Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Davis Cup Preview: USA v. Great Britain

The United States will be taking on Great Britain in the Davis Cup Round of 16 starting on Friday. This is an odd tie as it involves red clay and a baseball stadium, two things that normally aren't associated with American tennis. Something that is associated with American tennis is success, which should be apparent in this tie.

LOCATION: PETCO Park, San Diego, California, United States of America


TEAMS
United States: John Isner, Sam Querrey, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan
Great Britain: Andy Murray, James Ward, Kyle Edmund, Colin Fleming

FRIDAY
On Friday, we will most likely see Andy Murray take on Sam Querrey and John Isner take on James Ward. There are some potential shake-ups to this lineup as Kyle Edmund has been showing some good form on the Futures tour and is a big fan of the clay. Don't be surprised if Edmund takes Ward's spot on Day 1. However, for the Americans, Isner did have to retire in the Australian Open and could potentially be replaced by Donald Young, who has accompanied the team to San Diego. Nevertheless, expect the American Number 1 to defeat the British Number 2, whether it's Isner or Querrey taking on Edmund or Ward. The Brits could get a point on Day 1, as well, as Murray would be taking on Querrey or Young. Andy Murray has never had very good results on the clay, and Sam Querrey has beaten Murray in the past, so things look bright for the Americans. However, Murray is a Grand Slam champion and a former World Number 2, so expect him to raise his game in this situation.


SATURDAY
In the doubles rubber, we'll most likely see a matchup of the Bryan brothers and a British team comprised of Colin Fleming and Andy Murray. The Bryan brothers went 0-2 in Davis Cup action last year and had a 3rd Round exit at the Australian Open, so they are definitely a vulnerable team coming into this tie. It will still be a very tough ask for Fleming and Murray, as you can never underestimate the Bryans. The Brits certainly have the firepower and ability to defeat the Americans and give themselves a big advantage in the tie.


SUNDAY
If the tie is over before action on Sunday, it would be in favor of the Americans. But if it does come down to the 1's versus the 2's, it'll provide for 2 good matches. If Isner is healthy, then he'll take on Murray and Querrey will face either Edmund or Ward, depending on how their match goes on Friday. Querrey will be heavily favored in the 2nd match of the day, but in the 1st match it'll be a toss-up. John Isner has defeated guys like Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on the clay in Davis Cup, and both of those guys have good results on the red stuff. It's no fun to repeat, but IF Isner is healthy, expect him to be able to overpower a diminished Andy Murray, and lift the Americans in the tie.

Americans doing well on a baseball field is something we are used to seeing, and we will see it again this weekend as the United States will end up in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, with or without John Isner. The United States will then be forced to go on the road to either Argentina or Italy in what would be another winnable tie. There hasn't been a lot of success in the Davis Cup for the USA recently, is this the year things will turn around?




Monday, January 27, 2014

Rankings Update: Week of January 27th

Men's Singles
13 John Isner
49 Sam Querrey
79 Donald Young
82 Bradley Klahn
89 Jack Sock
97 Michael Russell
100 Tim Smyczek
109 Denis Kudla
121 Ryan Harrison
124 Rhyne Williams
130 Alex Kuznetsov
136 Wayne Odesnik
145 Rajeev Ram
156 Steve Johnson
179 Bobby Reynolds
185 Tennys Sandgren
210 Austin Krajicek
306 Chase Buchanan
316 Bjorn Fratangelo
323 Jarmere Jenkins
370 Mardy Fish ...):
...
507 Daniel Kosakowski
...
568 Brian Baker ...another ):
...
629 Dennis Novikov
...
711 Jared Donaldson

Men's Doubles
2 BUTORAC/Klaasen
18 BRYAN/BRYAN
26 Bhupathi/RAM
54 Gonzalez/LIPSKY

Women's Singles
1 Serena Williams
18 Sloane Stephens
30 Jamie Hampton
37 Madison Keys
42 Bethanie Mattek-Sands
47 Allison Riske
49 Venus Williams
52 Varvara Lepchenko
59 Christina McHale
60 Lauren Davis
72 Vania King
110 Coco Vandeweghe
119 Shelby Rogers
128 Melanie Oudin
131 Irina Falconi
136 Madison Brengle
138 Mallory Burdette
143 Victoria Duval
169 Grace Min
176 Allie Kiick
178 Sachia Vickery
186 Nicole Gibbs
187 Maria Sanchez
196 Julie Cohen
...
314 Louisa Chirico

Women's Doubles
4 KOPS-JONES/SPEARS
10 HUBER/Chan
19 Fichman/SANCHEZ
20t Hantuchova/RAYMOND
20t RISKE/KEYS
27 RAYMOND/Zhang
32 LEPCHENKO/Olaru
35 KING/Voskoboeva
45 Barthel/MOULTON-LEVY
57 El Tabakh/KIICK

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Australian Open Men's Singles Preview

American tennis has seen a rapid fall on the men's side the past couple years. This year, a big group of guys, led by John Isner, is ready to set things straight in the tennis world and have a big season. They've gotten off on the right foot, with Isner grabbing a title, as well as Steve Johnson, Jack Sock, Bradley Klahn and Donald Young having good performances. Now it's time for them to put it all together on the big stage at a Grand Slam, with the Australian Open being their first shot.

The player's 1R opponent is in parentheses. My prediction for their result is in parentheses at the end of each paragraph.

John Isner (Martin Klizan)
The World No. 13 will lead the American pack into Melbourne coming off a title in Auckland. This is his 2nd title in New Zealand, the 1st coming in 2010 which was followed up by his best result at the Australian Open. These are signs pointing to a good performance from the big man in Australia. Isner has drawn Klizan in the 1st round, a guy who didn't even qualify for the main draw, but got in thanks to a Lucky Loser. Klizan has really been struggling on tour as of late, and should not put up much of a challenge for the American. Blaz Rola, a potential 2R opponent for Isner, played very well in the qualies and could cause trouble for him, but expect John to breeze into the Round of 32. He will then most likely have to face Phil Kohlschreiber, a guy who has always given him trouble, however, John did just beat him in Auckland in 3 tiebreak sets which will give him the mental edge. In the Round of 16, Isner could face Andy Murray, a guy who is always eager to win matches. Reaching that far and taking a set or two off Murray would be a good result, but Isner wants more than that. He wants to match his best result at a slam, a quarterfinal, which would be a big boost for American tennis. If John could reach the quarters, his confidence would be at a high going into a match where he could face Tsonga, Cilic, or Federer. But of course we can't get ahead of ourselves, Day 1 hasn't even started yet.

John Isner holding up the champion's trophy after his title in Auckland.

Quarter-final loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Sam Querrey (Santiago Giraldo)
Querrey is known to struggle in the opening weeks of the season, something that he has not disproved so far this season. A 2nd Round and 1st Round loss in each of his first 2 tournaments won't give him much confidence going into Australia, but Sam will have to be mentally strong and play off the eagerness to prove to people that he can still be a Top 20 guy. The Giraldo draw is a good one, as he is known mostly for his play on clay courts, however he did win a match in Auckland last week. Sam should be able to defeat Giraldo and go on to face either Gulbis or Monaco in the 2nd Round. If it's Gulbis, expect the match to either be very tight or one-way traffic, and there will be no gray area. Each player either brings it or plays like they've never touched a tennis racquet before, hopefully it's the former for this match. The draw then opens up, as the seed he's been matched up with in the Round of 32 is Fabio Fognini, another guy that is known for his work on clay courts. Sam could easily get to the Round of 16, but he could also easily lose in the 1st Round. Expect Sam to raise his level in the Grand Slam atmosphere and get rid of some of his Australian Open demons.

Round of 16 loss to Novak Djokovic.

Tim Smyczek (Roberto Bautista Agut)
The 3rd ranked American goes into Melbourne coming off his best result at a slam, making the Round of 32 in New York. However, he got off to a bad start this year, losing 1st Round to Yen-Hsun Lu. Lu has played good tennis so far this year, making the final in Auckland, so hopefully that loss doesn't fester in the mind of Smyczek. His 1R opponent, Bautista Agut, has also started his year off hot, making the semi-finals in Auckland. If Smyczek can get through the Spaniard, he'll receive the gift of losing to Grand Slam champion, Juan Martin del Potro, in the 2nd Round. Del Potro is coming off a title in Sydney, in which he throttled a red-hot Bernard Tomic. Smyczek is capable of making the 2nd Round and winning a set or two off the Argentinian, but he'll have to play his best tennis to do so.

2nd Round loss to Juan Martin del Potro.

Rod Laver Arena
 
Donald Young (Robin Haase)
Young has some confidence coming into Australia after his appearance in Auckland, in which he made the 2nd Round a took a set off of World No. 3, David Ferrer. He's been matched up with Robin Haase, who is equally as streaky of a player as Young. Expect Young to play a brilliant match to defeat Haase in straights and then face Lleyton Hewitt in the 2nd Round. Hewitt won in Brisbane in the 1st week of the season and is playing in his home nation, things that don't bode well for Young. He is capable of taking down Hewitt if he plays at his highest level, but not in Australia where Hewitt feeds off the crowd so well. Donald Young is poised to have a breakout performance at a slam this year, but it won't come in Melbourne.

2nd Round loss to Lleyton Hewitt.

Michael Russell (Dmitry Tursunov)
With James Blake's retirement, Russell is now the veteran American on tour. He's been dealing with injuries recently, so hopefully for him he'll be able to get through a best-of-5 set match in Melbourne. He opens up with Tursunov, a guy who has really remade himself on the tour as he is up to No. 26, after dropping out of the top 100 not too long ago. It'll be a tough 1st Rounder for Russell, but never say that anything is out of reach for this man, as he has fought for everything in his career. If he can get through Tursonov, he's got either Baghdatis or Istomin in the 2nd Round, and then Djokovic in the Round of 32. Russell has the potential to get to a face off with Djokovic, however, the hard hitting of Baghdatis and Istomin will be able to take down the defensive style of Russell and knock him out of the tournament...if he even gets to the 2nd Round.

1st Round loss to Dmitry Tursunov.

Hisense Arena
 
Bradley Klahn (Grigor Dimitrov)
A very tough draw pits the upcoming American with one of the upcoming stars on the tour. Klahn has had a good start to the year as he's got a couple wins under his belt already. Unfortunately for him, those match wins won't give him enough confidence to take down Dimitrov, as he is ready to stake his claim on the tour this year and cement himself in the Top 20. Klahn will put up a good fight and probably win a set or two, but if he gets lucky and Dimitrov has one of those days where he just decides not to play, Klahn could face Jimmy Wang or Yen-Hsun Lu in the 2nd Round and the Milos Raonic or Peter Gojowczyk in the Round of 32. If he can defeat Dimitrov, then he should win his 2nd Round match to get in the Round of 32. But it's all about focusing on taking down one of the young stars of the game, in an attempt to become one himself.

1st Round loss to Grigor Dimitrov.

Jack Sock (Tobias Kamke)
Coming off a run to the quarterfinals in Auckland, Sock seems to have found his range. A tough loss to a hot Bautista Agut ended his run in New Zealand, but Sock is ready to start a new run in Melbourne. His 1st Round opponent, Kamke, gave Rafael Nadal trouble in Doha, but that was a perfect match from Kamke. Unless he plays like that again, Jack Sock will be able to roll into the 2nd Round, where he'd most likely face Gael Monfils. Monfils has played very well at the beginning of the year, making the final in Doha, so it'll be a tough match for the American. If Sock can find his highest level of tennis, him and Monfils will go five sets. Unfortunately for Sock, Monfils will be too much to handle, and he'll have the support of the crowd. Sock will, however, take confidence from the beginning of the season as he heads into the clay court season.

2nd Round loss to Gael Monfils.

Jack Sock playing a forehand during his run in Auckland.

Ryan Harrison (Gael Monfils)
Sock had a tough draw with having to play Monfils in the 2nd Round, but Harrison gets it even worse as he has to play Monfils in the 1st Round. As previously stated, Monfils is hot right now, but he can decide to not show up on certain days. Harrison will hope that opens for his 1st Round opponent, as the tennis world has not done him any favors recently. Harrison has worked so hard recently to get back to the level of tennis he's showed the past couple years, but tough draws like this hold him back. He should create a very entertaining match with Monfils, as both guys defend the court well and have a lot of variety in their games. If he can get past Monfils, he'd face Sock in the 2nd Round in a battle of young Americans. That would be a great match to watch as both guys are trying to prove themselves and move up in the tennis world. But, it's all about getting through to that match first.

1st Round loss to Gael Monfils.

Denis Kudla (Florian Mayer)
After getting through the qualifying draw, Kudla earns a pretty good draw in the 1st Round with Florian Mayer. Mayer did upset Murray in Doha, but Murray typically never plays well in the first couple weeks of the season. Kudla's got 3 matches under his belt already in Melbourne, so he's used to the conditions, and on top of that, he won 2 other matches in the 1st week of the season. So Kudla has 5 good wins in his pocket coming into this match, meaning he'll be ready to take on anyone in Melbourne. He got put into the most wide open quarterfinal section of the draw with the seeded players of Youzhny, Janowicz, Chardy and Ferrer. There's a big opportunity here for someone to take advantage of and make it into the final 8, but it won't be Kudla. He hasn't proved that he can put a lot of matches together at a tournament, especially not a slam. He is definitely capable of winning a couple matches in Melbourne, but he could also lose in the 1st Round.

2nd Round loss to Mikhail Youzhny.

The newly improved Margaret Court Arena

Rhyne Williams (Juan Martin del Potro)
Another guy who made it through the qualies, Williams is coming in with a lot of confidence. Unfortunately, he received a shot to the heart when he saw the draw and saw del Potro's name next to his. Williams played very well throughout the qualifying tournament, winning a tough match in the final round. He's coming into the main draw with a lot of confidence, but not enough to take down the big Argentinian. Williams has never made it past the 1st Round at a slam, thanks to a lot of tough draws, and that trend continues here in Melbourne. Of course, Williams will take a lot of knowledge out of this match and use it to his advantage in the rest of the season.

1st Round loss to Juan Martin del Potro.

Wayne Odesnik (Vincent Millot) 
The 3rd American that earned a spot into the main draw through the qualifying tournament received the most favorable draw of any American. Odesnik has drawn fellow qualifier, Millot, in the 1st Round, and they will play their match on Court 74. Both players already have 3 wins under their belt in Melbourne, so both are very used to the conditions and will come into the match with a lot of confidence, especially Odesnik who won his final round match 8-6 in the 3rd set. Odesnik should win this match, and then have the pleasure of losing to Andy Murray in the 2nd Round. If he can pull off a miracle and get past Murray, then the draw would somewhat open up, as he would most likely face Feliciano Lopez in the Round of 32, a fellow left hander. There's no way Odesnik's journey would venture beyond that though, but he can't get down on himself if he does manage to make it that far.

2nd Round loss to Andy Murray.

Steve Johnson (Adrian Mannarino)
The lowest ranked of the Americans in the main draw has one of the best opportunities in the tournament. Johnson got a wild card into the main draw by winning the USA wild card playoff in December, and he opens up the tournament with the shaky Adrian Mannarino, a hot Steve Johnson has a tremendous chance to get into the 2nd Round and take on David Ferrer, a guy who has not played up to his 3rd-seed ability. Johnson and Ferrer were both just in Auckland where they each made the quarterfinals. The American has the type of game to take down Ferrer, so they should provide for an entertaining match that is winnable for both players, which would lead to a matchup with either Jeremy Chardy or Alex Dolgopolov. You never know what either of those guys will bring to the court with them, so if Johnson plays his best tennis, he could easily head into the Round of 16. Steve Johnson has shown that he has the potential to be on the same level as the top players, and this is the tournament that he will prove that to the tennis world.

Round of 32 loss to Alex Dolgopolov.
 
Steve Johnson with a backhand return during his run in Auckland.
 
Pictures courtesy of the Henieken Open website, Wikipedia, panoramio.com, and tennis.com.au
 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Australian Open Men's Qualifying Preview

Nine American men will be attempting to earn their way into the main draw of the Australian Open, starting tonight in Melbourne. Two separate pairs of Americans have been pitted in the same section of the draw, raising the odds that an American will qualify, but also forcing two compatriots to battle it out for just one spot. Nine are already in the main draw, hoping to be joined by these nine in the qualifying draw. Who will be the ones to earn their way into the main draw of the Australian Open?

The number out of 10 next to their name that is in parentheses is my predicted their chance of making it through the qualifying draw.

Denis Kudla [4] (8 out of 10)
Kudla is the highest ranked and best player out of this bunch, which has earned him the 4 seed in this draw. He opens up with the Brit Daniel Cox, who is ranked No. 251 in the world. Kudla should breeze through this opening round match before facing a tough opponent in either Benjamin Mitchell or John-Patrick Smith, both Australians. Both of these guys will be extremely eager to get through the qualifiying draw, as this grand slam is in their home nation, however they will most likely beat up on each other in their 1st Round match. This will give Kudla a chance to dominate the match and head into the final round, where the only possible opponent he’ll have to worry about is fellow American Alex Kuznetsov. If this match occurs, expect Kudla to take over the match, and roll into the main draw.
 

Alex Kuznetsov [20] (5 out of 10)
Kuznetsov landed in the same section as top-ranked Denis Kudla, who is the man to
to beat. Kuznetsov is the 20 seed which will give him some confidence, as he attempts to win three matches in a row to get into the main draw. He'll begin the journey against Theodoros Angelinos of Greece, which should end well for Kuznetsov. If he advances, he'll get two inexperienced players in Alex Bolt or Michon. Bolt, of Australia, will be eager to win (like Smith and Mitchell above) which could cause problems for Kuznetsov. If Kuznetsov gets to the final round his chances look bleak as he will either have to face Denis Kudla or an Australian playing on adrenaline. However, Kuznetsov could build a lot of confidence throughout two matches to boost in his chances if he gets to the final round.


Tennys Sandgren (6 out of 10)
Sandgren just missed out on a spot in the main draw when he lost to Steve Johnson in the final or the USA wild card playoff. Now he'll have to attempt to earn his way in again, starting off with facing Dusan Lajovic. Lajovic two singles matches in the Davis Cup for Serbia a couple months ago, so he has experience playing in stressful matches. If Sandgren can get past Lajovic, which he most likely will, the draw opens up unless he gets Marius Copil in the final round, who made a great run last week in Brisbane. Copil will be very difficult to take down as he is playing at a very high level, but Sandgren knows he can win these matches, proved by his run to the final in the wild card playoff.

 
Bobby Reynolds (8 out of 10)
Reynolds will always be a difficult matchup until the day he retires. Lucky for him, he got a very good draw in the qualies. He opens up against Miroslav Mecir and has the seeds of Frank Dancevic and Potito Starace, two guys who have never proved themselves on the tour. Yuki Bhambri is another guy who Reynolds could face in this section, as he is coming off a good week in Chennai. No matter who Reynolds faces, he'll give them a run for their money. Don't be surprised when you see Bobby Reynolds earn a spot in the main draw.


Wayne Odesnik [19] (7 out of 10)
Odesnik has been placed into what is the most wide open section of the qualifying draw. There are no proven hard court players in this section, including Odesnik, but he'll have a ton of confidence after seeing who has been drawn with. If any other American was placed in this section, it would be a no-doubter that they'd qualify. Wayne Odesnik has the ability and want to make it to the main draw, but if he's going to do so, he'll have to play 3 very tight matches.


Daniel Kosakowski (4 out of 10)
Kosakowski is probably the least-well-known American in this draw, but he has the potential to surprise some people. He's been drawn into a tough section with Tatsuma Ito, Paul-Henri Mathieu, and a hot James McGee. Don't expect Kosakowski to qualify, but this will be a great learning experience for the UCLA grad, as he will certainly have many more opportunities like this in his career.


Rhyne Williams [13] (7 out of 10)
Williams has been drawn in the same section as another American, Austin Krajicek, which he could face in the 2nd Round. However, Williams will have to get past Steven Diez, who is coming off a very good result in Noumea, where he made the final. Williams will be able to overcome Diez though, and enter a tough 2nd rounder with either Krajicek or Malek Jaziri. The bottom half of this section is very weak, highlighted by Thiemo de Bakker who hasn't won a match on tour since August. Rhyne Williams will be able to qualify for the main draw, but he'll have to struggle though the opening two rounds.

 
Austin Krajicek (5 out of 10)
Krajicek was not done any favors by the draw, as he received Jaziri in the 1st Round and either Williams or Diez in the 2nd Round. Krajicek is coming off a good week in Noumea, where he lost in the quarterfinals to aforementioned James McGee. Being in the same portion of the draw as Rhyne Williams, Krajicek has the benefit of a very weak bottom half of the draw. So if Krajicek can find a way to get through two difficult opponents, he'll have a great shot of getting into the main draw.

 
Rajeev Ram [15] (9 out of 10)
Ram is always a wild card as he can play lights out tennis one week, and then lose 1st round the next week. Expect Ram to have a very good qualifying tournament though, as he has a tremendous chance of getting into the main draw. Rajeev Ram will be able to stroll through to the final round as he plays Marco Cecchinato in the 1st Round, and then either Alessio Di Mauro or Blaz Rola in the 2nd Round. Ram will most likely face Amir Weintraub or Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the final round, two guys who are capable of pushing Ram to his limit. Expect Rajeev Ram to utilize his big serve and experience to qualify for the main draw without dropping a set.

 
Be sure to check for updates, starting tonight, on how the Americans are faring in the qualifying draw!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Rankings for the Week of January 6th

We will be updating you weekly on where the Americans sit in the men's and women's singles rankings, as well as men's and women's doubles teams rankings. For the singles, we'll give the top 20 Americans, and for the doubles teams we'll bring you the top 10.

Men's Singles
14 John ISNER
46 Sam QUERREY
89 Tim SMYCZEK
91 Michael RUSSELL
95 Bradley KLAHN
96 Donald YOUNG
99 Ryan HARRISON
100 Jack SOCK
113 Denis KUDLA
129 Rhyne WILLIAMS
132 Rajeev RAM
140 Wayne ODESNIK
141 Alex KUZNETSOV
154 James BLAKE 
160 Steve JOHNSON
179 Bobby REYNOLDS
184 Tennys SANDGREN
217 Robby GINEPRI
227 Austin KRAJICEK 
307 Bjorn FRATANGELO 

Women's Singles
1 Serena WILLIAMS
13 Sloane STEPHENS
28 Jamie HAMPTON
36 Madison KEYS
38 Venus WILLIAMS
48 Bethanie MATTEK-SANDS
52 Varvara LEPCHENKO
55 Allison RISKE
65 Christina MCHALE
67 Lauren DAVIS
71 Vania KING
111 Coco VANDEWEGHE
124 Shelby ROGERS
127 Melanie OUDIN
139 Mallory BURDETTE
141 Irina FALCONI
147 Madison BRENGLE
152 Grace MIN
165 Victoria DUVAL
177 Maria SANCHEZ 

Men's Doubles
No teams with Americans registered into the rankings.

Women's Doubles
4 Fichman/SANCHEZ
13 Barthel/MOULTON-LEVY
21 Chan/HUBER
28 El Tabakh/KIICK
38 Danrowski/WILL
54 HSU/Irigoyen
57 BOSERUP/MUELLER
76 Evtimova/HSU
88 CRAWFORD/SANCHEZ

(Only 9 teams with Americans registered in the rankings.)

Week in Review (December 30th - January 5th)

As the first week of the season comes to a close and we approach the beginning of the Australian Open, we need to take a step back and look at what we’ve learned so far.

Americans participated all over the world, from Australia to the Middle East to China, each finding different amounts of success. There champions, heartbreaking defeats, injuries, and everything in between. So what is to be expected out of the Americans in the near future?

Hopman Cup
The team of Sloane Stephens and John Isner appeared to be a menacing one, as they came into the tournament as the 3-seed. Each played took care of business when they needed to, as they rolled through their match with Spain 3-0. Stephens continued to play well as she defeated Alize Cornet in straight sets, but Isner was not as fortunate as he fell to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straights. The Americans then lost the tie, as the French team took the mixed doubles rubber. The tournament ended for the Stephens and Isner with their tie against the Czech Republic. Neither singles match was finished (Isner never took the court, Stephens only played the first set which she lost) as each American cited an injury. Isner explained that he had an ankle injury, while Stephens stated she was having back problems.



John Isner and Sloane Stephens congratulate each other after winning a point.

 
The Americans’ experience in Perth just reiterates what we already know. Both Isner and Stephens are very good players, they’ll just have to raise their level if they want to defeat the players ranked higher than them. Each player is expected to be ready in time for the Australian Open, as they will take this week to rest up and get back to 100%.

Auckland
There was a lot of American action in New Zealand, as 12 players participated in the singles. Coco Vandewghe, Sachia Vickery, Shelby Rogers, Julia Cohen, Irina Falconi, Maria Sanchez, and Grace Min all failed to qualify, Allison Riske and Christina McHale lost in the First Round, Lauren Davis made it to the Quarters, Jamie Hampton made it to the Semis, and Venus Williams made it to the final, before losing to Ana Ivanovic.

Six Americans played in the doubles tournament with the teams of Paszek/VANDEWEGHE, FALCONI/Hrdinova, and MCHALE/RISKE all losing in the First Round, Barthel/MOULTON-LEVY made it to the Semis, while Fichman/SANCHEZ won the tournament.

The tournament in Auckland proved to the tennis world that the American women are ready to make a statement. With seven players in the qualies, it shows that the Americans are making the effort to try to work their way into the top of the game. Lauren Davis and Jamie Hampton are well on their way to that after their good results to start off the season. Lastly, we realized that Venus Williams is not going anywhere anytime soon. Venus played well throughout the entire week, including the final, which took three very tight sets to be decided.
 
Venus waves to the crowd after winning a match.

Brisbane
Australia saw one American perform extremely well, while the rest left something to be longed for. Serena William rolled through the singles draw, defeating Azarenka, Sharapova, and Cibulkova along the way without dropping a single set. The women’s draw also saw Madison Keys and Varvara Lepchenko lose in the First Round, while Victoria Duval and Madison Brengle failed to qualify. In the men’s singles, Sam Querrey performed the best, losing to Matosevic in three sets in the Second Round, while Ryan Harrison and Alex Kuznetsov lost in the First Round, and Rhyne Williams, Bradley Klahn, and Wayne Odesnik failed to qualify.

Serena celebrates after defeating Victoria Azarenka in the final.
 
The doubles draws saw the teams of Nishikori/QUERREY, BUTORAC/Klassen, LEPCHENKO/Olaru lose in the First Round, while the team of Chan/HUBER make it to the Quarters.

Similar to Auckland, this tournament proved that the Americans are making an effort to work their way into the top tiers of the game. Ryan Harrison is on his way back towards that, as he qualified in Brisbane. Sam Querrey proved once again that he is capable of playing tennis at a high level, now he just needs to put it all together and string a few matches together. And of course, there was Serena being her ever-dominant self. It will be more than a shock if she doesn’t win in Melbourne this year.

Chennai
There was not much going for the Americans in India, as only one win was garnered, and that was by Rajeev Ram in the qualies. Tim Smyczek and the doubles teams of MONROE/Moser and LIPSKY/RAM each lost in the First Round.

Doha
There was even less going for the Americans in Qatar as Donald Young and Michael Shabaz both lost in the First Round of qualies.

Shenzhen
Vania King brings this Week in Review back to the bright side, as she made it all the way to the Semi-Finals in China. King upset the 7th-ranked player in the world, Sara Errani, on her way to the Semis. Unfortunately for King, she had to withdraw from her Semi-Final match, but she is expected to be ready in time for the Australian Open.

Week Ahead
The men will be playing in Sydney and Auckland, while the women will be joining them in Sydney, as well as Hobart.

Sam Querrey (facing Vasek Pospisil) and the Bryan twins (Facing Kubot/Linstedt) will be playing in Sydney, as Ryan Harrison will hope to join them by going through qualies. On the women’s side, McHale, Davis, Duval, Mattek-Sands, and Lepchenko (Lucky Loser) made it through the qualies in Sydney, where Madison Keys has already upset Simona Halep in the First Round.

In Auckland, John Isner (bye in the First Round) is joined by Jack Sock (facing Adrian Mannarino) in the single’s draw. The doubles teams of  Gonzalez/LIPSKY, Bednarek/MONROE, and BUTORAC/Klassen are also in Auckland. Donald Young, Steve Johnson, and Bradley Klahn have each advanced to the final roung of qualifying.

Allison Riske (faces Pavlyuchenkova) got a direct acceptance into Hobart, where she is joined by Madison Brengle (faces Sam Stosur) who qualified. The teams of RAYMOND/Zheng, and Grandin/RISKE are in the doubles tournament.

The qualifying for the Australian Open begins on Wednesday, January 8th, and we will have a separate article previewing all of that action.
 
(Pictures courtesy of the Hopman Cup, Brisbane International, and ASB Classic websites)