Video: 2009 In Review

So you took a nap and missed the entire 2009 tennis season you say?  Luckily the good people at MSNBC are thoughtful and have put together this video of the year in review in tennis.  Funny thing is, the tennis season isn’t even over yet.

Davis Cup, Day Three Review: Federer Propels Switzerland back into World Group

World No. 1 Roger Federer steamrolled Italian Potito Starace 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 in Davis Cup playoff action today.

The two hour rain delay in the match didn’t phase Federer from maintaining the dominance of his opponent. The Swiss was picture-perfect in all facets of his game, and didn’t allow Starace find any sort of a groove over the one hour, 41 minute contest.

After obtaining the first break of serve by either player in the first set, Federer shouted out an inspired “come on,” which elevated his play to a 6-0 second set result, as well as the morale of his teammates.

Starace’s weak service delivery was continuously munched on by Federer, and the Italian couldn’t create any end roads in Federer’s service games.

“I’m very happy to have won the point for Switzerland so that we can play in the World Group again,” said Federer.

I’m very happy with the quality of my game today, as I definitely didn’t feel the best and had a problem on my leg, which has troubled me a bit since the final of the US Open.”

Though Federer easily dismissed both his rivals this weekend in singles competition, the Swiss’ achievement of sustaining his high level of play throughout a turbulent month must be commended.

After enduring a five set loss to del Potro on Monday, Federer jumped on a transatlantic flight that arrived in Italy on Wednesday. He practiced for one day before the competition and then defeated two credible clay-court players without a sign of fatigue.

Add onto Federer’s wins this weekend the fact that he had deal with a change of surface, balls, and climate, and you have the prime reason why the Swiss has been at the top of the men’s game since 2003.

Federer was quite candid about his immediate priorities after singlehandedly propelling Switzerland back into the World Group for 2010.

“It was a tough weekend for us, and I’m happy I could help Switzerland win,” said Federer.

“I was able to play very well. I have to go on holiday badly. I have a problem with my leg, I have a problem with my arm — everything is hurting. And I’ve got to do some baby-sitting.”

Federer did have so some energy remaining after his victory to meet up with one of his fashion heroes Giorgio Armani.

With all that on his plate, the 15-time Grand Slam champ will rest up before rejoining the tour in Japan in a few weeks time.

Elsewhere, Spain and the Czech Republic both lost one dead rubber match today, but still advanced with yesterday’s 3-0 sweep of Israel and Croatia, respectively.

In playoff action, Belgium defeated Ukraine 3-2, France defeated Netherlands 4-1, India defeated South Africa 4-1, Serbia defeated Uzbekistan 5-0, and Sweden defeated Romania 3-2.

The Davis Cup finals between Spain and the Czech Republic will be held Dec. 4-6 in Spain.

World Group action for next year will commence the weekend of March 1.

With the ATP World Tour returning to regular scheduling as of next week, please check back for continuing daily coverage from Bucharest, Romania, and Metz, France. Cheers.

U.S. Open Men’s Draw Preview

Draw Preview:

Seedings are only one part of the equation when a player enters a Grand Slam. The higher a player is seeded, the better chance they have of avoiding a quality opponent, until the latter stages of the event.

Unfortunately, that’s not quite how it always works out. In theory, the top eight seeds should move through the draw comfortably and face each other in the quarterfinals. However, there’s this little factor known as match-ups in the sport, and it’s really what tennis comes down to.

Over the next two weeks in New York, the worlds best players will head to grounds of the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center with the singular goal of winning the year’s final Grand Slam tournament.

Only one man will survive the grueling task of dominating Flushing Meadows, while his road to victory will have to be filled by dominant and calculated play.

There are more than a handfull of favorites this year, which will include the top six seeds with a realistic shot at victory.

With that in mind, and the tennis world ready to rock the Meadows, let’s take a look at the top four seeded players and their roads to championship weekend.

Federer Quarter:

The top seed appeared overtly confident in his pre-Open commitments. Dawning a smile that magnifies the New York City sky-line, Federer is feeling good, and no body can blame him.

The Swiss is coming into New York on the strength of winning four out of the last five events he’s played. His swagger appears unbreakable, and that means the confident, five-time champ is primed for his 16th Grand Slam title in New York.

Federer’s campaign will begin with upcoming American youngster, Devin Britton. The world No. 1364 hasn’t sniffed anything close to a match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and was recently asked to leave the grounds of the New Haven event to practice elsewhere.

To say that D-Brit will be an underdog in this contest is an understatement. The 18-year-old will quickly become acquainted with big-time tennis, only to flame out in three convincing sets.

Round two would likely bring forward another routine win for Federer, when he takes on Simon Greul of Germany. The journeyman from Stuttgart prefers the clay-courts and will be dusted aside in easy fashion.

The third round could potentially hold a rematch of the 2004 U.S. Open final. No. 31 seed Lleyton Hewitt will likely tread through his first two matches in order to set up a 23rd meeting with Federer. Federer has won the last 13 meetings against Hewitt and I do not foresee that trend changing at all.

The round of sixteen could see R-Fed collide with either No. 14 seed Tommy Robredo, or No. 21 seed James Blake.

There is a slight problem here however: both men have performed poorly as of late, and it’s not a done deal that they will advance to the second week.

Robredo is capable of reaching the final 16 based on the assumption that he usually loses at that stage. Blake is sporting his new Fila line (inspired by his late father) and his New York heritage will result in an abundance of fan fair.

Perhaps a party crasher like Oliver Rochus or sleeper like Guillermo Garcia-Lopez will inch their way to the second week and meet up with the No. 1 seed? Nevertheless, it will take an utter miracle for Federer to lose to any of these men.

The draw gods were especially nice to R-Fed this year, considering his main rival in his section is No. 8 seed Nikolay Davydenko. The Swiss has never lost to the Russian (holding a 12-0 H2H) and feels completely at home returning his flat ground-strokes.

Other potential quarterfinalists in Federer’s way could include No. 12 Robin Soderling or No. 22 seed Sam Querrey.

La Sod seems beat up from his lavish clay and grass-courts seasons. His elbow is in pain and it will be difficult to sustain his monster shots.

Querrey captured the U.S. Open series title last week in New Haven, as well as playing well at the event. But with the amount of tennis that he’s played I’m not confident that he can carry over his great summer and continue his form in New York.

All in all, with a draw this good Federer will be poised to win his first Major as a father. It will certainly be tough to defuse his recent string of domination.

Murray Quarter:

This will be new territory for the Scot. Although he captured the No. 2 spot three weeks ago in Canada, this will be the first official tournament his name appears at the No. 2 position.

Murray was dealt a confusing draw to say the least, and will have to dispatch some hard-hitting customers to uphold his seeding.

First up for Murray will be Latvian, Ernests Gulbis. The mind boggling season of Gublis continues to make pundits around the world shake their heads in amazement.  The substantial talent of the 21-year-old has seen him fail to win back-to-back matches all season.

Murray did defeat Gulbis at Wimbledon earlier this summer, and will look to keep his 3-0 H2H record against him in tact. There is one particular savor for Gulbis in his encounter: he has made the second round of every Major he’s played in 2009. Will fate propel him to his round of 64 heroics? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The second round could see Murray in an easy affair with either Victor Criovi or Paul Capdeville. These two clay-courters will be no match for Murray and the No. 2 seed should move on in straight sets.

Round three could certainly provide a few big servers for Murray to deal with. No. 27 Ivo Karlovic is the slated seed, with Feliciano Lopez and Taylor Dent lurking as well. Karlovic is the logical choice, but when looking at his Grand Slam history it would not be shocking to see him go down in round one.

Dent will be playing with passion and could turn into a feel-good-story of the fortnight.

Lopez, well, I’ve heard the New York City nightlife is stellar this time of year.

Anyway you slice it, Murray will be the favorite against the big serving of any of these men.

Murray’s round of sixteen opponent could very well be good friend and nice guy Stanislas Wawrinka. Stan possesses the game to make the second week of any Slam but lacks the belief system to take it once step further.

No. 16 seed Marin Cilic ushers in millennium tennis at its best, providing little in the way of end roads during the summer season.

The quarterfinals is where the fireworks in Ashe would really begin.  No. 6 seed Juan Martin del Potro headlines the likely list of candidates to face Murray in the final eight.

Del Potro will have his work cut out for him early on with the like of Juan Monaco, Marat Safin and Mardy Fish along the way.

To my mind, del Potro is a serious threat to take the title in New York. His game is tailor-made for the deco turf, and his serve has improved leaps and bounds over season. Fatigue may be a  factor for the young Argentine, and it will be critical for him conserve energy in the early stages of the event.

Murray does lead the H2H against del Potro 4-1, and has never lost the Argentine on hard-courts.

There is certainly a first time for everything, and NYC ‘09 might just be the place.

As much as I like Murray’s chances to capture Queens glory this year, del Potro seems ready, hungry, and determined to get the job done.

Nadal Quarter:

First off, I find it numbing in a way to refer to Rafael Nadal as an underdog. The six-time Grand Slam champ and former No. 1 heads into New York with no real expectation under his turquoise bandanna.

A title in New York would complete Nadal’s Grand Slam resume. He would become the seventh man to accomplish the feat.

With his legion of devoted fans chanting and gasping at his every move, does the man from Mallorca have the match toughness and the fitness to persevere through the fortnight?

If Rafa had any inclination of easing his way into the tournament, he’s fresh out of his favorite croquetas. Right out of the blocks, Nadal will have the challenge of recently acquitted Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Gasquet has not played a competitive match since losing in the third round of the Roma Masters. The Frenchman usually plays hide-and-seek when put under such a spotlight and it would not surprise me in the very least to see him duck out of the contest.

The fingers are crossed for that encounter to take place, and if it does Gasquet certainly has a shot. He has never defeated Nadal in their H2H (0-6), and he will be eager to capture at least one career win over the Spaniard.

Nadal’s comeback to tennis has included a mixed bag of results. On the one hand he looked stellar against Berdych in Cincy; on the other hand there were defiantly many areas which needed fine tuning.

Nadal still gets the nod for taking out Gas-kay in round one, with either Michael Llorda or Nicolas Kiefer waiting in round two.

Both players can provide microwave tennis when playing well; especially Llorda who possesses great hands.

Round three could bring forth an armada challenge for Nadal, in the form of No. 32 seed Nicolas Almagro. The Spaniard prefers the dirt over the asphalt but has a big enough serve to win a few rounds.

If Nadal makes round three, Almagro should be easy pickings.

The round of sixteen could potentially line up Nadal with either No. 16 seed Gael Monfils, Jermey Chardy, or No. 14 seed David Ferrer.

Chardy seems to be the fittest of the three, but possesses the least amount of experience. Ironically, Monfils and Ferrer have encountered some knee problems of their own.

Chardy or Monfils would bring forth the power-card to a match with Nadal; Ferrer would look to grind his countrymen into the outer edges of Ashe.

Ferrer seems to be the best bet to make to the last sixteen and cause a potential upset.

The top portion of Nadal’s quarter provides the imminent challenge of either No. 7 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or No. 11 seed Fernando Gonzalez.

Both men have defeated Nadal on hard-courts, and both men rely heavily on hitting the ball big. When that fails, they hit it even bigger.

Rafa will be tested against either competitor and it remains to be seen if he will be up the task of grinding through the power surge of either Tsonga or Gonzalez.

Tomas Berdych is another potential quarterfinal opponent for the No. 3 seed and has shown great success against Nadal on hard-courts.

All in all, the path to 77 does not seem smooth for the Spaniard. His road to the finals is filled with many eager, hard-hitting obstacles. It appears that Nadal’s seventh Major, and his place alongside the sixth previous men to hold the career Slam with have to wait.

Djokovic Quarter:

In the nick of time, the Serb seems to have found some confidence. On the back end of a finals appearance in Cincinnati, Djokovic appears ready to salvage his relatively sup-par season.

His road to the final four seems complicated early on, with the potential danger of Ivan Ljubicic looming.

The Croatian has had a modest year on tour, bringing himself back to the No. 50 position.  The pair have played two tightly contested matches in ‘09, with Djokovic prevailing in straight sets. Should be much of the same in round one.

With two qualifiers on deck in round two, the third round would likely bring forth No. 29 seed Igor Andreev. The Russian spin machine had a great match with eventual winner Federer last year and could trouble Djokovic for a set and a half.

Andreev does not posses the poise in his game to consistently defeat the top ranked players in the world.

The round of sixteen could provide Djokovic a French Open rematch with Philipp Kohlschreiber. The German handily defeated the Serb in round three in Paris and Djokovic would love nothing more than to inflict some revenge on “coleslaw.”

No. 15 seed Radek Stepanek is also out and about in this section and would be keen on setting up a rematch of the pairs’ 2007  U.S. Open classic.

Stepanek loves being under the radar and could very easily tip-toe into the second week.

A popcorn match between Djokovic and Andy Roddick could occur in the quarterfinals.

The pair were tangled in a controversial match a year ago in the final eight, one in which was headed by words of resentment by both parties. Djokovic ended up winning in four.

This time around, the story may end a little different.

Roddick will have to battle through the likes of Dmitry Tursunov, Victor Hanescu, Tommy Haas and Fernando Verdasco to get a shot at Djokvoic—it all seems probable at this point.

All in all, Djokovic should be good to get through to the quarterfinals. However, Roddick is looking even better at this point and is poised to reach at least the semifinals. You can bet there will be further fireworks if these two titans lock horns.

First Round Matches to watch out for:

Fernando Verdasco vs. Benjamin Becker (potential upset in the making)

Gael Monfils vs. Jeremy Chardy (two Frenchmen, two very good players)

Rafael Nadal vs. Richard Gasquet (if the right Gasquet shows up, this could be a great one)

Robby Ginepri vs. Andrei Pavel (kidding of course, but can anyone tell me how Pavel keeps getting into Slams?)

Dark-horses:

Leonardo Mayer (hard-hitting Argentine is dynamo on hard-courts)

John Isner (put forth stellar results during the summer swing; may just make a dent in New York)

Rajeev Ram (silky hitting American has produced the best summer of his career)

Predictions:

Quarterfinals: Roger Federer vs. Robin Soderling; Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Roddick; Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Gonzalez; Andy Murray vs. Juan Martin del Potro

Semifinals: Federer vs. Roddick; Gonzalez vs. del Potro

Finals: Federer vs. del Potro

Winner: Federer

Please check back daily. I will be live throughout the duration of the U.S. Open championships bringing all of our loyal readers and listeners the most comprehensive coverage available.

Stay tuned tennis fans, a great fortnight of tennis awaits. Cheers.

Rogers Cup, Day 7 Action: Finals Preview, Andy Murray vs. Juan Martin del Potro

Montreal—The long week of slugging it out, toe-toe, from the baseline and abroad, is almost done. A 56-man field has left behind its two most disciplined warriors. There have been story-lines and upsets along the way, but when it’s all said in done the two best players have made it to the finals. Although the Canadian fans will miss out on a pre-tournament prayer for a Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal clash, the-eleven-thousand-plus in attendance on Sunday will be treated to a delightful day of tennis.

The future of tennis awaits Stade Uniprix on Sunday.

Preview:

No. 3 seed Andy Murray vs. No. 6 seed Juan Martin del Potro

H2H: Murray leads 3-1 on the ATP World Tour. The Scot also leads 2-0 when matches are played on hard-courts. Del Potro won the pairs last encounter on the clay-courts in Madrid, earlier this year.

New found glory will be the name of the game come Sunday afternoon. Both players are experiencing “firsts” and will look to take their joyous week in Canada one-step-further.

Murray is tennis’ new No.2, largely in part to his unbreakable form all week (well, almost unbreakable, he’s lost serve twice). The Scot is the 12th member of the elite “No.2 Club” and he certainly deserves what he’s got.

From his first round encounter against Jeremy Chardy, I was impressed with how relaxed and fluid Murray was playing. Usually when players come back from a long lay-off they show visible signs of needing a match-or-two to perform well—not Murray.

His Florida training provided the exact blend of hard-work and relaxation that is needed to stay balanced on tour. Murray has yet to lose a set this week, proving he is at ease with game. I haven’t seen Murray look rushed on a single shot all week.

The Scots opponent on Sunday will be an equally calm and cool youngster. Juan Martin del Potro has been on tear thus far in the US Open Series, based on tremendous ball-striking and supreme mental clarity.

Del Potro has been equally impressed throughout the week. He’s dealt with every obstacle that has been thrown his way and bounced back with the utmost grace.

His ability to brush aside Nadal in convincing fashion was a very mature effort, and his come-from-behind win against Andy Roddick showcased the future super-star fighting spirit.

Once again, men’s tennis is in a good place.

The meat and potatoes of this match will be as follows: Both players have stronger backhands. Del Potro can take the ball slightly earlier than Murray, with the Scot possessing better touch at net.

Del Potro can rev-up the mph on his serve, but Murray is not far behind.

Murray has a better return; del Potro compensates with reach.

If we’re looking at sheer intangibles here, Murray does hold the experience card. He is ranked higher, has won Masters 1000 events (three in total) and holds a two win H2H lead.

But before we get ahead of ourselves and declare the Scot the winner, I’m not too sure all of the check marks in Murray’s corner matter that much at the moment.

Del Potro is playing perhaps the best tennis in the world right now. He has no visible weakness and does hold a distinct x-factor over Murray—clutch serving.

The Argentine has repeatedly dismissed break, set and match points with precise nonreturnable serves. If I had a quarter for every-time some said “del Porto is done here”, I’d be…

What I admire most about the Argentine is that exudes hard-work and determination. He fights for every match he and displays the ultimate trait of a true champion never happy when losing a point. Remind you of someone?

With that being said, Murray is one tough hombre in Masters finals. He has really made a strong claim to being the best hard-court player (outside of the slams) and will not be defeated easily.

When going into the Federer-Nadal Wimbledon finals of years past, I was pressed to come-up with a clear-cut decision? I’ve fallen into the same dismal, undecided hole.

Before the start of the tournament I picked Murray to win the title. Being a man of my word, I must stick with my guns.

Although it’s quite possible that del Potro may blow my predication and Murray straight off Stade Uniprix.

Pick: Murray in three sets

Please check back later on Sunday, I will have a complete finals wrap-up which will include some thoughts from the champion and finalist.

Stay tuned tennis fans, some wonderful tennis awaits.

Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Day 7 review. Del Potro defends Legg Mason Tennis Classic, defeating Roddick

Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Day 7 review. Del Potro defends Legg Mason Tennis Classic, defeats Roddick

If the remainder of the summer hard-court season resembles today’s final in Washington, to any degree, then tennis will certainly be in a good place going forward.

In a rematch of last years Washington final, No. 1 seed Andy Roddick locked horns with No. 2 seed Juan Martin del Potro in a match that will be remembered as an epic.

Roddick began strong, lacing his favorite forehand cross-court, while blocking back the monster serves of the Argentine. The American did not seem frazzled by his drawn-out match with Isner on Saturday evening—sweeping through the first set on a single break conversion.

The tide would begin to turn in the set two. Del Potro’s off-the-rise ground-strokes would creep back into his game, negating his wiry legs by gaining a second wind.

Roddick would be broken towards the tail end of the set—a del Potro fist pump meant the match would go the distance.

It was evident throughout the third set, that fatigue had finally engulfed the Argentine. The jolt of energy which he had encountered in second set, would be replaced by constant glare of desperation.

Roddick was by far the fitter player, making his rigorous off-court training evident.

However, the x-factor in this match would be the mental-fortitude of the Argentine. Del Potro would continuously display his hang-dog-look, while snapping forehand winners down-the-line—to the chagrin of his opponent.

In someways, del Potro’s game is reminiscent to Frenchmen, Cedric Pioline. The retired French player possessed every shot in the book. And even though Pioline would often times choose the wrong shot, due to shot-selection-conflict, his greatest asset would rest on drawing his opponents into believing he was tired, while pouncing on their relaxed demeanor’s.

I’m not suggesting that del Potro solely relies on deceiving his opponents—if anything, the lanky Argentine possesses an array of devastating shots which most players envy. The simplest way to describe del Potro is that he is a real tennis player, someone who uses more than just muscles and velocity to win tennis matches. His mind is undoubtedly his greatest asset.

A final questionable forehand winner on match-point, (which was only questionable, because Roddick contested the call), allowed del Potro to recapture his Washington title—the first title defense of his young career.

The two hour and 30 minute marathon which ended 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) in the favor of del Potro, became his second title of 2009. Roddick dropped to 1-4 in finals on the season.

“I’m very happy to win another title and defend this championship,” said del Potro. “[Roddick is in] much better condition this year. His game as improved a lot. I beat him, but the difference was so close.”

“It was so difficult for me. I broke his serve and that made me keep trying… If you run, you die,” said del Potro about playing through the heat.

Roddick contributed the following after his defeat.

“I’m not far off from where I was after Wimbledon ,” said Roddick, who had been sidelined with a hip injury since the grass-court Slam. “This is the start of preparation leading up to the US Open. I feel better about my game now than when I got here. The serve will come around with matches. It’s tough to get the shoulder [up to speed].”

Del Potro and Roddick will now head to Montreal, where they will be competing in the Rogers Cup.

Del Potro will face either Jan Hernych or Julien Benneteau in his first match, while Roddick will take on either Dmitry Tursunov or Igor Andreev.

Del Potro and Roddick are scheduled to meet in the semifinals in Montreal, and at this point that would not a far-fetched reality.

Another great week on tour in Washington, DC is in the books. Please check back, I will be live in Montreal next week providing daily coverage from the Rogers Cup.

The big boys will all be present in Montreal, which should provide further fireworks to an already fantastic summer season. Cheers, and talk to you all soon!

Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Day 6 review. Del Potro reaches finals in Washington, faces Roddick next

Tough as nails Argentine, Juan Martin del Potro withstood the scorching heat, and a one hour and 16 minute first set to dismiss No. 4 seed Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 (7-2), 6-3.

The back and forth opening set featured both men painting the lines and holding serve quite comfortably. Gonzalez was the first to strike by breaking the del Potro serve during the fifth game, to stretch his lead to 4-2. That scoreline would not be enough to hold back the determined efforts of del Potro, with the No. 2 roaring back to force a first set tie-breaker.

Although the tie-breaker did not live up to the standard of the previous games played, del Potro would not wilt under the pressure closing out the first set, and never looking back.

Unfortunately the second set did not live to the excitement of the opening set, with Gonzalez folding miserably under the conditions. Gonzalez is without question a fabulous tennis player, however often times when he falls down a set in matches, the fight seems to leave and a tank effort is set forth.

If not for a lapse in concentration when serving for match at 5-1, del Potro’s day would have been completed much sooner. At any rate, the 20-year-old is back into the finals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

“It was very tough for both of us,” del Potro said. “The court was so hot, and after the first set Fernando was so tired. I feel tired too, but with my serve I had short points.”

Gonzalez will depart for Montreal this evening where he will take on a qualifier in round one.

“It was tough, physically and mentally, after that first set,” Gonzalez said. “If you win the set and you’re tired, you’re still high. … When you lose that kind of set, the beginning of the next set is really important and he took the big advantage.”

Del Potro also made reference to the tough conditions, in particular a point which Gonzalez dove for a passing, only to remain on the ground because of fatigue.

“I was thinking, ‘Lay down with him,”’ del Potro said. “But if I do that, we’d never stand up.”

The focused, yet charismatic Argentine will await a rematch last years final with American Andy Roddick.

Roddick defeated his second tennis giant in as many days, withstanding the towering serve of countryman John Isner 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, 7-5.

The opening stages of the encounter commenced with routine service games by each player. Although there were two break-point opportunities for each player, neither would be able to convert.

Going into the first set ‘breaker, Roddick had produced a stellar 26-7 win/loss record throughout the season. However, it would be Isner’s time to shine this time around, dominating proceedings with his inside-out forehand. The devastating corner-clipping shot would ultimately set up routine finishes at the net. A drop-shot winner on set point would be the icing on a terrific set of tennis for the 245 pound American.

The opening stages of the second set would showcase the championship spirit of Roddick. He was adamant on securing an early break of serve in order to wrestle away his opponents momentum.

After scoring a 1-0 lead in set two, Roddick would never looked back, obtaining a second break of serve for good measure to level proceedings at a set a piece.

The third set and final set displayed yet another back-and-forth holding contest. Roddick appeared the fresher of the two players, which inevitably would pay dividends going forward.

A slightly jaded and wiry Isner would give his much fitter opponent an opportunity to seal the deal— Roddick would not disappoint.

Perhaps the most under utilized weapon in sports is fitness. No matter how great a players strokes or tactics are, when fatigue enters the equation, execution and accuracy will decrease.

Andy Roddick simply wore down John Isner this evening on Stadium court, advancing to his fourth final of the season.

Isner will be proud of his efforts this week, and will look forward to rejoining the tour the week after next in Cincinnati. The 24-year-old has comprised a respectable resume as of late, reaching the quarterfinals or better in this last three tournaments.

Roddick and del Potro have met once on the ATP World Tour, with del Potro defeating Roddick 6-1, 7-6 (7-2), during the 2008 DC final.

Del Potro will be fresher than Roddick going into Sunday’s championship match. However, Roddick is supremely fit, and will feed off the crowd as much as possible. Look for a three set battle to end with an arm raise for the American.

Please check back, I will have a finals review for the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, from Washington, DC. Cheers.

Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Day 5 review. Roddick survives Karlovic challenge; Gonzalez defeats Haas

The continued mental resilience of Andy Roddick was on display on Friday evening in Washington, DC. The American had the daunting task of facing the lights out serving of Croatian, Ivo Karlovic. Being the victor on four-out-of-five occasions for the American, would provide the necessary confidence when combating such a power foe.

With an earlier break of serve lead to Karlovic, Roddick’s previous success against his opponent appeared to be insignificant.

However, even after being down 4-1 in the first set, Roddick kept his cool and continued the relentless pursuit of the Karlovic backhand. If there was one shot which historically hurt Dr. Ivo the most, it was his non-professional backhand wing.

With the set leveled a four games a piece, an inevitable tie-break would decide the leader. Once again, Roddick’s ability to be superior off of the ground, allowed for relatively clean-cut tie-break victory.

The second set would involve much of the same script to set one. Roddick would fall down an earlier service break—Karlovic would not be able to hold his lead, via a poor backhand—Roddick would seize the match and a semifinal spot with a straight set 7-6 (7-4), 7-6(7-5) triumph.

The one hour and 35 minute victory for Roddick featured, 83 percent of his first serve points won, seven aces and two breaks of serve.

Karlovic by contrast, only struck 13 aces (a very low number by his standards), 86 percent of his first serve points won, and two breaks of serve.

Roddick proved throughout his victory tonight that he is a much more complete player nowadays. He is simply not winning tennis matches exclusively with power, if anything his current game is centered around the fitness and consistency. With the power card still in his back pocket, the new and improved Andy Roddick will be a force on the circuit for the remainder of his career.

“You’re at his mercy on his first serve. I was feeling good about my chances on his second serve tonight. There is no way to mimic his serve in practice. You try to deal with it and just put it in play and that is what I did tonight.”

With the win, Roddick sets up an all American semifinal clash against the second tallest player in the circuit, John Isner.

Isner advanced to the final four, after defeating No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-7 (10-12), 6-2. The win for Isner continued his impressive run which has seen the Georgia alumni advance to at least the quarterfinal stage of his last three tournaments.

Isner could have very easily won this contest in straight sets, if not for the go-for-broke attitude of Berdych in the second set ‘breaker. Berdych has always been known for his exquisite shot-making—when on, he can be virtually unbeatable. (A big if, on that one).

Roddick and Isner have played once on the ATP World Tour, with the higher ranked American holding a 1-0 H2H lead. Ironically the pairs lone encounter came in Washington in 2007, a finals match which Roddick won in straight sets.

Similarly to the Karlovic contest, Roddick should be able to expose the weaker backhand wing of Isner. Roddick should advance to his second straight final.

Elsewhere, No. 4 seed Fernando Gonzalez continued his quiet, yet successful year, with a convincing straight set win over in-form Tommy Haas, 7-5, 6-4.

Gonzalez was helped by the unusual and ill-timed tactics of the German. Haas continually attempted to bring the Chilean into the net—Gonzalez continually obliged by bunting the ball up the line, and finishing the point with a thunderous smash.

Overall, Gonzalez was much more defined in his tactics throughout the contest, which primarily revolved around his kick serves, and court-opening forehands.

The win for Gonzalez was highlighted by 83 percent of his first serve points, two aces, and three breaks of serve.

Gonzalez will await a fresh No. 2 seed Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals, after the Argentine received safe passage into the final four after his opponent, No. 5 seed Robin Soldering withdrew with a right elbow injury.

Soderling remains entered in next weeks Montreal Masters, and will make the decision to participate early next week.

The walkover for del Potro became a blessing in disguise for the big man, after his three set epic with Lleyton Hewitt on Thursday.

“It is very unfortunate Robin couldn’t play today. I was looking forward to this match against Robin as he has been playing incredibly well in the past months. I am sure it would have been a close match.”

Gonzalez and del Potro have played on three occasions on the ATP World Tour, with the Chilean leading 3-0. Both players have had great years, with del Potro holding the slight upper hand on the asphalt.

Please check back on Saturday, I will have a full semifinal wrap-up from the Legg Mason Classic—Washington, DC. Cheers.

Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Day 4 review. Del Potro holds off Hewitt; Roddick defeats Querrey

Defending champ Juan Martin del Potro avenged his Wimbledon loss to Lleyton Hewitt today in Washington, by defeating the former world No. 1, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2).

The two hour and 22 minute slug-fest featured high drama by the two great champions. Hewitt was forced to save two match points in set three, which was aided by winning 82 percent of his first serve points, and striking 13 aces.

Del Potro by contrast, pounded 18 aces, and won 75 percent of his first serve points. Both competitors were able to break serve on three occasions, in the 195 point contest.

The No. 2 seeded Argentine served for the match at 5-4 in the third set, only to grasp of victory stolen by the feisty Aussie. Although Hewitt’s return of serve prowess is widely known for being the best in the game, it was the much improved, and impressive serving stats of the Argentine, which inevitably led him to victory.

Del Potro’s serve has become a distant echo of what it use to be. He has added power and variety to his once meek delivery, surrounding his game with minimal weaknesses. At this point, if the Argentine can improve on his movement (a tough task considering he’s 6′6″), and become more competent at net—only two players in the world will have a realistic shot at defeating him.

With the win, the sleeveless ‘08 champ will move onto the quarterfinals where he will meet No. 5 seed Robin Soderling. The Swede defeated Marc Gicquel 7-5, 5-7, 6-3. La Sod advanced to the quarterfinals on the strength of 82 percent of his first serve points won, 15 aces, and three breaks of serve.

Rocking Robin will be looking to continue his hot streak from Paris, which has seen the current world No. 12 reach the fourth round of Wimbledon, and triumph on the clay of Bstaad. The victory on home-soil became the first ever clay-court crown for Soderling.

Del Potro and Soderling have met twice on the ATP World Tour, with each man winning on one occasion. Del Potro defeated Soderling in Auckland earlier this season, en route to his fifth career title.

At this point, a quarterfinal affair between these two, heavy hitting, in-form players would have to be considered a coin flip.

Elsewhere, No. 1 seed Andy Roddick proved once again that there is no doubt that he is America’s top ranked player. The three-time champ poured in an intelligent performance by diffusing the mighty efforts of countryman Sam Querrey, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. Querrey was coming into tonights contest on the heals of three straight tour finals, as well as capturing his first title of 2009 in Los Angeles over the weekend. The win for Roddick was also the 500th of his career.

Roddick was efficient but not powerful in his efforts this evening. He allowed Querrey to play the power card, in the hopes that his one speed opponent would falter.

Going forward in the career of Querrey, it will be imperative that the big man adds different dimensions of variety to his game. Up until this point, Querrey has been able to defeat lower ranked opponents based on sheer pace. However, when going up against a player of Roddick’s caliber, a different mind-set needs to be considered.

Querrey will learn the hard way, and should look to James Blake as an example of how not to design a game-style.

With the win, Roddick will advance to the quarterfinals where he will meet No. 11 seed Ivo Karlovic, who dismissed Somdev Devvarman 7-5, 6-1. Karlovic blasted his way past his over-matched opponent, striking 14 aces, and winning 90 percent of his first serve points.

Roddick and Karlovic have met five times on the ATP World Tour, with the American holding a 4-1 H2H lead. Aces and tie-breakers will undoubtedly be flying all over center court, come Friday evening.

No. 4 seed Fernando Gonzalez kept his quest alive for a second Washington final (2003), by defeating American Wayne Odesnik 6-2, 6-4. The win for Gonzo sets up a mouth watering quarterfinal clash with No. 10 seed Tommy Haas. The German progressed to his fourth straight quarterfinal, after dispatching Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.

Haas and Gonzalez have met three times on the ATP World Tour, with Gonzalez holding a slight 2-1 H2H lead. The pair have not faced each other since 2007.

No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych was also a winner on Thursday, battling past German Philipp Petzchner 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Berdych will await either John Isner or French qualifier Sebastian De Chaunac.

Please check back, I will have a full quarterfinal recap, from Washington, DC—The Legg Mason Tennis Classic. Cheers.

Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Day 3 review. Fish dusted in round two; Roddick competes for first time since Wimbledon

American Mardy Fish began his Washington campaign on a losing note today, falling to German Philipp Petzchner 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. The No. 9 seed this week in DC, Fish, fell in his first match of the event for the three consecutive year. The 27-year-old was forced to withdrew from his Los Angeles quarterfinal match with Leonardo Mayer last week with an oblique strain.

With the win, Petzchner advanced to the third round, on the strength of 79 percent of his first serve points won, nine aces, and three breaks of serve.

The one hour and 32 minute victory became the 13th for Petzchner this season, taking his win/loss record to an even 13/13.

The hard-hitting German will next face, No. 8 seed T0mas Berdych who defeated Ernests Gulbis on Tuesday evening, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).

Elsewhere, Juan Carlos Ferrero continued his impressive form this week, defeating No. 7 seed Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-2. The Spaniard followed up his win over Nicolas Lappenti on Tuesday, defeating his countrymen in one hour and 18 minutes.

Ferrero will next take on No. 10 seed Tommy Haas, who was a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Canadian Frank Dancevic on Tuesday evening.

Ferrero has shown no visible signs of being worn down from his week in Umag, where he was a finalist. (l. Davydenko).

Ivo Karlovic picked up his first hard-court win of the summer season, by ousting Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 7-5. In typical Karlovic fashion, the No. 11 seed struck 18 aces, and won 85 percent of his first serve points. Perhaps an even more desired stat for the 6′10″ Croatian would be his three break-point conversions achieved throughout the contest.

Karlovic will next face Somdev Devvarman, who defeated No. 6 seed Marin Cilic during Tuesday’s action. Somdev will be treated to an ace show, like no other on Thursday.

No. 4 seed Fernando Gonzalez picked up his first victory on American hard-courts this summer, defeating the clay-court prowess of Alejandro Falla, 7-5, 7-5. Gonzalez won 74 percent of his first serve points, hit seven aces, and was a perfect five-for-five on break-point opportunities.

Gonzalez could be considered a sleeper pick going into the US Open. He may not win the title, but surely has the attitude and fire power to remain standing in week two. The one hour and 24 minute victory for Gonzalez became the 25th of his season—he will next face either No. 13 seed Igor Andreev, or Wayne Odesnik in round three.

Matches that are still to come on Wednesday’s order of play:

No. 1 seed Andy Roddick vs. Benjamin Becker (Roddick will see his first action since the Wimbledon). No. 3 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will also see his first action since the Big W, when he takes on the serving power of American John Isner. No. 5 seed Robin Soderling, embarks on the hard-court swing, with the hopes of duplicating his clay-court success. Soderling will battle Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

No. 12 seed Viktor Troicki finds himself back on his favorite surface, and a great opportunity to squeeze by Frenchmen Marc Gicquel this evening. Gicquel can perform well on the asphalt, but does not have anywhere near the firepower his Serbian opponent possesses.

No. 14 seed Dmitry Tursunov will take on qualifier Sebastien de Chanuac; No. 15 seed Dudi Sela encounters a dog-fight with Lleyton Hewitt, and last but certainly not least, No. 16 seed Sam Querrey will attempt to reach his forth tournament final in a row, when he begins his Washington journey against Russian, Igor Kunitysn.

Please check back, I will have continuing daily coverage from the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Washington, DC. Cheers.

Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Day 2 review. Cilic ousted in first hurdle; del Potro on tap

No. 6 seed Marin Cilic made a valiant, and cautious attempt to come back in the second set against Indian opponent Somdev Devvarman in Washington on Tuesday. However the world No. 15 could not hold off the determined efforts of the 24-year-old Charlottesville resident in round two action.

The result of a hard days work: Devvarman picked up the biggest win of his life, defeating the Croatian sensation 7-5, 6-4.

The win for Devvarman avenged his lone loss to Cilic, which he sustained during his maiden ATP World Tour final on home soil, in Chennai earlier this season.

The dynamic of today’s match would be much different to the pairs encounter in India. Devvarman would hold eight months experience behind him now, and the opportunity to learn from his previous defeat to Cilic.

It was evident throughout the contest that Cilic was not on top form. Not having played a competitive tour level match since Croatia’s Davis Cup tie, would not bode well for the necessary rhythm of competition.

Marin’s reliable return-of-serve was inconsistent (winning only 26 percent when returning Devvarman’s first serve), and perhaps, even more of a concern was the relatively low number of first serve points won on his own delivery, at 61 percent.

Devvarman would not complain about the rusty play from his opponent on this hot and humid Tuesday afternoon, finally closing out the match on his second service opportunity.

The two-time NCAA champ will now await the challenge of either No. 11 seed Ivo Karlovic or unseeded German, Rainer Schuettler. Schuettler advanced to round three with a quality win over LA semifinalist, Leonardo Mayer 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4).

Elsewhere, the booming serve of Benjamin Becker (I swear he’s not related to Boris Becker), helped the 28-year-old to over come the stern challenge of American Robby Ginepri 7-6, (7-3) 6-7, (1-7) 7-6 (7-4).

The two hour and nine minute high quality affair, featured stunning resilience by both competitors. In the end, Becker’s slightly stronger serve, and numbers for that matter, assisted him in safe passage towards round three.

Although Ginepri’s recent resume included a win during the Indianapolis tournament two weeks ago, his second straight defeat could become a cause for concern in the coming weeks. The American was also defeated in his first match in LA last week by Marat Safin.

Ginepri will straighten out his hat, and get ready for a late week flight to Montreal, where he will prepare for the year’s sixth Masters 1000 event in Canada.

Becker will live to serve another day, and will next face a taste of his own medicine, against No. 1 seed Andy Roddick. The American has been sidelined since Wimbledon with a hip-flexor injury, and will be eager to see where his game stands on Wednesday evening.

Spaniard, Juan Carlos Ferrero wasted no time in becoming acquainted with the hard-courts, dismissing tour veteran Nicolas Lapentti 6-4 6-7(5-7) 6-0. Ferrero was a losing finalist to Russian Nikolay Davydenko, in Umag over the weekend. Talk about a great transition!

The former world No. 1 will next meet countryman, No. 7 seed Tommy Robredo in round two.

French qualifier, Sebastien De Chaunac recorded his first tour level win since February in Johannesburg, when he defeated Denis Istomin 6-3, 7-6 (9-7). De Chaunac’s next opponent will be lock-and-load Russian, Dmitry Tursunov in round two. Tursunov is the No. 14 seed in Washington, and seems to have recovered from the right leg injury he sustained in a second round loss to Carsten Ball in Los Angeles last week.

A busy Day 2 in Washington will feature the following matches still to come:

No. 2 seed Juan Martin del Potro sees his first action since Wimbledon, and will battle Yen-Hsun Lu. Del Potro is the defending champ this week, and will need to pick up his efforts quite a bit, if he is to regain the momentum which he gathered heading into New York last year.

The predecessors to Marat Safin’s crown of underachievement, will be on display tonight, when No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych, takes on Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Gulbis has yet to win back-to-back tour level matches all season, in what can truly be called one of the most extraordinary tennis stories in recent times.

There is simply no reason (none at all), for a player of Gulbis’ caliber to have endured multiple months of poor tennis.

Wednesday’s action in Washington will feature:

Roddick vs. Becker, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. John Isner, Robin Soderling vs. Mikhail Youzhny, and Lleyton Hewitt vs. Dudi Sela.

Please check back, I will have continuing daily coverage, from the Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Cheers.

Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Day 1 review. Hewitt and Dancevic advance to round two

Former world No. 1 Llyeton Hewitt began his quest for his second ATP World Tour of the year on Monday, defeating American Donald Young 7-5, 6-2, during the first round of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Hewitt has not competed on the tour his quarterfinal finish at Wimbledon, opting to rest his aging body, in the hopes of a strong end to the season.

The Aussie weathered a strong first set fight by Young, which included two breaks of serve and three aces. Fortunately for Hewitt, his return-of-serve was up to the task, which included three breaks of serve, and 82 percent of his first serve points won.

After the first set was captured by Hewitt, Young’s historic struggles continued, and he faded without a fight.

Hewitt would be skeptical going into his match against Young, never having played the Chicago native. With no experience to derive a definite game-plan against his opponent, Hewitt asked fellow Aussie’s, Chris Guccione and Carsten Ball for strategic feedback.

“It’s a little hard when you haven’t played someone before. You try to do as much homework as you can before a match but until you get out there you don’t know 100 per cent what to do. He’s very talented but he probably hasn’t fulfilled his potential yet.”

Young and the pundits covering his career thus far, would certainly agree with the Hewitt analysis.

The Americans career has simply a bust up until this point. Once touted as the “next” American great, Young has put forth dodgy results thus far, which have been magnified by only one tour match this season, prior to this week. (Via a wild-card in Memphis).

The year’s of being showered with wild-cards are over the earring clad, crooked-hat-wearing-American. Time to earn your place on tour mate!

Young will likely return the Challenger circuit where he will continue to work on his sub-par ranking of No. 162.

Hewitt on the other hand will attempt to take his event towards round three, with his next task being the challenge of No. 16 seed Dudi Sela in round two. Sela received a first round bye.

Elsewhere, Canadian Frank Dancevic continued his mini-season surge with yet another win at the tour level. The Niagara Falls native progressed to the second round in DC today, with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Colombian, Santiago Giraldo.

Dancevic’s recent achievements have included a finals run at the Eastbourne event, as well a semifinal finish in Indianapolis two weeks ago.

The Canadian made good on 81 percent of his first serve points, 11 aces, and two breaks of serve. Giradlo by contrast was never able to settle into his baseline comfort, holding no break-point opportunities, and only winning 63 percent of his first serve points.

Dancevic will receive a stern challenge in round two, when he takes on No. 10 seed Tommy Haas from Germany. Haas also received a first round bye.

Dancevic and Haas have played once on the ATP World Tour, with the German holding a 1-0 H2H lead.

Other results on a busy Monday in DC included, Mikhail Youzhny defeating Robert Kendrick 7-5, 3-6, 6-1; Philipp Petzchner dismissing Teimuraz Gabashvili 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Somdev Devvarman breezing past fellow qualifier Yuichi Sugita 6-0, 7-6(8-6); Yen-Hsun Lu battling past Micheal Russel 4-6, 6-1, 7-5; John Isner defeating Andrey Golubev 7-6 (8-6), 6-3; Marc Gicquel edging past Jerzy Janowicz 7-5, 2-6, 6-4; Alejandro Falla ending the hopes of American Jesse Witten 6-1, 6-4.

The last match of the day will see Russian Igor Kunitysn vs. Frederico Gil of Portugal.

Tuesday’s action in DC will feature:

Defending champ, Juan Martin del Potro vs. Yen-Hsun Lu, Frank Dancevic vs. Tommy Haas, Marin Cilic vs. Somdev Devvarman, and Robby Ginepri vs. Benjamin Becker. The winner of the Ginepri/Becker match will battle No. 1 Andy Roddick on Wednesday evening.

Please check back, I will have continuing daily coverage, from the Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, DC. Cheers.

Tournament Preview:

The nations capital will be ready to host the third leg of the 2009 US Open series this week in Washington. The games elite have seen little-to-no-action, post Wimbledon, and will be raring to pounce on the hot and humid conditions in DC. Washington will provide much more than stepping tone when preparing ATP World Tour combatant’s for the upcoming Masters 1000 events and US Open.

Defending champ, Juan Martin del Potro will be making his first appearance on tour since losing his second round match at Wimbledon to Lleyton Hewitt. The big man fore-fitted the defense of the three titles he won in 2008 (Stuttgart, Kitzbuhel, Los Angeles) in the hopes of peaking for D.C, Montreal and Cincinnati.

The clarity in the Argentines schedule comes as a great move for the remainder of the summer. Del Potrois a big name player now, and has no incentive to battle away during the month of July, resulting in a wiry effort come Flushing Meadows. Although del Potro lost a substantial amount of points during his absence from not defending his great summer of ‘08, he will now have fresh legs heading towards a potential 2500 point gain if he performs at optimal level heading into New York.

Del Potro will be the No. 2 seed this week in Washington. The field at the 500 point event will be spearheaded by the much anticipated return of American Andy Roddick. Roddickhas been on the sidelines since his epic defeat at Wimbledon with a hip flexor injury.

Although Roddick was not able to participate in Indianapolis and Los Angeles (two of his favorite events) the American, much like del Potro will be hoping that three consecutive weeks on tour will be more than enough play heading into the years final major.

The severity of Roddick’s hip injury will be tested throughout the course of the week, when the Texas native begins his DC campaign on Tuesday evening. The emotional impact from his Wimbledon defeat will also be on display throughout the tournament—a quick change at the task at hand will be required for the former No. 1.

Roddick and del Potro will be joined by No. 3 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (tournament debut), No. 4 Fernando Gonzalez, No. 5 seed Robin Soderling, No. 6 Marin Cilic, No. 7 seed Tommy Robredo, and No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych. The 48-man draw consists of all 16 seeded players receiving a first round bye. All top eight seeds are ranked within the top 20 in the world.

Other notables in the field will include American Sam Querrey who is coming in red hot after making three straight tour finals. Querrey will be ranked No. 16 this week in DC and will have a hefty draw to get through if he is to keep up his good form. This week in Washington will be an adequate gauge to measure the level of the California, native. Although Querrey has played fantastic during his past three tournaments, the highest ranked player which he defeated along that span was No. 20th ranked Tommy Haas. (LA semifinals).

Time for Querrey to prove what he’s made of—fatigue will be a poor excuse for defeat.

Australian Lleyton Hewitt will be another name to watch throughout the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. The rejuvenated former No. 1 boasted his best grand slam appearance in nearly three seasons by reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Hewitt last reached a grand slam quarter, during the 2006 US Open. The Aussie was ousted by American Andy Roddick on both occasions.

Hewitt’s grandest challenge throughout the hard-court swing will be the health of his hip. The asphalt surface is the most unforgiving of all the playing fields, and if the Aussie finds himself in constant drawn-out battles (he usually does), his heroics at Wimbledon will remain the highlight of his season.

The DC field will feature 11 Yanks in the main draw, with Brenden Evans and Jesse Witten attempting to make it a lucky 13 by winning their last round of qualifying on Sunday.

Without further adieu, let us now take a deeper look into the top and bottom halves of the 2009 Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Top Half:

Andy Roddick’slong lay-off will be tested earlier in DC, with the three time former winner battling either Robby Ginepri or Benjamin Becker in round two. Ginepri recently won in Indianapolis (his first title since 2005), and Becker took his maiden tour title in Holland, before Wimbledon.

Roddick and Gineprihave had some good battles over the years, with Roddick leading 9-1 in the pairs H2H. Becker would pose more a serving threat than Ginepri, but does not have the fire power off the ground like the American.

Round three would continue to feature tough competition for Roddick, with No. 16 seed Sam Querrey on deck. Querrey’s fitness maybe a question mark coming into DC, but his serve and confidence should be more than good enough to trouble Roddick’s return.

The quarterfinals could feature an ace fest, with either No. 11 seed Ivo Karlovic or upcoming ten tenner, No. 6 seed Marin Cilic standing in the path of the American.

Karlovic would provide zero rhythm for Roddick to contest; Cilic’s repertoire of shots are tailor made for the asphalt. Cilic is definitely a player to watch over the next six weeks.

The semifinal round could feature an array of enticing matches for the top seed to endure, with No. 3 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych, No. 9 Dmitry Tursunov, and No. 14 seed Mardy Fish all potential opponents.

All four of these power driven players could oust Roddick, with Tsonga and Berdych being the best bet.

Tsongais another player to watch out for during the coming weeks, with the Frenchmen possessing the energy and the arsenal for the hard-courts.

All in all, Roddickwill be hoping for many happy returns come Washington, but withalmost a month off the courts, and the emotional scar of Wimbledon still looming over his head, one would have to think that his time in the winners circle will have to wait. Look for a quarter to semifinal finish for the American.

Pick: Tsonga

Note: With play beginning on Sunday this year, Ernests Gulbishas advanced to round two with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Kevin Kim. Gulbis will take on No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych in the second round.

Bottom Half:

Defending champ, Juan Martin del Potro will have the challenging task of repeating his DC glory of 2008. The Argentines second round encounter should be a relatively routine victory against either Michael Russell or Yen-Hsun Lu. Both Russell and Lu do not have the required skill-sets, or the firepower to off-set the Argentine.

Moving forward, del Potro would likely see himself in a counter-punching affair against either No. 15 seed Dudi Sela, or Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

Both Sela and Hewitt would make del Potrohit many balls for victory, with Hewitt holding the slight mental edge over the Argentine after defeating him at Wimbledon. Del Potro will need his foot-world to be sharp in order to get past the efforts of either Sela or Hewitt.

The quarterfinals would continue see a challenging draw for the No. 2 seed, with either No. 5 Robin Soderling, or No. 12 seed Viktor Troicki being the likely opponents of the Argentine.

Rumors have been circulating around the lack of fitness for Soderling after his second round defeat in Hamburg. In fact, it is interesting to note that outdoor hard-courts are the least favored surface for the Swede. Soderling’s task going forward will be translate his clay-court success into hard-court results.

Serbian, Troicki has not poured in enough consistent tennis to be called a legitimate threat in this tournament, but he is defending finals points, and most be taken somewhat seriously.

If del Potro advances past the likely Soderling challenge, his final four opponents would be equally as difficult. Either No. 4 seed Fernando Gonzalez, No. 7 seed Tommy Robredo, No. 10 seed Tommy Haas, or No. 13 seed Igor Andreev could be waiting.

Gonzalez and Haas would be the logical choices of progressing towards the semifinals, with Robredo and Andreev preferring the long-gone clay-court season.

Long lay-offs usually result in the daunting task of analyzing the form of the top players. Some players need match play, some simply need rest to perform at the highest degree.

I’m not sure what it is, but something tells me that Juan Martin del Potro is still getting over his rookie season of success. Therefore, a repeat in Washington does not looking promising. If nothing else, del Potro will gauge what needs to be addressed and hope to improve for Montreal next week.

All in all, the winner in Washington will a be player who doesn’t have a whole lot to lose—that certainly is not the Argentine.

Pick: Fernando Gonzalez

Champion: Tsonga

Note: American Wayne Odesnik played the days second singles match on Sunday, defeating Paul Capdeville 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Odesnik will face No. 13 seed Igor Andreev in round two.

The road to the US Open will essentially begin this week in Washington. With three of worlds top ten players present, and 500 ATP World Tour points up for grabs, every match, and every passing shot will be of utter importance. A win in Washington will create instant leadership in the US Open Series point race, and take significant momentum going into Montreal and Cincinnati.

Please check back, I will have daily reviews, interviews, and all of the ongoings from the 2009 Legg Mason Tennis Classic. Cheers.

Getting to Know Carsten Ball

Searching diligently throughout the annual ATP World Tour handbook, it was quickly learned that the privilege of receiving a player bio was only granted to the top 200 players on the planet. If fact, if a player is ranked outside of the top 500, they are not even considered to have professional status—wow that hurts!

Let’s take a minute here, and look at that top 200 conundrum in detail. In the event that an average ATP star plays the entire year, travels the entire globe, and finishes No. 205 on the computer, will they be left out of the tour guide? Yes that’s right, they will. Welcome to pro life of Carsten Ball.

The 22-year-old Aussie made his first major splash on tour this week by making it all the way to his maiden ATP World Tour final in Los Angeles as a qualifier.

Before his tour stricken success in La La land began, Ball had seen his year-to-date consumed by not only the Challenger level, but the lonelier, and less profitable Futures circuit.

Ball’s 2009 year-to-date prize money hovered around a modest $31, 524, and his first round loss in Kentucky last week didn’t exactly break news on his Facebook page. So what’s a player do? Keep going of course.

That is exactly the direction Ball has been traveling since turning pro in 2005—hope, pray, and work towards making it on the main tour.

The luxury of having his father, Syd Ball in the coaches corner certainly has helped. The elder Ball was ranked as high as No. 63 in world, oh back when they actually used wooden rackets in 1974. Tough to believe right?

One absolute that is not hard to believe is Carsten’s game. The 6′3″ left-hander packs a rocket serve, and great agility for a big man. Watching Ball in LA last week, the initial scouting report suggested that his loose-armed strokes, and love for the game, would significantly aid him while climbing up the ranks.

With Ball’s recent success in LA, the Newport Beach resident’s can now set the standard of his achievements at a loftier level.

“I was just trying to get through my first round qualifying match,” Ball said. “It’s definitely been a surprise but something I’ve worked for. The conditions have suited my game with the court taking some kick and spin, and I’ve been able to play aggressively and get into the net. Doing it here in front of my family makes it that much sweeter.”

It remains to be seen if Ball’s sashay into the finals of LA Open was more a question of good fortune, over good effort? One thing is for certain, the man whose names resides in a full-out superlative show, will be seeing more prime-time real state soon enough.

The DNA of the youngsters seems to reside primarily on the support of his roots. Although he was born and raised in the US, his connection with his Australian heritage is evident throughout his continued Davis Cup efforts. (Ball is 4-1 in Davis Cup competition).

And don’t think for a second, that Ball is exempt from the ritualistic tendencies of the game’s elite. Eating the same food, using the same shower, and even commuting two hours a day, (each-way) in order to continue the tournament of his life, all came with a day’s work.

“I can deal with that,” said Ball, in response to traveling two hours each day, back and forth from his home in Newport Beach, for the entire duration of the tournament. Even though the players hotel was located near by, Ball decided to stay with what worked.

That’s the great aspect of what makes tennis, tennis. You have players who are willing to do whatever it takes in order to maintain their patterns of clarity— in order to sustain or better their results. It certainly didn’t hurt to have moms home cooking, and his entire family present, during the week long romp throughout the field in Los Angeles.

Although Ball ended up losing in the final of the LA Open to California buddy Sam Querrey, his victories throughout the week eclipsed his previous highlight wins over the likes of Eric Quingley in Sacramento, and Kaes Van’t Hof in New Zealand.

Defeating a stellar cast of characters which included, Marc Gicquel, Dmitry Tursunov, John Isner and Leonardo Mayer (all top 80 players), would be a commendable accomplishment for any level of player.

Ball’s recent success could very well be attributed towards his mature understanding of the sport.

When asked to provide an analysis of his loss to Querrey, the surfing, video game playing Aussie provided these words of wisdom.

“I think Sam definitely stepped up his game and started making a lot more first serves and putting a lot of pressure on my serve.”

“He got up on break early on me and that definitely gave him some confidence deep in the third. He just ran away a bit and he started serving better and cutting down on his errors and that definitely put pressure on me. He definitely returned well. I got a little tired but it (the outcome) had more to do with how Sam (Querrey) was playing.”

Carsten Ball certainly gave the tennis world a glimpse into the future of a potential fresh face on tour. His life will return to normal come Monday, when he travels to Vancouver to begin preparations for a Challenger event in Canada. Even though the drop back to the Challenger level becomes a far cry from the glitz and glamor of the main tour (especially in LA), Ball will forever be left with the lasting impression that hard work does pay off.

The wonderful and wacky world of men’s pro tennis could definitely use a superlative name driven player like Ball to call upon from a week-to-week basis.

One certainly hopes that there are no more wins over Kaes Van’t Hof in the immediate future.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 7 review. Soderling wins Swedish title; Chardy captures Mercedes Cup

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 7 review. Soderling wins Swedish title; Chardy captures Mercedes Cup

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Second seed Swede Robin Soderling captured his first ever clay-court today today in Bastad, with a convincing 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win over Argentine Juan Monaco.

Winning a title on home soil has always held precedent for the games elite. For Robin Soderling, one of his major tennis goals was accomplished today. Along with winning a major and becoming a top ten player, the Tibro native remained stern in his ambition of hosting hardware in his own backyard.

A two-time finalist in Stockholm (an indoor event held in the fall) would be the closet the 24-year would come to his dream before today.

Since his partnership with former world number two and 2000 French Open finalist Magnus Norman, Soderling’s viewpoints on the game have changed.

His rough edges have been glazed by his new coach—his competitive demeanor stronger than ever. Soderling had always been one of the most competitive and brash players on the circuit, now an aura of poise had also entered his game.

From the on-set of the match it was evident what Robin’s game plan would be going forward in the contest. Juan Monaco was a seasoned and talented clay-court machine, his evaluation of the crushed red brick was second to none.

Soderling’s tactics would be to repeat his first strike tennis of Paris; never allow for a Monaco grove to take place. The first set went by quick, the Swede had employed his strategy to perfection.

Set two contained more fight from the Argentine. His counter-punching skills settled in, and he would not go down without a fight. A tie-breaker was imminent. One break by either player, surrounded by teeing off on each others second serves, would prolong the contest towards Monaco’s favor—clay-courters love to be out there.

With the third set on the horizon and the grunts of Monaco gaining a heightened pitch with every swing, the power and confidence of Soderling meant Monaco would go home empty handed. The forth title of the Swede’s career had been captured.

The Soderling clay-court story is perhaps the most interesting and underrated story of 2009. Here is a guy who could not buy a clay-court win prior to 2009, a man who lost 6-0, 6-1 to Rafa Nadal in Roma. But with the confidence of Norman in his corner, the beasts anger has been tamed. Further clarity is now displayed through each and every swing. What a swing it is!

On the cusp of the top ten in tennis, Soderling had this to say after his first ever clay-court title.

“I’m so happy, I wouldn’t trade this victory for a Grand Slam,” Soderling said.

“He started playing well in the second set,” Soderling said. “I got nervous. I had a break point to 4-1, but the ball hit the top of the net. That was the match I thought. I got tense and he started playing better and better.”

One final ironic fact to add to the recent clay-court wizardry of Soderling: the last Swede to win the Bastad title was his coach Magnus Norman in 2000. The same year he reached the French final and became number two in the world. Perhaps a sign of things to come?

The forehand doesn’t fall far from the tree, that is for sure.

The quick turn-around will see Soderling shift gears to Hamburg next week; after all he still needs to attain the number two ranking.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

When the French contingent is discussed names such as Tsonga, Monfils and Richard Gasquet jump off the tongues of all who are concerned. France has never been short on French glory, or flair for that matter.

But how about Jeremy Chardy?

The 22-year old Pau native has never been short on the flamboyant factor, or cross-court forehands. A big serve coupled by his whip induced ground-strokes have lent themselves well to his over-all success. A current rank of 43 in the world would suffice such a notion.

With his first finals appearance in Johannesburg in February (a losing effort to countrymen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga) behind him, Chardy had learned from his defeat and would apply his experience going forward.

Chardy’s challenge today would be in the form of 6-foot-6 inch Victor Hanescu from Romanian. Not the best mover on the court, Hanescu packed a rocket serve, and the guile and court-court many veteran’s of the game possessed. Hanescu’s 27-years of talent were showcased today.

The first set went away from Chardy in a flash, his two singles matches from Saturday appeared to loom over his fatigued legs—being only 22 meant a second wind would be up shortly.

Set two provided more opportunity for Chardy. An understanding to make the points shorter was evident; Hanescu had his tank on full.

On the strength of one break point chance (the only one by either player throughout the set) Chardy evened the affair. A third and final set would bring a title and a new Mercedes to the winner.

Set three provided the proverbial set of nerves one would expect during the closing stages of capturing a maiden Tour title. Hanescu only had one trophy to his name as well.

After the nerves were accepted and the grip on his serve began to loosen-up, Chardy began to see the finish line, in his new Mercedes of course.

France recorded another winner today in the archives of their tennis legacy, perhaps Chardy will rewrite many books.

Final score: 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 48 minutes.

Chardy had this to say after his attaining his maiden ATP World Tour title win.

“It was very difficult,” Chardy said. “I was very nervous at the start and felt the pressure in the third.”

Hanescu acknowledged his opponents poise and control over the encounter during the post match presser.

“He absolutely deserved to win, he played very well,” Hanescu said.

The win will take Chardy to around the 35th spot in the world, come the Monday rankings. His title also banked €71,700 and 250 South African Airways 2009 ranking points. Not to mention a Mercedes-Benz E 350. Not a bad week for the flying Frenchmen.

Chardy will now shift his attentions the Hamburg event next, he hinted that he is fresh and ready to go.

That concludes another week of Tour coverage from TennisConnected.com. We hope you enjoyed our coverage from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Congrats once again go out to Robin Soderling for picking up his first ever clay-court crown at home, and Jeremy Chardy for capturing his maiden Tour title in Stuttgart.

Please stay tuned for next weeks coverage. We will now turn our attentions to Indianpolis, U.S.A and Hamburg , Germany for the beginning of the U.S. Open Series, as well as the continuation of the summer clay-court swing.

The tour is in full swing tennis fans. Get ready for some exciting tennis in the weeks ahead. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 6 review. Soderling, Monaco reach finals in Sweden; Hanescu, Chardy into finals in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Waves of confidence can grow mighty high in the world of professional tennis. When players reach the proverbial “zone”, seemingly nothing can stand in their way.

One such zone to make note of is the recent play of Swede, Robin Soderling. After an improbable run to the finals of the French Open, the current world number 12 has enjoyed resounding success on all surfaces. If not for Roger Federer, Soderling may have been the Paris winner for 2009.

Soderling’s current obstacle would be to win his first tour title of the season. His opponent on the calm and sunny shore in Bastad would be compatriot Andreas Vinicguerra— a who had endured his own trails and tribulations throughout the years, was playing well again—a surprise shot at the finals.

It was evident throughout the first set that Soderling would be in charge. His hammer-head forehand was blitzing past the left handed strokes of Vinicguerra; the lower ranked Swede being reintroduced to the big time.

The second set displayed much more of the form which had served Vinny well throughout the week. His use of angles coupled with an increase in his first serve percentage allowed for a tie-break to take place. Unfortunately Soderling would be too tough on the day. Final score: 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) for the Sod.

The 84 minute encounter was a good indication that Vinicguerra is here to stay, and that Soderling will be a dangerous entity going into the U.S. Open series.

With Soderling playing well on the dirt, one can only imagine how his innate fast court game will charge come Montreal. The Swede can be utterly devastating when he is on.

Robin had this to say after his victory.

“It’s going to be fun,” he said. “This is a tournament in which I really want to do well. I played well in the opening set. When I broke him early in the second I relaxed too much on the court and he came back.”

The home-town star will head into his second final of 2009 where he will meet Juan Monaco. The Argentine made a statement of his own, comprehensively dismantling defending champ Tommy Robredo 6-0, 6-2 in one hour and four minutes.

Monaco, historically has been another up and down character. There is no double that he can be a force when he is playing well. He seemingly has no weakness, and his game benefits from the clay-court surface.

The victory today was a bitter-sweet one for Monaco. With the win over Robredo, he avenged a loss to the Spaniard in Argentina (his home-town). But in the process robbed T-Rob of his chance to become a three-time winner at the event. The loss in Argentina would have been ideal for Monaco.

Throughout Saturday’s semifinal, the Argentine could do no wrong. Robredo was never allowed to fall into any sort of a rhythm, Monaco would constantly be on the attack. The stats for Monaco in this encounter included: 77 percent of his first serve points won, and six breaks of serve.

By contrast, Robredo managed to win only 50 percent of his first serve points and 24 percent of his second serve points. Life on tour is made hard with such numbers at ones disposal.

Monaco had this to say after reaching his second final of 2009.

“I think it was my best match of the year,” Monaco said. “I played the important points very well and I didn’t give him a chance to get into a rhythm.”

Sunday’s final promises to be a fine contest. Soderling and Monaco have met four times on the ATP World Tour, with the Swede holding a 3-1 head-to-head lead. Soderling holds a 2-1 lead when matches are played on clay.

Only a matter of time before Le Sod is top ten bound.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

The grind of the Tour continued for the ATP hopeful in Stuttgart on Saturday. First up, quarterfinal matches would be completed with Friday’s rain canceling two of the four encounters.

Home-town favorite Nicolas Kiefer did his best to stick around as long as possible by brushing aside the challenge of Lukasz Kubot 6-2, 6-1. Kiefer played like a man who knew he had two matches standing in front of him on the day. He needed only 63 minutes to progress.

His semifinal foe would be flair driven Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy who bounced the local hopes of Mischa Zverev 7-6 (7-4), 6-1. Chardy’s explosive serve and rocket forehand became too much for Zverev to deal with as the match continued.

After suitable rest, Kiefer and Chardy laced up their clay-court kicks once again to battle towards a finals berth.

Although Kiefer put forth a valiant effort against Chardy, the German’s lack of power would send him packing after only one hour and 18 minutes.

The match was very reminiscent of the old, versus new school brand of tennis. Chardy had the definite upper hand in the power department; Kiefer would struggle just to make ends meet with his consistent play.

It’s easy mathematics really, when you take a powerful consistent player, against a player who is only consistent, the former will win eight out of ten times.

Final score: 6-3, 7-5 for the Frenchmen.

With both remaining German’s brushed aside on Saturday, the days second semifinal match would include a Romanian and Italian.

Fourth seed Victor Hanescu was vying for his first Tour final of 2009. A current rank of 33 in world would not improve without significant ground covered. A win in Stuttgart would be a great beginning.

His opponent on Saturday would be a man who a certain swagger to his on-court presence, a man who was not consumed with the opinions of his peers.

Fabio Fognini had seen a steady climb up the ranking ladder. His improved serve and sensible tactics seemed to be embraced well in the “W” category.

Both men would be hungry for a finals spot; only one would stand opposite of Chardy on Sunday.

The first set featured scratchy play by both competitors. Sub-par serving stats followed by numerous unforced errors saw five breaks of serve: three to Hanescu, two by Fognini. The one extra break by Hanescu making the difference.

Set one would be the ice breaker, set two would be a full out battle. With a slight improvement in points won on first serves, the second set appeared to be going the distance. Fogini’s tournament was on the line and he had no inclination of stopping it in straight sets. Set three was on the horizon.

Once again much like the first semifinal the stronger more power player began to impose his will. Hanescu had no desire to sit back and allow Fognini to dictate from the back of the court—that was Hanescu’s territory.

First strike tennis became the order of play for the Romanian. Not only did he secure his first final of 2009, but he also sent notice to the tennis world of his more than capable abilities.

Final score: 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2.

Sunday’s final will be a battle of two gunslinger’s vying for a lone crown. Hanescu and Chardy have met twice on the ATP World Tour, with each man winning on two occasions. Chardy is youth personified; Hanescu is the librarian full of every trick in the book.

Look for slightly more court-craft from Hanescu, which may be the difference.

Please stay tuned, I will have a finals wrap-up from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 5 review. Monaco defeats Verdasco in Sweden; Davydenko dismissed in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

The wear and tear of two five set Davis Cup matches, coupled with a three hour plus affair with Daniel Koellerer on Thursday, finally became too much for top seed Fernando Verdasco. During the first game of set one today, Verdasco strained a right calf muscle. For the remainder of set it was evident that his injury would not alleviate and a retirement would be in order. After some careful thought, the Spaniard called the match after trailing 6-1, 3-1 to Juan Monaco of Argentina.

Verdasco had this to say after his retirement.

“I had real pain when serving, especially since the injury was in my my right leg,” explained World No. 9 Verdasco. “Monaco played well and didn’t make any mistakes. It was not easy for me, I tried to continue playing but when I saw that I had no chance to win I retired before injuring myself further. Bastad is one of my special tournaments of the year. It’s hard for me to retire here.”

Verdasco’s decision to play the event in the first place was a poor one at best. Especially after enduring two five set matches in Marbella over the weekend. The up coming hard-court swing contains two Masters 1000 events, as well as the U.S. Open. At this point in Verdasco’s career, those tournaments must take prescient.

For now, the hard hitting lefty will head back to Madrid to rest up and begin preparation for the Montreal Masters. That should have been the plan all along.

Monaco advances to his second ATP World Tour semifinal of 2009, he was also a finalist in Buenos Aires in February. The Argentine was also coming off of Davis Cup duty in the Czech Republic (he was defeated in both his singles matches).

Monaco will now look towards the challenge of defending champ and third seed Tommy Robredo who was a routine winner over Teimuraz Gabasvili 6-4, 6-0.

Robredo has won in Bastad on two occasions. The victory today propelled T-Rob towards a stellar 21-6 win/loss record at the event, reaching at least the quarterfinals on seven occasions.

Robredo and Monaco have played four times (all clay matches) on the ATP World Tour with each player winning twice. The last meeting between the pair came in Monte Carlo earlier this year with T-Rob prevailing in routine fashion.

Elsewhere, the hometown fans were treated to a double treat of Swedish success today, when Robin Soderling and Andreas Vinciguerra both recorded quarterfinal victories.

Second seeded Soderling dismissed fifth seed Nicolas Almagro 7-5, 6-3, and Vinicguerra continued his storybook run after battling past fourth seed Jurgen Melzer 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Soderling displayed his brand of power tennis at its best, winning 87 percent of his first serve points, hitting seven aces and breaking the Almagro serve four times. The win becomes the third impressive Spanish scalp for Robin during the season, after dispatching Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer at the French Open.

Soderling had this to say after his victory.

“I played well today,” Soderling said. “I hit the ball well. Maybe I didn’t move at 100 percent. Almagro is an excellent clay-court player and I beat him in two straight (sets), so that is very good for my confidence.”

The second piece of the all Swedish semifinal will bring forth the surprising efforts of Andreas Vinciguerra. Currently ranked 460 in the world, the 28-year old Malmo native had not won back-to-back matches on tour since 2003. The wild-card recipient staved off the unorthodox challenge from Melzer who appeared to be in the drivers seat after easily obtaining the first set.

The home crowd support has been an integral part of Vinciguerra’s confidence to continue his form this week. In similar fashion to Raemon Sluiter’s fantastic run, en route to the finals in Holland last month.

Saturday’s semifinal will be the first meeting between Soderling and Vinciguerra on the ATP World Tour. Vinny will undoubtedly be the underdog going into the encounter. But with the way he’s been striking the ball this week, one would have to give him a decent chance at the upset.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Second seed Nikolay Davydenko followed the same path of departed top seed Gilles Simon on Friday, by thoroughly collapsing against Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1 3-6 7-5.

After regaining order in set two, the Italian’s counter-punching style continued to weigh heavily on the ground-strokes of the Russian. Set three went down to the wire, but the superior serving of Fognini became the inevitable difference. A usual liability for the Fognini, his improved serve motion has allowed for a steady increase in the rankings.

Davydenko appeared in constant search of his tactics throughout, displaying the rust of a injury prone year.

Fognini will now progress the final four, where four seed Victor Hanescu awaits. The Romanian ousted lucky loser Alexandre Sidorenko 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.

The high flying service contest featured Hanescu winning 86 percent of his first serve points; 80 percent for Sidorenko, and only one break of serve captured be either player—Hanescu in set one.

With the win, the world number 33 advances to his first semifinal of 2009. Hanescu’s serving prowess will be of utter importance during his encounter with Fognini, with the Italian more adept off the ground.

Hanescu and Fognini have never met on the ATP World Tour.

The day’s remaining quarterfinal matches were postponed due to heavy rain.

When play resumes on Saturday, local favorite Nicolas Kiefer will battle Lukasz Kubot on Center court, with Mischa Zverev taking on Jeremy Chardy on the grandstand. The winners will then return to Center Court latter in the day to fight for a finals berth.

Zverev is the man responsible for handing top seed Gilles Simon an exit card during Thursday’s action. Zverev also defeated Simon during the Masters 1000 event in Roma, earlier this spring.

Please check back, I will have a Saturday semifinal wrap-up from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 4 review. Verdasco struggles in Sweden; Davydenko hits stride in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Top seed Fernando Verdasco began his Bastad campaign with a hint of adversity today, struggling to defeat Austrian Daniel Koellerer 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 7-5. The Spaniard was coming into Sweden off a disappointing five set loss over the weekend in Marbella. Although the Spanish team prevailed, Verdasco’s form was sub par at best.

The efforts which Fernando displayed throughout the first four months of the season appear to be on the significant decline. The doubt which had plagued him for much of his career has resurfaced—another trip to Vegas seems immanent.

Verdasco survived his second encounter today on the basis of sheer will and experience. Clean ball striking was not part the equation. Koellerer is an imposing player who is not intimidated by any foe. His in your face type game-style can never be taken lightly. A three hour plus battle against a top ten player would add to such logic.

At this stage in Verdasco’s career one wonders why he is even playing a clay event in July. His ranking is high enough that he will be secured a top ten seeding at the U.S. Open. With Indianapolis on deck next week, Verdasco would be much better served to have taken this week off, and prepared for the hard-court season. Poor judgment to be honest.

Nevertheless, the former “faux-hawk” finds himself in the quarterfinals, after winning only one match thus far and having a Thursday start. Not a bad deal.

With the win, Verdasco advances to face the winner of days final match between Juan Monaco and Victor Crivoi. Verdasco must be careful if he faces Monaco, no lapses in concentration can be granted.

Elsewhere, fourth seed Jurgen Melzer defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2, 6-2. Melzer will next meet Andreas Vinicguerra who was a 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4 winner over Guillermo Canas of Argentina. The victory for Vinicguerra marks the first time the Swede has won back-to-back matches on tour since Sopot in 2003. Talk about love for the game.

Fifth seed Nicolas Almagro was also a winner on Thursday, defeating the consistent efforts of Potito Starace 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. In reality Almagro should have a better clay-court resume, and will hope to add to his lone title which he captured in Acapulco earlier this year. Almagro awaits the challenge of second seed Robin Soderling who was a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Kristof Vliegen of Belgium in Wednesday’s night cap. Soderling was making his first appearance on the clay since reaching the finals in Paris.

Who would have thought going into 2009 that Robin Soderling would be considered a legitimate contender on clay-courts? The wacky world of professional tennis continues.

Fridays quarterfinal brackets will feature: Verdasco vs. the Monaco/Crivoi winner; 3rd seed Tommy Robredo vs. Teimuraz Gabasvili; Vinciguerra vs. Melzer; Soderling vs. Almagro. Some nice dirt ball tennis for those concerned.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Second seed Nikolay Davydenko progressed to the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup today with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over home-country favorite Michael Berrer. In recent times, Davydenko has entered somewhat of the delight stage in his career. He may at some point manage to crawl back into the top ten, but the days of semifinals in slams seem to be all but done.

The Russians clean strokes will always keep him in the game, allowing for a dangerous force on tour. Especially in these week long 250 point events.

The second seed displayed fine clay-court form today, breezing past his under-matched opponent in one hour and five minutes. Davydenko progressed to the final eight on the strength of 73 percent of first serve points won, two aces and four breaks of serve.

The world number 11 will next meet Italian Fabio Fognini who was a 6-4, 4-1 winner over Paul-Henri Mathieu, after the Frenchmen retired because of dizziness.

Davydenko and Fognini have played once on the ATP World Tour with the Russian holding a 1-0 head-to-head lead. Should be a nice clay-court battle.

Elsewhere, Lukasz Kubot defeated fifth Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-4; Jeremy Chardy dispatched Martin Vassallo Arguello 2-6, 6-3, 6-1; Nicolas Kiefer continued his strong showing at home with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over countrymen Simon Greul. Kiefer and Kubot will face each other in the round of eight.

Still to come on Thursday, top seed Gilles Simon battles Russian turned German Mischa Zverev in the days final singles match.

After a great start to the week for the German’s, only Nicolas Kiefer remains in contention, with Zverev having to take out Simon in order to give the home charge two shots at a title run.

The once mighty German contingent seems to have fallen off the map in a big way as of late. With the exception of Tommy Haas’ recent heroics in grand slam competition, there are really no other stellar player of German decent residing in the top 100.

Friday’s action in Stuttgart will feature: Simon/Zverev vs. Chardy; Kiefer vs. Kubot; Alexandre Sidorenko vs. Victor Hanescu; Davydenko vs. Fognini.

Please check back, I will have a quarterfinal recap from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers tennis fans.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 3 review. Robredo begins title defense in Sweden; Hanescu reaches quarters in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Defending champ Tommy Robredo progressed to the second round of the Swedish Open today with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Peter Luczak. After losing his singles match over the weekend in DC competition, Robredo maintained his composure throughout the contest in order to regain much needed confidence.

The 1:12 minute encounter was dominated by Spaniard, not allowing his Australian opponent any opportunities to settle in.

When speaking of results and ability, Robredo could be considered one of the premiere clay-court players on the planet. His loopy strokes and rock solid serve possess no visible flaws. The problem for Robredo for much of his career has been his inability to knock out his opponents. Whether his lack of major results can be drawn from mental or physical fortitude, Robredo will be destined to brides-maid territory for the remainder of his career.

After receiving a first round bye, Robredo’s win takes him into the round of eight where he will meet Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili. The hard-hitting Gabashvili was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Bjorn Phau of Germany. The win was the second in as many days for the Russian. Robredo and Gabashvili have never met on the ATP World Tour.

Elsewhere, the marquee match of the day saw fifth seed Nicolas Almagro dispatch unseeded Marat Safin 6-4, 7-6 (8-6). The high quality contest which lasted only 1:20 minutes featured glorious backhands by each player. Almagro also won the battle of the big servers, winning 86 percent of his first serve points. Safin by contrast had a good day at the office in terms of numbers, winning 80 percent of his first serve points and striking nine aces of his own.

It was evident throughout the affair that the Safin of old, is no more. His talent still resides, but his willingness to fight towards victory is even less than previous years. The loss today dropped the 007 Russian to a lowly 7-12 win/loss record for the year. The Monte Carlo native also lost his third consecutive match.

Safin is surely making his last year on tour one he soon would want to forget. He will get the opportunity shortly.

Almagro moves onto the second round where he will meet Italian Potito Starace who was a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 winner over Julien Benneteau of France.

The final completed match of day saw Daniel Gimeno-Traver defeat Fredirico Gil 6-1, 6-4 in first round action.

Second seeded Swede Robin Soderling will contest his match shortly on Wednesday against Kristof Vliegen of Belgium. The home town crowd will be excited to get behind their only true chance at tour success.

Thursday’s order of play will feature top seed Fernando Verdasco seeing his first action of the week against Daniel Kollerer; Nicolas Almagro takes on Potitio Starace; Juan Monaco vs. Victor Crivoi.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Fourth seed Victor Hanescu gained safe passage into the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-1 thrashing of local favorite Rainer Schuettler. Hanescu has really made a name for himself in recent times, reaching a career high of 26 in the world, and currently sitting at number 33 spot. The 27-year old Bucharest native is not the type of player who will hold up the hardware at weeks end. But when examining his results, he is consistently winning two or three matches a week—his ranking success will follow.

Schuettler on the other hand heads closer towards retirement by each passing event. His grinding game- style is touch to maintain, especially when one enters their 30’s. Schuettler did not give his fans much to cheer about today, winning only 38 percent of the total points played, and surrendering his serve on four occasions.

Schuettler is need of plan B in a major way. With his game-style, end-of-career adjustments will not be easy.

With the win, Hanescu advances to the final eight where he will meet Alexandre Sidorenko who was a winner or scrappy Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 21-year old Sidorenko will be hoping to make his maiden ATP World Tour semifinal with a win over the fourth seeded Romanian. Great draw for Hanescu.

Elsewhere in first round action, Paul-Henri Mathieu snapped a four match losing streak when he took down the formidable challenge of Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4). Mathieu has always been some what of a head-case. He holds immense talent; connecting the dots between focus and execution remains the primary weakness. Mathieu next opponent will be rough clay-court customer Fabio Fognini who was three set winner over Fabrice Santoro on Tuesday.

The final match day saw Martin Vassallo Arguello defeat Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. The Argentine will next face French Jeremy Chardy who was a first round winner on Tuesday.

Thursday’s action in Stuttgart will feature: top seed Gilles Simon vs. Mischa Zverev; fifth seed Phillipp Kohlschreiber vs Lukasz Kubot; second seed Nikolay Davydenko vs. Michael Berrer.

Please check back tennis fans, I will have continuing daily coverage from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 2 review. Monaco wins in Sweden; Kiefer upsets Berdych in Germany

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Unseeded Argentine Juan Monaco provided the biggest upset of the day during continued first round action in Sweden today, with a 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-1 victory over 8th seeded Maximo Gonzalez. Monaco showed a lot heart throughout the encounter, having to deal with the disappointment of losing both of his weekend Davis Cup matches. However the clay is back, and certainly many smiles of joy will resonate through Monaco’s monster forehand.

After winning a tight first set, Gonzalez fought back to square the contest at one set a piece. With the third set in bounds, Monaco elevated his game and his intensity to capture another win on the dirt.

Clay-court stats were written all over this encounter, with both players residing in the low to mid 60’s on their first serve points won. There were also 11 break points conversions in total; 6 for Monaco and 5 for Gonzalez.

The win with take the “Principality” to the round of 16, were he will meet Victor Crivoi who defeated Denis Istomin 6-0, 6-4 on Monday.

Elsewhere, a busy day in Bastad saw the following matches completed:

Kristof Vliegen defeated one of the very few uncomfortable Spaniards on clay, Marcel Granollers 7-6(7-3) 6-4; Guillermo Canas halted the hopes of potential future star Girgor Dimitrov 6-3 7-6 (7-2); Daniel “hothead” Kollerer took out Steve Darcis 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Kollerer will face top seed Fernando Verdasco on Thursday; Potito Starace squeezed past Julien Benneteau 7-6 (7-5) 6-3; Peter Luczak brushed aside Alberto Martin 6-2, 6-2; and Bjorn Phau whipped past Daniel Berta 6-3, 6-2.

Wednesday action in Bastad will feature top seed Nicolas Almagro vs. Marat Safin; Tommy Robredo vs. Peter Luczak; and Robin Soderling appearing on clay for the first time since making the finals of French Open. The Sod will take on Kristof Vliegen.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Tomas Berdych was another player who experienced the tribulations of Davis Cup hangover today, with a meek and fatigued performance. The powerful Czech came into Stuttgart after helping his DC squad dispatch Argentina over the weekend. Never one to hold the mental fortitude card in high esteem, Berdych appeared sluggish throughout the encounter against home-country hopeful Nicolas Kiefer, falling without a fight 6-3, 6-3.

Kiefer was in total control from the onset of the match, breaking Berdych’s serve on four occasions and winning 76 percent of his first serve points.

The German is exactly the type of player the big boys do not want to face when they are fatigued. Kiefer is feisty, can get under your skin, and is solid from every facet in the game.

Kiefer is also the defending Roger’s Cup finalist, and will have a ton of points to defend come the Masters 1000 event in about a months time. Nicolas better rack up as many wins a possible in the next little while, with a repeat to the finals in Montreal unlikely.

For now, Kiefer lives to fight another day and will take on Simon Greul who was a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) winner over Andreas Beck.

The good day for the German’s remained perfect with Phillipp Kohlschreiber continuing his fine form of late with a comprehensive win over Diego Junqueira 6-3, 6-2. Kohlschreiber put forth a world beater effort over the weekend in Marbella, defeating both Fernando Verdasco and Tommy Robredo. Kohlschreiber is an elite ball-striker, and if he continues his recent tear watch out.

Other German’s who were winners on Day 2 included: Rainer Schuettler over Ivo Minor 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4; and Mischa Zverev over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-4. All in all, six of the nine German’s who started the event remain alive in round two.

Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro became an upset casualty on Day 2, falling at the hands of Italian Fabio Fognini 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. Santoro was coming into the Germany from a semi-final showing in Newport last week.

Jeremy Chardy upset 8th seed Jose Acasuso 6-2, 7-6 (7-4); Alexandre Sidorenko brushed aside Daniel Munoz-De La Nave (longest name on tour?), 7-6 (7-3), 1-6, 6-2; and Oscar Hernandez bounced Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-4.

Last but not least, top seed Gilles Simon began his Stuttgart campaign in style with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Phillipp Petzschner. Petzschner is a talented German player, with ample power to spare. Gilles was on his game today, winning 73 percent of his first serve points, hitting 6 aces and breaking his opponents serve on four occasions.

Simon moves onto round two after 1:14 minutes and will next face Mischa Zverev of Germany.

Wednesday’s order of play will be highlighted by Mikhail Youzhny vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu, and Rainer Schuettler vs. Victor Hanescu.

Please check back, I will have continuing daily coverage from Bastad, Sweden and Stuttgart, Germany. Cheers.

Båstad, Sweden; Stuttgart, Germany. Day 1 review. Vinciguerra wins first match of the season; Daydenko made to work in Stuttgart

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Without perseverance what would tennis be like? Take Andreas Vinciguerra for instance. A young, vibrant player who was once touted as the next prominent Swedish tennis, quickly faded in the category of a never-was. Injuries and lack of motivation were the culprit towards Vinicguerra’s fall—and fall he did. Currently ranked 460 in world, Vinny had not exactly been breaking the bank in the winners column. His lone non-tour win of the season came in Dusseldorf, Germany against a struggling Robby Ginepri. Not exactly a top ten win.

Vinci’s fortunes changed today in Bastad, with the former world number 33 capturing his first official victory of the year against 6th seed Florent Serrra, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4.

It was truly a delight to see Vinicguerra on court today. His crafty left-handed game does not reside on the loins of power; touch and precision are his calling. After losing the first set to the Frenchmen, Vinicguerrapicked up his first serve percent in a big way to offset the rally rhythm of Serra. On the strength of 9 aces, 74% of first serve points won, and three breaks of serve, Vinny advanced to the round of sixteen—delight for the home crowd.

Vinciguerra’s next opponent will be either young hopeful Grigor Dmitriov or a qualifier. The Grigor challenge would be tough.

Elsewhere on a relative light day in Sweden, Victor Crivoi notched his fourthwin of the season, with a 6-4, 6-4 beat-down of Denis Istomin. Crivoiscored an impressive win earlier in the clay-court season with a win over American James Blake in Roma. He will now look forward to the challenge of either Juan Monaco or 8th seed Maximo Gonzalez. That match will be played on Tuesday.

The final match of the day had Teimuraz Gabashvilitied at one set a piece with 7th seed Christophe Rochus. Gabashvili is currently knocking the stuffing out of the ball, and Rochus is playing his counter-punching game to perfection. The winner of the match will take on either Bjorn Phau or wild-card recipient Daniel Berta in round two. That match will also take place on Tuesday.

Top seed Fernando Verdasco will begin his Catella Swedish Open campaign on Wednesday. The top seed Spaniard receives a first round bye.

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

Second seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenkowas made to work today in his first round match in Stuttgart. The apparent rust was all over the former top 5 players game—errant forehands and shallow backhands. His opponent Ivan Navarro was exactly the type of player one could not afford to be complacent against. His backboard type game-style embraced unforced errors from his opponent, with minimal to no power provided by the Spaniard alone.

With the first set in the bag, Navarro appeared a lock for a second round spot. Being down a break in set two, did not bode well for Davydenko.

In the sight of defeat, Nikolay changed gears. He began to take more chances and employ more first strike tennis on his opponent. Davydenko had been in similar situations many times. Roaring back to take set two, the Russian appeared to have his barrings in check, a win seemed to be possible.

The third set added little to no adversity for the second seed, with a single break-point chance all that was necessary for the victory. The 2:36 minute dogfight was over, the tournament still had its drawing card.

With the win, Davydenko progressed to round two, where he will meet the winner of Stefan Koubek or Michael Berrer. That match is currently on court in the early stages of set one.

Elsewhere, qualifier Lukasz Kubot added to his fine season on clay, after he dismissed Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-2, 6-4. Kubot made a name for himself earlier this year after making the finals of the inaugural Belgrade tournament in a losing effort to top seed Novak Djokovic. Kubot’s efforts on the ATP World Tour previous to this year, were centered around doubles participation. Hopefully his success on the singles court will persuade him to work harder to improve on his talents. Kubot will face Philipp Kohlschreiber or Diego Junqueira in round two.

The days final completed match saw 4th seed Victor Hanescu dispatch German wild-card Dominik Meffert 6-4, 7-6 (10-8). For those avid tennis fans out there, Hanescucan bring some fine tennis to the court. His current top 30 ranking would suggest such accolades, with the 6′6″ Romanian holding a significant shot at a title run this week. Hanescu will take on either Rainer Schuettler or Ivo Minor in round two. That match will be played on Tuesday.

Please stay tuned, I will have comprehensive coverage of all the events the tour has to offer from Bastad, Swede, and Stuttgart, Germany. The summer season is heating up, and there is no better place to be than TennisConnected.com. The clay-courts are upon us once again; don’t even pretend like the sliding wasn’t missed. Cheers.

Tournament Previews:

With the grass-court season out of the way, and the up-coming hard-court season waiting in the wings, what’s the ATP World Tour suppose to do while they wait? Answer…play a few clay-court events for all those who miss the red crushed brick.

It’s transition time on tour folks, the time of year when anything goes, and all surfaces receive adequate opportunity. This week the ATP World Tour brings back the mini clay-court swing with stops in Sweden and Germany. Those long lost names of the years second slam in Paris will once again resurface. Names such as Edurado Schwank and Oscar Hernandez will be prominent once again. (Just wait and see).

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the respective tour stops in Bastad and Germany, taking into account the seeded players, and the road the top players will likely endure.

Båstad, Sweden—2009 Catella Swedish Open

Fresh off of Davis Cup duty, top seed Fernando Verdasco begins what he hopes will be his first title of 2009. Nando will be coming in tired; two five set matches in Marbella are to blame. His 1-1 mark over the weekend should be more than enough motivation for the powerful Spaniard to whack a few forehands towards a title run.

Verdasco will be joined by home-country favorite and second seed Robin Soderling; third seed Tommy Robredo; and fourth seed Jurgen Melzer. Bastadmarks another interesting event in the sense that it is a 32 man field, with the top four seeds only having to win four matches to claim the title. Yes that’s right folks, the top four seeds receive a first round bye. Certainly not a bad deal when a tour title is concerned.

Without further adieu let’s take a look at the top and bottom half’s of the 2009 Catella Swedish Open, from Bastad, Sweden.

Top Half:

The question going into this week in Sweden will be whether or not top seed Fernando Verdasco will be feeling the ill efforts of a long DC weekend.

He will have sometime to regroup witha bye granted in round one. Moving along to round two, relative adversity for the Spaniard could be encountered with either Daniel “hothead” Koellerer or Steve Darcis waiting. Koellerer is an in your face competitor and will do whatever it takes to capture a victory. Darcisby contest, is a smooth and elegant ball-striker who could give Verdasco something to think about if they face off.

The quarterfinals could bring forththe challenge of two Argentines, with either 8th seed Maximo Gonzalez or unseeded Juan Monaco on deck. Monaco is coming off of DC duty as well, and will have to transition quickly from the indoor hard surface in Ostrava. Gonzalez falls into the category of the long, long, list of French Open names. Both guys can play, and will surely test the former faux-hawk in the round of eight.

The semifinals could bring forth a man whom Verdascoshared a flight to Sweden with, Tommy Robredo. T-Rob was a scratch for Juan Carlos Ferreroin the fifth rubber over the weekend, and his status in the event is unknown at this time. Robredo remains a significant threat in these week long events, no limelight present, shining moments can occur. Seventh seed Christophe Rochus is also in this half, but is flaky demeanor never lends to a true showing of his abilities.

All in all, if Verdasco shows up and is healthy, he should have no legitimate excuse for not reaching his second final of 2009.

Pick: Verdasco; dark-horse: Juan Monaco

Bottom Half:

Rocking Robin is back on clay ladies and gents, to hopefully prove that he is the real deal on the surface. With this being his first action on the dirt since losing to Roger Federer at the French final, Soderling takes the unfamiliar role of the favorite and not follower—will he like the favorite role?

The Sod also receives a first round bye, with the challenge of either Marcel Granollers or Kristof Vliegen in round two. Bothplayers are well adept on the clay, with Vliegen possessing more court-craft. Should be routine for Soderling.

The quarters could get tricky for the roundhouse Swede, 5th seeded Nicolas Almagro or unseeded Marat Safin could be potential opponents. Bothplayers have had success and failure in 2009, with Safin obtaining more of the latter. Almagro makes his bread and butter on clay, but his confidence and court sense seem to be in disarray. Again, Safin is not far behind. The often flaky Le Sod looks mighty good so far.

A coronation of sorts maybe in order come the final four. Wild-card recipient Girgor Dmitrov is in the house, and will be looking to make good on the claim that he is the next Roger Federer. Dmitriov still resides in dark-horse status for now, with fourth seed Jurgen Melzer and 6th seed Florent Serra providing more experience and poise at this stage.

All in all, The Sod seems to be in good standing in Bastadthis week, with a lot to prove, and the confidence of Roland Garrosto prove it with.

Pick: Soderling; dark-horse: Dmitriov

Champion: Soderling

Stuttgart, Germany—Mercedes Cup

What a difference a year makes. Just twelve months ago a tall, but unknown Argentine showed up in Stuttgart to get his game his game cooking after a dismal start to the 2008 season. The man in question is current world number five Juan Martin del Potro, and no he will not be defending his title.

The “maid” Argentine has the luxury of sitting pretty now, fine-tuning his hard-hitting game for the up-coming hard-court swing. In all honestly, it’s a great move for JMDP, he needs the rest and the point loss will not affect him greatly.

Moving onto the actual participants of the 2009 Mercedes Cup, top seed Gilles Simon will be joined by second seed Nikolay Davydenko; third seed Tomas Berdych; and fourth seed Victor Hanescu.

Other notables in the field have the Newport-Stuttgart bound Fabrice Santoro in his farewell tour, along side Paul-Henri Mathieu and Jeremy Chardy.

With the players pronounced, let’s take a look at the top and bottom half’s of the draw.

Top Half:

The top four players in Stuttgart do not have the pleasure of receiving a first round bye like their counterparts Bastad. That means first round upsets aplenty, which could include top seed Gilles Simon. The unstable Frenchmen will find immediate adversity in the form of unseeded Phillip Petzschner of Germany from the get go. The flat-hitting home-country favorite possesses a rocket serve, and has just the kind of game to send Gilles out of his least liked clay surface.

In the event Simon is able to withstand the Petzschner challenge, his Stuttgart draw will have him face either Mischa Zverev or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Zverevis coming off of Davis Cup duty, with Garcia-Lopez being the more realistic threat. Garcia-Lopez recently captured his maiden ATP World Tour title in Austria the week before the French Open, and also advanced to the semifinals of Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon. Now if he could only do something at the majors?

The quarterfinals could bring forthmore adversity for Simon with either 8th seeded Jose Acasuso or fellow Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy looming. Chardy has top ten talent, and Acasuso knows a thing or two about clay-court tennis. Tough draw for Simon.

The news does not get much better for Gilles in the semifinal round, where either in form 5th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber or third seed Tomas Berdych will be waiting. Both Kohlschreiber and Berdychare coming off of hard fought DC weekends, with Kohlschreiber providing serious clay-court opposition for the top seed.

All in all, Simon is never a shoe-in to win any clay event. His game is not conducive to sliding and shoulder level shots, and will likely be bounced in the quarterfinals if not earlier.

Pick: Acasuso; dark-horse: Garcia-Lopez

Bottom Half:

For the first time in his career, second seed Nikolay Daydenko can say he does not have enough tennis in him. During what has become an injury prone 2009 season, the Russian has seen his ranking drop out of the top 10 for the first time in five years. Perhaps his fresh limbs will bode well of the remainder of the year?

Davydenko does have the luxury of easing his way through a comfortable draw. First up for Niko will be Ivan Narravo of Spain. The danger of an upset during that encounter will be minimal at best.

The second round will seemingly be another comfortable outing for the Russian with either Michael Berrer or veteran Stefan Koubek waiting. Koubek is way past his prime, and Berrer is much more dangerous on a fast surface.

Quarterfinal time could be a match for old time sake, with 7th seed Fabrice Santoro on tap. In all honestly, Fabrice will find it difficult to perform well in Stuttgart. A) He is coming off of Newport’s grass last week, B) he does not move well enough on clay, at this stage in his career. He is 37-years old, after all. Italian Fabio Fognini is also in this section, and could be a dangerous floater for Davydenkoto deal with.

The semifinals could see Davydenko against either 4th seed Victor Hanescu or Estoril champion, 6th seed Albert Montanes. Both of these players love the clay, but do not match up well with Davydenko. Nikolay would exploit Hanescu’s movement, and beat up Montanes’ one-hand back-hand.

All in all a great draw for the workhorse, off the rise Russian.

Pick: Davydenko; dark-horse: Oscar Hernandez (as promised)

Champion: Davydenko

Please stay tuned, I will have comprehensive coverage of all the events the tour has to offer from Bastad, Swede, and Stuttgart, Germany. The summer season is heating up, and there is no better place to be than TennisConnected.com. The clay-courts are upon us once again; don’t even pretend like the sliding wasn’t missed. Cheers.

Davis Cup 2009: Day 3 round-up, Reverse Singles Sunday

Going into the final day of Davis Cup competition, a role reversal would take place. The singles competitors would get a crack at the other player from the opposing squad. With three of the four ties still in contention, it would be defiantly be an all or nothing day.

Only Israel had gained safe passage on Saturday with a insurmountable 3-0 victory over Russia. Sunday’s reverse singles saw Igor Andreev obtain Russia’s only point of the weekend after a Dudi Sela retired while on serve at 4-3 in first set. A wrist injury led to Sela’s retirement. The days second meaningless singles rubber saw tour veteran Harel Levy continue his fine weekend form with a 6-4 4-6 7-6(7-2) victory over Igor Kunitsyn.

Israel will now move onto their first ever Davis Cup semifinal appearance which will be contested the week after the finals of the U.S. Open.

Let’s now take a look at who Israel will be playing in mid September, as well as who will fill in the remaining two semifinal spots.

Spain vs. Germany—Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banus, Marbella—Spain wins 3-2

The bull ring in Marbella was ready to rock to the final day of Spain vs. Germany. With the home-country charge holding a slight 2-1 edge going into Sunday’s play, a semifinal showing seemed more than plausible. First up on Day 3 would be Spain’s second ranked player Fernando Verdasco. The powerful Spaniard had been playing well coming in, with a 5-set Day 1 victory over Andreas Beck.

Today would require a different sort of a challenge of the former faux-hawk. The danger of scrappy German Philipp Kohlschreiber was on deck, a man who had always embraced playing the big boys, on a big stage.

With the first two sets going to Kohlschreiber in convincing fashion, it appeared all but certain that a fifth and deciding match would be forth coming. Verdasco seemed a tad slow, and his weight of shot was not causing his German opponent any sort of adversity. A change of gear would be vastly needed for Verdasco’s survival.

An injection of life was brought forth to the Spaniard, with the commencement of set three. The boisterous home crowd wanted nothing short of a competitive match—a win if possible.

On the strength of margin based blistering forehands, Fernando was back in the contest, easily winning sets three and four. With a fifth set on the horizon, Verdasco appeared to hold the momentum card—the samba’s were at a deafening pitch—full concentration would be required.

A recall of the fifth set of the recent Wimbledon epic seemed to be surfacing, Verdasco and Kolhschreiber intended to go the distance. Each man would not give an inch, the importance of the ” winning-point” hovering over every cross-court return.

In the end, it was Verdasco who crumbled under the wilting sunshine in Marbella, conceding a final break of serve to Kolhscreiber. Let it be known that the German won this match—not Verdasco giving it away. A final forehand winner by the German had the tie, dead-solid-even.

Final score: 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 2-6, 8-6, in 3:59 minutes.

Verdasco had this to say after his loss.

“My legs were not working like I wanted and it was so tough to play,” Verdasco said. “It is unfortunately that I lost 8-6 in the fifth but I am proud that I was able to give more than 100 percent of myself.”

Kolhschreiber who in recent times had dismissed many big named players, commented on his efforts which brought Germany within one win of a semifinal berth.

“I’m proud to play for Germany and maybe for me that’s easier; there’s lots of spectators, a great court and I find it easier to concentrate on the opponent,” Kohlschreiber said. “You have to be so ready for these matches and I’ve had some good Davis Cup wins. I see it as a step forward and it’s a pleasure playing for Germany.”

The deciding match of the day would bring forth experience of former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero, against relative Davis Cup new-comer Andreas Beck.

With Ferrero relying on the “been there, done that” frame of mind, the final match of a fabulous weekend, was a bust.

In anticlimactic fashion, Ferrero brushed aside Beck with pin-point shot-making, harnessed on the strength of his spin to win forehand. The victory for Ferrero catapulted the defending champs towards their forth possible title opportunity.

Spain will next face Israel in a home soil final four contest. A host city is yet to be determined.

United States vs. Croatia—Sportska Dvorana “Zatika,” Porec—Croatia wins 3-2

A forgettable year of struggles culminated today for American James Blake. After blowing a tw0-sets-to-love lead against “ace machine” Ivo Karlovic on Friday, the 30-year old Yonkers native was thoroughly defeated on Sunday by the sharp and youthful efforts of Marin Cilic.

The 2:42 minute encounter which ended 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the favor of Croatia, maintained the Nations perfect 3-0 mark against the United States.

On countless occasions throughout the constant Blake was seen sporting the “where is Waldo look”. His flat ground-game would be no match for the ease and fluidity of Cilic’s arsenal—a determined and defined opponent, seldom making a questionable decision.

Cilic’s game once again highlighted his decent to the upper echelons of the men’s game. He’s certainly a name for the future. The 6′6″ frame of the Croatian does not exclusively rest on the comfort of firepower. In fact, Cilic is likely one of the most crafty and calculated big men on tour. A trait which will set him apart from the Gulbis’ and Berdych’s of the world.

Blake on the other hand, had nothing short of a miserable day at the office. His winner to unforced error ratio was a staggering minus 35, with a sub par 64 percent of first serve points won.

It is not only time for James to get back to the drawing board, he must at this juncture in his career reevaluate each and ever X and O in his game— otherwise his competitive standing will not go forward.

Blake was not available for comment after his loss, with the usually polite American requiring much needed quiet time.

The win for Cilic pushed Croatia into the semifinals of the Davis Cup for the first time since 2005—a championship year.

The 20-year old had this to say after his resounding victory.

“I think this was one of the best matches I’ve played,” Cilic said. “I was a little tired from the five sets on Friday, and today I played a lot of it on adrenaline, the crowd was carrying me throughout the match. I really played well, I felt good on court, moved really well, and even though I lost the third set I felt I was playing good and my tactics were perfect, so I kept going and eventually broke him.”

A part from his questionable choice of shirt, Cilic’s game was spot on throughout.

Doubles specialist Bob Bryan took the court in days final meaningless rubber to defeat Roko Karansuic 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

Argentina vs. Czech Republic—CEZ Arena, Ostrava—Czech Republic wins 3-2

In the day’s most exciting tie, the flying Czechs managed to fend off the relentless onslaught from team Argentina.

First up on Sunday, saw a clinic of baseline tennis from world number five Juan Martin del Potro. The slim 21-year old wasted little time in brushing aside the formidable challenge of power-house Tomas Berdych. The 6-4 6-4 6-4 win by del Potro was a much needed win for his squad, who trailed 2-1 coming into Sunday.

The challenge of playing Berdych was never an easy one. He possessed gifts few player had, and when given any inclination of belief, his game would be devastating.

To del Potro’s credit, his beefed up serve has gone hand-in-hand with his solid ground-strokes. The fast indoor surface in Ostrava would be a perfect location for del Potro to showcase his serving prowess. Del Potro was impressive and then some. The Argentine almost had a flawless day on his first serve, winning 96 percent of his points. For those of you who love keeping stats, del Potro won 49/51 points when his first delivery hit the box. Not an appealing sight for a return of server.

The workmanlike effort would be more than good enough to secure an even scoreline for his squad.

Next up would be Radek Stepanek, against the shaky indoor credentials of Juan Monaco.

Stepanek was not suppose to participate in the tie before hand because of a bum knee. He was given clearance by the team physician to take the court shortly before the fifth rubber. Although he was seen in visible pain throughout the contest, his tough as nails persona help to guide him towards triumph.

During the unfolding of the first set it become more evident that Stepanek at 50 percent, would be better than Monaco at 100 percent, on an indoor surface.

Stepanek’s flat and early ground-game put immediate pressure on Monaco for most of the contest—the Argentine was struggling to prolong the rallies.

Radek also had the luxury of depending on his volleying ability, which was evident with the 24 points he scored when approaching the net.

All in all a gusty performance for Stepanek who propelled his squad into the final four of DC ‘09.

Final score: 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-2.

Stepanek had this to say after his victory.

“It was the biggest effort I have ever done in Davis Cup,” said Stepanek. “I had to really dig deep to step on the court. After the doubles [on Saturday] I was like 90 per cent sure that I’m not able to play singles, but I was assured by the doctors that it was not going to damage my knee. I had to lie to myself that it didn’t hurt.”

A little fool hearty on Monaco’s behalf when thinking his opponent would not be at 100 percent going in. The task of removing the thought of a potentially injured opponent from the dynamic of a match, becomes more-often-than-not the grandest challenge for any competitor.

The win by the Czech Republic sends them semifinal bound for an interesting match-up in Croatia, come the fall. A great opportunity for both Nations.

There you have it folks, the DC quarterfinals are in the bag, with Spain facing Israel at home, and Croatians taking on the determined Czech Rebublic squad on home soil.

Davis Cup 2009: Day 2 round-up; Doubles day

Throughout the duration of the calender year, men’s doubles is often brushed aside and not taken as seriously as it should be. The “product”, if you want to call it that, often lacks the pop and charisma that the singles game holds.

However, during four strategically placed moments throughout the year, doubles is just as important, if not more vital than singles competition. Welcome to Davis Cup.

Historically, the four man show has been the deciding factor in many Davis Cup ties. The doubles point can highlight the difference between a clean sweep victory, staying in the competition, or taking a 2-1 lead into Sunday’s reverse singles play. All in all, a solid doubles team, usually reflects a championships effort by years end.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at which twosomes came out on top on Day 2.

Spain vs. Germany—Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banus, Marbella—Spain leads 2-1

After a split decision by the singles players on Friday, the team of Spanish heartthrobs led by Fernando Verdasco and Felicano Lopez obtained a routine 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 victory over Nicolas Kiefer and Mischa Zverev.

Lopez once again showed his goods on the doubles court today. His net play, and serve volley are A-typical to that of the conventional Spaniard. Being a left-handed player also helps, and if anything he could perhaps be one of the top doubles players in the world if he put more emphasis on it.

Verdasco on the other hand, is not as adept on the doubles court. Although his serve has the ability to create openings, his hands, for a better lack of a word are not “soft”. Verdasco’s talents simply reside in the brute bashing of singles competition. But this is Davis Cup, and for whatever reason players weaknesses on the doubles court take a back seat, and are overtaken by sheer guts and emotion.

During today’s encounter, it was evident that Lopez was the leader. He was readily pumping up Verdasco, keeping his partner in top gear. In recent times, Verdasco has been very receptive to positive energy, with today’s match being no exception.

The German’s by contrast were not as engaged. Veteran Nicolas Kiefer was joined by relative new-comer Mischa Zverev in an effort to pull the German squad within one victory of a semifinal berth. Alas, poor serving by both Kiefer and Zverev led to ample opportunities for the Spaniards—chances which they would not squander.

After a horrendous second set tie-break loss, the was steam was slightly elevated for the German’s in set three, only to witness a set long celebration commencing for the Spaniards throughout set four. In tennis you will rarely see celebrating while a match is still in progress. Tennis in Spain seems to differ.

With the win, the boys in red and yellow move within a victory of advancing to the fall semifinals.

First up on Sunday, Fernando Verdasco will take on Philipp Kohlschreiber, and if need be Tommy Robredo will battle Andreas Beck in the fifth and final rubber.

With Nadal on the sidelines, Spain seems to be in pretty good shape. A problem, many countries wish they had. Indeed.

United States vs. Croatia—Sportska Dvorana “Zatika”, Porec—Croatia leads 2-1

There are few things one can count on in life: death, taxes (unless you live in Dubai or Bermuda), and of course a doubles win by the Bryan brothers in Davis Cup competition.

After a disastrous opening day for the Yanks, Mike and Bob Bryan restored much needed order in Team America by brushing aside the meek challenge of Lovro Zovko and Roko Karanusic 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. The 1:08 minute beat-down was comprehensively under control by perhaps the greatest doubles team in history. Bob’s serve, and Mike’s return have been a formidable combo for many years on tour, and today was certainly no different.

In a surprise move, Croatian Captain Goran Prpic withdrew Ivo Karlovic from the doubles contest, to rest the big man for Sunday’s competition. It’s one of those moves which will either make him look like a genius if they prevail on Sunday, or a significant gamble if they lose. There is certainly something to be said about going for the final blow when it’s present.

At any rate, the Bryan bro’s chalk up another win for their legacy, and now put the ball in the hands of James Blake and Mardy Fish.

Both players will have to get over their heartbreaking five set losses on Friday, with the imminent danger of Marin Cilic and Ivo Karlovic ahead.

Blake will be first up against Cilic, with Mardy being called upon to contest the five and deciding rubber if need be. Blake will be in a world of trouble in his match with Cilic—Mardy will likely not have to suit up.

Russia vs. Israel—Nokia Stadium, Tel Aviv—Israel wins 3-0

On a historic day in Tel Aviv, team Israel advanced to their first ever Davis Cup semifinal appearance. In today’s doubles contest, seasoned doubles experts Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram defeated a stern challenge from Marat Safin and Igor Kunitsyn 6-3 6-4 6-7(3-7) 4-6 6-4 in 3 hours 51 minutes.

Although Safin and Kunitsyn fought back from a two-set-to-love deficit, their efforts were not enough in the relatively close fifth set. Safin was seen at his entertaining best throughout the encounter, yelling and fighting the inner demons which have plagued him for much of his career. A racket break was surely in the cards.

The sketchy call by Russian team captain Shamil Tarpischev not to play Safin during Friday’s singles competition, in hindsight was a grave decision to say the least.

Although Safin has had an off year by any stretch, he still contains some good tennis in him. He could very well have brought that out this weekend.

By contrast, Youzhny would have been a much better selection for today’s doubles contest. He possesses much better feel than Safin, and is quite a good doubles player.

The win is another great addition to an already fantastic year for Israeli tennis. Dudi Sela (the countries highest ranked player) recently made it to the 4th round of Wimbledon, with his fourth set win over Youzhny on Friday an integral part of his teams convincing win.

Russia will now head home to ponder why Safin was not put in the singles mix, and how the underdog team came out on top.

Whatever the case, the Captain will have a lot of explaining to do.

Argentina vs. Czech Republic—CEZ Arena, Ostrava—Czech Republic leads 2-1

Over matched and under qualified, the team of Jose Acasuso and Leonardo Mayer were in tough today against the power and precision of Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek.

In reality this match would be two singles players against two singles players. The difference being: Berdych and Stepanek could do pretty much anything on court, with Mayer and Acasuso being more one dimensional baseline players.

The Argentine duo was comprehensively outdone in every major statical category today. At times, the contest appeared more like a practice match than a Davis Cup quarterfinal tie. With splendid serving from Stepanek and whizzing returns by Berdych, the Argentines would have signed up for a single set match, instead of three set embarrassment.

Moving along, what does Sunday hold in store for down, but not out Argentine team? Will they fight back and inch closer to defending their finalist position of last year?

The x-factor and only factor really will be the physical and mental focus of Juan Martin del Potro. The lanky Argentine is worn and torn from a year of scintillating tennis, and one would have to think that his slight frame can only take some much. The challenge of Tomas Berdych will surely be a daunting task for del Potro come Sunday.

If del Potro can squeeze by Berdych, the Argentines would like their chances with Juan Monaco taking on Ivo Minor.

All in all, Berdych looks to be the favorite over a fatigued del Potro, with Monaco being a clear-cut favorite over Minor.

If del Potro gets through, look for a semifinal showing for the Argentines. It’s unlikely.

Please stay tuned, I will have a Day 3 from the 2009 Davis Cup quarterfinal World Group.

Davis Cup Review: Day 1 action

Fighting for your country is never easy. By the same token, there is no greater thrill than carrying home pride through five sets of vigorous tennis on an annual basis. Regardless if there are partisan and boisterous crowds behind you. With the 2009 Davis Cup competition narrowing down eight World group teams this weekend, the pressure will be on each and every player—their quest for D.C. supremacy lives on.

Let us now take at look at the four quarter-final matches, and their results after Day 1.

Spain vs. Germany—Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banus, Marbella

Tied: 1-1

A Nadal-less squad has left an ever-so-competent Spanish team against the Germans. Spain is one of the far and few Nations which can afford to have the absence of a superstar or two. With Rafa and David Ferrer on the sidelines this weekend, a team comprised of Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Robredo, Feliciano Lopez and Juan Carlos would be more than ready to defend their 2008 title.

Starting proceedings off in a positive manner on Friday, the Spanish teams highest ranked player Verdasco took care of, but struggled past Andreas Beck 6-0, 3-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Strictly basing the outcome of this match on namesake, one would have given the easy win to Spaniard. But if tennis has taught tennis writers and avid fans alike any lessons throughout the years; matches are won on the court, and not on paper my friends.

This years Davis Cup competition has rekindled many fond memories for Verdasco. It was during the 2008 final, where the Spaniard came through in epic fashion to propel his team to their third title overall. It was also during that final in Argentina where Verdasco began what is still his rise to prominence.

With the first set easily in the bag, with a bagel no doubt, Fernando and his Spanish hombres where sitting pretty for a 1-0 tie lead. However, Beck had other ideas going forward, using his slap-shot ground strokes to unsettle his opponent; showing flashes of the form which took him to the quarterfinals of the Monaco earlier this year.

With the tables turned, and a two-sets-to-love lead for Beck, the Spaniards were in danger of losing the all important first rubber. Verdasco is not ranked seven in the world for nothing, and on the heels of defeat, the fit 25-year-old stormed back to take the fourth and fifth sets in convincing fashion. Thrusting Spain to a 1-0 lead.

Final score: 6-0, 3-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Would a 1-0 lead be enough for the Spaniards to gain momentum into Saturday’s doubles play? Apparently not.

German Philipp Kohlschreiber had never been an easy opponent for any player. His solid, but non-overpowering game, brought forth day-to-day consistency centered around a killer one-handed backhand.

His opponent today Tommy Robredo was also known for a sweet one-handed backhand of his own, but the mental inconsistency required to pour in week-in and week-out results was lacking. T-Rob would once again be a disappoint in Marbella this afternoon.

In clean-cut fashion which ironically mirrored his straight set win over Novak Djokovic at the French Open this year, Kohschreiber pounced all over Robredo to defeat him 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

The 2:03 constant featured a workmanlike effort from the German throughout. It was straight to work, and then straight home for Philipp, never questioning his tactics with Robredo never responding with any sort of adversity. One break in each set was enough for Kohschreiber to level the tie at one match a piece. Dead solid even would be the scoreline heading into Saturday’s doubles.

Saturday’s doubles affair will feature: Verdasco pairing with Feliciano Lopez vs. Nicolas Kiefer and Mishca Zverev. The win be even more important to Germany, with the Spaniards holding the edge in singles competition on Sunday.

United States vs. Croatia—Sportska Dvorana “Zatika”, Porec

Croatia leads 1-0

The days most epic encounter saw the tours gentle giant Ivo Karlovic race back from a two-sets-to-love deficit to defeat American James Blake 6-7 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5. Going into this contest, Blake knew his task would not be easy. On the serve alone, Karlovic would be dangerous, with Roger Federer being perhaps the only player on the planet to relish returning the big mans delivery.

With that in mind, Blake came out poised and secured the first two-sets with pin-point serving, while dictating from the back of the court. But Karlovic was far from out of this thing—the server was anger.

A momentary lapse in concentration forced JB to lose set number three, allowing Karlovic to feed off of his home-country support—more importantly his arm was becoming loser by the moment.

Set four was close, with Karlovic stepping up his historic weak return of serve to gain a double mini-break in the tie-breaker. A cushion of a 6-3 lead, coupled by the serve of Ivo meant the match was going five sets. The belief in Karlovic was on the rise; the often slump in concentration was ever present in the eyes of the American.

On the strength of 47 aces, Karlovic would gain double match point at 5-6 in set five. Blake could not count on his opponents serve to recover, saving one elimination point, succumbing to the second.

The broken record of a year for Blake would continue; he just lost to Kalrovic on clay! By no means are any efforts taken away from the big man, he played with heart today and displayed his improved fitness, and more than decent net game. But Blake did have every opportunity to come through the victor in this encounter, with the demise of many recent losses standing before him on every serve return. Not a good feeling for a professional.

The win gives Croatia a significant advantage going forward, with Marin Cilic next up against Mardy Fish. Fish was a late call for an injured Andy Roddick, and will be the underdog against a more savvy Cilic on clay.

Win or lose the Americans will have the pleasure of calling upon the Bryan brothers during Saturday’s doubles, with Mike and Bob taking on Ivo Karlovic and Lovro Zovko. One would have to give the nod to the Bryan bro’s in that one, but you never know.

Israel vs. Russia—Sport Palaces Ltd (Nokia), Tel Aviv

Israel leads, 2-0

With an obscure decision by team captain Shamil Tarpischev to leave his most dangerous player Marat Safin off of the singles roaster, the Russians find themselves in a mighty whole after Day 1.

Starting off the days proceedings, one-time Masters 1000 Canadian finalist Harel Levy achieved one of his best wins to date, after dispatching tour work horse Igor Andreev 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. This was truly an upset on many counts, with Andreev being the much higher ranked player, as well as coming off of his best ever finish at the All England Club. Andreev also held the advantage in every category except perhaps court speed, with his topspin forehand causing chaos throughout his career.

With the Tel Aviv crowd firmly behind their man, Levy used his court craft and 81 percent of first serve points won, to give Israel a 1-0 tie lead in 2:51 minutes. Undoubtedly one of the most significant wins of the 30-year old Kibutz Nahshonin natives career.

The good times did not stop there for Israel.

Following in the foot steps of Levy, Israels highest ranked player Dudi Sela, who was coming off of a fourth round appearance at the Big W, comprehensively took out Mikhail Youzney after dropping the first set, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1, 7-5.

Youzney known to implode under the slightest hint of adversity, completely crumbled after capturing the first set. The angles in Sela’s game were becoming more prominent, with the Russian losing control of the center of the court.

The win by Sela added to a fantastic 12 months, which saw him raise his ranking from 66 at the start of 2008, to a current high of 33. Israel will now take the comfort of a commanding 2-0 tie lead into Saturday’s doubles contest.

The two on two contest will see Johnathon Erlich and Andy Ram vs. Igor Kunitsyn and Marat Safin. If the Russian squad thought they were in trouble after Fridays singles losses, wait until they get on court on Saturday, where Erlich and Ram are two of the best in the business in the four man show.

Shamil Tarpischev sure has a lot of explaining to do.

Argentina vs. Czech Republic—Cez Arena, Ostrava

Czech Republic leads 1-0

More bad news for a favored team. With the absence Radek Stepanek from the Czech’s singles competition, the Argentines would only have to ponder the challenge of Tomas Berdych in order to move onto the semfinals.

Berdych has always been to give flaky performances, followed by swashbuckling efforts. His opponent today, Juan Monaco was no slouch from the baseline either. With both players fighting tooth and nail throughout, it was Berdych who was able to sustain two critical breaks of serve in the final set, to take the thrilling affair 6-4, 2-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. The 3:27 minute contest featured high quality tennis from both participants. Berdcyh was at his brute power best; Monaco was moving like cat out of a closet. In the end, it was the sledgehammer knocking the cat unconscious, proving once again that devastating velocity is often times just too good.

The days second match also underway with top ranked Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, allowing for some sort of order for his squad, thus far, by easily dismantling Ivo Minor. The unheralded Czech seems to be thoroughly out-classed.

Assuming that del Potro does advance in that one (again, assuming in tennis is to ones own discretion), the Argentines would head into Saturday’s doubles tied at one match a piece.

Doubles duty for each team would be granted to: Lukas Dlouhy / Radek Stepanek vs. Juan Martin del Potro/ Leonardo Mayer. Perhaps the best doubles contest throughout all the Davis Cup ties this weekend.

Please stay tuned, I will have a Day 2 review from the 2009 Davis Cup World Group draw on Saturday. Cheers.

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