Editor’s Note: Around the Post will be a weekly wrap up of the events on the ATP and WTA tours. We introduce the column today, here at LWOS.
While the REAL start to the clay season is this week in Monte Carlo, last week featured two ATP 250 events along with two WTA International events. All four provided great entertainment, fun finals, and very worthy champions.
If you happened to miss any of the action last week/this weekend, well it’s your lucky day! I’m here to summarize each event this week.
First, here’s the score lines for each final this week:
–ATP Houston: #29 Fernando Verdasco def. #20 Nicolas Almagro 6-3 7-6(4)
-ATP Casablanca: #53 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. #36 Marcel Granollers 5-7 6-4 6-3
-WTA Katowice: #23 Alize Cornet def. #54 Camila Giorgi 7-6(3) 5-7 7-5
-WTA Bogota: #71 Carolina Garcia def. #8 Jelena Jankovic 6-3 6-4
Now let’s go through each tournament and see how those results happened, and what each means in our Around The Post Weekly Wrap-Up.
ATP Houston: U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship
In a field that featured 9th ranked and top American John Isner, it was the 29th ranked Fernando Verdasco that lifted the trophy on Sunday.
Verdasco took out Nicolas Almagro in the final, which was one of two finals this week with both players hailing from Spain.
Isner was the defending champion in Houston, but in the second round it was the dangerous but low-ranked Dustin Brown who upended him. Brown was defeated in the next round by 82nd ranked Sam Querrey. However, Querrey then pulled out of the semifinals with a back injury, giving Nicolas Almagro a spot in the final. Verdasco defeated Santiago Giraldo in the other semifinal.
What this means to the champion: Fernando Verdasco has always had the talent, he just hasn’t always been able to put everything together over a week”s (or two in slams) time. Hopefully, Verdasco will keep this momentum going into the heat of the clay season, and possibly upset a higher seed in Roland Garros.
Notable Upsets:
- #84 Santiago Giraldo def. #14 Tommy Robredo 6-3 6-4 in 2nd round.
- #94 Jack Sock def. #52 Ivo Karlovic 6-1 6-4 in 1st round.
ATP Casablanca: Grand Prix Hassan II
With four players in the top 36, most wouldn’t predict someone outside those top seeds to win this ATP 250 event in Morocco.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, the 30 year old from Spain, had other plans.
While Garcia-Lopez is ranked 54th in the world, we often don’t hear much about him outside of the clay season. He defeated Marcel Granollers, a player who has consistently been in the top 40 the past few years, in the final. Granollers defeated Federico Delbonis in his semifinal, while Garcia-Lopez beat Roberto Carballes-Baena. Many long, hyphenated, Spanish names in this draw.
Notable Upsets:
- #89 Victor Hanescu def. #19 Kevin Anderson 6-4 6-4 in 2nd round
- #53 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. #33 Benoit Paire 7-5 7-6(4) in QF
WTA Bogota: Claro Open Colsanitas
While this may have looked like a straightforward draw for Jelena Jankovic and Sloane Stephens to meet in the final, it did not turn out that way. They were the only two players in the top 50 playing in Bogota, and Jankovic won all of her matches in straight sets leading up to the final.
However, it wasn’t Stephens she would face in the final match.
Sloane lost to native Colombian Mariana Duque-Marino in her FIRST match, 6-3 6-3. Sloane continues to struggle outside the slams, and I’m not sure if that’s changing anytime soon.
It was the 71st ranked frenchwoman Caroline Garcia who took advantage of an easy draw, and booked her place in the final after defeating 72nd ranked American Vania King in the semis.
Garcia was facing Jankovic for the third time, and all previously had been tight, wild matches. Now many would’ve predicted a routine match this time, and they would be correct.
However, it was Garcia who prevailed in straights, 6-3 6-4.
What This Means For the Champion: Caroline Garcia, the 20 year old Andy Murray predicted would someday be number one, has made some strides this season already. She pushed eventual champion and world number one Serena Williams to a 3rd set in Miami this season, and her first title should give her a lot of confidence going into the clay season and her home slam fast approaching.
Notable Upsets:
- #114 Mariana Duque-Marino def. #18 Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-3 in 2nd round
- #71 Caroline Garcia def. #8 Jelena Jankovic 6-3 6-4 in Final
WTA Katowice: BNP Paribas Katowice Open
Many haven taken to calling this tournament the “Aga Invitational” because it takes place in Agnieszka Radwanska’s home nation of Poland.
However, she was knocked out in the semis by Alize Cornet, who went on to claim the title after beating Camila Giorgi.
Cornet, who beat Serena Williams about a month ago in Doha, has seemed to put something together mentally that hasn’t been there in previous years. Alize won her last four matches in wild three-setters, including two sets she lost 6-0. She’s a player who definitely plays better when confident, so she’ll be thrilled with her first hard-court title of her career.
It was a first time final for the Italian Camila Giorgi, who has been known as a great young talent on the women’s tour. Before this tournament, Giorgi had not even been to a quarterfinal at any other WTA event. Hopefully she keeps in this form throughout the season. Watch out for Camila.
Notable Upsets:
- #54 Camila Giorgi def. #16 Roberta Vinci 6-3 6-7(7) 6-0 in 2nd round.
- #54 Camila Giorgi def. #17 Carla Suarez-Navarro 7-6(3) 6-2 in SF.
- #23 Alize Cornet def. #3 Aga Radwanska 0-6 6-2 6-4 in SF.
This week featured four tournaments that will really help the confidence of the champions and finalists heading into the gut of the tennis calendar. We’re about to head down the stretch of the clay swing, which may be the single most important part of the year for men and women who wish to raise their ranking.
This week we have a big event on the ATP side (Monte Carlo), and a small event on the WTA side (Kuala Lumpur). Thanks for reading, and make sure and come back next week for the Around the Post: Weekly Wrap-Up!
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