Wk.21- M&M's... and La Monf!, too

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

The Boston Bruins just beat the NY Rangers and I must admit I am very happy indeed. I do love the sport of ice hockey. I haven't been watching long, but it'ss very addictive viewing and I love getting into the feel of it. Where was I again? Ahh yes, pre-French open warm up tourneys. These are always hard because you have to make the decision do I get matches under my belt or do I rest? I think maintaining the balance is vital. Tipsarevic it seems is incapable of beating anyone. Perhaps I shall try my luck...

Also, La Monf! is back and he means business. He landed Berdych in the opening round, which should be a cracker. I have always loved the French players for their sheer verve and charismatic style of play. There is just something about the way they play that makes me want to play just like them. Anyway, I shall get on with the week's action now, however which will be slightly shorter because I have just analyzed the draw at RG.



*WEEK 21 CHAMPIONS*
NICE, FRANCE
S: Albert Montanes/ESP def. Gael Monfils/FRA 6-0/7-6
D: Brunstrom/Klaasen d. Cabal/Farrah
DUSSELDORF, GERMANY
S: Juan Monaco/ARG def. Jarkko Nieminen/FIN 6-4/6-3
D: Begemann/Emmrich d. Huey/Inglot


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Juan Monaco, ARG
...Isn't it nice to emerge from a slump? He seems to be hitting prime form, which is kind of the point of pre-slam events. He beat Ghem, Kamke andd Pella to reach the final. Once there he beat Nieminen to win the Power Horse Cup without dropping a set. Very impressive from the Argentinian number two. He seems to be hitting form with perfect timing.
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RISER: Jarkko Nieminen, FIN
...The flying Fin reached another career final this week. He has reached 13 250 finals and is 2-11 in those finals, although he lost to players like Schalken, Federer, Nalbandian, Gaudio and Blake. He thrashed Lacko, edged Agut and benefited from Haas' withdrawal to reach the semifinal. Once there, he edged Sijsling to make the final. He will be a dangerous floater at Roland Garros. I also think that Nieminen has a few more titles in him before he retires. He is almost the opposite to Smashnova or AMG. Slam quarters but only two titles.
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SURPRISE: Guido Pella, ARG
...He wins three qualifying matches then wins three main draw matches, too. He beat Kubot, which is impressive, then he beat seeds one and seven, as well. There were only two Argentines in the main draw and they met in the semis. Pella didn't quite have enough to defeat Monaco, but he did play a good match and made it close.
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VETERAN: Nikolay Davydenko, RUS
...Niko is still around 30 or 40 in the world I think. He is starting to get on a bit, though. He was fantastic from 2006 to early 2010 and then after that injuries and a slump occurred. Had he beaten Fed in that Aussie Open quarterfinal back in 2010 then maybe he would have cracked the top three again and everything might have been different. But that hasn't happened and he is now playing for money mainly, as he freely admits.
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COMEBACK: LA MONF!, FRA
...La Monf! beat Giraldo , Fognini -the sixth seed too- and Haase to make the semifinals. He then edged Andujar in two tight sets to make the finals. Despite losing to Monatanes and getting handed a bagel it is clear that Monfils is back. I one heard a commentator say, "I don't think Monfils is interested in playing tennis. I think he just enjoys running round the court and pulling off the impossible." An apt description.
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NEW FACE: Christian Garín, CHI
...I think I have mentioned him before. Like last time, I still know nothing. Born in 1996, he still managed to win a qualifying match and challenge Laaksonen before losing in three to the Swiss man. He really is one to watch, especially on the dirt.
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DOWN: Janko Tipsarevic, SRB
...I think it is nigh time to start considering playing the challengers. There must be a way to stop this alarming slump somehow.
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1. Dusseldorf Doub.SF - Begemann/Emmrich (GER) d. Nielsen/Sa (DEN/BRA)
...6-7/6-1/12-10. An intriguing double match. The fourth seeds lost here to the Germans despite winning the opening tiebreaker 11-9. The Germans would then go on to play the third seeds in the final and win.
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2. Dusseldorf SF - Nieminen d. Sisjling
...7-5/4-6/6-3. A quality match between two very talented players. Sizzler has a huge serve and a big forehand to boot, too. He also has a very attractive backhand included. Nieminen has that nasty lefty spin that us righties can't seem to learn and that ability to make you make mistakes, plus a pretty good serve.
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3. Nice 1st Rd. - Monfils d. Giraldo
...4-6/6-3/6-3. A relatively high quality first rounder between two veterans on the ATP tour. A good match and the start of Monfils' quite successful campaign.
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