Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Sod, Nando, Ferru, Nico

ATP – Stuttgart (250)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Kolya, Melz, Monf, JCF

WTA – Prague (International)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Lucie, Dulgheru, Bacsinszky, AMG

WTA – Palermo (International)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Flavia, Aravane, Errani, Pironkova

Sorry about the lack of posting, it’s probably gonna be a slow week here. After what has been a crazy couple of months with the clay season, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the World Cup… it’s a little sad that there’s nothing going on. At the same time, it’s both left me with little to talk about, and the chance to get a bit of a breather. Most people are doing the same, and as much as I love following the news (which I still am), watching matches, keeping on top of things, and writing about it, a battery charge would do me some good. Both the fifth slam, Portoroz, and Hamburg are next week, which I’ll definitely be interested in, so expect the odd post for the rest of the week, and generally normally coverage resuming Monday.

What happens when you get a whole bunch of top players and stick them in a tiny-ass draw? One of those weeks, my friends, one of those weeks.

Only Sven knows what the hell is going on in Stuttgart right now. Caro’s ankle is still messed, loses to Lucie. Vika wants to go shopping, loses to Lapuschenkova (who?). Justine beats Wicky, who just beat Franny easily a day before. JJ and Sam win, fine, but… Dinara returns, drops the second set to Agi, all seems surely lost. And then she serves a bagel. A BAGEL. She even served 64% in the first set that she won in a tiebreak. Oh Dinara, you’re the icing on the cake of this crazy week. And you even frickin’ won. Love it.

Perhaps it’s the nature of the draw. Tons of big names, only two byes, and a small draw… naturally, theyr’e gonna start dropping, and dropping soon. There weren’t that many true upsets, but some big names did fall.

The two big ones were the only two second round matches, where Shahar knocked A-Rad in three and Nails took out Kuz in two. Nails has literally done nothing since the Australian, won one here in Stuttgart, and now takes out a struggling Kuz, who needs to get her shit together and fast if she wants to keep hanging around the top 10. Oh, and A-Rad needs a second serve, or players who are willing to hit big and take chances are just going to keep on beating her.

Technically Wicky beating Franny isn’t an upset, but Franny is solid on clay and has been all year. Vika took out (again, struggling) Flavs 1 and 4, and Lucie, Justine, JJ, and Sam all won.

I actually totally forgot how sweet of a clay season Kuz had last year. I remember she won the French, obviously. But she also won Stuttgart and made the Rome finals. Damn. Especially with Dinara still hurting, she’s a big favourite to clean up this clay season. Though she’s been wickedly inconsistent so far this year. Regardless, she took out Srebotnik 1 and 2 in the beginning of her title defense.

Other winners include Nails, her first win in forever, over Errani (who has been great this year, WTF?) 1 and 1. Also, Shahar, Agi Szavay, some randoms… and yes, A-Rad beat Ana 7-6, 6-4. Go play some freaking International level tournies so you can get some wins, points, and confidence. Thanks.

ATP – Rome (Masters 1000)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Fed, Nole, Rafa, Muzz, Sod, Fer, Jo, Marin

WTA – Stuttgart (Premier)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Caro, Dinara, Kuz, JJ

WTA – Fes (International)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: CSN, Patty, AMG, Czink

How the hell else do French people celebrate?

Congrats to Jeremy, who took out Hanescu in three to capture his first ever ATP title! He won the 2005 Junior Wimbley title and was the runner up of the USO title in the same year, one would have to hope this may be a sign of things to come in the bigs, with a solid tourney win here.

What’s with the looks though? His epic long hair, and boyish clean shaven beauty is all but gone, traded in for a short hair, gnarly beard look. He’s a pair of sunglasses and an attitude problem away from being Janko, FFS. And probably a few weeks away on that beard from belonging to a southern sludge metal band. Oh, and before you make fun of the incredibly lame trophy…

Ballin’.

Stuttgart: Jeremy defeated Zverev AND the Kief in the same day and will play Hanescu who defeated creepazoid Foghat.

Palermo: Two Italians in the final in Italy, Flavs and Errani, who took out ALG. Flavs, as she has been from the beginning, is the overwhelming favourite.

Prague: (Edit) Nevermind, live score box fail. Schiavone and Bammer. Hilarious fun.

I’ll give a more interesting look into the final, tomorrow after work. Life has been getting in the way, and again, pretty snoretastic week. Don’t worry, I’ll be going to town in a couple weeks.

In what must surely be the most exciting day of tennis in recent memory, Bastad’s top seed (Fergasm) and Palermo’s second seed (Patty) both withdrew. It also rained a bunch in Stuttgart, delaying a couple of matches to tomorrow. And the upset of the day is Foghat defeating Koyla. Slow down, I know.

Bastad: Fergasm is out with an injury, and will get himself to what has now begun to be affectionately know as the Adidas Bunny Ranch to get hard. I mean ready. For the hard season. The courts. Yeah.

Pico will take it I’m sure though, and will skip into the semis, where he will take on Tommy, which will be no easy task. On the other side of the draw, Swedish wildcard, Vinciguerra, who has apparently been out of the game for almost 5 years, defeated the Melzman to get all the way to the semis. Um, woah, hella epic. He’ll take on other hometown favourite Sod, so we’re getting a Swede in the final. Happy times.

Stuttgart: As already noted, Foghat defeated Koyla in a pretty off kilter, odd match from what I saw, and Hanescu also advanced. Jeremy will have to play twice tomorrow, assuming he wins. Yeah, whatever.

lolwut? There’s a hole or four in your dress. And seriously what the hell is that strange orange stuff and why are we still wasting our time with it?

Prague: Top 3 seeds Schiavone, Bammer, and Benesova (in that order) all move onto the semis, along with Bacsinszky (who?) who upset fourth seed CSN.

Palermo: No, Flavs still hasn’t won it yet. She’s into the semis, along with Garbin, Errani, and ALG who got a free pass from Patty.

Its raining, its pouring, and these tourneys are seriously boring as all hell.