The USA Report

[Kirijax]

Hmmm...Don't we have Great Britain in the first round again next year? But if GRB wins the Cup this year, Murray won't be there next year so we have an excellent chance? :snicker

We will see

The US plays at Australia next year. Could be a good one. Aussies just announced Hewitt will captain Australia.

Sock will be top 25 next week after run to Basel SF.

Sock has a great chance to move into the top 20 next year! Didn't he miss out on the first couple months of the season this year?

 

[Kirijax]

At Valencia, Johnson had 6 match points against Bautista-Agut in the semifinals but couldn't get it done. Tough loss. Sock lost in straight sets to Federer in the Basel final and yesterday lost in straight sets to Troicki in the 1st round of the Paris Masters. A bit disappointing there. This end both players' seasons.

Here's an article on Sock and Johnson.

 

[Kirijax]

John Isner is the last American remaining in the singles draw. He faces Bedene in the 2nd round and if he gets through that, Federer.

 

[Kirijax]

Fedis VI !

Isner faces a red-hot Federer today. Lose and his season is over. He hasn't beat Federer since that shocking Davis Cup upset in 2012. Since then, he has lost all three of their matches in straight sets. Isner is still in the running for the alternate spot for the World Tour Finals, but he faces a tall task today.

 

[nehmeth]

Roger seems to be able to handle the big serving giants better than just about anyone out there. Bye John!

 

[herios]

Kirijax, you said Taylor Fritz looks like Pete Sampras?



https://twitter.com/ATPChampsTour/status/659504943464755201

 

[Kirijax]

Kirijax, you said Taylor Fritz looks like Pete Sampras?



https://twitter.com/ATPChampsTour/status/659504943464755201

Haha, yeah, at first glance.

 

[Kirijax]

Isner! :eyepop Beats Federer 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(5) and advances to the QFs of the Paris Masters! :clap

He's still in the hunt for the alternate for the WTF as well. That was a huge win for John. If he beats Ferrer and Gasquet loses to Murray, he'll move into the Top Ten.

He he still has a good chance to be in the Year End Top Ten! :clap

 

[Kirijax]

At present, the Race rankings are as follows:

No. 9 Richard Gasquet
No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
No. 11 John Isner

Kevin Anderson was officially eliminated today so the final alternate spots for the World Tour Finals are between these three. The WTF always has Alternate No. 1 and Alternate No. 2. Richard Gasquet has clinched one of the two spots. The last spot is between Tsonga and Isner. Tsonga is out of the Paris Masters so it's up to what Isner and Gasquet does.

If Isner loses, Gasquet is Alternate No. 1 and Tsonga is Alternate No. 2
If Isner beats Ferrer, then Gasquet and Isner are the alternates. What they do in the rest of the tournament will decide who is Alternate No. 1.

Also hanging in the balance is a Year-End Top Ten ranking. Isner has had a few weeks in the Top Ten but his highest Year-end ranking until now was No. 14 in 2013 and 2012. The last American to be in the Year-end Top Ten was Mardy Fish who finished at No. 8.

Isner's match with Ferrer could clinch the USA's first year-end Top Ten player in four years. Go Isner!

 

[Kirijax]

The 2015 season is just about over. Only the Bryan Brothers are left in the World Tour Finals and we'll have to see how they do. But here are the Singles results for the American men:

Titles:

The American men won two titles in 2014, so there was one more this year. Jack Sock won his first ATP career title in Houston, Rajeev Ram came out of nowhere to win Newport and John Isner won Atlanta for the third straight year.

In the Slams, Sock made the 4th round at the French Open, Denis Kudla was in the 4th round at Wimbledon and Isner and Donald Young both made it to the 4th round of the USO.

Singles Rankings (ranking at the start of the year)
No. 11 John Isner (18)
No. 26 Jack Sock (42)
No. 32 Steve Johnson (37)
No. 48 Donald Young (54)
No. 59 Sam Querrey (35)
No. 70 Denis Kudla (123)
No. 87 Rajeev Ram(137)

Isner, Sock, Johnson, Young, and Kudla all finish with their highest Year-End finishes. Isner came that close to the USA's first Top Ten finish since recently retired Mardy Fish did it back in 2011.

Doubles:
In doubles, Americans won 13 doubles titles. The Bryan Brothers led the way with six titles, including three Masters, but they failed to win a Slam title for the first time since 2004. They are still in the World Tour Finals and have advanced to the semifinals for their last chance at a big title this year.
After the Bryans, Sock was the most successful doubles player, teaming up with Vasek Pospisil to win three titles, including a Masters.
The Americans did win one Slam title this year, with Mike Bryan teaming up with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to win the French Open mixed doubles title.

Doubles Rankings:
No. 1 Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan
No. 9 Jack Sock (with Vasek Pospisil, Canada)
No. 19 Rajeev Ram (with Raven Klassen, South Africa)
No. 20 Steve Johnson/Sam Querrey
No. 24 Scott Lipsky/Eric Butorac

Doubles Titles:
Delray Beach: Mike Bryan / Bob Bryan
Indian Wells Masters: Jack Sock (with Vasek Pospisil, Canada)
Miami Masters: Mike Bryan / Bob Bryan
Monte Carlo Masters: Mike Bryan / Bob Bryan
Estoril: Scott Lipsku / Treat Huey
French Open: Mike Bryan / Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Halle: Rajeev Ram / Raven Klaassen
Atlanta: Mike Bryan / Bob Bryan
Washington D.C.: Mike Bryan / Bob Bryan
Montreal: Mike Bryan / Bob Bryan
Beijing: Jack Sock (with Vasek Pospisil, Canada)
Stockholm: Jack Sock / Nicholas Monoe
Valensia: Scott Lipsky / Eric Butosec

The Young Guys

Here are the 20-or younger players in the Top 300:

No. 134 Jared Donaldson (19 yrs old)
No. 182 Frances Tiafoe (17 yrs old)
No. 207 Taylor Fritz (18 yrs)
No. 264 Tommy Paul (18 yrs)

Keep your eyes on these guys next year. It might be a couple years before they make their move but there is a lot of interest and expectations for the next group of Americans coming up.

American Men May Be About To Dominate World Tennis Again
Young Players with the Best Chance to Restore Hope for American Men's Tennis
Frances Tiafoe, a Rising U.S. Tennis Player, Shakes Things Up On and Off the Court
Is Jared Donaldson the next big U.S. star?
Is Taylor Fritz the (next) future of American tennis?

Once again it was a year where the doubles overshadowed the singles, but during the time of sparse singles results, the Bryan Brothers have more than held up the USA standard by adding to their list of accomplishments as the greatest doubles team in the history of the sport. But it's time for someone to break up this "Big Four" era and hopefully an American will step up and bring back some Slams to the USA.

 

[herios]

Thanks Kirijax for this wonderful report. Although a modest one, but the Americans are on the upswing.
Among the top 100 ranked guys all but Querrey finish the year higher than a year ago.

 

[Kirijax]

Thanks Kirijax for this wonderful report. Although a modest one, but the Americans are on the upswing.
Among the top 100 ranked guys all but Querrey finish the year higher than a year ago.

Thanks, Herios. Hopefully next year we can see Sock climb into the Top 20, and maybe even grab another title or two while winning another Slam with Pospisil. Maybe 2 or 3 of the young guys will start making some noise on the main tour as well.

 

[herios]

An update on the teenagers ranking as it has been modified:

No. 135 Jared Donaldson (19 yrs old)
No. 178 Taylor Fritz (18 yrs old)
No. 180 Frances Tiafoe (17 yrs old)
No. 275 Tommy Paul (18 yrs)

 

[herios]

I have mentioned that the American team is doing a lot better than in recent years here.
In comparison to last year Wimbledon, where there were only 7 American players in the main draw, now there were twice as many (14).
After the R1 completion, there are still 8 in the run:
Isner, Sock, Johnson, Ram, Kudla, Smyczek, Krajicek, Rubin. 4 of them: Ram, Smyczek, Krajicek and Rubin have already exceeded expectations.