The Antalya Open is a new event on the ATP World Tour, increasing the number of tournaments played on grass-court surfaces to seven. This event will be played a week before Wimbledon, in the same week as the Grand Slam’s qualifying tournament. For a small tourney, the field is more than decent, with an established member of the top 10 Dominic Thiem, two next generation stars Karen Khachanov and Borna Coric, and veteran Fernando Verdasco all participating in an ATP 250 event.
The competition in the 28-player main draw begins on Sunday, June 25.
Event Details
Event: Antalya Open
Category: ATP 250 Series
Date: June 25 – July 1, 2017
Location: Kaya Palazzo Resort – Antalya, Turkey
With a prize money allotment of just over $439,000, this is a tournament which doesn’t offer a huge purse. A scenic locale, a new event, and a chance to prepare for Wimbledon make this tournament a drawing card.
Points
Champion – 250
Runner-up – 150
Semifinal – 90
Quarterfinal – 45
Player Info:
Dominic Thiem decided not to play in Stuttgart, where he won last year, replacing it with Antalya, where he will start as the favorite for the title.
In Halle, the second-seeded Thiem was stunned by Robin Haase in straight sets on Wednesday. The Austrian No. 8 struggled with Haase’s consistent hitting throughout the match and missed two set points in the second set before double faulting on his opponent’s first match point. It’s a surprise considering how well Thiem played on the clay courts in France. But remember that that’s his favorite surface. He was just 7-2 on grass last year.
Thiem later said he hoped to get some matches next week (in Antalya) and then get ready for Wimbledon.
Grass is not Thiem’s favored surface but he is capable of producing big results on the lawns. Thiem beat Roger Federer in Stuttgart last year so he is no mug. The field in Antalya isn’t deep but it feels like anybody could win here.
Fernando Verdasco can always be a tricky opponent on grass. In the opening round in Halle, Verdasco was looking dangerous and for a period of time it looked like he could take the match out of Kei Nishikori’s hands. He won the first set but eventually faded away.
Verdasco has had some good victories this year but he’s also had losses where he thought he shouldn’t have lost. His last two losses have come against Nishikori and on both occasions, he has let a match slip from a healthy position. The good news for Verdasco is Nishikori’s absence from Antalya. At 33 years of age, the Spaniard is playing solid tennis and anything less than a final appearance will be deemed as a failure.
Karen Khachanov couldn’t have asked for a better draw in Halle. Of course, he would be dejected that his opponent retired but at the same time will also be delighted that he is into the semifinals. With the help of Nishikori’s withdrawal, the young Russian has advanced to a date with Roger Federer, a big moment in a young career.
Khachanov has a great chance in Antalya but he is still alive and kicking in Halle. He is only 21 but it would still be worth watching how he goes about his business in Turkey.
Martin Klizan lost the last match he played on clay, but it could’ve gone either way had he held his nerves against Andy Murray in the French Open second round. With the Slovakian, the talent has never been the issue. His mind has always appeared to be distracted. Grass is not his pet surface but he has the game to add big scalps to his resume. Klizan has not had a good season. He is just 10-13 on the year and can’t be expected to do much here. He only played on match on grass last year and loss it, and played two the year before and lost both of those.
Kaya Palazzo Resort
The waterfront tourist destination is a modern and lavish landscape of fun, with a water park and ample swimming pools and a golf course plus a new grass-court tennis facility. ATP pros will be eager to see how this court plays.
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