The Tennis Hacker

Futures Head to Pittsburgh

2008-06-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

Dick's Sporting Goods Inc Men's Futures of Pittsburg, PA
June 30 to July 6
$10,000/32 Draw
Clay Outdoor
Main Draw Singles
Main Draw Doubles
Order of Play
Qualifying Draw

Related:

Futures Tournament Supervisor, chair umpire at Grand Slams

Janko Tipsarevic, the Serbian Heritage

John-Paul Fruttero

Resources:

Meet Brad Pomeroy

Cool off with these Summer Recipes

Catch up with Wimbledon, NY Times Full-Court Coverage

Jamie Baker returns, plays Artem Sitak

2008-06-29T23:32:00.000-07:00

Nielsen USTA Pro Tennis Championship
Challenger Series
Winnetka, Illinois
June 30 to July 5 (Saturday final!)
$50,000/32 Draw
Hard/Outdoor
Main Draw Singles
Main Draw Doubles
Order of Play
Qualifying Draw

Related:

Nicholas Monroe Player Profile

Rajeev Ram's Money Shot

Show me Izak Van Der Merwe

The Idiosyncrasies of Artem Sitak

2008-06-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

If you watch tennis players long enough, you would see that they each have idiosyncrasies, little quirks that they do almost unconsciously. Artem Sitak, the number one ranked player in the Rochester Futures in New York state, likes to put his racket in his left hand and put his right hand to his mouth and blow on it.

As you watch, Artem Sitak, you may notice that he is just a part of a team. He travels with his coach Jason and his wife Anya from the Ukraine. Artem has developed a reputation as a competitive and hard-working player and perhaps a big reason for his competitive spirit is wife.

Tennis, unlike most sports, has an odd rule that coaches can not shout instructions or communicate with the players during the match. But there are no rules against spouses speaking out. If Artem ever appears to begin to give in to fatigue or the elements, his wife bellows out a few words of encouragement that is startling in the usually-sedate grounds of the Futures tournaments.

She speaks in Russian, which maybe unintelligible to most American spectators, put her words has the effect of grabbing Artem by the collar and shaking him.

Related:

The Idiosyncrasies of Dusan Vemic

The Idiosyncrasies of Robert Smeets

The Idiosyncrasies of Rik De Voest

Resources:

The Idiosyncrasies of Nadal, Djokovic, Sharapova

The Tennis Hacker's Mail Bag

2008-06-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

"I visited your blog and enjoy the stories," Kel wrote.

Kel has questions: "Can you tell me how one enters a tennis futures tournament? Do I have to already have a ranking of some sort or is anyone accepted to qualify? If so how are people paired up, is it at random?"

In answer to Kel's questions, the Futures is a proving ground for top-ranked juniors, college players and pros at the beginning of their career. Their ATP ranking is usually around 150 to 900.

Players who are not ranked usually play the qualifying round of each tournament to get in. Check out the 'Pro circuit' section of the USTA or ITF website.

If you need more infomation e-mail Danielle Gooding at gooding(at)usta.com or Julio Echavarria at echavarria(at)usta.com.

*Join the conversation, send an e-mail to tennis.hacker(at)yahoo.com.

Related:

The Futures Tour Survival Guide

Brad Gilbert, the famous coach once played The Futures

Myths on the Futures Tour

Resources:

ITF Pro Circuit

USTA Pro Circuit

Artem Sitak in Rochester, New York

2008-06-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

Futures of Rochester, NY
Thru June 29, 2008
$10,000/32 draw
Clay Outdoor
Main Draw Singles
Main Draw Doubles
Order of Play
Qualifying Draw

Related:

Competitive Tennis Devastates the body

Show me Breda Turner

Noam Okun: 'Tennis is a game of momentum'

Resources:

Artem Sitak's brother does 'the Crip Walk'

Show me the real 'C-Walk'

The Teletubbies do the 'C-Walk': 'Keep it Gangsta'

Carsten Ball in Shingle Springs, California

2008-06-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

Freight Solution Providers Pro Circuit Tennis Championships
Shingle Springs, California
Thru June 29, 2008
$15,000/32 draw
Hard Outdoor
Main Draw Singles
Main Draw Doubles
Order of Play
Qualifying Draw

Related:

Little Rock Family Adopts Julio Peralta

The Book on Greg Jones

Adam El Midawy: 'I'd rather be playing soccer'

How to get sponsors on the Futures Tour

2008-06-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

Ricardo Hocevar, winner of the Sacramento Futures tennis tournament, used a rather forward way of gaining financial sponsorship. During a recent tournament, he wore a shirt that read 'Would you like to advertise here?'

Players have to be creative to raise funds to travel around the country and the world to play in tournaments. It can cost around $30,000 to $40,000 a year.

"The only way you can get help with money really is if people have seen you play or know you and they love the sport of tennis," says Sydney Jim, another young Futures player. "I'm lucky I have help with money, but I also worked very hard to get the start-up costs; also getting help from equipment companies like Pro Supex, Dunlop, Quiksilver, and I get some private help from Continental.

Related:

Sydney Jim talks about his hitting partner Bryan Wooten

Eric Halaj trying to break through

Michaela Moon Runs a Tight Ship

Resources:

Sydney Jim's blog of his tennis travels

Ricardo Hocevar featured in the London Telegraph. Scroll down to the last paragraph.

Sacramento Results

Players Rumble in Sacramento

2008-06-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

Trius Technology Futures Pro Circuit Tennis Tournament
Sacramento, California
Thru June 22, 2008
$15,000/32 draw
Hard Outdoor
Main Draw Singles
Main Draw Doubles
Order of Play
Qualifying Draw

Related:

How to beat Carsten Ball

Ryler De Heart's Pain

Michael Yani Battles

Resources:

Michael Yani Loves Yuba

Ricardo Hocevar: 'We are the champions'

Next Futures Tournament in Shingles, CA, and Rochester, NY

Players Battle in Loomis, California

2008-06-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Ryler De Heart is ranked number two in the Recoating West Inc. Men's USTA $15,000 Professional Tennis Tournament in Loomis, California.

Carsten Ball is number one in Loomis. (Ball photo by Tessa Kolodny.)

Resources

Michael McClune article, pictures, Loomis News

Estrella, Hocevar in Loomis

The Many Faces of Bryan Wooten

2008-06-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

Bryan Wooten was over-matched and his facial expressions were telling.

'What the hell is he doing over there?'

'Oh, not again.'

'What time does the lunch buffet shut down?'

'Some days you shouldn't get out of bed.'

Bryan Wooten lost to Artem Sitak in this match at the Little Rock Futures tennis tournament.

Bryan Wooten Interview, Waco Tribune-Herald

How Tennis is like Tai Chi

2008-06-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese dance that is used to promote health and -- after year's of practice -- can be used for self-defense. It encourages natural movement of the limbs and promotes an erect posture.

Today's scientists and doctors are convinced that the ancient Chinese had got something right and they recommend tai chi. For example, the elderly are encouraged to take tai chi to aid in their balance and people with high blood pressure find that tai chi's calming effects lowers their blood pressure.

Many tai chi movements can be seen in tennis. For example, just before a player serves, after he bounces the ball a few times, he would tend to lean back and gather his power before he serves. That leaning back motion is a classic tai chi move: without moving his feet the tai chi practitioner leans back out of the range of an opponent's attack.

The tennis writer Peter Bodo put out a great story about Ana Ivanovic and how she travels with a physiologist who helps her with her serve. In deed, a tai chi instructor is much like a physiologist who instructs his students on posture and movement.

One of the stories Bodo tells is how Ivanovic no longer stands parallel to the baseline because that way she let's her opponent know what is coming. That is pure tai chi: the tai chi pratitioner does not stand full frontal to his opponent; he turns to the side where he less exposed and disguises his own attack until the point of contact.

Related

The Tennis Hacker on Fitness

How Tennis can save your life

Breathe

Resources

Peter Bodo on Ana Ivanovic

Tai chi video

The Mayo Clinic on Tai Chi

Marcus Fugate goes Hollywood

2008-05-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Marcus Fugate.

Marcus Fugate, a player on the Futures tour, has gone Hollywood. Fugate is one of several players featured on the documentary film Unstrung. I read a review of the film and picked up three things, one of each is salacious, interesting and humorous.

The salacious bit is that Fugate is apparently the modern day Yannick Noah, the former player who was known to be a lady's man.

The interesting part is another player, Gregory Hirshman, is as absorbed in calculus as much as he is in tennis and has made his way to Stanford, a school that is known as much for its academics as it is for sports.

Then there is the story of Carling Bassett, a former player who was an heiress to a fortune, and who during her playing days was known as the quintessential spoilt, rich kid, tennis brat. (I got to see that side of her up close many years ago when I attempted to interview her at a tournament she was playing in.)

It turns out that Carling Bassett has a son, Holden Seguso, one of the players featured in the film. The gods of revenge have a sense of humor as the movie reveals that Carling Bassett's son is more a brat than she was.

Resources:

A Great Review of Unstrung

The ESPN Report on Unstrung

Unstrung, the Movie

Greg Jones Scouting Report

2008-05-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

I got to see Greg Jones in Vero Beach, Florida. A week later, he won the Orange Park Futures. Jones is very tall and actually has trouble bending due to his height. He has a lot of fight and is competitive. He has a very deceptive backhand lob; he disguises it well.

He concentrates and has a court-presence, especially before his serve. He has a very powerful two-handed backhand. His drop shot needs a little work: he is shaky and telegraphs his drop shot and gives his opponent an opportunity to recover.

He is from Australia, so like Lleyton Hewitt, he gives an emphatic 'Come on!' after winning a big point.

Related:

Greg Jones in Vero Beach

Show me more Australian Players

The Little Rock Tennis Scene

Resources:

Next Futures in Loomis, California

Futures Players Cross The Border to Mexico

Steve G's Tennis Board

Jamie Baker suffers serious illness

2008-05-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

Jamie Baker, a young man in the prime of his life and pursuing a career in professional tennis, has suffered a serious illness. Baker came down with ITP or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Patients with the bleeding disorder, also known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura, have an unusually low number of blood platelets and have difficulty with their blood clotting.

Baker won two Futures tennis tournament this year but, for now, his career is on hold.

Related:

Jamie Baker's Career-Threatening Injury

Jamie Baker: The Power of Words

Jamie Baker Spars with Roger Federer

Resources:

The Mayo Clinic on Jamie Baker's Illness

British Newspaper on Jamie Baker's Illness

Daniel Garza Wins in Tampa

The Tennis Hacker's Mail Bag

2008-05-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

"I ran into your website by mistake about two weeks ago, but have been really enjoying it!" read an e-mail from Josh.

"I love watching the 'minor leagues' as well and attend the event in Mobile every year."

*Join the conversation: send an e-mail to tennis.hacker(at)yahoo.com or drop a note in the comments below.

The Futures hit Tampa

2008-05-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Marcus Fugate, 7th seed in Tampa.

The men's futures tour is now in Tampa, Florida. Jose Statham of New Zealand is the number one seed in the USTA Men's Futures at Harbour Island. Other rated players are Clinton Thompson, Matt Roberts, Daniel Garza, Justin O'Neal, Chris Lam, Marcus Fugate and Lance Vodicka.

In early upsets, Sekou Bangoura defeated number six Chris Lam 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 in this $10,000 professional event.Matt Roberts, number 3 in Tampa.

Related:

Matt Roberts in Little Rock

Marcus Fugate in Little Rock

Brad Gilbert on Filip Krajinovic

Resources:

Tampa Results

Orange Park (Florida) Results

Futures Players move up to Bradenton Challenger

La Familia Jose De Armas

2008-05-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- The Jose De Armas family. His daughter Miranda attended her first match at the Grand Harbor Tennis Classic. His in-laws' last name is De Armas. I heard somewhere that in Venezuela the husband takes the name of the wife's family. Above, mother-in-law Nelly, wife Ana and daughter Miranda.

Jose De Armas made it to the final of the Vero Beach Futures.

In-laws including Martin De Armas. (Not pictured, in the bag, bottom-center of photo, is the family miniature dog.)

It is funny how a baby can disarm a powerful professional tennis player. After the match, De Armas was talking goo-goo baby-talk with his daughter Miranda. Also above, Nicolas Pareda.

Resources:

Show me photos of Orange Park (Florida) Futures

Buchanan wins First Futures Championship

2008-05-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

Chase Buchanan.

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Chase Buchanan survived a three-hour marathon match to defeat Jose De Armas 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2) in the Grand Harbor Tennis Classic. At 16-years-old Buchanan from Columbus, Ohio, won his first Futures tournament.

De Armas -- a Venezuelan who won this clay court tournament in 2000 and 2004 -- apparently had Buchanan confused and befuddled in the first set. At 27, De Armas is more experienced than Buchanan, who still plays junior tournaments, and De Armas won a lot of points with his backhand volley and he was also able to hit a lot of balls by the charging Buchanan.

By starting out with a 4-2 lead, De Armas seemed to be wearing down Buchanan and creating doubt in the mind of the young player. De Armas won the first set 6-4.

Buchanan fought back in the second set and jumped to a 5-2 lead. But De Armas stormed back to tie at 5-5. Buchanan held De Armas back to win the second set 7-5 and force a third and deciding set.

In the third set, it began to look like the longer the match went the better the chances of the younger and fitter Buchanan. (In an interview yesterday, Buchanan talked about winning matches on his fitness.)

The third set featured long rallies and was tied at 1-1, 2-2, and 3-3. Buchanan pulled away at 5-3. The remainder of the match was competitive with great shot-making on both sides, but De Armas tied it up 5-5.

De Armas used a lot of top spin. The players forced a tie-breaker for the championship. By the tie-break Buchanan, the youngster, took charge and won his first championship.

Jose De Armas.

De Armas Smothers Jones in Vero Beach

2008-05-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

Jose De Armas.

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Jose De Armas beat Greg Jones 6-4, 6-2 in the Grand Harbor Tennis Classic. There were a lot of long rallies throughout this Futures match, but in the end the cool and controlled De Armas prevailed.

"I'm very happy with my game," said the Venezuelan De Armas. "This is my first final in a while...This week everything came together."

De Armas, a former champion in Vero Beach, had his wife, new daughter and in-laws at the match. "I train in Miami," he said. "Similar conditions, it helps. I like any slow surface."

He likes the clay at the Grand Harbor Tennis Club. He plays Chase Buchanan in the final.

Greg Jones.

The Chase to the Final

2008-05-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

Banana and Gatorade, the essential tennis player diet. Chase Buchanan.

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Chase Buchanan beat back Luka Gregorc 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the finals of the Grand Harbor Tennis Classic.

After winning the first set, Buchanan was leading by as much as 5-2 in the second set on the clay courts of Grand Harbor Tennis Club. Gregorc, from Slovenia, made a push, closing to 5-4, but Buchanan finished him off 6-4.

"I'm playing pretty smart," said Buchanan who will face Jose De Armas in the final. "I try to put people in a position they don't like, I make a lot of balls and use my fitness."

Buchanan spoke with enthusiasm and confidence. "He's got a big game, if you let him dictate," Buchanan said about Gregorc. "You get on top of him, he doesn't like to move. Get on top or at least stay neutral."

Luka Gregorc.

Related:

DeArmas, Jones in Vero Beach

Little Rock Futures

Mobile Futures

Resources:

Vero Beach Results

Vero Beach Schedule

Vero Beach Newspaper Coverage

Ruckelshausen, a Man without a Home

2008-04-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Richard Ruckelshausen, a player on the Futures circuit, says that the 'place of residence' listed on tennis players' profiles is arbitrary.

His place of residence is now listed as Los Angeles, California, but when asked what he likes about Los Angeles he admitted he knew nothing about the city. He says Los Angeles is convenient as a base to travel to tennis tournaments.

Oddly, his most recent 'place of residence' was South Africa, even though he is from Austria. He said he was based in South Africa because a friend Danie Visser, who had success as a doubles player, was running an academy there.

After losing in the first round in the St. Vincent Auxiliary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, he said he is heading to Austria to play in the country's club tennis league. Club tennis, he said, is a way of supplementing his income because even if he were to win the Little Rock Futures' winner's share of $1,985, he would not break even.

Related:

Adam El-Mihdawy, a Friend of Richard Ruckelshausen

Learn About Another Futures Player (Eric Halal)

Show me more Futures Players (Adam Sadecky)

Resources:

Next Futures Tournament in Vero Beach, Florida

Newspaper clipping on Richard Ruckelshausen

Richard Ruckelshausen Player Profile

Little Rock Final, Play-by-play

2008-04-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

Artem Sitak (above) eats Matt Roberts' lunch.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Artem Sitak defeated Matt Roberts in the final of the St. Vincent Auxiliary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament in a triumph of Sitak's experience and seasoning over Matt Roberts' enthusiasm and adrenaline.

First set

Sitak opens the match having problems with his serve, a problem that bothered him throughout this Futures tournament. A number of double faults by Sitak led to a 1-0 lead for Roberts.

Despite the serving problems Sitak was able to move ahead 3-1 in the first set over Roberts who was playing before an enthusiastic crowd in his hometown.

Sitak was able to overcome the service problems and landed an ace for a 4-2 lead in the first set.

Roberts was able to get a little traction by using a tactic that opponents have used with success against Sitak: hit the ball to his backhand about three to four times in succession and then quickly swing it over to his forehand. Roberts was able to close the gap (4-3 Sitak, first set).

With the score 5-3 Sitak, Roberts drew on the enthusiasm of his hometown fans; Roberts put together an excellent game of serve and volley and a few overhead spikes (5-4 Sitak).

Despite a great effort by Roberts, who threw probably some of his hardest and best shots at Sitak, Sitak won the first set handily 6-4. This singular moment was a show of the difference in the level of play of the two finalists: Sitak has played tougher competition and has even won a Futures tournament this year; Roberts was playing on raw emotion, a chance to win a tournament in his hometown.

Matt Roberts waves to the hometown crowd.

Second Set

The raucous crowd cheered Roberts on for one last run. He was able to charge ahead to a 2-0 run.

In a strange way, the crowd might have helped Sitak. Sitak was a heavy favorite coming in because many of the top players were not in Little Rock and traveled to bigger tournaments in Tallahassee, Florida, and Mexico City, Mexico. The attention paid to Roberts must have allowed Sitak to relax knowing that if he could hold off the charge and enthusiasm of Roberts, the tournament was his to win.

Sitak covers the court well and runs down a lot of Roberts volleys. Roberts comes to the net occasionally but he does not put the ball away, he does not hit through the ball, and Sitak is able to run it down.

In earlier matches, Roberts used the aggression and force of the other players against them. He has a knack of hitting hard, low groundstrokes, a great forehand. Perhaps sensing this, Sitak took the pace of the ball and knocked little dingers and used a lot of spin, hitting the ball to the baseline. This didn't allow Roberts to come forward on his shots and he was unable to make 'tennis shots' and create his own pace.

Sitak took the upstart to school and it was just a matter of time before he put him away. Sitak wins 6-4, 6-3.

Little Rock in Perspective

2008-04-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- After his 6-4, 6-3 loss to Artem Sitak in the finals of the St. Vincent Auxiliary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, Matt Roberts said, "He was solid. He was on his game for sure. I haven't played anyone this week that patient."

He had not played anyone like Sitak all week. A little known fact is that many of the players on the Futures circuit were invited to bigger tournaments like the ones in Tallahassee, Florida, and Mexico. The players that Roberts ran through on the way to the final were not accustomed to playing this deep in the tournament.

As an example, Julio Peralta, whom Roberts beat in the semifinal, never made it to the main draw of the recent Mobile Futures having been knocked out in the first round of the qualifying round.

Adam El Mihdawy, whom Roberts beat in the quarterfinal, got knocked out in the second round of Mobile.

In contrast, Sitak lost to the eventual winner in Mobile and received extensive praise from the champion Travis Rettenmaier. Sitak also won a Futures this year in McAllen, Texas.

Artem Sitak denies the Hometown Kid

2008-04-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

LITTLE ROCK, Ark -- Artem Sitak, the number one seed in the St. Vincent Auxiliary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, was the most tested and have played against tougher opponents compared to his rivals here at the Pleasant Valley Country Club.

In the end, his toughness and experience served him as he beat Matt Roberts 6-4, 6-3 to win his second Futures tournament of the year.

He played the final match in unusually loud and raucous conditions for a Futures tournament. The players travel around the country in near anonymity but in this tournament Matt Roberts, who was born and raised in Little Rock, made it to the final and he brought what he called his 'posse' to cheer him on.

Sitak was having serious difficulties delivering his serve on the way to the final and was looking shaky coming in. But he pulled it together for the final.

In the end Sitak's experience and toughness prevailed over Matt Robert's adrenaline.

Little Rock is Longest Running Tournament

2008-04-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Jenny, racket stringer.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The St. Vincent Auxiliary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament is the longest running United States Tennis Association event, according to USTA supervisor David Littlefield. This tournament has been going on for over 28 years.

Littlefield said everyone loves the site. This is the first year the event is being hosted at the Pleasant Valley Country Club.

The week started out with a lot rain and bad weather. In fact, a week ago a tornado passed through Little Rock.

By Friday, it suddenly became very cold. Trying to interview Julio Peralta after his quarterfinal match, he quickly said, Can we go inside? It's cold.

Come Saturday and Sunday, perfect tennis weather; 75 to 80 degrees, light breeze.Rosa Colon and Tyler Neese, press liaisons.

Karrie runs the desk at Pleasant Valley Country Club. Above, David Littlefield, USTA supervisor and Karrie.