This Weeks Tournaments.

There are no tournaments this week for the men due to this week being Davis Cup week. The semifinals of the Davis Cup are Friday through Sunday (September 18-20).

The first semifinal matchup is Croatia vs. Czech Republic with the matches being played on Croatian soil.
Team Croatia features singles players Marin Cilic, who is coming off a good U.S. Open run and the hard serving "Dr." Ivo Karlovic. The doubles team of Roko Karanusic and Lovro Zovko round out the team.
The Czech Republic will feature Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych in singles, and a doubles team of Jan Hernych and Lukas Dlouhy. Dlouhy comes into the Davis Cup matchup on a high after winning the men's doubles at the U.S. Open with his partner Leander Paes.

My Prediction: These matches I believe will be played on clay. On clay Karlovic's serve is much more negated. Look for Cilic to prove huge trouble for the Czech's, but I think both Berdych and Stepanek will beat Karlovic on clay. Also the Czech doubles team seems to be the better of the two. The Czech's should move on to the finals.

In the other semifinal, defending Davis Cup champions Spain welcome the surpise Israeli team who previously upset Russia to make it this far. The Spanish team is loaded with Rafael Nadal, Tommy Robredo, David Ferrer, and Feliciano Lopez on the team. I'm sure Rafa will be playing singles, and Lopez will be on the doubles team, but I am not sure whether Robredo or Ferrer will be the 2nd singles player or will be matched up with Lopez on the doubles team. Normally Fernando Verdasco is Lopez's doubles partner, but he has been suffering from a stomach strain and will not compete.

***** EDIT: Rafael Nadal has been scratched and replaced by Juan Carlos Ferrero. This will make no difference in my prediction. It will still be a beatdown.

Israel has the team of Dudi Sela, Harel Levy, Jonathan Erlich, and Andy Ram. I know Sela will be playing singles and Andy Ram is a doubles specialist, but I do not know who Erlich and Levy are. I have never seen them play so I do not know what they do best, or how they will be used.

My Prediction: PAIN and lots of it for the Israeli's. This will get ugly. The only possible victory I see for the Israeli's on the road in Spain may be the doubles match, and that may be a stretch. The Spaniards on clay and at home will destroy Israel 4-1 and move onto the finals against the Czech Republic.

The women do have tournaments this week. 2 smaller hardcourt tournaments, one being in Quebec City, Canada and the other is taking place in Guangzhou, China.

The top two seeds in Quebec City feature #13 ranked Nadia Petrova, and Canada's own Aleksandra Wozniak who is ranked #39. A few names of note in the tournament are American's Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Vania King.

The tournament in Guangzhou features #21 ranked Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, and China's own Shuai Peng as their top 2 seeds. Other notables are one of my personal favorites Lenka Weinerova. Shahar Peer is also in the field.