Kvitova, Jankovic End Title Droughts

It was a busy week of tennis with 6 tournaments taking place in Tennessee, South America, the Middle East, and the south of France.  The top players seemed to take care of business in general, notwithstanding both Azarenka and Serena pulling out of Dubai.  Petra Kvitova and Jelena Jankovic ended title droughts, David Ferrer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga picked up small titles, and Marina Erakovic and Kei Nishikori emerged in Memphis.

Also of note, and this doesn't really fit as a good story or a bad story, but in both '11 and '12 Milos Raonic won San Jose and made the Memphis final, losing to Roddick and Melzer.  He was on pace to have similar results this year when he won San Jose, but then he was upset in the first round of Memphis by... (see below)

Good Stories
-Jack Sock (USA) upsetting Raonic and reaching the quarters in Memphis.  His ranking rises into the 130s.
-Denis Istomin (UZB) reached his 4th ATP quarterfinal (ties tour lead) in Memphis.  At his current rate he'll be seeded come the French Open.
-Rhyne Williams (USA) recorded his first ATP main draw in Memphis after qualifying, and he joins Sock in the 130s.
-Bernard Tomic (AUS) showing progress following his nice run in Australia by reaching the QF in Marseille and falling to Tsonga 12-10 in the 3rd set tiebreak
-Diego Sebastien Schwartzman (ARG) won his first ATP main draw match at age 20.
-Victoria Duval (USA), a 17-yr-old wildcard ranked outside the top 300, winning a match in Memphis.
-South American performance in Bogota.  Paula Ormaechea (ARG) reached the final and Teliana Pereira (BRA) qualified and reached the quarters while another won a match.

Bad Stories
-John Isner (USA) is really struggling to begin 2013.  He lost in the first round of Memphis to Istomin.
-Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) coming out on the short end of close matches.  First the 12-10 in the 5th loss to Djokovic at the Aussie Open, then the long doubles loss to the Czechs in Davis Cup, and now a 3 set loss in Ferrer in the Buenos Aires final.  Nothing to be ashamed of, but he's been coming up empty.
-Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) lost to an Argentine wildcard and he continues his poor start to 2013.
-Sloane Stephens (USA) going 1-2 since her SF at the Aussie Open, including a first round exit to Cirstea in Dubai.
-Sabine Lisicki (GER) having to retire in the Memphis final.
-Francesca Schiavone (ITA) went out in round 2 in Bogota, she has fallen quite a ways since '10 and '11.

WTA Premier: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
6) Petra Kvitova (CZE) def. 5) Sara Errani (ITA) 6-2 1-6 6-1
-Kvitova wins 10th career title, last '12 New Haven
Defending champion: Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) - QF l. to Kvitova
Quarterfinalists: 3) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL), 7) Samantha Stosur (AUS), 8) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)-SF, Marion Bartoli (FRA), Nadia Petrova (RUS), Roberta Vinci (ITA)-SF
Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: Radwanska, Wozniacki, Stosur

Locals performance: none

Americans performance: 0-2, losses for Stephens and Lepchenko, plus Serena pulled out
Other notable winners: 18-yr-old Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) beat fellow wildcard Robson, #1 among players born in '95 in the year end rankings

Third set tiebreaks: none

ATP 500: Memphis, TN, United States
5) Kei Nishikori (JPN) def. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-2 6-3
-Nishikori wins 3rd career title, last '12 Tokyo
Defending champion: Jurgen Melzer (AUT) - (R1 l. to Sijsling)
Quarterfinalists: 1) Marin Cilic (CRO), 7) Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR), Denis Istomin (UZB)-SF, Marinko Matosevic (AUS)-SF, Jack Sock (USA), L) Michael Russell (USA)
Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: none, first tournament to say that this year
Locals performance: 8-9, they got good wins from younger players but Isner and Querrey went 1-2.  Besides the two in the quarters, q-Young, Querrey, Williams, and Blake won while Isner, Johnson, and Harrison lost their first match.
Americans performance: see above
Third set tiebreaks: Kubot def. Harrison (R1), Cilic def. Sijsling (R2) (9-7)

ATP 250: Marseille, France
3) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) def. 1) Tomas Berdych (CZE) 3-6 7-6(6) 6-4

-Tsonga wins 10th career title, last '12 Metz

-It is his 2nd win in Marseille and 5th in France

Defending champion: Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) - QF l. to Simon
Quarterfinalists: 2) Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG), 6) Gilles Simon (FRA)-SF, 7) Jerzy Janowicz (POL), Bernard Tomic (AUS), Gilles Muller (LUX), Q) Dmitry Tursunov (RUS)
Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: Tsonga, Del Potro
Locals performance: 9-8 but Simon and Tsonga combined for 7 of the wins.  Llodra and Benneteau also won but it was first round losses for Gasquet, Monfils, Paire, Pouille, and q-Roger-Vasselin
Americans performance: none
Third set tiebreaks: Muller def. Gasquet (R1), Tomic def. Klizan (R1), Tsonga def. Tomic (QF) (12-10)

ATP 250: Buenos Aires, Argentina

1) David Ferrer (ESP) def. 3) Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 6-4 3-6 6-1

-Ferrer wins 20th career title, 2nd of 2013, last '13 Auckland

-It is his 2nd win in Buenos Aires

Defending champion: David Ferrer (ESP) - defended title

Quarterfinalists: 2) Nicolas Almagro (ESP)-SF, 6) Fabio Fognini (ITA), 8) Albert Ramos (ESP), Tommy Robredo (ESP)-SF, Federico Delbonis (ARG), Q) Julian Reister (GER)

Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: Ferrer, Wawrinka, Almagro

Locals performance: 6-11 (more locals than USA or FRA in their tournaments), wins for Nalbandian, Trungelliti, Schwartzman, L.Mayer, and Delbonis (2) and losses for Velotti, Berlocq, Alund, Zeballos, and Pella.  The Argentines performed better in Chile and Brazil.

Americans performance: none

Other notable winners: Marco Trungelliti (ARG) - 23-yr-old Argentine, now ranked in the top 200

Third set tiebreaks: none

WTA International: Memphis, TN, United States

Marina Erakovic (NZL) def. 3) Sabine Lisicki (GER) 6-1 ret.

-Erakovic wins first career title!

Defending champion: Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) - R2 l. to Erakovic ('12 F rematch)

Quarterfinalists: 1) Kirsten Flipkens (BEL), 4) Heather Watson (GBR), 7) Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK)-SF, 8) Kristina Mladenovic (FRA), Jamie Hampton (USA), Stephanie Voegele (SUI)-SF

Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: Erakovic

Locals performance: A discouraging 5-8 with wins for Hampton (2), Vandeweghe, Duval, and Davis; losses for Collins, Keys, Oudin, and q-Sanchez, 

Americans performance: see above

Third set tiebreaks: Watson def. Voskoboeva (R1)

WTA International: Bogota, Colombia

1) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) def. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 6-1 6-2

-Jankovic wins 13th career title, last '10 Indian Wells (nearly 3-yr drought)

Defending champion: Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino (ESP) - QF l. to Knapp

Quarterfinalists: Alexandra Cadantu (ROU), Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino (ESP), Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor (ESP), Karin Knapp (ITA), Mandy Minella (LUX), Q) Teliana Pereira (BRA)

Players reaching QF in '12 and '13: Arruabarrena-Vecino, Ormaechea, Knapp

Locals performance: 1-3, Duque-Marino got a win, not so for Castano or Lizarazo

Americans performance: 0-1, Cohen drew Jankovic in R1
Other notable winners: Q) Tereza Mrdeza (CRO), the 22-yr-old is rising after a nice Fed Cup week

Third set tiebreaks: Babos def. Garcia Vidagany (R1), Ormaechea def. Schiavone (R2), Jankovic def. Knapp (SF)

I will be going on a week long vacation starting next Saturday, so I will probably miss next week's wrap of the tournaments in Dubai, Acapulco, Delray Beach, Florianopolis, and Kuala Lumpur.  Indian Wells begins the next week and I'll try and get a preview of that tournament in the queue.