Errani Still Unbeaten on Clay, Del Potro Defends in Estoril

Sara Errani has made herself a serious dark horse candidate going into the bulk of the clay season as she now owns a 15-match winning streak on clay, winning titles in Acapulco, Barcelona, and Budapest.  This is longest clay winning streak since Safina's Madrid/Rome/French Open final (16 wins) in '09.  Juan Martin Del Potro successfully defended his title in Estoril, but we've seen success at smaller tournaments for him before, and it hasn't led to victories against the big 4 since his wrist injury.  Kaia Kanepi got her 2012 back on the winning track by taking the women's title in Estoril, it seems to be feast or famine for the Estonian this year.  Also, Seppi and Kohlschreiber positioned themselves well for seeds at the French Open by winning titles in Belgrade and Munich, respectively.  That makes two more players enjoying good success at an older age.

ATP 250: Munich, Germany
4) Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) def. 3) Marin Cilic (CRO) 7-6(8) 6-3


-Kohlschreiber wins 4th career title, last '11 Halle
-It is his 2nd win in Munich and 3rd on German soil
-He is up to #25 in the rankings, just 3 off his career high from Sept '09
-Other QF:  2) Feliciano Lopez (ESP)-SF, 5) Bernard Tomic (AUS), 6) Mikhail Youzhny (RUS), 8) Marcos Baghdatis (CYP), Tommy Haas (GER)-SF, Q) Marinko Matosevic (AUS)
-Other seeds:  1) Tsonga (R2 l. to Haas), 7) Davydenko (R1 l. to Farah)
-Davydenko's title defense ended in R1.
-Cilic and Kohlschreiber were the only two return quarterfinalists from last year.
-Nine Germans entered were in the main draw and they managed a 10-8 record although Haas and Kohlschreiber accounted for 8 of the wins.  Brown and Bachinger won their first round matches.
-This is the best result for Haas since his lengthy injury break.
-Matosevic continues to have a nice year, he is now 6-5 and was only 3-13 prior to this year.

ATP 250: Belgrade, Serbia

2) Andreas Seppi (ITA) def. Benoit Paire (FRA) 6-3 6-2

-Seppi wins 2nd career title, last '11 Eastbourne

-His ranking is up to #32 so he has a good chance of getting a seed at the French Open

-Other QF:  1) Pablo Andujar (ESP)-SF, 3) Jarkko Nieminen (FIN), 4) David Nalbandian (ARG)-SF, 8) Gilles Muller (LUX), Lukas Rosol (CZE), Joao Souza (BRA)

-Other seeds:  5) Kubot (R1 l. to Rosol), 6) Fognini (R1 l. to Paire), 7) Harrison (R1 l. to Souza)

-Djokovic the defending champion chose to skip his home tournament this year, as did Tipsarevic and Troicki (curiously)

-There were no returning quarterfinalists here from last year, though Lopez made the '11 QF here and then played Munich this year (and reached the SF).  Also Montanes made '11 QF here and played Estoril this year, reaching the QF.

-The world no. 1's little brother Marko won 4 games against Volandri in the first round.  He was one of only two Serbs in the draw (Lajovic managed to win a match). 

-Paire played his first ATP final (22 yrs-old), but he has now reached 3 quarters this year and has a 12-10 record.
-Souza was one of my "eye"-men for this year.

ATP 250: Estoril, Portugal

1) Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) def. 2) Richard Gasquet (FRA) 6-4 6-2

-Del Potro wins 11th career title, 2nd of 2012, last '12 Marseille
-Four of his titles have come on clay, this is his 2nd win in Estoril

-Other QF:  3) Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)-SF, 4) Albert Ramos (ESP)-SF, 6) Robin Haase (NED), 7) Albert Montanes (ESP), Joao Sousa (POR), Q) Daniel Munoz de la Nava (ESP)

-Other seeds:  5) Istomin (R2 l. to Sousa), 8) Cipolla (R2 l. to Munoz de la Nava)

-Del Potro successfully defended his championship from a year ago.
-Del Potro was the only returning quarterfinalist from '11.
-Seeds had a great tournament, going 17-7 with 5 of the losses to each other

-There were 5 local boys in the draw but 4 of the drew each other.  Machado got a win before losing to Del Potro, and see above about Sousa.  The Portugese no. 1 Gil, lost his opening match to Phau.
-American Reynolds beat Atilla the Hun before falling to Montanes
-Qualifiers (all Spanish) managed to go 4-4.  Wins for 22-yr-old Cervantes, and veterans Navarro and Munoz de la Nava (2).

WTA International: Estoril, Portugal

6) Kaia Kanepi (EST) def. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 3-6 7-6(6) 6-4 

-Bertens wins first career title at the age of 20
-She was not in the top 10 of players born in 1991 in my last compilation (after Miami)

-Other QF:  1) Roberta Vinci (ITA)-SF, 4) Petra Cetkovska (CZE), 7) Nadia Petrova (RUS), Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ), Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP), Q) Karin Knapp (ITA)-SF

-Other seeds:  2) Kirilenko (R2 l. to Knapp), 3) Medina Garrigues (R2 l. to Soler-Espinosa), 5) Zheng (R2 l. to Voskoboeva), 8) Barthel (w/d), 9) Hercog (R2 l. to Suarez Navarro)

-Medina Garrigues was the defending champion and lost in R2.

-No player reached the quarters both this year and last.

-Portugal got one win from their wildcard Maria Joao Koehler, who beat Morita before losing to Vinci

-There were 2 Americans in the draw: King and lucky loser Stephens.  They went 1-2 with King beating Larsson before losing to Kanepi.
-Nice turnaround for Kanepi after she slumped horribly following her title in Brisbane.  She saved 2 championship points in the final.

WTA International: Budapest, Hungary

1) Sara Errani (ITA) def. Elena Vesnina (RUS) 7-5 6-4 

-Kanepi wins 3rd career title, 2nd of 2012, last '12 Brisbane

-Other QF:  5) Marina Erakovic (NZL)-SF, 6) Petra Martic (CRO), Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE), Alberta Brianti (ITA), Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN), Anna Tatishvili (GEO)-SF

-Other seeds:  2) Pervak (R2 l. to Vesnina), 3) Pironkova (R1 l. to Tatishvili), 4) Zakopalova (R2 l. to Zahlavova Strycova), 7) Peer (R1 l. to Wozniak), 8) Begu (R1 l. to Brianti)

-This event was played in July last year and won by Vinci, who played Estoril this week instead of defending her title here.

-Errani was the only to reach the quarterfinals in '11 and '12.

-Hungarian players managed two wins (Czink and Lukacs) but they were over a qualifier and fellow wildcard.  Arn, however, a direct entry, was upset in R1 by Tsurenko.

-Vesnina has now reached 6 WTA finals but lost them all

-Wozniak has made very good progress this year after injury troubles the past two years.

There was also some minor Davis Cup action, the Europe Zonal Group III, being played in Sofia, Bulgaria.  Lithuania and host Bulgaria advanced behind Berankis and Dimitrov, defeating Greece and Macedonia.  Dimitrov clinched the promotion tie for the hosts by double bageling his Macedonian opponent.  Greece took the opening from Lithuania, but Berankis played his first rubber of the week keep Lithuania alive, and then they took the doubles.  Both countries make an immediate return to Group II.  (Greece was also demoted last year.)