The Open 13 tennis tournament in Marseilles, France, is quite literally proving to be an “open” tournament. In Thursday’s round of 16 matches – singles and doubles alike – the smell of cutthroat competition wafted through the sterile indoor air at the Palais des Sports.
If anyone thought that the top seeds in this event would [...]

Worthwhile developments and especially newsworthy scores after a packed day of action at Melbourne Park:
FIVE-SET THRILLERS ABOUND
The losses of Robin Soderling and Juan Carlos Ferrero (mentioned elsewhere on this blog) weren’t the only five-setters witnessed on a rather contentious Tuesday in Australia. Other extended wars dotted the landscape on the blue plexicushion courts of tennis’s [...]

James Blake moved around the gentlemen’s singles draw at Wimbledon before the crown jewel of tennis even began. Now, he’s moving out of England.
Blake, who was shifted to a different section of the field as a result of the pre-tournament withdrawal of top-seeded Rafael Nadal, didn’t find a comfortable home in the newly-arranged bracket. The [...]

The International Tennis Federation, which supervises Grand Slam tournaments, might think that there’s nothing wrong with maintaining the current system for the year’s four major championships. Have a draw, just like always. Create some suspense. Generate excitement and buzz. After all, it’s the way things are done around here, right?
That line of argumentation has merit [...]