Delray Beach Open 2015: Daily Scores, Results and Draw Schedule
While many ATP eyes will be on Rafael Nadal in Rio this week, there will be some intriguing tennis happening in Florida at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.
Entering the ATP 250 event as the top seed will be World No. 15 Kevin Anderson, who won this tournament in 2012. He'll be challenged by American favorite John Isner, who has been ousted in the semifinals each of the previous three years.
Other interesting names to watch include Sam Querrey and Bernard Tomic.
Querrey, following a disappointing showing at the Australian Open, looked good in Memphis, defeating Isner and playing Kei Nishikori to three close sets in the semis. Tomic, meanwhile, enters unseeded, but the big 22-year-old is clearly dangerous after advancing to the Round of 16 in Australia and the quarters in Memphis.
Let's take a look at how all the action unfolds.
Draw Schedule
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The Delray Beach International Tennis Championships tournament takes place from Monday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 22. An updated look at the draw can be found at ATPWorldTour.com, along with complete daily singles and doubles results and a schedule.
Day 7 Recap
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Men's Singles: Final
No. 4 Ivo Karlovic def Donald Young 6-3, 6-3
Day 7 Recap
Fourth-seeded Ivo Karlovic secured his sixth career ATP singles title—and his first since July 2013—with a no-nonsense victory over Donald Young in just 69 minutes on Sunday afternoon. According to ATPWorldTour.com, the soon-to-be 36-year-old is the oldest winner in Delray Beach Open history.
All week, the massive Croatian found success with his serve, and that was once again true against Young. He crushed 13 serves, saved all seven break points and won 69 percent of his service points.
After losing all four of his finals in 2014, Karlovic, who beat No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Doha earlier this year, is off to a very solid start in 2015. The World No. 29 will look to continue the momentum next week at the Albierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico.
As for Young, the former No. 1 junior is still without an ATP title in two tries. It's a disappointing finish, but he undoubtedly showed some solid signs in Florida this week.
Day 6 Recap
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Men's Singles: Semifinals
Donald Young def. Bernard Tomic 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 Ivo Karlovic def. No. 5 Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4
Day 6 Recap
Only one more match separates Donald Young from his first ATP Tour title. The 25-year-old American downed Bernard Tomic in three sets in the semifinals of the Delray Beach Open on Saturday.
The victory was particularly impressive given Young's struggles on serve. He had a lot of trouble dealing with the constant wind in Delray Beach, Florida, and picked up eight double faults to only two aces. He could only manage to get 44 percent of his first serves in.
After the match, Young admitted that he wasn't in the right frame of mind when play began, which likely exacerbated his issues.
"I took a two-hour nap before the match and woke up irritated," he said, per The Associated Press, via Tennis.com. "Usually those days don't turn out too well."
Instead, Young regained his focus and went about chipping away at Tomic's baseline play. Tomic is a tremendous server—13 aces on Saturday—but he can run into trouble in long rallies. Young exploited that advantage, doing particularly well when targeting Tomic's backhand.
Young will likely deploy a similar game plan against Ivo Karlovic in the final. Karlovic bludgeoned Adrian Mannarino. The Croat accumulated 17 aces and won 82 percent of his first-service points. He also saved all five of Mannarino's break-point opportunities.
If Young is to collect an ATP title, he'll have to figure out Karlovic's serve.
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Day 5 Recap
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Men's Singles: Quarterfinals
Donald Young def. No. 3 Alexandr Dolgopolov 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Bernard Tomic def. Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-1
No. 5 Adrian Mannarino def. Yen-Hsun Lu 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
No. 4 Ivo Karlovic def. No. 7 Steve Johnson 6-2, 7-6(4)
Men's Doubles: Quarterfinals
No. 1 Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan def. John-Patrick Smith and Michael Venus 6-1, 6-3
Day 5 Recap
The semifinal matchups are officially set after a great day of tennis at the 2015 Delray Beach Open, and they are intriguing to say the least.
In the singles draw, American Donald Young continued his strong recent play by upsetting No. 3 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov in three sets. After dropping the first, Young stormed back to reach the semis for the second time in as many tournaments.
According to ATPWorldTour.com, Young is hopeful that he can maintain the momentum after showing a great deal of resilience Friday.
"I thought I fought well. I didn't start off the way I wanted to. He was playing pretty well, hitting through the wind and controlling his shots quite good. I decided to buckle down, fight, go out swinging and got a little more not so conservative and it happened to work. I feel good. Hopefully it's not over yet. ... I'm enjoying it, and I'm going to ride the wave. Hopefully this is not the end and there can be some more.
"
Young has a golden opportunity to reach the final, but in order to do so he must beat Australia's Bernard Tomic. The talented youngster breezed past Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets, which sets up what should be a highly entertaining clash.
Incidentally, Young and Tomic met in the quarterfinals at the Memphis Open last week. Young came out on top in that match, and while it is possible that he has Tomic's number, the Aussie will likely be out for revenge.
On the other half of the draw, fifth-seeded Adrian Mannarino shook off a slow start to blast Yen-Hsun Lu 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. The talented Frenchman looked bewildered in the opening set, but he was able to put it behind him and play nearly flawless tennis the rest of the way.
Mannarino will have a huge challenge on his hands when it comes to reaching the finals, though, as he will meet fourth-seeded Ivo Karlovic in the semis.
The hard-hitting Croatian took care of American Steve Johnson in straight sets, and he showed some great mettle in the process. The 35-year-old veteran faced two break points on serve, which would have given Johnson the second set.
Karlovic refused to falter, and he went on to win the match in a second-set tiebreak. Based on the seeding, the 6'10" big man is now the favorite to take the Delray Beach Open title after finishing as the runner-up in 2010.
It wasn't all about singles play Friday, though, as the top-ranked Bryan Brothers were in action in doubles. The American twins made quick work of their opponents as they tidily beat Australia's John-Patrick Smith and New Zealand's Michael Venus 6-1, 6-3.
The other quarterfinal tilts took place on previous days, which means another American pairing in Rajeev Ram and Eric Butorac is already waiting for the Bryans in the semifinals.
Bob and Mike Bryan will be heavy favorites in that match and to win the tournament, but it has already been proven throughout the Delray Beach Open thus far that almost anything can happen.
Because of that, both the singles and doubles titles are very much up for grabs. The Delray Beach Open may not be viewed as a top-flight tournament, but it has definitely showcased some elite play.
Day 4 Recap
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Men's Singles: Round 2
(3) Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Tim Smyczek; 6-2, 6-4
Donald Young def. Alejandro Gonzalez; 6-3, 6-2
Yoshihito Nishioka def. Marinko Matosevic; 6-1, 6-3
Bernard Tomic def. (8) Viktor Troicki; 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4
For the most part, Thursday's fourth day in Delray Beach was about blowout victories. Third-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov, American Donald Young and younger Yoshihito Nishioka each got past their unseeded opponents with ease, none of them even touching a tiebreaker.
For Bernard Tomic and Viktor Troicki, though, it was a long evening before former was declared a winner. Playing in a back-and-forth match that saw the No. 8 seed Troicki fight his way through a tiebreak to stay alive in the second set, the pair turned in one of the better head-to-head clashes thus far.
Tomic won exactly one more point than Troicki in the match, though he came through on a number of critical ones. Tomic took advantage on 53 percent of Troicki's second-serve opportunities, allowing him to earn four break points that made the difference in the match. Troicki dominated throughout on his first serves, nailing 13 aces and winning more than three quarters of his opportunities.
Nonetheless, Tomic's upset marked a high point on a day that was otherwise yawn-worthy.
Dolgopolov, perhaps the favorite in the event, took down Tim Smyczek 6-2, 6-4 despite struggling for the entire match. He won only 57 percent of his service points.
Young had no such issues on his serves, winning two-thirds of his serves and breaking Alejandro Gonzalez four times in his 6-3, 6-2 win. He'll look to keep pushing toward the final against Dolgopolov in the next round.
The day's most impressive win went to Nishioka, who dropped only four games in his matchup with Marinko Matosevic.
Day 3 Recap
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Men's Singles: Round 2
Yen-Hsun Lu def. No. 1 Kevin Anderson; 7-6 (6), 6-3
No. 4 Ivo Karlovic def. Thanasi Kokkinakis; 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2)
No. 5 Adrian Mannarino def. Denis Kudla; 6-2, 6-2
No. 7 Steve Johnson def. Andrey Rublev; 6-3, 6-3
Day 3 Recap
The top two seeds in action got more than they bargained for, particularly the heavy favorite in top seed Kevin Anderson.
Unseeded upstart Yen-Hsun Lu managed to nab the first-set tiebreaker off Anderson and then closed him out 6-3 in the second set for a stunning upset.
Anderson did just about all he could in smashing 12 aces for the match, but Lu was undeterred, holding his own on second serves to come out on top. Perhaps fatigue, a proverbial hangover or a combination of both plagued Anderson in Del Ray Beach after he lost the Memphis final to Kei Nishikori last week.
Fourth seed Ivo Karlovic was pushed to a tiebreaker in both sets by underdog Thanasi Kokkinakis. Karlovic managed to triumph, though, winning the extra frames 7-4 and 7-2 respectively to advance.
The other two matches offered less suspense and little variety in the scores. No. 5 Adrian Mannarino easily disposed of Denis Kudla with identical 6-2 sets, while American Steve Johnson kept native hopes afloat by defeating Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-3.
It's really anyone's tournament to win now that Anderson has been bounced. His huge serve was a huge asset on the hard courts, so Karlovic has to be looked upon as a favorite moving forward.
The most notable name to continue his run in Las Vegas on Day 4 is Alexandr Dolgopolov. The third seed will face off against Tim Smyczek. Based on how this event has gone with Anderson and Isner losing, even Dolgopolov and the best remaining players in the draw can't be presumed to be safe.
Day 2 Recap
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Men's Singles: Round 1
No. 1 Kevin Anderson def. John-Patrick Smith, 6-3, 6-3
No. 5 Adrian Mannarino def. Eric Quigley, 6-4, 6-4
Andrey Rublev def. Dudi Sela, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
Alejandro Gonzalez def. No. 6 Sam Querrey, 6-3, 2-1 (Querrey retired)
Tim Smyczek def. Stefan Kozlov, 7-5, 6-2
Bernard Tomic def. Malek Jaziri, 6-3, 6-3
Marinko Matosevic def. No. 2 John Isner, 6-4, 6-4
Yen-Hsun Lu def. Sam Groth, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4
Thanasi Kokkinakis def. Filip Krajinovic, 6-2, 6-3
No. 7 Steve Johnson def. Mikhail Kukushkin, 6-3, 4-1 (Johnson retired)
Donald Young def. Ivan Dodig, 7-5, 7-5
No. 8 Viktor Troicki def. Stephane Robert, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1
Yoshihtito Nishioka def. Igor Sijsling, 7-5, 6-1
Day 2 Recap
Two of the favorites in this tournament have been eliminated without so much as advancing past the first round, as No. 2 John Isner lost and No. 6 Samm Querrey was forced to withdraw.
Isner, who had reached the semifinals in his three previous Delray Beach Opens, lost to Marinko Matosevic, 6-4, 6-4.
“Disappointing, because I expect more out of myself," Isner told ATPWorldTour.com. "I didn’t do anything well tonight. I had a few chances, I just didn’t do the right things out there."
That's not completely true—Isner did smash 16 aces—but the result was nonetheless a poor one for one of the tournament favorites.
Querrey was less lucky, as an injury forced him to retire from his match against Alejandro Gonzalez.
"I think I had a sudden movement at the net and kind of jerked my back a little bit," Querrey told told ATPWorldTour.com. "It’s an injury that I felt before, but never on a specific motion like this. My lower back just kind of tightened up, and I can’t really move it in any direction."
While losing both players was a surprise, No. 1 seed Kevin Anderson and No. 5 Adrian Mannarino advanced without much incident, while No. 7 Steve Johnson moved on after Mikhail Kukushkin was forced to retire. No. 8 Viktor Troicki had one of the more exciting matches of the day, needing all three sets to knock off Stephane Robert, setting up an intriguing matchup in the second round against Bernard Tomic, also a winner on the day.
Day 1 Recap
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Men's Singles: Qualifying
John-Patrick Smith def Robby Ginepri 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
Eric Quigley def No. 2 Victor Hanescu 6-5, 5-7, 6-4
No. 3 Thanasi Kokkinakis def No. 7 Alex Kuznetsov 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 Yoshihito Nishioka def Sekou Bangoura 7-6(5), 6-4
Men's Singles: Round 1
Denis Kudla def Lukas Lacko 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 Alexandr Dolgopolov def Teymuraz Gabashvili 7-6(4), 6-3
Day 1 Recap
There were only two first-round matches on the tournament's opening day, but there wasn't a lack of excitement, as No. 3 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov got a mini scare from Teymuraz Gabashvili.
The 26-year-old Ukranian had difficulty taking advantage of opportunities in the opening set, winning just one of six potential break-point opportunities. Gabashvili, on the other hand, won his only break point to send the set into a tiebreak. Dolgopolov was able to prevail, though, and strolled through an easier second set to take the match.
Ultimately, the favorite's serve was too much for Gabashvili, as he crushed nine aces and won 70 percent of his service points.
In the day's other match, Denis Kudla continued his momentum after a solid showing in Memphis, knocking off World No. 87 Lukas Lacko. Kudla controlled the match throughout, winning 56 percent of the total points. He earned three break points and needed just 65 minutes to advance.
Dolgpolov will take on the winner of Tim Smyczek and Stefan Kozlov, while Kudla will get either No. 5 seed Adrian Mannarino or qualifier Eric Quigley.
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