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Wimbledon Final Recap

No words for this absolutely insane final. This is the Up The Line Tennis recap of the Gentlemen’s Singles Final.

(1) Djokovic d. (2) Federer 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3)

First Set-

This match started off pretty routinely, as most finals do, with some big serves from both, and for Federer especially, some solid, deep backhands to win points that weren’t aces. However, the forehand for the majority of the set was alarmingly wild, causing him problems in lots of pressure moments, including his first break point at 1*-2, and misses that dug him a 0-30 hole, which was only saved with some timely serves. Federer had six unforced errors in the first six games, which is not something Djokovic really allows. However, not many inroads were made until it was Djokovic this time having some trouble. Federer came in with two dropshots, one which died instantly on the grass, for 0-30, but Djokovic reached in his pocket for a few big serves and first strike points to hold. From there, we went to a tiebreak, where Federer missed two forehand chances for mini break, including an absolute sitter that most everyone makes. A mini break appeared for Djokovic on a missed backhand, but Federer got a full break back on a good slice return, which set up a big backhand up the line, then a HUGE passing forehand. Good backhands from Djokovic, including on a point for a mini break where Federer missed an inexplicable first strike forehand got him to 6-5* and the first set point, which he converted with another Federer miss.

Second Set-

The second set was a much different affair from the first, as Djokovic began with a 15-40 service game, which included a slip on the baseline. Adding a missed forehand on BP meant Federer had the break, a surprising look given that Djokovic had just gone up a set. From there, Djokovic seemed to fall off a cliff in terms of concentration and positivity. A similar break at 15 for Federer, followed by another routine hold meant it was 4-0 in the blink of an eye. Novak held, but that was the only game he would take in the second set, as Federer would grab the triple break to make it 6-1. Speculation was abound about whether Djokovic was sick, tired, uninterested, or a mixture of all. However, the Serb showed signs of life towards the end, which manifested fully in the third.

Third Set-

Federer began with an easy hold, before making Djokovic continue to work on his service games. Novak at this point was finally back in the match, but could not even get near the Federer serve, with no break points faced until late in the fourth, an absolute anomaly as Djokovic is usually considered the best returner ever. Roger continued to cruise, and had a set point at 30-40 5-4*, set up by a magnificent scoop volley.

However, Djokovic saved that one and served out the game with some high quality serves into the backhand wing, forcing all sorts of misses. The holds were routine from there until the tiebreak, where Federer got tight and dropped his level dramatically, with three of the first six points being missed backhands, letting Djokovic run out to a 5-1 lead. Roger got a mini break back, and two good serves meant it was 5-4, but the fate of the tiebreak was still on Djokovic’s racket, which he took care of with a smooth up the line approach to build a two sets to one lead.

Fourth Set-

Federer started the fourth in a bit of trouble, but when he got to the net, he was able to put away any troubles. However, the Swiss would make the pinpoint challenge of the tournament, getting a ball overturned that Djokovic missed by a millimeter, and in the Serb’s frustration, shanked a backhand to give Roger the break, which was consolidated with a love hold. Federer came hard in the next return game, with an insane drop volley (inserted below) to set up another breakpoint, which was again converted due to another Novak miss.

The set was not quite over from there, as Djokovic got to 30-40 at 5*-2, but Federer wiped it away with an insane backhand after a 35 shot rally. This would not be the only chance Novak had, as he ripped a backhand on AD out for the break back to 5-3. However, the next game, Federer would not be so wasteful, as he served out the set for what was soon to be the best deciding set in a men’s final ever at Wimbledon.

Fifth Set-

The first three games of the fifth set were as tame as a kitten compared as to what was to come, with both players securing easy enough holds. However, at 1*-2, two unlucky net cords set up two BPs for Djokovic, which were squandered by Djokovic off his backhand, and while he saw another one, Federer erased that with a big serve. After Novak held to love, Federer was haunted by his backhand once again, dropping him in a 15-40 hold with some bad misses. Djokovic missed a backhand the first time, but on the second, he would not be let down by that stroke again, rocketing a gigantic pass for the break. (below)

Federer was not to be denied though, as he worked his way into the subsequent service game with a great slice return for 15-30, and took advantage of Novak’s double fault for 30-40. However, Djokovic outlasted Federer to save the break, but he could not outlast him on AD out, giving the break right back to the Swiss. From there, the service games calmed down for the most part until 7-7, as Djokovic took a 30-0 lead. However, this lead did not last, as Federer ran off four straight points, including an insane crosscourt pass that sent the Wimbledon crowd into raptures, believing he was on his way to his 21st Grand Slam title.

It seemed that way, as RF had two championship points, up 8*-7 40-15, but a forehand pulled agonizingly wide combined with a Djokovic pass similar to the one above gave the Serb new life, and he took hold for the break back. Things calmed once again til 11-11, so near the mystical 12-12 final set tiebreak everyone had discussed, but no one had yet seen in men’s singles action. Djokovic was on the verge of a quick hold, up 40-0, but some errors and a quality Federer return made it deuce just like that. Federer got a look at his first break point in that game, but pushed a slice just wide, only by millimeters. He would see one more, for his last one of the match, but it was saved by a Djokosmash and from there we moved to the tiebreak.

Tiebreak Chart-

Federer miss 0-1

Federer FH winner 1-1

Federer FH volley shank 1-2

Federer forced error 1-3

Federer FH miss 1-4

Federer drop shot 2-4

Federer service winner 3-4

Djokovic FH winner 3-5

Djokovic BH winner 3-6

Federer FH shank 3-7

This shows the story of this tiebreak, and it was similar to the first and third set tiebreaks. Djokovic played with controlled aggression, and let Federer be the one to decide the point. Most of the time, Federer was not up to task, and missed. Djokovic took control at 4*-3 as he needed to solidify the mini break, but from the start he was in control.

Overall, this was an absolutely insane match, one of the best of the decade, century, you name it. This will be a difficult one for Roger to stomach, but for Novak, this is a testament to his continuing greatness, and the growing discussion of his name among the all time greats.

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Day 7 Wimbledon Review

The Big Three absolutely dominated, and another Wimbledon finalist crashes out. This is the official Up The Line Tennis recap of Manic Monday at the Championships.

Featured Matches-

(1)Djokovic d. Humbert 6-3, 6-2, 6-3

Djokovic actually enjoyed this matchup more than a righty, because Humbert’s best shot, his cross-court forehand, was setting up perfectly in Djokovic’s backhand strike zone. As with the rest of the big three, this blowout was part Djokovic’s own great play, part Humbert’s errors. The Frenchman’s backhand was misfiring a lot during the match, to where Djokovic targeted it consistently to win points. However, Djokovic’s contribution was a flurry of deep and consistent returns to negate any serving advantage, even when Humbert would try and hit his best serve, the lefty swinger out wide from the ad court. This just fell right into a Djokovic backhand, which he took for winners consistently.

Great serve, even better backhand return.

A solid showing from Humbert in a career best showing for him at a Grand Slam, but Djokovic was just too good.

He will face Goffin for a spot in the semifinals next.

(2) Federer d. (17) Berrettini 6-1, 6-2, 6-2

This was the biggest beatdown of the three we witnessed today, and the one least expected. Berrettini, whether it was nerves, an injury, or just a poor performance, looked quite uncomfortable being out there today, getting tight and hitting only 14 winners compared to a whopping 23 unforced errors. He was never in a Federer service game, except for one instance in the third set which was lost by a missed backhand, a deficiency today for him. Federer was all over the court, taking time away both on normal groundstrokes and when returning, throwing Berrettini out of any sort of rhythm.

Federer plays Nishikori next.

(3) Nadal d. Sousa 6-2, 6-2, 6-2

Sousa played really well in the first three rounds of this tournament, but Nadal was a wall he was never going to overcome. His firepower is not quite there, which meant on this surface, Nadal had a power advantage, which was shown in his 29/10 winner to unforced error ratio. Almost perfect stuff from him today, not seeing any break points on his serve, winning 86% percent on the first serve, as well as always being in Sousa’s service game and breaking quickly, going 6/8 on BPs. A good performance, but one he didn’t need to play his best in to still win.

Insane no look pass from Nadal. This sums up the match.

He plays Querrey in the most challenging quarterfinal for the Big 3 on Wednesday.

Other Matches-

(8) Nishikori d. Kukushkin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

(26) Pella d. (15) Raonic 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 8-6

This was an insane shot from Pella to set up a match point on Raonic. A really amazing five setter, and a grueling fight from Pella.

(21) Goffin d. Verdasco 7-6(9), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

(23) Bautista Agut d. (28) Paire 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 ☹ (ab)

Querrey d. Sandgren 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 7-6(5)

Montreal Review-

Rafael Nadal (ESP) captured his record-stretching 35th Masters 1000 title, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 6-3, 6-0 in what quickly became a blowout for the Spaniard. After a nervous first game, where Nadal had to save a break point and continually play 20+ ball rallies with the Russian, the rout was on, as Medvedev seemed tired and broke down in most, if not all, of the long points that the two played. A break came at 2-1* for Nadal, and from there, Medvedev would only hold twice more. A great win for Nadal, as he shows he is ready for the U.S. Open in terms of hard court preparedness (he will also skip Cincinnati to rest up). For Medvedev, another solid week that came up just short of a title. An early exit would not be surprising for him, but he has played really well this summer on his favorite surface.

Highlights-


A happy Rafa.

Washington, Kitzbuhel, Los Cabos Review

A flamboyant champion in the U.S. capital, and a first title on home soil for a rising star. This is the Up The Line Tennis tournament recap for last week on the ATP Tour.

Washington- ATP 500

Nick Kyrgios (AUS) can be described as many things, however, talented will always be correct. His talent was put on full display this week, as he captured his second title of his 2019, both at the 500 level, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 7-6(6), 7-6(4) on Sunday. Kyrgios admittedly did not battle the toughest of opponents through the first few rounds, including a quarterfinal win over lucky loser Norbert Gombos, who had taken the place of fourth seeded Kevin Anderson, who withdrew from another tournament with a continuing elbow issue. However, a stern challenge awaited with top seed and one time doubles partner Stefanos Tsitsipas, which ended up with a 9-7 third set tiebreak win for the Aussie, in what most would call the match of the week. The final was a more straightforward affair in the scoreline, but Kyrgios would not compete without drama, as the Russian took a 5-2 lead in the first set tiebreak, and had a set point at 6-5, and both times Kyrgios upped his level with some commanding groundstrokes to flip the momentum on its head. The second set was more straightforward, with Kyrgios capturing a mini break early on in the tiebreak to take control. The Aussie rises back inside the top 30 for the first time in almost a year, and seems to be finding his form at the right time on his favorite surface.

Kitzbuhel- ATP 250

Dominic Thiem (AUT) had never won a title at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel, only reaching the final in 2014, at the tender of age of 20. He had to wait five years since that day, but finally won on his home soil, defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP), champion at Gstaad last week, 7-6(0), 6-1. The first set was a marathon, including 5 break chances on the Thiem serve and a rain delay midway through. However, Thiem’s level skyrocketed during the tiebreak as he skunked the Spaniard, and broke twice quickly in the second to grab the match by the throat. Continued heavy groundstrokes sealed up the match, and the third title of his 2019, one at each ATP level (Indian Wells 1000, Barcelona 500, Kitzbuhel 250).

Los Cabos- ATP 250

Diego Schwartzman (ARG) seems to post good results on all surfaces, including R4 appearances at both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon in the past year, and a semifinal in Rome on clay. However, the Argentine posted the biggest hardcourt result of his career with a title in Los Cabos, Mexico on Saturday, defeating rising star Taylor Fritz (USA) 7-6(6), 6-3. Schwartzman saved three set points at 0-40, 5-6 in the first set, before setting up three of his own at 6-3 in the tiebreak. However, neither of those sets of three were converted, as Fritz stormed back to 6-6, before a crucial nervous patch caused him to throw in a double fault, allowing Schwartzman to serve it out on set point #4. The second set slowly tipped the way of Schwartzman, as he captured the break to go up 3-1, and from there took the match. An impressive week from both players, as Fritz gets to a career high of 25 with the final, while Schwartzman is slightly higher at 23.

European Championships Review- JB1 Klosters

European Junior Championship winner Valentin Royer

The biggest event on the calendar since Wimbledon for the junior tour came last weekend, in the form of the European Junior Championships. While the tournament was not chock full of the brightest talents on the circuit, stiff competition was still out en masse, including Wimbledon semifinalist Harold Mayot (FRA), Roehampton champion Gauthier Onclin (BEL), and Cuenca champion Flavio Cobolli (ITA). However, none of these young men were crowned the winners this weekend, with the trophy going to Valentin Royer (FRA), who battled past Dalibor Svrcina (CZE) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the final. The final was probably his most challenging match of the week, aside from his quarterfinal against Peter Fajda, the young Hungarian that took down top seed Onclin in the previous round, and has been putting together some good results in Europe this spring and summer, especially in doubles, capturing two titles in the past month. For Royer, this capped off a brilliant stretch, where he swept both the singles and doubles in Klosters, partnering the aforementioned Mayot as they blazed through the field, as well as winning his tuneup in Obrentfelden the week before, not dropping a set there either. Royer rises back to 17 in the world, just off his career high of 16.

Hamburg, Atlanta, Gstaad Review

A repeat champion for the second time on the ATP Tour this year, as well as a Demon-ic performance in Atlanta. This is the UpTheLine Tennis recap of last week on the ATP Tour.

Hamburg- ATP 500

Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) captured his second Hamburg title in a row on Sunday, defeating Andrey Rublev (RUS) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a tightly contested final. Both players have had subpar years so far, with Rublev returning from a major back injury suffered last year, while Basilashvili had been experiencing a dip in form for the majority of the first half of the season. However, Rublev defeated top seed Dominic Thiem on his run, while Basilashvili vanquished the likes of Bastad finalist Juan Ignacio Londero, and Alexander Zverev in what was the match of the tournament, lasting over three hours and chock full of momentum swings. The final was more of the same, as breaks abounded for Rublev early in each set, before the Georgian was able to break twice in quick succession to take the first set. However, Rublev was secure in the second set, before the third set mirrored the first, as Basilashvili did what he did best, dictating points with his insanely clean forehand for a deciding break, before calmly serving his remaining few service games out for his third ATP title, all at the 500 level.

Basilashvili’s precise forehand found the target here.
Gstaad- ATP 250

Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) won his first title three years ago in Bastad, in 2016, before reaching the Monte Carlo final in 2017. It has been a long time since he had graced the limelight, but this weekend was his time, as he defeated Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) 6-3, 6-2 to claim his second title in his career. Stebe, a walking medical patient who has gone through three wrist surgeries in the past year, as well as five other injuries over a six year span that could be considered career threatening, won his first main draw matches since September of 2017, and just his third through sixth wins on the year this week. Stebe has shown promise when he has been healthy, and it showed in the opening few games of each set against the Spaniard, as he hung in there after playing two three setters the previous day. However, Ramos-Vinolas was then able to break twice in each set as Stebe ran out of gas and started both spraying forehands and being crushed by a few ARV groundstrokes. While Stebe would have loved to win the title this week, he should take great pleasure in seeing he can compete at the highest level, and for Ramos-Vinolas, that he can win at the highest level once again.

Atlanta- ATP 250

Alex De Minaur (AUS) has always been described as as a grinder, someone who can get to every ball and wear you down over the course of a match. But on Sunday, the Aussie showed off a new talent; his serve. He captured the title at the BB&T Atlanta Open on Sunday, defeating Taylor Fritz (USA) 6-3, 7-6(2) while winning all but 10 points on serve throughout the match. Through the entire week, he only dropped seven total first serve points and never faced a single break point, an almost unprecedented feat in the history of the tour. Only Tommy Haas (2007 Memphis) and John Isner (2017 Newport) have ever accomplished the same feat. De Minaur never faced too much pressure from Fritz, as his consistency seemed to rattle the American to where back to back breaks were secured to take the first, while all De Minaur needed in the second were a pair of minibreaks in the tiebreak. After struggling with a groin injury that hampered his clay and grass seasons, De Minaur seems to be finding his rhythm again on his favorite surface.

Hot Shot of the Week?

Newport, Bastad, Umag Review

The grass season has been put to bed for the year by an experienced American, while a pair of first time winners have emerged on the summer clay swing in Europe. This is the official Up The Line Tennis recap for last week’s ATP events.

Newport- ATP 250
John, pictured with wife Madison, daughter Hunter, and Newport title #4.

John Isner, not match fit, not 100% healthy, still was able to outlast the field in a brutal week at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, Rhode Island, picking up his first title of the year. The week was not an easy one for the big serving American, as he did not pick up a straight set win on the way to the final, fighting hard against Kamil Majchrzak and Matthew Ebden early, before being down a set and in a tiebreak with Frenchman and Wimbledon fourth round participant Ugo Humbert. From there, Isner found life from the brink of an exit, bouncing back to take the breaker and the set before taking care of the quirky, eccentric Kazakh Alexander Bublik quite routinely in the final. Bublik, appearing in his first tour level final, had also fought through three set matches for the entirety of the week, which was played in oppressive heat and humidity. Isner took the first set in a tiebreak after breaking Bublik, who was serving for the set, and from there, got breaks in Bublik’s first and last service games of the second set to take the win. A much needed title and match practice for John as he looks to defend and gain a lot of points on the summer hard court swing in the U.S. For Bublik, this should give him confidence moving forward his game has a place on the main tour.

Bastad- ATP 250
Nico Jarry finally joins the winners circle

This week was third time lucky for Nico Jarry, who finally captured his maiden ATP title in Bastad with a 7-6(7), 6-4 win over Juan Ignacio Londero. The Chilean did not drop a set all week in his quest to the title, and avenged his defeat over Londero in Feburary, as the Argentinian was en route to a first title of his own in Cordoba. Jarry was down two set points in the tiebreak, but stepped up with some aggressive forehands, his big strength, to save both and take the first set. The break in the second came at 3-3, with more pounding groundstrokes coaxing mistakes from Londero, and all it took from there was two holds to seal the deal. Jarry rises to a career high 38 in the world with the win.

Umag- ATP 250

Dusan Lajovic almost was a first time tour winner at a Masters 1000 event this April, losing in the final in Monte Carlo to Fabio Fognini. It didn’t take too long for him to find a champions trophy, winning 7-5, 7-5 over Hungarian upstart Attila Balazs in the final of the Plava Laguna Open. Lajovic faced little trouble from the majority of his opponents during the week, however, Balazs, a Hungarian who had never made a tour final before, and only one Challenger final, was in control for the majority of both sets. Balazs broke at 3-3*, but Lajovic broke back while against the wall with powerful forehands, and then one more time for the first set. The second was similar to the first, except Lajovic this time was ahead 4-2, and Balazs broke back. Lajovic kept his composure, and broke at 6-5* for the championship.

Junior Wimbledon Recap

Mochizuki’s winning moment

He was talked about in our preview for the Junior Championships, and he was crowned the winner a week later. Shintaro Mochizuki (JPN) is the Junior Wimbledon champion, after defeating Carlos Gimeno Valero (ESP) 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Mochizuki had never played an event on grass before arriving in England to play the J1’s at Nottingham and Roehampton, but quickly acclimated due to his great feel around the net, and some surprisingly powerful groundstrokes from the baseline. However, his journey to the final was not easy. Valentin Royer (FRA) was his first victim, but that only came after an 8-6 final set. After getting to the quarterfinals, Mochizuki was expecting to face top seed and junior RG champ Holger Rune, but he was upset by British eccentric Anton Matusevich. However, he was not to be upset, cruising to a 6-3, 6-3 win. The next match was the toughest for Shintaro, as he took a 10-8 thriller over training partner and close friend Martin Damm (USA). Damm, the son of former US Open doubles finalist Martin Damm, has put together a productive year of his own, but Mochizuki found his level late on to take the match.

Gimeno Valero was the product of a bottom half that fell apart quickly, as he himself took down 3 seed Thiago Augustin Tirante (ARG), and only faced two seeds from there, #13 Filip Jianu and #17 Harold Mayot. The Spaniard was a winner at the J1 Lambare this Feburary, but this event was his breakthrough. However, Mochizuki was much more comfortable with the conditions and the pressure than Valero was, folding quickly.

Juniors action kicks back up soon with the European Championships in Klosters, as well as a host of other events around the world!

ITF WTT Roundup Week of July 8

M25/$25,000 Tournaments – 

Ajaccio, France – Laurent Lokoli (FRA) d. Quentin Robert (FRA) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3

Cassinalbo, Italy – Christian Lindell (SWE) d. Christopher O’Connell (AUS) 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3

Getxo, Spain –  (8) Jules Okala (FRA) d. (1) Carlos Boluda-Purkiss (ESP) 6-4, 6-1

Qujing, China – (2) Yan Bai (CHI) d. (4) Fajing Sun (CHI) 6-3, 6-1

M15/$15,000 Tournaments –

Buenos Aires, Argentina – (7) Genardo Oliviera (ARG) d. (2) Juan Pablo Ficovich (ARG) 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4)

Telfs, Austria – (1) Sandro Ehrat (SUI) d. (5) Alexander Erler (AUT) 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3

Marburg, Germany – (1) Louis Wessels (GER) d. Jesper De Jong (NED) 7-6(4), 7-6(5)

Astana, Kazakhstan – (7) Andrey Golubev (KAZ) d. (2) Denis Yevseyev (KAZ) 6-1, 6-2

Vilnius, Lithuania – (1) Ivan Nedelko (RUS) d. (4) Savriyan Danilov (RUS) 6-4, 5-7, 6-1

Cancun, Mexico – (3) Nicolas Meija (COL) d. (4) Gage Brymer (USA) 6-1, 6-2

Lima, Peru – (2) Oscar Gutierrez (BRA) d. (7) Facundo Juarez (ARG) 6-3, 6-1

Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal – (3) Fred Gil (POR) d. David Jorda Sanchis (ESP) 6-1, 6-2

Tabarka, Tunisia – (1) Enrico Delle Valle (ITA) d. (2) Manuel Pena Lopez (ARG) 6-4, 6-4

Norman, USA – (2) Mark Whitehouse (GBR) d. (6) Ezekiel Clark (USA) 7-6(5), 6-4

ATP Challenger Roundup – Week of 7/8

Perugia, Italy – €46,600 +H

Federico Delbonis, the 1 seed from Argentina, ranked #75 in ATP rankings took home the title in Italy only dropping 2 sets throughout the tournament. Delbonis beat World #164 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain, 6-0, 1-6, 7-6(5) in the final. With this win, Delbonis gets 80 points and is now #70 in the world. This is his 12th ATP Challenger title overall. 7 of his 12 ATP Challenger Titles are all from Italy and all 12 of his Challenger Titles are all played on clay. 

Winnipeg, Canada – $54,160 +H

Home hope Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Canada, came up just short against Daniel Nguyen of the United States in his opening match, as Nguyen made it to the semifinals, his best showing yet at an ATP Challenger. Nguyen won 1-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the first round. Nguyen lost in the semifinal to other home hope Brayden Schnur (ATP #112) and 3 seed of Canada, (6-2, 7-5). However, Schnur lost in the finals to Norbert Gombos of Slovakia (ATP #158) 7-6(3), 6-3. With the win, Gombos gets 80 points and is now 133, which is 53 spots off of his career high ranking of 80, as he is tracking back to his top level. He is now 7-7 in ATP Challenger Finals. 

Winnetka, Illinois, USA – $54,160 +H

#1 seed Bradley Klahn (ATP #87) was dominant in his run this week in Winnetka, not dropping a single set over the course of the tournament, as he beat journeyman Jason Kubler seeded 12th, (ATP #188) of Australia, 6-2, 7-5. Kubler was impressive as well in his run beating Americans Stefan Kozlov and Chris Eubanks. He played one less match than Klahn because of his walkover from fellow Aussie, Thanasi Kokkinakis in the semifinal.  With the victory Klahn receives 80 points and is now #84 in the world, 21 spots off his career high of 63. This is Klahn’s 8th Challenger Title, and he is now 8-6 in Challenger Finals. 

Braunschweig, Germany – €69,280 +H

In a field of top players such as 1 seed Casper Ruud of Norway (ATP #62) and 2 seed Hugo Dellien of Bolivia (ATP #83) and defending champion and last week’s winner and fellow home hope Yannick Hanfmann of Germany, Tobias Kamke (ATP #224) and his quest for a title in his home country fell just short in winning the title losing to Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro seeded 6th (ATP #113), 7-6(6), 6-1. After winning a tight first set Thiago’s play went up a little as Kamke’s play dropped off, only winning 1 game in the final set. Monteiro only dropped 2 sets throughout the whole tournament. With the title, Monteiro gets 90 points and is now ranked #88 and is 14 spots off of his career high ranking of #74. This is Monteiro’s 3rd Challenger Title, and 2nd of 2019, winning earlier in Punta del Este in Uruguay. He is now 3-2 in finals and all his final appearances have come on clay as well.

Day 9 Wimbledon Review

Djokovic survived a stern test from RBA to face Federer, the victor of Fedal XL. This is the official Up The Line Tennis recap of the Wimbledon men’s semifinals.

(1) Djokovic d. (21) Bautista Agut 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Djokovic started out strong, capitalizing on some tension and poor misses from Bautista Agut to take the break in the Spaniard’s opening service game. Overall, RBA was poor in the first set, hitting only five winners compared to eleven unforced errors, which is a ratio no one can have if they expect to win against Djokovic. From there, Djokovic was impervious on his own service games, and broke Bautista Agut again to take the set.

However, Djokovic and RBA switched their playing in the second set, to where RBA was finally hitting through Djokovic like he had shown he could do in their past meetings. This, compounded with Djokovic’s disturbing struggle to find the court at times, meant Bautista Agut took the break at 1*-1, and held calmly to take the set by a single break, even though he had a few more chances to find a double break at 2*-4.

Both players levels skewed back towards their average, which made for a tightly contested third set, where serve was held for most of the set with relative ease, until 2*-3, where Bautista Agut got bullied off the court a little bit, allowing Djokovic to come in at 30-30 and 30-40 for two volleys to take the break. RBA had his chance to break back immediately, with two more break points, but Djokovic did really well to save both, one with a mosnter backhand.

In set four, the Spaniard’s level went away pretty dramatically, after really fighting hard for the first three sets. He got one hold, but was broken back to back times by Djokovic, who took a commanding 5-1* lead, then served it out at 5*-2.

Djokovic was impressive for all but set two today, however, if his level is at or only slightly higher than that, Federer will have an easy time, especially given his performance today against Nadal.

(2) Federer d. (3) Nadal 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

Really impressive performance from Roger today, as he overcame a Nadal who put up a tough fight, but was not at the level we had seen from earlier in the tournament. In the first set, the contest was decided in the tiebreak, as both players held their serves consistently, barely dropping points. The tiebreak dropped into Federer’s lap, or more accurately, he placed it there by taking the full break on Nadal’s serve at 2-3*, reversing the momentum, and getting another mini break for the set.

Set two went completely to Rafa, as Federer looked winded and out of it. Roger saved multiple break points to hold for 1-1*, but Nadal won five straight games to take the set. Most disturbing in that set was Federer’s zero aces, and 59% first serve percentage.

Sets three and four were similar, with a few of the same storylines for Federer; insane tennis, but only able to convert a small amount of his BPs, going 2/7 in the two aforementioned sets. Rafa experienced a bit of a drop off in his tennis, but the quality the two put together was admirable. Federer secured breaks at 1*-2 in the third with some good net rushes, and at 1*-1 in the fourth with a sprayed forehand from Nadal.