Main Draw Announced, Qualifying Continues
Jack Sock is Top Seed, Finals of Qualifying on Sunday
ATLANTA, July 22, 2017 – Americans are the tops two seeds as the main draw of the 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open will get underway on Monday. ATP World Tour No. 17, sits at the top of the draw and has a first-round bye. Three-time Atlanta champ, John Isner is seeded No. 2. Coming off a great Wimbledon, Gilles Muller is seeded No. 3 and American, Ryan Harrison is the fourth seed.
Intriguing first-round matches include Marcos Baghdatis against No. 5 seed, Kyle Edmund and Taylor Fritz taking on Georgia Tech’s Chris Eubanks on Tuesday’s College Night.
The doubles draw was also released on Saturday with the Bryan Brothers as the top seeds.
Singles Qualifying Continues
Play got underway on Saturday at Atlantic Station, as the 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open singles qualifying draw offered eight matches, several featuring local and American players.
Even with great support from the Atlanta crowd, local tennis standout,Trent Bryde, was eliminated in straight sets by Brydan Klein of Great Britain, in the first round. Klein, a 12-year professional defeated Bryde 6-0, 6-3 to advance to Sunday’s play.
Bryde, the No. 6 nationally ranked junior and a Blue Chip recruit, has appeared in the Atlanta Open the previous two years, but has fallen in the qualifying draws all three times.
Competing in the first match on the stadium court of the tournament, both players made it clear early on that it was going to be a battle of groundstrokes. Both players held serve early in the set and competed in close games and long rallies. Klein called on his consistency and capitalized on errors by Bryde to break the youngster for a 3-2 lead. Overcoming desperate attempts by Bryde to frustrate him with drop shots, Klein was able to outlast a quick-footed Bryde to close out the first set, 6-3.
Bryde struggled to find his game early in the second set. Klein, taking advantage of Bryde’s frustration, continued to play aggressively and was quickly up 4-0. Stung by the high temperatures of a Georgia summer, Klein took a medical timeout on the changeover. After a quick rest and a drink in the shade, Klein returned and finished the match with a forehand winner that just surpassed an outstretched Bryde.
In the second match of the day on the stadium court, American Stefan Kozlov defeated long-time player Catalin-Ionut Gârd 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the second round of qualifying tomorrow.
Advancing into competition tomorrow, 19-year-old Kozlov looks to solidify one of four spots in the main draw of competition that will result from qualifying draw. This is Kozlov’s first appearance in Atlanta, and he currently holds a world ranking of No. 129.
In the second match of the day on the stadium court, Kozlov raced to a fast start. Rushing to 3-0 lead within 15 minutes, Kozlov kept Gard limited to short points. Unable to convert, Gard not only continued to make errors, but Kozlov capitalized on Gard’s second serve, winning 91-percent of second serve return points in the set. Closing the set on a wide forehand by Gard, the American finished the set 6-3.
As the second set began, the temperature hovered at around 90-degrees and began to wear on the energy of the players. Kozlov carried his powerful forehand and serves to the second and sped to another 3-0 lead. Keeping Gard on the defense with his first serve, Kozlov won 12 of 14 first serve points.
On a changeover, Gard required an injury timeout due to the heat and cramping. Despite a visit from the athletic trainer, Gard was never able to regain full form once back on court. Winning three of the final four games, Kozlov punched his ticket to the next round, closing the match with an ace.
Other qualifying winners on Saturday included: Tim Smyczek, Tommy Paul and Mitchell Krueger.
Net Gen Kid’s Day
The USTA hosted their first Net Gen Kid’s Day on Saturday as the BB&T Atlanta kicked off its run. Hosted by Wayne Bryan, there were also special appearances by players, Reilly Opelka and Jared Donaldson. Kid’s from all over Atlanta turned out to test their skills and learn about the great sport of tennis as well as see why it is a sport that can be played an entire lifetime.
ORDER OF PLAY - SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2017
STADIUM COURT start 11:00 am
Qualifying - [4] M. Krueger (USA) vs [8] T. Paul (USA)
Qualifying - [1] I. Marchenko (UKR) vs [5] T. Smyczek (USA)
AJC GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
Qualifying - [2] S. Kozlov (USA) vs [7] B. Klein (GBR)
Qualifying - [3] Q. Halys (FRA) vs [6] D. Novikov (USA)
Tickets available at www.bbtatlantaopen.com