Gasquet Wins Moscow and Moves Into Qualifying Position, Halep Wins Again, Wozniacki Breaks Drough

The women played their final WTA tournaments of the season this week while the men played their last 250 series.  As the men come down the homestretch, 5 spots are still open at the World Tour Finals.  Richard Gasquet made the biggest statement among those contenders and moving past Tsonga to take over no. 9 in the year-to-date rankings by defeating surprise finalist Kukushkin in Moscow.  And while still a long shot to make the field in London, Tommy Haas also made some by winning in Vienna over Haase.  And the man many have been waiting and waiting to break out won his first title:  Grigor Dimitrov won in Stockholm, and did so by knocking out Ferrer in the final.  In women's action, Simona Halep won yet another tournament (her 5th, now 2nd on tour behind Serena) in Moscow with a win over Stosur.  Caroline Wozniacki ended a year-long drought by winning in Luxembourg.

Good Stories
-Karen Khachanov (RUS), a 17-yr-old, was given another wildcard in a Russian tournament, and did not disappoint.  He picked up two top 100 victories over Ramos and Tipsarevic before losing to Karlovic.  He is now 3-2 in ATP events.
-Kazakh tennis:  The country's top two players, Golubev and Kukushkin, have fallen on tough times recently, but both qualified in Moscow, then both reach quarters and played each other.  Kukushkin won the duel, then beat the defending champion before losing to Gasquet in the final.
-Jack Sock (USA), who we didn't hear much from during the summer, defeated Tomic and then won the first set against before in 3 sets in Stockholm.
-Dominic Thiem (AUT), a 20-yr-old now ranked no. 141, like Khachanov, took advantage of wildcard a second time this year, and made his second quarterfinal, in Vienna.  There he pushed Tsonga to a third set tiebreak.
-Alisa Kleybanova (RUS), after all she's been through, reaching the quarters in Moscow, with wins over Lepchenko and Suarez Navarro
-Katerzyna Piter (POL), a 22-yr-old who I mostly ignored last week, now deserves mention as qualifying and reaching the quarters in back-to-back events in Linz and Luxembourg.  This week she beat Flipkens and Wickmayer and will reach no. 120 in the world.  She began the year ranked no. 358.
-Tereza Smitkova (CZE), a 19-yr-old qualifier, beat Mladenovic in Luxembourg and is now ranked no. 230.

Bad Stories
-Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) has hit yet another low.  He lost his opening match in Moscow to a 17-yr-old.
-Maria Kirilenko (RUS) has struggled in the second half of the year and went out in her first match in Moscow, albeit to a compatriot, Pavlyuchenkova.
-Sloane Stephens (USA) was beaten by Voegele in the quarters of a tournament in back-to-back weeks.  Obviously the young American prioritizes the majors but she needs to win these kinds of matches in small tournaments.

WTA Premier: Moscow, Russia

5) Simona Halep (ROU) def. 7) Samantha Stosur (AUS) 7-6(1) 6-2

-Halep wins 5th career title, 5th of 2013, last '13 New Haven

Defending champion: Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) - played and won Luxembourg instead

Quarterfinalists: 2) Roberta Vinci (ITA), 4) Ana Ivanovic (SRB), 8) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)-SF, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)-SF, Daniela Hantuchova (SVK), Alisa Kleybanova (RUS)

Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: Stosur (also finalist in '12) and Ivanovic
Locals performance: 9-7, which actually less Russians than I expected in the draw.  There were 3 left in quarters and 2 to the semis, so only one other win, which went to Vesnina.  Kirilenko, Pervak (I though she was Kazakh?), and l-Dushevina

Americans performance: 0-1, Lepchenko l. to Kleybanova

Third set tiebreaks: none

WTA International: Luxembourg, Luxembourg

1) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) def. Annika Beck (GER)

-Wozniacki wins 21st career title, last '12 Moscow

Defending champion: Venus Williams (USA) - did not play

Quarterfinalists: 2) Sloane Stephens (USA), 3) Sabine Lisicki (GER)-SF, 8) Bojana Jovanovski (SRB), Stephanie Voegele (SUI)-SF, Karin Knapp (ITA), Q) Katerzyna Piter (POL)

Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: none

Locals performance: 0-1, Minella drew Wozniacki in R1
Americans performance: 2-1, Stephens

Third set tiebreaks: Voegele def. Barthel (R1), Beck def. Piter (QF)


ATP 250: Moscow, Russia

1) Richard Gasquet (FRA) def. Q) Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 4-6 6-4 6-4

-Gasquet wins 10th career title, 3rd of 2013, last '13 Montpellier
-His 3 titles match his '06 campaign for most in his career in one year

Defending champion: Andreas Seppi (ITA) - SF l. to Kukushkin

Quarterfinalists: 2) Andreas Seppi (ITA)-SF, Ivo Karlovic (CRO)-SF, Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA), Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS), Karen Khachanov (RUS), Q) Andrey Golubev (KAZ)

Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: Gasquet, Karlovic, and Roger-Vasselin
Locals performance: 5-6 which is pretty good considering neither Youzhny nor Davydenko played.  Gabashvili and Khachanov (both wildcards) made the quarters and Donskoy won one match.  First round losers were Bogomolov, Kuznetsov, and q-Karatsev, who is 20-yr-old and apparently ambidextrous.

Americans performance: 0-1, Kudla l. to Karlovic

Third set tiebreaks: Karlovic def. Istomin (R2) (8-6)

ATP 250: Stockholm, Sweden

7) Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) def. 1) David Ferrer (ESP) 2-6 6-3 6-4

-Dimitrov wins 1st career title!

Defending champion: Tomas Berdych (CZE) - did not play

Quarterfinalists: 2) Milos Raonic (CAN), 3) Jerzy Janowicz (POL), 5) Ernests Gulbis (LAT)-SF, 6) Benoit Paire (FRA)-SF, Fernando Verdasco (ESP), Kenny de Schepper (FRA)

Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: none

Locals performance: 1-3, losses for Eriksson and q-Sekulic. q-Johansson won one match, and I thought he had retired
Americans performance: 1-1, Sock, see good stories
Other notable winners: Pablo Carreno-Busta (ESP), a 22-yr-old who broke out during the clay season, reappeared in an ATP draw, and got a hard court win over Zopp.

Third set tiebreaks: Nieminen def. Becker (R1), Gulbis def. Chardy (R1),

ATP 250: Vienna, Austria

2) Tommy Haas (GER) def. Robin Haase (NED) 6-3 4-6 6-4

-Haas wins 15th career title, 2nd of 2013, last '13 Munich

Defending champion: Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) - did not play

Quarterfinalists: 1) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)-SF, 3) Fabio Fognini (ITA), 5) Radek Stepanek (CZE), 8) Lukas Rosol (CZE)-SF, Dominic Thiem (AUT), Q) Ruben Bemelmens (BEL)-SF

Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: Haas

Locals performance: 2-4, Thiem the only winner.  First round losers were Haider-Maurer, Fischer, and G.Melzer
Americans performance: none
Other notable winners: Mirza Basic (BIH), 22-yr-old has 2 main draws and 2 wins this year.

Third set tiebreaks: Stepanek def. Lacko (R2), Tsonga def. Thiem (QF)

I will try to get an Istanbul preview out tomorrow night.