Thomaz Bellucci won his second-career title. In an evening final, he battled Argentine Juan Monaco for the title in Santiago. The Brazilian outlasted Monaco 6-2 0-6 6-4 in a battle that lasted almost two hours.

Bellucci showed a lot of heart this week. He battled through Lapentti, Capedeville, Schwank and Gonzalez in mostly three-set victories, almost always coming from behind. The Brazilian played a lot of tennis and was on the court almost two hours more than Monaco. It was only a matter of time before the 22 year old lost his legs.

Bellucci instead jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Monaco stopped the bleeding by breaking back in game six. The Brazilian broke back in the following game and successfully served for the opening set. Monaco then won the second set at love, and it looked like experience and legs would catch up to Bellucci. He held his own in the final set and secured a break for the win.

With the title victory, the 22 year old shoots up seven spots to world no. 28 this week. Eight months ago, the Brazilian was ranked 134. Now he is in the top 30.

Bellucci will head to Costa do Sauipe this week on his home turf. He lost in the final to Tommy Robredo last year. Should he win that tournament this year, the Brazilian fans will go wild. Brazilians have not had a lot to cheer about since Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten.

Championship Sunday
Singles Final
3 Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) def. 2 Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-2 0-6 6-4

(Image: Claudio Santana/AFP/Getty Images)

Hola TV has video of Fernando Verdasco's Calvin Klein shoot. You can also vote in their poll. Verdasco is slightly behind Kellan Lutz.

Name: ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
City: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Surface: Indoor Hard
Championship Points: 500
2009 Singles Champion: Andy Murray
2009 Doubles Champions: Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic
Featured Players: Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko, Robin Soderling, Gael Monfils, Tommy Robredo, Mikhail Youzhny, Ivan Ljubicic, Viktor Troicki, Evgeny Korolev, Mikhail Youzhny, Michael Llodra an Feliciano Lopez
Withdrawals: Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon

. . . And The Qualifiers Are: Marsel Ilhan (TUR), Audrey Golubev (KAZ), Igor Sisling (NED) and Stephane Bohli (SUI)

Draws: Singles | Doubles

Monday’s Order of Play

Name: Brasil Open
City: Costa do Sauipe, Brazil
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Championship Points: 250
2009 Singles Champion: Tommy Robredo
2009 Doubles Champions: Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo
Featured Players: Juan Carlos Ferrero, Albert Montanes, Thomaz Bellucci, Igor Andreev, Victor Hanescu, Pablo Cuevas, Horacio Zeballos, Richard Gasquet, Lukasz Kubot, Fabio Fognini

Draws: Singles | Doubles

Monday’s Order of Play

Name: SAP Open
City: San Jose, CA
Surface: Indoor Hard
Championship Points: 250
2009 Singles Champion: Radek Stepanek
2009 Doubles Champions: Radek Stepanek and Tommy Haas
Featured Players: Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco, Radek Stepanek, Tommy Haas, Tomas Berdych, Phillipp Kohlschreiber, Sam Querrey, Jeremy Chardy, Ernest Gulbis and Santiago Giraldo
Withdrawals: Dmitry Tursunov

. . . And The Qualifiers Are: Tim Smyczek (USA), Ricardas Berankis (LTU), and Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA) and Ryler Deheart (USA)
Special Note: Former world no. 14 Jan-Michael Gambill tried to qualify this weekend, but Giovanni Lapentti beat him in an evil second-round matchup. Lapentti then lost to Deheart in the final round after winning the first set. Annoying.

Draws: Singles | Doubles

Monday’s Order of Play

Marin Cilic outlasted German Michael Berrer 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3 after 2 hours and 38 minutes of play in the Zagreb singles final. The 6’6” Croat blew through his matches this week to secure his spot in the final. It looked like the final would be more of the same.

Cilic secured the first set today by breaking Berrer in game five. The match tightened in the second set, and the German snuck off with it in the tiebreak. The world no. 10 secured the title when he went up 4-1 in the final set. The German gave him a scare while serving for the set, but Cilic fought off two break points and secured the game, the final set and the match.

Today’s title win is Cilic’s fifth-career title. He now has successfully defended his Chennai and Zagreb titles this year. The Croat starts off the year with a 15-1 record. He will take this week off and will play in Dubai the following week.


Championship Sunday
Singles Final
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Michael Berrer (GER) 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3

Doubles Final
J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER) def. A. Clement (FRA)/O. Rochus (BEL) 3-6 6-3 10-8

(Image: AFP)

Feliciano Lopez won his second-career title. It looked like the Spaniard would have problems at the Johannesburg tournament this week because the altitude and heat troubled him. He persevered and now has his second-career title.

Lopez beat Frenchman Stephane Robert 7-5 6-1 after 73 minutes of play in the singles final today. The first set was close, but the Spaniard was able to seize it by securing a break at the end of it. With the opening set under his belt, Lopez was off to the races by winning five-consecutive games and thus putting the match out of the Frenchman’s reach.

The title is Lopez’s first title in 5 ½ years. His last match came in 2004 in Vienna. The 28 year old is off to a good start this year with a 5-2 record. Last year he was 0-2 at this time. With the tournament win, the world no. 39 should move up a few spots on Monday.


Championship Sunday
Singles Final
3 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) def. 8 Stephane Robert (FRA) 7-5 6-1

Doubles Final
R. Bopanna (IND)/A. Qureshi (PAK) def. K. Beck (SVK)/H. Levy (ISR) 2-6 6-3 10-5

(Image: Etienne Rothbart, The Star)

Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach captured their fourth-career title together. The Austro-Polish duo gave Potito Starace and Horacio Zeballos a 6-4 6-0 beating in the doubles final yesterday in Santiago. Kubot and Marach will play next week in Brazil on the second leg of the Latin American Swing.

(Image: Cèsar Pincheira/Movistar Open)

In the upset of the week, Thomaz Bellucci rallied to ouster Fernando Gonzalez 3-6 6-4 6-3. Gonzalez was playing in front of the hometown crowd and was defending the title for the second year in a row. The win is quite a coup for the Brazilian.

The 22 year old is growing as a player. He has broken into the top forty and is starting to beat the players he is supposed to beat. The world no. 35 now needs to start beating the top 25 players.

Tonight’s win is his largest scalp to date by taking out the world no. 11. His largest scalps were Stanislas Wawrinka and Igor Andreev in Gstaad last year when they were ranked 24 and 27 respectively. Bellucci went on to win that tournament, which is his only title. The Brazilian will meet Juan Monaco on Sunday.

Monaco had an easier time dismissing Brazilian qualifier Joao Souza in the first semifinal of the day. After his 6-1 6-4 victory, the Argentine booked another final visit at this tournament. His last visit was in 2008 when he pulled out of the final against Fernando Gonzalez.

Monaco and Bellucci have never played one another. This final should be an interesting one. I now have to see this match live. Damn you Tennis Channel!

Saturday’s Results
Singles Semifinals
1 Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) vs. 3 Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 3-6 6-4 6-3
2 Juan Monaco (ARG) def. Q Joao Souza (BRA) 6-1 6-4

Doubles Final
1 L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) def. P. Starace (ITA)/H. Zeballos (ARG) 6-4 6-0

Sunday’s Order of Play

(Images: Cèsar Pincheira/Movistar Open)

Top-seed Marin Cilic looks to go two-for-two tomorrow in defending his titles this year. The Croat is having a banner year so far with a 14-1 record. The 21-year-old successfully defended his title in Chennai in January and will defend his title tomorrow in the Zagreb final. Cilic beat third-seed Jurgen Melzer in today’s first semifinal 7-6(5) 6-4.

The last player standing in his way is Michael Berrer. The German beat his compatriot, Philipp Petzschner 7-6(6) 7-5 in the second semifinal. Cilic and Berrer have never played before, but the German will have his work cut out for him tomorrow against the defending champion.

Saturday's Matches
Singles Semifinals
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. 3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 7-6(5) 6-4
Michael Berrer (GER) def. Philipp Petzschner (GER) 7-6(6) 7-5

Doubles Semifinals
J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER) def. 3 M. Damm (CZE)/F. Polasek (SVK) 7-6(4) 6-4

(Image: Hrvoje Polan/AFP/Getty Images)

Feliciano Lopez rallied to upset top-seed Gael Monfils. The Spanish lefty beat the world no. 13 3-6 6-1 7-6(1) after 92 minutes of play.

Monfils started out well in the first set. The Frenchman served 11 of his 19 match aces on the Spaniard in the first set and made 62% of his first serves, but his play dropped dramatically in the second set. Lopez, on the other hand, was consistent for the entire match. The Spaniard was also helped by the Frenchman’s injury, which slowed Monfils down in the second set.

The Frenchman managed to pick up his play in the third set and held his serve for the duration of it. Lopez proved too much and took over in the tiebreak. With today's win, Lopez is in the hunt for his second-career title. His only title came in Vienna in 2004.

The real shocker of the day was David Ferrer’s ouster. The Spaniard is one of the fittest players on tour and is usually so consistent. He usually beats the players he should beat. Today, Stephane Robert, the world no. 100, upset the world no. 18 7-5 6-4 after 96 minutes of play.

The 29-year-old Frenchman seeks his first ATP World title of his career. Robert usually plays on the challenger and futures tours. By making it to the final of an ATP World tournament, the Frenchman is having a dream run this week. He has only played in 2 other ATP World tournaments and 2 grand slams in his entire career. Before he would lose in the first rounds (Houston 2004 and Roland Garros 2004), this year he made it to the second round at Chennai and the Australian Open. His run this week marks his best career performance to date.

Obviously, Lopez and Robert have never played. On paper, Lopez should win the final tomorrow. It shall be seen if the Frenchman can follow up today’s upset.

Singles Semifinals
3 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) def. 1 Gael Monfils (FRA) 3-6 6-1 7-6(1)
8 Stephane Robert (FRA) def. 2 David Ferrer (ESP) 7-5 6-4

Doubles Semifinals
K Beck (SVK) / H Levy (ISR) def. S. Darcis (BEL)/X. Malisse (BEL) 7-5 4-6 10-7

Championship Sunday
Singles Final
3 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs. 8 Stephane Robert (FRA)

Doubles Final
K. Beck (SVK)/H. Levy (ISR) vs. R. Bopanna (IND)/A. Qureshi (PAK)

Sunday’s Order of Play

(Image: Reg Caldecott)

On the brink of defeat last night, Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci rallied to beat Paul Capdeville 5-7 6-4 7-5 in front of the Chilean’s hometown crowd in just under three hours of play. Bellucci was able to follow up his big win last night with another win against Eduardo Schwank this evening in straight sets to book the third spot in the semifinals.

The 22 year old is showing a lot of maturity so far this year and is in the hunt for a second-career title after his first win in Gstaad last year. He now awaits the winner of the night match between Fernando Gonzalez and Marcel Granollers.


Friday’s Results
Singles Quarterfinals 

1 Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) def. Marcel Granollers (ESP) 7-6(8) 7-6(9)
2 Juan Monaco (ARG) 
def. Peter Luczak (AUS) 6-4 3-6 6-3
3 Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) def. Eduardo Schwank (ARG) 6-4 6-4
Q Joao Souza (BRA) def. Alberto Martin (ESP) 6-2 6-4

Doubles Semifinals 

1 L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) def. L. Friedl (CZE)/D. Skoch (CZE) 5-7 6-2 10-8
P. Starace (ITA)/H. Zeballos (ARG) def. L. Arnold Ker (ARG)/J. Monaco (ARG) 6-4 4-6 10-5

Saturday’s Order of Play

(Image: Cèsar Pincheira – Movistar Open)

In semifinal one, we have second-seed David Ferrer of Spain versus eighth-seed Stephane Robert of France. Ferrer had an easy time with Somdev Devvarman, and Stephane Robert shutdown Jamaican sensation Dustin Brown, who had knocked out fourth-seed Marco Chiudinelli in the first round.

In semifinal two, we have Frenchman Gael Monfils and Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in a marquee matchup -- style versus flash. To get to tomorrow's semifinal, Monfils took out Yen-Hsun Lu, and Feliciano beat fifth-seed Rajeev Ram today. Surprisingly, Monfils and Lopez have never met in ATP competition.

The second semifinal should be a good match. Too bad it cannot be seen live on television in the US. As a consolation, Tennis Channel will show the first semifinal on Monday and the second on Tuesday. Check your local listings.

Friday’s Results
Singles Quarterfinals
1 Gael Monfils (FRA) def. 7 Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) 6-1 6-4
2 David Ferrer (ESP) def. Somdev Devvarman (IND) 6-1 6-3
3 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) def. 5 Rajeev Ram (USA) 7-6(2) 6-3
8 Stephane Robert (FRA) def. D. Brown (JAM) 7-6(5) 6-3

Doubles Semifinals
R. Bopanna (IND)/A. Qureshi (PAK) def. 3 E. Butorac (USA)/R. Ram (USA) 7-6(5)

Saturday's Matches
Singles Semifinals
1 Gael Monfils (FRA) vs. 3 Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
2 David Ferrer (ESP) vs. 8 Stephane Robert (FRA)

Doubles Semifinals
S. Darcis (BEL)/X. Malisse (BEL) vs. K. Beck (SVK)/H. Levy (ISR)

Saturday’s Order of Play

(Image: AP)

Marin Cilic defeated the always problematic Ivo “MC” Karlovic 7-6(6) 6-4. Karlovic rained down 24 aces on his compatriot, but the 21 year old was able to get the upper hand in the tiebreak and then obtain a break in the second set.

The world no. 10 will play Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the semifinal. Cilic leads their head-to-head 3-1, but Melzer won their last meeting in Vienna where he had the home field advantage. The tables will be turned on the Austrian tomorrow.

On the other side of the draw, German Michael Berrer upset fourth-seed Viktor Troicki in straight sets. He will advance to play Philipp Petzschner in an all-German semifinal. Petzschner rallied to beat Lukas Lacko, who just came off his upset of second-seed Ivan Ljubicic yesterday. Berrer and Petzschner have never played in ATP competition, but Petzschner does lead their head-to-head 2-1 on the challenger circuit.

Friday’s Results
Singles Quarterfinals
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. 7 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 7-6(6) 6-4
3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) vs Ilya Marchenko (UKR)
Michael Berrer (GER) def. 4 Viktor Troicki (SRB) 6-4 6-3
Philipp Petzschner (GER) def. Lukas Lacko (SVK) 6-7(1) 6-2 6-2

Doubles Semifinals
A. Clement (FRA)/O. Rochus (BEL) def. B. Becker (GER)/R. Schuettler (GER) 6-3 1-6 10-3

Saturday's Matches
Singles Semifinals
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) vs. 3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT)
Michael Berrer (GER) vs. Philipp Petzschner (GER)

Doubles Semifinals
3 M. Damm (CZE)/F. Polasek (SVK) vs. J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER)

Saturday’s Order of Play

(Image: PBZ Zagreb Indoors)

On Monday, over 100 of Juan Carlos Ferrero’s friends and family surprised him with a surprise party for his 30th birthday in Valencia. His birthday is really on February 12, but the Spaniard will be playing in Brazil next week.

His friends and family gave the world no. 22 a white Volkswagen Scirocco as a communal gift. Not bad for the not quite 30-year-old. I guess we all need to find some better friends.

(Image: JCF)

Feliciano Lopez and his flip flops gave tennis instruction to South African children. Too cute.

(Image: Reg Caldecott)

Second-seed Juan Monaco defeated compatriot Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3 7-5 in just under 90 minutes of play. The Argentine draws Australian Peter Luczak in the quarterfinals. The two players have never played one another.

Thursday’s Results
Singles Second Round
2 Juan Monaco (ARG) def. Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) 6-3 7-5
3 Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) def. Paul Capdeville (CHI) 5-7 6-4 7-5
E. Schwank (ARG) def. 6 Jose Acasuso (ARG) 6-7(3) 6-2 RET. (left knee)
Peter Luczak (AUS) def. Q David Marrero (ESP) 6-3 7-6(4)

Doubles Quarterfinals
1 L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) def. WC S. Gonzalez (MEX)/N. Massu (CHI) 4-6 6-3 10-6
L. Arnold Ker (ARG)/J. Monaco (ARG) def. 2. M Melo (BRA)/B. Soares (BRA) 6-4 6-3
L. Friedl (CZE)/D. Skoch (CZE) def. J. Acasuso (ARG)/S. Prieto (ARG) walkover (Acasuso - left knee)
P. Starace (ITA)/H. Zeballos (ARG) def. S. Greul (GER)/P. Luczak (AUS) 7-5 6-4

Friday’s Order of Play

(Image: Movistar Open/Cèsar Pincheira)

David Ferrer had a routine win over Swedish qualifier Filip Prpic. After 108 minutes of play, he advanced to the quarterfinals after a 6-3 6-4 victory over the Swede. The second seed will meet world no. 162 Somdev Devvarman of India next. The two players have never met in ATP competition.

Thursday’s Results
Singles Second Round
1 Gael Monfils (FRA) def. Josslin Ouanna (FRA) 6-4 7-5
2 David Ferrer (ESP) def. Q Filip Prpic (SWE) 6-3 6-4
7 Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) def. WC Raven Klaasen (RSA) 6-4 7-5
Somdev Devvarman (IND) def. Thiago Alves (BRA) 6-4 6-1

Doubles First Round
WC R. Klaasen (RSA)/I. Van Der Merwe (RSA) def. 4 J. Coetzee (RSA)/R. Wassen (NED) 4-6 6-2 10-8

Doubles Quarterfinals
R. Bopanna (IND)/A. Qureshi (PAK) def. 2 J. Brunstrom (SWE)/J. Rojer (AHO) 3-6 6-3 0-0 Default
3 E. Butorac (USA)/R. Ram (USA) def. P. Amritraj (IND)/J. Cerretani (USA) 6-4 7-6(6)
K. Beck (SVK)/H. Levy (ISR) def. WC R. Klaasen (RSA)/I. Van Der Merwe (RSA) 6-4 2-6 10-8
S. Darcis (BEL)/X. Malisse (BEL) def. S. Ratiwatana (THA)/S. Ratiwatana (THA) 3-6 6-4 10-8

Friday’s Order of Play

(Image: Reg Caldecott)

Gilles Simon gained notice in 2008 when the Frenchman sent Roger Federer home in the second round of Toronto. Putting in an impressive performance over the year, Simon shot up to a career-high ranking of 6. Last year was not so kind to the Frenchman where he struggled to live up to expectations.

To add to his troubles, the Frenchmen was struck with tendinitis last year -- I guess it's contagious. His knee ailments forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open this year. Hopefully, he will get better at least in time for Rotterdam because he has been missed on the tour.

The ATP put up a nice interview of Simon, so it was nice to see him to get some love.

Thursday’s Results
Singles Second Round
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Daniel Koellerer (AUT) 62 61
Lukas Lacko (SVK) def. 2 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 7-6(3) 5-7 7-6(5)
Philipp Petzschner (GER) def. 6 Benjamin Becker (GER) 1-6 7-6(4) 7-6(6)
7 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) def. Q Alexandre Sidorenko (FRA) 7-6(4) 7-6(8)
Michael Berrer (GER) def. WC Petar Jelenic (CRO) 6-4 6-3

Doubles Quarterfinals
J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER) def. 1 F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) 6-4 6-4
3 M. Damm (CZE)/F. Polasek (SVK) def. M. Kohlmann (GER)/A. Peya (AUT) 6-4 6-2
B. Becker (GER)/R. Schuettler (GER) def. C. Kas (GER)/E. Korolev (KAZ) 6-4 6-0
A. Clement (FRA)/O. Rochus (BEL) def. 4 R. Hutchins (GBR)/J. Kerr (AUS) 6-3 6-1

Friday’s Order of Play

German veteran Tommy Haas is now a Yankee. Haas was naturalized as a US citizen on January 27th. Since making the States his home and obtaining a green card in 2004, the tennis star finally took the plunge:

For my part, I am proud to have ventured this step in my life. Many famous people like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Marlene Dietrich, Albert Einstein, Monica Seles or Ivan Lendl, one of my greatest idols, haven taken this step before me and now I'm finally a part of this group as well.

In becoming an American, Haas maintains a dual citizenship and retains his German passport. He will continue to play for the German Davis Cup team for now, which opens the possibility of him playing for the US team sometime in the future. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for that prospect.

(Via tennis.com)

Fernando Verdasco has officially arrived. Like his predecessor Mark Wahlberg, the world no. 12 is apart of Calvin Klein’s latest global advertising campaign for its male underwear collection, X. Twightlight star Kellan Lutz anchors the campaign with actor Mehcad Brooks and Japanese athlete Hidetoshi Nakata.

The multimedia campaign launches March 1 and will feature behind-the-scenes videos and 3-D-effect versions of the adverts. That should be interesting.

(Via: Marie Claire UK) Thanks , Mrs. P.!

Wednesday's Result
Singles Second Round
1 Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) def. Q Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) 6-4 6-3
Alberto Martin (ESP) def. Ricardo Mello (BRA) 6-3 6-4
Marcel Granollers (ESP) def. Lukasz Kubot (POL) 6-4 6-2
Q Joao Souza (BRA) def. Pere Riba (ESP) 6-4 6-4

Doubles First Round
2 M. Melo (BRA)/B. Soares (BRA) def. WC J. Aguilar (CHI)/H. Podlipnik-Castillo (CHI) 6-1 7-6(4)
P. Starace (ITA)/H. Zeballos (ARG) def. 3 P. Cuevas (URU)/M. Granollers (ESP) 6-2 6-2
WC S. Gonzalez (MEX)/N. Massu (CHI) def. B. Dabul (ARG)/P. Lorenzi (ITA) 6-1 6-4
L. Arnold Ker (ARG)/J. Monaco (ARG) def. O. Hernandez (ESP)/N. Lapentti (ECU) 6-3 6-2
L. Friedl (CZE)/D. Skoch (CZE) def. T. Bellucci (BRA)/M. Daniel (BRA) 6-4 7-6(4)

Thursday's Order of Play - TBD

Third-seed Feliciano Lopez beat Blaz Kavcic 6-2 7-6(4) in their second-round matchup. The world no. 39 is starting his year out much better than last year. This year he is 4-2. Last year he hadn’t won a match until mid-February. Next up for the Spaniard is American Rajeev Ram. The two players have never met in ATP competition.

Jamaican sensation Dustin Brown, who lives in Germany, is having a good run in Johannesburg. The world no. 141 upset fourth-seed Marco Chiudinelli yesterday and then beat Frenchman Laurent Recouderc 6-4 6-4. The 25 year old will meet another Frenchman Stephane Robert in the next round. Should he surpass the world no. 100 in the quarterfinals, the Jamaican could face second-seed David Ferrer in the semifinals.

Singles Second Round
3 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) def. Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 6-2 7-6(4)
5 Rajeev Ram (USA) def. Bjorn Phau (GER) 7-6(10) 7-6(2)
8 Stephane Robert (FRA) def. WC Izak Van Der Merwe (RSA) 7-6(7) 6-1
Dustin Brown (JAM) def. Laurent Recouderc (FRA) 6-4 6-4

Doubles First Round
S. Darcis (BEL)/X. Malisse (BEL) def. 1 W. Moodie (RSA)/K. Ullyett (ZIM) 7-6(2) 7-6(3)
4 J. Coetzee (RSA)/R. Wassen (NED) vs [WC] R. Klaasen (RSA)/I. Van Der Merwe (RSA)
R. Bopanna (IND)/A. Qureshi (PAK) def. Y. Allegro (SUI)/M. Chiudinelli (SUI) 4-6 6-3 10-5
K. Beck (SVK)/H. Levy (ISR) def. T. Bednarek (POL)/M. Kowalczyk (POL) 5-7 6-4 10-7
S. Ratiwatana (THA)/S. Ratiwatana (THA) def. L. Recouderc (FRA)/S. Robert (FRA) 6-2 6-2

Thursday’s Order of Play

(Images: William West/AFP/Getty Images, Reg Caldecott)

Top-seed Marin Cilic made a rather impressive premiere in his 6-2 6-2 rout of Czech Jan Hajek after just 56 minutes of work. Seventh-seed Ivo Karlovic advanced after just 38 minutes when his opponent, Croat Antonio Veic retired with an ankle injury.

Ivan Ljubicic was not so lucky. The second-seed had to put in a little more work in his meeting with Arnaud Clement. He beat the French veteran 7-6(4) 6-3 after 96 minutes of play.

Wednesday's Results
Singles First Round
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Jan Hajek (CZE) 6-2 6-2
2 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. Arnaud Clement (FRA) 7-6(4) 6-3
7 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) def. WC Antonio Veic (CRO) 4-5 RET. (left ankle)

Singles Second Round
3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) def. Oliver Rochus (BEL) 6-2 6-3
4 Viktor Troicki (SRB) def. Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 7-5 7-5
Ilya Marchenko (UKR) def. WC Ivan Dodig (CRO) 6-4 6-2

Doubles First Round
3 M. Damm (CZE)/F. Polasek (SVK) def. J. Levinsky (CZE)/M. Zverev (GER) 6-7(4) 6-3 10-8
B. Becker (GER)/R. Schuettler (GER) def. WC M. Draganja (CRO)/L. Zovko (CRO) 7-6(7) 26 10-4
M. Kohlmann (GER)/A. Peya (AUT) def. J Murray (GBR) / J Murray (GBR) 2-6 7-6(1) 10-7

Thursday’s Order of Play

(Image: Reuters)

Goran Ivanisevic will begin his coaching career by taking charge of the current world no. 10 and fellow Croat Marin Cilic. Cilic’s former coach, Bob Brett is not available, so the 2001 Wimbledon champ has taken over his duties.

The 21 year old is taking the tennis world by storm and has shot up the rankings from 22 last year to his current and best position of world no. 10. Cilic won two titles and a quarterfinal appearance at the US Open last year, where he lost to the eventual winner Juan Martin del Potro.

The young Croat started this year out great by successfully defending his title in Chennai and advancing all the way to the semifinals at the Australian Open. Ivanisevic was brought on to specifically prepare Cilic for Wimbledon this year. Cilic's best performance at the All England Club is a fourth-round appearance, so an improvement there would be a coup.

It is a good choice for the Cilic camp. We shall see if it proves to be fruitful soon enough.

(Image: Tribune Media)

Third-seed Thomaz Bellucci rallied to beat veteran Nicolas Lapentti in an extremely evil first-round matchup. After 1 hour and 46 minutes of play, Bellucci bested the veteran from Ecuador 3-6 6-1 6-1.

The top-ranked Brazilian is holding steady in the top 40 and is starting out the year well. The world no. 35 advanced to the quarterfinals in Brisbane where he lost to Tomas Berdych and then advanced to the second round of the Australian Open where he lost to Andy Roddick. The 22 year old is now beating the players he should beat, but now he needs to overcome the top 30 players.

Up next for the Brazilian is Chilean Paul Capdeville, who had a much easier time with a qualifier in his first-round matchup. The two players have never met in ATP action but did meet twice on the challenger circuit. Bellucci won both of those meetings by the way.

Tuesday’s Results
Singles First Round
1 Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) def. Oscar Hernandez (ESP) 6-2 6-1
3 Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) def. Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 3-6 6-1 6-1
Ricardo Mello (BRA) def. 4 Pablo Cuevas (URU) 7-6(5) 6-3
Lukasz Kubot (POL) def. 5 Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 3-6 7-5 6-3
6 Jose Acasuso (ARG) def. WC Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (CHI) 6-1 6-1
Q Joao Souza (BRA) def. 7 Simon Greul (GER) 3-6 6-4 7-6(5)
Eduardo Schwank (ARG) def. Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 4-6 7-6(3) 6-3
Pere Riba (ESP) def. Santiago Ventura (ESP) 6-3 7-5
Paul Capdeville (CHI) def. WC Cristobal Saavedra-Corvalan (CHI) 4-6 6-2 6-1
Q David Marrero (ESP) def. Q Juan-Martin Aranguren (ARG) 7-6(4) 2-6 7-6(2)
Q Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) def. Victor Crivoi (ROU) 6-4 6-2

Doubles First Round
1 L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) def. J. Chela (ARG)/S. Ventura (ESP) 6-3 7-6(7)
S. Greul (GER)/P. Luczak (AUS) def. R. Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP)/E. Schwank (ARG) 7-6(3) 6-4
B. Dabul (ARG)/P. Lorenzi (ITA) vs WC S. Gonzalez (MEX)/N. Massu (CHI) – TBD

Wednesday's Order of Play

(Image: El Mercurio)

Gael Monfils and David Ferrer advanced easily. Monfils steamrolled Dominik Hrbarty 6-2 6-1. Ferrer did not have it quite as easily but triumphed nonetheless in straight sets over Slovakian Karol Beck 6-1 7-5.

Third-seed Feliciano Lopez had a difficult time with Benjamin Balleret, a qualifier from Monaco. After three sets, the Spaniard eventually prevailed 6-1 6-7(5) 6-3. Lopez acknowledged in his press conference after the match that the heat and altitude bothered him during his match. Hopefully, he will get used to the conditions in time for his second-round match.

Now, the three move on to the next round. Monfils will play his good friend Josselin Ouanna. Ferrer will meet a Swedish qualifier Filip Prpic. Lopez draws another qualifier Blaz Kavcic.

Tuesday's Results
Singles First Round
1 Gael Monfils (FRA) def. Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) 6-2 6-1
2 David Ferrer (ESP) def. Karol Beck (SVK) 6-1 7-5
3 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) def. Q Benjamin Balleret (MON) 6-1 6-7(5) 6-3
Dustin Brown (JAM) def. 4 Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 6-4 3-6 6-4
Somdev Devvarman (IND) def. 6 Xavier Malisse (BEL) 6-4 6-2
7 Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) def. Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 6-3 6-2
Thiago Alves (BRA) def. Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. (UKR) 5-7 6-2 6-3
Josselin Ouanna (FRA) def. Harel Levy (ISR) 7-6(4) 6-2
WC Izak Van Der Merwe (RSA) def. Q Noam Okun (ISR) 7-6(5) 7-6(2)
WC Raven Klaasen (RSA) def. David Guez (FRA) 6-4 6-3
Bjorn Phau (GER) def. Q Fritz Wolmarans (RSA) 6-4 7-5
Q Filip Prpic (SWE) def. Ivan Navarro (ESP) 6-3 7-5

Doubles First Round
2 J. Brunstrom (SWE)/J. Rojer (AHO) def. R. de Voest (RSA)/Y. Lu (TPE) 6-3 6-4 3
E. Butorac (USA)/R. Ram (USA) def. P. Marx (GER)/I. Zelenay (SVK) 7-6(6) 6-3
P. Amritraj (IND)/J. Cerretani (USA) def. WC R. Roselofse (RSA)/N. Scholtz (RSA) 6-4 6-1

Wednesday’s Order of Play

(Image: AFP)

Tuesday’s Results
Singles First Round
Michael Berrer (GER) def. 5 Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 7-6(5) 6-3
6 Benjamin Becker (GER) def. Q Andreas Vinciguerra (SWE) 1-6 6-1 7-6(4)
Philipp Petzschner (GER) def. Christophe Rochus (BEL) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-1
Lukas Lacko (SVK) def. Denis Istomin (UZB) 62 22 RET. (right hamstring)
Daniel Koellerer (AUT) def. Andrey Golubev (KAZ) 6-3 3-6 6-3
WC Petar Jelenic (CRO) def. Q Illja Bozoljac (SRB) 7-6(6) 7-5
Q Alexandre Sidorenko (FRA) def. Q Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3

Doubles First Round
C. Kas (GER)/E. Korolev (KAZ) def. 2 J. Knowle (AUT)/R. Lindstedt (SWE) 6-3 7-6(6)
A. Clement (FRA)/O. Rochus (BEL) def. J. Delgado (GBR)/F. Moser (GER) 4-6 7-5 10-8
J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER) def. D. Istomin (UZB)/A. Motti (ITA) 4-6 7-5 10-8

Wednesday’s Order of Play

Name: Movistar Open
City: Santiago, Chile
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Championship Points: 250
2009 Singles Champion: Fernando Gonzalez
2009 Doubles Champions: Pablo Cuevas and Brian Dabul
Featured Players: Fernando Gonzalez, Juan Monaco, Thomaz Bellucci, Pablo Cuevas and Jose Acasuso

Monday’s Results
Singles First Round
2 Juan Monaco (ARG) def. Nicolas Massu (CHI) 6-3 6-4
Peter Luczak (AUS) def. 8 Potito Starace (ITA) 7-6(3) 6-4
Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) def. WC Jorge Aguilar (CHI) 7-5 6-2
Marcel Granollers (ESP) def. Martin Vassallo Arguello (ARG) 4-6 6-3 RET. (left ankle)
Albert Martin (ESP) def. Marcos Daniel (BRA) 6-7(5) 7-5 6-4

Doubles First Round
Jose Acasuso (ARG)/S. Prieto (ARG) def. 4 A Sa (BRA)/H. Tecau (ROU) 6-1 6-2

Tuesday’s Order of Play

Name: PBZ Zagreb Indoors
City: Zagreb, Croatia
Surface: Indoor Hard
Championship Points: 250
2009 Singles Champion: Marin Cilic
2009 Doubles Champions: Martin Damm and Robert Lindstedt
Featured Players: Marin Cilic, Ivan Ljubicic, Jurgen Melzer, Viktor Troicki, Janko Tipsaravic, Benjamin Becker, Ivo Karlovic and Evgeny Korolev

Monday’s Results
Singles First Round
3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) def. Daniel Brands (GER) 6-4 6-3
4 Viktor Troicki (SRB) def. Rainer Schuettler (GER) 6-3 6-2
WC Ivan Dodig (CRO) def. 8 Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) 7-6(9) 6-4
Olivier Rochus (BEL) def, Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 4-6 6-2 7-5
Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) def. Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-4 6-3
Illya Marchenko (UKR) def. Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-2 6-4

Doubles First Round
1 F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) def. C. Fleming (GBR)/K. Skupski (GBR) 6-4 6-3
4 R. Hutchins (GBR)/J. Kerr (AUS) def. WC F. Skugor (CRO)/I. Zovko (CRO) 7-6(4) 7-6(5)

Tuesday’s Order of Play

Name: SA Tennis Open
City: Johannesburg, South Africa
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Championship Points: 250
2009 Singles Champion: Jo-Wifried Tsonga
2009 Doubles Champions: James Cerretani and Dick Norman
Featured Players: Gael Monfils, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Marco Chiudinelli

Monday’s Results
Singles - First Round
8 Stephane Robert (FRA) def. Brendan Evans (USA) 3-6 6-2 6-2
Rajeev Ram (USA) def. Rik De Voest (RSA) 6-7(3) 6-3 6-3
Blaz Kavcic (SLO) def. Thierry Ascione (FRA) 1-6 7-5 6-3
Laurent Recouderc (FRA) def. Steve Darcis (BEL) 3-6 6-3 6-4

Tuesday's Order of Play