Verdasco Switches Back to Tecnifibre Rackets

Current world No. 12 Fernando Verdasco began his BNP Paribas Open campaign on Saturday with his previous Tecnifibre TFlight 320 VO2 Max racket.

Changing racket manufactures to Yonex in February, Verdasco was successful in defeating Andy Roddick to capture the San Jose, California event.

However, losing some of the confidence he acquired by reaching the top 10 and Tour finale last year, Verdasco opted to revert back to his trusty racket.

Carrying an Adidas bag on court in Palm Springs, it is not known at this time if Verdasco will officially go back to Tecnifibre, or search of a different racket company.

Verdasco Defeated in Quarterfinals of Acapulco

Top seed Fernando Verdasco was defeated in the quarterfinals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico on Thursday by Juan Monaco 7-5, 6-3.

Breaking Verdasco’s serve on three occasions, Monaco gained a break of serve during the 11th game of the first set, and during the fifth and seventh games of the second set.

Improving to 13-4 on the year, Monaco gained his sixth win in eight tries against his Spanish opponent.

Verdasco will next see action at the Indian Wells event in California. The 26-year-old was left off of next week’s Davis Cup tie in Spain to rest his injured back.

No. 3 seed David Ferrer also moved into the semifinals with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Pablo Cuevas.

Day Four Review: Cilic Upset in Dubai; Ferrero Looks for Semifinal Spot in Acapulco; Karlovic Searches for Quarterfinal Position in Delray Beach

Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships—U.A.E.

No. 6 seed Marin Cilic suffered his second defeat of the season on Thursday in Dubai, losing to crafty Austrian veteran Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (8), 7-5.

Cilic, who began the year by winning in Chennai, India, continued his fine form by reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open (l. Andy Murray). Capturing his second title of the year in  Zagreb, Croatia, Cilic was undoubtedly the hottest player on Tour.

Facing his second left-handed opponent in a row, Cilic was matched in the ace department by Melzer (11 aces each), during the two hour and four minute contest.

Finding it difficult at times to deal with the angled forehands of Melzer, Cilic fought hard in the first set before being narrowly defeated.

The second set would remain on serve towards the latter stages before an opportunistic Melzer converted on the lone break-of-serve of the set.

Striking seven aces in the second set, Melzer won 71 percent of his first serve points while saving Cilic’s only break-point chance along the way.

Improving to 10-5 on the year, Melzer reached his second semifinal of the season, and avenged a semifinal loss to Cilic during the event in Croatia.

With the day session reaching upwards of 36 degrees Celsius, Melzer admitted that he was fortune to defeat the powerful Cilic in straight sets.

“I think I was a little lucky to hold serve at 1-4 [in the first set],” said Melzer. “He played really fantastic, I think.  It [was] very hard hitting.  I could not find my length in the game.  I was playing too short, [with] no spin, no height in my shots. After that I mixed it up a little bit.  [I] played a little serve and volley.  [I] served better and I took the chance to get back into the game.”

Falling to 17-2 on the season, Cilic confessed that the heat didn’t allow for his best tennis to be played.

“It was not easy,” said Cilic. ”It was quite hot today, and from one side the sun coming into my eyes when I served in the first set, and I lost [a] little bit of balance there.”

Melzer will now await the challenge of No. 7 seed Mikhail Youzhny, who defeated a tired and deflated Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-4.

Fighting off a match game in his first-round match with Lukas Lacko, Youzhny has not lost a set since. Taking advantage of a fatigued Tipsarevic, Youzhny broke serve in routine fashion in both sets, while never surrendering his serve during the 92-minute contest.

Tipsarevic, who was coming into the quarterfinal affair after defeating Andy Murray in two and a half hours, showed visible signs or wear-and-tear off of his groundstrokes and court movement, never finding his way into any of Youzhny’s service games.

Falling to 6-5 on the year, Tipsarevic will leave Dubai with a quality finish to end the month of February. The flamboyant and tattooed Serb will now head back home to Belgrade to begin preparations for next week’s first-round Davis Cup clash against the United States.

Improving to 15-8 in Dubai, Youzhny reached his fourth semifinal at the event, and his second this season.

Youzhny holds a slight 3-2 career head-to-head lead over Mezler, while contesting their first hard-court match on Friday. The pair have played five previous clay-court matches.

The night session in Dubai will feature No. 2 seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic against Tour veteran Ivan Ljubicic.

Leading his Croatian opponent 4-1 in career head-to-head meetings, Djokovic remains adamant on defending the first title of his career this week.

Ljubicic has displayed under-the-radar form in the past six months, winning his ninth career title in Lyon, France last fall, while regaining a top 30 ranking of No. 26.

Possessing a canon serve and an eclectic one-handed backhand, Ljubicic could cause an upset over his higher ranked opponent.

Attempting to knock off Roger Federer from the top spot in the rankings, Djokovic’s form during these smaller 500 events could make the difference.

The final match of the day will feature entertaining Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis battling in-form German Michael Berrer.

Baghdatis leads Berrer 1-0 in career head-to-head meetings, having beaten the German during the 2006 New Heaven event in two tiebreak sets.

Abierto Mexicano Telcel—Acapulco, Mexico

Quarterfinal Thursday in Mexico will feature the continuation of one streak and the end of another.

Two-time defending champion Nicolas Almagro, who defeated Richard Gasquet in a tight three set affair on Wednesday, will put his 12-match winning streak on the line against Juan Carlos Ferrero’s 12-match Tour winning streak.

Capturing titles in Brazil and Argentina during the month of February, Ferrero has regained the formidable form he showcased during his run to the No. 1 position in 2003.

Trailing Almagro 2-1 in career head-to-head meetings, Ferrero won the pair’s last encounter in Beijing last fall.

Expect nothing less than a barn-burner between these two.

Elsewhere, top seed Fernando Verdasco will attempt to reach his first clay-court semifinal of the season when he faces tough Argentine and No. 7 seed Juan Monaco.

Dismissing Lukasz Kubot in routine fashion on Wednesday, Verdasco appears to have overcome his sciatic nerve injury.

Never an easy opponent on the dirt, Monaco remains a darkhorse contender for the duration of the clay-court season.

Elsewhere, the bottom half of the draw will feature No. 2 seed Fernando Gonzalez vs. Eduardo Schwank, and No. 3 seed David Ferrer vs. Pablo Cuevas.

Both dynamo clay-court players will continue their strides towards optimal preparation for the year’s second Major championships in France.

Gonzalez reached the finals in 2004, and holds a 6-1 lifetime record in Mexico, while Ferrer, who is making his fourth appearance in Acapulco, has reached his best finish in the event after losing in the round-of-sixteen on three occasions.

Delray Beach International Tennis Championships—Florida

Wishful thinking will be on hand Thursday in Florida after only two matches were completed on Wednesday due to persistent rain.

Defending champion Mardy Fish, who is battling a right knee injury, will bid for a place in quarterfinals against German Mischa Zverev.

The American charge will continue on day four action when Wayne Odesnik and James Blake will contest secon- round matches.

Blake will battle Dutch youngster Robin Hasse, while Odesnik will face No. 3 seed Benjamin Becker.

No. 4 seed Jeremy Chardy will take on inexperienced hard-court player Santiago Giraldo, while No. 5 seed and defending finalist Evgeny Korolev will face Jarko Nieminen.

The day will not end without an ace or two being struck, when No. 2 seed Ivo Karlovic battles 6′5″ German Daniel Brands.

Last but certainly not least, rejuvenated Latvian Ernests Gulbis will face top seed Tommy Haas’ conquerer, Teimuraz Gabashvili from Russia.

Gulbis won three consecutive matches in Memphis last week for the first time on Tour since August of 2008.

For continued scoring of all the day’s matches, click the TennisConnected livescore section for up-to-second updates. Talk soon.

Quotes courtesy of atpworldtour.com.

Spanish Captain Costa Talks About Nadal’s Injury

Spanish Davis Cup captain Albert Costa admitted on Wednesday that six-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal was “worried” about his knee injury.

“He is worried about his physical state, but he’s working every day to get better,” Costa said.

Retiring from his quarterfinal match with Andy Murray at the Australian Open, Nadal’s right knee injury has forced him out of action for over a month.

Having withdrawn from next week’s Davis Cup tie in Spain, Costa suggested that Nadal’s injury woes are normal after achieving his level of success.

“Until last year at Roland Garros and the problems, he had achieved everything,” Costa said. “It’s normal, after 22 years and winning everything, to have some down time.”

Costa, who recently picked Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer to lead Spain against Switzerland next week, told the media that the withdrawals of Nadal and Fernando Verdasco (back injury) could be overcome.

“That was my decision, that was a technical decision,” Costa said. “I think (the others) also deserve a chance to represent Spain. You have to have alternatives, so you’re ready for any future tie also.”

Spain will battle Switzerland March 5-7 in northern Spain.

Quotes courtesy of the Associated Press.

Day 3 Review: Davydenko Loses in Dubai; Almagro Continues Title Run in Acapulco; Fish Remains on Course in Delray Beach

Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships—U.A.E.

German Michael Berrer was handed the biggest win of his career in Dubai on Wednesday when No. 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko was forced to withdraw from the pair’s second-round encounter after trailing 6-3.

Davydenko, who suffered a left-wrist injury in Rotterdam earlier this month, continued to show the ill effects of his wrist ailment.

Losing his serve in the fourth game of the first set, Davydenko dumped a backhand volley into the net to trail 3-1.

Remaining occupied with his injury and not the match on court, Davydenko shook Berrer’s hand after the end of the first set.

The Russian spoke with tennistv.com on the status of his injury after his retirement.

“It’s a problem already from the tournament in Rotterdam,” said Davydenko. “For four days I can’t touch anything (after his semifinal loss in The Netherlands).”

“I hope for Davis Cup I be fit.”

To Berrer’s credit, the 29-year-old veteran has enjoyed his best year to date on Tour. Reaching the finals in Zagreb, Crotia (l. Marin Cilic), Berrer also won a Challenger level event in Germany, while making the quarterfinals in Chennai, India (l. Stanislas Wawrinka).

Improving to 10-4 on the year, Berrer picked up his first win against Davydenko after losing the previous two meetings.

The 220 lbs German told tennistv.com that he had mixed emotions after receiving the retirement win.

“This is the second top 10 guy to retire against me, and it’s a little bit disappointing because I’m playing well and I had a chance to beat a top 10 guy,” confessed Berrer.

Up until Davydenko’s retirement, Berrer was executing his game-plan to perfection. Avoiding baseline exchanges at all costs, the German used his one-handed backhand to close in on the net while finishing the points with clean struck volleys.

Berrer’s victory will lead him to a quarterfinal showdown with Marcos Baghdatis. The Cypriot defeated talented Indian Somdev Devarrman 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Earlier in the day at the Aviation Club, No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic dismissed countryman Viktor Troicki 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Capturing two breaks of serve in the first set, Troicki won 80 percent of his first serve points while striking 4 aces. By contrast, Djokovic won a mere 50 percent of his first serve points while hitting two double faults.

Continuing to play with pressure in opening stages of the second set, Djokovic increased his points won on first serves to 93 percent, while converting on his lone break of serve during the eighth game.

Evening the match at one set a piece, Djokovic comfortably rolled through the third set on the strength of two breaks of serve.

Djokovic told reporters that he was fortunate to defeat his good friend.

“I wasn’t happy with the performance overall today,” admitted Djokovic. ”But I won, that’s what matters. He was a better player for a set and a half. I think this is one of the rare tournaments that you really feel [a] big, big difference between the day match and night match. The balls go really much faster, and as soon as the shade came on the court, I felt more control over my game. So in the end, I managed to win.”

Djokovic will next face the winner of the day’s last match between No. 5 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and unseeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.

Elsewhere, Marin Cilic improved to 17-1 on the season after defeating 33-year-old Stefan Koubek 6-2, 7-6 (8); Mikhail Youzhny kept his momentum of yesterday’s epic win over Luckas Lacko in check by dismissing Bjorn Phau 7-6 (2), 6-4, and Jurgen Melzer sliced with way into the quarterfinals with a win over Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-3, 7-5.

No. 3 seed Andy Murray will face Janko Tipsarevic first up during the night session.

Abierto Mexicano Telcel—Acapulco, Mexico

Wednesday’s action in Acapulco will feature the top four seeds vying for a quarterfinal spot.

After battling through Italian Fabio Fognini 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 on Tuesday, top seed Fernando Verdasco will battle Polish up-and-comer Lukasz Kubot for a spot in the final eight.

Never facing Kubot on the ATP World Tour, Verdasco could very well have a difficult time with the current world No. 48.

Kubot has enjoyed a glorious run of form in the last year, making two Tour finals, while advancing to the fourth-round of the Australian Open.

Kubot is also coming into Mexico off of three weeks of clay-court tennis—reaching the finals in Brazil, while winning a round in Santiago.

Verdasco on the other hand is participating in his first action on the red dirt this season.

Fresh off of a third-set tiebreak win over Sam Querrey on Tuesday evening, No. 2 seed Fernando Gonzalez will face Victor Hanescu for a place in the quarterfinals.

Leading Hanescu 2-0 in career head-to-head meetings, Gonzalez previously defeated the tall Romainian at Roland Garros in 2009.

Davis Cup teammates David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero will take the court on day three against Thomaz Bellucci and Igor Andreev, respectively.

Ferrer will have his hands full with recent Santiago, Chile winner Bellucci, while Ferrero, who remains the hottest player on the circuit with 11 straight wins, will face tough Russian Igor Andreev.

Ferrero is bidding to capture his third straight Tour title this week in Acapulco.

Two-time defending champ Nicolas Almagro will face talented Frenchman Richard Gasquet; Juan Ignacio Chela will be up against No. 7 seed Juan Monaco; No. 8 seed Albert Montanes takes on Pablo Cuevas, and Simon Greul battles stalky Argentine Eduardo Schwank.

Delray Beach International Tennis Championships—Florida

Defending champion Mardy Fish will take his ailing knee into a second-round contest with German Mischa Zverev on Wednesday.

Fish, who injured his right knee during the offseason, defeated Belgium Christophe Rochus on Tuesday evening after the 31-year-old retired with a back injury.

Never facing Zverev in Tour action, Fish will desperately attempt to reach in quarterfinals in order to prevent his ranking from taking a hit.

Elsewhere, No. 4 seed Jeremy Chardy will take on Santiago Giraldo; Leonardo Mayer will face No. 6 seed Florian Mayer, and Teimuraz Gabasvili will battle Ernests Gulbis.

American James Blake, who made the finals in 2008, will resume his match with countryman Taylor Dent after rain suspended the match at 5-3 Blake leading in the third set.

Blake is currently ranked No. 50 in the world, the lowest ranking he’s held since 2005.

For up to the second coverage of today’s matches from the three events, click the TennisConnected live-score link at the top menu. The Tourney Tracker will also provide you with similar information. Talk soon.

Quotes courtesy of atpworldtour.com.

Day 2 Review: Davydenko Wins in Dubai; Verdasco on Tap in Acapulco; Blake Takes the Court in Delray Beach

Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships—U.A.E.

World No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko fought past a diligent effort from Florent Serra in the first-round of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday, defeating the Frenchman 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1.

Using his off-the-rise talent in the first set, Serra moved the cagey Davydenko around the court before capturing the first set in a tiebreak. Never one to show much emotion, Davydenko was visibly worried that his stay in Dubai would be a short one.

After encountering a wrist injury in Rotterdam, Davydenko’s preparation for Dubai was minimal at best.

Tied at 4-4 in the second set, Serra held a break-point at 30-40 to serve for the match. Missing a forehand wide down-the-line, the 28-year-old Frenchman fell apart after squandering his second set opportunity.

Winning the third set with relative ease, Davydenko moved into the second-round in two hours and 10 minutes.

With the win, Davydenko will next face Michael Berrer, who defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 7-6 (3). The Russian also improved to 13-2 with his win on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, future Grand Slam champion Marin Cilic improved to 16-1 on the season after dismissing former Australian Open finalist Arnaud Clement 6-2, 6-4.

Striking forehand and backhand winners at an effortless rate, Cilic advanced to the second-round in 90-minutes. Winning 80 percent of his first-serve points, Cilic pounded 13 aces past his diminutive opponent.

Cilic will next face Stefan Koubek in second-round action.

Cilic spoke with a reporter during an online interview with Tennistv.com after his win.

“It’s not easy to start all over the tournament; it’s not easy to get your body going again,” said Cilic.

“I served very good in the crucial moments, especially in the second set when he had four five break points.”

Taking on the veteran Koubek in the next round, Cilic commented on his next opponent.

“Koubek is a dangerous player, he can play good against the top guys,” confessed Cilic.

“He’s lefty and it’s never easy to play against them.”

Other results on day two action included:

No. 5 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bennefitted from an injury from countryman Michael Llodra after winning the first set 7-6 (9).

Llodra, who won his fourth career title in Marseille over the weekend, was forced to withdraw after the 55-minute opening set.

Ironically, Tsonga was considering not playing in the event due to a a stomach injury. The win will take Tsonga into a second-round tussle with former world No. 3 Ivan Ljubcic.

Tommy Robredo, who took Roger Federer’s line in the draw this week after the top seed withdrew because of a lung infection, defeated Marseille finalist Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-1.

Serb Janko Tipsarevic will face Andy Murray in the second-round after defeating Andreas Seppi 7-6 (4), 7-5; Somdev Devvarman moved past Marco Chiudinelli 6-4, 7-5, and Bjorn Phau advanced when his opponent Mohammed Ghareeb retired after trailing 3-0 in the first set with a back injury.

Wednesday action will feature:

Novak Djokovic vs. Viktor Troicki, and Murray vs. Tipsarevic.

Abierto Mexicano Telcel—Acapulco, Mexico

A full slate of action on Tuesday in Acapulco will feature 13 fantastic clay-court matches at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.

No. 1 seed Fernando Verdasco will begin his campaign at winning his first clay court title since 2008 in Umag, Croatia.

Facing talented Italian Fabio Fognini, Verdasco will be up against a speedy opponent, who possesses no visible weakness. Fognini does not hold a tremendous amount of power, but his clay-court upbringing will pose a significant threat to Verdasco.

The hottest player on the ATP World Tour will begin what he hopes is his third consecutive title run. Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, who won back-to-back titles in Brazil and Argentina, will face Argentine qualifier Diego Junqueira in first-round action. Ferrero is currently riding a 10-match winning streak  and recently moved up to the No. 16 position in the ATP World Tour rankings.

Elsewhere, No 2. seed Fernando Gonzalez will face a tricky opponent in American Sam Querrey.

Querrey, who won the third title of his career last week in Memphis, entered the Acapulco draw in order to gain clay-court experience for the United States’ first-round Davis Cup tie against Serbia next week.

Playing in Mexico for the first time, Querrey will be hard-pressed to defeat his formidable opponent on the day.

Gonzalez is making his first appearance on the Tour since losing in the semifinals of his home event in Santiago, Chile to Thomaz Bellucci.

Querrey’s Davis Cup teammate No. 5 seed John Isner will take his less than favorable clay-court game in a first-round affair with Simon Greul.

Holding a career 5-3 record on clay, Isner will have to address his movement and fitness during his week in Mexico.

No. 3 seed David Ferrer will be adamant on improving on his finals result from last week in Argentina, beginning what he hopes is a run to his eighth career title.

Ferrer will battle Potito Starace in first-round action.

Defending champion Nicolas Almagro will begin his campaign for a three-peat against Dudi Sela; Juan Monaco will face Alberto Martin; Pablo Cuevas will take on Marcos Daniel; Peter Luczak will face Juan Ignacio Chela; Victor Hanescu will battle Frederico Gil; Victor Crivoi takes on Igor Andreev, and Lukasz Kubot will face Horacio Zeballos.

Delray Beach International Tennis Championships—Florida

American James Blake will attempt to recapture a prominent position in the men’s rankings this week, when he begins his Delray Beach journey on Tuesday against fellow American Taylor Dent.

Currently holding a ranking of No. 50 in the world, Blake last won a Tour title in 2007 (New Heaven). Recording a mediocre 3-4 record on the season, Blake leads Dent 3-1 in career head-to-head meetings, while not having played against each other since 2004 in Indian Wells.

Celebrating his 30th birthday in December, Blake could be at a crossroads this year if his ranking and results do not pick up.

After the departure of No. 1 seed Tommy Haas on Monday evening, No. 2 seed Ivo Karlovic remains the top seeded player left in the draw. Facing Philipp Petzschner in first-round action, Karlovic will look to improve on his impressive start to the season which has him standing at 9-4.

Haas was ousted for the third consecutive year in the first-round. The German’s fourth straight loss in Delray Beach came at the hands of Teimuraz Gabashvili 7-6 (3), 7-5.

Kei Nishikori, who won his maiden ATP World Tour title in Delray Beach in 2008, will see his first action in nearly a year when he faces No. 3 seed Benjamin Becker.

No. 8 seed Michael Russell takes on Mischa Zverev; Christophe Rochus will face defending champion Mardy Fish; Sebastien Grosjean will battle Daniel Brands, and Vince Spadea takes on Santiago Giraldo or Columbia.

Three results are already in the books on Tuesday in Delray Beach.

No. 4 seed Jeremy Chardy defeated former two-time champion Xavier Malisse 6-3, 7-6 (5); No. 6 seed Florian Mayer took out Nick Lindahl 6-1, 6-4, and Jarko Nieminen defeated Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-4.

Wawrinka Commits to Davis Cup Tie Against Switzerland

Swiss No. 2 Stanislas Wawrinka has confirmed his participation in next week’s Davis Cup tie in Spain.

Originally uncertain of his participation, Wawrinka had not committed to the tie because of the pending birth of his first child.

With the absence of top ranked Roger Federer, Wawrinka will lead his undermatched squad against the formidable defending Spaniards.

Even though Spain will not field Rafael Nadal, team captain Albert Costa is confident that Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, and Tommy Robredo—all competent on clay—will get the job done.

The first-round of Davis Cup World Group competition get underway March 5-7.

Tournament Previews and Day 1 Review for Dubai, Acapulco, and Delray Beach

The last week of February will bring with it the two ATP World Tour 500 level events as well as one 250 point tournament.

Marquee events in Dubai, Acapulco and Delray Beach have attracted five top 10 players in total. Unfortunately for the Acapulco and Delray Beach events, a majority of the world’s best players will in Dubai this week, participating in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who entered Dubai’s entry list at No. 10 in the world, has fallen to the No. 11 spot this week after failing to defend his Marsielle title last week.

By contrast, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who lost in the first-round of Memphis last week, gained one position in the rankings and leads the Acapulco field at No. 10 in the world. Verdasco entered the Mexican tournament with an entry system ranking of No. 11.

The Dubai event was hit with a major blow over the weekend when four-time champion and world No. 1 Roger Federer was forced to withdraw on the eve of the tournament with a lung infection. Federer contracted the lung infection last week and will be sidelined for the next two weeks.

Federer’s absence in the event leaves defending champion and world No. 2 Novak Djokovic as the tournament’s top seed. Djokovic will face Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the first round. Djokovic will be joined by No. 3 seed Andy Murray, No. 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko, No. 5 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 6 seed Marin Cilic.

The winner of 32-man draw will take home $383,000 and 500 ATP World Tour points.

The week’s second 500 series event will take place in the beautiful oasis of Acapulco, Mexico.

The 32-man field will be led by Spaniard Verdasco, who will be bidding for his second title of the year after capturing his first title in San Jose, California earlier this month. Verdasco is currently adjusting to a new Yonex frame, and may have a shaking result this week.

Verdasco will be joined by No. 2 seed Fernando Gonzalez, No. 3 seed David Ferrer, No. 4 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, No. 5 seed John Isner, and No. 6 seed Nicolas Almagro. Almagro, who is the two-time defending champion of the event, could drop to the low 50’s in next week’s rankings if he is ousted early. Almagro is currently ranked No. 27 in the world.

Recent Memphis champion Querrey, and finalist Isner will use this week’s action in Acapulco to better prepare for their first-round Davis Cup tie in Serbia in early March. The tie in Serbia will be contested on clay-courts.

Other notables in the draw will include recent Santiago champion Thomaz Bellucci, and two-time winner Carlos Moya. Moya will take the court on Monday in the event’s most high-profile first-round encounter against Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

The week’s champion in Acapulco will receive $227,000.

The week’s final event will take place on American soil in Delray Beach, Florida.

Remaining a staple event on the ATP World Tour since 1993, the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships will feature a 32-man field fighting for 250 ATP World Tour points.

Former champion Tommy Haas will highlight the draw this year, followed by No. 2 seed Ivo Karlovic, No. 3 seed Benjamin Becker, and No. 4 seed Jeremy Chardy.

Defending champion Mardy Fish has been struggling with a knee injury all season, and will have a tough task in repeating. Fish faces Christophe Rochus in first-round action.

Other notables in the draw will include 2008 champion Kei Nishikori, and recent Memphis semifinalist Ernests Gulbis. Nishikori will contest his first event in 2010, while Gulbis will be adamant on continuing his fine form from Memphis. Nishikori had been sidelined from the Tour with a right elbow injury, while Gublis won three consecutive matches for the first time in Memphis, since his quarterfinal run at the Cincinnati Masters in 2008.

The first prize winner in Delray Beach will receive $75,700.

Let’s now take a look at Monday’s first-round action and upcoming matches.

Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships—U.A.E.

Monday’s first-round action in Dubai will feature the tournament’s top two seeds on center court. Highlighting the night session, defending champion Novak Djokovic will begin his attempt at defending the first tournament of his career against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Leading Garcia-Lopez 2-0 in career head-to-head meetings, Djokovic has never played the Spaniard on hard-courts.

Playing in his third tournament of the season, Djokovic arrives in Dubai with a 6-2 match record on the year.

Following the Serb on center court at the Aviation Club will be current world No. 4 and tournament No. 3 seed Andy Murray.

Having never played his opponent Igor Kunitysn in Tour action, Murray will be appearing in his first tournament since losing in straight sets to Roger Federer in the finals of the Australian Open.

Opting to play a more economical schedule in order to conserve his energy for the bigger tournaments, Murray will begin an important month of tennis which will include defending finals points in Indian Wells, and champion points in Miami.

Murray remains the top seed in the top half of the draw after Roger Federer was forced to withdraw with a lung infection.

Elsewhere, Marcos Baghdatis continued his impressive year on Tour by handing No. 8 seed Gilles Simon his second straight loss on the circuit by a scoreline of 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Returning from a knee injury which he sustained at the US Open last year, Simon was far from his best during the one hour and 42 minute contest.

Losing serve on three occasions, Simon won 42 percent of his second serve points, and a mere 18 percent of the points when returning Baghdatis’ first serve.

By contrast, Baghdatis won 85 percent of his first serve points while pounding 14 aces. Marching onto his 11th win of the season, Baghdatis will next face Marco Chiudinelli or Somdev Devvarman in second-round action.

Austrian Jurgen Melzer handed Simone Bolelli his sixth-straight loss on Tour by defeating the Italian 6-1, 7-5. Hitting 11 aces, Melzer won 88 percent of his first serve points while breaking serve on five occasions.

Melzer will next face either Tommy Robredo or Julien Bennteau in second-round action. Robredo took Federer’s place in the draw.

Viktor Troicki advanced to the second-round with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win over Rainer Schuettler; Stefan Koubek picked up an impressive and much needed win over Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (4), 6-4, and Ivan Ljubicic ousted Jan Hernych 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-4.

Troicki will next face the winner of the Djokovic and Garcia-Lopez match in round two; Koubek will face either Arnaud Clement of Marin Cilic, and Ljubicic will battle the winner of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Michael Llodra.

Abierto Mexicano Telcel—Acapulco, Mexico

A light day of action on Monday in Mexico will be highlighted by former two-time champion Carlos Moya vs. Richard Gasquet.

Having played on three occasions, Moya remains a perfect 3-0 against the Frenchman.

Not having played for two seasons, Moya has seen his ranking plummet due to a series of hip and foot injuries. Currently ranked No. 439 in the world, Moya will play his first 11 tournaments of this year under a protective ranking of No. 52.

Gasquet, who remains adamant on building up his game in time for Roland Garros, has opted to skip the mini hard-court swing to sharpen his skills on the clay.

Holding a 6-4 record on the season, Gasquet lost in the first-round of Argentina last week to Juan Ignacio Chela. Moya lost in the second-round of Argentina to Horacio Zeballos.

Elsewhere, Mexican favorite Santiago Gonzalez will face tough Argentine Eduardo Schwank, while Thomaz Bellucci will battle Oscar Hernandez.

Bellucci could become a factor during the clay-court season if he can remain in his current state of confidence. The 22-year-old Sao Paulo resident recently won the Santiago, Chile title for his second career title.

Delray Beach International Tennis Championships—Florida

Monday’s action in Delray Beach will also follow a light day of opening action.

Top seed and 2006 winner Tommy Haas will take a 7-3 lifetime record at Delray Beach event against Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili.

Leading Gabashvili 1-0 in career head-to-head meetings, Haas will begin his journey in what he hopes will be the 13th title of his 15-year-career.

Recently acquiring US citizenship, Haas has lived in Florida since his junior career.

Other matches that will contested on Monday will feature:

Nicolas Lapentti vs. No. 5 seed and defending finalist Evgeny Korolev, and Rajeev Ram vs. Wayne Odesnik.

Korolev lost a straight-set final to American Mardy Fish last year.

Fish is back to defend his title as an unseeded player this year.

The War of the Racket: A Tennis Players’ Worst Nightmare

Have you ever picked up a racket and thought it felt identical to the previous model in your hand? Has the word “string tension” or “grommet size” created a puzzled look on your face? If so, you’re not alone—the world’s best tennis players have the exact same problem.

The struggle of finding a consistent and appropriate frame for the world’s best players can often times become a tedious process. Adding lead tape to balance out the swing-weight of a racket, or applying an extra grip to ensure that a forehand on match-point lands in the court instead of in the stands, takes years of fine-tuning.

Speaking to numerous professional players throughout the years, I often found it amusing when they referred to their rackets like a second child, instead of a finely molded piece of graphite. Could a players’ racket really be that important? I mean, with the skill-set the pros render, couldn’t they just pick up any old racket and win a tournament?

German great Boris Becker once said that his “racket was like his right arm.” That to change his racket would result in a decrease of his results. Becker was nothing short of a powerful and smart player, using his wit and powerful arsenal to capture six Grand Slam titles. I guess his Puma Estusa 1990 Wimbledon Limited Edition ProVantech PB was quite an important tool after all.

The great Pete Sampras viewed his Wilson racket under a similar set of circumstances to Becker. Playing with the same ProStaff 6.0 Original throughout his career, Sampras sacrificed a bigger sweet spot for continued control. Winning 14 Grand Slams with his same Wilson frame proved to be an optimal choice for Sampras, even though he later admitted that he could’ve performed better throughout the latter stages of his career—a stage where he went title-less for two years between the summer of 2000, and the fall of 2002—had he switched to a larger racket face.

Even the current king of the court, Roger Federer, has decided to keep a similar frame to his junior days. Federer has increased the head-size of his racket from 85 to 90 square inches in order to generate more power, but that’s the only change he’s made. Regardless of the head-size differential, Federer uses an identical racket to the one he used to win Wimbledon in 2003. Can anyone say paint-job?

Often times, though, players sacrifice their performance, and perhaps legacy, for an increase in income.

Take Spanish heart-throb Fernando Verdasco. Playing his best season to date in 2009, the 26-year-old Madrid native recently switched to a Yonex RDiS 200 racket after playing with a Tecnifibre TFight 325 VO2 Max throughout his rise to the top 10. Even though Verdasco won the title in San Jose last week over Andy Roddick, one would have to think that the abrupt switch to a new racket manufacturer will cost Verdasco in the long run.

Remember Ivan Ljubicic? The wily veteran took a fat contract from Head rackets a few years back, opting to concede the Babolat frame which taken him to No. 3 in the world. Ljubicic has stumbled around the Tour the past few seasons—recording minimal success, but has never reached the heights that he did with his previous racket.

The most high profile racket change in recent years took place between Wilson and Novak Djokovic. The current world No. 2 changed to a Head racket to begin the 2009 season, and struggled throughout the year. Admitting that he needed “time” to get used to his new frame, it was clear that Djokovic was in search of a more lucrative contract.

Can we blame Touring pros for their ritualistic bond with their racket of choice, or should we point fingers at those pros who change frames for added economic incentive?

Drawing parallels between the players mentioned, I think it’s safe to say that the better players (Federer, Sampras, Becker) had the luxury of sticking with their desired frames because they made a higher annual salary, as well as other endorsement deals. The argument could also be made that the aforementioned players would have continued to play with their weapon of choice regardless of their success, because of their style of play and their on-court morale.

When speaking of Djokovic, Verdasco, and Ljubicic, it’s evident that their off-court earnings have never, and will never, resemble the previous three players mentioned—excluding Djokovic, who may record a number of Major titles during his playing days, and who receives substantial appearance fee money.

It would be interesting to determine how a player of Federer’s caliber would have reacted if he was never a Grand Slam winner and hovered around the top 10 with average results. Would the Swiss great have shopped around his options for various rackets, or continued to believe in his trusty stick?

The debate about players, rackets, and their desired choices may linger for the rest of eternity, resting on whether or not a player is in search of comfort, or a beach house in Malibu.

Whatever the case, the truth remains that racket changes, and ritualistic racket belief, will remain a constant in today’s game.

Day 2 Review: Memphis, Marseille and Buenos Aires

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships—Memphis, USA

Following his maiden ATP World Tour indoor title in San Jose, California last week, No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco will begin his campaign at capturing a second consecutive title  in Memphis on Tuesday against Jeremy Chardy of France.

Surprisingly, Chardy’s year-to-date results have been dismal at best. Beginning the year 0-4, the Frenchman could desperately use a Tour-level victory. Having never played Verdasco on the ATP World Tour, Chardy may have a shot a a potential upset. Verdasco will be coming into Memphis tired from last week’s efforts, and his change to Yonex rackets will undoubtedly remain an issue with his shot selection. Chardy does posses a great indoor game, but his low confidence may hurt him in the end.

Other matches that will take place on Tuesday in Memphis will include:

Ryan Sweeting vs. No. 5 seed Thomas Berdych; No. 7 seed Phillip Kohlschreiber vs. Evegeny Korolev;  Bobby Reynolds vs. Lukas Lacko; Ernests Gulbis vs. Robert Kendrick; Benjamin Becker vs. Ivo Karlovic; Wayne Odesnik vs. Michael Russell; Jarrko Nieminen vs. Dudi Sela, and Robby Ginepri vs. Yen-Hsun Lu.

Monday’s notable winners in Memphis included: Radek Stepanek defeating Kevin Anderson 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; John Isner ousting Ryan Harrison 6-1, 7-5, and Philipp Petzchner upsetting Taylor Dent 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Stepanek, who lost to Andy Roddick in last year’s championship match, will face the winner of the Gulbis/Kendrick match on Wednesday.

Open 13—Marseille, France

The French contingent will be out in full force on Tuesday in Marseille, when six local players will contest first-round matches.

No. 8 seed Julien Benneteau recorded his seventh match victory of the season over Stephane Bohli 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) earlier on Tuesday, needing two hours to advance. Withstanding 14 aces from his opponent, Benneteau pounded nine aces of his own while winning 77 percent of his first serve points. The 28-year-old Frenchman, who is ranked No. 39 in the world, will next face countryman Florent Serra in second-round action.

Elsewhere, defending finalist Michael Llodra defeated good friend Eduardo Roger-Vasselin 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4. Striking 17 aces while winning 89 percent of his first serve points, Llodra picked up his second win of the season and improved to 6-4 at the event. Llodra will next face Marcos Baghdatis in the second-round.

Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky setup a second-round clash with top seed Robin Soderling after fighting past Simon Bolelli 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Sodelring, who won his first title on the year in Rotterdam last week, holds a 1-0 career head-to-head lead over Stakhovsky.

Other matches which have been completed on day two action in France include:

Illya Marchenko defeating Ruben Bemelmans 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, and Josselin Ouanna dismissing last week’s San Jose semifinalist Denis Istomin 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Ouanna entered the 28-man draw after Christophe Rochus was forced to withdraw due to a lower back injury.

Matches that are still to come on Tuesday will include:

No. 5 seed Gilles Simon vs. Oliver Rochus, and Arnaud Clement vs. Andreas Seppi. Simon is taking part in his first Tour-level action of the season after being sidelined with a right knee injury.

Copa Telmax—Buenos Aires, Argentina

A full slate of clay-court tennis will shine during day two action at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club in Argentina.

Continuing his winning ways, No 2 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero captured his six consecutive match victory over Ricardo Mello of Brazil 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday. Defeating Mello in the semifinals of the Brasil Open last week, Ferrero captured his 13th career singles title. Surrendering just three games on Tuesday, Ferrero needed 48-minutes to capture his second consecutive win over Mello, while losing only five points on serve. Ferrero was also stellar on his return-of-serve, converting on five of seven break point opportunities.

Ferrero will next face another Brazilian, Marcos Daniel, who eased past Paolo Lorenzi 6-1, 6-3.

Spanish journeyman Pablo Andujar posted his first match victory of the season against countryman Oscar Hernandez, defeating his older compatriot 6-4, 6-1.

Matches that are still to come on day two action will include:

The resumption of the David Nalbandian vs. Potito Starace match. Competing in his first Tour-level match since last May, Nalbandian captured the first set against his Italian opponent before heavy rain ended the day’s action.

Another match that will be carried over from Monday will pit No. 8 seed Horacio Zeballos vs. former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio. Gaudio is taking part in his first Tour-level action of the season.

Top seed David Ferrer will battle Simon Greul in first-round action; Lukasz Kubot takes on No. 4 seed Juan Monaco; Pablo Cuevas faces No. 5 seed Albert Montanes; Fabio Fognini will challenge No. 6 seed Igor Andreev; three-time champion Carlos Moya will look to capture his first Tour-level victory in the past year when he takes on the often injured Filippo Volandri; Richard Gasquet will look to hone his clay-court skills against Juan Ignacio Chela; Daniel Koellerer faces Santiago Ventura, and Marcel Granollers takes on Diego Junqueira.

As always, the day’s results can be followed on the TennisConnected lives-scores link, or through the Tourney Tracker on the home page. Talk soon.

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