Damien Kayat takes a look at the selected fixtures from the ATP World Tour Series taking place in Rotterdam.
2019 ATP Tour
ATP World Tour 500 Series
Rotterdam Open
Ahoy Rotterdam- Indoor Hardcourts
Selected Quarterfinals- 15th February
Denis Shapovalov (9) (21/20) vs Stan Wawrinka (7/10)
The road to recovery for ‘Stan the Man’ has certainly been a rollercoaster ride; a rollercoaster which has more often than not plummeted downwards. Wawrinka aggravated a pre-existing knee injury in the early part of last season which forced him to miss three months of tennis. The three-time Grand Slam Champion really struggled in the early phases of his comeback. His form did however improve slightly as he got some matches under his belt.
A quarterfinal in Cincinnati was followed by a semi-final showing at the St Petersburg Open. He managed to beat red-hot Karen Khachanov en route to a quarterfinal finish at the season opening Qatar Open. He underwhelmed in Melbourne and needs a good run to reintroduce some positivity to his game. But he has looked ominous this week, with back-to-back victories over Benoit Paire and Milos Raonic. The Raonic win was of special significance because it avenged his Aussie Open defeat.
19 year-old Canadian posterchild Shapovalov has some way to go to realize the potential that he hinted at in the early salvos of his career. Shapovalov’s major breakthrough came in that herculean run at the 2017 Roger’s Cup. He became the youngest man ever to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final. But his form has been extremely erratic over the last year. He did reach three semi-finals last season, though two of those came fairly early in the campaign.
It came as a surprise that his most notable foray came on the clay of Madrid. But he seemed to tire as the season progressed, which may just be a natural consequence for someone as young and inexperienced as Shapovalov. Victory in the first round of this year’s Aussie Open actually broke a streak of four consecutive defeats. He looked compact in Melbourne, actually taking a set off eventual champ Novak Djokovic in the 3rd Round. He reached the quarters in Montpellier but still seems unable to string together a meaningful sequence of results.
Shapovalov leads the head-to-head 1-0, with victory at last year’s Japan Open. To be fair to Wawrinka, it’s hard to really judge the Swiss from last year’s exertions. He is an arch competitor who should have the experience to see of the Canadian: let’s not forget that he was champion here in 2015. Perhaps a hard-fought three-set victory at 11/4 for Stan is the best bet here.
Kei Nishikori (1) (1/4) vs Marton Fucsovics (3/1)
Kei Nishikori’s excellent start to the season showed little signs of abating in his dismantling of Gulbis in the last round. He progressed to 10-1 in a season which has already proved hugely significant for the Japanese star. His Brisbane title broke an unwanted record of nine consecutive ATP Final defeats. He also managed to reach the quarterfinals in Melbourne prior to withdrawing. Three epic five-set matches had taken its toll on the Energizer Bunny of men’s tennis. It’s actually fairly amazing how Nishikori has performed over the last year. Prior to last season’s New York Open Nishikori hadn’t played on the main tour for five months. His game is based on a high-octane approach that requires his body to be in optimum condition. Many felt that his litany of injuries spelled doom for his career. But he is arguably playing his most consistent tennis ever and will take some beating this week.
Marton Fucsovics is a hard working player who has incrementally worked his way up through the ranks. His breakthrough came at last year’s Aussie Open, where he became the first Hungarian men’s player to reach the 4th round of a slam since the 80’s. He has looked impressive this week, taking down a dangerous pair in Klizan and Basilashvilli. He also enters this event in tremendous form having reached the Sofia Open Final last week. He would ultimately go down to the incredibly talented Danil Medvedev. He captured the Geneva Open title last season, perfectly highlighting his capacity to go deep in an event. He is one of the hardest hitters on tour with average groundstrokes that are comparable with the very best.
This will be the first time these two ultra-competitors have ever met. Both are entering this event in blistering form. Nishikori had quite a scare with his opening match against Hebert, showing his vulnerability to a player willing to go toe-to-toe from the baseline with him. I see that exact same potential in the guise of Fucsovics. He is well worth a gander at 3/1.
