Winning a Grand Slam tournament title of any sort confers prestige. It places a player in a unique and very special group. It goes without saying that the achievement is career defining.
For those who never realize the ultimate dream, there is another, often overlooked, accomplishment that once it is realized, is cherished. Reaching the quarterfinals at a major provides automatic membership into a very prestigious organization – the Last 8 Club.
Though the Gerry Weber Open is an ATP Tour 500 series tournament and not a Grand Slam, reaching the quarterfinals in Halle, Germany is significant. In the event’s previous twenty-four tournaments, those who have joined the Last 8 Club are most certainly, among the game’s best players.
The members of this year’s Last 8 Club offer a captivating mix of “something old, something new”. Going a descriptive step further, it would be fair to say it is a veteran and youth collage, with a touch of surprise adding to the feature.
Roger Federer, the No. 1 seed, has won Halle eight times and been a finalist on three other occasions. With such an illustrious record, it is not surprising in the least, that he is the Last 8 Club appearance leader for the 2017 members. What is astounding is that he has played the tournament 14 times and has earned a place in the quarters on every occasion. In fact, his worst performances on the lawns at the Gerry Weber Open took place in both 2000 and ’01 when he dropped quarterfinal decisions to Michael Chang of the US and Patrick Rafter of Australia, respectively.
Florian Mayer, the 2016 champion who is unseeded in Halle just a year later, has competed nine times in the event. Impressively, the German’s has reached the quarterfinals six times. Alexander Zverev, the No. 4 seed, lost to Mayer in the all-German title round a year ago, in three sets. He has played Halle twice and achieved the Last 8 Club once previously. Unseeded Richard Gasquet of France has had four Gerry Weber Open adventures. Other than reaching the semifinals in 2010, he has never visited the quarters.
Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, the No. 7 seed, had never before participated in the tournament. Making the quarterfinals in his first go in Halle substantiates his prominence as an ATP performer. Karen Khachanov of Russia, who is another unseeded player, highlighted his first Halle appearance by playing his way into his first quarterfinal.
In 2016, Andrey Rublev of Russia was defeated in the first round. Given a wild card in this year’s edition of Halle, he has justified the “free pass” into the main draw by claiming his inaugural quarterfinal position.
For many, the performance by veteran Robin Haase of the Netherlands defines what makes the Gerry Weber Open a storybook event. His six previous showings were, at best, forgettable. In two of them, he was unable to advance beyond the qualifying. In 2014, he won his only GWO match then, lost in the second round. Now, three years later, Haase has put on a show by reaching the quarterfinals and becoming a Last 8 Club member.
The Last 8 Club is not a group where a membership can be bought. Hard work, skill and practice are the only price of admission.
