The Association of Tennis Professionals returns to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the Winston-Salem Open at the Wake Forest Tennis Center. While some of the biggest names in tennis won’t be in attendance, the event is certainly not void of premier up-and-coming talent or potential major surprises.
That’s exactly why fans would be wise to consider taking in the exciting tennis action live. Fortunately, this can be done with ease, even for out-of-town fans, as Hipmunk.com is the one-stop shop for all sports vacationing needs. Hipmunk sports cheap flights to Charlotte that can have fans about an hour away from the Wake Forest Tennis Center, and for fans that want stay awhile, they also feature affordable hotel listings in Winston-Salem, with rooms starting as low as just $47.
There’s already been one major shocker, as No. 1 seed Gilles Simon was upset by unseeded Aljaz Bedene in a match for the ages. The two competitors went to three tie-breaking sets, and while Simon’s early exit is disappointing, Bedene has emerged as a serious contender for the Winston-Salem Open title.
Additionally, No. 16 seed Jerzy Janowicz has caught the attention of the rest of the players in the field with his straight-sets defeat of Lukas Rosol. Janowicz and Rosol battled it out in 2014’s Winston-Salem Open final, which saw the latter capture the title. The 2015 match told a different tale, however, as Janowicz, with revenge apparently on his mind, dominated Rosol to establish himself as a player to watch as the tournament progresses.
Wednesday’s matches feature some very interesting storylines. Janowicz will try to ride the momentum of his victory over Rosol as he takes on No. 2 seed Kevin Anderson. Anderson doesn’t carry the same wave of momentum coming into his match that Janowicz does, as Anderson turned in a sub-par performance needing three sets to top Mikhail Kukushkin. Anderson dropped the first set in that encounter, but rallied to garner the victory against the 27-year-old Russian.
Also scheduled is fan-favorite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga matching up against Steve Johnson. Tsonga is not new to the stage at Winston-Salem, as he was a semifinalist in his debut in 2012, when his terrific run came to an end at the hands of Andy Murray. He will need to rebound after a less-than-stellar performance against Denis Istomin, as he lost the first set before taking the next two.
The top players in the field will need to establish themselves after sub-par performances against their lower echelon opponents. Tsonga and Anderson will need to pick up the pace, and fans will be in for a treat in seeing if these young stars can right the ship.
