Players to bid at the 2012 US Open Championships: (Part Eight) – Tennis Special
We continue with our series of reviewing the players aiming for glory at the last Grand Slam event of the season, the US Open Championships.
Nicolas Almagro – Spain
2011 season witnessed a 6ft tall crafty Spaniard breaking into the Top-10 of the ATP World Rankings for the first time and bagging some championship titles to stun everyone. 26-year-old Nicolas Almagro is deemed to be the future
of Spanish tennis in the Davis Cup campaigns and is among the high class performers to take part at the coveted US Open championships.
Currently holding the 12th spot in the South African Airways ATP World Rankings, the Spaniard had a wonderful last season, winning three titles, whilst he has already two more this year. With the liked of David Ferrer
entering into his 30’s and getting close to the retirement, and Rafael Nadal facing persistent injury problems, Almagro is the only player who can carry on the legacy of this sport in Spain.
Almagro posted dismal performances in the Grand Slam events last year, especially the US Open, as he was ejected in the very first round of the tournament by the then 81st ranked Frenchman, Julien Benneteau. However,
his performances at the elite platforms have been pretty impressive this season. He reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, followed by a quarter-final appearance at the Roland Garros French Open. His most recent Grand Slam campaign at the Wimbledon
Championships lasted till the third round, finishing at the hands of Richard Gasquet in straight sets.
His game play has improved significantly, so has his ability to win the encounters. Almagro is surely a layer to watch for at the US Open championships this season and he shall surely reach the fourth round or further at this
Grand Slam event.
Gilles Simon – France
France’s second best player on the ATP Tour, Gilles Simon, has not been in his prime for the past few months. Albeit he has managed to stay close to the Top-10 mark in the ATP World Rankings, the 27-year-old French have managed
to win only one championship title this season till date. Simon is an aggressive player but his belligerence hasn’t worked to its optimum this year, causing him to suffer more defeats in the current season than he beard in the 2011 ATP circuit.
Simon has never gone past the fourth round at any Grand Slam event but he posses the skills to register huge surprises on his day. He was the fourth-rounder at the last year’s US Open, defeating the former champions, Juan Martin
Del Potro, in the third round. He was outplayed by the current American number one, John Isner, in the fourth round and the Frenchman must desire to produce a better outcome at the Flushing Meadows this time round.
He was ended in the second round of the Australian Open and the Wimbledon Championships, whereas made it to the third round of the Roland Garros this year. Simon is a talented player and has to tendency to reach the fourth round
of the tournament without facing any real challenge. I believe he can’t go further than the fourth round, as the level of the competition will be extremely high at the star-studded field of the US Open Championships.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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