One day away from the official kickoff of main draw action at the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, the remaining male qualifiers still in contention of earning an elusive spot in the 64-player draw battled it out on a mildly cool, yet comfortable Sunday at the Aviva Centre on the campus of York University. Fighting for a place in the main competition, second, third and fourth seeds Radek Stepanek, Tim Smyczek and Dennis Novikov were all forced to dig deep in their respective final round encounters, while ninth and twelfth seeds Alejandro Gonzalez and Jared Donaldson advanced in straight sets.
Smyczek Makes Stunning Comeback
In unquestionably the match of the day, third-seeded American Tim Smyczek took on unseeded Irishman James McGee last on on Court 1, one of four main courts used for the qualifying draw.
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After taking a titanic opening set, Smyczek seemed to have everything under control, breaking McGee at the perfect time to mount a commanding set and 4-2 lead. However, McGee refused to back down, breaking back almost immediately as Smyczek netted a routine backhand down break point, marking the start of an incredible comeback from the Irish number two. From there, the Irishman won five games in a row, taking the second set and going up a break in the decider in the process. Soon enough, McGee would earn a seemingly decisive second break of his own, and appeared well on his way to securing a spot in just his third tour-level main draw at 29 years of age, promptly consolidating the double break to move within a game of making personal history.
However, a carefree hold from 1-5 down proved to be the catalyst and the beginning of an inspired comeback from Smyczek, who won six games on the bounce to shock McGee, saving three match points en route to claiming an incredible 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 victory in a minute shy of the two and a half hour mark.
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Stepanek, Novikov Escape Three-Set Thrillers
Elsewhere, on Grandstand, the biggest court in use during the qualifying weekend, second and fourth seeds Radek Stepanek and Dennis Novikov escaped a pair of three-set thrillers against inspired counterparts.
Stepanek, a former semifinalist at the Rogers Cup, survived a marathon match to gain entry into the main tournament. In a match dominated by big-serving, first-strike tennis, the second-seeded Czech withstood a service masterclass to edge out India’s Saketh Mydeni, downing the Indian 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-4.
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Earlier in the day, American Dennis Novikov overcame a washout second set to defeat eighth-seeded Aussie James Duckworth 6-4, 0-6, 7-6(5). Duckworth recorded 16 aces in all but was unable to overcome the onslaughts of the big-serving Novikov, who was nothing short of cool under pressure.
Bester, the Last Canadian Standing, Falls
On day one, only one of eight Canadians survived the opening round of qualifying: North Vancouver’s Philip Bester. After defeating compatriot Kelsey Stevenson in the first round, twelfth-seeded Alejandro Gonzalez stood between the German-born Canadian and a dream spot in the main draw.
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Early on, it was all Gonzalez, who relentlessly piled the pressure on Bester to breeze through the opening set at the loss of just a single game. The same could be said early on in the second when the Colombian earned an early break to later go within a game of sealing the straight-sets victory. But right when it really mattered, nerves rocked Gonzalez’s game; the twelfth-seeded Colombian unable to take advantage of two match points on his own serve and www made to pay when getting broken back by an inspired Bester. But in the end, the Canadian’s late fightback was all in vain as Gonzalez later came out on top to restore order in a second-set tiebreak, sealing the 6-1, 7-6(3) victory in an hour and 29 minutes.
Gomez, Donaldson, Harrison Also Victorious on Sunday
Other players to qualify included Americans Ryan Harrison and Jared Donaldson and Colombia’s Emilio Gomez. While Donaldson advanced in straight sets, Harrison was made to work hard in a titanic three-set battle against the crafty Mischa Zverev, and proved too strong for the German in the end, winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. Gomez, on the other hand, spoiled a perfect day for the Americans, ousting fifth-seeded American Austin Krajicek 6-4, 7-6(8) to secure a berth in his first main draw at the Rogers Cup.
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Main draw action starts this Monday, with Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov, John Isner and Nick Kyrgios all headlining the opening day’s action on Centre Court.