Monday Wrap – Best of the Rest

Alain Riou, Co-Director of the Masters Series event in Paris was not amused when he looked at the field of players for his tournament. Not for the first time in the history of the event was there the problem of last-minute dropouts from the game’s biggest players. This time, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic and David Nalbandian all decided to skip the last week of the season, leaving Nikolay Davydenko as the lone active player of the Top 6. The Russian made the most of his whopping 31st tournament of the season – almost twice as many as Nalbandian, who played 16 -, clinching his first major title in the French capital.

I wonder what Riou thought about the final match-up. Nikolay “The Marketeer’s Dream” Davydenko versus Dominik “I made the final of the Prostejov Challenger!” Hrbaty. Boy were those Parisians lucky seeing these two guys in a Masters Series final!

Despite not being one of the game’s biggest characters, Davydenko deserves credit for his performance. The 25-year-old played excellent tennis throughout the week and he could go one step further in Shanghai than his semi-final appearance last year if he keeps playing at this level. It’s all a matter of avoiding King Roger.

You’ve got to feel sorry for Fernando Gonzalez. The Chilean reached three consecutive finals before heading to Paris and he had become a strong contender for the eighth position in the Race. After going up a set in his first match against local hero Julien Benneteau, Gonzo ran out of gas, and his Shanghai dreams were shattered. We can now safely conclude playing 15 matches in 21 days in three different countries is a bit too much.

Tommy Haas put in a remarkable last ditch effort for a Shanghai berth by steamrolling Blake and knocking out three-time champion Marat Safin, but two wins away from a shocker, the experienced German had to retire in his semi-final against Dominik “The Dominator”. Haas needed to win the title for a TMC ticket.

Blake became the final lock for Shanghai after Haas’ loss against Hrbaty on Saturday. Mario Ancic was one win away from a trip to the Chinese capital the day before, but a determined Davydenko ended the Croat’s season after a straight sets win.

CLIJSTERS READY FOR MADRID

Kim Clijsters’ return to the WTA Tour saw the Belgian defend her 2005 Hasselt title in front of a homecrowd. Clijsters will head into the WTA Championships with confidence, but will the 2002 and 2003 champion be able to compete with the elite after an injury time-out dating back to August? Justine Henin and Amelie Mauresmo might not be at their best either so Maria Sharapova could well clinch the year-end No.1 ranking by winning the event.

Elena Dementieva is a tough competitor, but we all know how she’s done in major tournaments up to this point. Nadia Petrova hasn’t won a big title either, but 2006 was a breakthrough year for the big-hitting Russian, bringing home 5 trophies. She could be ready to take next step.
Martina Hingis had an impressive year, although playing against the top girls, she gets overpowered most of the time. Kuznetsova could do well, though if Clijsters plays her best, she can’t be seen as a favorite in a group also featuring an in-form Sharapova.