Barcelona men's preview.

There is only one tournament this week.  The men are playing in Barcelona, and the WTA features no tournaments, but the Fed Cup semifinals are over the weekend.

The Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell is a clay court tournament in Barcelona, Spain.  The winner will go home with a prize of 286,000 (probably Euros).

Top 8 Seeds:

1. Rafael Nadal (#3 world ranking)

2. Robin Soderling (#8)

3. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (#10)

4. Fernando Gonzalez (#11)

5. Fernando Verdasco (#12)

6. Tomas Berdych (#15)

7. Juan Carlos Ferrero (#16)

8. David Ferrer (#17)

Other notables in this weeks field:  Tommy Robredo, Juan Monaco, Jurgen Melzer, Lleyton Hewitt, Thomaz Bellucci, Albert Montanes, Nicolas Almagro, Feliciano Lopez, David Nalbandian, Ernests Gulbis, Richard Gasquet, Igor Andreev, and Victor Hanescu.

This tournament is Nadal's to lose.  He is heads and shoulders better than any of these guys on the dirt.  Its just a shame that David Ferrer is in the same quarter as Nadal, but on the opposite side Nadal will be facing one of these three guys in the final: Juan Carlos Ferrero, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Robin Soderling...I'm just not sure which yet, although I am leaning towards Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Here is a pretty cool picture of Soderling and Verdasco "tooling" around on top of the hotel in Barcelona.  If I was Verdasco I'd let Soderling win, and not risk having Darth Soderling toss him over the side.

(Fed Cup Preview and predictions later in the week.)

Sam Stosur becomes first Australian to win the Family Circle Cup.

Samantha Stosur won the biggest tournament of her career on Sunday afternoon, beating Vera Zvonareva 6-0, 6-3 in the final of the Family Circle Cup.  This is Stosur's 2nd career WTA title.

Stosur took control of the match early, taking the first set 6-0, and getting out to a 3-0 lead in the second set.  Down 3-0 Zvonareva showed her more "psychotic" side, whacking her racket on the ground 4 times until the frame was busted in three spots.  That was not enough though, walking back to her chair to get a new racket she threw her racquet at her chair and when it fell to the ground gave it a soccer kick off the court.  Blowing off that steam helped Zvonareva get back in to the match, but it was too little, too late.  Stosur ended up putting the match away in a record 52 minutes.

Stosur had this to say about her win:  "To be able to play that well in a final is a great feeling. You always hope you'll do that, but to actually go and perform that way is very, very pleasing," said Stosur, who has now beaten Zvonareva five straight times. "Vera and I played a few weeks ago in Indian Wells and I was able to do it there too. Obviously I wasn't taking anything for granted here, and I definitely had to play well."

After the match, and a little cooling off Zvonareva was in a better mental state saying, "Right now I'm a little bit disappointed about the match. Overall I think it's a good start to the clay court season though," Zvonareva said. "It was my first clay court tournament in about two years, so I should be happy. Hopefully I can keep improving my game and play well the rest of the clay court season.

Nadal "smokes" Verdasco to win 6th straight Monte-Carlo Masters.

Rafael Nadal took Fernando Verdasco back behind the woodshed on Sunday  afternoon.  Destroying the fellow Spaniard 6-0, 6-1.

This was Nadal's first tournament title since last May when he won in Rome.  Nadal had this to say after the match:  "It was emotional for me today, it was my best week for a long time," Nadal said. "It's unbelievable, Monte Carlo is my favorite tournament."

Verdasco didn't seem too upset after the loss.  Its almost he knew that he couldn't stop this train on the clay.  When Rafa said "Sorry about today" in his post match speech, a smiling Verdasco quipped back "I hope one day Rafa gets tired of winning here".

Preview of the Finals matchups for Monte-Carlo and Charleston (April 18,2010)

I went 4-1 on my picks yesterday.  The only loss was a retirement by Wozniacki.  13-2 the past 2 days.

Monte-Carlo will feature an all Spaniard final:

(#6 seeded) Fernando Verdasco  vs.  (#2) Rafael Nadal

After winning his first ever Masters Series semifinal match against Novak Djokovic, Verdasco is now in the final and has to face fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.  Nadal has crushed everyone who has had the misfortune of having to play him.  Verdasco will be no different than the other casualties.  Nadal wins Monte-Carlo in easy fashion.

Pick - Nadal

RESULT:  Rafael Nadal 6-0, 6-1.

The final has been set for the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina:

(#7 seeded) Vera Zvonareva  vs.  (#4) Samantha Stosur

Zvonareva looked pretty good in her match against Wozniacki even though it was a short one.  Wozniacki had to retire after twisting her ankle in the first set.  But Zvonareva had a 5-2 lead in the set, and was in control.  Samantha Stosur features an excellent serve, but is known to have faulty groundstrokes on occasion.  This is a tough match to call, you could flip a coin on this one, but I am going to take Zvonareva who is playing well and didn't have to really tax herself in the semifinal against Wozniacki.  I can see Stosur struggling if her serve isn't on.  This one can go either way, but I am leaning toward Zvonareva to win.

Pick - Zvonareva

RESULT:  Samantha Stosur 6-0, 6-3.

Francesca Schiavone "hulks up" to win title in Barcelona.

Top seeded Francesca Schiavone crushed fellow Italian and defending champion of this event Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-1 to win the Barcelona Ladies Open in Barcelona, Spain.

The match only took an hour to complete as Schiavone broke Vinci's serve five times during the rout... This is Schiavone's 3rd career WTA title and now the two friends who participated in todays final must turn their attention to being teammates as Italy faces the Czech Republic next week in the Fed Cup semifinals.

Preview for the Saturday, April 17, 2010 matches in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and Charleston.

I'm coming off a 9-1 day yesterday, lets keep it going with another good day.

These are the semifinal matches of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte-Carlo, Monaco

(#1 seed) Novak Djokovic  vs.  (#6) Fernando Verdasco

Djokovic has been tinkering with a new serve, and has had to deal with the firing of his former coach Todd Martin, so he has some distractions and technical issues in his game that need to be fixed.  Verdasco is reaching a Masters Series semifinal for the first time in his career.  I'm leaning toward a less distracted Verdasco to pull a minor upset.

Pick - Verdasco

RESULT:  Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-2.

(#11) David Ferrer  vs.  (#2) Rafael Nadal

David Ferrer has been playing terrific on the clay this year, and he is personally my favorite tennis player, but his tournament will end when he runs into the clay "buzzsaw" Rafael Nadal.  I'm just hoping for Daveeeeeeed to make it competitive and not embarass himself.  Nadal will win in straight sets.  Something like 6-3, 6-4.

Pick - Nadal

RESULT:  Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-3.

Saturday will be the final for the Barcelona Ladies Open in Barcelona, Spain.

(#1 seeded) Francesca Schiavone  vs.  (unseeded) Roberta Vinci

Roberta Vinci is looking to go back-to-back in Barcelona, but in order to do so she will have to beat the best player in the field.  Its definetly a possibility since Vinci has already taken out #2 seeded Arevane Rezai in the first round.  It absolutely is a possibility, but it won't happen.  Schiavone has been playing excellent this week handling Carla Suarez Navarro, and Yaroslava Shvedova easily to advance to the final.  Them two players right there are better players than Vinci right now, so Schiavone dethrones fellow Italian Vinci to win the Barcelona Ladies Open.

Pick - Schiavone

RESULT:  Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-1.

The two semifinals matches will be the focal point on Saturday at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, United States.

(#1 seeded) Caroline Wozniacki  vs.  (#7) Vera Zvonareva

I really want to pick Zvonareva to win this match, because I feel Wozniacki might be starting to fatigue from playing a lot of tennis the past few weeks.  A lot of factors point to a Zvonareva upset, but Zvonareva is so hard to predict due to her mental meltdowns she is so famous for.  If you jump on her early she will fold up and call it quits.  Wozniacki has the game to just keep returning the ball and letting Zvonareva kill herself with unforced errors.  After a few errors Zvonareva will be in "Chernobyl mode" and ready to just lay down and take her beating.

Pick - Wozniacki

RESULT:  Vera Zvonareva 5-2 (ret.)  Wozniacki retired in first set after "rolling" her ankle during a point.

(#4) Samantha Stosur  vs.  (#8) Daniela Hantuchova

Like Wozniacki, Hantuchova has been playing a lot of tennis as well.  She was able to outlast Jelena Jankovic in the last round going a full 3 sets, while Sam Stosur has been playing really well this week on the Charleson clay.  An Australian playing good on clay, who knew?  Stosur is on her game and will eeek out a victory over a tired Hantuchova.

Pick - Stosur

RESULT:  Samantha Stosur 6-3, 7-6.

Oompa Loompa doompadee doo

Vera Dushevina (on the left) looking like a oompa loompa along with Galina Voskoboeva (middle), and Vera Zvonareva (right).

Oompa Loompas:

Oompa Loompa doompadee doo
I've got another puzzle for you
Oompa Loompa doompadah dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me

What do you get from a glut of TV?
A pain in the neck and an IQ of three
Why don't you try simply reading a book?
Or could you just not bear to look?

You'll get no
You'll get no
You'll get no
You'll get no
You'll get no commercials

Oompa Loompa Doompadee Dah
If you're not greedy you will go far
You will live in happiness too
Like the Oompa
Oompa Loompa doompadee do

Tournament Updates and Preview for matches on Friday, April 16, 2010.

The Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte Carlo, Monaco is at the quarterfinals stage.

Quarterfinal Matchups:

(#1 seed) Novak Djokovic  vs.  (unseeded) David Nalbandian

Djokovic is struggling to fix his service motion, and it has hindered his play the past few matches.  David Nalbandian is still trying to get over his injuries that have plagued him the last year or so.  Nalbandian seems to be improving with every match, and showing small glimpses of his former top 10 self, but my guess is his fitness isn't there yet, and fitness has always been a problem for Nalbandian in the past when healthy.  Djokovic will be a little too much for him to handle.

Pick - Djokovic

RESULT:  Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-3.

(unseeded) Albert Montanes  vs.  (#6) Fernando Verdasco

Albert Montanes is at home on the clay, and has already taken out a couple seeded players in Marcos Baghdatis and Marin Cilic.  Next up is another Spaniard in Fernando Verdasco who is also very comfortable on the clay.  Montanes' nice run will come to an end, and Verdasco should move on to a semifinal matchup with Djokovic.

Pick - Verdasco

RESULT:  Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-7, 6-0.

(#11) David Ferrer  vs.  (unseeded) Philipp Kohlschreiber

David Ferrer is showing that his best surface at this time is clay.  Most of the Spanish players are clay court specialists, which he is, but he has shown that he can also play well on hardcourts as well.  Kohlschreiber has good groundstrokes and his game suits a hardcourt type of surface, but living in Germany he has had experience on clay as well.  Ferrer has won a title on clay this year already, and reached the final of another clay court tournament.  I cannot go against a player who has already had a nice amount of success on clay just in the past couple months.  Ferrer will win a tough 3 setter.

Pick - Ferrer

RESULT:  David Ferrer 7-5, 7-6.

(#9) Juan Carlos Ferrero  vs.  (#2) Rafael Nadal

Juan Carlos Ferrero has 2 clay court tournament titles this year already, but that doesn't really matter when he is playing arguably the greatest clay court player in the history of tennis in Rafael Nadal.  Nadal has been just smashing his previous 2 opponents with ease.  Ferrero will put up a little more of a fight, but not enough to win.

Pick - Nadal

RESULT:  Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-2.

The Barcelona Ladies Open in Barcelona, Spain is the smaller of the two WTA events this week, and will have its semifinals matches on Friday.

(#1 seed) Francesca Schiavone  vs.  (unseeded) Yaroslava Shvedova

Francesca Schiavone the #1 seed has been solid so far this week.  And other than an ok run at the Australian Open, she hasn't really had a lot of success this season.  Shvedova has had some success, quiet success at that.  She has consistently been winning 2-3 matches in some of the smaller events and pulling some upsets over ranked opponents in the process.  Shvedova's game is at a better place right now, and I believe she will pull the mild upset.

Pick - Shvedova

RESULT:  Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-2.

(unseeded) Alexandra Dulgheru  vs.  (unseeded) Roberta Vinci

I must admit I do not know a whole lot about Dulgheru's game other than she seems to be a solid clay court player from Romania.  Vinci is the defending champion of this event and is basically at home on the clay and at this venue.  I think Vinci should win this match without a lot of trouble.

Pick - Vinci

RESULT:  Roberta Vinci 6-7, 6-1, 6-2.

The Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, United States is a WTA Premier event played on clay.  The quarterfinals will be played on Friday.

(#1) Caroline Wozniacki  vs.  (#6) Nadia Petrova

This is actually a tough match to predict.  Petrova is playing well, but hasn't really played a lot in the last couple of months, while Wozniacki has been playing non-stop for the past month.  Will all this tennis catch up to and wear down on the young Dane?  Petrova is too shaky for me to pick her, but I wouldn't be surprised if she does pull the upset.

Pick - Wozniacki

RESULT:  Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-4.

(#13) Melanie Oudin  vs.  (#7) Vera Zvonareva

Melanie Ouden will probaby be getting a lot of press in the United States for her nice tournament this week.  But when you look at her draw she hasn't beaten anyone to get to this point.  She has benefited from Azarenka retiring in her match, and all she has done is beat the likes of Jill Craybas, Sophie Ferguson, and Christina McHale...who?  Exactly, none of these players are even in the top 50.  Now she faces a top echelon player in Zvonareva.  Zvonareva has too much game and will put an end to the run of the "fools gold" that is Melanie Oudin.

Pick - Zvonareva

RESULT:  Vera Zvonareva 7-5, 6-2.

(unseeded) Shuai Peng  vs.  (#4) Samantha Stosur

This one is quite simple.  Stosur has waaaay too much game for Peng, and will win this one easily.

Pick - Stosur

RESULT:  Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-1.

(#8) Daniela Hantuchova  vs.  (#2) Jelena Jankovic

This is the match of the day in Charleston.  Hantuchova has had a nice spring, and Jankovic's game of quickness and defense is made for the clay.  I think Hantuchova will have just enough to beat Jankovic on Friday.  I'm not sure why, its just a hunch I have.  She has been playing well and Jankovic has been inconsistent.

Pick - Hantuchova

RESULT:  Daniela Hantuchova 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

ITF may review doping rules, and possible tests for HGH.

The main reason Wayne Odesnik is still allowed to play even though he has pleaded guilty to having HGH in his posession is that the ITF's rule is that they can only suspend someone if they have an illegal substance in their system, not if they have it in their possession.

ITF anti-doping manager Stuart Miller had this to say about the ITF's rule on the matter:  "Our rules say if, and only if, we detect a prohibited substance in a sample provided by a player will we impose a provisional suspension," Miller said. "Clearly, there's a need to review that rule and there is no doubt that that will happen. I'm not going hide or run away from that, because clearly it is something that we need to look at."

Miller also admitted that the ITF currently does not test for HGH, and that it may do so if a reliable test is found.

Well lets hope so.  Tennis is one that prides itself on being clean, and also boasts some of the most strict penalties if a player has tested positive for illegal drugs.  On a first offense you are looking at 2 years away from the game.  Which in all reality is close to a death sentence.  Not too many players are in the game for a long period of time, especially on the womens side where 25 is the equivalent to being a old geezer.  The ITF needs to find a test and get rid of the trash that take performance enhancing drugs.  Don't let the game become tainted like Major League Baseball, Stu.

James Blake out until French Open with a knee injury.

James Blake will be spending the next month, or two rehabbing a injured right knee.  In a statement Blake said, ""The good news is that I will not need surgery," Blake said in a statement. "However, the treatment will require me to take a six to eight week break. I look forward to a successful rehabilitation period and retuning to competition in the near future."

The American is currently ranked #53 in the world.  With having to miss the next couple of months his ranking may dip to as low as #80 by the time the French Open rolls around.  Clay never has been a strong surface for Blake, so even if he does come back in time for Roland Garros, he won't be much of a factor and has a high probability of mirroring his 1st round exit of last year.