!PennettaBy TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan
Verbose; bare bones. Reliable; fleeting. At various times during the last few months, any of these adjectives could have been used to describe the chameleon-like Monday Net Post. But consistency will prevail in the end. Going forward, the MNP will be as follows:
Last Week's Tournaments
Movistar Open (ATP - Clay - Vina del Mar, Chile)
Singles: Fernando Gonzalez def. Jose Acasuso
Doubles: Pablo Cuevas/Brian Dabul def. Frantisek Cermak/Michal Martinek
PBZ Zagreb Indoors (ATP - Indoor Hard - Zagreb, Croatia)
Singles: Marin Cilic def. Mario Ancic
Doubles: Martin Damm/Robert Lindstedt def. Christopher Kas/Rogier Wassen
SA Tennis Open (ATP - Outdoor Hard - Johannesburg, South Africa)
Singles: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Jeremy Chardy
Doubles: James Cerretani/Dick Norman def. Rik de Voest/Ashley Fisher
Fed Cup
Russia def. China 5-0
Italy def. France 5-0
United States def. Argentina 3-2
Czech Republic def. Spain 4-1
McGrogan's Heroes
ATP - Ivan Dodig
Yes, all three men's title winners went through their draws without losing a set. But none of them even had to defeat a player in the Top 35. That's not their fault, of course -- you play who advances -- but because of this anomaly, the Hero award goes elsewhere this week.
Ranked No. 425 in the world heading into the Zagreb Indoors, Ivan Dodig had not played in an ATP main draw since last February in Marseille. That visit to the big leagues was a short one, as he lost 6-1, 6-4 to Novak Djokovic, the top seed of the tournament.
After winning three qualifying matches to reach the main draw of Zagreb, Dodig was once again, in a cruel twist of fate, slotted to play the tournament's top seed. This year it was Igor Andreev, the No. 19 player on the ATP Tour. Another top seed, another 6-1, 6-4 score. But this time, it was the underdog who came out on top, in a stunning result.
Following this shocker, Dodig surprised again, defeating the talented Ernests Gulbis, also in straight sets (7-6, 6-4). Dodig would bow out in the quarterfinals against Mario Ancic, an eventual finalist, but the qualifier's week was already a great success. For his efforts, Dodig moved up 83 spots up the world rankings ladder, and won 10,850 euros, or, more than 10% of his career earnings on tour.
WTA - Flavia Pennetta
Yes, Flavia Pennetta didn't impress with her decision to communicate with the chair umpire via "a gesture" and "verbal abuse". (I'd say tennis is doing just fine if that's the sport's controversial story of the week.) But the Italian impressed in every other way during Fed Cup play against France, where she won two matches in enemy territory.
In the tie's opening rubber, Pennetta fought from a set and a break of serve down to defeat Amelie Mauresmo, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4. Pennetta also saved a match point during this spirited rally. And although Mauresmo was clearly a different player back in 2006, it's worth noting that she clobbered Pennetta 6-1, 6-1, in this exact situation (a quarterfinal tie at home) three years ago.
After Francesca Schiavone defeated Alize Cornet in another dramatic contest (Schiavone won 6-1, 2-6, 8-6), Pennetta had the opportunity to close out the tie in the third rubber. In stark contrast to the first two matches, the third was settled in short order. But once again, the Italians came out on top, as Pennetta defeated Cornet 6-2, 6-2.
Pennetta upped her career record in Fed Cup to 10-3 with the pair of victories. Her next challenge for team Italy will come when they host Russia in the tournament's marquee semifinal in late April. This will be a rematch of the 2007 Fed Cup final, when Russia shutout Italy (4-0) en route to the title. Pennetta did not participate in that tie.
This Week's Tournaments
(TV Schedule)
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (ATP - Indoor Hard - Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket
Brasil Open (ATP - Clay - Costa do Sauipe, Brazil)
Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket
SAP Open (ATP - Indoor Hard - San Jose, United States)
Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket
Open GDF Suez (WTA - Indoor Hard - Paris, France)
Singles & Doubles Brackets
PTT Pataya City Women's Open (WTA - Outdoor Hard - Pattaya City, Thailand)
Singles & Doubles Brackets