The last week in February brings the ATP to venues in Croatia, Tennessee and Mexico. None of the 3 tournaments this week have the all around star power that Rotterdam had last week. With the recent rash of upsets that the top players in a world have encountered in various tour events, I’m not sure if the fan’s are really missing out on the top players performances.

Zagreb, Croatia, is 1st on the review menu this week. This 32 player indoor carpet tournament boasts, a weak draw by tour standards. Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) ranked 23 in the world is the top seed, followed by countrymen 2nd seed “Dr. Ivo” Ivo Karlovic (CRO), Gilles Simon (FRA) and Fabrice the “magician” Santoro, as the 3rd and 4th seeds respectively. Defending champ Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) is not participating, opting to rest and prepare for Dubai next week. I would like to see youngster, Ernest Gublis (LAT), make a deep run here. He plays top seed Ljubicic in the 1st round and provided he can make it through that match, I believe this young talent maybe ready to lock up his 1st tour title. It would also be nice to see the 35 year old veteran Fabrice Santoro, make a solid run in this tournament. The crafty Frenchmen, has been in good form as of late, racking up wins over, Djokovic, Roddick and Blake in recent months. Here’s hoping for the youthful Gublis to face the wily veteran Santoro in the final.

The 2nd stop in this weeks review, brings the tour to Memphis, Tennessee. This 32 player indoor hard court tournament has pretty much an identical look to the San Jose draw. Andy Roddick (USA) is the top seed followed by James Blake (USA), Tommy Haas (GER) and Radek Stepanek (CZE) rounding out the top four seeds. Haas, is the defending champ, but recent form does not bode well for him to repeat. He has personal nemesis Diego Hartfield (ARG) who carved him up in Delray Beach earlier this month, in the 1st round. The most interesting 1st round match, sees former grand slam champs Marat Safin (RUS) and Tomas Johanson (SWE) doing battle. Both, will be looking to build on form and confidence, as they have had a lackluster start to the season. Blake, is coming off 2 disappointing weeks, where he should have won matches that he didn’t. I would like to see him make a deep run here, but Blake is in the same mold as Safin, talent and no consistency. Roddick, should get through this draw, but I’m feeling a good showing for Stepanek, to back up his good run in San Jose.

The final review of the week comes from gorgeous Acapulco, Mexico. This 32 player clay court tournament, provides the most points and money from the 3 venues this week. David Nalbandian (ARG) is the top seed, followed by Carlos Moya (ESP), Juan Monaco (ARG) and Guillermo Canas (ARG) who are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th seeds, respectively. Defending champ and 5th seed Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) will be looking to go deep and sustain the 250 points he captured at the event last year. Chela, is a dangerous competitor in these small single week events. A repeat is certainly not out of the question. One has to wonder if Nalbandian, has enough left in the tank after winning Argentina last week to make a finals run, again this week. He has an easy draw, and the semi-finals look within reach. Monaco, will be looking to get his claycourt shoes moving, after his 1st round exit in Argentina last week. Hopefully, his ankle injury woes are behind him. Veteran, Carlos Moya, will be looking to book a spot in the finals for the 2nd consequtive year, and defend his 175 ranking points. These points are crucial for Carlos, if he is to stay in top 15. Here’s hoping for a Monaco/Moya final.

Please check out the links to the tournaments for this week. Please leave any comments that pertain to this weeks tournaments or players that are participating. Enjoy!

Tournament links:

Zagreb, Croatia www.zagrebindoors.com

Memphis, Tennessee www.RMKChampionships.com

Acapulco, Mexico http://abiertomextenis.com.mx

Technorati Tags: Andy Roddick, Carlos Moya, David Nalbandian, Diego Hartfield, Ernest Gublis, Fabrice Santoro, Gilles Simon, Guillermo Canas, Ivan Ljubicic, Ivo Karlovic, James Blake, Juan Ignacio Chela, Juan Monaco, Marat Safin, Marcos Baghdatis, Radek Stepanek, Tomas Johanson, Tommy Haas

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