Preview: WTA, ATP in Moscow; Stockholm, Vienna, Lux

KREMLIN CUP BY BANK OF MOSCOW
Moscow, Russia; Surface: hard

Men’s Seeds: Richard Gasquet, Andreas Seppi, Janko Tipsarevic, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Denis Istomin, Horacio Zeballos, Joao Sousa, Adrian Mannarino
ADHEREL
Men’s Floaters: Marcos Baghdatis, Ivo Karlovic, (WC) Andrey Kuznetsov, Sergiy Stakhovsky

Men’s Notes: The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes…Tough starts go to (1) Gasquet vs. either Baghdatis or Evgeny Donskoy, (5) Istomin vs. Russian (WC) Andrey Kuznetsov, and (7) Sousa vs. Stakhovsky…Seeds making their debuts at the event are Gasquet, Sousa and Mannarino…Russians have won the event 14 times since 1990…Last year Seppi beat Thomaz Bellucci in the final…Notable pulls from the event were Nikolay Davydenko (wrist) and Stan Wawrinka…Returning former champs in the field are Seppi (2012) and Tipsarevic (2011).

Women’s Seeds: Angelique Kerber, Roberta Vinci, Maria Kirilenko, Ana Ivanovic, Simona Halep, Carla Suarez Navarro, Samantha Stosur, Svetlana Kuznetsova

Women’s Floaters: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Dominika Cibulkova, Kaia Kanepi

Women’s Notes: The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes…Tough starts for (1) Kerber after a bye vs. the homie Pavlyuchenkova, (5) Halep vs. Cibulkova, and (7) Stosur vs. Kanepi…Wildcards went to Russians Alisa Kleybanova and Ksenia Pervak…Pulling from the tournament were Sara Errani (back), Jelena Jankovic (back), Petra Kvitova (back), Ekaterina Makarova (wrist), and Urszula Radwanska…Caroline Wozniacki beat Stosur in last year’s final…Cibulkova (2011) is the only former champ in the field.

IF STOCKHOLM OPEN
Stockholm, Sweden; Surface: hard

Seeds: David Ferrer, Milos Raonic, Jerzy Janowicz, Kevin Anderson, Ernests Gulbis, Benoit Paire, Grigor Dimitrov, Ivan Dodig

Floaters: Jack Sock, Bernard Tomic, Fernando Verdasco

Notes: The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes…Seeds Janowicz, Paire make their debuts at the event…Potential tough starts for (1) Ferrer vs. the Sock/Tomic winner, and (8) Dodig vs. Verdasco…Wildcards went to Swede Markus Eriksson, Paire and Raonic…Pulling from the event were Brian Baker, Marin Cilic, David Goffin, Sam Querrey, and Mikhail Youzhny…Swedes Jonas Bjorkman/Robert Lindstedt received a doubles wildcard…Last year Tomas Berdych beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, with neither returning…No former champs are in the field.

ERSTE BANK OPEN
Vienna, Austria; Surface: hard

Seeds: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tommy Haas, Fabio Fognini, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Radek Stepanek, Gael Monfils, Vasek Pospisil, Lukas Rosol

Floaters: Lleyton Hewitt

Notes: Few floaters but (7) Pospisil starts against the former No. 1 Hewitt…Wildcards went to Austrians Gerald Melzer, Dominic Thiem and Martin Fischer…Austrian Jurgen Melzer pulled with a shoulder injury…In last year’s final Juan Martin del Potro defeated Grega Zemlja…Former champs in the field are Tsonga (2011) and Haas (2001).

BGL BNP PARIBAS LUXEMBOURG OPEN
Luxembourg; Surface: hard

Seeds: Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens, Sabine Lisicki, Kirsten Flipkens, Lucie Safarova, Mona Barthel, Eugenie Bouchard, Bojana Jovanovski

Floaters: Francesca Schiavone, Donna Vekic, Andrea Petkovic, Shuai Peng

Notes: Tough starts for (8) Jovanovski vs. Schiavone, (3) Lisicki vs. the comer Vekic, (7) Bouchard vs. Petkovic, and (5) Safarova vs. Peng…Wildcards went to Swiss Timea Bacsinszky, Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella, and Brit Heather Watson…Pulling from the event were Sorana Cirstea, Julia Goerges, and Madison Keys…In last year’s final Venus Williams defeated Monica Niculescu…Bacsinszky (2009) is the lone former champ in the field.

 

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