Brazil had its first singles champion after Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten hit the scene in the 90s and early 00s. Guga eventually went on to win 3 grand slams and 17 ATP titles to the delight of his fans and countrymen. His career was cut short by an unfortunate hip injury, and his retirement left a huge hole in Brazilian tennis that is quite unfortunate when you think about it.

This week Brazilians Thomaz Bellucci and Marcos Daniel made fairytale runs in Gstaad by both advancing into the semifinals. The reality with most fairytale runs is that they are usually never fully realized. Bellucci had a similar run at the Brazilian Open earlier this year, but Tommy Robredo denied him from his first title.

Today, the world no. 119, this time, took his fairy tale run to the end by winning his first title of his career. The 21 year old beat Andreas Beck 6-4 7-6(2) after 100 minutes of play. He is the first Brazilian to win an ATP title in 7 years since Guga won the Brazilian Open in 2002. Let’s hope the Brazilian up-and-comer can become another Brazilian force on the tour.

(Images: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Qualifier Thomaz Bellucci will meet Andreas Beck in the final of the Swiss Open. Bellucci upset the third-seed Igor Andreev 6-4 7-5. This will be his second ATP final appearance of this year. His victory caps a strong Brazilian presence at the tournament this week, as he and Marcos Daniel made it to the semifinals. Bellucci’s compatriot did not fair as well, as Andreas Beck of Germany downed Daniel 7-6(3) 6-3 to book the last spot in the Swiss final.

Beck represents a new hopeful for German tennis after Michael Stich and Boris Becker retired and Tommy Haas and Nicolas Kiefer are now veterans on the tour. The 23 year old is starting to transition out of the challenger circuit to the professional circuit. This year, he is beginning to play well in ATP tournaments. Beck started to make an impression on tour when he wrecked havoc, as a qualifier, in Monaco this spring by taking out Nicolas Kiefer, Gilles Simon and Juan Monaco.

Now, Beck and Bellucci will play for their first ATP title of their careers. Should Bellucci win the title tomorrow, he will be the first Brazilian to win an ATP title since the great Gustavo Kuerten won the Brazil Open in 2002.

Both players have never met in ATP competition. Bellucci did beat the German their only meeting in a Challengers event in Tunisia last year, but I am sure a lot has changed since then. Beck is starting to ratchet up his game, so tomorrow’s final should be a good one. It is nice to see some new blood in the ATP.

(Images: AP)

Andy Murray was able to win his first title on grass and become the first Brit to win the Queen's Club tournament in 71 years. He defeated James Blake 7-5 6-4. This is the Scotsman’s twelfth career title and fourth title of the year. More importantly, the win should give Murray some momentum going into Wimbledon.

On the doubles side, Wesley Moodie and Mikhail Youzhny upset sixth-seeds Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa 6-4 4-6 10-6. This is their first pairing and title.

Championship Sunday
Singles Final
1 Andy Murray (GBR) def. 6 James Blake (USA) 7-5 6-4

Doubles Final
W. Moodie (RSA)/M. Youzhny (RUS) def. 6 M. Melo (BRA)/A. Sa (BRA) 6-4 4-6 10-6

(Images: Julian Finney/Getty Images, Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)

Tomas Berdych managed to care of the German menace (in a good way). The fourth-seed escaped from Andreas Beck 1-6 6-4 7-6(4) in a 150 minute battle. The Czech will now meet Lleyton Hewitt, who beat the last the qualifier, Thiemo De Bakker. Berdych leads Hewitt 1-0 in their head-to-head matchup.

Wildcard Daniel Brand (pictured) bested Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-4 2-6 7-6(6). The lone German in the draw will play Potito Starace in the quarterfinals. The two players have never met in an ATP event.

On the doubles side, fourth-seeds Rohan Bopanna and Travis Parrott had a routine win over James Cerretani and Jeremy Chardy. They will meet second-seeds Ashley Fisher and Jordan Kerr in the semifinals.

Thursday’s Matches
Singles Second Round
Potito Starace (ITA) def. Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-4 7-6(5)
4 Tomas Berdych (CZE) def. Andreas Beck (GER) 1-6 6-4 7-6(4)
WC Daniel Brands (GER) def. Julien Benneteau 6-4 2-6 7-6(6)
WC Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) def. Q Thiemo De Bakker (NED) 6-3 6-4

Doubles Second Round
4 R. Bopanna (IND)/T. Parrott (USA) def. J. Cerretani (USA)/J. Chardy (FRA) 6-4 6-4
J. Hernych (CZE)/I. Minar (CZE) def. M. Kohlmann (GER)/A. Waske (GER) 7-6(4) 6-4
D. Gremelmayr/D. Meffert (GER) def. J. Murray (GBR)/P. Vizner (CZE) 7-5 6-2

Friday’s Order of Play

(Image: BMW Open)

Andreas Beck cooks with chef Michael Besler at the BMW Open Lounge in Munich. The 23-year-old assisted the chief in making linguine salad with capers, basil, sun-dried tomatoes and crispy prosciutto. It was followed by saffron risotto with shrimp, artichokes and cherry tomatoes.

From the looks of things, it is a good thing Beck will always have tennis.

(Image: BMW Open)

The troublemaker of Monte Carlo and the troublemaker of Rome squared off in their first round match. Both players represent the future hopes of German tennis. When all was said and done, wildcard Andreas Beck ended up besting Mischa Zverev 6-3 6-4 after 87 minutes of play.

The 23-year-old Ravensburger is now 2-0 over the 21-year-old Hamburger in ATP events. Beck will play fourth-seed Tomas Berdych in second round. The two players have never met in ATP competition.

In other news, Lleyton Hewitt defeated German Philipp Petzschner 6-2 7-6(2) 7-6(8) in a hard-fought match. The win marks Hewitt's 500th win. The Aussie will play the Dutch qualifier Thiemo De Bakker in the second round.

Tuesday’s Matches
Singles First Round
2 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Q Dieter Kindlmann (GER) 6-3 6-2
4 Tomas Berdych (CZE) def. Q Sascha Kloer (GER) 7-6(0) 6-4
Q Thiemo De Bakker (NED) def. 5 Rainer Schuettler (GER) 6-3 6-3
7 Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) def. LL Lamine Ouahab (ALG) 6-3 6-2
Potito Starace (ITA) def. 8 Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 7-5 5-7 6-3
WC Andreas Beck (GER) def. Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-3 6-4
Denis Gremelmayr (GER) def. Martin Vassallo Arguello (ARG) 5-1 Ret’d
Julien Benneteau (FRA) def. Q Alexander Peya (AUT) 2-6 7-6(5) 7-5
WC Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) def. Philipp Petzschner (GER) 6-2 6-7(2) 7-6(8)
WC Daniel Brands (GER) def. Stefan Koubek (AUT) 6-3 7-6(2)
LL Stephane Bohli (SUI) def. Simone Bolleli (ITA) 3-6 6-2 6-3

Doubles First Round
2 A. Fisher (AUS)/J. Kerr (AUS) def. Alt M. Crugnola (ITA)/C. Haggard 6-3 6-2
J. Cerretani (USA)/J. Chardy (FRA) def. N. Kiefer (GER)/M. Zverev (GER) 6-7(4) 7-6(4) 10-7

Wednesday’s Matches
Singles Second Round
7 Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) vs. Denis Gremelmayr (GER)
3 Nicolas Almagro (ESP) vs. Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
2 Marin Cilic (CRO) vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)
Nicolas Kiefer (GER) vs. Jeremy Chardy (FRA)

Doubles First Round
P. Petzchner (GER)/A. Peya (AUT) vs. J. Murray (GBR)/P. Vizner (CZE)
M. Kohlmann/A. Waske (GER) vs. S. Bolelli (ITA)/C. Kas (GER)
B. Bryan/M. Bryan vs. J. Hernych (CZE)/I. Minar (CZE)

Doubles Second Round
2 A. Fisher (AUS)/J. Kerr (AUS) vs. E. Gulbis (LAT)/I. Kunitsyn (RUS)

Wednesday's Order of Play

(Image: dpa)

Preview: BMW Open
City: Munich, Germany
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Championship Points: 250
2008 Singles Champion: Fernando Gonzalez
2008 Doubles Champions: Michael Berrer and Rainer Schuettler

Fernando Gonzales was set to defend his title this year but has pulled out of the tournament. He sprained his ankle in his Roman quarterfinal match with Juan Monaco. He did play in the semifinal against Rafael Nadal, but his ankle was still sore. The Chilean was playing well and would have been the odds on favorite this year.

The withdrawal now opens the draw. Marin Cilic, the second seed, should be the favorite, but he is not as proficient on clay as some of the others. He should have a good shot at the semifinals, but I would not be surprised if he was tripped up in the earlier rounds.

Lleyton Hewitt is back on tour after taking a break from the tour after his first round loss in Monte Carlo. He did win on clay in Houston and should have no trouble getting to the quarterfinals. From there, he could meet Andreas Beck or Mischa Zverev in the quarterfinals, and I think the Aussie might lose that battle. It is a shame these German upstarts have to play each other in the first round. They are both looking to breakthrough and what better time than in front of an eager German audience. Berdych is also in this quarter and could do well.

Julien Benneteau now breathes a sigh of relief, as he was scheduled to play Gonzalez in the first round, but now plays a lucky loser. Clay is not really his surface, and I would not be surprised if someone tripped him up in the early rounds. His portion of the draw is now the least predictable.

The main beneficiary of the Gonzalez withdrawal is Nicolas Almagro. He is an excellent clay court player and the most proficient in the tournament, but has not had a great year. He did successfully defend his title in Mexico, but his European clay season has been a disaster. This could be a good opportunity for another title and build some confidence for Madrid. His only problem is Mikhail Youzhny, who he could meet in the second round. If he can pass the Russian, he has a pretty good shot at the title.


Tournament Draw
Singles / Doubles

Tournament Malfeasance
Andreas Beck (GER) vs. Mischa Zverev (GER)
Nicolas Kiefer (GER) vs. Ernest Gulbis (LAT)
Evgeny Korolev (RUS) vs. Jeremy Chardy (FRA)

Monday’s Order of Play

(Image: Getty Images)

After the rain caused havoc yesterday, the tournament got back on track. Rafael Nadal’s half of the draw had to play twice because they did not finish their matches yesterday. At the end the day, all of the qualifiers and wildcards were knocked out of the draw while the usual suspects, minus Roger Federer and plus Stanislas Wawrinka, advanced to the semifinals.

Rafael Nadal finished off Nicolas Lapentti 6-3 6-0 in the morning and beat Ivan Ljubicic 6-3 6-3 in the afternoon to advance. He will meet Andy Murray, who beat Fabio Fognini and Nikolay Davydenko today, in the semifinals. It will be a rematch of the Indian Wells final, except on clay. Alex Corretja has done a good job with Murray for the clay season, and this is Murray’s best result on clay to date.

Novak Djokovic resisted a challenge from Fernando Verdasco and beat the Spaniard in straight sets. The Serb is starting to get back to form and is playing with a lot more confidence than at the beginning of the year. Djokovic will meet Stanislas Wawrinka in the next round where he leads the Swiss 5-2. He has won their last four meetings.

At the end of the day, it was good to see veteran players like Ivan Ljubicic and Nicolas Lapentti make a run in the tournament. Nikolay Davydenko and Juan Monaco returned from injury and played well this week. Hopefully, the young qualifiers, Andreas Beck and Fabio Fognini will be in the mix in the future.

Friday’s Results
Singles Quarterfinals
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) def. WC Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 6-3 6-3
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. 7 Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 6-2 4-6 6-3
4 A. Murray (GBR) def. 8 N. Davydenko (RUS) 7-6(1) 6-4
13 Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) def. Q Andreas Beck (GER) 6-2 6-4

Singles Round of 16
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) def. Q Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 6-3 6-0
4 Andy Murray (GBR) def. Q Fabio Fognini (ITA) 7-6(11) 6-4
8 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) def. 12 David Nalbandian (ARG) 6-4 5-7 6-3
WC Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. Simone Bolelli (ITA) 7-5 7-6(2)

Doubles Quarterfinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) def. 6 M. Fyrstenberg (POL)/M. Matkowski (POL) 4-6 6-2 10-4
2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) def. M. Cilic (CRO)/N. Kiefer (GER) 6-7(3) 6-4 10-8
3 L. Dlouhy (CZE)/L. Paes (IND) def. 7 J. Knowle (AUT)/A. Ram (ISR) 7-6(3) 6-3
N Djokovic (SRB) / V Troicki (SRB) def. 4 M. Bhupathi (IND)/M. Knowles (BAH) 6-4 4-6 12-10

Doubles Round of 16
4 M. Bhupathi (IND)/M. Knowles (BAH) def. F. Lopez (ESP)/F. Verdasco (ESP) 6-4 6-4

Saturday’s Matches
Singles Semifinals
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. 4 Andy Murray (GBR)
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. 13 Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)

Doubles Semifinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) vs. 3 L. Dlouhy (CZE)/L. Paes (IND)
2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) vs. N. Djokovic (SRB)/V. Troicki (SRB)

Saturday’s Order of Play

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(images: Getty Images, AFP)

It is a bad day for the Musketeers and another bad day for France in general. Yesterday, French hopefuls Julien Benneteau and Jeremy Chardy were bounced from the tournament. Today, Argentine David Nalbandian dismissed Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-5 3-6 6-3.

Ninth-seed Gael Monfils crashed out of the tournament after 67 minutes of play. He lost to Serbian Janko Tipsaravic, ATP world number 56, 6-1 6-3. Sporting a new haircut, the Frenchman was up a break 3-1 in the first set until Tipsarevic rattled off five straight games to snatch set from the Frenchmen. The Serb then cruised to take the next set and match in front of a stunned crowd.

Qualifier Andreas Beck, the troublemaker of Monaco, already sent Nicolas Kiefer home yesterday. The ATP world number 89 upset sixth-seed Gilles Simon 7-5 6-1.

Beck broke the Frenchman early in the first set, but Simon rallied to tie the set 3-3. Simon did his usual gig of hanging out behind the baseline while Beck punished any short return and cut off points quickly. The German then broke Simon in the ninth game to serve for the set, but Simon broke back. Beck then struck again to take the Frenchman’s serve, but this time Beck held serve for the first set. In the second set, Simon won the first game and then the 23-year-old qualifier won the next six games for the set and match.

Simon continues to struggle this year. He clearly needs to step up his game and stop hanging out behind the baseline. Luckily for Simon, most of his points are at the end of the season, and he has some time to get it together before he starts really sliding in the rankings.

Monfils has had a pretty good season in the smaller tournaments, but just average in the larger tournaments. Then there is this performance where he is sent home in the first round of a Masters tournament.

If this keeps up, Musketeer Watch might become Musketeer Intervention. There seems to be less swashbuckling and more buckling of late. Luckily, Tsonga is scheduled to play in the next tournament.

(Images: AP)

Nicolas Kiefer was bounced by countryman Andreas Beck 1-6 7-6(1) 6-4. Kiefer won the first set handily and somehow lost the next to sets to the 23-year-old qualifier.

All is not lost for the German, Kiefer will play doubles tomorrow with Cilic. The pair beat the clay power-duo of Nicloas Almagro and David Ferrer. Kiefer and Clilic will play fifth-seeds Bruno Soares and Kevin Ullyett tomorrow.

Monday’s Results
Singles First Round
14 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Q Flavio Cipolla (ITA) 6-3 6-2
Q Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) def. 15 Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-3 1-6 6-3
Q Oscar Hernandez (ESP) def. Julien Benneteau (FRA) 6-4 6-4
Andreas Seppi (ITA) def. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 6-2 6-0
Juan Monaco (ARG) def. Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 6-2 7-5
Juan Chela (ARG) def. Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 6-4 2-6 7-5
Marc Gicquel (FRA) def. Edwardo Schwank (ARG) 3-6 6-1 7-6(2)
WC Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. Q Kristof Vliegen (BEL) 6-4 6-7(5) 6-4
Marcel Granollers (ESP) def. Jose Acasuso (ARG) 7-6(4) 7-6(2)
Q Andreas Beck (GER) def. Nicolas Kiefer (GER) 1-6 7-6(1) 6-4
Victor Hanescu (ROU) def. Q Alberto Martin (ESP) 6-2 6-3

Doubles First Round
A. Montanes (ESP)/T. Robredo (ESP) def. T. Berdych (CZE)/F. Cermak (CZE) 6-4 7-5
F. Lopez (ESP)/F. Verdasco (ESP) def. I. Andreev (RUS)/M. Safin (RUS) 7-6(3) 6-4
G. Monfils (FRA)/S. Wawrinka (SUI) def. WC G. Couillard (MON)/J. Lisnard (MON) 7-5 6-3
N. Djokovic (SRB)/V. Troicki (SRB) def. M. Melo (BRA)/A Sa (BRA) 6-1 6-4

Tuesday’s Matches
Singles First Round
9 Gael Monfils (FRA) vs. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)
10 David Ferrer (ESP) vs. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
12 David Nalbandian (ARG) vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)
16 Nicolas Almagro (ESP) vs. Albert Montanes (ESP)
Q Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Marat Safin (RUS) vs. WC Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) vs. Florent Serra (FRA)
WC Jean-Rene Lisnard (MON) vs. Christophe Rochus (BEL)
Igor Andreev (RUS) vs. Martin Vassallo Arguello (ARG)

Singles Second Round
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Q Oscar Hernandez (ESP)
4 Andy Murray (GBR) vs. Victor Hanescu (ROU)
6 Gilles Simon (FRA) vs. Q Andreas Beck (GER)
11 Tommy Robredo (ESP) vs. Juan Monaco (ARG)

Doubles First Round
J. Chardy (FRA)/G. Simon (FRA) vs. N. Davydenko (RUS)/O. Marach (AUT)
WC M. Gicquel (FRA)/P. Mathieu (FRA) vs. L. Arnold Ker (ARG)/P. Cuevas (URU)
R. Lindstedt (SWE)/R. Soderling (SWE) vs. S. Aspelin (SWE)/W. Moodie (RSA)

Doubles Second Round
5 B. Soares (BRA)/K. Ullyett (ZIM) vs. M. Cilic (CRO)/N. Kiefer (GER)

Tuesday's Order of Play

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(Image: AP)