First Serve: July 19-25

Published Jul 26, 2010

TENNIS.com's Monday morning quarterback recaps last week's pro tennis action—and offers his reaction.

Last Week's Tournaments

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Atlanta, United States(ATP, Hard)	Final: Mardy Fish def. John IsnerSemifinal 1: Mardy Fish def. Andy RoddickSemifinal 2: John Isner def. Kevin AndersonBrackets: Singles \| Doubles
Hamburg, Germany(ATP, Clay)	Final: Andrey Golubev def. Jurgen MelzerSemifinal 1: Andrey Golubev def. Florian MayerSemifinal 2: Jurgen Melzer def. Andreas SeppiBrackets: Singles \| Doubles
Bad Gastein, Austria(WTA, Clay)	Final: Julia Goerges def. Timea BacsinszkySemifinal 1: Julia Goerges def. Alize CornetSemifinal 2: Timea Bacsinszky def. Yvonne MeusburgerBrackets: Singles \| Doubles
Portoroz, Slovenia(WTA, Hard)	Final: Anna Chakvetadze def. Johanna LarssonSemifinal 1: Johanna Larsson def. Ksenia PervakSemifinal 2: Anna Chakvetadze def. Polona HercogBrackets: Singles \| Doubles



Golubev became the first player from Kazakhstan to win an ATP title. (Joern Pollex/Bongarts/Getty Images)

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Party Time
Andrey Golubev celebrated his 23rd birthday last Thursday by defeating Nikolay Davydenko, the top seed at the German Open. He did so with bruising swings from the baseline, both with his steady forehand and his occasionally explosive one-handed backhand. The clay underfoot allowed the Kazakh to properly set up his strokes and put Davydenko on the defensive. But Golubev had brains to go with his brawn. When serving, he would sometimes stand well wide, near the sideline. It was a strategy that seemed obvious—give the returner something else to think about—but one you rarely see employed on the pro tours. It paid off for Golubev, who used this change-up tactic when serving for the match, down 0-15. He took the next four points to win in straight sets. Three days later, after winning his sixth match of the week in straights, Golubev held the Hamburg trophy high, boosting his world ranking from No. 82 to No. 37. He could be a dangerous unseeded floater in this summer's U.S. hard-court events.

Playoff Pros and Cons
I loved the concept of the U.S. Open National Playoffs, where an everyman can earn a wild card into the U.S. Open qualifying tournament. Let's do it again next year. I also loved that Tennis Channel broadcasted the men's final live from Atlanta, in high definition. Blake Strode and Cecil Mamiit, the men's finalists, earned their moment in the spotlight. But when I read that Strode, the eventual winner, had already played in U.S. Open qualifying last year—he won a Futures event in 2009—it took some of the Cinderella story out of the competition. Strode is a professional tennis player who has been playing Pro Circuit tournaments throughout the season. Is it just me, or do others think the Playoffs should be reserved exclusively for amateurs? Between the main draw and qualifying, pros were allocated 240 spots in the 2009 U.S. Open men's championship. Can't we spare one for the (truly) little guy?


Atlanta, United States (ATP, Hard)	Brackets: Singles \| Doubles
Hamburg, Germany (ATP, Clay)	Brackets: Singles \| Doubles
Bad Gastien, Austria (WTA, Clay)	Brackets: Singles \| Doubles
Portoroz, Slovenia (WTA, Hard)	Brackets: Singles \| Doubles

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Ed McGrogan is an assistant editor for TENNIS.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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