The battle for the USTA’s Australian Open main-draw wild card kicked off on Friday in Atlanta….
Tim Smyczek d. Christian Harrison – 7-6(3), 6-1 – “Harrison the Younger,” “Harrison the Nicer,” “Little Harrison”…there have been several names pinned on Ryan Harrison’s younger brother. “Real deal” may be one them, although it’s much too early to tell with the 18-year-old. He played a gripping first set against the top-seeded Smyczek, which included a number of outrageous points and a 10-deuce game with Harrison serving up 2-1. Smyczek ended up breaking break at 2-3 and was too good in the tiebreaker, showcasing why he is on the verge of the Top 100. The top seed only got better in the second while Harrison lost his way.
“I didn’t think I would blow him out,” Smyczek assured. “He’s a good player. We played a bunch of the same tournaments (Challengers) this year, so I’ve seen him play.” When asked if the second-set result was due to his improve level or a Harrison dropoff, he said “a little bit of both.”
Denis Kudla d. Chase Buchanan 6-3, 7-6(4) – After three breaks in the first set (two to Kudla), the No. 2 seed picked up his power game with big serves and some crushing two-handed backhands. He held the entire way in the second, but so did Buchanan. Kudla trailed by a mini-break in the decider at 2-1 but won two straight return points to regain control. The world No. 137 (more than 200 spots higher than Buchanan, a former Ohio State star and an NCAA doubles record-holder) held on for an expected semifinal spot.
If Kudla ends up snagging the USTA’s wild card, he won’t have to play in Aussie Open qualifying and would be able to add another warmup tournament to his January schedule. “As of now I’ll play one week (in Australia) and then I’ll then I’ll train for five or six days. I’m playing Brisbane and if I win (this week in Atlanta) I’ll play Sydney.”
“Top 100 right around the corner,” Kudla said when asked about his 2013 goals. “I want to do that sooner than later. I’m gonna try to do that beginning of the year. And then try to get an ATP title; that’s kind of my goal. Try to win an ATP title in 2013.”
Next up for Kudla is Rhyne Williams. “We’ve played maybe three times, maybe two times,” Kudla said. “I think it’s one and one. If we played a third time I think he beat me…. We’ve practiced a whole. We’ve had some interesting practices, so it should be a good match. It’s gonna be who’s gonna compete harder, who really wants it.”
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Rhyne Williams d. Daniel Kosakowski 6-1, 6-4 – Outside of hardcore college tennis fans, Williams is probably best known for playing Andy Roddick in the first round of Roddick’s final event–the 2012 U.S. Open. This was a showdown between two NCAA standouts, one from Tennessee (Williams) and Kosakowski from UCLA. Williams, ranked 40 spots ahead of his opponent at No. 190 in the world, had little trouble. Faced with a relatively competitive second set, however, the former Volunteer was not afraid to show plenty of emotion after coming up with a series of impressive winners.
Tennys Sandgren d. Bradley Klahn 6-3, 6-3 – Another battle between former college stars ended without much suspense and again ended in favor of a Tennessee Volunteer (who happens to have the most appropriate first name in tennis). Although they are separated by just 16 spots in the rankings (Sandgren is 232nd, Klahn is No. 248), Klahn–out of Stanford–had to have been considered the favorite. He won the NCAA individual title in 2010, reached the semifinals this year, and upset Jurgen Melzer in the first round of this summer’s U.S. Open. But it was Sandgren, with family in attendance, who enjoyed some crowd support and cruised to a straight-set victory.
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