Thursday’s Matches
Singles Second Round
1 WC Gilles Simon (FRA) def. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-0 7-5
4 James Blake (USA) def. Marc Gicquel (FRA) 7-6(6) 6-2
7 Albert Montanes (ESP) def. Simon Greul (GER) 6-2 6-2
8 Florent Serra (FRA) def. Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-3 1-6 6-3

Doubles Quarterfinals
W. Moodie (RSA)/D. Norman (BEL) def. 2 P. Cuevas (URU)/D. Vemic (SRB) 6-7(4) 6-4 14-12
3 F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) def. J. Blake (USA)/R. Kendrick (USA) 6-4 6-2
4 M. Damm (CZE)/R. Lindstedt (SWE) def. L. Friedl (CZE)/D. Skoch (CZE) 7-6(4) 6-2
E. Butorac (USA)/S. Lipsky (USA) def. M. Fish (USA)/D. Martin (USA) 3-6 7-5 10-5

Thursday’s Matches
Singles Quarterfinals
1 WC Gilles Simon (FRA) vs. 7 Albert Montanes (ESP)
2 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) vs. 6 Mardy Fish (USA)
4 James Blake (USA) vs. 8 Florent Serra (FRA)
Oscar Hernandez (ESP) vs. Paul Capdeville (CHI)

Doubles Semifinals
3 F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) vs. E. Butorac (USA)/S. Lipsky (USA)
4 M. Damm (CZE)/R. Lindstedt (SWE) vs. W. Moodie (RSA)/D. Norman (BEL)

Friday’s Order of Play

Thursday’s Results
Singles Second Round
2 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) def. Brian Dabul (ARG) 6-4 6-4
4 Andreas Seppi (ITA) def. Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 6-4 6-1
Marcos Daniel (BRA) def. 6 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 6-4 6-3
Q Flavio Cipolla (ITA) def. 7 Arnaud Clement (FRA) 1-6 6-4 6-2

Doubles First Round
M. Djokovic (SRB)/D. Madjarovski (SRB) def. 1 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) 7-6(2) 2-6 10-6
2 L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) def. J. Tipsarevic (SRB)/V. Troicki (SRB) 6-4 6-1
M. Granollers (ESP)/S. Ventura (ESP) def. S. Querrey (USA)/S. Roitman (ARG) 6-4 6-2

Friday's Order of Play

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)

Spaniard Fernando Verdasco took part in a photo shoot with some young fans. The photo will be apart of a popular almanac that has become a favorite Christmas gift in Spain. The almanac raises money for the Talita Foundation that provides various programs for children with Down syndrome.

The video is in Spanish, but you will get the idea.

(h/t: Oh No They Didn’t!)

It was a bad day for some of the seeded players in Belgrade. Brazilian Marcos Daniel took down sixth-seed Ivan Ljubicic 6-4 6-3. Qualifier Flavio Cipolla upset seventh-seed Arnaud Clement 1-6 6-4 6-2. Luckily, fourth-seed Andreas Seppi restored order by beating Leonardo Mayer 6-4 6-1.

Perhaps the surprise of the day came on the doubles side. Marko Djokovic (that’s right, Novak’s younger brother) and Darko Madjarovski (pictured) defeated top-seeds Daniel Nester and Nenad Zimonjic 7-6(2) 2-6 10-6. The Serbian pair will play Johan Brunstrom and Jean-Julien Rojer in the quarterfinals.

Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki, the other Serbian pair, were not so lucky. They were defeated by second-seeds Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach.

(Image: Serbia Open)

All the seeded players advanced on the singles side in Estoril. Eighth-seed Florent Serra took care of the resurgent Juan “Spicoli” Monaco 6-3 1-6 6-3. Seventh-seed Albert Montanes defeated German Simon Gruel 6-2 6-2.

Fourth-seed James Blake has now joined Mardy Fish in winning two-consecutive matches on clay. He defeated Frenchman Marc Gicquel 7-6(6) 6-2. Blake will meet Florent Serra in the quarterfinals. They are actually 2-2 in their head-to-head matchup with Serra winning their only meeting on clay in Rome in 2006.

Top-seed Gilles Simon took care of Fabio Fognini pretty easily 6-0 7-5 after just 73 minutes of work. Simon will meet Albert Montanes in the quarterfinals. The Frenchman leads Montanes 2-0 in their head-to-head matchup, where all their meetings were on clay. Let’s hope there are no surprises tomorrow from the Frenchman.

(Image: Reuters)

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)

Former Estoril champion Nikolay Davydenko took out the 2001 Estoril champion Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5 6-2. The Spaniard put up a fight in the first set, but the Russian was able to subdue his opponent in the second set. Davydenko will play sixth-seed Mardy Fish, who has managed to string together two-match wins on clay, in the quarterfinals. The two players are 1-1 in their head-to-head matchup.

On the other side of the draw, third-seed David Ferrer was upset in pretty convincing fashion by compatriot Oscar Hernandez 2-6 4-6. After being a finalist in Barcelona two weeks ago, Ferrer has had some puzzling exits in Rome (first round loss) and now Estoril (second round loss) to follow-up that good showing. Hernandez advances to the quarterfinals to play Paul Capdeville, who beat Maximo Gonzalez in three sets after upsetting David Nalbandian in the first round.

With the upsets of Ferrer and Nalbandian, the top-half draw is now open up for top-seed Gilles Simon. Whether Simon will take advantage of the situation is another story. He first needs to pass Fabio Fognini, who beat former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio in straight sets to secure his spot against the Frenchman. Simon did get the best of Fognini in their only meeting last week in Rome in the second round.

Wednesday’s Results
Singles First Round
4 James Blake (USA) def. Frederico Gil (POR) 6-3 6-4
Fabio Fognini (ITA) def. WC Gaston Gaudio (ARG) 6-3 6-4

Singles Second Round
2 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) def. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 7-5 6-2
Oscar Hernandez (ESP) def. 3 David Ferrer (ESP) 6-2 6-4
6 Mardy Fish (USA) def. Ivan Navarro (ESP) 2-6 6-1 6-4
Paul Capdeville (CHI) def. Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) 2-6 6-2 6-3

Doubles First Round
E. Butorac (USA)/S. Lipsky (USA) def. 1 B. Soares (BRA)/K. Ullyett (ZIM) 7-5 6-3
2 P. Cuevas (URU)/D. Vemic (SRB) def. M. Gonzalez (ARG)/J. Monaco (ARG) 6-3 6-4
L. Friedl (CZE)/D. Skoch (CZE) def. WC P. Sousa (POR)/J. Sousa (POR) 6-0 6-0
W. Moodie (RSA)/D. Norman (BEL) def. M. Gicquel (FRA)/F. Serra (FRA) 6-2 6-2

Thursday’s Matches
Singles Second Round
1 WC Gilles Simon (FRA) vs. Fabio Fognini (ITA)
4 James Blake (USA) vs. Marc Gicquel (FRA)
7 Albert Montanes (ESP) vs. Simon Greul (GER)
8 Florent Serra (FRA) vs. Juan Monaco (ARG)

Doubles Quarterfinals
2 P Cuevas (URU) / D Vemic (SRB) vs. W Moodie (RSA) / D Norman (BEL)
3 F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) vs. J. Blake (USA)/R. Kendrick (USA)
4 M. Damm (CZE)/R. Lindstedt (SWE) vs. L. Friedl (CZE)/D. Skoch (CZE)
E. Butorac (USA)/S. Lipsky (USA) vs. M. Fish (USA)/D. Martin (USA)

Thursday’s Order of Play

(Image: Francisco Leong/AFP/Getty Images)

It was a rough day for the seeds and the German players. Mikhail Youzhny sent third-seed Nicolas Almagro packing, and Jeremy Chardy ousted sixth-seed Nicolas Kiefer. On the doubles side, the Czech pair of Jan Hernych and Ivo Minar upset the top-seeds Mike and Bob Bryan. The Bavarian audience also witnessed three German singles players go down.

All was not so bad for the Germans. The German doubles pair of Michael Kohlmann and Alexander Waske defeated Italian Simon Bolelli and German Christopher Kas 6-4 4-6 10-8. They will play Hernych and Minar in the quarterfinals.

Second-seed Marin Cilic restored order by giving German Philipp Kohlscheiber a nasty beating 6-0 6-4 after 77 minutes of play. The Croatian is in the hunt for his third title of the year and will play Jeremy Chardy in the round of 16. The two players have never met in ATP competition.

On the other side of the draw, seventh-seed Paul-Henri Mathieu held it down against German Denis Gremelmayr 6-1 6-4. Mathieu will meet Youzhny in the round of 16. Youzhny is currently 3-0 over the Frenchman in their head-to-head match-up.

Wednesday’s Results
Singles Second Round
2 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Philip Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-0 6-4
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) def. 3 Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 6-4 7-6(8)
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) def. 6 Nicolas Kiefer (GER) 6-4 7-6(8)
7 Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) def. Denis Gremelmayr (GER) 6-1 6-4

Doubles First Round
J. Murray (GBR)/P. Vizner (CZE) def. P. Petzchner (GER)/A. Peya (AUT) 6-4 3-6 17-15
M. Kohlmann/A. Waske (GER) def. S. Bolelli (ITA)/C. Kas (GER) 6-4 4-6 10-8
J. Hernych (CZE)/I. Minar (CZE) def. 1 B. Bryan/M. Bryan 1-6 6-2 11-9

Doubles Second Round
2 A. Fisher (AUS)/J. Kerr (AUS) def. E. Gulbis (LAT)/I. Kunitsyn (RUS) 7-5 7-6(3)

Thursday’s Matches
Singles Second Round
Simone Bolelli (ITA) vs. Potito Starace (ITA)
Andreas Beck (GER) vs. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Julien Benneteu vs. Daniel Brands (GER)
Theimo De Bakker (NED) vs. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)

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

Thursday’s Order of Play

(Image: Matthias Huber)

Top-seed Novak Djokovic debuted in his second round match with Janko Tipsarevic in an all-Serbian affair. The ATP world no. 63 was able to take a set from Djokovic, who is currently having a good clay-court season. The current world no. 3 took care of business in the final set by winning at love and outlasting Tipsarevic 6-2 4-6 6-0.

Djokovic advances into the next round where he will play another Serb Viktor Troicki, who had a routine win over Marcel Granollers 6-3 6-4. Troicki is currently 1-0 over Djokovic in their head-to-head match-up. Their last meeting was on clay in Croatia in 2007.

On the other side of the draw, third-seed Igor Andreev retired after just five games due to a rib injury. Lucky loser Lukasz Kubot now advances into the round of 16 and will face Kristof Vliegen, who upset eighth-seed Christophe Rochus in an all-Belgian battle.

Wednesday’s Results
Singles First Round
Q Flavio Cipolla (ITA) def. WC Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 1-6 6-3 6-1
Brian Dabul (ARG) def. Nicolas Massu (CHI) 6-2 -1
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) def. Wayne Odesnik (USA) 6-3 6-2

Singles Second Round
1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 6-2 4-6 6-0
LL Lukasz Kubot (POL) def. 3 Igor Andreev (RUS) 3-2 Ret’d
5 Viktor Troicki (SRB) vs. Marcel Granollers (ESP) 6-3 6-4
Kristof Vliegen (BEL) def. 8 Christophe Rochus (BEL) 3-6 6-4 6-3

Doubles First Round
3 S. Huss (AUS)/R. Hutchins (GBR) def. J. Levinsky (CZE)/J.C. Scherrer 7-6(6) 6-4
R. Wassen (NED)/I Zelenay (SVK) def. R. Karanusic (CRO)/I Karlovic (CRO) 7-6(4) 4-6 10-7
J. Brunstrom (SWE)/J.J. Rojer (AHO) def. C. Rochus (BEL)/L. Zovko (CRO) 6-2 6-3

Thursday’s Matches
Singles Second Round
2 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) vs. Brian Dabul (ARG)
4Andreas Seppi (ITA) vs. Leonardo Mayer (ARG)
6 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) vs. Marcos Daniel (BRA)
7 Arnaud Clement (FRA) vs. Q Flavio Cipolla (ITA)

Doubles First Round
1 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) vs. M. Djokovic (SRB)/D. Madjarovski (SRB)
2 L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) vs. J. Tipsarevic (SRB)/V. Troicki (SRB)
M. Granollers (ESP)/S. Ventura (ESP) - S. Querrey(USA)/S. Roitman (ARG)

Thursday's Order of Play

(Image: Serbia Open)

Juan Monaco, Maximo Gonzalez and Diego Junquiera visited Praia do Guincho. The three Argentines paid a visit Monday to the renowned surfing spot located near Cascais.

(Image: Joao Lagos Sports)

Tuesday’s Matches
Singles First Round
2 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) def. Andrey Golubev (KAZ) 6-1 7-6(4)
3 David Ferrer (ESP) def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 6-4 6-1
7 Albert Montanes (ESP) def. Q Ryan Sweeting (USA) 6-1 7-6(4)
8 Florent Serra (FRA) vs. Diego Junqueira (ARG) 6-4 2-6 6-3
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) def. Q Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 7-6(4) 6-3
Juan Monaco (ARG) def. Q Pablo Cuevas (URU) 6-2 6-4
Ivan Navarro (ESP) def. Albert Martin (ESP) 7-5 6-4
Simon Greul (GER) def. Q Ricardo Hocevar (BRA) 6-1 6-4

Doubles First Round
4 M. Damm (CZE)/R. Lindstedt (SWE) def. O. Hernandez (ESP)/A. Montanes (ESP) 6-1 3-6 10-4
M. Fish (USA)/D. Martin (USA) def. WC F. Gil (POR)/R. Machado (POR) 6-3 7-5
J. Blake (USA)/R. Kendrick (USA) def. T. Gabashvili (RUS)/D. Junquiera (ARG) 6-3 3-6 11-9

Wednesday’s Matches
Singles First Round
4 James Blake (USA) vs. Frederico Gil (POR)

Singles Second Round
2 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)
3 David Ferrer (ESP) vs. Oscar Hernandez (ESP)
6 Mardy Fish (USA) vs. Ivan Navarro (ESP)
Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) vs. Paul Capdeville (CHI)
Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs. WC Gaston Gaudio (ARG)

Doubles First Round
1 B. Soares (BRA)/K. Ullyett (ZIM) vs. E. Butorac (USA)/S. Lipsky (USA)
2 P. Cuevas (URU)/D. Vemic (SRB) vs. M. Gonzalez (ARG)/J. Monaco (ARG)
L. Friedl (CZE)/D. Skoch (CZE) vs. WC P. Sousa (POR)/J. Sousa (POR)
M. Gicquel (FRA)/F. Serra (FRA) vs. W. Moodie (RSA)/D. Norman (BEL)

Wednesday's Order of Play

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)

Tuesday’s Results
Qualifying Final Round
Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) def. Lukasz Kubot (POL) 7-6(1) 0-6 6-0

Singles First Round
8 Christophe Rochus (BEL) def. Nicolas Devilder (FRA) 6-3 6-7 7-5
5 Viktor Troicki (SRB) def. Sam Querrey (USA) 4-6 6-4 6-3
6 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. Q Victor Crivoi 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4
7 Arnaud Clement (FRA) vs. Q Santiago Ventura (ESP) 6-1 6-4
Marcos Daniel (BRA) def. Guillermo Canas (ARG) 3-6 6-1 6-4
LL Lukasz Kubot (POL) def. WC Arsenije Zlatanovic (SRB) 6-3 7-5
Kristof Vliegen (BEL) def. Q Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) 2-6 6-2 6-2
WC Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) vs. Q Flavio Cipolla (ITA) 1-6 6-3 To Finish
Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) def. Sergio Roitman (ARG) 7-5 6-2
Marcel Granollers (ESP) def. WC Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 6-0 2-6 6-2

Doubles First Round
4 S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS) def. A. Clement (FRA)/N. Devilder (FRA) 6-3 7-5
Nikola Ciric (SRB)/D. Savic (SRB) def. A. Pavel (ROU)/H. Tecau (ROU) 6-4 3-6 10-7

Wednesday’s Matches
Singles First Round
WC Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) vs. Q Flavio Cipolla (ITA) 1-6 6-3 To Finish
Brian Dabul (ARG) vs. Nicolas Massu (CHI)
Wayne Odesnik (USA) vs. Leonardo Mayer (ARG)

Singles Second Round
1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)
3 Igor Andreev (RUS) vs. Lukasz Kubot (POL)
5 Viktor Troicki (SRB) vs. Marcel Granollers (ESP)
8 Christophe Rochus (BEL) vs. Kristof Vliegen (BEL)

Doubles First Round
3 S. Huss (AUS)/R. Hutchins (GBR) vs. J. Levinsky (CZE)/J.C. Scherrer
R. Wassen (NED)/I Zelenay (SVK) vs. R. Karanusic (CRO)/I Karlovic (CRO)
J. Brunstrom (SWE)/J.J. Rojer (AHO) vs. C. Rochus (BEL)/L. Zovko (CRO)

Wednesday's Order of Play

Djokovic is back to his old tricks.

Serena Williams has nice words for Rafa (Time)
Tignor analyzes Rafa’s game (Tennis)
It’s official: Andy Murray will be the world no. 3 next week (BBC)
Matts Wilander, Will Ferrell and Rain Wilson team up for a charity event (ATP)
Bodo has a fantasy scenario for Federer in Madrid and Roland Garros (ESPN)

Top-seed Gilles Simon advanced and had a routine win over American Robert Kendrick. He now awaits the winner of the Gaudio-Fognini match.

The match of the day was Chilean Paul Capdeville’s upset over fifth-seed David Nalbandian. The Chilean took down Nalbandian pretty easily 6-2 6-2 after 52 minutes of play.

The Argentine has been battling a hip injury over the last two weeks. “My preparation coming to Estoril was as good as possible but limited due to my ongoing injury,” said Nalbandian. “I did everything I could to recover on time to play this tournament, and I believe I arrived in the best shape possible given the circumstances."

Capdeville moves into the next round and will play Maximo Gonzalez, another Argentinian. The two players have never met in ATP competition. The Chilean was not so lucky in doubles. He and partner Ivan Navarro lost to the third-seeds Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak in straight sets 6-3 6-2.


Sunday’s Results
Singles First Round
Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-4 6-3

Monday’s Results And Now The Qualifiers Are . . .
Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) def. Michael Yani (USA) 6-3 7-5
Ricardo Hocevar (BRA) def. Gastao Elias (POR) 6-4 6-7(3) 7-6(3)
Pablo Cuevas (URU) def. Ricado Mello (BRA) 7-6(5) 6-1
Ryan Sweeting (USA) def. Leonardo Tavares (POR) 6-3 2-6 6-4

Singles First Round
1 WC Gilles Simon (FRA) def. Robert Kendrick (USA) 6-3 7-6(7)
Paul Capdeville (CHI) def. 5 David Nalbandian (ARG) 6-2 6-2 6
Mardy Fish (USA) def. Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 6-3 6-4
Oscar Hernandez (ESP) def. WC Rui Machado (POR) 7-5 1-6 7-5
Marc Gicquel (FRA) def. Pablo Andujar (ESP) 7-6(6) 6-4

Doubles First Round
3 F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) def. Alt. P. Capedeville (CHI)/I. Navarro 6-3 6-2

Tuesday’s Matches
Singles First Round
2 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) vs. Andrey Golubev (KAZ)
3 David Ferrer (ESP) vs. Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP)
7 Albert Montanes (ESP) vs. Q Ryan Sweeting (USA)
8 Florent Serra (FRA) vs. Diego Junqueira (ARG)
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) vs. Q Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ)
Juan Monaco (ARG) vs. Q Pablo Cuevas (URU)
Ivan Navarro (ESP) vs. Albert Martin (ESP)
Simon Greul (GER) vs. Q Ricardo Hocevar (BRA)

Doubles First Round
4 M. Damm (CZE)/R. Lindstedt (SWE) vs. O. Hernandez (ESP)/A. Montanes (ESP)
WC F. Gil (POR)/R. Machado (POR) vs. M. Fish (USA)/D. Martin (USA)

Tuesday’s Order of Play

(Image: Francisco Leong/AFP/Getty Images)

The Germans are off to a good start. Nicolas Kiefer rallied to defeat Ernest Gulbis 2-6 6-3 6-2 after 92 minutes of play. The Latvian youngster has shown promise in previous years. Gulbis continues to struggle this year and recently fired his coach.

As for Kiefer, he now advances to play Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, who handled Evgeny Korolev pretty easily. The two players have never met in ATP competition. It will be the battle of the veteran versus the youngster.

The other German Philipp Kohlschreiber, who won the singles and doubles titles in 2007, advanced over compatriot Bjorn Phau after Phau had to retire due to a hand injury. He awaits the winner of the Cilic-Kindlmann match.


Sunday Results
Singles First Round
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) def. Jan Hernych (CZE) 6-3 6-4

Doubles First Round
E. Gulbis (LAT)/I. Kunitsyn (RUS) def. P. Starace (ITA)/M. Vassallo Arguello (ARG) 6-3 6-4

Monday Results
And The Qualifiers Are . . .
Thiemo De Bakker (NED) def. Marco Crugnola (ITA) 4-6 6-1 6-2
Dieter Kindlmann (GER) def. Stephane Bohli (SUI) 6-2 6-4
Alexander Peya def. Lamine Ouahab (ALG) 6-4 6-2
Sascha Kloer (GER) def. Amer Delic (USA) 7-5 4-6 7-6(0)

Singles First Round
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) def. Ivo Minar (CZE) 6-3 7-6(5)
Nicolas Kiefer (GER) def. Ernest Gulbis (LAT) 2-6 6-3 6-2
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) def. Bjorn Phau (GER) 6-2 2-1 Ret’d
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) def. Evgeny Korolev (RUS) 6-3 6-3

Doubles First Round
WC D. Gremelmayr (GER)/ D. Meffert (GER) def. Alt P. Marx(GER)/F. Moser (GER) 3-6 6-3 10-1
4 R. Bopanna (IND)/T. Parrott (USA) def. N. Almagro (ESP)/S. Prieto (ARG) 6-4 5-7 10-8

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

Doubles First Round
2 A. Fisher (AUS)/J. Kerr (AUS) vs. Alt M. Crugnola (ITA)/C. Haggard
N. Kiefer (GER)/M. Zverev (GER) vs. J. Cerretani (USA)/J. Chardy (FRA)

Tuesday’s Order of Play

(Image: dpa)

Rain caused delays at the Serbia Open. Only three of the four qualifying matches completed and one singles match got under way. The wet conditions also caused delay of the opening day ceremony, which was postponed for tomorrow. Novak Djokovic did put in an appearance late in the evening to cheer up disappointed fans.







Monday’s Results
Qualifying Final Round
Victor Crivoi (ROU) def. Antonio Veic (CRO) 2-6 6-2 6-4
Santiago Ventura (ESP) def. Jean-Rene Lisnard (MON) 6-4 4-6 7-6(3)
Flavio Cipolla (ITA) def. Boris Pashanski (SRB) 2-6 6-4 6-2

Singles First Round
8 Christophe Rochus (BEL) vs Nicolas Devilder (FRA) 6-3 6-7 5-5 To Finish

Tuesday’s Matches
Qualifying Final Round
Lukasz Kubot (POL) vs. Dominik Hrbaty (SVK)

Singles First Round
8 Christophe Rochus (BEL) vs Nicolas Devilder (FRA) 6-3 6-7 5-5 To Finish
5 Viktor Troicki (SRB) vs. Sam Querrey (USA)
6 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) vs. Qualifier
7 Arnaud Clement (FRA) vs. Steve Darcis (BEL)
Marcos Daniel (BRA) vs. Guillermo Canas (ARG)
WC Arsenije Zlatanovic (SRB) vs. Qualifier
Kristof Vliegen (BEL) vs. Qualifier
WC Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) vs. Qualifier
Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) vs. Sergio Roitman (ARG)
WC Filip Krajinovic (SRB) vs. Marcel Granollers (ESP)

Doubles First Round
3 S. Huss (AUS)/R. Hutchins (GBR) vs. J. Levinsky (CZE)/J.C. Scherrer
4 S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS) vs. A. Clement (FRA)/N. Devilder (FRA)
A. Pavel (ROU)/H. Tecau (ROU) vs. Nikola Ciric (SRB)/D. Savic (SRB)
R. Wassen (NED)/I Zelenay (SVK) vs. R. Karanusic (CRO)/I Karlovic (CRO)

Tuesday's Order of Play

(Image: Serbia Open)

If you picked Nadal, then you were correct. The poll results are as follows:

70% Nadal - Champion
20% Djokovic – Final
10% Verdasco – Quarterfinal exit

The majority's winning percentage is up to 75%. The Madrid Masters poll will be up next.

Preview: Serbia Open
City: Belgrade, Serbia
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Championship Points: 250
2008 Singles Champion: N/A
2008 Doubles Champions: N/A

This is the first year of the Serbia Open. It was formerly the Dutch Open Tennis Amersfoort located in the Netherlands. The Djokovic family with investors purchased the tournament and moved it to Serbia.

Naturally, Novak Djokovic leads the field. He is playing well and is probably this year’s second best player on clay. It could be a great warm-up for him for next week’s Masters in Madrid. Ivo Karlovic, Igor Andreev, Ivan Ljubcic, Viktor Troicki, Arnaud Clement, Guillermo Canas and Marcos Baghdatis round out the field.

Tournament Draw
Singles / Doubles

Monday's Order of Play


(Image: Serbia Open)

Rafael Nadal is on a title roll. He bested Novak Djokovic 7-6(2) 6-2 after a little over two hours of play. Nadal broke a Roman tournament record by winning four titles in five years. It is his third-consecutive title and his fifth title of the year. More importantly, it is his 15th Masters title, and he is now staring down Agassi’s record of 17 Masters titles.

Djokovic put up a valiant effort, but Nadal was able to get past him. The Serb played well and made great shots. Nadal won the important points when he needed to, and Djokovic made a few too many errors at the wrong moments.

It looked like Djokovic would easily win his opening service game, but somehow Nadal got into the game and broke the Serb. Djokovic perservered for the rest of the set and was able to break Nadal back when the Spaniard was serving for the set. The two players then traded breaks to take the set to a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Nadal took care of his points on serve and was able to capitalize on some of Djokovic’s points. The Spaniard took the tiebreak and the opening set easily.

The second set started out well for Djokovic, but Nadal snuck off with a break in game six for 4-2. The loss of the first set and the second-set break was enough to take the wheels off of the Serb’s game. Nadal won the next two games to retake the title. The victory marks his 30th straight win on clay.


Championship Day
Singles Final
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) def. 3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) 7-6(2) 6-2

Doubles Final
2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonijic (SRB) def. 1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) 7-6(5) 6-3

(Images: AFP, Getty Images)

Preview: Estoril Open
City: Estoril, Portugal
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Championship Points: 250
2008 Singles Champion: Roger Federer
2008 Doubles Champions: Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie

Roger Federer will not defend his title this year. Gilles Simon was given a wildcard and now is the top seed. This is a good opportunity for the Frenchman to get his season on track. He has a good shot since his quarter of the draw is pretty easy. Simon will have to contend with David Ferrer should he make it to the semifinals.

Ferrer has the harder road to the semifinals since he has to pass David Nalbandian in the quarterfinals. Nalbandian had to pull out of the Barcelona quarterfinals due to injury, and there have been reports of an impending hip surgery. If he is healthy, Nalbandian could give the Spaniard trouble all day, as he won this tournament in 2002 and 2006.

The bottom half of the draw is anchored by Nikolay Davydenko, who won the title in 2003. The Russian played well in Barcelona, but he could have to contend with Juan Monaco in the semifinals. Monaco is looking to breakthrough this year, so this could be the week. The Argentine could possibly have to deal with the native favorite Federico Gil in the quarterfinals. Gil has been known to cause trouble and will be helped by the Portuguese crowd.

It is good to see veterans and former French Open champions Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gaston Gaudio in the tournament. Ferrero could meet Davydenko in the second round, and Gaudio, who just won a challenger tournament in Tunisia this weekend, could meet Simon in the second round.

Tournament Draw
Singles / Doubles

Monday’s Order of Play

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

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)

Saturday’s Results
Singles Semifinals
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) def. 12 Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) 6-3 6-3
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. 2 Roger Federer (SUI) 4-6 6-3 6-3

Doubles Semifinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) def. 5 B. Soares (BRA)/K. Ullyett (ZIM) 6-1 3-6 10-7
2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) def. 4 M. Bhupathi (IND)/M. Knowles (BAH) 6-4 6-7(6) 10-8

Championship Day
Singles Final
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. 3 Novak Djokovic (SRB)

Doubles Final
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) vs. 2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonijic (SRB)

Sunday’s Order of Play

Watch Live
The Tennis Channel – 10:00 AM EST

You know the story. Nadal plays opponent X. Opponent X stays with Nadal in the first couple of games and might even get a break. Nadal runs him around the court. After game four or five, opponent X is visibly huffing and puffing and starts hitting more unforced errors which leads to a Nadal break. The Spaniard is then off to the races and bags the first set easily. The final set either ends with Nadal cruising with a break to take the set or a very special Nadal beatdown leaving opponent X emotionally scarred.

Today, Nadal played Fernando Gonzalez who has played well over the last two weeks. The story is the same, but Nadal broke in game five and Gonzalez broke back. Nadal struck again in game seven and then won the next two games to take the set.

In the second set, Nadal broke Gonzalez in his first service game and jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Spaniard then cruised to victory 6-3 6-3 after 75 minutes of play. Nadal will now meet Novak Djokovic in the final.

The victory today marks the Spaniard’s 29th consecutive victory on clay. This is his fifth final of the year. He already has two Masters titles and is going for his third of the year. Nadal is also vying for his fourth Roman championship. He held the title for three-consecutive years until Juan Carlos Ferrero derailed him last year, allowing Djokovic to go on to win the title.

This is Nadal and Djokovic’s second final together this year after their final in Monte Carlo. Nadal is currently 12-4 against Djokovic in their head-to-head match-up and has won their last three meetings. The surface breakdown is 7-0 on clay, 2-0 on grass and 3-4 on hard. Djokovic is looking to defend his title tomorrow and is the first person this year to take a set off of Nadal on clay. It should be an extra contentious battle.

(Image: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

Defending champion, Novak Djokovic faced off against Roger Federer in a rematch of the Miami semifinal. Both players came out playing solidly. The Serb tested Federer’s groundstrokes early in the match, but the Swiss held up. In game nine, Djokovic tried to come into the net on a couple of occasions, but Federer made him pay each time. The Swiss was rewarded with four break chances and took advantage on the fourth. Federer then cruised to win the set 6-4.

In the second set, Federer struck first with a break in the opening service game, and it looked like the Swiss would exact revenge on Djokovic this time. Luckily for the Serb, Mother Nature intervened with a rain delay at 2-1.

After the delay, Federer held easily again for 3-1. Djokovic was able to hold after giving Federer another break opportunity for 3-2. For some reason, Federer became tentative, and the unforced errors began to creep into his game. His serve also broke down. With these developments, it allowed the 21-year-old to get back into the match as his level of play increased. Djokovic then won four consecutive games to snatch the set from Federer and even the match at one set apiece.

With the match even, the players stayed on serve in the final set. Federer broke first in game four to go up 3-1. Djokovic broke back in the next game. The Swiss became tentative again and started missing his forehand and backhand shots. Djokovic took advantage of the errors and won the next five games to take the set and match 4-6 6-3 6-3 after 130 minutes of play.

This is Federer’s third final-set meltdown this year. It occurred at the Australian Open against Nadal and then in Miami against Djokovic. Federer does need a coach to help him come up with some solutions for the other three (Nadal, Djokovic and Murray), but his main problem is mental. His game depends on the opponent breaking down at the end of the match if it is tight. If it fails to happen, he falls apart and starts making a lot of unforced errors.

To Djokovic’s credit, his form is back, and he is finally addressing his fitness issues. The race for number two is not a three-way race. It is a two-person race between Djokovic and Murray if they both stay healthy. Federer’s number two ranking is based on him making it to the final with Nadal. He is going to have to get passed Murray or Djokovic in every semifinal, and they have his number this year. Now that Murray has improved and Djokovic has gotten his act back together, Federer will most likely not get passed them.

(Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic talks about his tournament and his goal to win Wimbledon (Blic)
Andy Murray builds leg strength for the French Open (Guardian)
Argentine Guillermo Coria announces his retirement (Herald Sun)
More bad news for Argentina: Nalbandian may need hip surgery and may miss Davis Cup (NBC Sports)
Australia forfeits its Davis Cup match with India (ESPN, Indian POV, Aussie POV)

The top three advanced easily into the semifinals. Rafael Nadal did enough to beat compatriot Fernando Verdasco, who was pestered by a leg injury throughout the match. Roger Federer ended Mischa Zverev’s run by sneaking passed the German qualifier in the first set tiebreaker and winning easily in the second set. Novak Djokovic played great against Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine could not raise his game to really challenge the Serb.

The match of the day was Fernando Gonzalez versus Juan Monaco. It turned into quiet the battle. Gonzalez has been playing well for the last two weeks, and Monaco is resurging after returning to the tour from injury. The two players split sets, and battled it out in the final set. Gonzalez was able to break in the last set to take the match.

Friday’s Results
Singles Quarterfinals
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) def. 6 Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 6-3 6-3
2 Roger Federer (SUI) def. Q Mischa Zverev (GER) 7-6(3) 6-2
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. 5 Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 6-3 6-4
12 Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) def. Q Juan Monaco (ARG) 2-6 6-3 6-4

Doubles Quarterfinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) def. 7 M. Mirnyi (BLR)/A. Ram (ISR) 4-6 6-4 11-9
2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) def. 8 J. Coetzee (RSA)/J. Kerr (AUS) 6-4 6-4
4 M. Bhupathi (IND)/M. Knowles (BAH) def. 6 M. Fyrstenberg (POL)/M. Matkowski (POL) 6-3 6-4
5 B. Soares (BRA)/ K. Ullyett (ZIM) def. 3 L. Dlouhy (CZE)/ L. Paes (IND) 7-5 6-3

Saturday’s Matches
Singles Semifinals
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. 12 Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)
2 Roger Federer (SUI) vs. 3 Novak Djokovic (SRB)

Doubles Semifinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) vs. 5 B. Soares (BRA)/K. Ullyett (ZIM)
2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) vs. 4 M. Bhupathi (IND)/M. Knowles (BAH)

Saturday’s Order of Play

Watch Live
The Tennis Channel – 7:30 AM EST

(Image: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)