Week 7 Mid-week Update

Streaming video has failed me. For once, the tournament in Memphis was not being broadcast on any television, and as a result was not being streamed on the internet. And as a result of that, I couldn't watch Andy Roddick battle with James Blake for two hours before finally coming out on top. Starting at the quarterfinals, Memphis will be broadcasting via TennisTV.com, but until then, us fans are just out of luck. It's a shame.

It looked like it would have been a good match, but it certainly wasn't the only fine one of the day. John Isner squeaked past Jarkko Nieminen in three sets after losing the first in a tiebreak. He wasn't broken once, and Nieminen is no slouch in his return game. Xavier Malisse upset Tommy Haas, and the Belgian is gaining some momentum. But one player who isn't getting much momentum is Radek Stepanek, who may have squeaked by Kevin Anderson in the first round, but just lost to perpetual underachiever Ernests Gulbis in the second. Since making the final in Brisbane, Stepanek is 1-3. Neither is Mardy Fish, who completed folded in the second set against Leonardo Mayer. I imagine that he's still struggling with injury. Verdasco, who also lost in the first round, was probably just tired after his title run last week. He didn't get the extra day of rest that Roddick did, which probably proved essential.

Also in Memphis, Melanie Oudin and Maria Sharapova, the top two seeds (it says something about your field when the second seed is ranked 42nd in the world) have been doing well in turning their years around. Both were dominant in their second round wins, which may not have been against the staunchest of competition, but it's still good to build momentum. Oudin had lost to Dementieva last week, and Elena then retired with injury in Dubai. The top two seeds also lost in Dubai, Wozniacki and Kuznetsova both lost to lower-ranked opponents. Azarenka and Venus Williams are now the favorites at this tourney.

Hopping across the pond to Marseille, three of the four non-French seeds are already out. Youzhny withdrew before a ball was struck, apparently still bothered by the injury that made him retire from his final last week against Soderling, who happens to be the top seed and only non-French seed left. Baghdatis and Robredo are out as well. Tommy continues to stumble this year. Monfils, Tsonga, and Benneteau are still standing. If he gets past Llodra in the next round, there's nothing stopping him from another final berth.

And finally, on the red clay in Buenos Aires, some fun matches taking place. Nalbandian has won his first two matches back on tour, the last one in stunning, third-set tiebreak fashion. Horacio Zeballos, fresh off winning 2009 ATP Newcomer of the Year, had already beaten Gaston Gaudio in the first round, and he'll face Carlos Moya in the second. Two French Open winners from six and twelve years ago against one of the fresh faces on the clay court scene. Nadal excepted, this tournament does have some of the best clay courters are tour, like top two seeds Ferrero and Ferrer. Still lots of tennis to play here, too.

Some people are talking about shortening the tennis season but if they did, I'm really not sure what I'd do with myself.