Isner, Querrey in Newport, Haas in Stuttgart; ATP/WTA Previews

HALL OF FAME TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Newport, R.I., U.S.A.
Surface: grass
ADHEREL
Seeds: Sam Querrey, John Isner, Igor Sijsling, Lleyton Hewitt, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Marinko Matosevic, Kenny De Schepper, Rajeev Ram

Floaters: (WC) Nicolas Mahut, Jack Sock, “Dr.” Ivo Karlovic, Ryan Harrison, James Blake

Notes: Isner beat Hewitt in last year’s final…The former Wimbledon champ Hewitt has failed to raise the Newport trophy in two career appearances so far…15-year-old Stefan “Baby Santoro” Kozlov of Florida receives a wildcard and meets Poland’s Michal Prezysiezny first round…Karlovic is making his first appearance since being sidelined with viral meningitis in April…Tough starts for (1) Querrey vs. Mahut likely in 2nd rd., (6) Matosevic vs. Sock, (5) Roger-Vasselin vs. Karlovic, and (2) Isner vs. Harrison (winner to meet Blake or Adrian Mannarino who went deep at Wimbledon)…Hewitt has not won an ATP title since 2010…Querrey was runner-up in 2009…Blake was a finalist in 2002, and has not made an appearance in Newport since 2005…Three other players (Fabrice Santoro 2008-07, Greg Rusedski 2005-04, Bryan Shelton 1992-91) have won back-to-back titles since the tournament became an ATP event in 1976, and this week Isner will attempt to become the first player ever to win three in a row…Former champs in the field are Isner (2012-11) and fellow American Rajeev Ram (2009).

SKISTAR SWEDISH OPEN
Bastad, Sweden
Surface: clay

Seeds: Tomas Berdych, Nicolas Almagro, Juan Monaco, Tommy Robredo, Grigor Dimitrov, Viktor Troicki, Horacio Zeballos, Fernando “Hot Sauce” Verdasco

Floaters: Guillermo “G-Lo” Garcia-Lopez

Notes: Almagro has reached the Bastad final in three of seven appearances…The top-seeded Berdych has finished runner-up twice in 2005 and 2008…Seeds Troicki and Zeballos are 0-1 career in Bastad…Weak field in regard to floaters, but (2) Almagro could find a tester in his opener after a bye against G-Lo…David Ferrer, who beat Almagro in last year’s final, does not return to defend…Returning former champs in the field are Almagro (2010) and Robredo (2008,’06)…36-year-old Swede Robert Lindstedt will be shooting for his fourth straight Bastad doubles title.

MERCEDES CUP
Stuttgart, Germany
Surface: clay

Seeds: Tommy Haas, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Jeremy Chardy, Benoit Paire, Fabio Fognini, Florian Mayer, Lukas Rosol, Martin Klizan

Floaters: Marcel Granollers, Ernests Gulbis, Al Montanes, Thomaz Bellucci, Nikolay Davydenko, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Gael Monfils

Notes: The top-seeded Haas reached the final in 1999, losing to Magnus Norman, his best effort in four career appearances in Stuttgart…Half of the seeds do not have career winning records in Stuttgart…Lots of floaters, and tough starts for (1) Haas after a bye vs. Granollers or Gulbis, (8) Klizan vs. the veteran Montanes, (7) Rosol vs. Bellucci, (4) Paire after a bye likely facing Davydenko, and (6) Mayer opening against a qualifier, then facing either Mathieu or Monfils…Janko Tipsarevic, who beat Juan Monaco in the final last year, does not return to defend his title…Returning former champs in the field are Montanes (2010) and Chardy (2009).

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
Budapest, Hungary
Surface: clay

Seeds: Lucie Safarova, Alize Cornet, Simona Halep, Annika Beck, Johanna Larsson, Chanelle Scheepers, Maria Teresa Torro Flor, Anna Tatishvili

Floaters: Sesil Kratantcheva

Notes: Not a lot of talent with only one Top 30-ranked player in the field…Reportedly due to flooding the tournament cancelled the qualifying, elevated the top four alternates into the main draw, and cut the doubles draw to eight teams…Notable pulls from the field were Kaia Kanepi, Tsvetana Pironkova, and Carla Suarez Navarro…Sara Errani beat Elena Vesnina in last year’s final, neither of who return this year…Cornet (2008) is the lone former champ in the field.

XXVI ITALIACOM OPEN
Palermo, Italy
Surface: clay

Seeds: (WC) Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci, Kristina Mladenovic, Klara Zakopalova, Lourdes Dominguez Lino, Irina-Camelia Begu, Silvia Soler Espinosa, Karolina Pliskova

Floaters: Flavia Pennetta, Anabel Medina Garrigues

Notes: One Top 10er in the draw in Errani…Tough starts for (4) Zakopalova vs. Pennetta, and (8) Pliskova vs. Medina Garrigues 2nd rd…Other wildcards joining Errani were fellow Italians Corinna Dentoni and Alice Matteucci…Errani rolled Czech Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova in last year’s final…Returning former champs in the draw are Errani (2012,’08), four-time champ Medina Garrigues (2011,’06-04,’01), and Pennetta (2009).