Welcome to the latest edition of the Australian file, your weekly look at the week in tennis from an Aussie perspective.
This week we are sledge free, and we don’t reveal who has slept with who on the pro circuit.
Of course that dominated headlines last week as Nick Kyrgios made an awful sledge to Stanislas Wawrinka during their second round match at the Montreal Masters.
If you missed that, here is the article about the incident.
This area will be free of that and results will be the focus.
ATP
Just one ATP event was held as the field headed to Montreal for the ATP Masters event. Seven Australians competed in qualifying, doubles, and the main draw.
None of three players progressed through qualifying with James Duckworth the closest by making the final round. In the main draw both Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios made the third round.
Tomic, who got almost no media attention, defeated Marin Cilic before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. The win against Cilic was just his second against a current Grand Slam champion. The other was against Stan Wawrinka in 2011 as the Davis Cup.
Wawrinka, as has been highly publicised, was Kyrgios’ second round victim in Montreal. Aided by a back injury to the Swiss number two, Kyrgios was able to make the third round, with a retirement in the final set.
The Canberra 20-year-old would be defeated by John Isner in the round of 16.
In doubles, John Peers once again shined, as he made the quarter finals in Montreal. They would lose to Serbian pairing Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic.
WTA
Like the men, the women had just one event this week, with the WTA Premier 5 event in Toronto. Also like their male counterparts, no women qualified for the main draw, with three Aussies falling short.
In the main draw it was an all-Aussie battle between the number one and number two for the green and gold. Sam Stosur would face Daria Gavrilova with the Russian-born Australian winning in straight sets.
Gavrilova pounced on a poor service match from Stosur to break twice and win 6-4 6-4. The world number 36 would make the third round, after impressively defeating Lucie Safarova in the second round.
Her run would end at the hands of Roberta Vinci.
ATPCA – Challenger
There were three Challengers this week in Aptos (USA), Prague (Czech Republic), and Portoroz (Slovenia). Just one Australian competed in Prague and Portoroz with Rameez Junaid losing in the opening round of doubles in the Czech Republic event.
In Aptos, four Aussies would play, with three of them featuring in the later stages of the week. Matt Ebden would make the quarter final in singles, before making the doubles final with Indian Yuki Bhambri.
Along the way, in singles, he would impressively defeat Tommy Haas – the former world number two – in three sets. In doubles Ebden would lose to the final to fellow Australian Chris Guccione.
Guccione, as the number one seed, would partner with New Zealander Artem Sitak to take the title. It is Gooch’s 22nd doubles title at the Challenger level and 29th overall.
#atp Here is Chris Guccione, and his partner, with their trophies after the doubles title win in Aptos. pic.twitter.com/4AYbxaUzVM
— Shane Jones (@TennisResultsAu) August 17, 2015
The great result continued with John Millman taking out the singles title in Aptos. Millman continued his great run at this level by making it 10 wins at a row on the Challenger tour.
He has now won 14 out of his 17 matches at this level.
The Aussie would beat Austin Krajicek in the final to take out his second title for the year.
The Queenslander has now won seven titles at this level in his career, and moves inside the top 80 in the rankings for the first time.
It has been a remarkable two months of tennis from him.
ITF
Like Millman, another Aussie is on a fantastic run, on the ITF circuit. Jordan Thompson continued his streak in Thailand as he took out back to back titles.
Once again, like last week, he would have to defeat an Aussie along the way. The Sydney sider would beat Dane Propoggia to make the final and face Ti Chen again.
In three sets, Thompson would win Thailand F7, and make it 10 wins in a row. The Aussie will now crack the top 200 for the first time in his career on the 24th of August.
#itf Here is Thompson, with his trophy, after the win at the Thailand F7 future event. Well done to him. pic.twitter.com/dgtHzpnXUJ
— Shane Jones (@TennisResultsAu) August 16, 2015
Fellow Aussie Gavin Van Peperzeel almost joined him as he made the final in Germany. Peperzeel, who was the top seed, would be outclassed by his German rival in the final and be defeated 6-2, 6-2.
The Aussie did bring up 45 wins for 2015 during the week which is an incredible achievement.
It was a similar story for Sara Tomic, on the women’s side, as she made the final of a $10,000 event in Egypt.
In her third final for the year, the Queenslander would fall short of her second title, with a 6-2, 6-0 defeat by the 2015 Australian Open junior champion – Tereza Mihalikova. The despair of a singles loss, turned to triumph, with a doubles title win at the same venue.
Tomic would pair with Irish player Jenny Claffey as she won her first doubles title at the Sharm El Sheikh event.
#itf Here is a photo of Sara Tomic, and her partner, after the victory in Egypt. Well done to both players. pic.twitter.com/xm5GoomeFu
— Shane Jones (@TennisResultsAu) August 16, 2015
There was also doubles success in America with Jessica Moore winning the title in Landisville. Teaming up with Serbian Ivana Jorovic, they would lose one set all week, to take the event.
It is Moore’s 21st doubles title and fifth this year.
#itf Here is Moore, and her partner, with their trophies after the win in Landisville. Well done to the Sandgroper. pic.twitter.com/cYc7kZ1s6g
— Shane Jones (@TennisResultsAu) August 17, 2015
In other results, Dan Dowson would make the doubles final in Egypt, with Maverick Banes making the quarter finals at an event in Italy.
Rankings
Bernard Tomic remains Australia’s highest ranked male player and rises two spots to 22 after his third round effort in Montreal. John Millman moves to 71 in the world, and becomes the fourth ranked Aussie, with his win in Aptos.
John Peers is still the highest in doubles and has a new career high of 13 in the world. Top ten in the world is within reach of the Victorian.
On the women’s side, Sam Stosur remains the highest, at 18 in the world. Daria Gavrilova, who rose to a career high of 36 after her performance this week, is starting to catch Stosur for that coveted title.
Casey Dellacqua, who is 14 in the world, is the highest doubles player.
This week
Both tours head to Cincinnati this week for the Western and Southern Open. The Australian File will cover that and more next week.
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