ATP 250: Moscow, Vienna, Stockholm

It's the last week of 250 tournaments in 2014 - usually quiet, providing a chance to players ranked below 30 to win some points and earn a bit of cash.
Not this year!

3 places are still available for the World Tour Final, and all potential candidates from top 10-15: Ferrer, Murray, Raonic, Dimitrov are eager to play back to back weeks now.



ATP 250 Moscow, indoor hard

Played indoors in Russia's bustling and chilly capital of Moscow in October, the Kremlin Cup by Bank of Moscow became the country's first pro international tennis tournament when it was founded in 1990. Russian players have dominated the event, winning 14 of the 21 titles, with Yevgeny Kafelnikov winning a record five consecutive titles between 1997-2001. In 2011, Janko Tipsarevic defeated Viktor Troicki in the first-ever all-Serbian final on the ATP World Tour.


Players: 
Raonic, Gulbis, Cilic, Fognini, Robredo, Agut, Youzhny, Kukushkin,Vesely, Berankis, Lajovic, Krajinovic, Krstin
Draw: 
http://www.atpworldtour.com/posting/2014/438/mds.pdf
Order of Play: 
http://www.atpworldtour.com/posting/2014/438/op.pdf



ATP 250 Vienna, indoor hard

The Austrian capital of Vienna is the country's most populous city with 1.7 million residents and the nation's cultural, political and business centre. The Erste Bank Open, played each year in late October, is regularly frequented by the world's Top 10 players, with 18 of the 25 ATP World Tour's No. 1 players having competed in Vienna.


Players:
Ferrer, Murray, Lopez, Kholschreiber, Rosol, Karlovic, Thiem, Melzer, GG Lopez, Strakhovski, Klizan
Draw:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/posting/2014/337/mds.pdf
Order of Play:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/posting/2014/337/op.pdf

ATP 250 Stockholm, indoor hard
The If Stockholm Open was first held in 1969 and has been held at the Kungliga Tennishallen except for 1989-1994, when it was held at the Globe Arena. There have been six different Swedish titlists in the tournament's history. Thomas Johansson was the last home-grown titlist in 2004.


Players:
Berdych, Dimitrov, Anderson, Dolgopolov, Chardy, L. Mayer, Herbert, Mannarino, Golubev, Young, Brown, Tomic, Sock, Sijsling, Verdasco, Sousa
Draw:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/posting/2014/429/mds.pdf
Order of Play:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/posting/2014/429/op.pdf

Thiem lost to Hasse.  

I didn't expect that, though Haase is a decent player. Maybe itt's the home crowd. Melzer lost, too.

Match of the day:
Dolgopolov-Mannarino (about 8 pm UK time)

also of interest:

Raonic-Berankis (11.30 am UK time)
Chardy-Sock
Murray-Pospisil

Berankis wins the first set 6:3.
I'd better have a look

And Berankis wins!
Playing Agut tomorrow, now that one should be really good.

Anyone watching Dolgo-Mannarino?

Some serious talent on display

Third set tie-break!

Jaw-dropping tennis.

And Mannarino wins 6:4 6:7 7:6.
Dolgo

Mannarino...what a BH!

Superb tennis from both, they made the "big boys" look like pussy cats...I really enjoyed it!

Wish I had watched that one.

But teh question is can they pull those same shots out of Ferrer's shots?

What do you think?
We can always ask Andy Murray.

Match of the day:

Berankis-Agut
Gulbis-Seppi
Robredo-Cilic
Sock-Dimitrov
Verdasco-Tomic

There will be  Davy retitement ceremony in Moscow after Yoizhny-Kukushkin (about 5 uk time)

Agut manages to edge Berankis in the first set 7:5,  time to find a stream as tennis tv are showing Verdasco pounding Tomic instead

It looks like Nadal is going to skip the WTF, and my guess is he won't play Basel and Paris either.
This time it is "the surgery".
They are removing the only tiny bit of "guts he ever had , the useless one - appendix.

noleisthebest wrote:It looks like Nadal is going to skip the WTF, and my guess is he won't play Basel and Paris either.
This time it is "the surgery".
They are removing the only tiny bit of "guts he ever had , the useless one - appendix.

Very good.

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:It looks like Nadal is going to skip the WTF, and my guess is he won't play Basel and Paris either.
This time it is "the surgery".
They are removing the only tiny bit of "guts he ever had , the useless one - appendix.

Very good.

I couldn't help myself.

Match of the day:

Gulbis-Agut
Murray-Troicki
Tomic-Dimitrov
Ferrer-Kohlschreiber


Not bad for a 250 week!

"Russian Tennis Federation President Shamil Tarpischev has been fined $25,000 by the WTA Tour and suspended from tour involvement for a year for questioning Serena and Venus Williams' gender in comments on Russian television last week.

Tarpischev appeared on the Russian late-night show "Evening Urgant" alongside former WTA player Elena Dementieva last week. When Dementieva was asked what it was like to play against the Williams sisters, Tarpischev jumped in and referred to them as the "Williams brothers," according to multiple reports."

Scary!
http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/11718876/russian-tennis-federation-president-shamil-tarpischev-sanctioned-serena-venus-williams-gender-comments

The ultimate irony is that Russia seems to be the only place with free speech these days...

After the promisng start, Troicki blows the first set against Murray.
Over to Dimi-Tomi....

In the light of Ferrer what a talent! thread, it was real fun watching Ferrer edge Kholi in the 3rd set tie-break.

He will be very tired playing Murray in the final tomorrow. Another back-to-back week match for the place in the WTF between the two, should be fun.
And then...they both play in Valencia, could meet third week in a row!

So...finals day today!

Ferrer-Murray
Berdych- Dimitrov
Agut-Cilic

Anyone watching Murry-Ferrer?
Ferrer won first set 7:5.

Ferrer serving for the title and a place at the WTF!

Murray's levels of self-flaggelation reaching new "heights"

Murray breaks back (Ferrer chokes and DFs on the BP) and now serving to stay in the match.

....and holds, 5 all!

Murray breaks and it's he who's serving for the title now....

I'd love to see a TB!

And Murray wins 7:5, securing his spit in London.
ATP 250 in Vienna has never has so much on the line

Does this now mean Ferry is out of the WTF?
Poor thing, he looked so dejected in that last game and at the handshake...

Just had a look at the live ATP race:

1 Novak Djokovic SRB 9010 - - - - -
2 Roger Federer SUI 8020 - Basel R32 - 8065 8520
3 Rafael Nadal ESP 6745 - Basel R32 - 6790 7245
4 Stan Wawrinka SUI 4805 - Basel R32 - 4850 5305
World Tour Finals Qualification Cut 4545
5 Kei Nishikori JPN 4265 - - - - -
6 Marin Cilic CRO 4150 - - Moscow W - -
7 Tomas Berdych CZE 4005 - Stockholm F - 4105 4105
8 Andy Murray GBR 3885 +2 Valencia R32 Vienna W 3910 4365
9 David Ferrer ESP 3775 - Valencia R32 Lost in Vienna F 3775 4185
10 Milos Raonic CAN 3750 -2 Basel R32 Lost in Moscow R16 3795 4250
11 Grigor Dimitrov BUL 3555 - Stockholm F - 3655 3655

Basically, only if Nadal does not turn up do Ferrer, Raonic and even Dimitrov have a chance for the last remaining spot. Or is it two spots since Berdich hasn't officially qualified either?
Dimi one set all against Berd in Stockholm atm, he has everything to play for!
Interesting...

noleisthebest wrote:And Murray wins 7:5, securing his spit in London.
ATP 250 in Vienna has never has so much on the line

Does this now mean Ferry is out of the WTF?
Poor thing, he looked so dejected in that last game and at the handshake...

What about Paris and next week...so I don;t think the race is over.

Tenez wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:And Murray wins 7:5, securing his spit in London.
ATP 250 in Vienna has never has so much on the line

Does this now mean Ferry is out of the WTF?
Poor thing, he looked so dejected in that last game and at the handshake...

What about Paris and next week...so I don;t think the race is over.

I hope so...I find all this qualifying business a bit confusing...

Soderling is alive! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObzYcsgCcL4