Carlos Berlocq, Martin Klizan, and Carla Suarez Navarro are this week’s title-takers at the ATP/WTA Oeiras and ATP Munich tournaments.
Well that was an odd statement.
In a draw that featured sixth-ranked Tomas Berdych and ninth-ranked Milos Raonic, Berlocq used his excellent clay-court prowess to beat BOTH of them on his way to his second career title. The Argentine even came back to beat Berdych in the final after losing the first set 6-0. More on Oeiras in a bit.
Martin Klizan also won his second career title, defeating Fabio Fognini in the Munich final. Klizan was ranked as high as 26th in March of 2013, but has since slipped all the way down to #111 in the world and had to participate in the qualifying rounds for this tournament. Keep reading for more on Martin, and the rest of what went down in Munich.
How about Carla Suarez Navarro? The 25-year-old Spaniard won the first title of her career in Oeiras, defeating veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova in her final match. Suarez Navarro, well known for being one of the few women near the top of the rankings to use a one-handed backhand, did not drop a set en-route to the final.
This week’s finals:
-ATP Oeiras: #62 Carlos Berlocq def. #6 Tomas Berdych 0-6 7-5 6-1
-WTA Oeiras: #16 Carla Suarez Navarro def. #29 Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 3-6 6-4
-ATP Munich: #111 Martin Klizan def. #15 Fabio Fognini 2-6 6-1 6-2
ATP 250 Oeiras: Portugal Open
Carlos Berlocq defeated the only two top 10 players in the Portugal Open field, who also happened to be the only top 30 players in the tournament. Berlocq first defeated ninth-ranked Canadian Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals, and then beat sixth-ranked Tomas Berdych in a topsy, turvy, momentum shifting final.
Berdych rolled through the first set 6-0, and it seemed he would soon be taking his second title of the year. You would think a top 10 player would finish off the 62nd ranked player, but Berlocq turned the match around completely in the second set.
Carlos fought to level the match 7-5, and was dominant in the third. Berdych was unable to hold serve even one time in the decider, and consequently lost it 6-1. Not the resiliency you’d expect from such a highly ranked player like Tomas, and I wonder if any of that disappointment will carry over to Madrid. He did make the final though, so he can’t be TOO upset.
Notable Upsets:
#88 Leonardo Mayer def. #40 Joao Sousa 3-6 6-1 6-2 in 1st round.
#243 Rui Machado def. #34 Dmitry Tursunov 6-0 6-0 in 1st round. Yes, that is a real scoreline.
#179 Gastao Elias def. #32 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4 3-6 6-2 in 2nd round.
#62 Carlos Berlocq def. #9 Milos Raonic 7-5 6-4 in QF.
#62 Carlos Berlocq def. #6 Tomas Berdych 0-6 7-5 6-1 in Final.
WTA International Oeiras: Portugal Open
Carla Suarez Navarro finally won her first career title! Most tennis fans/geeks/writers on Twitter were overjoyed for her, and that’s a real testament to the fun and positive attitude she brings to the WTA Tour.
While she did beat Hercog in the semifinals and Kuznetsova in the final, Carla was mostly blessed with an easy draw. Kuznetsova did most of the heavy lifting, taking out 18th-ranked Eugenie Bouchard and 33rd-ranked Elena Vesnina on her way to the final.
Svetlana is gaining momentum the last few weeks, as she has made a habit of doing in the clay season the last few years. She can beat anyone if it’s her day, but could also lose to anyone if she’s off. Such is life for Sveta these days.
Overall, a great tournament for both finalists and a nice Madrid warmup for the rest of the field.
Notable Upsets:
#64 Polona Hercog def. #26 Lucie Safarova 6-3 4-6 6-2 in 2nd round
#117 Irina-Camelia Begu def. #23 Kaia Kanepi 6-4 7-5 in 2nd round
ATP 250 Munich: BMW Open
In March of 2013, Martin Klizan found himself ranked all the way up at number 26. Last week, he was slotted in the 111th spot. He found himself being forced to play in the qualifying rounds in a tournament where 12 months ago he would’ve been one of the top seeds.
After qualifying, Martin went on to beat 15th-ranked and great clay court lover Fabio Fognini in the final. This is the first time a qualifier has won an ATP tournament in 11 months. Klizan also took out 2nd seed Tommy Haas in the semifinals, and 3rd seed Mikhail Youzhny in the 2nd round.
Martin will fly up the rankings this week, and this should give him a huge boost in confidence during the final stretches of the clay season.
Notable Upsets:
#122 Thomaz Bellucci def. #37 Ivan Dodig 7-6(0) 6-4 in 1st round
#96 Jan-Lennard Struff def. #30 Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-4 in 1st round
#117 Albert Ramos def. #42 Lleyton Hewitt 6-7(6) 6-1 6-0 in 1st round
#111 Martin Klizan def. #17 Mikhail Youzhny 6-7(5) 6-2 7-6(2) in 2nd round
#111 Martin Klizan def. #16 Tommy Haas 6-3 6-2 in SF
#111 Martin Klizan def. #15 Fabio Fognini 2-6 6-1 6-2 in Final
Rankings Update: This Week’s Big Movers
ATP
Carlos Berlocq +14 to #48 after his title in Oeiras.
Martin Klizan +50 to #61 after his title in Munich.
Jan-Lennard Struff +24 to #72 after his semifinal run in Munich.
WTA
Irina-Camelia Begu +17 to #100 after semifinal run in Oeiras
Other News and Notes
This week is a huge test for the top players on both tours, as the men have a Masters 1000 and the women a Premier Mandatory in Madrid. Action has been underway now for the last couple of days, and a few interesting things have already unfolded:
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn with a right arm injury, which he was clearly hampered by in Monte Carlo. Let’s hope he’s better before Rome and Roland Garros.
17 year old Belinda Bencic continues to soar this season, and successfully qualified for the Madrid main draw. Unfortunately, she drew Serena Williams as her first opponent, and lost easily, 6-2 6-1.
Sloane Stephens won a match outside of a Slam, beating Monica Niculescu in three sets. Does this count as news?
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