ATP Indian Wells

Surface: Outdoor Hard

The so-called Mini Major hits the tour this week as the players descend on Indian Wells, CA for the BNP Paribas Open. This is the first Masters event of 2012. There was a time when the #1 seed used this tournament as their personal playground. However, in the past five years, the top seed has only won the tournament once. That was Rafael Nadal in 2009. Novak Djokovic is the defending champion. Both Djokovic and Nadal have sterling records here. Nadal has amassed a 31-6 mark at Indian Wells, while Djokovic stands at 22-4. Roger Federer isn't far behind in win percentage at this tournament with a 33-8 record. It should be noted that Federer has failed to make the final since 2006. Let's break the draw down, I'll separate it into four quarters with the Big Four marked as the leaders in their quarters.

Djokovic Quarter

The next highest ranked player in Djokovic's draw is 7th seeded Tomas Berdych who is on the opposite end of the quarter. For Djokovic, he'll get the 1st round bye and then face a qualifier. His first test would be in the 3rd round, potentially against Kevin Anderson. That could well be his toughest task to getting to the quarterfinals as Florian Mayer and Richard Gasquet are the other "names" in this portion of the draw. The Anderson match could be a good one, but I'm expecting Djokovic to advance there and head to the quarters with minimal hassle. The other half of the draw should be much more competitive with Berdych, Andy Roddick, Kei Nishikori and Nicolas Almagro all in as seeded players. Toss in a couple big servers like Ivo Karlovic and Sam Querrey and this portion of the draw could see its share of upsets. We could see Almagro vs. Querrey in the 2nd round. Querrey still seems less than his best as he returns from last year's injury, but Almagro could be ripe for an upset as he has played a heavy schedule and faded on his favored surface of clay this year. Nishikori could be one to watch in this portion of the draw as he will get Santiago Giraldo or Jack Sock first-up. That is going to be tricky even though it woul be a winnable match and then he could face Querrey or Almagro in the 3rd. A resurgent and perhaps confident Andy Roddick probably isn't excited about his draw that could pit him against Karlovic in his first match. Karlovic has to get past Kubot first. The good news is Roddick is 5-1 vs. Dr.Ivo, playing better in tie breakers to win many of those matches in the past. A win there likely sets up Roddick vs. Berdych in the 3rd round. Roddick generally has played well here, while Berdych has only made it to the 4th round twice in the last six years. Given Roddick's recent resurgence and his confidence booster against Federer on these courts, he could be a surprise.

Prediction: Djokovic should be keen to put his loss to Murray in Dubai behind him and his game seems suited to the Indian Wells' courts. He may have a tense match or two, but it's his quarter to take again. Upset watch for Nishikori early in this tournament. He chose to play on clay the last couple of weeks and doesn't have much of a track record at Indian Wells. Given Giraldo's improvement on hard courts, he could give the Japanese youngster a run. They played last October in Shanghai where Nishikori won a tough three setter. Also mark the first round match between Germans Matthias Bachinger and Phillip Kohlschreiber. Kohlschreiber is the better player still, but is so inconsistent that Bachinger could steal the opener.

Roger Federer Quarter

Federer comes into one of his stomping grounds on a roll with two titles already in 2012. His draw though is a nightmare and his streak of failing to make finals here [2006] looks good to continue. He will likely run up against the power of Milos Raonic in round three. Should he survive there, he has Gael Monfils, Nikolay Davydenko and Gael Monfils all in his draw as potential road blocks to the quarterfinals. I think Federer in his current form makes it to the quarters, but don't discount him struggling some. In the top part of the quarter, David Ferrer and Juan Martin Del Potro highlight the players to watch. Ferrer is on a massive roll with two clay court titles and his draw shapes up for him to run through a couple of trouble free rounds. He has Juan Ignacio Chela as the other seed in his immediate future, something that won't scare him much. Del Potro should cruise early before a potential third round match against Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco played some nice tennis in the clay court swing, but Del Potro is probably the second hottest player on-tour behind Federer and he'll be expected to face Ferrer in the 4th round. Delpo made the semis last year and the quarters in 2009 and looks hungry. Ferrer would be an intriguing match-up against Del Potro, but the surface favors Del Potro to be in the quarters. Anyone want Federer vs. Del Potro for the fourth time? I do.

Prediction: Federer and Del Potro should get another go in the quarterfinals and Del Potro dramatically improved his performance against Del Potro from Rotterdam to Dubai. Could the 4th time be the charm? Don't be surprised if it is. Upset watch for Verdasco early. As well as he played on clay, the surface switch to hard courts could send him back into flake mode. A 2nd round match against Stebe or Sweeting will not be easy. Also expect Chela to be out early. He has the seed in front of his name, but the surface is not his best and Istomin or Lu should make his stay at Indians Wells a short one. If you're looking for a dark horse, Raonic is a good place to start. He'll be disappointed with his loss in the Memphis final to Melzer, but when his serve is on - we know he can stick with anyone.

Andy Murray Quarter

 Murray should be buoyed by his run in Dubai where he had little previous success. Murray should be eager to wipe away last year's failure here in his opener to Donald Young also. Prior to that flameout, Murray had shown well at Indian Wells with a 15-6 mark all-time with a semifinals, quarterfinals and finals appearance in limited tries in this tournament. He has a nice draw in spite of the names you'll see littered in his bracket: Troicki, Simon and Wawrinka. Troicki could be up against it early with a potential 2nd rounder against Ryan Harrison. Simon and Wawrinka look to be a third round collision course where we can play who chokes first. As long as Murray is able to shake off the loss to Federer in Dubai, I see no reason he isn't at least to the quarters. On the bottom of this draw, it's a landmine of potential. Mardy Fish. John Isner. Julian Benneteau. All have the game to make a move in this draw. The problem has been consistency. Fish has had very little this season and he's tough not to fade right now. Isner has struggled to get deep in tournaments since he was annointed the second coming after his big win in Davis Cup play over Federer. His draw should be conducive to a deep run, but that's been the case for his last two tournaments without the results following in that mind set. Still, Isner's toughest match should be in the 3rd round against Monaco. Fish and Benneteau should battle it out for the spot opposite of Isner in the 4th round. This is a HUGE tournament for Fish in my opinion. He has not played well on-tour this year and could be in danger of a total free-fall if he loses early in this tournament. Fish made the final in 2008 in Indian Wells, but otherwise has been a candidate for early burnout. Tough to see him being relevant in this quarter.

Prediction: The Big Four should be represented in the semis with Murray from this quarter. I think he has the easiest draw of the top dogs to get there if he is focused. Upset watch for Mardy Fish. He has Seppi or Olivier Rochus in his first match and needs to be on-point early. I also would be less than shocked if Troicki, Wawrinka or Simon lost early. Isner has to be the "dark horse" in this quarter. His draw shapes up nice for a quarterfinal run, but will he take advantage?

Rafael Nadal Quarter

 The return of Rafa should add plenty of intrigue to this quarter of the draw that also features Tsonga, Tipsarevic and Dolgpolov. As we laid out earlier, Rafa loves this tournament with a 31-6 mark at Indian Wells. His draw should set him up to have plenty of wiggle room if he needs to refind his form. A 2nd round match potentially against Falla and then the likes of Nieminen or or Granollers to make the 4th round. Two enigmatic players will be opposite of the consistent Nadal in this portion of the draw in Feliciano Lopez and Alexandr Dolgpolov. Dolgopolov could face Donald Young in a bettor's nightmare of a match in the 2nd round. Lopez is a candidate for an early exit with Chardy or Baghdatis due to face off against him in the 2nd round. As usual, Baghdatis will be a dangerous floater and I like him to make a little noise in this tournament with a better draw than he has seen in 2012. All-in-all, Nadal should be a cinch for the quarters perhaps taking out Dolgpolov or Baghdatis to get there. Up top, Tsonga will not have an easy time advancing deep. He has Llodra or Gulbis first-up and then maybe Radek Stepanek in the 3rd round. Tsonga's record at Indian Wells is 5-5 and he has never advanced past the 4th round. Don't expect Tsonga to do a ton this week. The bottom of this portion of the draw sees Tipsarevic and Marin Cilic as the seeds. Cilic is just getting back on-tour and won't see any favors as David Nalbandian potentially looms in round two. Tipsarevic faces either Tomic or Muller, so he too will need to be ready when he starts.

Prediction: Nadal is set up for another deep run at Indian Wells. He really shouldn't face a ton of resistance in getting to the quarters. Tsonga is certainly the talent in the other half to potentially oppose him, but Tsonga seems to still be playing down a notch. That could open up the other quarterfinal spot for Tipsarevic, but don't count out a surprise run by someone like Stepanek or even Cilic who should improve this tournament. Upset watch definitely for Lopez and Dolgpolov in their first matches.

Semifinalists: Djokovic, Del Potro, Murray, Nadal
Final: Nadal defeats Djokovic

ATP Delray Beach
Surface: Outdoor Hard

This is always an interesting tournament because it usual features the guys who don't feel like challenging their travel schedules and games against the big boys in Dubai. That is the case again with John Isner headlining as the top seed. This tournament marks the return of Marin Cilic who will be the #2 seed. He has been rehabbing from a knee injury suffered late last year. Viktor Troicki is the third seed and Andy Roddick rounds out the top four.

Isner was very disappointing in Memphis, falling to Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals. He looks out of sorts and will have to show something extra this week as expectations are high on him now and he needs to respond to the pressure each tournament. His draw isn't simple. He has Jesse Levine to open. Second up could be Ryan Sweeting or Donald Young. On the other side of the quarter, Bernard Tomic kicks off against Tommy Haas. Melzer will meet a qualifier to open. The quali pool is low on talent, so even on short rest, Melzer should be in decent shape. Tomic is another guy who has to show he's got the consistency to grind through these smaller tournaments. Haas isn't an easy draw nor is Melzer potentially in the 2nd round. Tomic looks like he could be in for another early exit. Isner has only played this tournament twice and he was upset in the 1st round last year. I think his recent suspect play plus Melzer's resurgent week in Memphis along with a lot of talent here makes this quarter pretty open. Isner at his best would take this field, but I don't think he's at his best.

Andy Roddick leads the second quarter and has 7th seeded Kevin Anderson on the other side to contend with. Roddick's free fall could continue in Florida as he's paired up against Phillipp Petzschner in his opener and would face Matthew Ebden or Denis Istomin in round two. On the bottom of the quarter, Anderson gets a qualifier to open. The other first round match-up is Garcia-Lopez and Malisse. Anderson has a workable draw to make a run again, but he disappointed last week with an early exit in Memphis in a similar set-up. With Roddick's health/mental state very questionable, this quarter as well seems ripe for some upsets. I'll go back to the well with Anderson again as I think his game is suited to these courts and his draw is easier than the top half. The dark horse here could be Petzschner. I ragged on him for being a guy with one foot in the doubles circuit, but he's found some nice runs at this point in the last couple of years in Dubai and Miami. If he beats Roddick, confidence could push him through a couple rounds. Don't discount the enigma that is Deni Istomin either.

Troicki's quarter is full of what ifs beginning with the highest seed in Troicki himself. He has Steve Darcis first-up, a winnable match, but no gimme. Gulbis and Falla are the other first rounder in that part of the quarter. The outdoor courts could give Falla a boost as he's proven a tough competitor on outdoor surfaces recently. Up top, Bogomolov is the seed. I've made my points about Bogomolov known at every turn. I think he shot his wad last year in his surprise rise and I think he's going to level off as he's already begun to do. He gets a qualifier first-up, so maybe he can get a win. Ivo Karlovic looms after that and that should be a quick end to Bogomolov's stay in Delray Beach. The good doctor made the final here in 2010 and this quarter looks like he could make some noise if Troicki falters. Don't be surprised if the doctor "is in" the semifinals.

I absolutely love the bottom quarter that features Marin Cilic as the 2nd seed, Kohlschreiber as the #5 and is littered with plenty of talent. Cilic opens against Nieminen and could be one and done as a result. Dudi Sela plays youngster Denis Kudla in the other first round match-up on bottom. That should be a good match and Kudla has some confidence right now. I could definitely see an upset there. Up top, Kohlschreiber gets the gritty Olivier Rochus first. Ivan Dodig gets Matthias Bachinger in the other first rounder. Rochus and Kohlscheiber have already met twice this season, splitting those two meetings. Kohlschreiber won on an indoor surface, Rochus on an outdoor court in Auckland. Rochus has been tough as nails this year, don't count him out of pulling another upset and getting through this quarter. I think it would be a bit much to expect Cilic to be sharp enough to get it together quick here, especially in light of who he opens with. Still, it would be a nice story if he could make a run.

Semifinalists: Melzer, Anderson, Karlovic, Rochus
Final: Karlovic over Anderson
Player to Watch: Marin Cilic
Upset Watch: Rochus over Kohlschreiber, Haas over Tomic or Petzschner over Roddick

ATP Dubai
Surface: Outdoor Hard

The Big Four minus Rafael Nadal. That is the story line to follow this week in Dubai as we see the big boys together [mostly] for the first time in one tournament since the Australian Open. Djokovic is the top seed. Federer enters as the two, Murray the three and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the four. Djokovic has owned this tournament and will be looking for his 4th straight title in Dubai.

Djokovic's quarter offers him little worry until the quarterfinals where he could face Janko Tipsarevic who is the other seed in this quarter. Djokovic should mow down Stebe in the opener and then faces Stakhovsky or a local wildcard in what appears to be another easy match-up. Down in Tipsarevic's portion of the draw, he gets Kunitsyn and then may find himself a tough go against Ivan Ljubicic. This quarter seems straight forward as Djokovic should cruise to the semifinals.

Andy Murray's quarter also features Tomas Berdych in what could be a little more competitive quarter. Murray opens with Berrer and then could face a resurgent Nikolay Davydenko in the 2nd round. Berdych opens against Benjamin Becker who will likely be gassed from a long week in Memphis. Lacko or Bubka would be next up. Murray hasn't done particularly well in this tournament in the past, never making it past the quarterfinals. That makes his potential 2nd rounder against Davydenko one to watch. That looks to be the only thing really standing in the way of Murray against Berdych in the quarterfinals.

Tsonga is featured in the next quarter as the #4 seed, but all eyes are likely to be on the 5th seed, Juan Martin Del Potro. Del Potro comes in off a title in Marseilles, but faces a double whammy with the quick turnaround and the talented Alexandr Dolgopolov in the 1st round. He will have a day off in between, but travel and adjusting to a new surface could really catch him here. Don't discount an upset right off the bat. Tsonga will also have to be on alert as he faces Marcos Baghdatis. Baghdatis retired a few weeks back in Rotterdam with an injured calf, but figures to be close to full health after ample rest. Tsonga will have to rebound from a disappointing loss to Del Potro in Marseille. The other first round matches here are Golubev vs. Marko Djokovic and Mannarino vs. Rosol. The winner of this quarter figures to come from those first round matches with Del Potro and Dolgopolov or Baghdatis and Tsonga. I think this quarter is ripe for a "suprise" or two.

Federer's quarter is set up very nicely for Federer to roll. He faces Llodra first-up. Llodra is not as effective on the outdoor hard courts and figures to be fatigued from his play in Marseille. The 2nd round would see Federer against Feliciano Lopez or Nicolas Mahut. Both could provide him a little stiffer test, but still are notches below Federer who is 29-4 all-time at this tournament. Mardy Fish is the other seed in this quarter and he'll have to shake off a poor performance in Marseille where has was taken out in his first match by a qualifier. Andreas Beck is the first rounder for Fish. Given Fish's up and down 2012, you'd have to say even Beck might have a chance depending on which version of Fish arrives in Dubai. Two guys familiar with each other will face off in the first round with Mikhail Youzhny and Richard Gasquet going toe-to-toe. Youzhny pulled out of Rotterdam with a foot problem, so his health is key here. Both guys have had some success here in the past, so they rate as dark horses and I would expect the first rounder winner between the two will be the quarterfinalist against Federer.

Semifinalists: Djokovic, Berdych, Dolgopolov, Federer
Final: Djokovic over Federer
Player to Watch: Alexandr Dolgpolov
Upset Watch: Dolgopolov over Del Potro or Gasquet over Fish [2nd Round]

ATP MEMPHIS
Surface: Indoor Hard
http://www.memphistennis.com/home

John Isner headlines a strong field in Memphis and it also marks the return of the man, the myth, the purveyor of the J-Bock ... James Blake! More on him in a bit. Isner is the top seed. Andy Roddick, Radek Stepanek and Milos Raonic round out the top four seeds. This draw is littered with talent. Bernard Tomic, Grigor Dimitrov, Denis Istomin, Kevin Anderson, Jack Sock and Ernests Gulbis are all capable on their best days of springing an upset or two on this surface.

John Isner's quarter is full of talent. He'll have to get past a similar style player in Gilles Muller first. Then he could see Dimitrov or Donald Young in the 2nd round. The bottom portion of the quarter features Bernard Tomic as the other seed. Tomic appears to have taken time away from eluding police in Australia to come to Memphis, but he'll have a lot of work to do to elude a first round upset against Ivan Dodig. The hard serving Croat certainly could make Tomic's trip a short one with Tomic only have eight all-time matches on this surface. Isner had the bad fortune of drawing Del Potro in the first round here last year when he came in as the defending champion. Look for a smoother path early, but he will be tested to survive this quarter.

Stepanek leads the 2nd quarter with Kevin Anderson as the 7th seed. The guy I am pleased to see back on tour though is James Blake. Blake has been out due to knee issues since early November. Blake ended 2011 on a surge with a Challenger Final in Sacramento and a semifinal appearance in Stockholm on an indoor surface. His track record in Memphis is not strong though with four first round losses in his last five tries. He gets Sweeting in the 1st round. Blake's website is reporting that he is 95 percent certain of playing this week, so it sounds like rehab has gone well, but there are still some lingering questions. Here's to hoping that Blake comes back healthy whether he wins or not this week. Great to see him back. Stepanek could have a better run this week after some rest. He crashed out to Steve Darcis in San Jose last week. Kevin Anderson though is the player I like in this quarter. A qualifier first-up for him and then Querrey or Falla, both beatable.

Raonic is the top seed in the third quarter. He's got a tricky first-up with the inconsistent Gulbis. Raonic will have to get ready from the quick turnaround from San Jose and that could leave him susceptible to an upset, but he did the same thing last year and made the Memphis final. If he's in the same frame of mind, this is his quarter to take. Bogomolov is the seed on the other side and he's been woeful in 2012. His confidence has to be shaky at-best. He draws Olivier Rochus first and could be leaving the tournament just that quickly. A good American ball bash fest shapes up opposite that match-up with Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock. The two young Americans have never met before. Right now, Harrison has to be considered the favorite to advance. Harrison took advantage of less experienced competition in San Jose and could well do the same with Sock in Memphis. Harrison has a real shot here to make the quarters of successive events and then get handed a paycheck and an exit again from Raonic.

The bottom quarter is a crapshoot. Andy Roddick is the lead seed at #2, but he picked up an ankle injury last week and generally looked like a frustrated player whose game is not working well at all right now. HIs tantrums are great for the sport though, don't deny it. So even if he crashes and burns, it could at least provide for some legen ... wait for it ... dary meltdown moments. HE should however benefit from drawing Xavier Malisse in round one. Malisse looks like he's about three steps ahead of Roddick in the retirement race. Benneteau is the other seed in the top portion of the quarter. He's had a nice season so far, but fell short of the final in San Jose. He draws Petzschner first-up who has been looking like a singles player who has both feet solidly into playing doubles now. Kubot or a qualifier is second. Guys like Bobby Reynolds and Robert Kendrick are floating around as qualifiers this week and I think one of them might make a little noise. Benjamin Becker, Dudi Sela and Xavier Malisse are floating around in this quarter. It's really a who's who of inconsistency, injury and past-their-prime skills. If Roddick was healthy, like last week in San Jose, this would be a good draw for him and he has won two of the last three titles in Memphis. With health and mental strength in question though, this quarter is wide open. I would not be surprised if we see a real surprise come out of this quarter, but I'll side with Benneteau.

Semifinalists: Isner, Anderson, Raonic, Benneteau
Final: Isner over Raonic
Upset Watch: Rochus Over Bogomolov & Dodig over Tomic
Player to Watch: Kevin Anderson

ATP MARSEILLE
Surface: Indoor Hard
http://www.open13.fr/

A strong field in France this week, headlined by the top seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. American Mardy Fish is the 2nd seed and Janko Tipsarevic and Juan Martin Del Potro round out the top four seeds. The defending champion is Robin Soderling who is still out due to illness. A French player has won four of the last six titles here.

Tsonga's quarter is set up pretty nicely for Tsonga to get to the semis. He's got a bye to open and then gets either Mahut or Clement. Two pretty solid players will hold down the bottom part of this quarter with Jarkko Nieminen and Andreas Seppi. Nieminen has to get past Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin, but Nieminen is very strong on this surface and should survive if fatigue doesn't get him from last week. Seppi should oust Cipolla first up. If Nieminen can navigate through to the quarterfinals, he would provide a stern test for Tsonga. Tsonga won this event in 2009, but has been bumped in the semifinals and quarterfinals the last two times. Keep an eye on who matches up against him in the quarters.

Del Potro's quarter is going to be tricky. Even without fatigue from Rotterdam, Del Potro was going to have a tough time surviving this quarter. Davydenko could be his his first opponent after an opening round bye. Davydenko got some much needed confidence in Rotterdam and nearly knocked out Roger Federer. The key here is whether or not Davydenko is fully healthy. He looked like he tweaked a knee or leg issue against Federer, but kept fighting until the end of a hard fought three set loss. If he's close to 100 percent, he's going to give Del Potro some problems and definitely could end Del Potro's session early. Gasquet is the other seed in this quarter. He has not done well here with a 4-5 mark and has only made it as far as the quarters once. He has Soeda up first and then Kunitsyn or a qualifier. It's an easy path, but nothing says Gasquet is going to do much here.

Tipsarevic's quarter is set up nicely for the Serb. A bye and then Mannarino or a qualifier. The top part of the quarter has Ivan Ljubicic and wildcard Paul Henri Mathieu. Ljubicic has been out of form for most of the season and Mathieu is still an inconsistent player as he tries to re-establish himself. There really is no reason to think Tipsarevic shouldn't run roughshod through this quarter. Tipsarevic is 20-6 on this surface in the past year with two titles and another finals appearance. He looked solid in Davis Cup play on a similar surface, so I think he'll be a threat to win this week.
 
Fish is back on tour for the first time since Team USA's marvelous Davis Cup upset over Switzerland. He will have a bye in the first round and then could see Matthias Bachinger or a qualifier. The other portion of his quarter has Alexandr Dolgopolov and home-standing Frenchman, Michael Llodra. This is going to be an interesting week for Fish. He has not played well on indoor courts in the last year, dropping nine of his last eleven matches on the surface. His best runs on this surface came in the US swing in San Jose and Memphis, so it's a bit curious to see him playing this tournament instead of Memphis. The plus for Fish is that Dolgpolov looked terrible last week and this isn't a great surface for him either. The minus could be that Llodra is stuck in his draw. Llodra has a knack for playing well at these France-based indoor tournaments. He made the final twice here, winning it all once and made the quarters last year. Llodra is a definite dark horse to watch.

Semifinalists: Tsonga, Davydenko, Tipsarevic, Llodra
Final: Tsonga over Llodra
Upset Watch: Rosol over Dolgopolov & Serra over Ljubicic
Player to Watch: Michael Llodra

ATP BUENOS AIRES
Surface: Clay
http://copaclaro.com/atp/

The "Golden Swing" of clay court tennis continues in South America, this time in Buenos Aires. Last week's title winner in Sao Paulo, Nicolas Almagro, is also the defending champion here. He enters as the #2 seed. David Ferrer returns to action as the top seed. Gilles Simon is again on the clay swing as the three seed and another surprising entry, Kei Nishikori is the fourth seed.

Ferrer's quarter sees him with a few potential speed bumps. He could face Leonardo Mayer in the 2nd round. Mayer is fresh off a solid week in Sao Paulo. I don't think he's consistent enough to beat someone like Ferrer, but he could certainly test him. Chela is the 8th seed in this quarter and he gets tested right out of the gate by Albert Ramos. Ramos had a very nice run in Sao Paulo last week with an impressive run to the semifinals. He'll have Chela on upset watch, although Chela made the finals here last year. Fernando Gonzalez and Albert Montanes comprise the other first round match. Gonzo's farewell tour unfortunately looks like it may be void of many wins. If Ferrer gets off to a good start, he should find this quarter workable for a semifinal birth.

Simon and Juan Monaco are the seeds in the second quarter. Simon's decision to play the South American clay tournaments still seems odd. He gets Machado first, but then could face one of the more solid clay guys in Carlos Berlocq. Simon doesn't seem a good fit here again to me. Monaco gets Filippo Volandri in the opening round. Volandri played some shockingly good tennis in Sao Paulo en route to the final where he pushed Almagro to three sets. His consistency outside of Italy is always a question though and I think fatigue along with battling a home-standing Argentine could mean a quick exit. David Nalbandian could be Monaco's second round opponent if he gets by a qualifier. Nalbandian was a victim of Volandri and looks like he might not be ready to face the grind of working all the way through a tournament just yet. He will make Monaco work though and that would be a fun match. This smells like an Argentine bracket. Berlocq or Monaco the likely winner.

The third quarter is an interesting one with Stan Wawrinka as the six seed and Nishikori as the four. Nishikori has a tough match-up against Juan Carlos Ferrero in the opening round. JCF had a tough time recovering from Davis Cup travel last week and lost to Leo Mayer early. He should stand a better chance here in perhaps the best first round match of any of the ATP tournaments this week. Pablo Andujar and Victor Hanescu face off in this quarter along with Benoit Paire being here. Wawrinka gets Zeballos and that will be a tough one for the Swiss. Is Wawrinka emotionally ready after losing in Davis Cup play? He played well in Buenos Aires last year, so if he survives the opener - he could be poised to make another run. This should come down to the victor in the JCF-Nishikori battle and Wawrinka.

The final quarter starts with Almagro as the #2 seed. Fernando Verdasco is the other seed at #7. Verdasco complained of knee pain last week in Sao Paulo, so watch him closely here. His form has been suspect to begin with, so I am not expecting much from him. An interesting first round clash here is Frederico Gil and Thomaz Bellucci. Bellucci somehow made it to the semifinals last week in Sao Paulo despite playing some very uneven tennis. That should catch up with him sooner rather than later this week. If he wins the opener, Almagro could be there to erase him. With Verdasco's status, the top portion of this quarter opens with Blaz Kavcic, a qualifier and Verdasco's first round opponent Eric Prodon in the mix. What that really does is keeps Almagro on track to make the semifinals.

Semifinals: Ferrer, Monaco, Wawrinka, Almagro
Final: Almagro over Monaco
Upset Watch: Gil over Bellucci
Player to Watch: Carlos Berlocq

BACK TO THE FUTURE

ATP ROTTERDAM
Hello McFly: Our unassuming player here has to be Viktor Troicki. We often wait for this guy to implode in a spot when he shouldn't, but this week, he's been solid with a pair of straight set wins. Del Potro is up next. Helloooooo McFly!

Biff: The asshole who made people angry this week. Have to give the edge to Dolgopolov. Nobody is more of a risk to lose in the 1st round or run to the finals of a tournament than this guy. Like Forrest Gump said "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." Dolgpolov looks like he got chocolate wasted, losing to Kubot in the 1st round.

Doc Brown: Who's doing work this week? A couple candidates here. Jarkko Nieminen and Nikolay Davydenko. Nieminen continues to impress on indoor hard courts without much fanfare. He's probably not going to go any further up against Federer, but already a good showing with two wins. Davydenko gets honorable mention here, knocking off Dutch local Robin Haase and outdueling Paul Henri Mathieu. His career has been in the crapper for the better part of a year and a half, can he go a step further against Gasquet?

ATP SAO PAULO
Hello McFly: Carlos Berlocq gets the nod here as he continues working hard and winning on clay without much hoopla. Two wins here and his first in nine tries against Potito Starace to cap it off. Your reward? Nicolas Almagro in the quarters. Hellllllooooo McFly!

Biff: Got to give the asshole tip to Albert Montanes this week for crashing out in the first round against Filippo Volandri. It's not just that he lost to Volandri, he got crushed 6-2, 6-3. Thanks for showing up this week.

Doc Brown: Who's doing work here? How about Leonardo Mayer. All he has done this week is beat Juan Carlos Ferrero and an in-form Jeremy Chardy to get to the quarters. His serve has been pretty solid and he gets Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci next. That is one I'll pay to see.

ATP SAN JOSE
Hello McFly: Our under-the-radar flyer in San Jose has to be Julien Benneteau. The Frenchman probably wasn't given much chance to do anything here after getting whipped in Davis Cup play by Milos Raonic on an indoor hard court last weekend. Benneteau though showed up here ready to play and took out Ryan Sweeting in a pair of tight sets and then crushed Gilles Muller. He's in the quarters here and with his draw against Darcis and then maybe Roddick, Benneteau could be staring at a title match. Hellloooooo McFly!

Biff: Easy choice here for our disappointing asshole, Donald Young. Young expected to be more of a breakout American star got ushered out easily in straights by Michael Russell in the 1st round,. No disrespect to Russell, an experienced tour vet with the heart of a lion, but if Young is ever going to be a consistent winner ... you don't lose that sort of match. Remember that scene where Biff gets a load of manure dumped in his car? That's about where Young's performance ranked this week.

Doc Brown: Who's doing work? How boutcha Steve Darcis. Being a bit of a Darcisist myself [one who cannot resist the veteran play of Steve Darcis], it's nice to see him continuing a solid run of form here. He made the Dallas Challenger final on a similar surface last week and has shown no hangover effect from losing to Jesse Levine. He ousted youngster Steve Johnson and then inched out Radek Stepanek. He's got Benneteau next and could give him all he can handle based on his current form.

Who's New: Jurgen Zopp 

 The 23-year old from Estonia is charging hard in the Challenger ranks to start off 2012. Zopp reeled off his sixth straight Challenger win on Wednesday, beating Marcus Crugnola 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the quarters of the Bergamo Challenger. Zopp won the Kazan Challenger for his first title above the Futures ranks. He also ran through qualifying in the Australian Open for a trip to his first main draw at a Grand Slam.

Zopp ranks as Estonia's top male player, currently ranked #121. His wins and hunt for titles so far shouldn't come as a surprise. Zopp made two Challenger finals on hard courts late in 2011, but fell short in the Championship matches in both.  Zopp takes on Russia's Alexandre Kudryavtsev in Bergamo. A win pushes Zopp into another Challenger semifinal and in prime position for a shot at his second title. Learn the name, Jurgen Zopp because you just may see it on a handful of trophies this season.

ATP Sao Paulo
Surface: Indoor Clay
http://www.brasilopen.com.br/site/

The Brasil Open finds a new home in Sao Paulo after eleven years in Costa de Sauipe. It's an interesting switch because the inclimate weather in Sao Paulo [rain] is leading organizers to have this played indoors on clay, which will give it a different feel. The tournament is headlined by Nicolas Almagro, the #1 seed as a wildcard. Gilles Simon is in as the second seed with Verdasco and Bellucci rounding out the top four seeds. The most interesting "floater" in this tournament is Argentine, David Nalbandian who could meet Simon in round two.

Almagro's quarter features Carlos Berlocq as the other seed. You've got a mix of dirt ballers here with Prodon, Souza and Starace filling out the quarter. Almagro won this tournament the last two years in Costa de Sauipe and his draw is set up for him to make yet another drive for a trophy. It's hard to see past an Almagro-Berlocq meeting to decide who gets into the semifinals. Berlocq has been a very solid guy on clay over the past year, but the majority of his work has come on the Challenger level and when pressed with the best clay court guys in the game, he has mostly come up short. He played well in Vina Del Mar, so he should be in position to meet Almagro. Almagro won their only previous meeting in three sets last May.

The second quarter features the enigmatic Fernando Verdasco as the third seed. Albert Ramos is the 8th seed. Fernando Gonzalez is in this quarter as a wildcard. I wanted to note that because Fernando announced he will retire from the sport after next month's Master's event in Miami. Gonzalez long had one of the most vicious forehands on the planet and it's been a shame to see injuries rob him of most of the past two years. I don't expect much out of him here, but enjoy watching him because there won't be too many more opportunities to do so. Ramos may not even make it out of the opening round, pitted in a tough match-up against Santiago Giraldo who has beaten him twice on clay. It's hard to pencil Verdasco in for anything with how inconsistent he has become, so I think this quarter is prime to see a surprise semifinalist.

The third quarter features Juan Carlos Ferrero as the fourth seed and Thomaz Bellucci as the fourth seed. Ferrero really struggled in Davis Cup play over the weekend and draws a guy in Leonardo Mayer who could take him out in the opening round. Bellucci gets the benefit of a bye and then faces Mello or Riba. Bellucci has had a poor start to 2012 which included losing in the opening round at Vina del Mar to Del Bonis. He never played well at this event in Costa de Sauipe, but it's worth noting that he won a few clay Challengers held in Sao Paulo in the past few years. This might be a spot where he can kick start his season.

The bottom quarter sees Simon as the second seed and Albert Montanes as the seventh seed. The first question really has to be, what in the world is Simon doing here? It's not that he is a terrible clay court player [59% win rate], but it's an odd choice with the indoor hard court swing available where he would probably fare better. Nalbandian is the floater here and if he gets past Paire, would be up against Simon in the second round. Nalbandian got in some clay form over the weekend with a Davis Cup dismantling of Florian Mayer and he could carry that over into a nice run here. Montanes draws the tricky Filippo Volandri first-up. I think Montanes or Nalbandian survives this quarter and with the Davis Cup emotion still coursing in him, I'm siding with Nalbandian.

Semifinalists: Almagro, Giraldo, Bellucci, Nalbandian
Final: Almagro over Bellucci
Player to Watch: David Nalbandian
Upset Watch: Mayer over Ferrero  & Giraldo over Ramos

San Jose

Surface: Indoor Hard Court

http://www.sapopentennis.com/index2.html

Milos Raonic is the returning champion here and San Jose also marks the return of Andy Roddick to the court for the firsr time since he retired at the Australian Open. This tournament has been great for Roddick in the past. He's 32-6 here, but has not played it since 2010. Monfils serves as the top seed here, but his health is questionable as he say out as a reserve in Davis Cup play this past weekend due to a knee issue. Stepanek is the #4 seed. There are a lot of injury question marks and Davis Cup hangovers potentially here in this draw.

Monfils gets a first round bye and that will give him some additional rest before he faces one of the qualifiers in round two. Olivier Rochus is the other seed in this quarter. If Monfils is healthy, he should be in position to make the semifinals here. It will be wide open in the other half of the quarter though with Rochus, Ryan Harrison, Robby Ginepri and Xavier Malisse. Any one of those guys could be his opponent. This used to be a great surface for Malisse, but he's had some injury issues already with arm problems and he's had nagging problems that have dogged him since last Fall. Harrison's inexperience on this surface and potential jetlag from Davis Cup participation in Switzerland is a concern for him. Still, Rochus is not unbeatable by any means. Ginepri may have the best "form" of these guys, but he's been toiling on the Challenger circuit so far this season and may or may not be ready to win at the ATP level. It really is a crapshoot down here. If Monfils is healthy, this should be an easy path for him. That however, is a large question mark.

The second quarter features Raonic and another big hitter in Kevin Anderson as the other seed. Anderson goes up against Dimitrov in the first round which should be a good match. Dimitrov is capable on this surface, but has yet to prove his consistency at this level. Still, if he serves well, an upset is not out of the question. The rest of the quarter is littered with more "tweeners" who rotate from Challenger to ATP level like Van Der Merwe, Kamke and Ebden. Getting the first round bye should help Raonic recover from Davis Cup play this weekend. No reason to believe he doesn't make it out of this quarter.

In the third quarter, you've got Stepanek as the top seed at #4 with Benneteau on the other side. Stepanek has had good runs here before, but lost in the first round in his last visit in 2010. His results on indoor surfaces over the past two years have been pretty average or below average. He likely will face Darcis in the second round. Darcis could give him some trouble. Benneteau draws Sweeting first up and based on Sweeting's terrible performance in Dallas, I'd say Benneteau should make it through although he may have a Davis Cup hangover to contend with as well. Gilles Muller's big serve may be waiting for either guy in the second round. Even though Muller is off to a poor start in 2012, his serve always makes him dangerous on these quick surfaces. I think the extra rest getting the bye could help Stepanek here, but I won't be surprised if someone besides him sneaks out of this quarter,

In the last quarter, you've got Andy Roddick and Donald Young as the seeds. They've littered this quarter with American players, including Sam Querrey and the youngster Jack Sock. This quarter really reads a Who's Who of failed expectations, injury issues and confidence questions. Young's half of the draw has him up against Michael Russell first. Outside of his run in Bangkok last season, Young hasn't done much on this surface and it's not really one that is conducive to someone without a major weapon to exploit on opponents. Istomin and Querrey meet in the other first rounder here in what is sure to be a battle of inconsistency. That is a match Querrey needs to get to start rebuilding his confidence after crashing out early in the Dallas Challenger. Roddick and Sock could meet in the second if Sock gets past a qualifier. Assuming Roddick is healthy, this is a quarter he can take with relative ease unless one of the other question marks straightens up and finds their game.

Semifinalists: Monfils, Raonic, Stepanek, Roddick
Finals: Raonic over Roddick
Player to Watch: Steve Darcis
Upset Watch: Russell over Young

ATP Rotterdam

Surface: Indoor Hard Court

http://www.abnamrowtt.nl/home

This is the highlighted tournament of the week with Roger Federer heading in as the top seed in a strong field of competitors on this indoor hard surface.

Federer's quarter has some potential speed bumps. Alexandr Dolgpolov is the other seed at the bottom of the quarter as the number six. Federer will go up against Mahut first. While Mahut has shown that he can keep matches tight on this surface when his serve is working, it's difficult to see him doing it consistently enough to overtake Federer. Youzhny could be up second for Federer if he survives fellow Russian, Igor Kunitsyn. Dolgpolov is no cinch to get to the quarters. He's got Kubot up first and indoor stud Jarkko Nieminen likely up second. Federer hasn't played this tournament since 2005 when he won it and comes in here with some question marks after losing in Davis Cup play. You've got a red hot Youzhny who won a title in Zagreb who could battle him in the second round. Dolgopolov hasn't had a ton of success lately on this surface, so it could win up being Federer or Youzhny who makes their way out of this quarter after they battle head-to-head. Federer is 11-0 vs. Youzhny, so that's a head game in his favor.

In the second quarter, Feliciano Lopez and Richard Gasquet are the seeds. The match-up between Haase and Davydenko in the opening round is an interesting one. Haase has shown some ability on this surface while Davydenko looks like his best days have long passed. The winner may have a shot to work through this quarter with Lopez being a .500 player on this surface. Down on the bottom half, Gasquet has no excuses here. He gets Cipolla first and then Stakhovsky or Bogomolov, Jr. This isn't his best surface though as it seems maybe the quickness doesn't allow him to work quite as well. Still, he's the best talent down here with Stakhovsky and Bogomolov being terribly out-of-form. I think Haase rates a potential dark horse to come out of this quarter, but Gasquet has every shot to beat him there.

We get to see the return of Juan Martin Del Potro for the first time since Melbourne in the third quarter where he stands as the third seed and Troicki as the #7. Del Potro has a tough match-up first-up against Llodra. The good thing is Llodra does his better work on this surface at home in France. All things being equal, Del Potro wins that match-up nine times out of ten. It also might be his toughest in this quarter. He'll likely meet Troicki or Ljubicic for a trip to the semifinals. I don't see either as a major issue for him if he's focused on making a statement. Since he skipped Davis Cup to prepare for this tournament, I am guessing he is here to make that statement.

The bottom quarter in this portion of the draw looks tailor made for Tomas Berdych. He does have the danger of playing Baghdatis in the second round, but in current form, Berdych should advance. Granollers is the other seed here, but could well crash out in the first round against Kohlschreiber. Given Berdych's roll to the title on a similar indoor surface in Montpellier and a win in Davis Cup action on the same surface, it would be a large surprise to not see him in the semifinals.

Semifinalists: Federer, Gasquet, Del Potro, Berdych
Final: Berdych over Federer
Player to Watch: Robin Haase
Upset Watch: Stakhovsky Over Bogomolov, Jr.

DAVIS CUP ... Continuous Blog ....

TEAM AMERICA, F YEAH!

Friday, February 10th, 2012 could well go down as one of the most surprising days in U.S.A. Davis Cup history. Sure, it isn't a Championship, but the wins today by Mardy Fish and John Isner may have been two of the more improbable in memory. Let's start with Fish vs. Wawrinka.

Fish ran out to a big first set 6-2 and then dropped successive sets, 6-4, 6-4. It looked like what most expected, a Swiss win by Wawrinka was in the cards. Fish though pulled himself together and blasted an inconsistent Wawrinka 6-1 to set up a classic 5th set. The tension was high and the memories clear for Fish with two five set losses in Davis Cup play in recent years. Fish looked like he was coasting to a win, up a break at 4-3. But he ran into trouble, going down Love-40 on his serve only to save four break points and hold to go up 5-3. Match over, right? Wrong. After Wawrinka held his serve, Fish blew match point and we were all even at 5-5. The drama was riveting and I for one thought Fish was set up for another let down. Boy was I wrong. Fish showed great guts as the two players danced back and forth to 7-7. Fish broke to go up 8-7 and was down 15-40 in the final game before he ralled back to Deuce. He ripped off an ace for another match point, but Wawrinka fought it off again with a glorious backhand winner. Fish would get back to match point again and this time with great agility, he tracked down Wawrinka's shot and sent a winning volley cross-court for the finish of a 95 minute final set. 

So hey, what a win and how nice it is to split with the Swiss 1-1 in the opening rubbers. A split? Sure. Federer against Isner was the second rubber, a sure fire win for the home standing Swiss. But wait ... there was more drama. Surely, Federer would right the Swiss ship and he started strong beating Isner 6-4 in the opening set. Everyone expecting this was the beginning of the end for the tall American. But Isner bounced back and took the second set, 6-3 to even things up. Big John's serve and ground strokes proving too much for Federer. Set three. Not unsurprisingly, we get a tie break in a match involving Isner. Isner stayed composed and won the tie break, 7-4. In the 4th, Isner was down Love-40 on his service game and rallied with his trademark thunder booming serves and a forehand winner to hold in what may well have been the cracking point for Federer. Federer frustrated with blown opportunities, lost out four straight games to end the match in the day's most shocking result. 

So where does this rank all-time in Davis Cup history for the U.S.? Isner called it the greatest win of his career and you won't get much argument there. But in the scheme of Davis Cup play, it's pretty high up there for a non-Championship type of tie. Sure, it's not a Championship, but when the day began there were few who gave the Americans a shot in hell to even split 1-1 in the opening rubbers. Low and behold at the end of the day, Team America shocked the tennis world to go up 2-0. Work is left to be done. A doubles tie tomorrow likely pits Federer-Wawrinka against Mike Bryan-Ryan Harrison.  Jim Courier has to keep his troops focused and even out their emotions after a highly emotional day. A loss in doubles and the window is open for the Swiss. Could you expect Roger Federer to lose twice? He would be up against Fish in the 4th rubber on Sunday and then if necessary, Wawrinka and Isner in a decisive 5th rubber. 

Today was great. Today was historic. Today was today. Tomorrow is another day and the one that Team America needs to concentrate on now.

Davis Cup Continuous Blog ....

Austria vs. Russia

Potential Opening Day Upset: Haider-Maurer over Bogomolov, Jr.

I like this spot for a potential upset. Melzer opens with Kunitsyn in the opening rubber in a surprise move to me that they are not using Youzhny in singles. That means Austria could very well be up 1-0 and Bogomolov could be already needing to be the "stopper" in his Davis Cup debut for his new country. That could be a tremendous amount of pressure for a player who has already shown some struggles in 2010. For Haider-Maurer, he'll be able to play loose if Austria has a lead and simply go for it if he chooses to. He's only got two DC matches under his belt, but he did beat Xavier Malisse last Fall in Belgium in straight sets on an indoor surface. He's played almost exclusively on this surface since last October. The results have been more losses than wins, but I still have a gut feeling here that this one is going to be competitive. You'll grab a great price on Haider-Maurer here too if you're a gambler. I'd say wait and see what happens with Melzer-Kunitsyn, you'll have time to evaluate. But if Melzer wins, I'd grab AHM for a shot at the upset here.

Davis Cup: Opening Day Continuous Blog ...

Davis Cup play kicks off this evening, 11pm ET for those state-side like myself. The first rubber of Japan-Croatia shoukl set the tone for a fun weekend of action.

Soeda vs. Dodig
The opening tilt as the Japanese host Croatia is a fascinating one for me. Soeda is playing some solid tennis to start 2012 off. He made the semifinals in Chennai and then won the Honolulu Challenger a couple weeks ago. Dodig has the more recent work on this indoor surface, having won a couple matches at Zagreb. He's always had a big serve, but has trouble harnessing his ground strokes some times which has led to an inconsistent career thus far. Dodig has been poor in Davis Cup play at 2-7 overall, but several of those came when he was a very young player. In the past two years, he's 1-2 with losses to Kohlschreiber & Kevin Anderson, nothing to be ashamed about. Soeda is 17-4 in his Davis Cup career, but the majority of those matches have come against very low level competition from some of the worst countries in this competition. I don't think there's any added pressure on Soeda here. I believe the Japanese believe Nishikori can win them any singles rubber in this series, so Soeda should be going out here with the mindset that he can really help put an early dent in Croatia's plans of advancing with a win. His return game will be the obvious key here. If he can serve well and get into Dodig's serve, I like the Japanese to draw first blood.

DAVIS CUP PREVIEW, PART II

http://www.daviscup.com/en/home.aspx

Czech Republic v. Italy
The Czech Republic and Italy are familiar foes in Davis Cup play, having faced each other ten previous times. The Czechs lead the series 7-3, but there has not been a meeting since 1995. The surface is an indoor hard court. Berdych and Stepanek lead the singles charge for the Czechs along with Rosol and doubles specialist Cermak. The Italians have Seppi, Bolelli, Starace and Bracciali on their roster. The Czechs were shocked by Kazakhstan last year in the World Group stage, blowing a 2-1 lead. Given the surface and experience of this Czech squad, they should roll. 

Prediction: Czech Republic.to Win, 4-1.

Serbia v. Sweden
A rematch of the World Group quarterfinals that saw Serbia crush Sweden, 4-1. The Serbs send Tipsarevic, Troicki, Bozoljac and doubles specialist Zimonjic into competition here on an indoor hard surface. The Swedes look completely over matched again with Ryderstedt, Bergman, Prpic and Lindstedt in action here. Cannot see past anything but another big Serbian win. 

Prediction: Serbia to Win, 4-1.

Japan v. Croatia
Japan is making their first appearance in the World Group stages since 1985 and will fancy their chances here against Croatia. The surface is an indoor hard court. Japan sends out Nishikori, Soeda, Ito and Sugita. Croatia counters with Dodig, Karlovic, Veic and Zovko. Nishikori who will face off against Karlovic in one of the opening ties. It's Dodig vs. Soeda in the other. The Japanese will be confident heading in here as Soeda beat Dodig in Chennai earlier this year. If Soeda can repeat that result to open, there will be a lot of presure on Karlovic to win or Croatia could be done quickly. Nishikori should have plenty of confidence as he played well on this surface at the ATP level last Fall with scalps on Berdych and Djokovic - even though he was less than 100 percent. Nishikori's return game may neutralize the good doctor. Both Dodig and Karlovic carry .500 or below Davis Cup records here, so I think with the stepped up quality of these Japanese players to start 2012, they have every shot to win here.
Prediction: Japan to Win, 3-2.

Germany v. Argentina
A battle on clay here with last year's runners-up in Argentina facing off against quarter finalists Germany. The Germans are down a man as their #2, Phillip Kohlschreiber is M.I.A. due to a gastrointestinal infection. That means this match-up lies in the hands of Florian Mayer, Phillipp Petzschner, Tommy Haas and youngster Cedric-Martel Stebe. The Argie charge is led with years of experience with Nalbandian, Chela, Monaco and doubles specialist Eduardo Schwank. Monaco, fresh off a clay court title already, opens against Petzschner. Monaco will be expected to lead Argentina to an early lead. That could lead the second singles tie between Mayer and Nalbandian to be a decisive one. Massive edge to Nalbandian who has played 27 singles rubbers in Davis Cup play with a record of 22-5 to Mayer's 4-5 record. Argentina should roll here.
Prediction: Argentina to Win, 4-1.

DAVIS CUP PREVIEW, PART I

http://www.daviscup.com/en/home.aspx

 

Davis Cup play returns this Friday with the World Group stages. Eight match-ups altogether, including the defending champions, Spain, opening play. This is the first of a two part preview.I'll also have some individual match-up previews on the days of the actual matches.

Spain v. Kazikhstan
The defending champions will be on home soil on their preferred surface of clay to face off against the Kaziks, While this should be a mismatch, don't forget that Kazakhstan scored a famous 3-2 away win against the Czech Republic last year before falling to eventual runners-up Argentina in the quarterfinals. Spain's lineup should tell you that they expect these ties to fall their way: Almagro, Ferrero, Granollers and doubles specialist Marc Lopez. Kazakhstan send out their best with Kukushkin, Golubev, Korolev and Schukin. With the surface set to play to Spain's players strengths, Spain should cruise.  
Prediction: Spain Wins 4-1.

Austria v. Russia
Austria looks for their first win ever over Russia in this competiton. The surface is an indoor hard court for the home standing Austrians. Jurgen Melzer captains the squad along with Haider-Maurer and the dynamic doubles duo, Peya and Marach. The Russians send Youzhny, Davydenko, newly crowned Russian Bogomolov, Jr. and Kunitsyn to battle in these rubbers. Melzer will have a lot pressure on him to perform and lead this squad. Last year with Bogomolov in-form, I'd give the Russians the edge. This year, he seems to have regressed or perhaps is not fully fit after suffering an ankle injury early in the year. Davydenko continues to flounder, so Youzhny is really the hope for the Russians here. This one is tough to call. Melzer's Davis Cup record is not great at 16-21 for his career and he's lost a few you wouldn't have expected in the last year. Youzhny has won five of his last six Davis Cup singles matches. The doubles rubber here could be the key as well as how Bogomolov responds to the pressure here. 
Prediction: Russia Wins 3-2.

Canada v. France
Canada are making their first appearance in the World Group since 2004. France loss in the semifinals last year to the champions, Spain and appear to be a very strong favorite to get back to at least that spot. Canada is full of young promise with Raonic and Pospisil headlining their group. Doubles specialist Daniel Nestor brings a good veteran presence and Frank Dancevic is along for the ride. France is fielding a very strong side with Tsonga, Monfils, Llodra and Benneteau. The indoor hard surface could allow Canada to keep some of these rubbers close, but the French have the experience advantage here. 
Prediction: France Wins 4-1.

Switzerland v. USA
A tough draw for the Americans here with the Swiss being led by "The Maestro," Roger Federer. The Swiss also have Wawrinka, Chiudinelli and Lammer along for this one. The hosts chose an indoor clay court which really hurts the Americans' chances here with the lineup they bring. Fish, Isner, Harrison and Mike Bryan. This is the fourth all-time meeting between the two countries in Davis Cup play with the home side prevailing each time. Team USA lost to eventual champions Spain in the quarterfinals in 2011. The Americans did win their last two away ties, both on clay, against Chile and Colombia. Still, Federer rarely loses in Davis Cup play at 30-6 all-time and the surface suits him over Fish and Isner who both carry losing records in this competition. Team USA would need to beat Wawrinka here one would think to have a chance and then hope they can steal the doubles rubber.
Prediction: Switzerland Wins 3-2.

DALLAS
Surface: Indoor Hard

http://www.challengerofdallas.com/

Ryan Sweeting is the top seed here and he's won this tournament twice [2009/2010]. This draw is littered with good "tweener" talent, guys who swing between the Challenger level and the main draws at the ATP level. Steve Darcis, Sam Querrey, Tobias Kamke, Wayne Odesnik, Izak Van Der Merwe, Rajeev Ram and Ricardas Berankis line out the seeds here.

 In the opening quarter, Sweeting will need to get past Ginepri in the 2nd round potentially and Challenger vets, Jesse Levine and Odesnik loom in the quarters. Also, don't look past Bryan Baker who entered here as a wildcard. He made the final on a similar surface in Knoxville late in 2011. Sweeting is the most talented player in this quarter. He had David Ferrer on the ropes in Melbourne and generally, has played well this year. If he can get past Ginepri who is hot after wining the Honolulu Challenger, Sweeting should make the semis.

In the other quarter, Kamke and Ram are the seeds. Youngster Denis Kudla is here also, but seems ill-equipped to make a run this early in his career on this surface. Kamke has the easier road. Ram has to beat Zverev in his opener and it looks like one of those two would be Kamke's likely opponent. Even though Kamke did not play well in Montpellier last week, he's got the talent and game on this surface. He went 16-7 on indoor hard courts in 2011. Expect Kamke to roll into the semis.

The bottom half of the draw has some great talent and there should be some good power matches here. In the first quarter, Van Der Merwe and Querrey are the seeds. There is also an intriguing 1st rounder with teen Jack Sock against Challenger vet Robert Kendrick. Kendrick looked rusty in Honolulu, while Sock got a couple of confidence building wins. This is a good step up for Sock. He has a potentially big serve, but consistency is another thing. I won't be surprised if he wins, but Kendrick can batter him if his serve is working. Querrey may not be all the way back from last year's injury woes, but he's got to be able to take this quarter if he wants to get back into the mix of "top Americans.'

The other quarter features Berankis and Darcis as the seeds, Challenger regular Tim Smyczek is in the mix here as well. Berankis has the best talent maybe of any player in this tournament, but his year has not started well. He lost to Hernych in qualis in Brisbane and then lost in the 2nd round of qualis in Melbourne. Still, his record on indoor hard courts is impressive at 41-17 with an 18-8 mark last season. He made three Challenger semifinals on this surface and a final in 2011. If he can find his game early and get rolling, he looks primed for a deep run. Darcis has had injury concerns already, so he may not even be in the mix. Smyczek could sneak into the battle to get out of this quarter, but I think Berankis gets it together.

Semifinalists: Sweeting, Kamke, Querrey, Berankis
Final: Querrey over Sweeting

Player to Watch: Ricardas Berankis

Upset Watch: Baker over Odesnik in Round 1

CALOUNDRA
Surface: Outdoor Hard
http://www.elitetennisinternational.com/elite/index.html

Yen-Hsun Lu is the top seed in the last swing in Australia and this is a tournament he has owned with a 10-0 mark. However, those two title runs came in 2006 and 2004 and have no bearing on this week. The Aussies of course get a lot of the seeded slots here with Matosevic, Duckworth, Greg Jones and Benjamin Mitchell rounding out the top five seeds. The top half of the draw shapes up for Lu to meet Mitchell. Even though Lu was upset by Udomchoke last week earlier then expected, there really isn't much to get in his way early here. It will be interesting to see how Mitchell bounces back from a good run last week, but getting whipped by Jimmy Wang in the quarters. Expect Lu to be in the quarters

In the other quarter of the top half, Greg Jones and Raven Klaasen are the seeded players. I think a player to watch out for in this part of the draw is young Aussie, John Millman. Millman made the quarters in Burnie last week and beat Greg Jones easily in doing so. Don't expect Klaasen to do much here. He's 1-9 in his last ten matches dating back to 2011 and looked disinterested in getting pounded by Adam Feeney in the 1st round at Burnie. Millman looks like a shot to make the quarters out of this draw.

In the bottom half of the draw in the first quarter, Duckworth is the highest seed at #3 with Kamil Capkovic as the six seed. Jimmy Wang is a dangerous floater here off a good week in Burnie. Duckworth flopped early in Burnie after he looked to be a potential breakout player after getting a win in Melbourne at the Australian Open and taking a set off Janko Tipsarevic. He's got a draw to bounce back here if he comes prepared. Capkovic doesn't look particularly great this year, so Wang will have a chance to make another deep run.

In the other quarter, Matosevic is the #2 seed and Sebastian Rieschick is the #8. The floater here is last week's Burnie finalist, Samuel Groth. Matosevic struggled, losing in round one in Burnie. However, he made the quarters here last year and faces an easy road to getting at least that far again. Lemke who hasn't won since May 2011 is up first for him and then a pair of beatable opponents wait. Rieschick probably faces Groth in the 2nd round. Can Groth step up two tournaments in a row? It all depends how he handles the schedule of back-to-back weeks. I think it's Groth or Matosevic to come out of this quarter.

Semifinalists: Lu, Millman, Wang, Matosevic
Final: Lu over Matosevic

Player to Watch: John Millman

Upset Watch: Laaksonen Over Klaasen in Round 1