The Also-Rans

The summer hardcourt season kicked off with a bang this past week, with the first events of the season not only rewarding the champions, but also showing the potential of some rising stars that could very well cause some trouble for the favorites in the coming weeks.

At the inaugural Baku Cup in Azerbaijan, eventual champion Vera Zvonareva got momentum back on her side after some disappointing losses in recent weeks. Her victory over Ksenia Pervak in the final scored her a twelfth career trophy and her second of the year. But more importantly, it put her back on the radar as she looks to improve on her U.S. Open run from last year. It wasn't the toughest draw, of course -- she never faced an opponent ranked in the top fifty -- but you can never discount the confidence another title brings with it.

But the better stories out of Baku may have come from the ladies who didn't ultimately walk home with the title. Pervak has been climbing her way up the WTA rankings all year and is coming off her best ever showing at a Slam after making the fourth round at Wimbledon. This past week she notched a one-sided win over former top-twenty player Aravane Rezai on her way to her first Tour final, and though she wasn't able to get a real grip on her match versus Zvonareva, she certainly reiterated that she can hang with the big girls.

Anna Tatishvili didn't make as deep a run as these other ladies, but the young Georgian continues to improve her game. After beating Maria Kirilenko in Charleston and giving Yanina Wickmayer a run for the money at the All England Club, she seems to be hitting her stride now. She came back from a break down in the second against Vera in their quarterfinal match and managed to force a third -- dealing the only set lost by the Russian all week. She may not be that far into double digit rankings, but if she remains consistent she could be a real force soon.

A little closer to the U.S. Open, the men began their hardcourt prep in Atlanta. In a rematch of last year's final Mardy Fish once again prevailed over John Isner, further cementing himself as the top-ranked American in the sport. After dropping the first set and finding himself down a break early in the second, he came back from 1-5 in a tiebreak and saved two championship points -- one on Isner's serve -- to force a decider. With momentum back on his side, he finished off the match, winning all but six points on his first serve and firing off thirteen aces. It was his first title in a year and comes at an opportune time, as he looks to keep the momentum of what's been his most successful year on Tour. If he keeps it up, he could very well be a real contender at the next Major.

But a couple other hopefuls will be doing their part to dash his hopes, and their performances down south go a long way to proving that. Nineteen-year-old Ryan Harrison, long-touted as the next great thing in American tennis, continues to improve his game on the big stage. After breaking out at the U.S. Open last year, he claimed a set from Robin Soderling at Roland Garros, and forced David Ferrer to a fifth at Wimbledon. He hasn't yet beaten a top ten player, but by making the semis in Atlanta he's shown his resolve to put up a fight. And something tells me things are going to turn in his favor pretty soon.

India's Somdev Devvarman may not have made as big a splash on Tour, but quietly plodding away he's been able to increase his ranking well into the top hundred. He beat Marcos Baghdatis and Xavier Malisse in Indian Wells and stunned Milos Raonic a week later in Miami. He's lost the only two finals he's played -- most recently to fellow college star Kevin Anderson in Johannesburg -- but he's really getting a strong foothold against the biggest threats in the game. Now at his highest career ranking, he may be in a position to cause some real damage in New York.

It's of course too early to pick the real contenders for the year's last Grand Slam, but even if some of these guys didn't come away with trophies this past week, they each made the case for themselves as potential favorites -- and spoilers -- over the next month and a half. And everyone else should truly sit up and take notice.

French Open: First Round Matches to Watch

Well it's that time of year again -- the main draws for the French Open are out and everyone -- except, they say, the players themselves -- are scouring the brackets to see what potential match-ups lie ahead.

As always, there will surely be a few early upsets and a couple Cinderella stories, and while the most exciting tales are those that are the least expected, I've chosen to point out a few that are particularly ripe for surprises. And, as always, I'll start with the men.

The Men First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

The Women First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

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The Men

First Quarter

If recent losses in Madrid and Rome didn't do it, a quick look at his quarter should prove the gods have finally turned against Rafael Nadal. Since 2003 his first round opponent at the Slams has, on average, ranked 116 in the world. But this year he'll face big-serving John Isner in his opener. It's not the worst fate -- the clay clearly neutralizes the American's biggest weapon and the defending champion has won both their previous meetings -- but the bigger threats come later in the uber-stacked section. Rafa's best bet might be hoping the other early match-ups tire out the rest of the contenders.

Fernando Verdasco faces Juan Monaco in his first match, but it might not be the seeded Spaniard that emerges victorious. Monaco pulled off a nice win over Mardy Fish in Dusseldorf, helping his Argentina make the finals. And Verdasco is back in a funk, winning just one match since handily losing in the Estoril final. And unfortunately, the pairing of Pablo Andujar and Santiago Giraldo, both of whom have been making strides this seashttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifon, can only result in one winner.

More interesting could be the match-up of Ivan Ljubicic and Somdev Devvarman, neither of whom are seeded in Paris. The Indian is at his highest career ranking and has notched defeats over Marcos Baghdatis, Milos Raonic and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez this year. Clay may not be his best surface, but so early in his career it can't hurt to make a statement now. And Daniel Gimeno-Traver, who beat both Richard Gasquet and Jurgen Melzer in Madrid, will meet Robin Haase to kick off his campaign -- that could be a fun fight between next-generation stars.

The late-round match-to-watch: If they live up to their seedings, Nadal could meet Robin Soderling for a third straight year in Paris for a spot in the semis. He more than avenged his heart-wrenching defeat from 2009, but this year things might be a bit more up in the air.

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Second Quarter

Novak Djokovic should have a much easier time in France as he looks to improve his already-impressive streak. In a quarter co-lead by Tomas Berdych, he doesn't have a lot of early threats, so look for a nice run from the Serb.

It won't be easy for everyone, though. Estoril champion Juan Martin Del Potro faces fellow big-man Ivo Karlovic in his first French Open match in two years. The Croat's actually won their only previous meeting, but that was several years ago, and DelPo has certainly adapted his service game to this surface. Still, I worry that if he's not completely recovered from that muscle tear in his leg, he may have a tough start to the tournament.

This section of the draw also boasts the return of two legends in the sport. Lleyton Hewitt, who we haven't seen since a first round loss in Indian Wells. Dealing with injuries for the better part of three years, he hasn't really been a consistent force in some time. He could have some trouble, then, against clay court specialist Albert Montanes in the first round -- though he leads the head-to-head, both meetings were a long time ago and on different surfaces. I'd expect Montanes to come out swinging.

Tommy Haas has been out of the game slightly longer -- after hip surgery last February, he's played a tiny bit of doubles this year, but has no singles wins since San Jose in 2010. The gorgeous German will meet a qualifier in his return to Grand Slam play, so hopefully that's a stage on which he can be eased back into competition. As the fortnight wears on, it's only going to get harder.

The late-round match-to-watch: Nole and DelPo are slated to meet in a far-too-early third round. It should be the first big test Djokovic faces this tournament, and if Del Po plays to his ability, it could be a good one.

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Third Quarter

Roger Federer hasn't been ranked this low at a Major since Wimbledon 2003 -- which he won, by the way. But he faces an early test from Feliciano Lopez, who took him to three tough tiebreak sets in Madrid a few weeks ago. That nearly three-hour match exposed some of Roger's shortcomings on clay and proved that the Spaniard is capable of hitting big. I'm hoping the rematch is just as exciting.

On the other side of the quarter, David Ferrer could get a struggle from veteran Jarkko Nieminen. They've met two times this year, splitting victories on hard courts, and the Finn is making his way back up the rankings, putting up a struggle in the third round of Rome. I give Ferrer this edge, based on his experience and strengths, but if the fever that took him out of Italy lingers at all, it could be a fight.

The late-round match-to-watch: Ivan Dodig, who got off to a strong start early in the year, also beat Robin Soderling in Barcelona and could face a second round test from Janko Tipsarevic, who served him a one-handed defeat in Delray. Look for the rising Croat to regain his footing on what should be a good surface for him.

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Fourth Quarter

The top seeds in the last section of the bracket, Andy Murray and Jurgen Melzer, both get qualifiers in the first round, and should have a fairly easy time advancing early. But like the top quarter, this section is pretty heavily stackehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifd with veterans Nicolas Almagro and Viktor Troicki dappled among some rising stars like Milos Raonic and Alexandr Dolgopolov.

The latter, who ended a five-match losing streak with a semifinal appearance in Nice this past week, will meet Rainer Schuettler in just his second French Open appearance. This is far from his best surface, but if he wants to keep the momentum he gained in Australia, he's going to want to make a deep run here, and getting past the more experienced German would be a good start.

I'll also watch the match-up between Ryan Sweeting and Andreas Haider-Maurer. The champion in Houston followed up with a semifinal showing at a Sarasota Challenger, making him one of the most successful American clay-courters we've seen in quite a while. Haider-Maurer doesn't have a lot of experience on any surface, but he did take Robin Soderling to five sets in New York last year, so we know he can put up a fight. But a win for Sweeting could put him back on the radar as a future force in the country's arsenal.

The late-round match-to-watch: Both would have to cause an upset or two on the way, but Raonic could face Dolgo in the fourth round, and it would be great to see the Australian Open Cinderellas take it to each other.

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The Women

First Quarter

Caroline Wozniacki is the top seed for the third Slam in a row, and people continue to ask the question over when she'll win that maiden Major. She could be in for a challenge when she meets super-veteran Kimiko Date Krumm in her opener. The forty-year old Japanese has continued to pull off upsets during her second career, so Caro can't take her lightly, but she should be able to survive this test relatively unscathed.

More interesting in this section of the draw is the pairing of Aravane Rezai, out of seeding range this year, and Irina-Camilia Begu, the surprise finalist in Marbella last month. The young Romanian upset Klara Zakopalova and Svetlana Kuznetsova during that run, so you know she can hit. And against a struggling Rezai, she could very conceivably improve her year even more.

Then there's Tsvetana Pironkova, who hasn't passed a third round since http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifher miraculous semifinal run last year at Wimbledon. She's just barely holding onto a seedhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif in Paris, but she won't have that luxury much longer and needs a few wins, stat. The Bulgarian will face Casey Dellacqua, a woman who's been pretty active since returning from injury in Estoril, in the first round, and a win would give a big boost to her confidence.

The late-round match-to-watch: I know most people are hoping for a quarterfinal rematch between Wozniacki and Stuttgart champion Julia Goerges, but I'll be watching a round earlier when the seventeenth seed could meet last year's Roland Garros runner-up Sam Stosur. The Australian was a victim in Stuttgart too and is more than susceptible to another loss.

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Second Quarter

Kim Clijsters was given a bit of a pass in her first French Open since 2006 -- her first round date with Anastasiya Yakimova should present little trouble. And Maria Sharapova kicks off against Marjana Lucic, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 1999, trying to launch a comeback.

But keep an eye on Estoril finalist Kristina Barrois. Her game is particularly well-suited to clay, and she could be a spoiler. But opening opponent Sania Mirza has been winning again this year, and some improved doubles play could help her game here as well. And Andrea Petkovic finally started showing her stuff on clay in Strasbourg -- I want to see if she can keep it up against up-and-comer Bojana Jovanovski who started off the year so strong.

And in a sadly ironic pairing, newly-single Jarmila Gajdosova meets Virginie Razzano, who just suffered the heart-breaking loss of her fiancé. I can't root against either of these ladies, circumstances notwithstanding, but Jarmila has played solid ball since hitting the clay, and I don't expect her to stop now.

The late-round match-to-watch: If the seeds play out as expected, Clijsters should face Petko in the fourth round. She's beaten her they're only previous meeting, but that was well before the German became a real force, and something tells me this time things will be a lot more exciting.

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Third Quarter

Third-seeded Vera Zvonareva could face a tough test against Lourdes Dominguez Lino, the Spaniard who won a title in Bogota back in February. But the Russian seemed to regain form this week in Brussels -- she dropped just one point on serve against Alexandra Dulgheru in the quarterfinals. She is spotty on clay, though, and could be taken by surprise, but I expect her to be relentless from the get-go.

Last year's champion Francesca Schiavone may have a hard time defending her title, and that trouble could start early. First round opponent Melanie Oudin has had trouble recapturing the magic she possessed a few years ago in New York, but she did score an all-important victory over the Italian in last year's Fed Cup final. I don't know that she'll be able to repeat, but it sure would be fun to see her try.

The late-round match-to-watch: Young champions Alisa Kleybanova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are slated to meet in the third round. They've been trading wins over their history, and all of their matches have gone the distance, so you have to think this could be a good one.

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Fourth Quarter

Victoria Azarenka carries her best Slam seeding to Paris, thanks to a very successful spring. She's been told she's fit to play after an elbow injury forced her to retire in Rome, but watch her first round match with Andrea Hlavackova for any signs of stress. And Petra Kvitova, who skipped Rome last week in favor of an ITF event in Prague, returns to Tour with a match against blossoming thirty-two year old Greta Arn, a quarterfinalist in Italy.

But there are more intriguing pairings out there. One of two resurgent Italians, Alberta Brianti or Roberta Vinci, will have to step aside early -- unfortunate after the last few months they've had. And one-time Cinderella Sorana Cirstea could face a stumbling block as she runs into veteran Patty Schnyder in her first match. Meanwhile 2009 semifinalist Dominika Cibulkova, who beat Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova in Madrid, is on the verge of breaking into the elite -- I'd like to see her really show her stuff against doubles ace Vania King.

The late-round match-to-watch: 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic and barely unseeded Ekaterina Makarova could meet in the second round -- Ana soundly beat her in New York and the Russian returned the favor in Melbourne and rode the momentum to her best Major performance. It'll be interesting to see how these two fare on a different surface.

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I'm not sure if it's particularly bad luck for the favorites this year, or a field of underdogs who've shown their mettle all season, but it certainly seems like this year's draws have plenty of room for surprises. If Nadal does, in fact, get that Open-era record sixth title in Paris or if Wozniacki manages to silence her critics by finally claiming a Major crown, you know they'll have earned it.

And hopefully, there will be plenty of excitement in the meantime.

Be sure to check back tomorrow when I blogcast my full preview of the action at Roland Garros and highlight a few more things you'll want to watch at the year's second Grand Slam.

Follow Through

Virtually anybody can have one good tournament.

Mix together a few solid shots, a favorable draw and a little luck and you get Melanie Oudin at the 2009 U.S. Open or Gaston Gaudio at Roland Garros in '04. But the really great players are able to put together a string of wins, one tournament after another, and can repeat defeats the strongest opponents over the long haul -- and the action in March provides the opportunity to do just that.

Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina were playing just their third event as a doubles pair in Indian Wells and blew through some heavy favorites to claim the title -- it was the biggest success either has had on a tennis court in some time. They're entered as a team in Miami as well, but both kicked off singles main draw action today and faced some real challenges.

Vesnina took on #1 doubles player and Acapulco champ Gisela Dulko in her opener and simply destroyed the higher ranked Argentine. She won eighty-five percent of her opponent's second serve points and broke her four times. She defended well and played consistently, earning the victory in just over an hour. Mirza, who had to qualify for the big girls' bracket, was similarly impressive against Acapulco finalist Arantxa Parra Santonja. She played solid ball on her service games and was aggressive on the Spaniard's, scoring her first ever win at the Sony Ericsson. Hopefully both will be able to continue their momentum apart, as well as together.

Somdev Devvarman parlayed his fourth-round run in the desert to a career high ranking at the start of this week, and so far he hasn't let the adrenaline from that jump go to waste. In his opener against Potito Starace, he out-served, out-returned, and out-maneuvered his opponent, notching his fifth win over a higher-ranked player this year. Next up he'll face Milos Raonic, who's done nothing but prove his ability to follow through all year -- it won't be an easy task, but if Devvarman is going to really break out this year, this would be a good time to do it.

Of course, not everyone can prove themselves right away. Twenty-one year old Donald Young had the win of his career at the BNP Paribas Open when he stunned fifth-seeded Andy Murray in the second round. After qualifying for the main draw in Miami he faced Denis Istomin earlier on Wednesday, and wasn't able to keep up. Though he got ahead in the first set, he lost a slew of games in a row, eventually losing in straight sets. Looks like he'll have to wait a big longer to prove his Indian Wells Run wasn't a fluke.

Sure it's still early in the tournament, and in some of these players' careers, but it's reassuring that at least so far there hasn't been a letdown from their performances in California. And while they might not be riding the streak others are, I have hope we might see some big things from them this year.

So why not start now?

A Level Above

The early rounds at Indian Wells have been a story of triumph for young, new talent. And while you clearly can't discount the nascent ability of players like Ryan Harrison and Somdev Devvarman, both of whom have capitalized on their opportunities time and again in the desert, you just can't ignore the perennial powerhouses who've simply trampled their opponents, proving that they're still the alpha males in the sport.

Top seeded Rafael Nadal hadn't played a lot since Melbourne, having taken time off after the Australian Open to treat a tear in his thigh muscle. And though he won both of his Davis Cup rubbers, it wasn't until he arrived in California that we'd get a real idea of how back to form he really was. And the two-time winner here would not disappoint -- he blanked qualifier Rik De Voest in his opening set, dispatching the South African in barely an hour and dropped only four more games against American Ryan Sweeting in the third round. To make his sixth straight quarterfinal, he'll have to get past Devvarman tonight, but the way he's been playing, I wouldn't worry too much about his chances.

In similarly devastating form is world #2 Roger Federer, a two-time titleist himself, though he did face a slightly tougher battle to kick off his Indian Wells campaign. Pushed to the limit by Igor Andreev on Sunday -- he won 7-5, 7-6(4) -- he only needed fifty-eight minutes to take care of Juan Ignacio Chela yesterday. Having already improved on his performance from last year when he lost to Marcos Baghdatis in the third round, Roger can rest easily from here on out, but something tells me he's going to bring the power harder than ever. Eighteen-year-old Harrison will be his opponent tonight, and while I'd love the next-gen star to put up a fight, he might be easy pickins for the much more experienced vet.

And while the best two athletes in the sport are always the ones to beat at these tournaments, perhaps the most impressive play has come from the man who's just recently proven he belongs among their ranks. Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is undefeated on the year, backing up his second Grand Slam with a trophy in Dubai last month. He's arguably had the toughest draw of the three at the Masters event, but has bagelled all three of his challengers in their first sets, from world #39 Andrey Golubev to sixteenth-seeded Viktor Troicki. And with a quarterfinal date against the winner of the Andy Roddick/Richard Gasquet match, you have to like his chances to rack up a few more wins in the coming days.

Sure it's nice to see emerging stars pull off these impressive victories and prove they can at least hit with the big boys, but when you look at the players who've really excelled in Indian Wells over the last week, there's no mistaking who the real powerhouses are. And until they're ready to hand over the mantle, this is really their tournament to lose.

Early Challenges

A little less than one round is in the books for the players at Indian Wells, and though the seeds in both men's and women's draws were given the privilege of first-match byes, results already recorded suggest difficulties could be in store for some in their openers.

Qualifier Alize Cornet, once ranked as high as #11 in the world, got past veteran Patty Schnyder on Wednesday and will face Tsvetana Pironkova next. The surprise semifinalist at Wimbledon last year will be the on-paper favorite, but she hasn't gotten past the second round at any tournament since -- I might expect her to suffer another upset if Cornet plays to her potential. And Lucie Hradecka, who's been playing a lot of tennis recently and has cut her ranking by about thirty spots this year, took out Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets earlier today. She might just have enough momentum to take out Alexandra Dulgheru in the next round -- though certainly talented, the young Romanian is out of practice, missing much of the fall's action with injury and illness and only winning a single match in 2011.

But the one star most at risk could be former #1 Ana Ivanovic. Having successfully clawed her way back from the brink at the end of last year, she suffered an abdominal injury at Hopman Cup and hasn't been playing at the top of her game since. And with a second round date with uber-vet Kimiko Date Krumm, she must be nervous. The perennially young forty-year-old may not be having the best year, but she's had wins over Dinara Safina, Maria Sharapova and Sam Stosur in the last twelve months and took Ivanovic to three exciting sets in the Bali semis. Kimiko is one of those players you can't help but root for -- combine that with her sheer determination, and she could cause some fireworks.

The men just began their first rounds on Thursday, so far fewer have reserved their spaces in the second round as of yet. But qualifier Somdev Devvarman, just a week off his career high ranking, made a strong statement in his Indian Wells Debut. After advancing to the finals in Johannesburg and notching India it's only point in their first round of Davis Cup play, he followed up with a solid win over recent standout Adrian Mannarino. Next up he'll face Marcos Baghdatis, who's been battling niggling injuries all year. The Cypriot has the win in the pair's only previous meeting, but if he's not fully recovered, there could be trouble.

But the more explosive second round may come in the form of a rematch of last year's Los Angeles semifinal. Janko Tipsarevic was pretty vocal about his loss to eventual champion Sam Querrey that summer, begrudging the fact that he should have won that match -- he got revenge, of course, a few weeks later in Washington, and Querrey has never played the same again. These days it's the colorful Serb that's having more success, and after he earned the right to face his rival again he could keep momentum on his side.

Having a high seeding at the big tournaments is never a guarantee of success, and all these guys may be in danger given the way their early opponents are playing. That's not to say that all of them will be on the next plane out of the desert, but it could mean some very exciting matches in the days before things get really serious!

Homecourt Advantage

In most sports you often give the edge to the team playing on their own territory. It's not a guaranteed success, of course, but even the 2-14 Carolina Panthers scored both their wins in Charlotte.

The same is not always true in tennis -- the last Brit to win Wimbledon, after all, was Fred Perry back in 1936 -- but at some smaller tournaments, like those that took place over the last week, we saw a couple of hometown heroes get a chance to shine, and some made a real breakthrough.

Santiago Giraldo isn't from Chile, but his Colombia is not far away. And playing in a town that bears his name, I imagine the crowds were on his side at the Movistar Open. South Americans dominated the draw in Santiago with three Argentines and a Brazilian making the quarters along with Giraldo. But the twenty-three year old from Bogota pulled off upsets over Juan Ignacio Chela and Potito Starace to make his first ever championship match.

There he met Spain's Tommy Robredo, a man who'd racked up nine titles in his career but lost their only previous meeting at the Australian Open just last month. Robredo's been in something of a slump recently, so it wasn't out of the question to see the technical upset, but after he got off to a set lead in the match I began to lose hope. Giraldo came back to even the score and even got a break lead in the decider, but when he failed to serve it out Robredo didn't look back. He converted his second match point in the tiebreak, denying the ultimate championship to the Colombian, but at least giving him hope for his next attempt.

The South Africa Open in Johannesburg saw more than a few of its own stars pull off upsets. Wildcard Rik de Voest made the quarters while Izak Van Der Merwe won his first Tour level matches on his way to the semis. But it was fourth-seeded Kevin Anderson who ultimately made the biggest impression. I've often wondered why the strong server hasn't made more of a dent in the pros -- currently ranked at #59, he's hovered in the low double-digits for about a year. He gave Sam Querrey a run for the money in Los Angeles last summer and took revenge on him two weeks later in Toronto. Yet he hadn't really broken through main draws.

That is, until this week. The six-foot-eight former star at the University of Illinois rattled off fifty-three aces on his way to his second career final where he met Somdev Devvarman. After losing the first set to his college rival, Anderson rebounded to win the next two in about an hour more. The title was the first won by a South African since Wesley Moodie took Tokyo in 2005 and should push Kevin to a career-high ranking. Having now improved to a 8-3 record on the year, it could be his turn to crack into the top tiers of the sport.

A little further north in Croatia, many of the locals were stopped right out of the gate. Still the top two seeds reflected how strong the country has been in recent months -- two-time defending champ Marin Cilic and world #16 Ivan Ljubicic lead the pack, but were both defeated in the quarters. Instead compatriot Ivan Dodig, who broke into the top hundred at the end of last year, came out firing. The only man to take a set from Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic in Melbourne beat one seed after another in the city where he lives.

For his efforts, Dodig earned the right to meet world #61 Michael Berrer in his first Tour final. They'd never played each other before, but with five more years in the pros and a couple big wins of his own under his belt, the German was probably still the favorite. But Ivan was unstoppable from the start. At just six-feet tall, he was the shorter of the two, but fired off sixteen aces and won more than eighty percent of his first serves. He denied Berrer seven break chances and eventually won the match in straight sets, taking just over ninety minutes to capture his maiden trophy.



Of course the hometown edge benefits some more than others, but with these guys making a real statement on their own turf, there's really no telling what they'll be able to do in other stadiums.

And now that they have that added bit of confidence, I'm betting we'll see a lot more of all of them.

It's Playoff Time!

There's a crisp wind in the air these days, and I can smell a turn in the season. Football teams are back in action and baseball players are staging their last campaigns to make the World Series. With all this excitement, it's no wonder that tennis too is getting in the team spirit this fall.

In just a few months, Spain will get the chance to defend its Davis Cup championship. This past weekend a strong team comprised of former #1 Juan Carlos Ferrero and currenty top-twenty David Ferrer only ceded one rubber to a surprise Israeli team in the semifinals.

This December they'll meet another unlikely team in the finals -- the Czech Republic is making its first title run since breaking apart from Slovakia. They clinched a win over Croatia despite their opponent's strong serving Ivo Karlovic and U.S. Open quarterfinalist Marin Cilic.

And while the efforts of the two possible champions this weekend were spectacular, somehow the results of the World Group playoffs captured more of the attention.

Fresh off his heart-breaking loss at the U.S. Open finals, Roger Federer chose to take some time to regroup with his countrymen. He looked like his old formidable self against Italy, beating Simone Bolelli on Friday and surviving a two-plus hour rain delay on Sunday against Potito Starace on a surface that should have been much more comfortable to the Italian. With the help of Stanislas Wawrinka, the Swiss closed out their tie with a 3-2 win in the foreign land.

Serbia was similarly impressive in their win this weekend. Though #4 Novak Djokovic was absent, recuperating from a long summer in the States, the country's second best player Viktor Troicki was more than present. He battled through a persistent foot injury to win both of his rubbers, the first taking five sets and over three hours to complete. His teammates were just as unrelenting -- Janko Tipsarevic, who's had some success on the singles Tour, and Nenad Zimonjic, half of the #2 doubles team in the world, paired up to clinch the win, and even little-known Ilia Bozoljac, ranked in the triple digits, did his part to help in the sweep of Uzbekistan.

But the most unlikely victors this weekend were probably a under-appreciated team from India, led by veteran doubles champ Mahesh Bhupathi and former college standout Somdev Devvarman. In Johannesburg they took on a host of South African players whose names are much more recognizable -- Rik De Voest, Jeff Coetzee, Weslie Moodie -- but they were not intimidated. The University of Virginia alum, who's already beaten both Cilic and Karlovic this year, easily won his first rubber and survived a nearly five hour match against de Voest, coming back from two sets down, to clinch his team's victory. And so India, three times a runner-up for the Davis Cup title, made it back into the World Group with their performance this weekend.

You can be sure all these teams will be in a battling mood, seeking to back up what they showed us over the last few days -- we have yet to see who can talk the talk, but I know it's going to be quite a battle!