OCTOBER MADNESS Week 2 - USA, Romania, Italy and Spain

 

October 10-16, 2022

San Diego Open WTA 500

San Diego, California USA

Transylvania Open WTA 250

Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Gijon Open ATP 250

Gijon, Spain

Firenze Open ATP 250

Florence, Italy

Welcome to the 2nd week of October Madness. As opposed to last week where there were three 500s and one 250, this week we have one 500 and three 250s on two continents - North America and Europe.  The WTA vie in this week's 500 in San Diego, CA.

First, congratulations to this past week's Champions:

Astana - Novak Djokovic (d. Stefanos Tsitsipas) - Doubles champs N. Maktec/M. Pavic.

Tokyo - Taylor Fritz (d. Frances Tiafoe) - Doubles champs M. McDonald/M. Melo.

Monastir - Elise Mertens (d. Alize Cornet) - Doubles champs K. Mladenovic/K. Siniakova.

Ostrava - Barbora Krejcikova (d. Iga Swiatek) - Doubles champs C. McNally/A. Parks.

So, here's what's cookin' this week (the theme is interesting/unusual art - and dogs - on bodies of water on which every tournament this week either overlooks or is a stone's throw from)👇

UniCredit Firenze Open ATP 250
Palazzo Wanny
Florence, Italy
October 10 - 16, 2022

Florence's Ponte Vecchio on the River Arno which feeds the tributary Greve Canal on which the Firenze Open is played at the Palazzo Wanny tennis center.

Surface: Hard indoor

Draw: Singles 28, Doubles 16

This tournament, the first ATP tourney in Florence since 1994, has a single-year license. It is 

one of six ATP tournaments to receive a single-year license due to the cancellation of tournaments in China because of the Covid pandemic. 

Seeds (in order of seeding): Felix Auger-Aliassime, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, Maxime Cressy, Aslan Karatsev, Jenson Brooksby, Alexander Bublik, Brandon Nakashima

Michelangelo's Statue of David
Palazzo Michelangelo overlooking the River Arno - Florence, Italy

Wildcards: All Italian players – Francesco Maestrelli, Francesco Passaro, Giulio  Zeppieri

Withdrawals include: Nikoloz Basilashvili, Gael Monfils, Yoshi Nishioka, Holger Rune, Jannick Sinner

SINGLES DRAW

DOUBLES DRAW

OOP

Gijon Open ATP 250
Palacio de Deportes de Gijon
Gijon, Spain
Oct. 10 - 16, 2022

'Cubos de La Memoria' (Cubes of Memory)
By Basque Artist Augustin Ibarrola - a 300 concrete block mural on the Port of Llanes. The intention reflects on hard concrete blocks a memory with three faces: the memory of art, symbolized by prehistoric motifs; the memory of the artist, which emanates from this work as a synthesis of his long artistic career; and the memory of the territory, which is shown through the figurative themes that are related to the seafaring, rural and urban history of Llanes - on the Ria de los Vagones, Gijon, Spain

Surface: Hard indoor

Draw: Singles 28, Doubles 16

The tournament has a single-year license, so this is the first edition.

'Elogio del Horizonte' (In Praise of the Horizon)
The architect Paco Pol, who was carrying out the remodeling of the Cerro de Santa Catalina in Gijón, was interested in Eduardo Chillida's project and Chillida, given that the space suited his preconception of the work, launched the Project. The sculpture In Praise of the Horizon was finally erected on the Cerro de Santa Catalina in 1990 - overlooking the Ria de La Vagones.

Seeds (in order of seeding): Andrey Rublev, Pablo Carreno Busta, Roberto Bautista Agut, Francisco Cerundolo, Tommy Paul, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Sebastian Baez, Albert Ramos Vinolas

'Las Letronas' by metal artist Juan Jereno
The most representative sculpture in the city of Gijon overlooking the Rio Piles. It was necessary to convert the Gijón brand into an autonomous element, seeking a large-scale volumetric solution. The work, a gift from the Federation of Metal and Allied Companies (FEMETAL) to the city, was made of solid steel currently a consolidated and beloved element in the city.

Wildcards: Spanish players Martin Landaluce, Feliciano Lopez, plus Andy Murray

Protected ranking: Dominic Thiem

SINGLES DRAW

DOUBLES DRAW

OOP

San Diego Open WTA 500
Barnes Tennis Center
San Diego, USA
Oct. 10 - 16, 2022

Dog Beach on Smiley Lagoon
Established in 1972, it has become a required destination for any dog lover’s vacation or weekend getaway. The first off-leash park of its kind in the nation, open 24 hours a day and is one of the dog-friendliest places in San Diego.

Surface: Hard

Draw: Singles 28, Doubles 16

This is the first edition of the WTA tournament, with an ATP tourney having been held there in September. The event originated as the Southern California Championships that ran from 1887 until 1978. In August 2021, after the cancellation of the Asia Swing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Barnes Tennis Centre San Diego was allocated a two year 250 tournament license. Prior to that, it used to be a WTA only event which was last held as a WTA Challenger in 2015 at Carlsbad.

San Diego River Channel
Off the Pacific Ocean and on which Dog Beach and
the Barnes Tennis Center are located 

Seeds (in order of seeding): Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari, Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia, Daria Kasatkina

Wildcards: Leylah Fernandez, Maria Sakkari, Sloane Stephens, CoCo Vandeweghe

Barnes Tennis Center - WTA 500

Protected ranking: Bianca Andreescu, Sofia Kenin

Withdrawals: Anett Kontaveit, Jelena Ostapenko

DRAWS

OOP

Transylvania Open by Verduna WTA 250

BT Arena

Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Oct. 10 - 16, 2022

Surface: Hard indoor

Draw: Singles 32, Doubles 16

The Matthias Corvinus Statuary Group contains five statues which represent the equestrian Matthias Corvinus and his four generals. The statue of Matthias Corvinus was constructed in 1902 in Cluj and over time it became very significant to the city. The bronze statues of Corvinus and the four generals were brought from Budapest. The generals are, from left to right: Paul Chinezu, Blasius Magyar, Stefan Szapolyai and Stefan Bathory.

This is the second edition of the tournament.

2021 Champion: Anett Kontaveit (defeated Simona Halep)

Seeds (in order of seeding): Barbora Krejcikova, Anhelina Kalinina, Ana Bogdan, Anastasia Potapova, Magda Linette, Marta Kostyuk, Wang Xiyu, Anna Bondar

The BT Arena overlooks the banks of the Somesul-Mic River

Wildcards: Romanian players Irina Bara, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, plus Eugenie Bouchard

Withdrawal: Emma Raducanu

DRAWS

OOP

Shirley, thank you very, very much from all of MCM!