Caro strikes again. She beat Nads in three sets to clinch her 3rd straight New Haven title. It’s been a two good weeks for the girl. Montreal, NH and US Open series champion.

What can I say? I am not a fan of the moonball thing but she’s trying to play more aggressively.
Also, one word. Consistency. Do I need to say anything else? I really think Brodie’s post about her sums things up pretty well. So, can people finally stop with this “Caro’s seeded #1 for the US Open. OMG.” thing? Yes? Thank you.

In other news, Stakhovsky won the men’s final. He had to go through T-Rob and Bags. Second title of the season and highest career ranking. Funny thing about him… 4 ATP Tour Finals, 4 titles. Not a bad stat, right?

Joint – New Haven (Premier and 250)

Official Site: Here
Draws: Women‘s and Men‘s
Top Women Seeds: Caro, Sam, Franny, Elena
Top Men Seeds: Bags, Bellucci, Gonzo, The Fishy One

I have never been happier to do a “The Week Ahead”. One tournament? No strange clay events? No weird, smaller USO Series tournies? Praise be to Sven.

Hilariously, the ladies’ side is of a higher level (Premier vs. 250), has way more star power in terms of big names, slightly higher prize money… yet with a 32 player draw instead of the men’s 64 (though 2 and 16 byes respectively). That being said, New Haven suddenly takes on a whole new meaning with Serena out of the USO, the return of Sam, and the quality of the draw. Can Caro defend (or bother to play)? Is Sam’s arm ok? How’s Elena’s head after that ridiculous loss in Montreal? Franny/Dinara? Can Flavs keep the ball rolling? The perfect appetizer before New York’s main course.

As for the men… well, Leo Mayer is your eighth seed, so that says a lot. Cincy finalist and semifinalist Fish and Bags are in, however, and Gonzo makes his return as the third seed. Otherwise, it’s guys without real shots at going deep at the Open looking to scrap together some last minute hard court points (Bellucci, Golubev, T-Rob, etc.). It does feature youngsters de Bakker and Dolg Jr., however, guys who I’ve had a keen eye on the past several months. And Dustin Brown qualified, so that rules too.

Sad face. If I were going to Toronto, this probably would have ruined my day. Great that he’s gonna be back for Cincy and USO though. I miss him dearly, obviously.

I also love how he says he’s “not ready to Toronto” like it’s a dance. “Alright everybody… DO THE TORONTO! CHA CHA CHA!”

Le win! Word on the Twitter street is that Nole asked Rafa around Wimbledon. It’s also the first time the top 2 ranked men have teamed up since 1974. For those who are going to be in Toronto, I really recommend heading out to this. They’ll likely be stuck on the smaller grand stand, which means that you can get close, front row seats if you go early, and regardless of what type of ticket you have. Almost all of my pics of doubles on the MTR Facebook page are from that court, and you can be damn close. Really don’t see them getting on centre court early in the week, though I suppose it’s possible with that kind of star power.

And lastly, according to the always fantastic OnTheBaseline, Ana has accepted a wildcard into New Haven. That will make it 6 tournaments in a row for her, once she hits the US Open. Good move. The girl is playing well, and only seems to be improving. She seems to be only a few points or a game or two there from nabbing a couple big wins. Assuming that she’s still playing Montreal. Hoping a few wins in the qualies there will give her some confidence there and going into New Haven and eventually USO. Do it up.