Weekend Wrap Up: Clijsters regains #1, Kvitova, Almagro, Hantuchova, and Soderling Hoist Trophies

What an interesting week in tennis! The Youth Movement in tennis has been on full display this week with several youngsters going deep into tournaments and 1 (possibly 2 by tonight) hoisting trophies.  But first let's start with Kim Clijsters who reached number 1 in the world with her SF win over Jelena Djokic in Paris. Finally we have a number 1 who has won multiple Majors, most recently the Australian Open that everyone can rally behind. 

The problem with all of this?  If Caroline Wozniacki wins in Dubai next week, the WTA will have to do the ceremony all over again, because she will regain the #1.  Here is a message that Kimmie left to her fans after winning.

And now here are your trophy hoisters for the weekend:

Petra Kvitova who is only 20 years old and still rocking braces won her 3rd WTA tournament (her 2nd this year), shocking Kim Clijisters 6-4, 6-3 in the Open GDF Suez Final.  She has wicked power off the forehand and backhand and she is only going to improve.  Watch out ladies...

Daniella Hantuchova won her first tournament since 2007 at the Pattaya Open defeating Sara Errani 6-0, 6-2.

Nicolas Almagro took out Alexandr Dolgopolov to win his 2nd Brasil Open and his 8th ATP title.  I was really hoping Dolgo would get his first ATP trophy here, but I think this year is going to hold  great things for him.  He is top 10 talent for sure.

And last but not least, Robin Soderling defended his Rotterdam title defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Robin Soderling of Sweden holds up the trophy after winning the final tennis match of the World Indoor Tournament against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in Rotterdam February 13, 2011. REUTERS/Jerry Lampen (NETHERLANDS - Tags: SPORT TENNIS)

Tonight's final at the SAP Open features Fernando Verdasco vs. Milos Raonic.  There is no doubt that Milos, also only 20 years old, will be a top ten player.  He cracks serves at 147 mph and has touch to boot.  Fernando was looking mighty dominant last night, defeating Juan Martin del Potro in straights, but I have a feeling that it will go 3, with Verdasco pulling it out in the end.   

And there you have it.  Next week's tournaments for the WTA are Dhubai and Bogata, and for the ATP are Memphis, Marseille and Buenos Aires .

Are The American Men in Trouble in Memphis?

What happened to home court advantage??  I know that the draw for a tournament must be fair, but I am going to assume that many American tennis fans, (as well as the tournament director) were left scratching their heads after the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships Men's Singles Draw yesterday.  Let me give you a preview of some first round matches.

Andy Roddick vs. Richard Berankis - If you've been following tennis at all recently, you would know that the rise of 20 year old Richard Berankis has been a frequent topic of water cooler conversation.  He is the youngest player to be ranked in the top 75, and is part of recent Youth Movement that also includes rising star Milos Raonic.  He reached the 3rd round of the Australian Open, and more recently the QF of the SAP Open.  This will be Roddick's first match since his loss in the 4th round in OZ to Stanislas Wawrinka. Roddick should be able to win this match easily, especially in front of the hometown crowd, but as Berankis moves up the ranks, so does his confidence, and it is possible, (though unlikely) he could upset the #1 seed.  If Roddick makes it through he'll likely face Janko Tipsarevic in the 2nd round, and the last time they played Janko upset A-Rod in the 2nd round of the US Open in 2010.  

Sam Querrey vs. Denis Istomin  I would have said 1 week ago, that Querrey would have no problem with this match, but Querrey is now 0-3 for the 2011 season, bowing out in the first round of the SAP Open last week.  Denis Istomin on the other hand reached the QF of the SAP Open before being beaten by Fernando Verdasco.  They've met each other twice in 2009, splitting the head-to-head.  Tennis is 90% mental and Querrey doesn't seem focused.  I smell an upset.

and last but not least, the kicker...........

John Isner vs Juan Martin del Potro  OMG.  This could be a final and it's a first round match-up.  They've met twice both in 2009 and Del Potro dominated.  Delpo who is making a comeback after wrist surgery is still not in 2009 form, but he is playing well, last night taking out Lleyton Hewitt convincingly in straight sets at the SAP Open.  All I can say is......... the Tennis Gods are cruel.

And no, I didn't forget about James Blake and Mardy Fish.   I honesty don't have an opinion about Blake yet since this is only his second tournament since October 2010.  I will say that Fish probably has the easiest draw of all the American men, as long as he has gotten his thyroid under control.

And let me just mention for fun Fernando Verdasco vs. Milos Raonic.  Raonic's star is rising....fast.  He is in the finals of the SAP Open (a walkover due to Monfils wrist injury) vs either Verdasco or Del Potro.  This should be an amazing match.

Lucky Ladies

The SAP Open has annual "Ladies Days" where 300 + women pay $65 to go to a luncheon where they get to meet 2 ATP players, and yesterday they got up close and personal with Fernando Verdasco and James Blake.  Tomorrow a different group of women will meet Tommy Haas and Lleyton Hewitt.  Lucky ladies........... 

Photos from SAP Open Tennis

Querrey Tries to Play Hookie and Other Updates from the SAP Open

Sam Querrey tried to play hookie from his press conference today after his first round loss to Lukas Lacko at the SAP Open in San Jose, CA where he was a semi-finalist last year.   He is now is 0-3 for 2011, so while his frustration is understandable, press conferences are mandatory for seeded players.   It was later tweeted that he was dragged back by the ATP and he did his press like a good boy.

In other SAP Open news:

Yesterday, in his first tournament since October 2010, James Blake won his first round match against Jesse Levine 6-5, 6-1.  After dealing with shoulder and knee injuries for the last 2 seasons he says he now feels healthy and has renewed desire to make a comeback. (Check out a great article about his comeback here.)  I'd love to see Blake make a run here, but he has a fairly large roadblock in the 2nd round named Milos Raonic, the Canadian rising star who took out Xavier Malisse in the 1st round.  As much as I like Milos, I'll be part of the J-Block tomorrow.

Speaking of Milos, he is writing a blog while at the SAP Open, and talked about meeting his idol Pete Sampras:

I got to meet Pete Sampras yesterday. It was really amazing. It's two different things, growing up watching so much of one guy, then meeting the person behind the game. He was really nice. He gave me some well-thought out tips. For me, it was an unbelievable experience, especially when you're coming up and getting to the point where you meet your idols. It means a lot.

And he also blogged about his upcoming match against James Blake:

Speaking of players you grow up watching, my next match is against James Blake. It's nice playing these guys you used to watch. I think I'll have an advantage - I'll know him more than he'll know me! So I'll use that as much as I can. I know he'll go for his shots. I'll just take care of my serve and hopefully I'll get a few chances on the return. I look forward to it.

And if you didn't catch it, Pete Sampras and Gael Monfils opened up the tournament with an exhibition match that produced some really entertaining tennis.  Monfils won 7-6 (4), 6-4,  but Pete showed that at age 39 he still had game, although at the end he looked like he needed some O2.  He was clearly impressed with Monfils:

I played against a lot of good movers in my day, but he was one of the best I've ever played. It was incredible.  He slides like 8-feet long. He's got a great future.

but for the future:

Next year, I hope I can play McEnroe or Agassi, someone a little more my age.

See the post-match video here:

Tonight, Fernando Verdasco and Gael Monfils will play their first round matches starting at 7pm PST.

Australian Open Day 1 Round-Up: Doozies and D'ohs

Day 1 of the Australian Open was a long one, for the players and for my neck.  My office is apparently not ergonomically set up for someone to watch ESPN2 from 6:30 pm to 3:00 am while simultaneously watching 3 live streams on the computer, and tracking scores on the AO website, but, I do it out of love.

Enough about me, lets talk tennis Doozies and D'ohs (you know, like Homer Simpson?)

Doozies (Matches that went the distance):  

Monfils vs de Bakker:  Gael Monfils, the number 12 seed, looked as though he was going to make hasty exit from the AO, down 2 sets to love against 22 year-old up-and-comer Thiemo de Bakker.  However, De Bakker turned into De Bacle (thanks Brad Gilbert) when he seemed to choke as he tried serve out the match at 5-3.  Gael ultimately took the match 6-7 (5-7), 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 in 3.5 hours.

In his presser, Gael basically said that de Bakker tanked:

But I know Thiemo a bit. I know sometimes he snaps in the head … It's a weakness for him, so you play with that.

De Bakker would disagree:

At 4-1 in the third, when I went for a ball, came a little bit in my groin, like a traction, so from that moment I had problems to play rallies and to serve.

And when he broke me back, I knew it was pretty much going to be tough.

I want to get a fight there, but if it's not possible - the body says no - there's not much I can do.

Mental or physical?  Probably a bit of both, but, we'll never know.

Mardy Fish vs Victor Hanescu:  Fish, who had blood work done this week due to fatigue, was also down 2 sets to love against Hanescu, but the Number 16 seed dug deep and won in 5, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-3. Apparently the 19th time is a charm (he had been 0-18 in coming back two sets down in his career.)

Other interesting men's 5-setters:  Albert Montanes over Dustin Brown,  Ivan Dodig over Ivo Karlovic, and Phillip Kohlschreiber over Tobias Kamke

*And really ladies......there were just too many 3 setters to even count, and that is that.

D'ohs (Upsets):

Sam Querry vs. Lukasz Kubot:  Kubot sent the number 18th seed packing in a tight 5 set match, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6. I know I shouldn't be surprised considering his frequent 1st round loses at Slams, but I am, but I'm not, but really....... I AM.   The only good part of the match?  Kubot's jig after winning.

Photo: Getty Images

Nikolay Davydenko vs Florian Myer:  Davydenko who was a quarterfinalist last year, was taken out in 4 sets,  6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.  After his recent win over Rafael Nadal in Doha, I had expected him to do well in the AO.  Well, thanks for nothing Kolya....... for the record, because of your loss, my bracket is SCREWED! (Because it's all about me right?)

Top Seeds:  Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Venus Williams, and Francesca Schiavone all advanced. 

For Today's Order of Play, click here.  

Federer, Nadal, Murray and Ivanovic's Outfits for the Australian Open

Nike and Adidas revealed their Australian Open 2011 kits back in December when I was in my off-season from blogging, but I agree with the expression "better late than never," so here are the outfits for Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Fernando Verdasco, and Ana Ivanovic.

Video about Rafa and Roger's kits:

Maria Sharapova's outfit can be seen here.

For my sister ;)

I LOVE the purple and green.  Very cute.

Fernando Verdasco: Hair Ambassador

Fernando Verdasco is putting his luscious locks to use, and has been named the new Hair Ambassador for Head & Shoulders Shampoo.  Above is his new commercial, and below is a behind-the-scenes look at the "making-of."

Honestly, I want Fer to stop worrying about his hair, and start worrying about his tennis.  He recently suffered another first round loss at the Brisbane International to Benjamin Becker.   Maybe it was the new mohawk, or perhaps it was the pink shoes, but whatever it is, I hope he gets his mojo back by the Australian Open.