Monday Net Post
By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan
Last Week's Tournaments
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (ATP - Indoor Hard - Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Singles Bracket: Andy Murray def. Rafael Nadal
Doubles Bracket: Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic def. Lukas Dlouhy/Leander Paes
Brasil Open (ATP - Clay - Costa do Sauipe, Brazil)
Singles Bracket: Tommy Robredo def. Thomaz Bellucci
Doubles Bracket: Marcel Granollers/Tommy Robredo def. Lucas Arnold Ker/Juan Monaco
SAP Open (ATP - Indoor Hard - San Jose, United States)
Singles Bracket: Radek Stepanek def. Mardy Fish
Doubles Bracket: Tommy Haas/Radek Stepanek def. Rohan Bopanna/Jarkko Nieminen
Open GDF Suez (WTA - Indoor Hard - Paris, France)
Singles & Doubles Brackets
- Amelie Mauresmo def. Elena Dementieva
- Cara Black/Liezel Huber def. Kveta Peschke/Lisa Raymond
PTT Pataya City Women's Open (WTA - Outdoor Hard - Pattaya City, Thailand)
Singles & Doubles Brackets
- Vera Zvonareva def. Sania Mirza
- Yaroslava Shvedova/Tamarine Tanasugarn def. Yuliya Beygelzimer/Vitalia Diatchenko
McGrogan's Heroes
ATP - Andy Murray
The Australian Open may have put Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in their place, behind the tennis regime of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. But despite this splash of cold water, Djokovic and Murray can build new momentum by winning any tournament, even if it’s not a Grand Slam. That's what Murray did this week in Rotterdam – one of the better events in the annual February tennis lull – by defeating Nadal in the final, even if the world’s best player wasn’t at 100 percent.
Some may think that the ATP tour’s “smaller events” (non-Grand Slam/Masters) are insignificant to the upper echelon of the sport. In the case of Nadal and Federer, two established Grand Slam champions, I’d have to agree. But not so for someone like Murray, who is still trying to keep his foothold on a Top 5 spot in the rankings, and who is still trying to prove himself every week, until he finally wins that Slam crown. Rotterdam may not be Melbourne, but this was an important hold of serve for a player who is trying to deal with massive expectations this season.
*Honorable mention to Tommy Robredo and Radek Stepanek, who each won both the singles and doubles titles in their respective tournaments (Costa do Sauipe, San Jose).
WTA - Amelie Mauresmo
Amelie Mauresmo started off 2009 well, reaching the semifinals of Brisbane after defeating Ana Ivanovic in the quarters. But the Frenchwoman followed this with two uninspiring performances: a third-round loss at the Australian Open to Victoria Azarenka (6-4, 6-2); and two losses in Fed Cup play against the Italians. Mauresmo did her best to put those results aside this week in the Open GDF Suez, in Paris, where she captured her first title in two years.
In her first three matches, which included an encounter with fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, Mauresmo lost just seven total games. Mauresmo kept up her fantastic play in her semifinal match against Jelena Jankovic – a bagel in set two notwithstanding – with a 6-2, 0-6, 6-1 victory. The final against Elena Dementieva proved to be Mauresmo’s toughest challenge of the week, as it should be. For the first time in the tournament, the first set was not a cakewalk; rather, Mauresmo gutted it out in a tiebreaker, 9-7. After losing the second set 6-2, Mauresmo was in the same position she was against Jankovic a round earlier. Once again, Mauresmo came through, winning the final set to delight the home crowd. The title should push Mauresmo back into the Top 20.
Next Week's Tournaments
(TV Schedule)
Copa Telmex (ATP - Clay - Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket
Open 13 (ATP - Indoor Hard - Marseille, France)
Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket
Regions Morgan Keegan Championships (ATP - Indoor Hard - Memphis, United States)
Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket
Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA - Hard - Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
Singles & Doubles Brackets
Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas (WTA - Clay - Bogota, Colombia)
Singles & Doubles Brackets
Regions Morgan Keegan Championships (WTA - Indoor Hard - Memphis, United States)
Singles & Doubles Brackets