7-Oct 2013 W.A.T.C.H. List: Who’s Achieved Their Career Highs This Week?

It’s a big week, and a big list, so let’s cut right to it:

Player	NATIONALITY	Age	New High
Federico Delbonis	ARG	23	56
Edouard Roger-Vasselin	FRA	29	64
Jack Sock	USA	21	78
Julian Reister	GER	27	88
Tim Smyczek	USA	25	91
Dominic Thiem	AUT	20	146
Facundo Bagnis	ARG	23	148
Facundo Arguello	ARG	21	152
Marco Cecchinato	ITA	21	161
Radu Albot	MDA	23	174
Nick Kyrgios	AUS	18	177
Norbert Gombos	SVK	23	195
Blaz Rola	SLO	23	201
Marton Fucsovics	HUN	21	230
Enrique Lopez-Perez	ESP	22	236
Lorenzo Giustino	ITA	22	250
Daniel Cox	GBR	23	254
Valery Rudnev	RUS	25	257
Hiroki Kondo	JPN	30	276
Chase Buchanan	USA	22	282
Kimmer Coppejans	BEL	19	286
Thiago Monteiro	BRA	19	287
Mikhail Biryukov	RUS	21	292
Bjorn Fratangelo	USA	20	293

Normally the list only (arbitrarily) charts career high rankings from #60 to #300ish, but I’m including Federico Delbonis for sentimental reasons. And because he’s the highest-ranked player who follows me on Twitter.  So IF YOU WANT TO GET ON THIS LIST, TOP 60, YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW ME!

Because You Gotta Have Fede

I also listed Delbo because he’s Argentinian, just like 33% of rest of this List’s Top 10.  As with every week, the Argies keep on comin’; since I started the List again about a month ago, there’s not been a single week that it hasn’t included at least one Argentine, and usually it’s many more than that.  In fact, I doubt there will be a week in the next few months in which the Argies won’t barge into the List.

Since I didn’t highlight him last week, I want to highlight Tim Smyczek this week, as breaking into the Top 100 was a big goal of his.  Last week he entered the Top 100 right at 100, but this past week’s Sacramento Challenger finalist showing (l. to Donald Young) pushes him well into the Top 100 at #91.

Speaking of The Donald (as I was above in parentheses), I paid everyone a disservice on Twitter when I broadcast my calculation that he’d be returning to the Top 100 at ~#98 as a result of his Sacramento title.  I still don’t know exactly how I missed it (it seems 10 points came off his ranking, but I didn’t see that as of last night), but Donald tragically languishes around #103 this week — not 98.

While it’s still far from Young’s career high, he’s been on quite the buttery roll lately; he’s now won ten consecutive matches for the first time in his pro career.

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Which Teen(s) Will Make The Top 200 Before Turning 20?

Today’s post finds me musing about teens in the Top 200.  As you tennis geniuses (genii?) probably already know, the average age of the Top 100 keeps on rising and rising (it currently sits at 27ish). Today, men over 30 are reaping tremendous results on the ATP World Tour, and gone are the days of the Beckers (Boris, not Benji), the Kricksteins, and the Ariases (Arii?) bashing their way into the Top 20 whilst still comfortably in their teens.

As of this writing, there is only one teen in the Top 200 — the 18-year-old Australian wunderkind Nick Kyrgios at #188.  Dominic Thiem almost joined him for a spell, but turned 20 just six days before hitting the T200*.  19-year-old Lucas Pouille of France is poised right on the cusp of Top 200dom at #202.  It seems reasonable to expect the Frenchman will join Kyrgios soon, and probably well before he turns 20 on the 23rd of February, 2014.

Which leads me to wonder: which teen(s) do you think have what it takes to make it and join Nick and (possibly) Lucas before he turns 20?  Will it be:

Filip It And Reverse It

Filip Peliwo – the Boys’ US Open and Wimbledon champion and junior #1 (on 7-Sept 2012) has been adjusting fairly well to life on the pro circuit, with a 29/19 record, a challenger semifinal (Lexington) and a Futures final to his name this year.  At ATP #283, he has a ways to go to make the Top 200, and just over four months to do it. On the plus side, he only has 7 ATP points coming off between now and then. The gregarious Canadian will turn 20 on the 30th of January, 2014.  Odds of making it: 14%

Kimmer, Kimmer, Chicken Dinner

Kimmer Coppejans – the Belgian 19-year-old was the Junior #1 just a couple of months before Peliwo grabbed the top spot, and beat the Canadian to claim the 2012 Roland Garros Boys title. Kimmer’s also having a better year than Filip, at 41/18 with a Challenger SF (Meknes) and 5 Futures titles on his 2013 CV.  He’s now ranked just 10 rungs below Peliwo at #293, but he has almost 10 days more to get into Top 200ville; his 20th birthday falls on the 7th of February, 2014. And he has precisely 0 (zero) ATP points coming off his ranking before then.  Just last month he said his end-of-year goal was to make the Top 300.  Methinks he needs a new goal. Odds of making it: 27%

Brazil F1 Futures Update!

All first round matches have now been played, and it’s so far so good for the seeds in Sao Paulo; [1] Rogerio Dutra Da Silva, [2] Guillermo Alcaide, [3] Ulazdimir Ignatik, [4] Ciao Zampieri, [5] Ricardo Hocevar, [6] Tsung-Hua Yang, [7] Thomas Fabbiano and [8] Daniel Silva all won in straight sets (well, except for Alcaide – thanks for ruining my narrative, Guillermo!) to advance to round two of the Brazil F1 Futures Bradesco Prime Cup.

Two talented Brazilian youngsters – 17 year-old former world junior #1 Tiago Fernandes and 16 year-old Thiago Moura Monteiro* – put up decent fights against their more-seasoned opponents, Fernandes losing 1-6 5-7 to the Italian Fabbiano and Monteiro going down 3-6 4-6 to the Belarussian Ignatik.

Tiago Fernandes – Coming Soon To a Court Near You

Among the non-seeds, there were a few noteworthy results, which I shall now note. Friend of the site Fernando Romboli continued his 11-match roll in defeating Danilo Ferraz 6-1 6-4, keeping his potential Player To Watch hopes alive. The 21 year-old from Rio admitted coming into the tournament he was a little tired, having won the season-ending Brazil F37 and F38 tournaments in back-to-back weeks heading into this one. But he had no trouble in dispatching his countryman, who had been coming ever closer to beating Fernando in their previous four matches. Alas, Ferraz couldn’t match Romboli’s newfound form, and is now 0-5 against Fernando in their head-to-head meetings, with four of those losses coming this year.  Romboli will go for his 12th straight win against the fifth seeded Hocevar in R2.

Fernando Romboli looks forward toward potential Player To Watchdom

Gastao Elias also posted an encouraging win, taking out the winner of the awesomely-matched Racy-Semenzato FQR, beating the qualifier Bruno Semenzato 6-4 6-1. Elias is someone who once graced the great Steve G.’s “Young Guns” spreadsheet over at the soon-to-be-sadly-defunct stevegtennis.com. A former #6 combined junior in the world who won the Eddie Herr International in 2007, the 21 year-old Portuguese Davis Cup stalwart has been absolutely crippled by injuries the past couple of years. Great to see him on his feet of late and hopefully healthy. He’ll play top-seed Dutra Da Silva (who, according to this article, is brother of eighth seed Daniel) in the next round.

Elias – on his feet again (although he’s off them in this particular photo)

More updates coming soon – watch this space!

*You say “Tiago”, I say “Thiago” – let’s call the whole thing off.