2014 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger...Challenger Tour...Sacremento, CA

[don_budge]

It isn't often that we devote a thread to a Challenger Circuit tournament. But you know me...I must have my reason. A devious ulterior motive.

I confess. It's about Stefan Koslov...my pick for the future of American tennis. Whether or not it ever happens is more or less immaterial in my book...unless of course his father contacts me to teach him how to serve properly. Kyle...have you made any inroads?

Last night here in some lonely remote farmland I was watching his match with Ryan Harrison on my iMac. The kid can play tennis and that is exactly what he does. The announcer fumbles around trying to make heads or tails of him and his game with the relative strengths and weaknesses as usual but young Stefan is moving in the footsteps of one you know who. That's right...the Great John McEnroe. He's got some definitely surly Mongolian attitude too to go along with the Mongolian countenance.

Ryan Harrison was once upon a time the American hopeful or so it seems. Now he dwelling in the 170 something echelon in the world whereas once he was up around 40 something in the world. How he got there is beyond me...I was never impressed with him or anything about him. Even his temper seems to be a bit of a charade. He's a pretender...with a strong forehand and an ok serve. A real lack of imagination. Apparently his burst of creativity has been the idea to head to the gym and get himself all pumped up...or who knows. Maybe PED's is the last resort in a case like his...but I'm not speculating.

Ryan sure has endured a lot in his pursuit of the American Tennis Dream. He has hit his peak and descended into mediocrity. At one point in the match he advanced to the net behind a really strong forehand that had Koslov in all sorts of defensiiveness...he cast up a pretty weak lob. But he guessed right or Ryan telegraphed it all the way and he got his racquet on the smash of Harrison and sent another lob over his head sending Ryan scrambling back futilely chasing it down. Since he couldn't return the lob...he smashed his big old blue Babolat to smithereens into the blue court. His work in the gym is apparently paying off but he might want to complement it with some anger management. He had a pretty good looking babe in the stands who was purportedly his girlfriend that he had some kind of running conversation with. The announcers were speculating a foot issue...maybe they were discussing the treatment after the match. Stefan Koslov uses his head on the tennis court. He manages the space and the time.

Remember my post yesterday at the Japan tournament where I called into question the American Dream being eroded into a war nation nightmare. Well it's true and I saw the evidence in a commercial during the Koslov/Harrison match that absolutely sent a shiver down my spine. It was for some organization called JointForce or something like that. Two little eight year old girls playing a match with Andre "Uncle Fester" Agassi serving as a ballboy and his darling Fraulien Steffi Graff serving as a ball girl for one of the little ones in the match. Most sickening of all though was the First Lady serving as a linesMan. Then cut to the chase...it's scenes of American military personal and Mrs. Joe Biden spewing wartime propaganda. Joseph Goebbels couldn't have been prouder.

Somebody better get a handle on this stuff quick before the whole thing goes up in flames. I say bring all of the bases home or better yet...let's convert them all to tennis camps and spread nothing but goodwill throughout the world. Make love not war...that sort of thing. I remember the Vietnam War...we were protesting in the streets. Now it is lame tweets. Lame posts like this. Where is the opposition to the war machine? Answer: Trembling in their homes...too scared to say a peep. Sheeple...wake up!

But anyways...Stefan has a lot of really good things going for him. He's a tennis player and he uses the whole court very cleverly. It's difficult to get him by the scruff of the neck as Stotty said. Too bad the game isn't played with wooden racquets because then he would really be making a statement. I spin...he spins...we all spin together.

On a side note the hope of Swedish tennis is on the Sacramento scene...Elias Ymer. He's of Ethiopian descent with a "big forehand and strong serve"...although the service motion looks contrived. Homemade. If this is hope then Barack Obama is about hope too. It has to be a joke...it has to be.

Michelle Obama and Uncle Fester and JointForces...teaming up. It is a nightmare isn't it? I'm sorry to break the bad news. Game over.

[klacr]

Stefan Kozlov became the 15th youngest to win a challenger match since 2000 when he defeated Ryan Harrison.

Have I made inroads on the kozlov camp. Well, his father, a tennis coach that runs a prominant academy in South Florida gave up his reigns to Stefan and handed him over to USTA. Once a kid goes to USTA, you cannot penetrate that wall unless they leave on their own.

Credit to Kozlov though, he's a good kid. Good tennis IQ and understands geometry. The many coaches I know within the USTA have only good things to say about him. Not about his talent on court, but about the person he is off court. That's always good to hear.

As for Elias Ymer, he's young and already the highest ranked Swedish player on tour at 235. I'm rooting for him. A country like Sweden with such a rich tennis tradition has fallen from tennis grace in a big way. Hoping for the Scandanavian Country's comeback. Until then, I'll root vicariously for Finland's own Jarkko Nieminen.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Koslov into the quarterfinals...

Credit to Kozlov though, he's a good kid. Good tennis IQ and understands geometry.
Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Yes...he certainly does understand the geometry and he is definitely coming to grips with the psychology. Is that a good thing that his reins were handed over to the USTA? Will he be micro chipped?

Yesterday in his match against John-Patrick Smith of Australia, ranked 230 in the world, he had a bit of ups and downs as all aspiring tennis players experience. All tennis players as a matter of fact. But he righted the ship on a really blustery and windy day in Sacramento against a tricky and cagey left handed opponent from down under to prevail in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Stefan is 16 years old but he is playing above his age maturity wise. He is cagey himself and using the art of drama to shift the momentum to his favor. Showing some petulant looks, gestures and vocal displeasure with his play he resembled another 16 year old that I saw trying to qualify for the U. S. Open in 1975. The Great John McEnroe.

Smith had defeated the number three seeded Bradley Klahn who is ranked 118 in the world in three sets in the previous round. Koslov plays Rhyne Williams next in his first quarterfinal appearance in a Challenger event. Williams is ranked number 211 in the world and is no relation to the Williams sisters. Wayne Odesnik retired in his match against Williams in the previous round after dropping the first set.

I like the "commentatoe" that has done the two matches of Koslov at the Sacramento stop. His voice is almost a monotone and maybe just a touch effeminate...dare I say gay. But he stays out of the way of the play and calmly relates what he and the viewer see. My favorite comments of his were when hotdog Ryan Harrison was smashing his Babolat to smithereens. He calmly related the cataclysm without any hyperbole whatsoever. It's a real contrast to the guys doing the Big Show.

I like the feel of the Challenger event. It reminds me of the tournaments that I used to play in somewhat.

[don_budge]

Kozlov in the semifinals...Tim Smyczek next

Stefan Kozlov in the semifinals by virtue of a 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory over Rhyne Williams. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it as I was tied up by my last class on Friday with eight adult students and then a little mental game coaching and discussion with my Estonian tennis student afterwards.

By the numbers it was a tough, tough come from behind match. The type of match that can steel a young up and coming player. Well why not...but now he faces another more seasoned veteran in Tim Smyczek. Ranked 99 in the world Smyczek has breezed through this draw in straight sets so far. He easily defeated Denis Kudla in the quarters.

At this point Kozlov might be a bit tired but he will attempt to shift into a higher gear and give it a go. He has a nasty little look on his face since I saw him at the French Open Juniors this summer. He looks like he is ready to roll up his sleeves and go to work. This is going to be very interesting...I hope. Maybe it is too much to hope for from a 16 year old kid. But Stefan isn't behaving like any sixteen year old. He is cutting his teeth on some pretty solid veterans this week in Sacramento. Best of luck to the kid. We need something to talk about and this kid just might be it.

[don_budge]

Kozlov in the finals...Sam Querry next on the agenda plus great commentary

It’s an agenda alright. The kid is kicking ass and taking names. Yesterdays match with Tim Smyczek was pretty brutal and perhaps not particularly pretty to watch. It was HIGHLY entertaining. But that is one of the intriguing things about our boy here...he doesn’t feel the need to win pretty but as you can see...he needs to win. There is a difference in that too. Wanting to win and needing to win.

Young Stefan lost the first set 6-3 as he looked to be a bit frazzled by the match from the day before in which he had won against Rhyne Williams in another come from behind Houdiniesque escape. His arm seems to be bothering him as he was shaking it and fussing over it a bit in warmup and in the beginning of the match. He called for a trainer a couple of times whether he really needed it or not may be debatable. If I had my way...there wouldn’t be any trainers on the court.

But somehow he got his legs back under him in the second and to that 6-3 also. In the final game as he was serving out the set he found himself at the net and Tim Smyczek was racing towards him to put an absolute sitter away that Kozlov had popped up off of a very strong return at his feet. But Gentleman Tim absolutely laced a forehand at the abdomen of Stefan and it was pretty clear that he wasn’t very happy about it. He gave a nicely nasty look at Smyczek and muttered something under his breath. He was in it for the win...you could tell. He served it out easily.

The third set was an absolute dog fight. Smyczek is a wonderful competitor. He almost reminded me of Zan Guerry who played a very infamous match against a 16 year old John McEnroe at the U. S. Open qualifying back in 1975 or so. Smyczek didn’t give the kid anything right up until the final handshake. He was in it for the win too...but nobody is giving him any credit today as he is looking like yesterdays news. Today...Kozlov is the toast of American tennis. He went on to dominate the third set tiebreaker after looking like he was on the razor’s edge physically speaking. Remember he is still a boy...a 16 year old boy. But he got down and dirty yesterday with a seasoned gnarly professional and he gutted it out. Towards the end of the third set Kozlov started hitting forehand winners almost out of the blue...pounding them predominately into the Smyczek backhand.

This was the most impressive that I have seen him to this point. You see...now he is becoming something of a man-child. The hand shake was brief and there was no love lost. Very little respect too from either party. It was a very tough match psychologically as well and both players were feeling none too kindly towards one another.

Once again the announcer did a superlative job with the match. He let the match speak for itself and he interjected with a very soft voice as if he was respecting the players right to having quiet. His comments were of the obvious and he just called it like he saw it without hyperbole or hype. He was an intelligent sort and he had done all of Kozlov's matches. He wasn't too familiar with him in the beginning but after announcing several matches he was putting the pieces together beautifully...recalling the previous matches and associating different situations with the one that he was in the present with.

You can have Djokovic vs. Berdych. You can have Nishikori vs. Raonic. I'll take Stefan Kozlov...any day of the week. Although I will probably drop in on the other too...just to participate here on the forum. If you start a thread...you must service it. Stotty's rules.

[don_budge]

Stefan Koslov...it's only the beginning

I am watching the trophy presentation of the 2014 Sacramento Challenger Pro Circuit Challenger. Sam Querry defeats Stefan Koslov in the final...6-3, 6-4.