James Blake, Bobby Reynolds in all-American quarterfinals – Sacramento Challenger 2011:
Preview
Top seeded at the 2011 Natomas Men’s Professional Tennis Tournament, James Blake kicks off the quarterfinal round as he takes on compatriot wildcard entrant, Jack Sock on Friday, 7th October in Sacramento, California.
Part of the ATP Challenger Tour, the event is played on outdoor hard courts.
Kicking off the quarterfinal action for the day, Blake and Sock will be testing the local support as they take on each other for the very first time in their career. Neither off the two have played each other on tour or otherwise
making their all time head-to-head score an even 0-0.
Despite the fact that both players are Americans, the favourite going into the match is truly the top seed and the current world number 75, James Blake. A former world number four, Blake is expected to blast past his wildcard compatriot
in easy sets.
If the disparity in their ranking is not testament enough to a Blake win, his past records truly triumph those of Socks. Winning six of last ten matches including the two first and second round ones here, Blake is clearly the stronger
player going into the match. Playing all his matches on hard surface, Blake is truly attuned to the surface. Add to that his wins over higher ranked Marcos Baghdatis and Fabio Fognini in Cincinnati and over Mikhail Kukushkin in Winston-Salem, and Blake is
clearly the safest bet for the match.
However, an upset is not uncommon and perhaps Jack Sock maybe that very dark horse to do so. Albeit ranked 413th in the world, Sock also holds a similar five of last ten matches win as Blake. His only big win in last
ten games came earlier in this tournament when he upset the eighth seeded Brit, James Ward in the opening round. However, the young American is not expected to repeat the feat and is very likely to come crashing down against the former world number four.
While these two meet each other in the centre courts of Sacramento, another all-American clash will be taking place subsequently as fourth seeded Bobby Reynolds takes on his unseeded compatriot, Alex Kuznetsov.
Reynolds moved into the final eight after a tough three set battle against Dane Frederik Nielsen while Kuznetsov upset sixth seeded Izak Van der Merwe in straight sets to move on ahead. However, this hardly has any bearing when
predicting the winner between Reynolds and Kuznetsov.
Playing each other for the tenth time, Reynolds holds a one match lead over Kuznetsov as he leads the head-to-head 5-4. In their last meeting at the Tallahassee Challenger in April 2011, Reynolds won over Kuznetsov by retirement
while leading 6-0, 2-0.
Albeit ranked outside the top 100 (121st), Reynolds records an amazing eight wins in his last ten matches as opposed to Kuznetsov’s only four. Winner of the 2011 Tulsa Challenger, Reynolds holds a definite advantage
over his lower ranked compatriot and is expected to ease past him into the final four.
With four Americans kicking off the quarterfinal round for the day, win or lose, the professionals can surely expect a lot of support and cheers from their home crowds.
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