The New 'Genie' in the Bottle

Young star Eugenie Bouchard has turned heads recently, proving just why she can become the leading lady of her generation. Eugenie has had a pretty successful clay-court campaign, reaching her first WTA semifinal in Strasbourg, before making a successful Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros. In Strasbourg, she lost a nail-biter to eventual champion, Alize Cornet, while at the French Open she succumbed to defending champion, Maria Sharapova, in the second round.

Contrary to other teen sensations who have failed to deliver, i.e. Caroline Garcia, Michelle Larcher de Brito, or Melanie Oudin, I believe the Canadian is strong enough mentally to complete a successful transition from a great junior to an A-level tour star. It probably takes time and she probably needs to win some more matches, but Eugenie clearly possesses a power game destined for greatness. 

Actually, all the up and coming young guns have the game to challenge the world's elite, though what differentiates the likes of Laura Robsons, Sloane Stephens, or Kristina Mladenovic, from their not-so-successful peers is their ability to deliver on the big occasions and to take out the big names on a regular basis. Bouchard does not have a big victory under her name yet, but her recent form makes me believe it won't take long before she'll record it. She's the defending junior Wimbledon champion in both singles and doubles, so she is one to be watched out for during the grass court season. If she can control her emotions and work on her consistency, young Bouchard can be in for a great run at Wimbledon, her favourite tournament.

Although she lost second round to defending French Open champion, Maria Sharapova, young Eugenie announced herself as one of the leading ladies of her generation.

Teen sensation, Eugenie Bouchard, won the girl's crown at Wimbledon in 2012 in both singles and doubles.

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"I Ain't No Loser!" Shouts Monfils

Just a few days ago I accused Gael Monfils of still battling his old demons. After losing the Nice final to an accessible player like Albert Montanes, I felt the Frenchman missed yet another good opportunity to add to his not-so-impressive tally of ATP titles. 

Consequently, when he faced Tomas Berdych in the first round at this year's Roland Garros, I was really curious to see if he can pull off the big upset. I called it a 'make it' or 'break it' moment, a match that could potential turn his poor season around. I believed in Monfils though. He may lack the consistency to win two, three such matches in a row, but as I said before, he does have the weapons to beat the big guys on a given occasion. 

Therefore, I was not surprised to see the Frenchman take what looked like an decisive two sets to love lead against the 5th seeded Czech. Nevertheless, as soon as he lost the fourth set on a tie-break, I started to question his ability to close out the match. At that stage I thought Berdych would came back and win the match. As with Stan Wawrinka, I just never trust Gael when the going gets tough. However, copying the Swiss' example as of late, the Frenchman did not give up. He maintained his cool head, did not panic and eventually sealed a sensational 7-6,6-4,6-7,6-7,7-5 victory to mark his return to the big league after a nightmare injured that threatened to end his career.

Things won't get any easier for him in the next round though. Drawn against talented Ernests Gulbis, it will require another magnificent performance to see off the red-hot Latvian. Let's do it Monfils!

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Monfils Still Fighting Old Demons

After a 2012 season marred with career threatening injuries, Gael Monfils seems to have rediscovered some of his vintage form just in time for the upcoming French Open. These past two weeks the Frenchman achieved two very promising results, winning the Challenger in Bordeaux and then reaching the ATP final in Nice, both on home soil. However, he is still fighting the same old demons that have prevented him from unleashing his full potential. 

Monfils is a great tennis player. He is the ultimate athlete, he has big shots, he is confident and gutsy, so he can beat literary anyone on a given day. Unfortunately though he is lacking the mental strength to capitalize on the big opportunities. His record in career finals speaks a great deal about this weakness: out of the 18th finals he played, the Frenchman won only four, losing frequently to lower ranked, accessible opponents. It was the same exact scenario in Nice where he faced Albert Montanes in the grand finale. It's true that the Spaniard holds a positive record in their head-to-head, nevertheless Monfils is a former top 10 player who still fancies his chances at a Grand Slam crown. To lose a bagel set, in a final, in front of your home crowd, against a player who only won back-to-back tour-level matches just once in nine events this seasons denotes either lack of focus, or terrible nerves. In Gael's case, I think it's a fatal combination of both. Although he showed some guts in the second act, fighting back from a break down, the Frenchman was unable to level the dispute, losing a poorly played tie-break to gift Montanes an unexpected sixth career title. This final marked another missed opportunity for the recovering Frenchman.

The toughest test though for Monfils awaits him in an intriguing first round clash with Czech Tomas Berdych at this year's Roland Garros. This is a 'make it' or 'break it' moment that could potentially influence the remaining of the season, so he needs to win that match to turn his fate around. 

photo: Yohan Brandt

Alize Completes Home Soil Duty

Alize Cornet might not have turned out to be the great star the French Federation was desperately looking for, but even so, she remains a pretty dangerous player, especially on clay, her favourite surface. She proved it last year when she came to life during the clay-court season, reaching her first WTA final in four years in Strasbourg. The result sparked some more good performances, the most important being the title she won on the Austrian clay, in Bad Gastein. 

Having failed to lift the Strasbourg crown at the first time of asking, Alize knew she had to bring her A game in order to finally complete the home soil duty. The draw worked in her favour and, following a string of early upsets, the Frenchwoman, seeded 3, remained the highest seed left through to the quarterfinals. With her main rivals out of the way, she took full advantage of the situation battling her way to a second successive final after an epic 7-5,6-7,6-3 semifinal victory over young Canadian, Eugenie Bouchard. If last year she lost to former French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone, this time she was determined not to let the opportunity slip by. The first set of the final was extremely tight, but after she won it in a tie-break, she was unstoppable. Her opponent, Czech Lucie Hradecka, was unable to win another game. An inspired Cornet claimed a sensational 7-6,6-0 victory to the delight the home fans who were cheering for her. She is just the second Frenchwoman to claim the Strasbourg title, after Aravane Rezai, who was successful in 2009.
I always suspected the French of lacking a winner's attitude. Alize proved me wrong with her triumph today, and hopefully more of her talented compatriots will copy her example. As for Alize, she will probably look to continue her winning streak at Roland Garros, where she has a pretty accessible path to a third round showdown with Australian Open champion, Victoria Azarenka.

After falling to Francesca Schiavone in last year's final, French Alize Cornet completed the home duty this year, beating Czech Lucie Hradecka, 7-6,6-0 to win the title in Strasbourg.

photos: Chryslene Caillaud

Serena, 50 and Counting

She is the best player in the world and she proved it again on Sunday when she held on to her No.1 ranking by beating Russian Maria Sharapova to successfully defend her title in Madrid. Maria needed the win to regain the much disputed position, but as she has done in their last eleven matches, the American was too strong, collecting her 50th WTA crown with an easy 6-1,6-4 victory.

It wasn't quite an easy week for Serena, but as she has done on so many occasions, she found a way to come out on top. The biggest challenge came in the quarterfinals where she was bageled for the first time in five years by Spaniard Anabel Medina Garriguez. The Spaniard was set for a stunning achievement, leading 4-2 in the decider. The American fought back though, winning the match 6-3,0-6,7-5. It was a walk in the park after that. She disposed of French Open finalist, Sara Errani, before stopping Sharapova's 21-match winning streak on clay.

I maintain my opinion that the only player who can challenge Serena at the moment is Victoria Azarenka. Following her loss to Azarenka in Doha, the American took full advantage of Vika's injury to hold on to her No.1 position. Sharapova on the other hand has been very consistent, reaching at least the semifinals of all the tournaments she entered this year. However, she just doesn't have the game to beat Williams. Her sole two wins came back in 2004, in key moments it's true, the young Russian stunning her rival for the Wimbledon, as well as the WTA Championships crowns. However, since then, Serena has won all battles, most of the sets ending with a rather drastic scoreline.

I am curious to see how things will evolve in Rome. Azarenka needs to find her game on clay, Sharapova needs to defend her title, while Williams will look to continue an amazing run since triumphing in Miami. I'll be on the look-out!

Serena continued her supremacy over Maria Sharapova, beating the Russian 6-1,6-4 to successfully defend her title in Madrid. The world No.1 claimed her 50th career title.

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Angry Azarenka Loses Her Cool

When Victoria Azarenka sustained the ankle injury back in early March, I suspected her of being a drama queen. Judging by the lengthy time off, it seems she wasn't faking it though. Her decision to skip her former playground tournament in Miami, as well as the first big clay court tournament in Stuttgart, could justify the seriousness of the injury. However with Vika you never know. 

Anyways, she was ready to rock and roll again at the beginning of this week when she entered Madrid, a tournament where she is the two time runner-up. She was handled a difficult draw though. Her first round opponent, Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, is currently playing the tennis of her life after teaming up with my former darling, Martina Hingis, so everyone was expecting a fierce battle. However, I felt it was an accessible match for the former world No.1, but a clear victory became a tough test after the Belorussian failed to close out both sets. She did make it through, though just barely after surviving two tense tiebreaks. While many were quick to criticize her form, I actually appreciated her mental toughness.

However, what she showed in her next match, was far beyond any mental toughness. Victoria started strongly, sealing the first set 6-1. Makarova, a dangerous player who stunned Azarenka some years back in the Eastbourne final, responded. Vika lost her focus and dropped the second act 2-6. The decider saw a change of fortunes with the Belorussian quickly building a 3-1 lead. Not sure what went through her mind, but at that point, Vika completely lost her temper. After swearing several times, she destroyed her racquet, got a point penalty for unorthodox behavior, got into a feisty fight with the chair umpire and ended up losing five consecutive games to gift away her first loss of the season. Makarova seized the opportunity and spoiled Victoria's perfect record this season.

It remains to be seen how she will regroup after this tough loss. She is definitely not winning fans with her uncool display on court and sometimes having the public against you can hurt you during matches. I remember last year's Roland Garros when the crowd was cheering all her opponents, frustrating Vika who eventually crashed out prematurely in the fourth round to Slovak Dominika Cibulkova. I am OK though with her doing her thing as long as it does not affect her tennis. I really look forward to seeing her invincible self back next week in Rome where she'll be hoping to get a confidence boost ahead of French Open. Let's do this Vika!

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'Baby Boy' Dimitrov Shows Potential

Young hope Grigor Dimitrov proved worthy of the Roger Federer comparison, stunning world number 1, Novak Djokovic, in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

The talented Dimitrov has put together a pretty solid year so far, but for me his most noteworthy performance came against Nadal in Monte Carlo. I always believed that one of the toughest tests in tennis is to beat the Spaniard on his beloved red dirt. The Bulgarian came close to achieving this feat, though bad cramps got in his way. Although he lost 4-6 in the decider, he pushed Nadal to his limits, giving the Spaniard a run for his money.

Riding on some good form, Grigor was ready to take the ultimate step and get one of those big wins under his belt. Having let world number 1, Novak Djokovic, off the hook in Indian Wells, he got a chance at revenge in Madrid, where the duo clashed in the second round. It was a sensational match for Dimitrov, who, even though was pegged back constantly, eventually found a way to close out his first victory over a reigning No.1. After taking a vital opening set, the young gun lost a nail-biting second act after squandering a match point. With his opponent battling severe cramps once again, Djokovic, who recently ended Nadal's eight year reign in Monte Carlo, looked poised to take the win. An early break though turned the momentum in Dimitrov's favour. The Bulgarian held his nerve and went on to serve out the match.
"Of course this has been what I've been working for, to play matches like that, and why not win them?" Dimitrov said. "Today was one of these days that I felt good on court. I felt I had enough hours of practice in the weeks before. I felt that I could actually hang with Novak the whole match. That's the whole purpose of getting ready for big events and eventually for big matches."
I think this guy has so much potential that hopefully we'll see his shine brightly very soon. Like Federer, he could be another late bloomer, but as the all time great, once he gets the ball rolling it could be very difficult for anyone to stop him. 

Talented Grigor Dimitrov scored the biggest win of his career by stunning world number 1, Novak Djokovic, 7-6,6-7,6-3 to move into the third round of the Madrid Masters.

The Bulgarian was not afraid of getting down and dirty in order to upset Djokovic.

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Evergreen Haas Rocking at 35

A year ago, Tommy Haas signaled his return to action after a lengthy time off by stunning Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to reaching the semifinals in München. 12 months into his comeback, the German is already an established top 20 presence. During this time span, he beat Roger Federer to claim his 13th career title in Halle, and he is just one of two players to defeat world number 1, Novak Djokovic, in 2013. Riding on such good form, Haas entered München with a totally different mindset, his sole goal being to take home the trophy.

Seeded four, the crowd favourite was slightly disadvantaged by the draw as he faced a tough opener against Latvian prodigy, Ernests Gulbis. Gulbis has actually beaten Haas in their last dispute a few weeks ago, in the semifinals in Delray Beach, but this time the German was ready to bring on the big guns. It took three sets, but he managed to progress and he proved unstoppable after. A glorious week culminated with a straight sets win over defending champion, Phillipp Kohlschreiber, 6-3,7-6 to win the title in München at the second time of asking. "I can hardly believe that I still managed to win here after such a long career," said Haas, who lost the 2000 final to Argentinean Franco Squillari. "It's a little dream!"

The German has now become the first 35 years old to collect an ATP trophy since France's Fabrice Santoro won in Newport in 2008. His tally now comprise 14 career titles, four of which being won on home soil.

Having spent so much time off court battling a never-ending list of injuries, the German is actually a much younger player than his age might indicate. Fully recovered and hungrier than ever, Tommy's talent has shined through once more. One of the most promising players of his time, the former world No.2 provides a great inspiration to the younger generation. Having someone aged 35 who plays at such a high level is an amazing win for the game. If things go down the same path, Haas could be a dangerous underdog at the upcoming French Open. Keep on rockin' Tommy, let's hit the 40s!

Tommy Haas produced a stunning display to defeat defending champion, Phillipp Kohlschreiber, to win his first title in München. This is the German's fourth title on home soil and second on clay.

In addition to a consistent cheque, Haas also took home a super BMW cabrio courtesy of the tournament's official sponsor.

The 35 aged German is celebrating his success with daughter Valentina.

photos: GETTY IMAGES

Stan 'The Man' Wins in Portugal

Stanislas Wawrinka experienced a 'furious' start to the 2013 season. Playing a more aggressive game, the Swiss has already achieved some great results so far this year, but it wasn't until now that he finally went all the way and claimed another ATP crown. It happened in Oeiras, at the Portugal Open, where a determined Stan produced a magnificent display to seal a convincing victory over Spanish matador, David Ferrer, 6-1,6-4 to claim his fourth career title.

It must have been frustrated for Wawrinka to live in the shadow of his compatriot, the world's greatest Roger Federer. Although the two are good friends, Stan's performances were always below par compared to Federer's illustrious achievements. However, if until now, he would put himself down, allowing his mental fragility to get the best of him in key moments, this year he changed the strategy. He is feistier, more determined to stay longer in the match and willing to get all his frustration out on the court. This results in him being more aggressive. He takes more risks, he produces more winners and, most important, he wins some of the big matches. A great example was the epic clash he lost to Djokovic at the Australian Open, or his quick dismissals of the US Open champion, Andy Murray, in Monte Carlo.

Bursting with talent since an early age, the 2003 Roland Garros junior champion seems to have found his path since teaming up with new coach, Swede Magnus Normal. "We trained four days, got to know each other and discussed a lot," the No.16 told a Zurich newspaper. "Magnus is a motivator, a positive person who knows the good tennis player and as a coach. After all, he was once the world No. 2." [sic] The duo is now targeting a breakthrough result at the French Open, where the Swiss has lost in the fourth round for the last three years.

Stan Wawrinka claimed his fourth ATP crown after destroying Spanish David Ferrer, 6-1,6-4, to win the Portugal Open in Oeiras.

photos (top-down): AP (x2), LagosSports