Sunday, February 9, 2014
Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka will miss this week’s
Qatar Total Open, but tennis fans will still have plenty to
cheer for.
Photo Source: Corleve
After a week’s worth of Fed Cup action and three ATP
250-level events, the stakes will go significantly higher next
week. With 16 of the WTA’s top 20 in action in Doha at the
Qatar Total Open, and an ATP 500-level event in Rotterdam,
there should be plenty for tennis fans to get jazzed about. And
that’s not all. There’s also a 250-level AT P event beneath the
roof in Memphis, and a red clay fiesta in Buenos Aires.
>>>Video: Monfils Hits a Left-Handed
Forehand from Seat of PantsHere’s the skinny on each:Qatar Total Open, Doha, WTA Premier
5Story Line: Sans Victoria
Azarenka and Serena Williams, who
both withdrew last week, the top seed will be Li Na in Doha.
It’s fitting, as Li is fresh off her second Grand Slam title in
Australia, and she’s poised to ascend to the No. 2 ranking,
which will make her the highest-ranked Asian player in history.
Draw: Even without Williams and
Azarenka, 16 of the WTA’s top 20 will be in action, and it
should be interesting to see who steps up and claims a
semifinal spot. Will it be the same players who rose to the
challenge in Australia (Bouchard, Cibulkova, Radwanska)? Or
will the season take another unexpected and equally exciting
twist?
Best First-Rounder: Wildcard
Alisa Kleybanova (hooray for her) will take on
Dominika Cibulkova. Ana Ivanovic and Daniela
Hantuchova ought to be a good one as well, especially if the
two Adidas-sponsored women wear the exact same outfit.
ABN Amro, Rotterdam, ATP
500-LevelStory Line: Juan Martin del Potro is
the defending champion but Andy Murray is who
were tabbing for the title after the Scot took a late wildcard
into the main draw. They are both former champions in
Rotterdam, and wouldn’t it be a doozy if they met in the final?
The Draw: Del Potro, who was seeking
treatment for a sore left wrist after his Australian Open bid
fell short in round two, won’t have it easy. He is slated to
face Montpellier champion Gael Monfils in
round one, and if he makes the quarters he could face
Grigor Dimitrov; and… if he makes the semis,
he could face Tomas Berdych. Murray could face
5th-seeded and former finalist Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga in the quarterfinals, and Richard Gasquet in
the semis.
First-Rounder to Watch: There are too
many to just pick one. Gulbis-Istomin? Dimitrov-Tursunov? Del
Potro-Monfils? (We’ll take No. 3)
U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships,
Memphis, 250-Level:Story Line: Kei Nishikori will be back
to defend his title, and Feliciano Lopez, last
year’s runner-up, will be seeded second. But keep an eye on
17-year-old Australian wildcard Nick Kyrgios,
who will face Tim Smyczek in round one.
Marcos Baghdatis is another notable wildcard,
and he could end up facing third-seeded Lleyton
Hewitt in the second round.
Draw: Kind of wide open, with only
three top 50 names entered. Could we see a surprise first-time
finalist? Calling Jack Sock or Nick Kyrgios?
Copa Claro, Buenos Aires, ATP
250-Level:Story Line: The Little Beast
David Ferrer will be in action as the top
seed, and the only top ten player in the draw. Will anybody
test the Spaniard on the red clay of South America? Our bet is
probably not (though we’re hoping that Nicolas Almagro can do
it in the semifinals). Fabio Fognini, the
second seed, has been hot of late, but he has to be dead tired
after three Davis Cup rubbers and a title run in Vina del Mar
in the last ten days.
Draw: Almagro could face Ferrer in the
semifinals, and we’d like to see the Spaniard finally take down
Ferrer after 14 consecutive losses to his compatriot. That
said, it’s a big ask. Juan Monaco and
Tommy Robredo are also seeded in Buenos Aires,
and each is capable of more than just a win or two.