This week the ATP tour has got three 250 events for us to enjoy. After the quality on show in Barcelona and Bucharest we can only hope that this week provides the same entertainment. I'm going to take a quick look at the possible contenders of these tournaments before giving my opinion on who is going to win the title. Starting with Belgrade and after Novak Djokovic pulled out last week Pablo Andujar becomes the top seed and he has a great chance of justifying that rank. He is in form and since the switch to clay he has already added a title to his name. He has a few potentially tricky matches early on with names like Volandri and Hanescu hanging around but I think he will make a semi final where he will face either Fognini or Nieminen. Fognini is in form and made the final in Bucharest last week and I think he will make the semi final here this week. Andujar is probably going to be a step too far for him and I expect the Spaniard to make the final here, providing he negotiates his second round match with Volandri who can be dangerous. David Nalbandian is the stand out name in the bottom half of the draw. Ryan Harrison and Andreas Seppi are also seeded in that section but I don't think Harrison will be going far but Seppi has a real chance. Nalbandian may not be physically ready for a long run here but a semi final appearance against Seppi isn't beyind the realms of possibility. I think the winner will be from the quartet of Seppi, Nalbandian, Andujar and Fognini. I'm going to give Andujar a slight preference to the other simply because of his form and he has already won a clay title in the past month.
Munich is the venue for the second tournament and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the top seed there. He's in a tricky section with talented players like Falla, Cilic, Baghdatis, Youzhny and Haas but he should be able to dispose of whichever combination of those players he faces. A second round match up with hometown favourite Tommy Haas would be a difficult match and a possible stumbling block for Tsonga but should he progress I think he will be in a final. 2nd seed Feliciano Lopez will be looking to build on his good week last week and put behind him his failure to capitalise on match points against Ferrer in Barcelona. Lopez could go very far here but players like Tomic, Davydenko and Kohlschreiber could cause problems. I think Tomic is still developing on clay and both Davydenko and Kohlschreiber aren't playing well and so Lopez might have a shot at making the final. I think we might have a Tsonga-Lopez final and I just feel like Lopez might just win his first ever tour title. Other players that might be able to reach a final or even win the tournament are Starace and Stebe who if they could win their first match or two might just go far but I think their too inconsistent to do so. Tsonga and Lopez are the two I would be looking at with a slight nod towards Lopez.
Estoril has attracted some big names this week, none more so than Juan Martin Del Potro. The top seeded Argentine is the man to beat this week as he looks to begin his clay court campaign with a successful week here. I don't see an early loss for him but a semi final against Wawrinka would be very interesting. I think both those men will make the semis unless Robin Haase can continue his good form and even improve on it to cause an upset here. I fancy Del Potro to overcome Wawrinka in a semi final to reach a final. The bottom half of the draw contains some very interesting names. 2nd seed Richard Gasquet will be looking to get something going for himself as he continues to show signs of returning to the form that had him scouted as a future number one many many years ago. This week should bring a semi final for him which would be a huge confidence boost for him. Cipolla is a dangerous quarter final opponent but he's been slightly off lately so I think Gasquet will be able to beat him. Paul-Henri Mathieu continues his return to the tour and has a tricky opener against Istomin but I expect him to pull through but I don't see him going further than Albert Ramos in the quarters. Ramos and Gasquet in a semi would be an intriguing contest but Ramos' superior clay court skills would prove to much against the Frenchman unless Gasquet plays his very best. I think Del Potro and Ramos is a potential final match up and I expect Del Potro to pick up a title as he continues to try to return to the top of the game. I would watch out for Wawrinka and Gasquet though as both have plenty of ability but I don't see them putting it together consistently for a full week. I'd also watch Federico Gil who is capable of big things on clay and especially in his home tournament.
This should be a good week of tennis as players prepare for the Madrid Masters next week and further down the line Roland Garros. At the end of the week I'm giving Del Potro, Lopez and Andujar my vote for the titles.
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