Anderson Makes First ATP Tournament Final in Vegas
March 9, 2008 | Men's Tennis
March 9, 2008
LAS VEGAS - Former Illini Kevin Anderson advanced to his first career ATP Tournament final with his win over American and No. 111-ranked Robby Ginepri in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon at the Tennis Channel Open hosted in Las Vegas March 3-9. Anderson now will face another American, up-and-coming star and unseeded Sam Querrey in the finals, with both men looking to grab their first ATP tournament crowns of their career. Anderson, who is guaranteed to rise in the rankings to at least No. 118, could rise as high as around No. 105 - just five spots out of automatic qualification into Grand Slam main draws - should he take home the title in Vegas on Sunday.
"I am very surprised to be in the final and at the same time I don't feel like I'm overwhelmed by the situation," said Anderson. "The biggest key for me is that I have the confidence to be playing at this level."
The Tennis Channel Open final can be seen live on the Tennis Channel at 5 p.m. CT tonight. Check your local listings for exact information on time and your specific channel.
Anderson, who took down No. 100 Evgeny Korolev (6-2, 6-0) in the quarterfinals on Friday, backed up his amazing win on Saturday by taking down Ginepri (7-6(4), 6-4) - a near veteran on the tour after turning pro in 2001. Though the American has seven more years of experience and two singles titles on the ATP tour to his name, the resume was not enough to get past the hard serving and determination of the 21-year-old South African qualifier. In fact, Anderson battled back from break point down in both sets to score his fourth, straight-sets victory of the main draw.
With his advancement, Anderson continued the recent success of players coming out of the qualifying draw and making it all the way to the final. For Anderson, the feat is all that more sweet, as this is only his third ATP level event of his career, going winless (0-2) in his two previous appearances. Anderson has now become the third player in the last month to make it out of the qualifying draw and reach an ATP final. Last month, Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori qualified and won the title in Delray Beach. Last week, lucky loser Sergiy Stakhovsky lost in the final round of qualifying in Zagreb but advanced into the main draw when a player withdrew. He took advantage of that opportunity and won his first ATP title. With the odds in his favor, Anderson looks to make it three in a row.
Ranked a career-high No. 175 this week, Anderson is the first South African to reach an ATP final since Wesley Moodie won the title in Tokyo on Oct. 9, 2005. The 6'7" Johannesburg native has not dropped a set in the main draw and only one in three qualifying matches.
As for his opponent, Querrey advanced to his first ATP final Saturday night with a 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 4-seed and 20th-ranked Guillermo Canas of Argentina. Canas was responsible for dismissing another former Illini great, 2003 NCAA champion Amer Delic in the quarterfinals on Friday night in straight sets, before meeting Querrey in the semis.
20-year-old Querrey, another astonishing story in this year's Tennis Channel Open, took out his second seeded opponent in the draw after cruising past Canas on Saturday night. He previously upended No. 8 seed and 48th-ranked Nicolas Kiefer in the second round before downing Julien Benneteau in the quarters, a player who previously had taken out No. 2 seed and former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) in this second round contest.
For complete results and scores for the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, visit www.ATPtennis.com and click on the "RESULTS" drop-down menu at the top of the screen and choose "This Week's Results". There, you will find results, draws and up-to-date score of this week's ATP events, including the Tennis Channel Open.
