ATP 500 Rotterdam, Netherlands
WTA 500 St. Petersburg, Russia
ATP 250 Buenos Aires, Argentina
ATP 250 Dallas, Texas, USA
Welcome to the 2nd week of February - it's Winter in the USA and Europe and Summer in Argentina. There's three ATP tourneys this week and the women contest a WTA 500 in Russia.
There's been a lot of tennis news in the last couple of weeks but I'm looking forward to seeing Juan Del Potro in Buenos Aires. Fortunately, it looks like he is playing as of publishing time. Unfortunately, this may be his Swan Song as the Tower of Tandil😢
Also, there's a theme in this week's pictures - Ars Gratia Artis (check your Latin) - so let's get to it!
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament ATP 500Rotterdam AhoyRotterdam, NetherlandsFebruary 7 - 13, 2022
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| DELFSHAVEN - Old Town on Old Harbour (Oude Haven) on the Maas River. The oldest port in Rotterdam |
Surface: Hard indoor
Draw: Singles 32, Doubles 16
Defending champ: Andrey Rublev
This is the 49th edition of the tournament. Although originally to be played without fans, the organizers now hope to have 1,250 per session. Interestingly, the tourney will have a wheelchair event, with Alfie Hewett the No.1 seed.
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| (top) Blaak Markthal (Black Market Hall) Shopping Center (bottom) Cube Housing designed by Dutch architect Piet Blom - located on the Maas River, Rotterdam |
Seeds (in order of seeding): Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz, Denis Shapovalov, Cameron Norrie, Aslan Karatsev, Nikoloz Basilashvili
Other notables include: Alexander Bublik, Ugo Humbert, Karen Khachanov, Mackenzie McDonald
Wildcards: Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor, plus Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Withdrawals include: Roberto Bautista Agut, Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner (because of Covid)
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| "Destroyed City" Zadkine Monument - designed by Russian-born French sculptor Ossip Zadkine in remembrance of the 1940 German bombing destroying the whole of the Medieval center of the City. |
Argentina Open ATP 250
Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club
Buenos Aires, Argentina
February 7 -13, 2022
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| Floralis Genérica - a sculpture made of steel and aluminum located in Plaza de las Naciones Unidas, Avenida Gueroa Alcorta. A gift to the city by Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano "[the flower] is a synthesis of all the flowers ... at the same time a hope reborn every day at opening." Created in 2002, it's designed to move, closing its petals in the evening and opening them in the morning. |
Surface: Clay
Draw: Singles 28, Doubles 16
Defending champ: Diego Schwartzman
This is the 25th edition of the ATP Buenos Aires tourney, and is the second stop of the Latin American “Golden Swing.” The big excitement is that Juan Martin del Potro is scheduled to take part, after injuries kept him off the court since 2019. Something to add in the Argentina section, after the line about Delpo returning. But then there was the sad news from Delpo that this tournament, or perhaps Rio, could be his last, with fans and players alike expressing their shock and sorrow.
Past champions include Rafa Nadal, Casper Ruud, Dominic Thiem (2x). and David Ferrer (3x).
Seeds (in order of seeding): Casper Ruud, Diego Schwartzman, Lorenzo Sonego, Fabio Fognini, Dusan Lajovic, Federico Delbonis, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Laslo Djere
Wildcards: Sebastian Baez, Juan Martin del Potro, Holger Rune. Special exempts for Juan Ignacio Londero and Alejandro Tabilo.
Withdrawal: Dominic Thiem (this is becoming an unfortunate pattern re Thiem's comeback).
Dallas ATP 250
Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex
Dallas, USA
February 7 - 13, 2022
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| If some of the guys in the Big D caught a red-eye flight, they'll identify. The Eye is a sculpture created by Chicago-based artist Tony Tasset that literally depicts a giant eyeball. You can find the sculpture by strolling through the gardens of the nearby Joule Hotel. |
Surface: Hard indoor
Draw: Singles 28, Doubles 16
The inaugural edition of this tournament, it is the only ATP Tour indoor championship in the US. The field is heavily American, with 7 of the top 8 players taking part coming from the USA.
Seeds (in order of seeding): Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, John Isner, Jenson Brooksby, Adrian Mannarino, Maxime Cressy, Marcos Giron, Brandon Nakashima
Other notables include: Kevin Anderson, Feliciano Lopez, Yoshihito Nishioka
Wildcards: Americans Caleb Chakravarthi, Mitchell Krueger, Jack Sock
Withdrawals: Grigor Dimitrov (Covid protocols), James Duckworth, Kei Nishikori, Tommy Paul
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| Traveling Man - Robot Gumby - (38' 35,000 lbs) designed by artist/musicians, it towers over the Deep Ellum station of Dallas's downtown light rail system - a guitar head & steel represent the exodus of industry making room for musicians to move in. (A Robot Gumby may also refer to a certain Tennis player whose name, unfortunately, is 'mud' in some parts of the universe) |
St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy WTA 500
Sibur Arena
St. Petersburg, Russia
February 7 – 13, 2022
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| Rooftop Sculpture - St. Petersburg |
Surface: hard indoor
Draw: Singles 32, Doubles (?)
2021 champ: Daria Kasatkina
The inaugural edition of this tournament took place in 2016, and the players have voted it the WTA Tournament of the Year three times.
Seeds (in order of seeding): Maria Sakkari, Anett Kontaveit, Elena Rybakina, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Belinda Bencic, Petra Kvitova, Jelena Ostapenko, Elise Mertens
Other notables include: Camila Giorgi, Veronika Kudermetova, Jil Teichmann, Marketa Vondrousova
Wildcards: Petra Kvitova, Kamilla Rakhimova, Xinyu Wang, Vera Zvonareva
Withdrawals include: Daria Kasatkina, Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, Karolina Pliskova, Sara Sorribes Tormo
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| Sibur Arena - St. Petersburg overlooking the Gulf of Finland |
WTA DRAWS (no .pdf) (the WTA website is a loser still refuses to provide a workable link to a .pdf file that will download. They must be taken out and hung up to dry!)👎
Update - .pdf link to WTA Singles draw (Thanks to Peter F, but this is not a normal .pdf link so good luck)
Bedankt en prachtig werk, Shirley Hartt!
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