October lingers on with two ATP 500s

Swiss Indoors ATP 500
Basel, Switzerland

Erste Bank Open ATP 500
Vienna, Austria

Known internationally by its German name the Matterhorn, it owes its fame to its almost perfect pyramid shape. Its four-sided, ridged rocky peak towers 4,478 metres above sea level, in perfect isolation in the midst of a quite singular alpine panorama.  It straddles the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy.  About 3000 climbers summit the Matterhorn per year.  In the summer up to 150 climbers can attempt an ascent each eay.  Over 500 people have died climbing on the Matterhorn - both on the way  up and down from the summit. 

October must be the longest month - this year it feels like it is continuing forever!  We have just two ATP events to showcase this week (I thank ye) and so I decided to change up the format a bit.  Hope you enjoy the majestic pictures of nature and titilating presentations of Swiss and Viennese food .  I swear I can smell the garlic in that first dish -...

Congratulations on this past week's champions:

Stockholm Open ATP
Singles - Holger Rune.  Doubles - J. Roger/M.Arevalo Gonzalez

Eropean Open ATP
Singles - Felix Auger-Alliassime.  Doubles - B. Van de Zandschulp/T. Griekspoor

Napoli Cup ATP
Singles - Lorenzo Musetti.  Doubles - I. Dodig/ A. Krajicek

Guadalajara Open WTA

Singles - Jessica Pegula    Doubles - S. Sanders/L. Stefani

Zürcher Geschnetzeltes.  If pronouncing the name of the dish is a mouthful and challenging, then you can easily order it by saying ‘Zurich-style veal with creamy mushroom sauce’, and you will be understood. This classic specialty of Zurich is served with crispy and golden mashed potatoes or rosti.  Alternative side foods include spätzle (type of pasta), rice, or mashed potatoes. If you’re not a fan of heavy meats and you are preparing the recipe at home – then you can add more mushrooms according to taste and still get the flavor that characterizes the dish.

Swiss Indoors ATP 500
St. Jakobshalle
Basel, Switzerland
October 24 - 30, 2022

The best things are created by accident, no?  This is precisely how the Bernese Plate was born precisely on the 5th of March 1798 when the Bernese defeated the French army at Neuenegg, and to celebrate they held a great feast. Everyone brought whatever they had and what became of it was the Berner Platte. The dish is filled with a whole range of sausages and meats, which may include smoked bacon, ham, beef, pork, spare ribs, and other similar fatty meats. On the side, there is usually some juniper-flavored sauerkraut, potatoes and dried beans.

Surface: Hard indoor

Draw: Singles 32, Doubles 16

The tournament was established in 1970, but was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

2019 champion: Roger Federer (defeated Alex de Minaur).  Federer has won the tourney an amazing 10 times. As a youngster Roger was a ball boy for two years, and in 2006 he began a fun tradition, throwing a pizza party for the ball kids every year he reached the championship match.

Seeds (in order of seeding): Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Marin Cilic, Pablo Carreno Busta, Roberto Bautista Agut, Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti

Wildcards: Swiss players Marc Andrea Huesler, Dominic Stricker, plus David Goffin

Special exempt: Mackenzie McDonald

Protected ranking: Stan Wawrinka

Withdrawal: Kyrgios

Singles/Doubles Draws

OOP

Hallstätter See or Lake Hallstatt is a lake in the Salzkammergut, Austria. It is named after Hallstatt, a small market town famous for its salt mining since prehistoric times and for being the starting point of the world's oldest still-working industrial pipeline, used to transport brine to Bad Ischl (since 1596) and further to Ebensee. Since about 1970/1980 the only ship-mail-line of Austria crossed the lake from the railway on the east shore to the town in the west. In winters the road on the west shore tended to be blocked by high snow or the risk of avalanches. When the ice on the lake was thick enough, a sled pulled by men or horses, later a motorized track vehicle was used to transport mail and persons..

Erste Bank Open ATP 500
Wiener Stadthalle
Vienna,Austria
October 24 - 30, 2022

Unlike its American counterpart this potato salad contains no mayonnaise. It is made with white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and olive oil, kosher salt and a sprinkling of green onions.

  

Surface: Hard indoor

Draws: Singles 32, doubles 16

This is the 48th edition of the tournament.

2021 champion: Alexander Zverev (defeated Frances Tiafoe)

Seeds (in order of seeding): Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Hubert Hurkacz, Jannik Sinner, Cameron Norrie, Matteo Berrettini

Wildcards: Austrian players Filip Misolic, Dennis Novak, Jurij Rodionov
Special exempt: Emil Ruusuvuori

Withdrawals: Isner, Monfils

Singles/Doubles Draws

OOP

      I don't care what they are called I want to sample each and everyone of them!!   Think my sugar level increased just

      looking....😜

As always Thank You Hartt. Nice and short this week!!