BNP PARIBAS Paris-Bercy Masters 1000

[klacr]

Well, the end of the season is upon us. The regular season that is. For most tour players the final stop in their competitive year is Paris Indoors.

(An Elite 8-Berdych included- head to London to cap off 2015)

So, what can we expect in Paris? Perhaps more of the same we've seen the whole year. Djokovic domination. Perhaps Federer can get into finals. How fast are the courts playing? Paris has usually played quick. Federer's 1st opponent in Paris is the man that shocked him in Melbourne. Andreas Seppi. Nadal will have to face winner of Guillermo Garcia Lopez or lukas Rosol. Neither man is afraid or intimidated by the Nadal mystique. Rosol nearly beat him last week in Basel.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/paris/352/draws

Top half of Draw Contenders
Djokovic
Berdych
Wawrinka
Nadal

Bottom Half of Draw Contenders
Federer
Murray

May the best player win.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Huh...contender...we sure ;-)

Are we sure this guy in the red is a contender for the title...

Top half of Draw Contenders
Djokovic
Berdych
Wawrinka
Nadal

Bottom Half of Draw Contenders
Federer
Murray

May the best player win.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Are we sure this guy in the red is a contender for the title...

That hurts Stotty.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

That hurts Stotty.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Well, if you're lucky I may have egg on my face by the end of the week.

[klacr]

May I remind you Stotty that Berdych did win Paris back in 2005. 10 years. I think he is due.

Berdych is in the doubles draw as well with fellow Czech mate Radek Stepanek.

But this tournament is about more than just Tberd.

Tomic gave a spanking to Fognini. The mercurial Australian has vowed to put the antics behind him and dedicate himself to tennis, tennis and nothing but tennis. Claiming there will be no holiday for him as he spends the off season training and prepping for a big 2016.
Djokovic will play Bellucci. A player that has troubled him in the past, but both players are much different game states, with Djokovic rising and Bellucci underachieving.

The young Austrian one-hander Dominic Thiem took out Adrian Mannarino earlier today. Thiem is one to watch and I can only suspect 2016 will be an even better year for him. Austria now has another star to root for. The days of Thomas Muster are long gone and Jurgen Melzer is exiting stage left as we speak.


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stroke]

I am looking forward to Tomic vs Wawrinka next round. That to me is one of those matches that could mean way more to Tomic than Stan. Stan afterall has won 2 majors and is in the world finals. Tonic needs to make a statement. Time flys by.

[stroke]

On a side note, no surprise, Fognini's effort level vs Tonic today said so much about him.

[klacr]

On a side note, no surprise, Fognini's effort level vs Tonic today said so much about him.

Agree. Frustrating to watch. Last tournament of the year, maybe some motivation to end on a high note. Guess not. Ends with a whimper instead.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stroke]

In his case, a whimper would be an upgrade.

[klacr]

Monfils-Paire was match of the day yesterday....for all the wrong reasons. Mental lapses abound. Monfils up 6-2, 4-1 and cruising. Paire comes back to win a tie-break and 3rd set. So much talent and potential on that court. Gorgeous shotmaking and athleticism followed by lapses of concentration, judgment and competitive desire.

Seeds are playing their matches today and tomorrow. Gonna get interesting on quarterfinal Friday if seeds can hold up.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Last remaining seeds compete today in 2nd round matches. That includes Federer, Berdych, Rafa, Nishikori, Murray, Gasquet. Just to name a few.

Nadal vs. Rosol - These gys met in Basel, and Rosol had Rafa on the ropes. Let's see what happens today.
Federer has to play Andreas Seppi. Melbourne was a flash in the pan for the italian.
Murray plays the hyper intense youngster Borna Coric. Murray may be a bit too strong for Coric, but Coric will go down swinging.

Dimitrov-Cilic has potential. Let's see where Dimitrov's head is at. Cilic in good form.

Finally, there is one of our favorites...Feliciano Lopez. A player not afraid to embrace the net. Has to battle Serb Viktor Troicki. I like Lopez chances on the indoor court.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Federer, Nadal, Murray all cruise to victory.
Dimitrov with a mild upset of Cilic.

Berdych made to work against an inspired Frenchman playing in front of home crowd + following a great win vs. Karlovic. But Tberd escapes. Has to play winner of Tsonga-Bautista Agut next. Could be tricky.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Never saw Federer so dominant. Did you see those two terrific stop balls in the final game? Short and with lots of sidespin. By the way in an interview in Paris Roger spoke of the 2017 season saying he had no plans of retiring! Good news!

[stroke]

As many of us have said, Federer in full flight looks like no one ever. He was in full flight vs Seppi.

On a personal note, as other posters have been sharing some of late, I am watching more matches than usual. I am been laid up for a couple of weeks with an Achilles Tendon tear, had surgery on it yesterday, and am even now more laid up for the foreseeable future, long time coming in cast/boot to watch tennis.
Being 57 years old does not really expedite things.

That Anderson vs Theim match yesterday was a very, very high quality match. Both players really competed for all 3 sets, just great shotmaking and movement from both. The old "hate to see anyone loss that one" would really ring true. They both deserved to win. I really like their very professional dispositions out there too.

[klacr]

Anderson vs. Thiem was match of tournament so far. Guys battling for 2 hours 45 minutes for three tiebreaks. Shame someone had to lose it.

Federer Funhouse was on full display. Scary good form. No one is more exhilarating to watch than Federer on all cylinders.

Murray drubbed Goffin this morning. Just clobbered him. Sending a message for Davis Cup Finals next month.

Gasquet vs. Nishikori
Djokovic vs. Simon
Isner vs. Federer
Tsonga vs. Berdych
Anderson vs. Nadal
Ferrer vs. Dimitrov
Wawrinka vs. Troicki

Folks, this is just the 3rd round. Love these masters 1000 events.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton