Preview: Roddick, Radwanska Among Strong Fields Week Before US Open

Lots of big names trying to get match experience in the last week before the US Open, including Andy Roddick, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, John Isner, Sam Querrey, Aggie Radwanska, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, and the fast-rising Angelique Kerber in events at ATP Winston-Salem, WTA New Haven and WTA Dallas.
ADHEREL
Winston-Salem Open
Winston Salem, N.C., USA
Surface: hard

Seeds: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, John Isner, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Andy Roddick, Marcel Granollers, Sam Querrey, Julien Benneteau, Feliciano “F-Lo” Lopez, Viktor Troicki, Denis Istomin, Kevin Anderson, Jurgen Melzer, David Nalbandian, Pablo Andujar, Jarkko Nieminen

Floaters: Marcos Baghdatis, Thomaz Bellucci, Gilles Muller, (WC) James Blake, Nikolay Davydenko

Notes: N.C. native John Isner won last year’s inaugural title…Donald Young will try and extend his double-digit losing streak against Leo Mayer in the first round…The seeds receive first-round byes but potential second-round testers abound in (1) Tsonga vs. the Baghdatis-Bellucci winner, (15) Andujar vs. Muller, (14) Nalbandian vs. Davydenko, and (5) Roddick vs. (WC) Blake…American Ryan Harrison also received a wildcard…Isner beat Julien Benneteau in last year’s inaugural final, and Roddick lost in the semifinals.

New Haven Open at Yale
New Haven, Conn, USA
Surface: hard

Seeds: Agnieszka Radwanska, (WC) Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, Sara Errani, Marion Bartoli, Dominika Cibulkova, Maria Kirilenko, Lucie Safarova

Floaters: Daniela Hantuchova, Tamira Paszek, Sloane Stephens, Varvara Lepchenko, Shahar Peer

Notes: Nice start for (2) Kvitova against the winner of two qualifiers, and same with (1) Radwanska…Tough starts go to (7) Kirilenko vs. Peer, then likely Hantuchova; the slumping (5) Bartoli vs. (WC) Laura Robson, then the Stephens-Paszek winner; (4) Errani vs. (WC) Bethanie Mattek-Sands; and (8) Safarova vs. the homecountry-supported Lepchenko…pulling from the event were Kaia Kanepi (achilles), Christina McHale (illness), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (?), Flavia Pennetta (wrist), and Francesca Schiavone (illness)…German Andrea Petkovic is back from injury, opening against a qualifier…Wozniacki is the lone returning champion, trying to win her fifth straight New Haven Open. A win this year for Wozniacki would put her in rarified company, as only three players have won a tournament title five years in a row — Chris Evert (Charleston), Steffi Graf (Hamburg), and Martina Navratilova (Eastbourne, Wimbledon and Chicago).

Texas Tennis Open
Dallas, Texas, USA
Surface: hard

Seeds: Angelique Kerber, Jelena Jankovic, Roberta Vinci, Yanina Wickmayer, Klara Zakopalova, Peng Shuai, Chanelle Scheepers, Sorana Cirstea

Floaters: Aleksandra Wozniak, (WC) Heather Watson, Alize Cornet, Yaroslava Shvedova

Notes: Openers of interest are (5) Zakapalova vs. Wozniak, (4) Wickmayer vs. Watson, and (2) Jankovic vs. Shvedova…Missing is last year’s champ Sabine Lisicki (abdominal strain), who in the 2011 inaugural year of the event rolled over Aravane Rezai 6-2, 6-1. Also pulling from the tournament were Monica Niculescu (hand),  Ksenia Pervak (?) and Urszula Radwanska (?).