Advent

Hola, my reader friends! As you know, December is a bit of a quiet month in the tennis world - but the December Showdown starts today, and our coverage of it will start tomorrow. Well, when I say 'coverage', I mean, 'me talking about matches I didn't actually see', but I'm sure we can make something out of that.

So yes. This is going to be a short one today, due to lack of content.

But a few quick words on the Hopman Cup - a few months ago, they had such a sweet line up, and now they're dropping like flies. First we lost Serena, who's been replaced by Bethanie Mattek-Sands; then Steve Darcis, who has been replaced by Ruben Bemelmans (he who played Lleyton pretty tight in Davis Cup); and now Gael Monfils has got all injured.

I heartily approve of his replacement, though. Nicolas Mahut and Kristina Mladenovic might not stand a great chance of taking the trophy, but any man who can play a 70-68 fifth set is all right by me. I wonder if Nico has a hair gel endorsement yet...

Hurrah for the Hopman Cup!

As regular readers of this blog will be aware, I embarked on an epic tennis adventure around the nation last year, stopping in at four cities. One of these was Perth, where I paid my first ever visit to Western Australia and the Hopman Cup.

Now, even though I had an absolute blast last year, I was tossing up whether to go to Perth again this year, because when you live in a country as big as Australia, flights clear across the country are expensive. It's like a punch directly to the wallet. But with the announcement of some of the teams, I think my decision's been made for me. I couldn't not go.

John Isner and Serena Williams are the American entry, and they have to be the top seeds for sure. Big Is played there last year (opposite tiny Melanie Oudin) and I think Perth will be very glad to see him back! And Serena, well… pulling a #1 player is a huge coup for an exhibition tournament like Hopman Cup! I'm assuming they pay appearance fees and that their bucket of money is very deep indeed, because they've also got Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic. (I know Ana's ranking is not that high, but I still think she could demand big time fees!)

Oh, and Justine Henin, partnered with Steve Darcis. Minor coup. Pfft.

And then there's the French team! Gael Monfils is going to be very entertaining, and I'm really looking forward to seeing his partner, Kristina Mladenovic, one of the top juniors in the world. And Lleyton Hewitt is back (again), with a yet to be decided partner.

It would be pretty hard to dream up an exho field better than this! This has the two finalists from this year's AO and I for one am gagging to see them play. Perth 2011, here I come!

Our Jarmila

Unfortunately Sam Stosur got stopped today, but how about Jarmila Gajdosova? She's kind of Australian, and she's into the last four in Tokyo. Good on you, Jarmila! (I think I've said that about twelve times in the past couple of days!) Dinara Safina got beaten as well, and we all know she is my special favourite, so it was very nice to have a bright spot.

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So when is this Australian citizenship/playing-for-Australia going to happen for Jarmila, Tennis Australia? You can bet the whole country will be calling her 'our Jarmila' if she wins this tournament. Not that a whole heap of people in Australia would be following it, but the ones that are... and yeah, I guess I include myself in that, though I like to think that I wouldn't have to qualify it with a tournament victory.

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Over in the blokes, and, with the demise of Schwank, all my Stars are gone... except Juan Martin del Potro, but I don't know if I can in all fairness count him as one of my Stars, as that ship had already sailed by the time I jumped on. Who would have picked that? If you'd asked me in May or whatever which young player was most likely to make a huge splash over the summer (if one was going to) I would have said Gulbis or Cilic. Del Potro has been round for a little while, so that you sort of forget how young he is... he must be in a fair way for qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup. Now no one would have picked that one at the beginning of the year. But no one could say he doesn't deserve it - he just took out David Ferrer to get to the semis, so more power to him.

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And down in Metz, we have a qualifier into the semis. Adrian Mannarino, I know nothing about you, but you have a cool last name, so kudos. I might even be cheering for you... as long as you're not playing Tursunov, because he, like Dinara Safina, is one of my special favourites. But isn't it nice when some little qualifier guy gets up and does well? I've never cheered for him since, but when Steve Darcis won his first title from #297 in the world or whatever it was last year, I was pulling for him.

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Janko Tipsarevic, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Dmitry Tursunov def. Carlos Moya, 6-3 6-3

Radek Stepanek def. Eduardo Schwank, 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Adrian Mannarino def. Marc Gicquel, 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

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Men's Draw

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Juan Martin Del Potro def. David Ferrer, 6-1 7-5

Andy Roddick def. Viktor Troicki, 6-3 6-4

Tomas Berdych def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-0 6-4

Richard Gasquet def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-3 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-4 6-1

Kaia Kanepi def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-1)

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Samantha Stosur, 7-5 6-3

Jarmila Gajdosova def. Klara Zakopalova, 7-5 7-5

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Vera Zvonareva, 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-5)

Venus Williams def. Dinara Safina, 6-4 6-2

Victoria Azarenka def. Elena Dementieva, 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 6-1

Nadia Petrova def. Li Na, 6-2 6-3

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Peng Shuai def. Monica Niculescu, 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-4

Sorana Cirstea def. Michelle Larcher de Brito, 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Sabine Lisicki def. Urszula Radwanska, 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4)

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-1 6-2

Not A Week For The Defending Champions

We had two defending champions in action in finals this week - Steve Darcis in Amersfoort and Dmitry Tursunov in Indy. Neither of them won. I doubt this is indicative of any major change in tennis, but I thought it was kind of interesting.

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I remember when Darcis won Amersfoort last year, actually. He was ranked something stupid like #297, came up through qualies and won the tournament. Obviously that sent him rocketing up the rankings, and he's been hanging about ever since. He won a tournament earlier in the year, I think, so he wasn't a one tournament wonder. Good for him. I don't actually know much about him except that he's Belgian and kind of weird looking (though not as weird as Radek Stepanek... no one is that weird looking). So I know more about him than Potito Starace (for example) but not that much, really... although now I know that he lost in the final of Amersfoort this year to Albert Montanes. There's not much you can learn about someone when you're not actually watching their matches. Maybe if Mr. Darcis (or Mr. Starace, for that matter) played Hopman Cup, I would be able to make proper judgments about them. Because that's what every tennis player needs, obviously... a Judgement from Judge Jodi.

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I apologise for that awful pun.

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Our other dethroned champion was my old friend Dmitry Tursunov. I can make no comment about the match... but judging by the stats, a story was told in Tursunov's points won on second serve percentage (34%) and the fact that he converted none of his break points. Alas, Dmitry. Even after his bad behaviour in Nottingham, he's still one of my favourites... even if he has been eclipsed a little by Marat Safin for me. But I like Dmitry's attitude. Well, mostly I like his blog. I don't know indicative of his actual attitude that is. But he is one of those people I would like to have a drink with one time, just because he sounds like he'd be fun.

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But alas, Dmitry lost. The winner was Gilles Simon - actually, did you know that Simon is only the third Frenchman this year to win a title? Given the amount of Frenchmen in the top hundred, that absolutely mystifies me. Llodra has won two titles, and Santoro won Newport last week. But what about Gasquet? Tsonga? Monfils? Clement? Grosjean? Mathieu? There are so many - an insane amount, more than the Spaniards - and this is only their third player to take a title this year? That is vaguely unbelievable.

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Apart from the staple Clement/Llodra, there is an interesting French doubles team in the Toronto draw next week - Gasquet is playing with Mahut. Why oh why didn't they play together on grass? Actually, maybe they did... I don't pay much attention to doubles normally - which is bad, because I should. Doubles rules and all. But Gasquet and Mahut would be an awesome grass court team. Just a theory.

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The reason I am paying attention to the Toronto doubles is because some of the big guys are playing. I am really, really excited about the Federer/Wawrinka doubles team - I suppose they're playing together now to practice for the Olympics, but practice or not, I think this is going to be really good fun. Their first match is against Julien Benneteau and Frederic Niemeyer, which I'm pretty confident they can win... which would bring up against bye-beneficiaries Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes. Just below them in the draw are the also interesting pairings of Roddick/Fish and Clement/Llodra - just why aren't Clement and Llodra seeded? I am mystified.

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That first round match promises to be a corker, but even more interesting is a little higher in the draw - Nadal and Robredo against Davydenko and Andreev. That one should be a big battle. (Andreev lost his final yesterday, by the way... in a third set tiebreak! Poor Igor.) With the Olympics coming up, a lot of people are pulling double duty, and it's led to one of the most interesting doubles draws I've seen in a long time. It'll be really interesting to see who wins... I will be cheering for Roger and Stan all the way! Hopp Suisse! And that goes for the Olympics as well - I'll be gunning for the Aussies in just about every other sport, but when it comes to tennis, I think that I might well be Swiss.

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Just before I go - big kudos to Juan Martin del Potro, who won his second straight title in Kitzbuhel. This kid might just be here to stay!

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Today's Results

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Austrian Open (Kitzbuhel)

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Juan Martin del Potro def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-2 6-1

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Dutch Open Tennis (Amersfoort)

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Albert Montanes def. Steve Darcis, 1-6 7-5 6-3

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Studena Croatia Open (Umag)

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Fernando Verdasco def. Igor Andreev, 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

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Indianapolis Tennis Championships (Indianapolis)

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Gilles Simon def. Dmitry Tursunov, 6-4 6-4

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Bank of the West Classic (Stanford)

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Aleksandra Wozniak def. Marion Bartoli, 7-5 6-3

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Gastein Ladies (Bad Gastein)

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Pauline Parmentier def. Lucie Hradecka, 6-4 6-4

Beware of Ferrer

The draw for the Rogers Cup in Toronto has just been released, and it features some intriguing matches - as well as byes for the top eight seeds, which, as we have discussed are bad. I wonder how many of those top eight we will see fall in the second round - which for them is the first?

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Not Federer, I am quite certain - as I have picked him to win in the ATP bracket challenge, and my boy never disappoints. Blessedly, he's not in the same half as Djokovic. Not because I don't want to see them play - I want to see Roger put the two hoof beatdown on Novak so bad it's not funny - but maybe next tournament. Or the Olympics. Or both. And hey, they might meet in the final - that's what happened last year. But if that happens this year, I am positive the result will be different. Positive, I say!

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Along the way, my beloved Federer could run into a couple of young troublemakers that I recently featured as Stars of the Future (tm.) He has a possible third round (second for him... stupid byes) with Ernests Gulbis, and a possible quarter final with Marin Cilic. I don't think either of these boys has what it takes to beat the Rog quite yet - that's why they're Stars of the Future and not Stars of the Present - but it should be interesting to see how those two go, if they make it that far. I'd like to see them play well - though my heart, as always, is aboard the Federer Express.

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Even though Nadal and Djokovic are in the same half, I've actually picked someone different to come through to the final. I think everyone in that half should beware of Ferrer - hey, that rhymes! That could be his new slogan or something. Anyway, David is my finals pick. He could meet Rafa in the quarters, and we know he has the game to take him down on hard courts - look at the US Open last year. This is traditionally the time of year when Rafa begins falling away and becomes a bit of a non-event. This year has been different in many respects, but I'm not sure if Rafa can break this trend quite yet.

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I've picked an upset for Djokovic in the third round against Robin Soderling. I don't know whether or not this is just wishful thinking on my part. This is quite possible. But Soderling really does seem due a big break - he's such a dangerous player. If Djokovic does get through Soderling, however, he could have a potential quarter final with Marat Safin, and boy, wouldn't THAT be interesting. That's quite a tough little quarter, actually - not only is there Djokovic and Safin and Soderling, there's Murray and Wawrinka and Ancic, and the dark horse Querrey, as well as up and comer Thomaz Bellucci. It'll be REALLY interesting to see who makes it through to the semi there. My bet is that it won't be one of the random two qualifiers, but you never know. Verdasco is always a shot, as is Canas, and there's Dancevic and Bolelli as well, who don't suck. Man, looking at it, that quarter is MAJORLY tough. I have picked Soderling to make it through, but I don't have a very good history with these bracket challenges, so don't listen to me.

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So my three semi finalists so far have been Federer, Ferrer and Soderling - who is the fourth, I hear you ask? That would be GI Mikhail, Mr. Youzhny, who, as we know, is pretty good on hard courts, even if he could use a bit of an image makeover. This quarter is considerably weaker than the Djokovic quarter, though it isn't weak by any means. The significant seeds are Davydenko and Blake, neither of whom have been especially impressive of late - though you can never count Kolya out. Look at Miami. But I am feeling the Youzhny feeling here... it's characterised by the irresistible urge to salute.

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So will Jodi be right? Or will she, as usual, totally suck at the ATP bracket challenge? Read for the next week and you will find out.

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In brief coverage of the tournaments actually going on this week, we have some interesting final match ups... in the sense that they're not really people you expect to make finals a whole lot, but it's not like we had the cream of the crop playing this week. In Kitzbuhel, we have local boy Jurgen Melzer against Juan Martin del Potro. I doubted Juan Martin last week - I believe I gave him next to no shot against Gasquet - and I was wrong, so it's del Potro all the way here. And also I know nothing about Jurgen Melzer, as discussed yesterday... actually, he knocked out Potito 'Potato' Starace in the semi. Go figure.

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In Amersfoort, we have Steve Darcis against Albert Montanes. What a tantalising match that will be. I am so excited I just can't hide it. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it.

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(That was a joke, in case I wasn't clear enough.)

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I'm going to say Darcis purely on the grounds that he won last year so this is a good place for him. But I wouldn't listen to me.

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In Umag, we have Fernando Verdasco against Igor Andreev - finally, players I know something about! This two fit into different categories in my mind - I consistently underestimate Nando, and overestimate Igor. I really, REALLY like Andreev's game - but he suffers from the common Russian malady of inconsistency. However, this is his second final in a row, so he's got the hot hand at the moment - so I'm going with Andreev. But never underestimate Nando... even though I always do.

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And then in Indy, this week's sensible tournament, we have Simon against Tursunov. I'm going with Tursunov because he won here last year, has a great hard court game, and, oh yeah, he's one of my favourites. But Simon is another Nando for me - I underestimate him a lot. However, Tursunov has really proven himself in the heat - he won Sydney this year in absolutely sweltering conditions (I should know, I was there!) and then I think he won Mumbai last year. So I'm going Dmitry all the way.

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Oh, and women's tennis... um... no comment.

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Today's Results

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Austrian Open (Kitzbuhel)

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Jurgen Melzer def. Potito Starace, 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3

Juan Martin del Potro def. Victor Hanescu, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

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Dutch Open Tennis (Amersfoort)

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Steve Darcis def. Marc Gicquel, 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 7-5

Albert Montanes def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-1 6-3

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Studena Croatia Open (Umag)

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Fernando Verdasco def. Fabio Fognini, 6-1 6-3

Igor Andreev def. Maximo Gonzalez, 6-2 7-6 (7-2)

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Indianapolis Tennis Championships (Indianapolis)

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Dmitry Tursunov def. Paul Capdeville, 3-6 6-3 6-1

Gilles Simon def. Sam Querrey, 6-3 4-6 6-4

Dmitry Tursunov def. James Blake, 4-6 6-3 6-4

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Bank of the West Classic (Stanford)

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Aleksandra Wozniak def. Serena Williams, 6-2 3-1 retired

Marion Bartoli def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-3 6-3

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Gastein Ladies (Bad Gastein)

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Pauline Parmentier def. Agnes Szavay, 6-4 6-2

Lucie Hradecka def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-3 6-2