Notes: Six Top 10 players, a boatload of dangerous floaters, and some tough openers for seeds (1) Djokovic vs. Serbian countryman Troicki, (7) Seppi vs. Mathieu, (4) Del Potro vs. Baghdatis, (5) Tsonga vs. net-rushing countryman Llodra, and (6) Tipsarevic vs. Daydenko…Easy start for (2) Federer against Tunisian wildcard Malek Jaziri, then the winner of Al Montanes-Marcel Granollers before then likely facing either (6) Tipsy, Davydenko or Tomic…Sterling records for seeds Djokovic (23-3) and Federer (34-4) in Dubai, not so much for Tipsarevic (4-5) and Seppi (0-5)…Federer beat the absent Andy Murray in last year’s final…Returning champs in the field are Federer (2012,’07,’05-03) and Djokovic (2011-09).

“Near the end she saved a match point with a good serve — that’s what you normally expect to get from Serena when she’s in trouble — a bullet,” Azarenka said. “But it wasn’t a big deal, really — I just had to keep my composure and make another opportunity and create another match point.”

Men’s Notes: Among the seeds, Cilic makes his Memphis debut, and Nishikori and Verdasco have losing records at the event…wildcards went to Steve Johnson, James Blake, and Jack Sock (who starts against (2) Raonic)…Not a lot of floaters in the field, but (1) Cilic could face defending champ Melzer in the 2nd rd…Nine ATP No. 1s have won the Memphis title over the years…Notable pulls from the field are Kevin Anderson (elbow), Brian Baker (knee), and Mardy Fish (heart issue)…Bryan brothers are the top doubles seeds…Joining Melzer among the returning champs are Querrey (2010) and Haas (2007-06,’99).

Currently ranked No. 2, the younger Williams sister has been ridiculously dominant against the current Top 5: No. 1 Victoria Azarenka (11-1 career head-to-head, 5-0 in 2012), No. 3 Maria Sharapova (10-2, 3-0 in 2012), No. 4 Aggie Radwanska (4-0) and No. 5 Li Na (6-1).

Varvara Lepchenko keeps the U.S. in it with two singles wins, but the Americans, without the Williams sisters or the injured Sloane Stephens, get scrubbed in the deciding doubles 6-2, 6-2.

The kind of field that makes you ask, “Is this an ITF event? A Challenger? A public parks event?”

In the second round she upended No. 5 seed Roberta Vinci, and in the quarterfinals No. 3 seed Marion Bartoli. Barthel broke early in both sets, and in both sets held back Errani comebacks.

Shite field, but you’ve got Rafa!…Rafa after a bye faces the winner of a qualifier and Argentina’s Guido (no joke) Pella…No. 8 seed Berlocq ranked No. 70…Nadal only seed making tournament debut, and has not played since Wimbledon of last year with a knee injury…Returning champs in the field are Monaco (2012) who beat Berlocq in the final, and Robredo (2011).

Former world No. 1 Roger Federer does his annual skip-and-defend (skip the first round, hope your team wins), and now will have to play to keep Switzerland from falling out of the World Group later this year. Swiss Stan Wawrinka won the opening singles against Lukas Rosol, but it was all Czech from then on as Tomas Berdych took control of the tie, winning his first singles over Swiss Henri Laaksonen (?!?), the doubles with Rosol over Wawrinka-Marcos Chiudinelli 24-22 in the fifth set, then his second singles over Wawrinka in four sets. Thanks Rog, from the Swiss team, and the Czech team. The Czechs will next travel to Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals.

An Italian leads the French field as Errani heads the seeds, with the only French seed Bartoli at No. 3; Kvitova tries to turn around her horrendous start ot the season; (8) Zakopalova a tough start against the hot-handed Medina Garrigues; wildcards went to Kvitova, Safarova, and France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Pauline Parmentier; pulling from the field with injury were Kaia Kanepi and Venus Williams (back); Errani after a bye will start against a qualifier; Kvitova (2011) is the only returning champ in the field; Angelique Kerber beat Bartoli in last year’s three-set final.