Tennis- Kremlin Cup Moscow

The ATP and WTA tours combine in Russia as Moscow host the Kremlin Cup with both a men's and singles event for us to enjoy. Last year saw Janko Tipsarevic take the men's crown defeating fellow Serb Victor Troicki in the final. Tipsarevic has opted to play in Austria this week so we will have a new champion next weekend. In the women's event Dominika Cibulkova took the honours with a great win in the final against Kaia Kanepi. Estonian Kanepi is not in the field this week but Cibulkova is here to defend her crown. Both draws are filled with talent and it really is anyone's event to win.

          Starting with the men's event and there is no real stand out player who will expect to dominate the field and so there are a number of contenders for the title. The top seed is Ukrainian Aleksandr Dolgopolov who, for me, has had a disappointing year. I expected a lot from him this year after a successful year last year but he hasn't shown any consistency this year. The draw has been kind to him and it could come down to a quarter final against Nikolay Davydenko who defeated him with ease in Toronto this year. I think we might see a decent showing from him this week as with a slightly weaker field he might be able to get through some rounds even when he isn't playing well. Second seed Andreas Seppi has got a reasonable shot at winning the title here. I like his game, he's consistent and has the ability to hit winners. I like his draw here too, there isn't any players that he will fear and he should make a semi final appearance at least. Victor Troicki is third seed and having made the final last year he will fancy his chances of having a good week. Denis Istomin might be his toughest opponent on the way to a semi final. Istomin is a potentially big player this week. He has the game to compete at the top but I don't think he can put a full week together to win. Other contenders could be Tatsuma Ito who has been playing well this season and also fourth seed Thomasz Bellucci who hasn't been at his best this season but is capable of turning it on. I'm going to go with Andreas Seppi this week. I've watched a lot of him this season and really like the improvements he has made. I'll tip him to come through a close week.
           In the women's event there are a number of top players in action. Top seed Sam Stosur has improved in recent months after struggling since winning her maiden Grand Slam in New York last year. I like her chances this week of reaching a semi final with a reasonable draw. Her main problem could be Lucie Safarova who has got the capabilities of beating some of the top players. I would see Stosur beating her if they were to meet but Klara Zakopalova is one I would see beating the Aussie. The winner of Zakopalova and Safarova will meet Stosur and it will be interesting to see how that side of the draw plays out. Second seed Marion Bartoli might be the second highest ranked player but I don't think she will win this week. She has a tough draw and I don't see her getting all the way to the weekend. Caroline Wozniacki is finally beginning to play near her best tennis. She won a title a few weeks ago and although she is in a tough draw she could get through to the semi finals here. Ana Ivanovic is having a great year so far and is really starting to fulfil the potential she always had. The only stumbling block she has is Nadia Petrova who is very capable of winning any match. I think Ana could be in for a great week here. Another contender is Maria Kirilenko who is having a career best season but the favourite for me this week is defending champion Dominika Cibulkova. She is a very strong player and I think she might just defend her crown.