Spadea, Tennis Channel Come Together at ATP Scottsdale

Tennis Channel darling Vince Spadea (with a reported "reality series" in the making), the defending champion in Scottsdale, is the No. 2 seed this week at the newly-purchased Tennis Channel Open, joining top seed Tommy Haas and a handful of American "C"-level players.

Other seeds at Scottsdale are Americans Taylor Dent and Kevin Kim, along with Croatian Mario Ancic, Irakli Labadze, Memphis winner Kenneth Carlsen, and German "C"-player Lars Burgsmuller.

Spadea will receive great joy in being introduced as the defending champion after last year finally capturing his first career title.

"That'll be great," said Spadea, who last year beat James Blake, Andy Roddick and Nicolas Kiefer. "It was a dream week. Leaving a city undefeated was spectacular. Having never won a match in my life (in Scottsdale before last year) tells me I can turn the tables around no matter what the circumstances."

Unfortunately Vicnenzo will be a question mark after pulling from Memphis last week during his second-round match with a shoulder injury.

Opening-round matches of note in Scottsdale are (1) Haas vs. American teen wildcard "The" Donald Young, (4) Dent vs. Aussie serving machine Wayne Arthurs, (6) Freak Show vs. American (WC) Alex Kuznetsov, the returning-from-injury Mark Philippoussis vs. Tomas Behrend, (3) Baby Goran vs. American (WC) Brendan Evans, (7) Carlsen vs. Blake, and (2) Spadea vs. a qualifier.

Returning champs in the field are Spadea (2004), Jan-Mike Gambill (1999) and Philippoussis (1997).

Monday's schedule at the Tennis Channel Open is Y.-H. Lu vs. (8) Burgsmuller, Bogomolov vs. Salzenstein, Gimelstob vs. Vliegen, (6) Freak Show vs. (WC) Kuznetsov, Tipsarevic vs. Gambill, in doubles the Blake brothers vs. (3) Allegro/Kohlmann, and Moodie vs. G.Lapentti.