ATP Montreal - The big names return...

While the women take to Toronto, the men are back in Montreal as the top four all return to action following a well deserved break after London. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray are joined by Gael Monfils, Mardy Fish, Tomas Berdych and Nicolas Almagro as the top eight seeds. They all have byes into Round 2.

The top seed and world number one, Novak Djokovic has a potentially difficult draw to open up his post-Wimbledon campaign. In the second round he could face Nikolay Davydenko; yes Davydenko is not the player he was but he can still be a challenging to get past on the hard courts. In round 3, Djokovic could take on Juan Martin Del Potro. I have tipped Del Potro to make some big ground over the next few weeks but I was disappointed by his early loss in Washington to Ernests Gulbis. I hope that the loss to Gulbis was just a blip however at this moment in time, I would have to back Djokovic to beat Del Potro.


Djokovic could play Del Potro in round 3; they last played in the third round of Roland Garros where Djokovic won in 4 sets

Djokovic is scheduled to meet Gael Monfils in the Quarters. Monfils will look to the third round where he could meet either Viktor Troicki, Marcos Baghdatis or John Isner. Isner and Baghdatis will square off in the first round and I would back Isner to progress. Isner has really come back to form following his impressive showing at Roland Garros to Rafael Nadal. I am predicting he will have a chance of revenge in the third round against Monfils, who he narrowly lost to in the Washington Semis.

In the second section of the top half, Roger Federer opens his campaign against either Juan Ignacio Chela or Jaroslav Pospisil. Federer could be set for a rematch with Jo-Wilfred Tsonga who famously came from two sets down to defeat Federer in the Wimbledon Quarters. Tsonga himself may have to get past the youngster, Bernard Tomic in Round 2. I would expect this time round that Federer will have enough to get past Tsonga in three sets.


Roger Federer will want revenge if he faces Tsonga again in the third round at Montreal

Federer is predicted to meet Nicolas Almagro in the Quarters. Almagro has had some good results on the clay this year but his form never quite translates to the hard courts. A potential third round meeting with the talented, Richard Gasquet is where I see his tournament ending. Almagro has won their last two encounters but both of them were on the clay. Gasquet has been extremely consistent this year and notched up a few big wins including a victory over Roger Federer in Rome. He could get another chance in the Quarters here...

In the third quarter, Andy Murray will open his campaign against either Kevin Anderson or Pablo Andujar. I would predict it will be the big serving Anderson, which should be routine for Murray. He should then meet the winner of an enticing first round clash between Stan Wawrinka and David Nalbandian. Both players have been patchy of late but I would back Nalbandian to come through that one.


Murray is seeded to meet Nadal in the Quarters

Murray is scheduled to meet Mardy Fish in the Quarters. Fish has a difficult opener against the tricky, Radek Stepanek who has progressed to the final in Washington. He also holds a 4-0 head-to-head record including a demolition earlier this year in Brisbane. I would therefore give the edge to Stepanek. Mikhail Youzhny is also in this section as is Gulbis. Gulbis signalled a return to form in Washington but i'm still wary of his consistency and would predict a third round match between Stepanek and Youzhny.

In the bottom half, Rafael Nadal will return against either Jeremy Chardy or Ivan Dodig. He has a pretty straightforward draw and will most likely play Fernando Verdasco in the 3rd round who he has a superior record over. His projected quarter-final opponent is Tomas Berdych who has been consistent and but shown no evidence of pushing on from his first grand slam final appearance at Wimbledon last year. Berydch could face the unorthodox, Alexander Dolgopolov in round 2 who I believe will be victorious. Giles Simon is also in this section of the draw and should reach at least the third round.


Rafael Nadal has the best draw of the top four seeds

This week for ATP Montreal, i'm backing Andy Murray for the title. Murray has played really well in his last visits to Canada and always shows his best form in the Masters 1000 events. I expect him to beat Djokovic in the final who he pushed all the way on the clay earlier this year in Rome.

Predicted Winner - Andy Murray

Predicted Quarter-final lineup:
Djokovic/Isner
Federer/Gasquet
Youzhny/Murray
Dolgopolov/Nadal

Round 1 punts - Stepanek to beat Lopez (evens with most bookmakers) and Stakhovsky to beat Kohlschreiber (11/8 with most bookmakers)

WTA Toronto Preview - A big week for Wozniacki

The women are in Toronto this week for what promises to be one of the most exciting weeks of the year so far. It is a superb line-up with all the top 20 players in action including the return of Kim Clijsters from injury and Serena lurking unseeded. The draw was done on Friday night and has produced some potentially titanic encounters over the next week. Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters are the top two seeds and have byes in the first round along with the other top 8 seeds who are Vera Zvonareva, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Li Na, Petra Kvitova and Francesca Schiavone.

In the top half, the number one seed Caroline Wozniacki will play her first tournament on the hard courts. This will be a big week for Wozniacki and a chance to prove her credentials as the world number one against some of the big names on the tour. After a bye in round 1, she will open up against either Yanina Wickmayer or Roberta Vinci. Wozniacki could then face Ana Ivanovic or Dominika Cibulkova in a third round encounter.

Wozniacki will be glad not to have Venus in her section of the draw but would have wanted the chance to prove herself as the world number one

Wozniacki was scheduled to meet Venus Williams in the third round before Venus pulled out with a viral illness. This would have been an exciting match because it is a well known fact that Wozniacki is yet to record a win over Venus, Serena or Clijsters. Wozniacki was really starting to shine around the time of Indian Wells but she has moved backwards in recent months. Wozniacki is now back on her favoured hard courts and I would expect her to do well now with the loss of Venus from her section of the draw. However I do not fancy her to win the tournament.

Wozniacki's projected Quarter final opponent is the number 8 seed, Li Na. Li will play in the feature match onTuesday night and could face Peng Shuai in an all-Chinese clash. Peng won their last encounter in Indian Wells but its always a tight encounter because both players are solid from the back of the court. This time round I would have to give the edge to Li Na. Sam Stosur, who has had a disappointing 2011 so far will open up against Ayumi Morita. She should win a couple of matches here if she can stay focussed mentally.


Li Na returns to action following her disappointing 2nd round defeat at Wimbledon to Sabine Lisicki

In the second section of the top half, the number three seed Vera Zvonareva will open up her campaign against either Jarmila Gajdosova or Nadia Petrova. I would expect this to be Petrova who won her last tournament in Washington and has a 5-2 winning head-to-head record over Zvonareva. Zvonareva herself is in good form so I would expect a very tight match. Agnieszka Radwanska is also in this section of the draw and opens up against Elena Vesnina. Radwanska has produced some good performances since Wimbledon and appears to be playing more aggression and going for her shots. I was really happy for her to win her first title in three years at San Diego, which included some excellent victories over Hantuchova, Petkovic and Zvonareva. This has appeared to restore some confidence after a shaky 2011 up till now. The only issue is whether her heavily taped up shoulder can hold up this week.


Nadia Petrova will be confident going into her first round match against Gajdosova following victory in Washington

Zvonareva is scheduled to meet the Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova in the Quarter-finals. Kvitova is playing for the first time since beating Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon final and I'm interested to see how she gets on here. I think she will be vulnerable to an early exit because she is likely to be rusty following several weeks off. She should have no problems against either Anabel Medina Garrigues or Sara Errani in Round 2 but Andrea Petkovic could provide stiff opposition in a potential third round clash. However if she can get through the first few rounds, she is going to be difficult to stop...


Kvitova will want to follow on from her success at Wimbledon with a good showing in Toronto

In the bottom half, the most exciting potential Quarter-final is between the number 4 and 5 seeds, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova. Sharapova will open up against either Jelena Dokic or a qualifier. She was disappointing in Stanford and will want to prove that her serve can hold up under scrutiny. Her first big test is likely to come in Round 3 against Marion Bartoli. Sharapova has an excellent record over Bartoli but Bartoli has improved leaps and bounds over the last year so I could see Bartoli springing an upset. Azarenka opens up against Stephanie Dubois or a Qualifier but will be looking more at a potential clash in the third round against either Daniela Hantuchova or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (who could meet in the second round). I am predicting that Azarenka will reach at least the Quarters here and will put the blip she suffered in Stanford behind her.


Victoria Azarenka was shocked in Stanford by Marina Erakovic but will hope to put that behind her in Toronto

In the bottom half, Kim Clijsters makes her return to injury against a Qualifier in Round 2. She could face a blockbuster third round match against Serena Williams. This half also sees Jelena Jankovic and Julia Goerges square off in an exciting first round clash. Jankovic has been sounding positive on her social networking accounts so I would expect her to pass the challenge of Goerges. However poor Jelena could then face Serena in Round 2. Jankovic has an excellent record over Serena winning on 4 previous occasions. Her game always holds up well against Serena but comparing their recent form, you have to give the edge to Serena. However I fancy a sneaky bet on Jelena if the odds are good ;) Of course I am assuming that they will in fact meet in round 2!

If Serena was to meet Clijsters in Round 3 then I would give the edge to Serena. Injuries have really blighted Kim's season and I've got to say, I have lost a little respect for her with some of her comments this year about playing tournaments other than Grand slams. I feel with all the injuries, her motivation is slipping once again and I would back Serena for the win here in Toronto.


I do not think that Clijsters will be a threat this week

Clijster's projected quarter-final opponent is Francesca Schiavone. Schiavone will play either Ekaterina Makarova or Rebecca Marino in Round two. Marino pushed Schiavone all the way in Australia before succumbing to a 9-7 third set loss. Marino will first have to overturn a 2-0 head-to-head record over Makarova but if she can, I'm predicting she can take out Schiavone in front of her home crowd. In this section, Kuznetsova and Safarova will both take on qualifiers; Kuznetsova has been very frustrating to watch in recent months because she has the talent to beat anyone but the mental game to lose to anyone!

Schiavone will be relatively unfancied in Toronto this week

So who is going to win? I would put Serena, Azarenka, Zvonareva and Li in the frame along with Kvitova if she can get past the first few rounds. With such a superb line-up, it really is wide open and we still have to wait to see the placement of the qualifiers, who could provide a few upsets along the way. Ultimately, i'm going to go for Azarenka but I am really not confident!!!

Predicted Winner - Victoria Azarenka

Predicted Quarter-Final line up:
Wozniacki/Li
Zvonareva/Petkovic
Sharapova/Azarenka
Kuznetsova/S Williams

Round 1 Top Tip - Petrova to beat Gajdosova (4/7 with some bookmakers)

Round 1 Punt - Wozniak to beat Peer (5/2 with some bookmakers)

San Diego update - Petkovic storms into the Semis

Andrea Petkovic produced a solid performance to defeat the talented youngster, Sloane Stephens, 6-2 6-1. Stephens started the match with some real intent hitting some beautiful clean winners past Petkovic. She has a very nice game including a willingness to come into the net, which is refreshing to see in an up and coming player. However from 2-2, Stephens failed to maintain her consistency and threw in a huge amount of errors as her mind appeared to wander.


Andrea Petkovic continues to show excellent form on the hard courts

Petkovic started slowly making numerous errors, many off the forehand side. However she improved during the match and by the end, was demonstrating her superior experience over the American. Petkovic has had an excellent year and continues to make progress within her game. She still seems to make quite a few errors in matches but the key thing now is she is managing to pull the wins through and all the time improving her consistency in match play.

Petkovic will debut in the top 10 next week, which is an excellent achievement considering she was ranked number 38 going into the US Open last year. She is still a relatively new face to the tour and inexperienced compared to her fellow top tenners. I'm interested to see how far she can go. Personally I think shes a very good player but I don't think her game is strong enough to take her into the top 5. Stephens is no doubt a talent but whether she has the mental game to go far is as yet to be decided. She seems a fun and down to earth character off the court so I hope she can be a future star.

Petkovic will now play Agnieszka Radwanska who beat Daniela Hantuchova in a come-from-behind victory, 0-6 6-4 6-4. Radwanska was apparently struggling from a shoulder injury, which makes the win all the more impressive. Once again, it also demonstrated Hantuchova's mental frailities which have prevented her really breaking through in the women's game.


Radwanska has been in good form but has had a gruelling schedule and will play for the 3rd time in 3 weeks in Toronto next week

Vera Zvonareva managed to claw past Sabine Lisicki in an gruelling encounter, 6-3 3-6 6-4. This was an excellent win for Zvonareva who continues to gather her game together after an indifferent few months. A loss for Lisicki will be disappointing however I feel she has played a lot in the last two weeks and tiredness may have been an issue. I'm pleased to see shes having a week off and not competing in Toronto. Zvonareva will play Ana Ivanovic in the next round after she defeated Peng Shuai, 6-4 6-2.


Ivanovic now being coached by Nigel Sears, has had a great week so far in San Diego