
       And Robby Ginepri, the only active American man to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal, fell to James McGee of Ireland 6-4, 6-1. Ginepri, who will turn 32 next Tuesday, lost to Andre Agassi in five sets in the 2005 U.S. Open semis.
       Kozlov reached the Australian Open boys final in January at 15. The result raised his junior world ranking to No. 2, the highest by a U.S. boy since Andy Roddick climbed to No. 1 in 2000.
       Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, is the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title.
       Kozlov advanced to the boys singles and doubles finals at Wimbledon in July. Featured in Tennis magazine’s U.S. Open issue, he retired from his boys singles quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows early this month with a foot injury.
       During the Open, U.S. Davis Cup captain and Tennis Channel commentator Jim Courier crowed on a broadcast: “USTA coaches have been talking to me about Kozlov for three years. His biggest asset is his mind. He’s a very crafty player with a lot of variety. He’ll be in the top 50 by the time he’s 20.”
       Kozlov is from Pembroke Pines, Fla., in the Miami area, and Harrison trains up the road in Boca Raton.
       “We’re really good friends,” said Kozlov, who’s named after International Tennis Hall of Famer Stefan Edberg. “He’s helped me over the years to progress into a professional, given me tips. I really appreciate everything he’s done for me, and we had a good match.”
       Kozlov, who’s four inches (10.2 centimeters) shorter and 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) lighter than the 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter), 185-pound (84-kilogram) Harrison, lacks the young veteran’s explosive serve and shotmaking.
       But Kozlov, in addition to smarts, has excellent movement and great hands. Against Harrison, he displayed a dangerous, flat forehand, a deft volley and a feathery lob. In the end, Kozlov got enough balls back that Harrison generally made the first mistake.
       Whereas Kozlov finds ways to win, Harrison loses his temper when things don’t go his way.      
       One point early in the second set was instructive. Kozlov not only returned an overhead smash but hit a lob just inside the baseline that Harrison sailed long. Harrison smashed his racket in frustration, resulting in a warning.
       Kozlov’s mental strength was especially apparent when he served for the match at 5-3 in the third set. Young players — even many experienced ones — typically tighten up when they’re on the verge of a big victory.
       Not Kozlov. Showing no signs of nerves, he held at 15 as Harrison sprayed a backhand down the line wide on match point.
       “It was a really mental match,” Kozlov concluded. “I think our level (of play) was pretty similar. First set, I was mentally so solid. Second set, I was really unstable. I gave a game away. Third set, I just stayed tough and believed in my game, and I happened to win.
       Even though both players are American and Harrison has a short fuse, the crowd clearly favored the older player. Harrison was the bigger name, and maybe the fans hope he snaps out of his funk.
       Kozlov admitted that the crowd’s preference for Harrison “actually affected me a little bit. Third set, I didn’t really care, but second set, it kind of got to me a little bit. After every point (for Harrison), they were kind of clapping, but I managed to stay tough.”

  • Andrew Miller · September 30, 2014 at 10:32 am

    Harrison taking the “lendl” role (as in lendl giving tips to sampras in 1989, 1990) too soon . Really does need wilander, who could shrink that role harrison wants to play from “hero” and “davis cup coach” and “team captain” to “chief opponent of the guy across the net”. Guys mind is all over the place.my guess is hes going nuts over the loss. If you listen to harrison press conferences it is like blake, talks too much, like someone who has seen it alland isa statesman. As much as he wants that rolehis jobneeds to be defined down so he isnt his worst enemy anymore.

    Maybe play dubs with his bro.

    Dumb it down. Xs and os and thats it. More problem solving less pouting.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 10:37 am

    Interesting that the crowd was for Harrison, I would have expected otherwise as Kozlov is the kid and Harrison has kind of a reputation for being somewhat petulant. But I guess they feel sympathy for Harrison’s struggles and want to see him pull through. This odd crowd dynamic surely affected young Kozlov but to his credit he handled it like a veteran. Another feather for his cap. Gosh I really hope Harrison can get it back together. You hate to see a good talented young player not fulfill his potential.

  • Andrew Miller · September 30, 2014 at 10:39 am

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 10:41 am

    Courier saying Kozlov will be top 50 by age 20…wish these champs would stop putting these public expectations on young players. I think they should do the opposite, put no expectation and give them tough love. Case in point, Andy Murray saying Caroline Garcia was a future number one after she gave Sharapova a good battle a few years ago. What Courier and Murray did just puts a big target on the player’s back.

  • Andrew Miller · September 30, 2014 at 10:43 am

    Nice business idea. Send tp tape, critique posted.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    That’s gotta hurt when you help a kid out and then the kid comes back later to beat, using the advice you gave. That’s tennis though.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    Spoke to a former player and coach who knows the Harrisons fairly well, here’s what he said: “I don’t think his dad is a good coach for him. At all. I’m sure he is a good coach just not for Ryan. They don’t have a good relationship and Ryan will never listen to him. Ryan is a tough kid to coach and his dad doesn’t have the patience. I could go on and on lol…People forget this is an individual sport. There is not one way to achieve your goals or perform well. We all learn differently and need different things, take losses differently. It’s a MUST to surround yourself with the right people for YOU, as a player.”

    Words from the wise.

  • Andrew Miller · September 30, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    Assume gambill/harrison went badly. Mary pierce relied on her brother a lot (and if her dad is reading this im sorry but his son was part of her comeback) and so did capriati i think ? Maybe not. James blake had his brother. So christian harrison step on up to the plate! Having seen his tape i think he is sound on strategy, his injuries kill him.

    Maybe a guy like david wheaton or mal washington or krickstein. All of them faced the best players and seem to be about the sport rather than thenselves.

    harrison what if hes losing on purpose kike agassi did? Playing just a little less well in irder to beat the expectation he should win, so when he loses he can say hey i tried, just not good enough today. Some kind of way to stick it to his camp see your way? It isnt working! Allows him more freedom to make choices etc. Agassi did this – to some extent chang fell off the map in a similar way, a long hard slide dwn the rankings, never recovering after a few awesome seasons in the mid 90s. Chang was still young when he began the descnet into oblivion.

    I think i once said something like harrison was a chang/krickstein like player who showed the young players whats possible while they got better then leapfrogged him. I am not a fatalist but hes doing a convincing job of being krickstein.

    It can get worse. He could start losing to frank, giron and other college players (no offense) which makes his choice of pro over juniors and college look terrible. Or make players like rubin thankful to be in college given that hed end up at the same spot. I think though harrison will see that his best option is to recommit with coaches and support in his best interest. The more i read here the less convinced i am that whoever is in the kitchen knows how to cook.

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    An interesting concept Andrew. Losing on purpose to shed his unwanted baggage. I might buy that. If he’s that unhappy with his team, it’s very possible. Roy Jones said he lost the third fight with Antonio Tarver on purpose to get back at his father. It seemed crazy to say this but who the heck knows how these complicated family relationships are and can be. You never know. “The sign of intelligence is that you are constantly wondering. Idiots are always dead sure about every damn thing they are doing in their life.” -Jaggi Vasudev

  • Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    Chang’s downfall came when he lost his speed. Clearly he was a slower player in the end years and speed was always his most lethal and important weapon. Without his extraordinary speed to defend and counterpunch he was a mediocre player. Chang was around 30 when he began fading and it’s no surprise considering he was small to begin with, so he had a lot a LOT of mileage on his wheels. The same thing happened to Hewitt. When he lost his amazing speed in his mid even early 20s, and added on weight (two dozen pounds), he became a different player. A much lesser player. Young Hewitt was like a spry young cat, flying all over the court. Heavier older Hewitt became like an adult cat, totally different slower level of speed and quickness. Tennis is fine lines between winning and losing, and centimeters and fractions make the difference.

  • Andrew Miller · October 1, 2014 at 12:54 am

    Sac results.
    Querrey d Edmund
    Nguyen d Kuznetsov
    Donaldson d De Bakker 6-3 3-0 retire
    Millman australia d. Sandgren
    Fratangelo d Dancevic nice win
    Odesnik d Polansky
    Jp Smith Australia d Klahn three sets
    Smyczek d Jordan Thompson australia
    Luca Vanni italy d Liam Brody
    Kutrovsky d Russell retired
    Giron d Bolt
    Ymer d Quigley

    Klahn gets called out here for having a great start to the year and top seventy in world – had an equally breathtaking fall down the rankings. From second best in the u.s.a. to not even second best in the sacramento quarter of his draw. I love klahns game and even saw a nice backhad in the year he won the ncaas. But he slumped like StevJohnson did – but Steve Jo recovered big time.

    Last year Steve Johnson had same slump from top hundred to leaving the top two hundred.

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 1, 2014 at 9:12 am

    Johnson and Sock with nice 3 set wins today. Making impact on ATP events now. Very good for them. Both can make top 50 this year.

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 1, 2014 at 9:14 am

    Big wins for Donaldson and Fratangelo. And Ymer got in as an alternate and beat Quigley. Saw De Bakker quit after one game at US Open qualies vs. Coric.

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 1, 2014 at 9:59 pm

    Kudla beats Ymer in 3. Kozlov beats JP Smith in 3. Cool quote I found today: “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation” – Plato

  • Andrew Miller · October 1, 2014 at 10:29 pm

    Not impressed with JP Smith. Watched how the Aussie commentators were gushing over his game at the open and then couldn’t say anything as Kudla dispatched him 2 and 2 – it was a clinic. Now that’s delusion for you – shows it isn’t limited to just here in the states, the aussies apparently can see a player as way better than they are. The explanation from the blog norcaltennisczar:

    Klahn was injured several months this year. So you miss three months, that is a season in an of itself

    Veteran newspaper writer and editor Paul Bauman, based in Sacramento, covers all levels of Northern California tennis. He does research, interviews sources and attends tournaments from Aptos to Redding. Contact him at norcaltennisczar@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @norcaltenczar.

    “Tuesday, September 30, 2014

    Aussie gives it the old college try, upsets Klahn

    John-Patrick Smith of Australia ousted No. 3 seed Bradley Klahn,
    a former NCAA champion from Stanford, in the first round of the
    Sacramento Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman
    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It’s rare for a professional tennis player to have a college degree.
    John-Patrick Smith and Bradley Klahn, who met today in the first round of the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger, have three combined.
    That’s right, three.
    Smith, a 25-year-old Australian, earned degrees in economics and business administration from the University of Tennessee in 2011. Klahn, 24, from Poway in the San Diego area, picked up an economics degree from Stanford the following year.
    “I like school, and obviously I have a very keen interest in business,” Smith, whose parents are both teachers, said after leading a parade of upsets with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory over the third-seeded Klahn at the Natomas Racquet Club. “After tennis, I look to do something in that.”
    Such as?
    “I don’t know what I’m going to do next week,” Smith cracked, “so I wouldn’t know what I’m going to do after tennis.”
    Also ousted today were No. 4 Michael Russell of Houston, No. 6 Peter Polansky of Canada, No. 7 Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands and No. 8 Frank Dancevic of Canada. Russell, 36, and de Bakker retired from their matches with a breathing problem and back injury, respectively.
    With the first round complete, the only remaining seeds are No. 1 Sam Querrey of Las Vegas, No. 2 Tim Smyczek of Tampa, Fla., and No. 5 Denis Kudla of Boca Raton, Fla.
    As if Querrey, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Davis Cup veteran who has been ranked as high as No. 17, needed any help, he already is the only seed left in his half of the draw.
    In addition to their academic success, Smith and Klahn fared pretty well on the court in college.
    Smith became the second player in NCAA Division I history to earn All-America honors in singles and doubles all four years, joining eventual world No. 1 doubles player Jon Leach of USC.

    Klahn, like Smith, has struggled
    with injuries this year. Photo by
    Paul Bauman
    Klahn won the 2010 NCAA singles title as a sophomore before undergoing surgery for a herniated disc at the beginning of his junior year. He bounced back to reach the NCAA singles quarterfinals and doubles final that year and the singles semis and doubles quarters as a senior.
    Both players are happy they stayed in college for four years.
    “I formed some great friendships, met some great people and had some good times,” Smith said. “You can’t replace that being on the tour. I got my degree, I’ve got my (general) backup plan, so now I can really enjoy tennis.”
    Klahn has said he “had a great four years (at Stanford). I had a lot of fun and have a lot of memories.”
    Smith and Klahn share more than their college backgrounds. Both are left-handed and have struggled with injuries this year.
    Smith developed a sore shoulder after playing tournaments in seven of eight weeks over the summer.
    “Traveling and playing takes a toll on your body,” he said. “Those are the lessons you learn. This period here, I’m going to play for three weeks (in Napa, Sacramento and Tiburon) and then take a little break.”
    Klahn, a Sacramento quarterfinalist last year, missed two months in the spring when his back flared up and five weeks over the summer with a foot sprain.
    “Physically, I feel very good,” said Klahn, who has tumbled from a career-high No. 63 in the world in March to No. 118. “To be brutally honest, this has been a difficult year with injuries for me, but that’s part of the tour. That’s what you have to accept and deal with.”
    Smith was clearly the sharper player today. He saved seven of nine break points (77 percent) to Klahn’s 12 of 16 (75 percent) and had one double fault to Klahn’s four.
    “I came out of the blocks pretty good,” said Smith, who will face 16-year-old sensation Stefan Kozlov of Pembroke Pines, Fla., on Wednesday at 11 a.m. “I served pretty well, I thought. In the second set, he hit an unbelievable passing shot when I had break point. In the third set, I had break points in (almost) every game, so I was pretty happy with that.”
    Smith recorded the only breaks of the third set in the third and final games. Both times, Klahn double-faulted for 0-40.
    Smith is ranked No. 230 in singles and No. 77 in doubles. He won the Sacramento doubles crown last year with countryman Matt Reid, but they are playing with separate partners this year.
    Klahn said Smith is “a difficult player to play just because he doesn’t give you any rhythm, and I feel like I’m still finding my rhythm again. He kept me off-balance pretty well. I just didn’t feel like I was able to find my range and my game today.
    “It’s a tricky match. He serves well, he comes in a lot, and he has great hands around the net. I thought I did a good job finding my game and adjusting in the second set. A couple sloppy games on my serve in the third set, and that was it.”

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