BRING ON THE CLAY!

This Week In Tennis
​Vol. 14

Week 14 of the tennis season served as an adequate appetizer for the upcoming European clay court swing with titles for Sloane Stephens, Dominika Cibulkova, Juan Monaco, and Federico Delbonis. Stephens captured her third trophy of 2016 (Auckland, Acapulco, Charleston) when she beat Elina Vesnina in straight sets. Monaco won the ninth title of his career and first since 2013 against defending Houston champion, Jack Sock. Meanwhile, Cibulkova re-entered the WTA top 40 at #38, besting Camila Giorgi in Katowice. 

Red dirt clay tennis will feature almost exclusively over the next two months. The WTA and ATP tours will make stops in some of the world's most famous cities and most enduring events. In preparation for this colourful time of year, let's take a look back at the past seven days in tennis. 

​WTA

Photo by Daniel Ward for Women Who Serve.

RUNDOWN 
​

• Sloane Stephens won the fourth title of her career at the Volvo Car Open in Charleston this week. She overtakes Madison Keys as the #3 American behind the Williams Sisters, and ties Victoria Azarenka for most titles on the WTA Tour in 2016 with three apiece. 
• Dominika Cibulkova claimed her first WTA title in two years in Katowice. Her 2014 Australian Open final run catapulted her into the top 10 and upper echelon of women's tennis. This latest win rehabs her ranking and gets her within striking distance of a seed at the upcoming French Open.
• Mattek-Sands and Safarova continued their return to the top of women's doubles with a runner-up showing in Charleston. Hingis/Mirza thrived in their absence from the doubles circuit, but the last two weeks prove their readiness to challenge the top team the rest of the season. Mattek-Sands also reached her third consecutive doubles final, having already won the Sunshine Double with two different partners.
• Francesca Schiavone re-enters the WTA top 100 (#90) on the strength of a quarterfinal showing in Kataowice, losing to the eventual champion. The former French Open champ made only three QFs all of last year, and she's made two already in 2016. 
• Camila Giorgi, amidst a fresh scandal with the Italian Federation, summoned some of her best tennis to reach the Katowice Final. Catch up on that drama here. 
• Venus Williams looked poised to make a deep run in Charleston after an assured and purposeful 2nd round win versus Alison Riske. However, the world #14 stumbled in her next match against Yulia Putintseva, losing a three hour battle, 6-7 6-2 4-6.
• Genie Bouchard, forced to retire in Charleston due to an abdominal injury, will now miss Canada's Fed Cup tie this week as she is still ailing. 
• If you do only one tennis-related thing this week,read about 69-year-old Gail Falkenberg. Incredibly, she played Taylor Townsend in qualifying for an ITF event in Alabama. 
• Shoutout to Diane Elayne Dees for her coverage on site in Charleston this week!

​
Charleston DRAW
​Katowice DRAW

It's only right to live a trophy life □ pic.twitter.com/cwqL53oJxR

— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) 10 April 2016

Hey @SloaneStephens, you're pretty good at this finals thing □□ #goals

— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) 10 April 2016

Weekends are for practice. And a little bit of rest somewhere ;) pic.twitter.com/XxPBHHfCKg

— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) 10 April 2016

Rolled my ankle during practice today□ Very sad to miss Fed Cup & Istanbul, but I'll be back soon! Thx for the ❤️! pic.twitter.com/IIXtvCdxql

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) 7 April 2016

Thank you Charleston□It was real □□ @VolvoCarOpen Thank you for support guys❤️ #iwishigetthatvolvocar pic.twitter.com/AbxHhzgYsd

— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) 11 April 2016

Thanks Charleston for a nice week again□I am feeling better and happy to flying home after a long trip ✈️#teamangie pic.twitter.com/H3tmIly98K

— Angelique Kerber (@AngeliqueKerber) 10 April 2016

What are your weekend plans? I'm back to practice tomorrow!

— Venus Williams (@Venuseswilliams) 8 April 2016

Hey...¡feliz domingo a todos! A recuperar que se viene una gran semana! Hola...happy sunday!! #FedCup #VamosEspaña pic.twitter.com/gZOF834geh

— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) 10 April 2016

​RANKINGS WATCH
​

• RISING: Radwanska (+1 to #2), Stephens (+4 to #25), Kasatkina (+3 to #32), Cibulkova (+15 to #38), Vesnina (+34 to #51), Putintseva (+8 to #53), Schiavone (+11 to #90)
• FALLING:​ Keys (-3 to #25), Pereira (-6 to #55), Kovinic (-12 to #62), Van Uytvanck (-14 to #70), Arruabarrena (-6 to #86)

​ON THE WEB

​Charleston, Katowice, and This Week in Tennis
Meet the 69-Year-Old Tennis Pro Who Took on Taylor Townsend
Some Final Thoughts on Charleston 
Stephens Strikes Gold in Charleston
Cibulkova Charges to Katowice Title
Champions Corner: Charleston Champs
​Genie Bouchard out of Fed Cup with abdominal injury
Equal Pay Debate a ‘Wake-up Call’ for Venus Williams
How Sloane Stephens Has Found Renewed Success in 2016

​ATP

Photo via http://www.mensclaycourt.com/

​RUNDOWN
​

• Juan Monaco, in only his fourth tournament back from wrist surgery, won his first title since 2013. By doing so, he also rockets 62 spots in the newest ATP rankings to #86. 
• Jack Sock, the defending champion in Houston, battled a shoulder ailment and cramping before eventually losing to Monaco. 
• Federico Delbonis won the second title of his career when he beat fast-rising Borna Coric in Marrakech, his third time reaching at least the QFs this year. Delbonis is also yet to lose his opening match at any tournament in 2016.
• Novak Djokovic opened a new vegan restaurant in Monte Carlo over the weekend. Aided by some of his pals on the ATP Tour, word of his newest venture was quickly disseminated via social media.  
• Early last week, Tomas Berdych was implicated in the Panama Papers scandal. Now, we get word that Berdych was erroneously included in the report which listed names of famous people who conceal earnings in Panamanian offshore accounts.
• Bob Hewitt, convicted of rape in 2015, was expelled from the Tennis Hall of Fame.
• Monte Carlo is up next on the ATP docket. The European clay court event is the official kickoff to the European clay court swing, culminating on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros. Eight of the top ten men will be in attendance, with the exceptions being Kei Nishikori and.....
• David Ferrer was a late withdrawal from Monte Carlo, announcing his decision via Twitter.

Houston DRAW
Marrakech DRAW

Cumpliendo con la tradición del torneo!

Sticking to the tournament's tradition!#Houston #USClay @mensclaycourt pic.twitter.com/MKWH9WaXt9

— Juan Monaco (@picomonaco) 11 April 2016

First @EqvitaRes selfie! Party time & presentation of our #Eqvita restaurant. Fresh, healthy & with lots of <3 pic.twitter.com/LEpNGRoCSR

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) 10 April 2016

Y después de mucho tiempo, volví al polvo de ladrillo... □□□
//
After such a long time, I'm back to the clay... □□□ pic.twitter.com/u1ZbSTm1yU

— Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) 6 April 2016

That's what happens when you show up late to the official player's party @andy_murray □□□ #snoozeyoulose https://t.co/3hTWj5A9qC

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) 10 April 2016

Una imagen vale mas que mil palabras!!! Gracias totales!!! Muy contento por mi nivel durante toda la semana!!! pic.twitter.com/zy1FkDskFP

— Federico Delbonis (@FedeDelbonis) 10 April 2016

Truth prevails □□https://t.co/4txjR4wcFX #truth

— Tomáš Berdych (@tomasberdych) 9 April 2016

Chillaxing at the beach earlier in the week pic.twitter.com/bKTIAdxzc4

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) 8 April 2016

Good morning MC !! #coffeefirst □□☕️☕️ pic.twitter.com/bKe6CuO1ib

— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) 8 April 2016

​RANKINGS WATCH
​

• RISING: Delbonis (+11 to #36), Coric (+6 to #42), Fritz (+10 to #69), Jaziri (+20 to #74), Monaco (+62 to #86)
• FALLING: Sock (-2 to #27), Klizan (-9 to #37), Querrey (-4 to #39), Mahut (-7 to #48), Sela (-15 to #75), Verdasco (-11 to #88), de la Nava (-21 to #96)

​ON THE WEB

The Federer Perspective
Ex-tennis ace Nieminen not Finn-ished as Floorball Calls
Tennis is a Juicy Game of Love, Money and Murder - and Monte Carlo's Seen it All
​Let the Drama on Dirt Begin
​Czech news agency retracts Berdych implication in Panama Papers scandal
​Jon Wertheim'sweekly mailbag
Make-or-Break Time for Rafael Nadal
Bob Hewitt Expelled from Tennis Hall of Fame
At Augusta and Wimbledon, Similar Auras of Tradition

​PODCASTS

The Body Serve - "Doubles, Debtors & Divas"
​No Challenges Remaining - "Doubly Dominant Dominos"
Beyond The Baseline - "Andy Roddick on Djokovic, Fatherhood, Sharapova & More"
The Main Draw - "Fixing the Tennis Viewing Experience"
Tennis.com - "The End, and The Beginning, of The Masters"
The Tennis Podcast - "Federer Looked at Me and Said..."
WTA Insider - "1st Quarter Review"
Realz Tenis Fanz - "All Doped Up With Richard Ings"
Tennis Connected - "Previewing the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters"