The setting was right for an enthusiastic crowd at Hamburg, but then along came the world’s 82nd seed to dampen the party.

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 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 [...]

Day One of the Australian Open saw the lower half of the Men’s Draw get underway. With three Australian Men taking on tough challengers, the local fans clamored their support. Upset wins by Bryden Klein and Bernard Tomic and a tough four set loss by local favorite Samuel Groth signaled a good day for the [...]