TENNIS NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE / THIS WEEK WE ARE IN GENEVA, NICE, NURNBERG, AND STRASBOURG

Written by: Global Chick on 18th May 2015

TENNIS NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE / THIS WEEK WE ARE IN GENEVA, NICE, NURNBERG, AND STRASBOURG

epa04729806 Roger Federer of Switzerland cleans his shoes during his semifinal match against Argentina's Diego Schwartzman at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open tennis Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey 02 May 2015. EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU |

The Weekly Watch, by Global Chick – Who to watch in Geneva, Nice, Nurnberg & Strasbourg

Put away your ice-creams and prepare to get out your pains-au-chocolat in a week’s time as the best players take a breather before the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open.

There is still tennis to be played though, and while we won’t be saying the top favourites in action, there are a few surprise names cropping up as Global Chick takes a wander through the tournaments for you.

ATP Geneva

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland in action against Rafael Nadal of Spain during their quarter final match of the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 15 May 2015. EPA/ALESSANDRO DI MEO

The biggest surprise(s) are that Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic are still on the draw, especially after Wawrinka’s star turn, knocking out Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters. Ranked 9th and 10th in this this week’s rankings respectively, they are this week’s biggest heavyweights in action for the ATP.

It has been a bit of a barren time for Wawrinka, and Rome at least saw a bit of a return to form, so perhaps this makes a bit more sense for him to regain some confidence, after what had looked like a promising start to his year.

Less of a surprise is Marin Cilic, who wants to pick up some match play after injury blighted his start of the year, not even taking to a court again until March at Indian Wells.

But of course simply the best thing about Geneva is that Brazil’s Joao Souza and Portugal’s Joao Sousa start Monday’s play and it is almost worth tuning in with my elevenses just to see how the poor umpire’s handle it! There has been some twitter activity around this – from country name to middle names. Let’s hope the match itself lives up to the mirth caused by the draw.

ATP Nice

Getting closer to Paris, World No. 13 Gilles Simon sails in as top seed in Nice, with John Isner who is no slouch on the dirt as the second seed. Keep an eye out for defending champion Ernests Gulbis who checks in as the third seed, but he has also had a torrid time getting over injury and trying to find his form. We suspect the memories of his run to the Roland Garros semi-final seems a very long time ago as he bids to defend here. He could meet an in-form Nick Kyrgios if he makes it to the quarter-finals.

Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in action against Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria during their first round match at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters tournament in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, 13 April 2015. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER

WTA Nurnberg

In a way the Fed Cup semi-finals really put the blight on a showcase German tournament, especially for their Fed Cup all-stars. Although Angelique Kerber shone through to win the title, Andrea Petkovic had to withdraw as that awkward transition from hard to clay made her hamstring positively unfriendly.

As if that were not bad enough, a beastly bout of gastro-enteritis laid her low in Madrid and Rome, but she’s back and the top seed in their home turf (or dirt, as the case may be) in Nurnberg. She is the highest ranked member of the WTA in action this week, with Charleston and Stuttgart champion Kerber hot on her heels as the top two seeds to watch.

WTA Strasbourg

Madison Keys of the USA in action against Serena Williams of the USA during their semifinals match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 29 January 2015. EPA/LUKAS COCH EPA/LUKAS COCH AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

USA’s Madison Keys weighs in as the top seed, as she continues to try and find her legs on the European clay, and she has some good company as the always effervescent Jelena Jankovic takes a wildcard into the event. She has been injured and has truly been frustrated with her comeback being interrupted. Is it enough time for her to make a good run, and recover in time for a decent French Open run? We doubt it, but she will give the home crowd some entertainment. It’s worth keeping an eye out as well for former French Open finalist Sam Stosur, who is another wildcard.

Already making some progress has been Sloane Stephens. She has been quietly doing her thing this year, and seems to be finding form and perhaps some much needed confidence. She could end up facing Jankovic in quarter-finals if they come through their matches – that will be a tough test for the former World No. 1.

Check back regularly as 10sBalls brings you the results and schedules of each of this week’s tournaments.

Topics: Atp, geneva, global chick, Nice, Nurnberg, Strasbourg, Tennis News, Wta

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10sBalls_com says:

May 18, 2015 at 10:37 am

#TENNIS NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE / THIS WEEK WE ARE IN @genevaopen, #NICE, #NURNBERG, AND #STRASBOURG- http://t.co/G1Rz54HtXC #ATP #WTA