The Week In ATP Winners: Soderling Repeats Rotterdam, Almagro Is Awkward

Rotterdam

After last week’s first-time titlists, it’s a bit repeato on the ATP tour this week. Robin Soderling successfully defended a title for the first time in his career, beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 63 36 63 in the final. Oddly, it was Philipp Kohlschreiber who pushed him the hardest all week. But with Djokovic withdrawing and Murray losing in the first round to Baghdatis, it always looked like being Soderling’s week.

Costa do Saiupe

Nicolas Almagro won his second Brasil Open title at a tournament which I … didn’t watch. So I will merely post these mildly amusing photos from the trophy ceremony.

 

It was another solid week for Alexandr Dolgopolov – FYI, I absolutely refuse to call him either the ATP-sanctioned “The Dog” or the popular “Dolly”, sue me – getting to a final. I’m not quite sold on his long-term potential (future top 10, really?) but keeping up the momentum of Australia is a really good sign. I like watching him a lot and I hope he stays healthy.

And so the ‘Golden Swing’ (that just reminds me of a particularly upsetting sex-based episode of geriatric comedy Waiting For God) creaks on to Buenos Aires …

The Big Yin & The Little Ukrainian.

And in ‘matches few saw coming’, Andy Murray will face Alexandr Dolgopolov in the quarter-finals after the latter upset Robin Soderling in five sets.

This may have been the first year that Soderling made it past the second round in Melbourne, but it was still a fantastic match from Dolgopolov, who after a slow start never really looked like losing. More than anything, it was his sheer lightning speed around the court that did for Soderling, who looked slow and lumbering against Dolgopolov’s brilliant retrieving. He defended everything and consistently put Soderling in uncomfortable positions, drawing the error or stinging the Swede with his backhand down the line.

Soderling was visibly frustrated on the court, and wasn’t playing his best, although in this kind of match it’s hard to tell how much comes from the irritatingly brilliant defense down the other end of the court and how much it just wasn’t his day. My theory, for what it’s worth, is that he misses Magnus. Would he have lost if he had that calming, handsome presence benevolently smiling and occasionally nodding at him from his box?

R.I.P. true love.

Not to take anything away from Dolgopolov. The lost Bondarenko brother’s blend of patient aggression and ability to hit winners on the run is very reminiscent of Andy Murray, in fact, so it could be an interesting match in the quarters. Nobody counterpunches better than Murray, though, so I’m betting that Dolgopolov’s shining run of wins against big hitters will come to an end in the next round. Well … I’m hoping. Murray was totally dominant in a 63 61 61 victory over Jurgen Melzer, although I think the support of a certain Billy Connolly may have had something to do with it.

Who could lose with this in their box?!

I just wanted to use these photos.