Originally posted on 07/14/2014:

ATP Bogota Mini-View
It's Year #2 of this tweener tournament. It's sandwiched in between the end of the last grass court tournament in Newport and the beginning of the US Open Hard Court series for the Summer. Last year's Champion Ivo Karlovic is back the 2nd seed this year. Richard Gasquet tops the draw with Vasek Pospisil as the 3rd seed and Radek Stepanek as the 4th. One thing to consider here is the altitude. Bogota is more than 8,000 feet above sea level. That can make it interesting for guys who do not get to acclimate to that first - like a Karlovic who will be on a short turnaround from Newport. Being a 250 level tournament, watch for upsets and key in on those 1st matches to see who is comfortable in this setting. That could help sort out the week.

Seed Report
#1 Gasquet
I was pretty surprised to see Gasquet playing here. Traditionally, he only plays the Masters Hard Court matches in Cincinnati & Montreal. The obvious joke is here. Colombia. Gasquet. Cocaine. I'll watch him play a match before I even think about wagering on anything related to him this week.

#2 Karlovic
Dr.Ivo used the high altitude here last year to his advantage as he bashed his way to the title. The field was more difficult last year, so a repeat is not out of the question. The big question though is from a fitness standpoint for the big man. Can he go deep in this tournament after making a Finals appearance in Newport and having to travel? His draw helps. It's got semifinals or better written on it if he can hold up.

#3 Pospisil
If there's an untrustworthy list, Pospisil is on it. He just can't seem to get things strung together to get into good form. After what looked like decent form in Holland prior to Wimbledon, he flamed out in Round One at the All-England Club against Haase. Still, he made the semis here last year and the surface/altitude should be conducive to his game. His draw is decent, but he'll have last year's finalist Falla to go through at some point perhaps just to get to the semis.

#4 Stepanek
Another weird entry here to me. Stepanek is another guy like Gasquet that normally sits out until the bigger US Open Hard Court series tournaments. His quarter is full of less than thrilling names, mostly Challenger-level guys who are out of their element. Donskoy-Gonzalez winner in the 1st round could be his main competition to a semifinal birth.

#5 Falla
The home-stamding Colombian made the Final last year and could be a threat again this year with the extra motivation that some other players might be lacking. He does have a little bit tougher draw that most though. He opens against Ito, a capable hard court player. A win would pit him against Tomic or Dustov and as mentioned, Pospisil could be the player standing in his way for a semifinal trip. He's definitely one to watch though.

#6 Gonzalez
Another Colombian playing at home, but playing on just a so-so surface for him as he prefers clay. He does have some decent results on hard courts here & there though, so he's not altogether to be overlooked. That being said, he might be lucky to get out of the 1st round against Donskoy who has been playing on hard courts prior to this week and has been in pretty solid form on the surface.

#7 Ebden
You know it's a small tournament when Ebden grabs a seed. The Aussie is in woeful form with just one win on the tour since April. He could definitely be bitten first-up by qualifier who has some match play under their belt. Look for their match-up and I'd think heavily about going against Ebden again.

#8 Estrella Burgos
The Dominican withdrew from Eastbourne & Wimbledon with injuries. He did win a match here last year after going through qualis, but there's not much in the lead up here that beckons you to support this guy. He'll have a qualifier first up and that's another spot where the qualifier might be well backed.

Qualifiers
Even though the tournament is still an infant with just one year under its belt, there's still stats to back up whether or not qualifying helps players here. With the altitude adjustment it takes to play in Bogota, your thoughts would be yes - playing qualis is advantageous. You're right. In 2013, qualifiers were 3-1 in the 1st round. It should be noted all lost to better players in the 2nd round, so keep that in mind.

Futures Watch
Pospisil +1600
Karlovic +600