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2018 Delray Beach Open A Smashing Success
16 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Scoop
TIAFOE WINS FIRST ATP TITLE AT Delray Beach Open
Frances Tiafoe became a first-time ATP champion after beating Peter Gojowczyk of Germany 6-1 6-4. The 20-year-old American exploded 13 aces and saved four of the five break points he faced to achieve his maiden ATP title triumph in 61 minutes. Tiafoe is the eighth player to win his first career title in the Delray Beach Open, and the first wildcard in tournament history to win the title.
SOCK & WITHROW CROWNED DBO DOUBLES CHAMPS
Jack Sock and Jackson Withrow, friends since the age of ten in their days of USTA childhood tennis, raised the Delray Beach Open doubles trophy on Championship Sunday. The American duo, both from Omaha, Nebraska, defeated Nicholas Monroe and John-Patrick Smith, 4-6 6-4 10-8, to win their first ATP World Tour doubles title as a team. Sock reached the Miami Open final last year with Monroe. Withrow was an All-American tennis star at Texas A&M.
SOCK JOINS DBO HISTORY WITH SECOND DOUBLES TITLE
By winning the doubles title on Sunday, American Jack Sock became the third player in Delray Beach Open history to win three titles (combined singles and doubles). Sock won his first doubles title at the DBO in 2013 with James Blake and hoisted the singles trophy last year by defeating Milos Raonic by default. The other two players to have successfully won three titles in Delray Beach are Jan-Michael Gambill and Xavier Malisse of Belgium.
ATTENDANCE RECORD SMASHED
The Delray Beach Open set a new tournament record with 65,997 fans attending the 17 sessions of the 10-day event. Two other individual session records fell, and the final Sunday crowd of 4,885 was the third largest in the 26-year history of the tournament.
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Scoop Malinowski · February 25, 2018 at 8:22 pm
I’d say this was the best edition of the event I’ve ever attended. Loaded draws, Paes in doubles, good times with colleagues Dan and Dan Weil and other friends, hitting with Callum, interviews for Facing Safin and Facing Steffi Graf, and the outstanding performances by Tiafoe, Chung, Fritz, Gojo, Opelka made this year’s DBO the best ever.
dan markowitz · February 25, 2018 at 8:54 pm
Very good event. I’d say yes, it was the best Delray I’ve ever attended. Didn’t expect Tiafoe to win, Reminds me of Nishikori beating Blake in the finals when he was around 20. Tiafoe moves up to no. 61 in the world right behind two Americans, SteveJo and Harry and now he’s the no. 6 American also behind Sock, Qball and Izzie. I like his game a lot. His foot speed and court coverage are excellent. He stymied Gojo today who’d been hitting winners left and right and holding his serve with regularity until he faced Tiafoe.
As Jimmy Arias said today on the Tennis Channel broadcast, Tiafoe’s forehand might be a little whippy, but he;s got a lot of weapons, his serve, his backhand and unless you go very big to his forehand, his forehand is dangerous. Also, he’s got a good vibe to him. I watched both JD and Fritz this week and particularly Fritz, man, the guy has no charisma at all on the court. Tiafoe does.
catherine · February 26, 2018 at 2:26 am
ATP is looking very strong at the moment, with several promising young players on the way up. And the attendance at Delray surely shows tennis isn’t dying in the US as I’ve read here from time to time ?
A few weeks ago Simon Briggs (Daily Telegraph) wrote a story about how the WTA were about to take over because Fed/Nadal etc were on the way out. I though he’d got that really wrong (Briggs often gets things wrong)and think so even more now. WTA is in a really weak position IMO as far as crowd pulling players go and no equivalent women’s event could hope to attract the crowds which you report at Delray.
Hartt · February 26, 2018 at 5:48 am
Catherine, the numbers in Delray were helped by Canadian snowbirds – retired Canucks who spend their winters in Florida. The tourney was even smart enough to have Canada Day, with a special promotion, and featuring Milos and Denis. Thank goodness both guys won their matches that day!
catherine · February 26, 2018 at 8:06 am
Hartt – well that was good thinking by the Canadians and of course you’ve got two young players to cheer for.
Too many absentees in the WTA, where you need all the top players in an event to make it attractive. And if it means a restricted circuit – well, that might not be a bad thing if there’s tv coverage.
Maybe IW and Miami will reveal more about the state of play.
Hartt · February 26, 2018 at 9:21 am
Catherine, from what I’ve heard IW gets good crowds, so Miami could be the test. The Americans on this site probably know more about that.
I don’t imagine the ATP wants to add any tourneys, but if a 250 should want to move, Canada deserves another tourney. Right now we just have 1 Masters, the Rogers Cup (or Canadian Masters), which is very old, founded in 1881. (Only Wimbledon and the USO are older.) We have a few Challengers and Futures, but nothing else. New tennis facilities have been established lately, and of course there is a lot of excitement about the Canadian men. Unfortunately, I am not sure that a WTA tournament would do as well right now.
Scoop Malinowski · February 26, 2018 at 9:26 am
There were a lot of Canadians in the house all week, Jesse Levine also did the Tennis Channel analysis for a few days. Next year I’m sure Felix will be in the draw. The Canadian tennis market will help the tournament prosper. There were not nearly as many Argentines this year for the Delpo match I saw vs Tiafoe. Delpo’s drawing power seemed not as strong as last year.
JG · February 26, 2018 at 10:01 am
You have to hand it to Sock for sticking around and playing doubles with his friend, Sock has to be the best doubles player right now he has won with multiple partners and without much practice with the partners — Sock did win the Jr Nationals with this partner and he won DelRay with Monroe. I hope he does well this week, a lot of top singles players would have bailed on the doubles, and his friend really needed the points.
The Washington Post this morning got part of the story on Tiafoe wrong, they said Tiafoe’s twin brother didnt take to the sport–thats not true, he’s playing college tennis now.
Scoop Malinowski · February 26, 2018 at 10:48 am
JG; My guess is Sock prefers doubles over singles. More relaxed, more suited to his nature of playing his trick shots, less pressure, less stress. Sock thrives in the doubles format and he can dominate a doubles match more than he can singles. But that can change because Sock can find that singles key to success, which I still think he hasn’t fully found yet. Still think he can do better. I spoke with Winthrow after the loss to Opelka and he said he is in the process of possibly becoming Sock’s first team partner and also possible a coach figure, to work on his focus and maturity in singles and to prevent what I sensed he considered a mismanaged loss to Oeplka due to immaturity and lapses in focus and 100% seriousness. Winthrow had an authority about him that I could see him being a good coach. He said he’s been friends with Sock since age ten. I agree that Sock is probably the best doubles player in the world right now.
Dan Markowitz · February 26, 2018 at 1:59 pm
True, the only reason I watched doubles finals was that Sock was playing. Also, like Nick Monroe.
Withrow becoming Sock’s coach would most likely be a bad move. Sock probably wants a friend like Withrow to coach him because he wants to run the show and goof off for most part. I don’t know who’d be a good coach for Sock, but having your no name (and most likely no game) friend coach you might be a real bad move. If Sock keeps on playing sub-par singles, he might slip back to only playing dubs and we’ll see then if he’s no 1 dubs player.
Chazz · February 26, 2018 at 2:13 pm
Would that be in addition to Berger being Sock’s coach or would he replace Berger? I agree that it would be a really bad idea.
Scoop Malinowski · February 26, 2018 at 3:26 pm
Dan, Withrow is a pretty serious type, he’s not around to be a caddy or a buddy or a sidekick type. He’s a serious tennis mind and he struck me as a good coach candidate. He’s serious and no nonsense and now succeeding as an ATP player. I think he’s just the kind of guy Sock needs. Berger is still a Sock coach too. Having two part timers like Berger and Withrow is a smart move by Sock in my opinion.
Scoop Malinowski · February 26, 2018 at 3:28 pm
Chazz, Berger has obligations with an academy in south Florida so he can’t be a full time coach for Sock. Withrow, who I spoke with for a couple of minutes, impressed me as a coach type for tactics and also the mental side. Withrow first appeared on the scene last year in Challengers. Saw him a few times on livestreams and he did well in every match I saw. His success now is no surprise.
Duke Carnoustie · February 26, 2018 at 6:09 pm
I am familiar with Withrow a little bit. He has been angling to become a tennis coach and is a student of the game. This is not a guy like Gambill doing it on a lark, he has ideas he wants to implement.
I support Withrow replacing Berger 100 percent. His knowledge of the game reminds me of Brad Gilbert, though of course Withrow is not nearly as accomplished as a player. His coach in college is former ATP player Steve Denton. Withrow is legit.
Dan Markowitz · February 26, 2018 at 6:40 pm
What do you mean he’s legit? I’d never heard of the guy till this week? If Sock didn’t carry him, he’d be a nobody. And Gambill’s coaching as a lark? He’s coaching a top 60 player so obviously Donaldson thinks he’s a pretty good coach. You’re comparing Sock’s childhood friend and J-M Gambill as far as their tennis skills and knowledge? That’s like saying Scoop is as qualified to coach an ATP player as Vince Spadea. C’mon, talk sense here. We all know a thing about tennis and pedigree of players and coaches here.
Scoop Malinowski · February 26, 2018 at 7:20 pm
Dan, Withrow emerged last year, his main partner is Austin Krajicek, he’s ranked well into the top 100. You were late to the game in noticing Withrow. I think you were watching too many Spadea matches on You Tube 🙂