Roger Federer has played only one ATP tournament match since the U.S. Open, but he hopes to get five under his belt this week in Basel. The crowd favorite is 56-9 lifetime at this home event with six titles (including last year) and he has reached the final in nine consecutive appearances. As usual, though, Federer will have plenty of competition—the 2015 field also features Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal, and Marin Cilic, just to a name a few.
While that 500-point tournament headlines the action, a strong 250-pointer will also be in progress. Although Valencia has been downgraded (switched with Vienna), it still boasts an entertainment-heavy draw consisting of David Ferrer, Benoit Paire, and Nick Kyrgios.
Swiss Indoors Basel
Where: Basel, Switzerland
Surface: Indoor hard
Points: 500
Prize money: 1,575,295 Euros
Top seed: Roger Federer
Defending champion: Roger Federer
Draw analysis: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Federer could not have asked for a better draw in Basel. The 34-year-old Swiss will kick off his campaign against Mikhail Kukushkin before likely running into Philipp Kohlschreiber and then David Goffin (the latter would represent a rematch of last season’s final). Even Nadal is on the other side of the bracket, thus presumably making life easier for Federer. Potential semifinal opponents for the No. 1 seed include Kevin Anderson John Isner, and Stockholm runner-up Jack Sock.
Nadal’s path, on the other hand, is taxing to say the least. The third-seeded Spaniard is going up against Lukas Rosol on Monday before possible dates with Grigor Dimitrov and Cilic. Wawrinka’s draw is similarly difficult. In fact, everyone in this half other than Cilic has something tough—at least on paper—prior to the quarters. Wawrinka has to face Ivo Karlovic right off the bat, with the winner potentially meeting Alexandr Dolgopolov.
First-round upset alert: Ernests Gulbis over (6) John Isner. Gulbis traditionally has his way with big servers and last week in Vienna was no exception. The Latvian took down Isner 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and Ivo Karlovic in pair of tiebreakers en route to the semis. Gulbis is now 3-2 lifetime against the American (and 2-0 at the expense of Karlovic), having also prevailed on grass (Wimbledon 2008) and clay (Monte-Carlo 2013). In all likelihood Isner will get some revenge for Vienna, but the sixth seed is often vulnerable outside the United States and is always an upset risk because of his propensity for close matches with very few service breaks.
Hot: Stan Wawrinka, Richard Gasquet, Marin Cilic, Jack Sock
Cold: Philipp Kohlschreiber, Adrian Mannarino, Ernests Gulbis, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexandr Dolgopolov
Quarterfinal predictions: Roger Federer over David Goffin, John Isner over Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic over Rafael Nadal, and Stan Wawrinka over Dominic Thiem
Semifinal predictions: Federer over Isner and Wawrinka over Cilic
Final: Federer over Wawrinka
[polldaddy poll=9144073]
Valencia Open
Where: Valencia, Spain
Surface: Indoor hard
Prize money: 537,050 Euros
Points: 250
Top seed: David Ferrer
2014 champion: Andy Murray (not playing)
Draw analysis: Both of the Vienna finalists–Ferrer and Steve Johnson–are getting right back in action at the Valencia Open. While Ferrer has the benefit of a bye and may not have to play again until Thursday, his draw is not a friendly one. The Spaniard’s opening match will likely come against Kyrgios, who is back in decent form after a rough summer both on and off the court. Jeremy Chardy, who is playing well and especially dangerous indoors, looms as a potential quarterfinal opponent for either Ferrer or Kyrgios. The top half is also home to Paire and Bernard Tomic, whose mental games are at least starting to show signs of catching up to their talent.
At the bottom of the bracket, Johnson will open with Martin Klizan—likely on Wednesday—and would face Lopez in the last 16. The entire side is considerably weaker than the top half, in part because it includes all three wild cards plus two qualifiers. Two of the seeds—Fabio Fognini and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez—can be vulnerable and another, Roberto Bautista Agut, is coming off a long week in Moscow (runner-up to Cilic). This is a wide-open path to the final for Lopez, but any number of players could capitalize if the Spaniard stumbles early.
First-round upset alert: (WC) Nicolas Almagro over (7) Roberto Bautista Agut. A huge edge in current form goes to Bautista Agut, but the seventh seed may be more interested in rest than Valencia success. He also finished runner-up to Cilic last year in Moscow (also by a 6-4, 6-4 scoreline, in fact) then pulled out of Valencia prior to his second-round match. Almagro has not yet regained top form following a long injury layoff, but he advanced one round in Stockholm after picking up his first ATP-level win since a post-Wimbledon stretch on clay.
Hot: David Ferrer, Bernard Tomic, Fabio Fognini, Benoit Paire, Jeremy Chardy, Steve Johnson
Cold: Fernando Verdasco, Nicolas Almagro, Santiago Giraldo, Marcel Granollers, Pablo Andujar
Semifinal predictions: Nick Kyrgios over Bernard Tomic and Feliciano Lopez over Fabio Fognini
Final: Lopez over Kyrgios
[polldaddy poll=9144077]
What the heck. I hate Rosol.
Either way, the handshake should be interesting.
Ricky u called it. Thiem barely edged it 0-6 7-6(5) 7-5.
Does Rosol really do that double tap all the time or just today?
I just checked. He wasn’t doing it in the first two sets.
Vamos Rafa!
I’ve just planted Rafa with a big sloshy kiss on the TV.
Vaaaammmmmmmmmoooooosssssssssssss!
Vamos Rafa!!
Congratulations Rafans!
WOO HOO! Rafa did it! Way to go!
That was a cold handshake at the net.
Rafa was pumped for this win!
I am so proud of him!
https://twitter.com/jddtennis/status/658738172675891200
That ain’t average. That’s cold for Rafa. We know that he is usually pretty warm and respectful at the net. That was cold!
Vaaamos??
A great match for Rafa to win. The real Rafa is not far away.
Vamos!
Bring it on…………the real Rafa is nearly here.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSRPUo6WcAAwizk.png
🙂 🙂
Next it’s either Stakhovsky or Dimitrov.
Rafa’s still in this!
A feel good win for sure! 🙂
Had Rafa lost this match, cybernet would have been steaming with his detractors digging into him.
Finally one of the close, tight games that Nadal is winning this year after being on the edge of loosing. What a win. It will surely give him a lot of confidence. Some of the forehands down the line from Nadal were killer shots today and reminded me of Nadal of old. Hats off for the Spaniard for not letting Rosol getting under his skin with the rackets tapping noise and the chats with the Empire. Nadal has managed to improve his game (and his first serve percentage! ) as the match carried on and he held his nerves best in the tie-break with this amazing exchange of slices rally to get his mini-break back.
This match might be a turning point for Rafa, one of the wins he really needs to get his confidence back. Let’s see if we’re talking too soon.
Big VAMOS!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSROUTXU8AAh_3j.jpg
Rafa’s position on court in set 1 vs set 3:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSRIcjOWEAAD5jd.jpg
this is great stuff…. so he adjusted his tactics again!
what happened from 4-4 until the end? @64aces
Yes, Rafa adjusted his tactics. Paul Annacone was saying how Rafa was not allowing himself to be pushed back by Rosol’s powerful groundstrokes as in the first set.
Massive, massive , massive win! VAMOSSS! i had to take a train back to home so could not watch his comeback! such a great champion he is !!
The positive impact this win could have on rafa is IMMENSE! he finally won a match he was not supposed to win ( considering how the match had gone till 5-4 second set). This is what has made rafa the champion he is today! winning matches when it appears he has lost them. He did it again today. Already a positive week this!
TAKE THAT, Rosol!
Forced to miss the match because friends arrived just as they were warming up and I felt obliged to offer them dinner. On checking the results I’m rather relieved I didn’t have to live through the cliff hanger and can now watch the replay knowing Rafa is safelty through.
vamosrafa,
Now I know why you didn’t answer my questions while the match was going on. You were on the train! I was asking if you noticed how Rafa was kind of blocking back his ROS as the match went on and also using the slice more.
Yes, it was a cliffhanger. It doesn’t get any closer than that. Rosol was serving for the match in that second set. But I think he got a little tight and Rafa started going for his shots and being aggressive. It’s like Rafa could sense the moment. This is the Rafa we all know and love.
This is also why I have said that Rafa doesn’t have to be at his best to win. He didn’t play well at all for all of the first set and a good part of the second set. Rosol was dictating the points and it seemed that there wasn’t much Rafa could do. But once he got the break back when Rosol was serving for the match, you got the feeling that the match was turning.
Rafa found a way to win and got the better of Rosol. despite his unsportsmanlike behavior. Really, it’s getting old with Rosol talking to distract the opponent or tapping his racket. He pulled that stuff at Wimbledon when he beat Rafa. It did work in a way, because Rafa got in a hole at 0-40 and was broken back. Rosol evened it up.
In the TB, Rafa got himself into a hole right away by missing the first point. But he stayed close and then it was Rosol who messed up when it counted.
This is a great win for Rafa! No question about it. He was a few points from losing the match and came back to win it!
That’s the Rafa we all know and love! 🙂
Rosol is banging his shoes with his racket when his opponent is preparing to serve:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSRuWbUUcAAocFb.png
These pictures are from the match Haase vs. Rosol at IW:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSRu6OHUYAAfDXT.png:medium
I would tell everyone to watch this match if they have not seen it or haven’t seen all of it. I know that I am going to watch the replay for sure!
This was so satisfying on so many levels!
Rafa, you were a champ in this match! 🙂
I would fast forwaed through the first 15 games…..
LOL! Yes! Good advice! 🙂
I didnt watch it but just watched the TB this morning (my time).
Rosol plays with such raw power and hits his shots very flat; hes a bit like Delpo but less the consistency. Guys like Rosol, Delpo and Stan when their game is on are very difficult to deal with, unless you’re fighting fire with fire. Or, just take time away from them by taking the ball early and not letting them take control. Novak did it at Shanghai vs Delpo but it was still a tough fight.
It’ll always be tough for Rafa (and anyone else facing such players when their game is on) so Rafa does well by fighting hard to snatch victory from defeat . Its still WIP for Rafa when he’s trying to play more aggressively. I do hope his intention is to play well inside the court most or at least half of the times during his matches. Hope he at least goes deep in the draw here. Its not an easy draw on this indoor HC – Dimi or Stak, Cilic, Stan and Fed.
Rosol has lost more matches than he’s won against much lower ranked players. It was largely Rafa”s indoor rust/nerves and resultant errors and hitting short that allowed Rosol’s game being on.
Wouldn’t happen vs Fed or Novak as they don’t play so defensively.
That said, nothing like seeing Rafa in comeback mode.