5-Star Simona Wins in Moscow

Quietly, without stirring too many waters, Simona Halep is building a strong reputation as someone to look out for on the WTA tour. Keeping a clear head, while playing some very aggressive tennis, Simona negotiated her way through the Moscow draw to collect the fifth crown of her breakthrough season.

Although she is a former Roland Garros junior champion, these results were achieved basically overnight, ignited by her dream run at the Italian Open. Nowhere was an indication of what was about to follow, and no one could quite predict Simona's stunning second half of the year. During this period the Romanian beat a slew of top players, won five tournaments, made the fourth round at the US Open, and reached a career-high No.14 in the rankings.

In Moscow, Halep once again sent a clear signal to her rivals that she is a real threat. A counterpuncher turned into an utterly aggressive opponent, the Romanian proved too much to handle for big names like Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Australian Sam Stosur, beating them in a convincing manner. She played her relaxed, beautiful tennis, and managed to win the title without dropping a set.

Because she is such a modest person, the Romanian is not an immediate stand-out, although her performances would entitle her to assume a more prominent position in women's tennis. To me, the most amazing thing about Halep is her effortless display. When she is playing she has such an ease, such a naturalness about her that makes it a pleasure to watch she. Her consistently good results proved she is no fluke, so I expect to see and hear more of her in the future. I am positive she will reach higher heights next season. 

Although she started her assault too late to really stand a chance of qualifying for the Season-Ending Championships in Istanbul, Simona has qualified for the Tournament of Champions in Sofia starting next week. Considering the solid form she showcased in the last couple of months, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Romanian run away with that title also. 

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Classy Haas Wins in Vienna

What a year this has been for rejuvenated Tommy Haas! Following on a stunning comeback in 2012, the talented German put forth one of the most consistent seasons of his career to now stands an outside chance of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals in London. 

The 35-year-old Haas is going stronger than ever lately, and on Sunday he proved he has what it takes to compete at the highest level. The German relied on all his experience, as he negotiated his way out of an extremely dangerous situation. In a tight contest, he managed to come back from 2-4 down in the decider to defeat Dutch Robin Haase 6-3,4-6,6-4 to win the title in Vienna, his second crown in the Austrian capital. "I'm very happy. Obviously it's a great feeling to win a title," he said. "It doesn't come around very often. To do it here after (also winning) in 2001, it's special. You don't win tournaments too often and this year I've won in my two favourite cities."

Although his body does not always allow him to be 100% fit, Tommy has succeeded in staying injury-free. He achieved some amazing performances this year, winning two titles, Munchen and Vienna, as well as reaching his first quarterfinal at Roland Garros. He also made the fourth round at Wimbledon.

As said, world No.12 Haas now stands an outside chance of qualifying for London. There are only two tournaments left, so it would take an incredible twist of fate to actually see him achieve the feat, but independent on the result, there are so many positives the German should take from 2013. Keep up the good work, Tommy! Come back stronger next year, I would really want to see you win a Grand Slam.

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A Frenchman in Moscow

With just two weeks left before the ATP World Tour Finals in London, Richard Gasquet improved his chances of grabbing one of the last qualifying spots by winning the ATP 250 event in Moscow.

Although No.1 seeded Richard was not in the best of forms this week, his newly improved mental strength helped his capitalize on a great opportunity. With the stiffest competition coming from second seeded Italian, Andreas Seppi, the Frenchman saw the opening. He started his campaign slowly, dropping a set to Russian Evgeny Donskoy, but he recovered in time, cruising past another Russian, Teymuraz Gabashivili, and giant Croat, Ivo Karlovic, to make the final.

Although he faced qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin, Gasquet had a big battle in front of him. After being outpowered in the opening set, the Frenchman drew in all his experience to level the match with an inspired display. It was another Mount Everest to climb in the decider however, as an uninhibited Kukushkin took charge, breaking to go 4-3 up. The Frenchman was ready for a final assault, winning three straight games to close out a hard-fought 3-6,6-4,6-4 victory. "It was an incredible week here for me and now I have great memories about my playing here," he told reporters. "It is one of the most successful seasons in my career but the race for a place in London is not over yet and I need to concentrate on my further playing to get there."

The Frenchman was reborn at the beginning of the season when he won two titles in Doha and Montpellier. He then reached his second Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open, and now stands a good chance of qualifying for the Final Showdown in London. "I’ll try my best to qualify," he said. "Two big tournaments are coming up, including [the ATP World Tour Masters 1000] in Paris. I’ll try my best. I was close to losing today. But I fought a lot. It’s important for me to qualify for it. But the title here is important for me because my opponent played very well."

The last three places with probably be decided between him, Tsonga, Federer and Wawrinka. I back all of them in their quest, so let the best men win!

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Kerber's Late Awakening

Following a season of near-misses, Angelique Kerber caught fire at the best moment, putting together a consistent couple of months to clinch her place at the WTA Season-Ending Championships in Istanbul for the second consecutive year.

Although she maintained her place inside the top 10, the German did not quite reproduce the breakthrough season she had last year. As said, it's been a season if near-misses. She lost in the last 16th at the Australian Open (to Ekaterina Makarova), Roland Garros (to Svetlana Kuznetsova), and Flushing Meadows (to Carla Suarez Navarro), as well as in the second round at Wimbledon (to Kaia Kanepi), but she had great chances of advancing further in all these occasions. She also lost one WTA final, at Monterrey, where she was again outrun in dramatic fashion, by another Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The sudden awakening occurred at the beginning of the Asian Swing. In Tokyo, at the Premier Pan Pacific Open, Kerber rediscovered her inner strength to defeat a slew of top players to make the final. Her victories over Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, respectively Agnieszka Radwanska, provided a huge boost of confidence, and although she fell to former Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, she remained upbeat about her performance. Another good week followed in Beijing. She again had an opportunity to go further, but she stopped in the quarterfinals following a tough loss to Aga Radwanska.

With two weeks to go till the final showdown in Istanbul, Maria Sharapova announced her withdrawal, so her seat was up from grabs. Angelique was the frontrunner in this race, but she needed a strong result in Linz to seal the deal. Although she was the No.1 seed, her week did not start very promising, as she was bagelled in the first set by Romanian Monica Niculescu. After shrugging off the shock, the German made serious adjustments, which made her unstoppable. She cruised through the draw, avenging the heart-breaking US Open loss to Suarez Navarro in an emphatic manner, beating the Spaniard 6-2,6-0. In the final, the German proved she has what it takes to win big matches, dismissing the stiff challenge of rejuvenated former world No.1, Ana Ivanovic. The win marked the perfect ending to a dream week for the German, a week in which she qualified for the Season-Ending Championships by claiming her first title of the year.

Angelique does not have an outstanding weapon, but she is the perfect example of a counterpuncher who can play extremely aggressive tennis. To me, she resembles Kim Clijsters. Plus, she is a lefty, which makes it trickier for opponents to beat her. She lacks a bit the mental strength to close out matches, but on a good day she can defeat anyone. It remains to be seen what she can do in Istanbul, but provided she gets an accessible group, I see her making the semis.

Angelique Kerber capped a dream week in Linz, beating former champion Ana Ivanovic to win her first title of the season. The result was enough for the German to book her seat at the WTA Tour Championships in Istanbul.

Angelique also achieved a great result in Tokyo where she reached the final of the Premier event. Unfortunately for her, she was beaten 2-6,6-0,3-6 by Czech Petra Kvitova.

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Milos Conquers Thailand

Canadian powerhouse, Milos Raonic, is making a strong push toward the top of the rankings by defeating Czech Tomas Berdych to collect his fifth career title in Bangkok. Having cracked the top 10 earlier this summer, Milos is fighting hard to book a seat at the Season's Ending Championships in London for the first time. The victory is definitely helping his cause, as he now sits within 500 points from the last qualifying spot. Talking about his hopes, Raonic confessed: "It would mean a lot, it was a goal. After [the] clay and grass [seasons], it seemed very distant... I've put a lot of good results together."
The Canadian produced a superb display in Thailand, managing to avenge the heart-breaking defeat to Richard Gasquet at the US Open, beating the Frenchman in the semis. He got his second consecutive top 10 win over Berdych to claim his second crown of 2013 after the San Jose triple. "I think I'm playing great tennis, I'm serving really well, I'm doing a lot of good things. If I keep that up I think I'll have opportunities and will put myself in a good position, no matter who [I play]," he said.
Following his emphatic breakthrough in 2011, I do admit I was expecting a faster rise. Although he has been a constant presence within the top 20, Milos has not quite had the big result he was announcing. His best performance came in Montreal earlier this year where he made his first Masters 1000 final, but other than that he only shone at smaller tournaments. I feel he is currently lacking that strong run at a Slam to fully establish himself as a top contender in men's tennis. The Canadian is the highest-ranked under 23 years old, so time is on his side. Plus, he is showing consistency and a maturity way beyond his age, so I am confident he will achieve his goals.

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Gilou Leads French Celebration in Metz

Every tournament held in France provides a great opportunity for the home players to shine. With Tsonga and Simon topping the star list, Metz was to be no exception. In the last two seasons, this has been Jo's playground, and the exuberant two-time defending champion was making a comeback this year after being sidelined since a nasty knee injury he sustained at Wimbledon.

After an intense week of tennis, there were three Frenchmen that made the last four, the two hot favourites, plus the rejuvenated Nicolas Mahut, who at 31 years old is enjoying an Indian summer this season, having claimed his first two career tittles. The only one standing in the way of a French final was Florian Mayer. The German put in a great fight, but came up short in the end against Tsonga to the delight of the partisan crowd. Simon beat Mahut, which ensured a dream final featuring the top two seeds.
Gilou has struggled with form in recent months, but the birth of this second son, Valentin, 13 days ago ignited him to produce his best tennis at this tournament. He didn't lose a set all week, and he wasn't to against Tsonga, taking full advantage of his compatriot's rustiness. Jo was slow out of the blocks and Simon did not allow him to ever get into the match, serving out a relatively straight forward 6-4,6-3 win. "I cannot become a father every week," he said. "It’s a beautiful story for sure. Unfortunately my wife and children couldn’t be here today. It was a great moment for me because I missed the birth of our first child and this time I was able to be there. I was very happy about that."

Sunday provided even more disappointment for Jo, as he and Mahut lost the doubles final to Johan Brunstrom and Raven Klaasen, the Swedish-South African pair preventing thus a clean French sweep at the Moselle Open.
I've always said the French are lacking the mental strength to win big matches, but Tsonga, as well as Simon, did not quite fit into this category. Unfortunately though, Jo is beginning to develop this pattern more and more these days. He is losing matches he should be winning, missing out on once in a lifetime opportunities, like at this year's French Open. He has a tremendous game that could potentially make him a Grand Slam champion, but he has a lot of catching up to do if he wants to match Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray's current level. Allez Jo-Wilfried!

Two-time defending champion, Jo-Wilfried never got a chance to successfully defend his title against Simon. Jo was making a comeback following a knee injury he sustained at Wimbledon.

Two weeks after the birth of his second son, Valentin, Simon produced a stunning display of tennis to win his second tittle in Metz. He did not lose a set all week, beating Tsonga 6-4,6-3 in the final.

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Smart Serena Defends New York Crown

Serena Williams is potentially the best tennis player of all-time. Her mental strength, her athleticism, her power, her fight, her technique, all these qualities make the American a forced to be reckoned with when she steps on the court. Most opponents don't stand a chance against her, and the few that do need to be playing their utmost best in order to really challenge her. Out of those who do challenge her, only a handful can beat her. Victoria Azarenka is probably the sole representantive of that elite group. She proved it in Doha, at the beginning of the season, and she proved it again in Cincinnati, just a few weeks ago. 

Vika is the ultimate competitor. She hates to lose and she would do anything to prevent that from happening. She is fearless, uninhibited, brave, and extremely confident. Although Serena still holds the upper hand in their head-to-head, the Belorussian is constantly raising her level to match the American's. The US Open final provided the best indication of just how exciting the rivalry has become. 

It was an epic battle, with Williams building a 7-5,4-1 lead, to be pegged back by the feisty Belorussian. Although she served for the match twice, Serena watched hopelessly as Vika leveled the dispute, forcing a decider. As said, it was a sublime display from the world No.2, probably the best I've ever seen her play. However, as she did so many times in her tremendous career, the American found a way to get out of the rabbit hole. She started playing safer, cutting down on the unforced errors, while pushing her opponent miss more. Azarenka was drained mentally and physically after that second act, so she couldn't respond. Williams got the early break and was unstoppable from there, going on to serve out a remarkable 7-5,6-7,6-1 victory.

Serena successfully defended her crown, taking her Grand Slam tally to 17th crowns. However, I feel that the Vika was the true winner of the match. The way she fought, the determination, the courage, Azarenka is clearly pushing Williams more and more every time, and it's just a matter of time before she will start dominating their clashes. Until that happens though, Serena has time to fully celebrate her immense triumph. 2013 was probably her best season ever, with nine titles, out of which two Slams, plus an emphatic return to No.1. As Vika said, "there's one word. She's a champion, and she knows how to repeat that. She knows what it takes to get there."

Although she built what seemed a decisive lead, an incredibly nervous Serena watched hopelessly as Vika leveled the match to force a decider.

As she has done so many times, Serena found a way yo get out of the rabbit hole. The American played it smart and won 7-5,6-7,6-1 to successfully defend the US Open crown.

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'Never-Say-Die' Vika's Got the Love

I've never admired Vika more than after the US Open final. The feisty Belorussian might have lost the match, but I hope she won the respect of the world. She's not the most popular player on the tour, but she proved she is one of the most competitive champions ever, the only one who can currently challenge the all-time great, Serena Williams. 

The battle was once again epic. Serena came out swinging, and although Vika had chances, she eventually run away with the first set, 7-5. The American then looked set for a routine straight set victory, leading 7-5,4-1, but Vika was not done yet. She fought, and fought, and fought some more, putting pressure on her opponent who failed to serve out the match on two occasions. I've actually never seen Azarenka fight so hard and so smart before. She has always been a fierce competitor, but with this performance she truly stepped it up a notch. A volcano on a given day, Victoria kept her cool this time. Fearing another heart-breaking defeat, she threw caution to the wind and went for her shots. Luckily she was rewarded, and she was able to push the match into a decider following a nail-biting tiebreak.

The way she handled that tough situation was sublime. So much composure, so much calm, this was a much-improved Azarenka. I never believed she had it in her to respond in such a manner. I was utterly impressed. Nevertheless, the final was not won yet, and Williams was still to have her last say.
Sensing that Vika could cause damage, the American changed the strategy. She played it smart, reducing the unforced errors, while making her opponent miss more. Azarenka was so drained after that second set that she had no reaction. The first few games were key, and although the Belorussian held the upper hand, she could not take advantage. Serena got the early break and went on to close out the match. Talking about those decisive moments, Vika declared: "There was no letdown. There was a moment in the third set where the momentum changed a little bit, and I kind of felt like I lost that momentum. But it wasn't because Serena didn't do something, and it didn't happen just because I was out of focus or something - she really made it happen. And in that particular moment she was tougher today. She was more consistent and really deserved to win.

"I wish I could have done something better today. I had opportunities in the first set, as well. But it's okay. It goes that way. I did everything I could. I gave my heart and I fought as hard as I could. That's important to me, that I lost to a great champion, but I'm still going to have my head up."

The loss is painful for sure, but this is probably the first time when I feel that the runner-up gained more than the winner. It's true Serena won her 17th Grand Slam crown, but Vika proved her worth. I bet she will come back stronger than ever after this match. Last year she was denied by the American after serving for the match, but she came back to beat Serena in two tight finals this season, in Doha and Cincinnati. She couldn't quite reproduce the feat in a major yet, but I have full confidence she will be able to on the next occasion. She is that type of a player. She is not intimidates, she has no inhibitions, she is tough, mentally and physically, and she deserves the No.1 ranking. Serena is the greatest, but Vika is equally great. 

"I'm just going to take the best out of what happened today, because there are a lot of positive things," she said. "What's negative is the result. But overall, to see how much you rise to the occasion compared to the other matches, I think it's pretty remarkable. And the challenge in front of me is only going to make me more motivated. We showed everyone today that the women's game is really, really competitive. There's no other way than going out there and working hard again."

Vika, thanks for the great fight. You totally won my heart and that of the world. Let's make it third time lucky in 2014! #letsdothis #teamvika

A determined Azarenka refused to give in. She fought hard, gave it her all, and although she lost the match, she won the most hearts. The Belorussian proved her worth with this performance.

Although the result was the same, Azarenka showed she's a much improved player now. Let's make it third time lucky in 2014, Vika!

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Red-Hot Stan Proves He Is The MAN

Although he lost the semifinal clash with Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka proved at this year's Flushing Meadows that he has reached a new, brighter stage in his career. The Swiss, who in the past always lacked the mental toughness to pull the trigger and win the big matches, defeated a slew of worthy opponents to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal.

Wawrinka was all fired up since the beginning of the tournament, and although he did not benefit from an easy draw, he showed his enormous talent, as well as him much improved mental strength, to achieve this incredible result. Following two straight-sets victories over Radek Stepanek, respectively Ivo Karlovic, the Swiss held his nerve to close out a hard-fought 6-3,6-2,6-7,7-6 triumph over former Australian Open finalist, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis. The win gave him wings, and he went on to dismiss last year's semifinalist, Czech Tomas Berdych, 3-6,6-1,7-6,6-2 to book his place in his first New York quarterfinal. Having fallen two previous times in the last eight of a major, Wawrinka was determined to change his fortune. Facing an out-of-sorts Andy Murray, he put forth a stunning display to shock the defending champion 6-4,6-3,6-2. 

In the semifinal against Djokovic, Stan started aggressively, building a two-sets-to-one lead. He could have even close it out in three sets, but the Serb is a fighter and he refused to conceal the match. He fought hard, and eventually took full advantage of his tired opponent to run away with an epic 2-6,7-6,3-6,6-3,6-4 triumph. Despite the loss, Stan remained upbeat about his deep US Open run. "The only thing that I can see, that's everything I'm doing outside the match, on the practice courts, on my life in general, is the good things and I'm on the right way. I just need to continue to practise hard and to try to get more victories like I did these two weeks."

"It was a great tournament for me," he added. "Tough match, tough loss. I gave everything. I fought until the end. With this crowd, it was an amazing experience."

So far 2013 is proving to be the best year of Stan's career. He started the season by pushing eventual champion, Novak Djokovic, 12-10 in the decider in Melbourne, he then won his fourth ATP title in Oeiras, reached his second Masters 1000 final in Madrid, and made the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time. On top of that, he has re-established his presence inside the top 10 and has now made his maiden Grand Slam semifinal. "After the match in the Australian Open a lot of people were thinking it's going to be tough for me to lose that kind of match, but in the end I took all the positives from the match and I'm here now playing the semi-final. Today I lost again, but I'm back in the Top 10 and I'm playing my best tennis. I need to do the same."

If he can continue playing at this level, Stan has a chance of making the transition from a dangerous opponent to one of the leading figures in men's tennis. 

Stan held his nerve to beat fan-favourite, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, 6-3,6-2,6-7,7-6 in the third round.

The Swiss continued his great run, ousting last year semifinalist, Czech Tomas Berdych, 3-6,6-1,7-6,6-2 to book his place in the quarterfinals, his third quarterfinal at a major.

The most impressive victory came in the last eight, where Wawrinka stunned defending champion, Andy Murray, 6-4,6-3,6-2 to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal.

Stan came close to beating world No.1, Novak Djokovic, but he ran out of steam in the end, falling to the Serb in another epic battled. 

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Gasquet, A Changed Man

After his breakthrough triumph over Raonic in the fourth round, I felt this is the best time for Gasquet to prove his much improved mental strength. He needed to beat Ferrer first, and although he lost eight of the previous nine matches against the Spaniard, I knew he had it in him to get the win. The Frenchman has the talent and the groundstrokes to challenge Ferrer, so it was all just a matter of putting in the effort, of working on his fitness, of fighting, and fighting, and fighting some more in order to overcome the tour's ultimate hard-worker. 

Gasquet too acknowledged the great opportunity and was determined not to let it slip. He was ferocious right from the get-go, playing sharp and aggressive to build a two-sets-to-love advantage. It was a period of flawless tennis for the Frenchman, two-sets of Richard Gasquet at his utmost best. No mistakes, stunning one-handed backhands, inspired volleys, a lethal combination that left his opponent struggling for answers. However, as usual, David was not going to give up easily. He raised his level at the beginning of the third act, breaking Richard to unleash a comeback. The Frenchman grew tired, his body was ailing, and his shots were missing the convincement and the spark from the beginning of the encounter. Experienced Ferrer took full advantage, leveling the dispute.

Usually when such a thing happens, Richard collapses mentally and physically, gifting away the win. It happened throughout his career, most recently at Roland Garros against Wawrinka. He did warn us that he learned his lesson though and this time he played it smart. He kept his cool, regrouped, resumed the aggressive display and crossed the finish line triumphantly. He attacked at the right moment to get the decisive break and then went on to serve out a superb 6-3,6-1,4-6,2-6,6-3 victory.

"I played a great match at the start despite the wind in the stadium. But David is a great fighter and I was a little tired after a big match with Raonic. I got the break in the final set and it's an amazing feeling to be in the semi-finals. I played a lot of 5 sets in my life, but this one was very important. It was a big match for me, this is a big victory, semi-finals of the US Open. I'm really happy. It's wonderful for me,'' he said after the match.

I strongly believe that with this success Richard has proved he has matured, as a player, as a person, and as a champion. He goes on to face Rafael Nadal next, and although he never beat his good friend, you never know when the magic strikes. Nadal has been impetuous on hard-courts this season, not losing a match, so it will surely be tough. However, with the right mental approach, with belief and determination, I think the Frenchman has a slight chance of making his first Grand Slam final. It seems impossible, but I'm actually rooting for a battle of the one-handed backhands in Sunday's final. Let's go Gasquet and Wawrinka!

Although he has lost eight of the nine previous meetings with David Ferrer, Gasquet knew this was his chance. The Frenchman held his nerve to close out a magnificent 6-3,6-1,4-6,2-6,6-3 victory.

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