Lucky Lukasz

Something has happened this week that I can't ever remember happening before - I mean, it probably has, but I can't remember it, so it seems pretty special. A lucky loser has made it to the final of an ATP tournament.

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The man is Lukasz Kubot, and I had never, ever heard of him before this week. I still can't tell you anything about him, except that he must have played very, very well in his semi, because he beat Ivo Karlovic - which is something even the big guns have trouble with, as we know. The most remarkable thing about this (in my opinion, anyway) is that he played a tiebreak against Dr Ivo, which he won seven points to love. When was the last time Karlovic ever lost a breaker like that?

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He'll play Novak Djokovic in the final, who survived a scare against Andreas Seppi. I would like nothing better than for Kubot to take this one out. That would just make my week. I don't rate his chances highly - not only is it Djokovic, but it's Djokovic's home tournament - but it would be wonderful if he did. I'll be pulling for Lucky Lukasz, that's for sure! (I wish I knew who he beat in qualifying... I bet they're having a bit of a trippy experience at the moment!)

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Over with the women, Dinara Safina avenged her loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova last week in Stuttgart by making mincemeat of her in the final of Rome. Now this is what I like to see - Dinara has really looked like #1 this week. Still, I worry about her reliance on the on-court coaching system - Zeljko Krajan has done a great job with her, but when push comes to shove, he can't be on court with her. But nonetheless, this is great stuff we're seeing from Dinara now - and I'd love to see her go all the way at Roland Garros!

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Today's Results

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Estoril Open (Estoril)
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Men's Draw

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Albert Montanes def. Paul Capdeville, 6-3 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Yanina Wickmayer def. Ekaterina Makarova, 7-5 6-2

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BMW Open (Munich)

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Tomas Berdych def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-1 5-7 6-2

Mikhail Youzhny def. Daniel Brands, 3-6 6-3 6-4

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Serbia Open (Belgrade)

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Novak Djokovic def. Andreas Seppi, 4-6 6-1 6-2

Lukasz Kubot def. Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (7-0) 6-2

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Dinara Safina def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 6-2

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Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

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Elena Dementieva def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-4 6-1

Nadia Petrova def. Iveta Benesova, 6-0 2-1 retired

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Marion Bartoli, 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Zheng Jie def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-4 6-4

Anna Chakvetadze def. Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-4 6-3

Alisa Kleybanova def. Sílvia Soler Espinosa, 6-3 6-4

Virginie Razzano def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-0 4-6 6-3