The Erste Open may only be an ATP 250 event but it is an event which has always attracted some of the worlds very best and this year is full of talent from the top of the draw right down to the bottom. Defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has opted to play in Stockholm this week and so there is room for a new champion here this week. Home favourite Jurgen Melzer, who won the event back in 2009 and 2010 is in the draw as is the 2001 champion, Tommy Haas. There a few strong contenders for this weeks title and I'm going to look at who they might be so let's get straight into it.
The first thing to look at when looking for contenders at this stage of the season is who is still in the running to make it to the year end championships and what do they need to do. The players just outside the top eight at the moment will be desperate to win this week to gain valuable points and we have a few contenders in this draw. The main one is top seed Juan Martin Del Potro. Delpo is currently just on the limit of qualifying but has lost ground on some after missing the Masters 1000 event in Shanghai last week. This week provides a chance for him to put some distance between himself and those outside the top eight. The Argentine has made huge strides this year to returning to the top. He has taken time to get back to the level he was at before his wrist surgery but I think next season could be big for him. He has to be the strong favourite here in my opinion and I don't think anyone in the draw could beat him if he played at his best. His biggest threat to making the semi final could be the dangerous Robin Haase.
Janko Tipsarevic is the second seed and he is currently just outside the qualifying spot having lost to Haas early last week. Tipsy is now firmly established in the top ten and he does have the ability to beat the best players. He is guilty of under performing against weaker opponents and that is a huge draw back for him. I like his style and mentality and with that extra motivation to do well this week he certainly has a chance to win this title. He should certainly make the semi final looking at his draw with the deceiving Fabio Fognini or unpredictable Ernests Gulbis likely to be his toughest opponents.
Two time champion Jurgen Melzer has sort of dropped off the pace in the last year. He was making giant leaps forward in his career and even won the Wimbledon doubles title with Philipp Petszchner a few years back. This season hasn't been one of his best but there have been flashes of the talent we know he has. He has won this title twice before so he clearly likes the event. Of course, the main reason is probably because it's his home event. The two titles he won were back when he was moving forward in the game. Right now, I don't think he's moving forward but then again he isn't going backwards either. He won a title in Memphis with a broken toe and beating five quality opponents along the way but he had a horrible Summer. I think he'll be good this week with the crowd behind him and he is a possible winner.
The man I am watching this week is Tommy Haas. He is without doubt one of the form players and he has performed well in ATP 250 and 500 events all year. Last week he beat Nicolas Almagro and Janko Tipsarevic before losing to an incredible Novak Djokovic. He has a nice draw this week and should reach a semi final. Xavier Malisse is his biggest threat and they would meet in a quarter final but I think Haas is playing too good for the Belgian and I would be shocked if he isn't in a semi final. Tipsarevic would be his semi final opponent and that will encourage the German having beaten the Serb 6-2 6-1 last week. I like Haas' chances this week and he could be a surprise winner.
Other players worth a mention this week are Benoit Paire, who has had a strong year so far, and I would watch out for Ernests Gulbis and Marinko Matosevic who are capable of causing upsets but consistency could be their downfalls. I think the Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro will win the title this week. He has great motivation and a nice enough to draw ease his way into form. I envisage a final against veteran Tommy Haas and I think Delpo will have just too much for the German.
No comments:
Post a Comment