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Sam Querrey looks like a U.S. Open contender
10 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
This was one of the most impressive wins I’ve ever seen in the career of Sam Querrey. He had too much firepower, too much consistency, too much toughness for Andy Murray to overcome today. Murray had never lost a set to Querrey before the final today in Los Angeles (in four previous matches) but the mild-mannered American turned the tables on the feisty Scot, proving he is indeed a rising and formidable ATP force. Q-Ball now has won four titles in 2010 and we still have five months to go.
Before the match Darren Cahill commented on ESPN that Murray is a threat for the U.S. Open. Well, if Murray’s a threat, you better believe so his Querrey. Why not? Querrey, though plagued by inconsistent results over the years, is a dangerous player. When he’s playing his A game, he has the hitting power to knock out someone like Tomas Berdych from a grand slam, as he did a couple years ago in New York in three straight stunning sets on the grandstand court.
Querrey has the arsenal to hang with Nadal on clay and hard court, as we have seen. If Querrey’s improvement curve keeps heading northbound – as we witnessed today by overcoming Andy Murray for the first time – you have to wonder just how good can this guy be? If Johansson, Korda and Ivanisevic could do it, why the heck can’t Sam?
Querrey was up a break in the first set, blew it, then lost the first set but he did not mentally check out. Querrey, on the edge of the cliff, found a way to pull out the second set in a tiebreak and proceeded to teach Murray a lesson in the third set.
It was a wonderful performance, one that will send a message to every man in the ATP rankings: Sam Querrey is a serious contender for the 2010 U.S. Open title.
For Murray, this is another disappointing setback in an important match – the story of his 2010 season – which has included the Australian Open final loss to Federer and the Hopman Cup final loss to Spain (with Laura Robson, to Tommy Robredo and Maria Sanchez).
The defending Los Angeles champ Querrey became the first man to defend the LA title since Agassi did it almost a decade ago. Agassi won LA in 2001 and 2002 and reached the U.S. Open final in 2002.
Murray couldn't handle Querrey's power
Dan Markowitz · August 2, 2010 at 11:11 am
Oh, please, Scoop. I didn’t see yesterday’s match, but clearly coming into it, both Querrey and Murray were struggling. Q-ball came within one point of losing to Tipsarvic, enough said. He almost lost to Schuettler. And your saying he’s a threat to win the US Open.
Without seeing Murray play all week, something is clearly wrong with his game, preparation, mental state. Also, this was his first tournament back after Wimbledon. Querrey is not a five-set player. He beat Berdych that year when Berdych was struggling. I give Q a Rd of 16 and no better finish at the Open. I talked to his coach, David Nainkin, the other day, and he said Q still needs work on his transition game. That he has the big f-hand and serve, but he needs to win easier points at the net. And that is what Q doesn’t do, and like Blake, it makes him work so much harder.
Richard Pagliaro · August 2, 2010 at 12:00 pm
It is true Q needs to work on his transition game. He’s a different player than Blake though. Blake is quicker around the court, but Q has a bigger serve and plays with more spin on all his shots so doesn’ thave to go for as much as soon.
Red, we all know you’ve ripped into Q Ball since day one yet here he beats a top 5 player, saves a match point in doing so, and has now won 4 titles on the season (Second to only Nadal granted Q’s titles are all lower level titles) and you’re claiming no better than round of 16?
Geesh if Spadea qualified for the Open you’d be touting him for at least the second or third round and here’s Q winning four titles on the year and you only give him round of 16 potential? That’s just alarmingly foolish. Yes, he has a a lot of work to do on his game, but he’s been winning and that only makes you better and more confident.
Scoop Malinowski · August 2, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Red you might have to see this match. Even the staunchest critics of Sam would have to be very impressed by the way Querrey battled and ultimately prevailed. Fantastic performance by a player that is headed places. Murray absolutely was playing well, playing his game that was good enought to be 4-0 vs. Q, and had this match in the bag but Q is a fighter with a Samurai spirit not to mention KO power, and he left Murray not only battered but also bloodied in the end (from punching his strings in frustration). Red you can’t believe or realize that Sam Querrey is a lot better player than you can estimate.
Dan Markowitz · August 2, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Wait a second. I just want to make sure I’m getting this right. Is this the same Sam Querrey who’s had this record in the Slams this year:
2010 Singles Activity
YTD Won/Lost YTD Titles YTD Prize Money Career Won/Lost Career Titles
33-15 4 $876,082 127-97 6
Wimbledon, Great Britain; 21.06.2010; GS; Outdoor: Grass; Draw: 128
Round Opponent Ranking Score
R128 Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 47 W 7-6(4), 6-3, 2-1 RET Stats
R64 Ivan Dodig (CRO) 193 W 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(10) Stats
R32 Xavier Malisse (BEL) 63 W 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 9-7 Stats
R16 Andy Murray (GBR) 4 L 5-7, 3-6, 4-6 Stats
This Event Points: 180, South African Airways ATP Ranking: 21, Prize Money: £62,500
Roland Garros, France; 24.05.2010; GS; Outdoor: Clay; Draw: 128
Round Opponent Ranking Score
R128 Robby Ginepri (USA) 98 L 6-4, 6-7(3), 4-6, 2-6 Stats
This Event Points: 10, South African Airways ATP Ranking: 22, Prize Money: €15,000
Australian Open, Australia; 18.01.2010; GS; Outdoor: Hard; Draw: 128
Round Opponent Ranking Score
R128 Rainer Schuettler (GER
Losing to Schuettler and Ginepri in the first rounds and his best win is over Xavier Malisse? Is this the Q who is heading to the US Open semis? I’m not buying it. When the pressure amps up. The sun gets hot and he’s playing in New York City, five sets, Q is in a world of hurt.
Andrew Miller · August 2, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Stranger things have happened than Querrey reaching a semifinal.
Take, for example, Jurgen Melzer – not even the best lefty from little Austria, who made it on the back of one of the less sophisticated games on the ATP. If Jurgen can dig deep, why not Sam?
Ginepri made the semis at the Open in 2005, and the competition was just as tough then. That he’s taking out the likes of Murray is, though not surprising, still significant enough to make other players not want to see him in the draw. Add to that his serve is good on a fast USO court, and his forehand is pretty damaging.
So, it could happen. Not saying it will. But it certainly COULD happen.
Not sure if Querrey is ultimately better than a player like Todd Martin (or even David Wheaton). But both of those guys got to semifinals at slams. Querrey might be in that tradition. (maybe, maybe not).
Tom Michael · August 2, 2010 at 10:24 pm
I think that Querrey’s potential at this year US Open is the quarterfinals, which would be his best grand slam performance if he makes it that far. I believe that his win over Murray has a different meaning than Querrey is going to win the US Open. It more likely means that Murray is not going to win the US Open. Fish beating Murray at Queens Club this year meant that Murray was not going to win Wimbledon; furthermore, Fish was not going to win Wimbledon.
Scoop Malinowski · August 3, 2010 at 2:49 am
Agree, this is another very tough loss for Murray who just has not been able to pump up his confidence with a big win, instead he continues to fall short in his big tests. But one big win for Murray can rejuvenate his season. This is another big, quality win for Sam, he overcame adversity and beat a guy who had his #. Sam is perfectly primed to have a fantastic US Open, just as he did at Wimbledon this year. I really believe in this guy, his game, his toughness, his attitude. He is going to make a believer out of Red, sooner than later. Red might as well practice singing in the shower because you will be singing praises for Querrey very soon 🙂
Dan Markowitz · August 3, 2010 at 9:16 am
Andrew,
You make some good points. Ginepri did make the 05 US Open semis, but he had to beat Coria to get there. Coria, as we know now, was about to swoon dive out of the game. So that’s a nice player to play to reach a Slam semis.
Also, Ginepri had skills that Querrey does not. I mean, Ginepri beat Querrey at the French this year. He’s a better or was a better defensive player and has great stamina.
Q did not have a great Wimb. He nearly lost to Malisse in the third round and got beat in straight sets by Murray in the fourth. That’s a great tournament. And I don’t buy his mental toughness. I saw him get run over by Dustin Brown at Newport this year.
I want Q to do well, I just don’t see it in the cards.
Andrew Miller · August 4, 2010 at 2:57 am
Dan, I think you have an excellent point regarding Sam Querrey. Slam performance means something and his slams, despite the quality wins (heck – quality titles!) prior to the Slams, ultimately meant nothing during the slams themselves. It is hard to see how he’ll do when, as you said, he comes up against the “real” competition – the guys from Spain who happen to all live in the top 20 (and more in the 20-30 ranking range) and all perform better in Slams – who at least have a QF next to their names. Maybe Querrey’s slam performance will improve with more Davis Cup matches, where the intensity of the matches are much higher pressure.
Kind of seems that’s Pat McEnroe’s method anyhows. Use Davis Cup to expose U.S. players to high-pressure environments so that they become better players. It’s debatable whether it works and whether this “band of brothers” thing in U.S. tennis is any good for U.S. tennis. Chang, Agassi, Sampras – they knew each other but not all too well, I doubt they shared CDs or anything like it. And they won Davis Cups, but in part to enhance their stature, I think.
Andrew Miller · August 4, 2010 at 3:06 am
True also about Ginepri’s sweet US Open 2005 draw. Sometimes someone benefits from a great draw – but in 2005, you’re right, a tired Andre Agassi (better in all departments than Ginepri) still got Ginepri in 5 sets.
Maybe they’ll be a break for a U.S. player somewhere. Someone’s bound to have a good draw. Mostly why I get confused about James Blake’s tennis, why the heck he could not win winnable Slam matches is beyond me. That’s one thing about a lot of players – they love playing top players (Baghdatis loves it) but they have trouble making it to the match-ups and winning “matches they should win.” Like what Agassi supposedly told Fernando Verdasco something along the lines of “you can only lose to Nadal and Federer, no one else.”