Week 1: Abu Dhabi [Špidlá]

[SirBloody Idiot]

Week 1, Season II

Tournaments to go on the computer this week:
ATP        Challengers
(none)        (none)

Tournaments to fall off from last year:
ATP        Challengers
(none)        (none)

Tournament Name: CAPITALA WORLD TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Dates: 31 DECEMBER I - 2 JANUARY II (SATURDAY FINAL)
6 DRAW

ATP Ranking Points
Nil.

1 Daniel Páez Blanco ESP 2
2 Radek Špidlá CZE 3
3 Radivoj Daneu SRB 4
4 Darcy Cowan USA 6
5 József Boros HUN 8
6 Illya Altman UKR 9

Player            Injury        ERD
Maarten Berg (NED)    damaged ACL    21 January II
Zoltán Varga (HUN)    knee surgery    16 January II
Wouter Veidman (NED)    virus        5 January II
Gunther Heug (GER)    groin        29 December I
Toby Brookes (AUS)    thigh        30 December I
Zbiginiew Boneik (AUT)    achilles    22 January II
Niko Ulemek (CRO)    ankle        22 January II
Matthew Charnock (GBR)    knee        February II
Jochen Sas (BEL)    foot        6 January II
Morgan Carter (USA)    hamstring    3 January II
Anvar Juraev (UZB)    wrist        1 January II

[Samuel_Vimes]

Špidlá to win and brag incessantly for the rest of the season.

[Simon]

Blanco will win if he bothers to turn up. I'm gonna beat that bastard on clay this season btw.

[Samuel_Vimes]

Odds from Off-centrebet

Špidlá 3.2 (6/5)
Páez Blanco 3.33 (7/3)
Cowan 4.83 (17/6)
Daneu 7 (6/1)
Altman, Boros 21 (20/1)

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Špidlá to win and brag incessantly for the rest of the season.

Let the man have his fun, Ox! You're like a grumpy grandma!

[SirBloody Idiot]

Capitala World Tennis Championship
Quarter Finals (Thursday) - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Outdoor Hard)

Men's singles (Draw)

• There were no surprises on the first day of the lucrative exhibition in Abu Dhabi overnight as both the third and fourth seeds won through to the semi finals. In the first match, third seed Radivoj Daneu overcame a spirited performance from Ukraine's Illya Altman as he won a tight match 6-4, 7-6(5). The later match was much more one-sided as teenage sensation Darcy Cowan proved too good for fellow Year End Finalist József Boros 6-3, 6-3.

• Seeded players out: Illya Altman; József Boros.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Capitala World Tennis Championship
Semi Finals (Friday) - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Outdoor Hard)

Men's singles (Draw)

• There will be a rematch of the World Tour Finals semi finals in the final of the Abu Dhabi exhibition as Central Europeans Radivoj Daneu and Radek Špidlá won their semi final matchups. In Flushing Meadows Daneu won in straight sets, and the third seed continued his promising start to season II by accounting for world No. 2 Daniel Páez Blanco 7-6(2), 6-4. Špidlá meanwhile had it tougher as he was taken to three sets by fellow big server Darcy Cowan. In a small dose of revenge for his Wimbledon loss to the American teen, Špidlá served down eighteen aces in a confident 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4 win.

• Seeded players out: Daniel Páez Blanco; Darcy Cowan.

[SirBloody Idiot]

Capitala World Tennis Championship
Semi Finals (Saturday) - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Outdoor Hard)

Men's singles (Seeds - Draw)

• The Czech Republic's Radek Špidlá has started his season off very profitably with a straight sets win over Serbia's Radivoj Daneu. In their last meeting Špidlá was beaten in straight sets, and in the first set was in real trouble at 2-4. But he managed to break his way back into the set and take seven games on the trot to surge to 3-0 in the second. Daneu drew back to go close to the Czech giant, but did not do enough to send it to a third as Špidlá won the tournament 6-4, 6-3.

• Seeded players out: Radivoj Daneu.

• In the third place play-off, world No. 2 Daniel Páez Blanco picked up a consolation victory as he came from a set down to dominate fourth seed Darcy Cowan. The Wimbledon champ took the first set, but was well down on intensity after that as Blanco took an easy 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 win.

[Samuel_Vimes]

Špidlá to win and brag incessantly for the rest of the season.

Called it.