by Pete Bodo
It's funny how not all tournaments are created equal, a detail that Wimbledon has traded on for over a century. But it's also true where you would least expect, down in the ATP 250s, where the best star power money can buy (in the form of appearance fees) tends to attract all the attention.
That's why everyone is talking about Doha, which featured Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but where the most satisfied customers are the accordion-and-stinky-cheese-loving folks who will get to see a final between French countrymen Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Monfils went all Vogue Homme on Nadal, while Federer spared Tsonga's backside because his own back was aching.
Brisbane hasn't exactly been chopped liver, either. Top-seeded Andy Murray is carrying most of the load there (Gilles Simon is the No. 2 seed; I guess Doha told them they had enough Frenchman for one tournament). But the dual tournament also attracted defending Australian Open champ Kim Clijsters (who gave Daniela Hantuchova a Tsonga card to the final when her hip began to act up). Brisbane has another huge advantage—it's the only one of the 250s being played not just in the same nation but on the same continent as the upcoming major event.
But for my money, the most compelling action is in Chennai, at the Aircel Open.
As a fly-fisherman I did a double-take when I saw the name of that tournament, for Air Cel is the premier fly-line marketed by the company Scientific Anglers. It turns out that this Chennai Aircel is a "mobile network operator" (hence the clever play on words in the company name). You can blame Aircel at least partly for the way Twitter has become an incredibly convenient substitute for thought and even reflection. As I tweeted today, "I tweet, therefore I am. Or I think I am." But let's get back on topic.
Chennai has produced a pretty intriguing semifinal line-up, consisting of three familiar names and one of those surprise guests that adds a little spice to any tournament. After all, we're essentially fans of order and clarity, but too much of it becomes as tiresome as too much baloney roast. The surprise guest in Chennai is Go Soeda; there's a terrible pun in there somewhere and I'll be sure to make it my headline if I can dig it out before I finish the post.
Soeda is a 27-year-old Japanese, currently ranked No. 120. He's seen the sunny side of the Top 100 only briefly, maxing out at No. 90 last November. His ATP titles/finals tab is unblemished; he's never been in a singles or doubles final, but he did qualify for Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2011, and he won four matches to get all the way to quarters in Bangkok (with a win over No. 73 Karol Beck along the way).
The only reason the top four seeds are not in the Chennai semis is because Soeda beat No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in his last match, breaking the Manislaus's serve five times. And here's the really odd thing: for a while there it looked like we might be on track for a historic all-Japanese final. But Soeda's countryman Yuichi Sugita just couldn't close the deal in his quarterfinal match with No. 2 seed Nicolas Almagro, despite holding three match points.
This may make it sound a bit like Chennai has had a little too much chaos, but Almagro is joined in the semis by top-seeded Janko Tipsarevic and No. 2 seed Milos Raonic. Give ATP No. 9 Tipsarevic credit for dealing with the pressure that comes from his top seeding in the first tournament of the year; other guys coming off career years have made a hash of it, going to pieces once they were actually expected to do well. And it's good to see Raonic, the pride of Thornhill, Ontario, start the year on a positive note—especially after his breakout 2011 was ruined by that terrible hip injury that ultimately required surgery.
I could think of less compelling final-round match-ups than, say, Tisparevic vs. Raonic. Like Indian food, the final four at Chennai is a spicy combination with at least one ingredient that might make you ask, "What is that stuff that they put in the lentils?"