[SIZE=3][B][COLOR=Gold]Gold Group:[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE]
#2 seed [B]SaFed2005[/B], our Wimbledon champion, heads the Gold Group.
The former world #1 has had a pretty solid year, winning Miami, Montreal and
4 other titles. However, last year's semifinalist has underperformed so far
during this indoor season, only managing to make the SFs in Bangkok and
Madrid, and he will be looking to improve on this statistic.
#3 seed [B]Puschkin[/B] has had a pretty impressive debut year. The Roland
Garros finalist showed that he can play on fast surfaces too when he won
Cincinnati and New Haven back-to-back. Albeit starting the indoor season
rather poorly, the world #4 proved that he has gotten into the groove of
playing indoors by making the Paris final and he is not to be underestimated!
#5 seed [B]virex[/B] is another player who made his PTS debut in 2005. Our
St Poelten winner has been the model of consistency and has shone on
various surfaces, making the finals of Rome, Nottingham, Cincinnati
and Beijing. He does not seem to have adapted to indoors, however, failing to
reach the SFs of an indoor event. Still, one should not bet against him hitting
his stride at the TMC and proving the doubters wrong, as he has done on
various occasions this year!
#7 seed [B]Ria[/B] rounds up the Gold Group. Another debutant in 2005, Ria
has performed well, making the final of Monte-Carlo and the semis of
Barcelona, Estoril, St Poelten, Hamburg, Roland Garros, Miami and
Nottingham. As can be seen, the world #7's claycourt resume is especially
exceptional. Although Ria has yet to make an impact indoors so far, he is a
player who works hard and is a fighter who should not be dismissed easily!
[SIZE=3][B][COLOR=Red]Red Group:[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE]
#1 seed [B]silverwhite[/B] has had a pretty consistent year. The Roland
Garros champion has won Indian Wells, Monte-Carlo and 6 other titles. The
worrying trend for the world #1, however, is that most of his titles came in
the middle of the year and he seems to have peaked for the year. He has
also been very inconsistent indoors, winning Basel together with SwissMister1
but failing to make the semis of any other indoor tournament.
#4 seed [B]bad gambler[/B] is our defending champion. This all-surface player
has posted solid results on clay, on hardcourts as well as indoors. Although
the world #3 has only won one title this year, the Paris title couldn't have
come at a better time, further cementing his impressive indoor record (final in
Milan and Vienna, semis in Madrid) this year and sending out the signal that
he is in good form.
#6 seed [B]SwissMister1[/B] only joined the game after Roland Garros but
has definitely taken the PTS world by storm! This all-court player has
displayed his versatility by winning titles on 4 different surfaces in
Nottingham, Stuttgart, Beijing and Basel, and is definitely a huge threat
everywhere. The world #6 has notched up a solid indoor record to boot,
making the finals in Bangkok and Madrid in addition to his Basel win, and looks
good to end the year on a high at the TMC.
#8 seed [B]jrm[/B] rounds up the Red Group. The former world #3 started the
year on a high note with a final in Sydney and a semifinal in Melbourne and
then semifinals in Milan and Marseille. She took a hiatus, however, from
Barcelona through St Poelten and has not been at her best since her return.
Still, she has proven she can rise to the occasion at the big tournaments, as
can be seen form her semifinal showings at the Australian Open and
Wimbledon. At her best, the world #9 is a dominant force on fast surfaces,
winning Queen's and 's-Hertogenbosch as well as Basel and Madrid
back-to-back in 2004, and it would be a big mistake the underestimate her!
[SIZE=3][B]Predictions[/B][/SIZE]
The [COLOR=Gold]Gold Group[/COLOR] is made up of 4 very consistent
players. We would have to give former #1 [B]SaFed2005[/B] the edge to top
the group, because he is unstoppable at his best, and [B]Puschkin[/B] to
finish second, because he seems better adjusted indoors than the other two.
The [COLOR=Red]Red Group[/COLOR] at their best is the tougher and more
experienced group but whether these 4 players will be in peak form remains
to be seen. [B]SwissMister1[/B] consistently finishes in the Top 3 in
tournaments. His reliability, as well as the fact that he has no points to
defend, makes him our bet to top the group. Second place is a toss-up,
really, but based on current form, we would pick defending champion
[B]bad gambler[/B], fresh from his win in Paris.
Semifinals: SaFed2005 def bad gambler, SwissMister1 def Puschkin
3rd-4th placing: bad gambler def Puschkin
Final: SwissMister1 def SaFed2005 (VERY CLOSE CALL)
[SIZE=3][B]Rankings[/B][/SIZE]
No matter what happens in Shanghai, [B]silverwhite[/B] and [B]SaFed2005[/B]
will end the year ranked #1 and #2. [B]Puschkin[/B] has the #3 spot almost
wrapped up and as long as he does not get relegated AND THEN end
up at the bottom of the sub-tournament league table, he cannot be passed.
[B]bad gambler[/B] and [B]virex[/B] have 25 points separating them and it is
almost certain that whoever has a better finish in this tournament will end
the year at #4 while the other will finish #5. [B]SwissMister1[/B] and [B]Ria[/B]
are in a tight fight themselves with a difference of 31.5 points between them
and again, the one who does better in Shanghai is likely to end the year in
front of the other. Both actually have a shot at passing [B]bad gambler[/B]
and [B]virex[/B] but only if they finish a round ahead of either/both of them.
[B]jrm[/B] needs to finish at least 4th in Shanghai if she wants to overtake
[B]willie[/B]. Otherwise, she will remain #9. She can overtake [B]SwissMister1[/B]
and [B]Ria[/B] by finishing a round ahead of either/both of them but to
overtake [B]bad gambler[/B] and [B]virex[/B], she has to win the tournament
AND [B]bad gambler[/B] and [B]virex[/B] must finish lower than 3rd-place.