Safin's Senior Moment

Well, it's nice to know Marat Safin pays attention to what's going on in his matches. He had his 400th career win today - nice one, Maratski! - which he won by breaking Noam Okun to take the match 6-4 in the third. However, with all that close attention he was paying to the score, he thought it was 6-5 and headed to his chair for a changeover. I bet, for a few seconds, Okun thought that was one hell of a snub. But the chair umpire eventually told Marat what was going on, he was embarassed, and it was all in good fun.

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Is this the week Safin comes close to winning the title? Wouldn't it be nice for him to do it in Moscow, his self-professed favourite place?

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I won't be holding my breath. I'm just hoping Marat can manage another win - you know, to make it two in a row. That's something we haven't seen much of since Wimbledon (who ever thought that'd be a sentence you could say of Marat Safin - that Wimbledon was his best result in a tennis year? I bet Marat himself never dreamed it.)

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Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka, what happened there? I'm gunning for him to reach Shanghai, but if he loses in the first round of tournaments in which he is the top seed to schlep qualifiers - ie. Vienna, to Philipp 'who?' Petzschner - then he's not going to have a prayer. Sure, it was a third set breaker, but a win is a win, and a loss is a loss, and Stan, I am so not happy with you right now. Get it together and give Roger someone to hang out with at the Masters Cup, would you?

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Two people that did have wins in Vienna today were Eduardo Schwank, who is beginning to edge his way back from Star hanger-on status, and Ernests Gulbis, my special favourite. Schwank took out Gilles Simon, which is no mean feat - Simon was the seventh seed, and we must remember that he's had a hard-court win over Federer this year (outdoor, but still.) Nice one, Eduardo. Ernests took out Filippo Volandri, who is not seeded but still a good player nonetheless, and did it pretty well. Top work there, Swanboy.

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Oh, and nice one to Pim-Pim as well, who had a win. Top stuff.

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Wouldn't it just be the nicest week this week if Safin won in Moscow and Gulbis won in Vienna? I'm ambivalent on Stockholm - I was gunning for Federer, but he's pulled out, and no one has as yet piqued my interest... oh, I know! Nishikori. That's my ideal trifecta this week. Let's see how we go...

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Today's Results

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Kremlin Cup (Moscow)

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Men's Draw

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Nikolay Davydenko def. Florent Serra, 6-1 7-5

Denis Istomin def. Michael Llodra, 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

Janko Tipsarevic def. Alexandre Kudryavtsev, 4-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

Dudi Sela def. Victor Hanescu, 6-3 3-6 6-2

Julien Benneteau def. Harel Levy, 6-4 6-3

Viktor Troicki def. Evgeny Donskoy, 6-1 6-3

Robby Ginepri def. Jiri Vanek, 6-3 6-4

Marat Safin def. Noam Okun, 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Li Na, 6-4 7-5

Flavia Pennetta def. Venus Williams, 6-4 2-6 6-4

Vera Zvonareva def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-4 6-4

Daniela Hantuchova def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-3 6-2

Katarina Srebotnik def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-2 6-1

Sara Errani def. Victoria Azarenka, 1-6 6-4 6-3

Ekaterina Makarova def. Elena Vesnina, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-1)

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If Stockholm Open (Stockholm)

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David Nalbandian def. Bobby Reynolds, 6-1 6-1

Mario Ancic def. Olivier Rochus, 7-6 (8-6) 6-2

Rainer Schuettler def. Chris Guccione, 6-0 6-3

Jose Acasuso def. Matthias Bachinger, 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 7-6 (7-4)

Steve Darcis def. Christophe Rochus, 2-6 6-3 6-3

Juan Monaco def. Jonas Bjorkman, 6-2 6-4

Joachim Johansson def. Nicolas Mahut, 7-5 7-6 (7-5)

Oscar Hernandez def. Ivo Minar, 6-4 6-3

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Bank Austria Tennis Trophy (Vienna)
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Philipp Petzschner def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Fernando Gonzalez def. Simone Bolelli, 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Eduardo Schwank def. Gilles Simon, 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5)

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Marc Gicquel, 6-2 6-2

Radek Stepanek def. Pavel Snobel, 6-4 6-2

Ernests Gulbis def. Filippo Volandri, 6-2 6-3

Santiago Giraldo def. Stefan Koubek, 6-1 6-2

Jurgen Melzer def. Ivan Ljubicic, 7-6 (7-3) 6-3

Pim-Pim Returns

So what's this I hear about Joachim Johansson having a wildcard in Stockholm this week? Didn't he retire?

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...a little research shows that he's making a comeback. I don't really know that much about Pim-Pim, but hasn't he tried this comeback lark before? I seem to recall it didn't work so well. He has a chronic shoulder injury or something. I mean, I'm sure all this rest will have done him a world of good, but will it really work out, if the injury was bad enough to force him into retirement?

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I guess he and his doctors know better than me. I will watch his comeback with scepticism - though I have no objection to being wrong. It'd be nice to see a comeback go right, since they so rarely do.

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I had two of my Stars in action today, and both of them won, which was nice. One of them, Jeremy Chardy, is one of my forgotten Stars - he's kind of been relegated to hanger-on status with Eduardo Schwank, so it's nice to see him back in action and doin g well. He took out Potito Starace, who I am under the impression is no slouch, so nice work there, Jeremy: keep it up, and you can be back in with the big boys in the Stars club.

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One of the Stars who definitely is one of the big boys is wee Kei Nishikori, and he had a great victory today over Marcel Granollers, who was the eighth seed. Isn't this kid just something else? He may have suffered a tough loss in Tokyo, but it was a few rounds in, and he had some good victories first. That's what's so good about him - and also about Marin Cilic in particular. They may not win titles all the time, but you can rely on them to make it in a round or two. They very rarely suffer first round losses, unless they're playing someone really excellent, like Federer or Nadal or someone. This is a very good omen for the future, I think: consistency is one of the most important attributes a player can have, in my humble opinion.

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And how about Juan Carlos Ferrero upsetting Ivo Karlovic? He's a Star of the Past, for sure - his heyday was about 2003 - but I do like seeing him do well. He keeps hanging in there - he's tenacious, and I dig that. Good on you, JC!

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Today's Results

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Kremlin Cup (Moscow)

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Men's Draw

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Jeremy Chardy def. Potito Starace, 3-6 6-1 6-4

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Nicolas Devilder, 6-2 6-4

Fabrice Santoro def. Yuri Schukin, 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Igor Andreev def. Yen-hsun Lu, 6-2 retired

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Women's Draw

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Dominika Cibulkova def. Marion Bartoli, 6-1 4-1 retired

Amélie Mauresmo def. Alizé Cornet, 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-4

Vera Dushevina def. Nicole Vaidisova, 6-1 3-6 6-3

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If Stockholm Open (Stockholm)

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Dominik Hrbaty def. Pablo Andujar, 6-2 6-1

Nicolas Lapentti def. Ivan Navarro, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5

Kei Nishikori def. Marcel Granollers, 2-6 6-4 6-2

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Bank Austria Tennis Trophy (Vienna)

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Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Fernando Verdasco def. Victor Crivoi, 6-4 6-4

Guillermo Canas def. Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

Jan Hernych def. Roko Karanusic, 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

Feliciano Lopez def. Agustin Calleri, 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4)

Carlos Moya def. Michael Berrer, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (8-6)

Why People Should Play Hopman Cup

Well, looks like I'm eating my words. I didn't think Berdych had a prayer against del Potro, but I'm actully pleasantly surprised to see myself proven wrong. Berdych just has so much talent and ability, but he's such a head case, and it's been so sad to see him not doing that well. He has been in the top ten, but now he's #27. I think it would be fabulous to see him make a resurgence. He's played at Hopman Cup a time or too as well, which really endears him to me. Hopman Cup might be my favourite tournament, I think, and it gets no kudos. So kudos to Berdych for winning and for giving kudos to my favourite tournament.

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It's a bit strange, actually, thinking about it - remember when his girlfriend Lucie Safarova was all seeded at Grand Slams at stuff? Now I don't think she's even in the top fifty, and though I can recall her winning a title this year (Forest Hills) it was a Tier IV tournament. Their slides down the rankings have kind of coincided with each other. They didn't break up, did they? That might provide a modicum of an explanation. Or maybe it's just complete coincidence, and I am going all New Idea on them for nothing.

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And Dmitry Tursunov is back winning titles as well! I may have been wrong about Berdych, but I was totally right about Dima being able to beat Paulo. It was three sets, and kind of tight, but the big guy got there in the end. Like Berdych, Dima's Hopman Cup playage has endeared him to me greatly - especially that mixed doubles proset Russia and Spain played in the '07 final. I will remember that forever - I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard. Dmitry Tursunov, Nadia Petrova, Tommy Robredo and Anabel Medina Garrigues have had a special place in my heart ever since.

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Speaking of Nadia Petrova, she unfortunately did not win her final today, going down to Jelena Jankovic (another Hopman Cup aficianado) but how great is it to see her back in finals? I don't think anyone would have put money on her to reach the final of Stuttgart - so top work there, Nadia! She won a title the same week as the Olympics, I remember... maybe she's on the way back up? I certainly hope so. Next to Dinara Safina, she is my favourite Russian!

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I think the real lesson we can learn from Tomas Berdych, Dmitry Tursunov, Jelena Jankovic and Nadia Petrova is that people who play Hopman Cup win stuff. So more people should play Hopman Cup, as it is the best tournament ever. (I know there is no chance of it, but I would love to see Federer and Schnyder play for Switzerland. I think they would be a fabulous mixed doubles team.)

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And congratulations also to Caroline Wozniacki and Sorana Cirstea, who won titles this week, even if I have nothing intelligent to say about them.

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Dmitry Tursunov def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 7-6 (8-6) 1-6 6-4

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

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Men's Draw

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Tomas Berdych def. Juan Martin Del Potro, 6-1 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-2 3-6 6-1

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Nadia Petrova, 6-4 6-3

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Sorana Cirstea def. Sabine Lisicki, 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Berdych's Big Break?

Well, well, could Tomas Berdych be going to make something of himself at last? It's probably a stretch to say yes, but at least he's proven that he still deserves to be in the upper echelons of the ATP. He hasn't been very impressive at all this year, but if he can win this title, that might really help him out. He has so much talent and so much promise, and after beating Federer at the Olympics in Athens and winning that Masters shield in 2005, I bet a few people had him on their Stars of the Future list. Largely, he hasn't come through - and it's not like this final in Tokyo changes that. But it is a positive sign.

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That said, it was a pretty tight match. It wasn't like Berdych came out and totally flogged Roddick. It was a third set breaker. But Berdych came away with the win, which is important for him... though I don't like his chances in the final. He's playing Juan Martin del Potro, and we all know how hot that kid is running right now. I certainly wouldn't bet against him, unless he were playing Federer or Nadal or someone. I suppose the real question will be whether or not he can maintain this hot streak. I hope, for his sake, that he isn't a player that has an amazing hot streak and then effectively burns himself out, never to be seen again.

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Meanwhile, I really, really hope that Jelena Jankovic takes some serious time off sometime soon, or I think her limbs might actually start falling off. I don't know if I can remember a tennis player so constantly injured. She had to have painkillers injected to make it through today's marathon match against Venus Williams. This is what she said:

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"When I saw the needles they were going to use ten minutes before the game started, I went white - I hate needles... I was screaming when the doctor put the needle in and I had to hold onto one of the physios, but I had to do it to get through the game."

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Personally, if I was in that much pain, I wouldn't have played. If the remedy is (for Jelena, anyway) worse than the cure, then surely your body might be trying to tell you something? But she knows best, I suppose... I have absolutely no knowledge of anything to do with sports medicine.

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Oh, and davai Dmitry! Tursunov is through to the final in Metz, and I would love to see him win... though unfortunately I can't be present this time, like I was when he won the tournament in Sydney. He faces Paul-Henri Mathieu, and though Paulo is seeded higher (and very cruelly took out the wonderfully named Adrian Mannarino) I think we all know Dmitry can take him.

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And congratulations to Jarmila Gajdosova, who unfortunately couldn't get past Caroline Wozniacki today, but who did make it to the semis nonetheless - nice one!

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Adrian Mannarino, 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-1)

Dmitry Tursunov def. Radek Stepanek, 6-3 6-4

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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. Richard Gasquet, 6-3 4-6 7-5

Tomas Berdych def. Andy Roddick, 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 7-6 (7-3)

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Jarmila Gajdosova, 6-4 6-3

Kaia Kanepi def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-4 6-4

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

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Jelena Jankovic def. Venus Williams, 6-7 (8-10) 7-5 6-2

Nadia Petrova def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-4 6-4

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Sabine Lisicki def. Peng Shuai, 5-7 6-3 6-4

Sorana Cirstea def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 retired

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

The New Garden Square

It's great for Perth to get the Fed Cup tie for next year - the only other tennis event in WA is the Hopman Cup, which gets ignored a lot of the time - but I must admit I am a little disappointed... purely for selfish reasons. WA is much too far away to actually attend.

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I wish Fed Cup had a higher profile. With Stosur back from injury, we might have an okay team now - if she and Dellacqua played singles then Stubbs came in for the doubles, we might stand a good chance of getting back into the World Group. Speaking of Sam, she scored a great win in Tokyo against the second seed, Anabel Medina Garrigues. She made a run to the final last week, but maybe she can go all the way this time...? I'd like to see that.

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Another player to watch in Tokyo is Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She is about six years old - well, maybe sixteen or seventeen, but very young - but she's making her presence felt. She's of the same generation as Alize Cornet, and although she hasn't made it up as high in the rankings yet, she's definitely going to be up there one day. Just another cog in the Russian tennis machine.

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Unfortunately, Kei Nishikori got unceremoniously booted out of the Tokyo tournament by Richard Gasquet. Maybe he took offence to me calling him a head case? It'd be great if he'd put those ways behind him, but excuse me if I am unconvinced. It takes more than one good win against an in form opponent to silence the doubters... ie. me. But I wouldn't mind it if Richou won a few matches and played himself back into form - although he, like Andy Roddick, should have gone to the Olympics.

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Nishikori's loss means that my only remaining active Star this week is the hanger-on, Eduardo Schwank, who beat Victor Hanescu in Metz. If he can do well this week, then he will officially be re-adopted back into the fold. I mean, I suppose he's already done well, getting this far, but one more round would not hurt anyone...

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Going back to Tokyo, it was a bit sad to see Jo-W Tsonga retire, but I suppose he's done his dues, winning that title last week... apparently he's only one of eight players to win his first title against a top ten opponent. Good on you, Jo-W.

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Actually, speaking of things that are sad, I have a bone to pick with Tennis Australia. They recently ran a competition to rename Garden Square Cafe, which is the player's cafe at Melbourne Park, where they have the Australian Open. Now, I'm sure they had all kinds of entries, and some must have been horrendous, but surely there was something better than the one they chose. The new name of Garden Square Cafe is... drumroll...

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...wait for it...

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'Player Cafe.'

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What genius came up with that one? And, moreover, what genius decided that was the best possible name? 'Player Cafe.' Real expression of creative genius, that one.

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Romain Jouan, 6-3 6-3

Radek Stepanek def. Michael Llodra, 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 7-6 (7-0)

Eduardo Schwank def. Victor Hanescu, 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

Adrian Mannarino def. Rik de Voest, 6-4 7-5

Marc Gicquel def. Nicolas Mahut, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

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Men's Draw

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David Ferrer def. Takao Suzuki, 4-6 6-3 6-2

Andy Roddick def. Jurgen Melzer, 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Fernando Gonzalez def. Amer Delic, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Richard Gasquet def. Kei Nishikori, 6-1 6-2

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-1 6-3

Viktor Troicki def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 5-7 2-1 retired

Tomas Berdych def. Tommy Robredo, 7-6 (8-6) 6-2

Rainer Schuettler def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3 6-7 (12-14) 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Ayumi Morita, 6-2 6-1

Samantha Stosur def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-1 7-5

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Ryoko Fuda, 6-1 6-1

Klara Zakopalova def. Marta Domachowska, 6-3 6-0

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Rika Fujiwara, 6-2 6-4

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-2 6-0

Dinara Safina def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-1 7-6 (8-6)

Venus Williams def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-4 6-2

Vera Zvonareva def. Marion Bartoli, 6-2 6-0

Nadia Petrova def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 6-1

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Peng Shuai def. Arantxa Rus, 6-1 7-5

Sorana Cirstea def. Anna Lapushchenkova, 6-1 6-4

Monica Niculescu def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3 3-4 retired

Michelle Larcher de Brito def. Tatiana Poutchek, 6-4 6-1

Head Case Moments

Well, it's all happening in the women's tournaments this week. How about Serena Williams's total collapse against Li Na? She had that match as wrapped up as you could get - 6-0 in the first set - and then she just imploded. It was very un-Serena - she's usually so tough in the head. That's one of the things I really respect about her game - and then it totally went away! I feel harsh for saying this, but if she's going to become a head case, then she doesn't deserve to be #1. That was not a performance worthy of a #1 player. I mean, I suppose all the players have their head case moments and take their early losses - but when was the last time you saw Roger Federer lose early because his head wasn't in it? Or Rafael Nadal? Aspects of their game might break down, but I don't think I've ever seen either player suffer a real mental collapse - not even in the final of the French Open where Rafa absolutely hammered Roger. I thought Serena was one of those players too... but obviously not.

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Wow. That was harsh. It wasn't intended to come out quite like that, but I think I stand by it. If a part of a player's game breaks down, they can compensate, but if the head isn't it, then you can kiss the match goodbye.

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Another very interesting match was the Schnyder/Kuznetsova match. Normally you'd pick Sveta every time, but Patty came out and took it to her, and came away with the match. It wasn't because Sveta had a head case moment - Patty just comprehensively outplayed her. Schnyder isn't a player that often 'outplays' anyone - that word kind of has the connotation of 'outhit' and you wouldn't say that Patty does that to anyone, really. She plays with guile and spin. But on this occasion, even though it was tight, I think we can safely say that Patty owned Sveta. And good on her too. I love watching both these girls play, but I have a special respect for someone that relies on strategy - on, as it were, their head.

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Over to the blokes, where there were far fewer upsets - the top twelve seeds in Tokyo all progressed safely (at the expense, I am sad to say, of Joe Sirianni - but good on him for making it to the second round!) Kei Nishikori is through, and he is, I believe, my final Star remaining this week - Gulbis lost to Tipsarevic in Metz, alas. But still, I have big hopes for Kei. He took out a seed - the sixteenth seed, sure, but a seed nonetheless - and I would love him to go all the way! He plays Gasquet tomorrow - classic head case, as we're discussing it - and I think Kei can take him.

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The major upset was in Metz, where Carlos Moya took out Ivo Karlovic. More power to him, I say. I have great respect for Carlos, and he's certainly much more interesting to watch than Dr Ivo. I know his game is effective, but it's just so damn boring. Unreturnable. Ace. Unreturnable. Percentage play. Dull, dull, dull.

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Oh, and Jarmila Gajdosova, the almost-Aussie, pulled an upset in Tokyo! She took out sixth seed Shahar Peer, the villain in the comeback of Kimiko Date Krumm. Good on you, Jarmila!

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Carlos Moya def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Dmitry Tursunov def. Jose Acasuso, 6-2 6-2

Janko Tipsarevic def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-4 6-4

Adrian Mannarino def. Andreas Seppi, 6-4 6-2

Radek Stepanek def. Julien Benneteau, 6-3 6-3

Rik de Voest def. Arnaud Clement, 4-6 6-2 7-5

Michael Llodra def. Feliciano Lopez, 7-6 (13-11) 6-7 (6-8) 6-3

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships

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Men's Draw

*

David Ferrer def. Jesse Levine, 6-4 4-6 6-1

Andy Roddick def. Ivo Minar, 7-6 (13-11) 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-2)

Fernando Gonzalez def. Yen-hsun Lu, 1-6 7-5 6-3

Richard Gasquet def. Martin Slanar, 6-4 6-2

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Dudi Sela, 7-5 6-0

Tommy Robredo def. Joseph Sirianni, 6-2 6-2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Bobby Reynolds, 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny def. Flavio Cipolla, 6-2 6-2

Tomas Berdych def. Roko Karanusic, 6-3 6-4

Jarkko Nieminen def. Cecil Mamiit, 7-6 (9-7) 6-4

Rainer Schuettler def. Hyung-taik Lee, 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3

Amer Delic def. Sam Querrey, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3

Jurgen Melzer def. Simon Stadler, 6-2 6-3

Takao Suzuki def. Simone Bolelli, 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

Kei Nishikori def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-4 6-4

Viktor Troicki def. Wayne Odesnik, 6-2 6-1

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Kaia Kanepi def. Yanina Wickmayer, 3-6 6-1 6-0

Jarmila Gajdosova def. Shahar Peer, 5-7 6-1 7-6 (11-9)

Tamarine Tanasugarn def. Camille Pin, 6-2 6-2

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Chan Yung-Jan, 3-6 6-3 6-3

Samantha Stosur def. Vania King, 6-2 retired

*

*

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

*

Li Na def. Serena Williams, 0-6 6-1 6-4

Elena Dementieva def. Sybille Bammer, 6-1 6-4

Victoria Azarenka def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-1 7-5

Patty Schnyder def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4 4-6 7-5

Vera Zvonareva def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3 6-2

*

*

Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

*

Sabine Lisicki def. Alexandra Panova, 7-5 6-1

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Vesna Manasieva, 6-1 7-5

Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Ksenia Palkina, 2-6 6-3 6-2

Urszula Radwanska def. Sofia Shapatava, 7-5 6-2

Arantxa Rus def. Vlada Ekshibarova, 3-6 6-2 6-1