Fantasy Tennis: 2017 Women's Doubles World Championships - Starting Line-Up

1. Serena Williams / Venus Williams (USA) - 15

2. Karolina Pliskova / Petra Kvitova (CZE) - 19

3. Svetlana Kuznetsova / Elena Vesnina (RUS) - 24

4. Jelena Ostapenko / Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) - 32

5. Angelique Kerber / Laura Siegemund (GER) - 33

6. Kristina Mladenovic / Carolina Garcia (FRA) - 35

7. Elina Svitolina / Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) - 39

8. Garbine Muguruza / Carla Suarez Navarro  (ESP) - 40

9. Madison Keys / Lauren Davis (USA) - 45

10. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova / Daria Kasatkina (RUS) - 46

11. Simona Halep / Monica Niculescu (ROU) - 52

12. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni / Ana Konjuh (CRO) - 52

13. Daria Gavrilova / Samantha Stosur (AUS) - 56

14. Barbora Strycova / Katerina Siniakova (CZE) - 62

15. Zhang Shuai / Peng Shuai (CHN) - 68

16. Coco Vandeweghe / Catherine Bellis (USA) - 72

17. Yulia Putintseva / Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) - 72

18. Agnieszka Radwanska / Magda Linette (POL) - 85

19. Alize Cornet / Oceane Dodin (FRA) - 86

20. Lucie Safarova / Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) - 87

21. Timea Bacsinszky / Viktorija Golubic (SUI) - 91

22. Dominika Cibulkova / Jana Cepelova (SVK) - 102

23. Mona Barthel / Julia Goerges (GER) - 103

24. Roberta Vinci / Sara Errani (ITA) - 105

25. Ekaterina Makarova / Natalia Vikhlyantseva (RUS) - 108

26. Misaki Doi / Naomi Osaka (JPN) - 113

27. Johanna Konta / Naomi Broady (GBR) - 118

28. Qiang Wang / Duan Ying-Ying (CHN) - 119

29. Kiki Bertens / Richel Hogenkamp (NED) - 125

30. Sorana Cirstea / Irina Camelia-Begu (ROU) - 130

31. Elise Mertens / Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) - 145

32. Carina Witthoeft / Annika Beck (GER) - 146

Fantasy Tennis: 2017 Men's Afro-Europa Cup - Actual Competition

Stan Wawrinka

SUI

3

Daniel Evans

GBR

Stan Wawrinka

SUI

3

Lucas Pouille

FRA

Lucas Pouille

FRA

Viktor Troicki

SRB

Stan Wawrinka

SUI

3

Marcos Baghdatis

CYP

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

FRA

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

FRA

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

FRA

Malek Jaziri

TUN

Dominic Thiem

AUT

6

Dominic Thiem

AUT

6

Stan Wawrinka

SUI

3

Andy Murray

GBR

1

Roger Federer

SUI

8

Kyle Edmund

GBR

Andy Murray

GBR

1

Alexander Zverev

GER

Alexander Zverev

GER

Mischa Zverev

GER

Andy Murray

GBR

1

David Ferrer

ESP

Roger Federer

SUI

8

Tomas Berdych

CZE

Tomas Berdych

CZE

Lloyd Harris

RSA

Roger Federer

SUI

8

Roger Federer

SUI

8

Roger Federer

SUI

8

Rafael Nadal

ESP

4

Novak Djokovic

SRB

2

Paolo Lorenzi

ITA

Rafael Nadal

ESP

4

Roberto Bautista Agut

ESP

Martin Klizan

SVK

Martin Klizan

SVK

Rafael Nadal

ESP

4

Gilles Muller

LUX

Gael Monfils

FRA

7

Grigor Dimitrov

BUL

Gilles Muller

LUX

Mohamed Safwat

EGY

Gael Monfils

FRA

7

Gael Monfils

FRA

7

Rafael Nadal

ESP

4

Novak Djokovic

SRB

2

Novak Djokovic

SRB

2

Fabio Fognini

ITA

Novak Djokovic

SRB

2

Ivo Karlovic

CRO

Joao Sousa

POR

Joao Sousa

POR

Novak Djokovic

SRB

2

Philipp Kohlschreiber

GER

Philipp Kohlschreiber

GER

David Goffin

BEL

Philipp Kohlschreiber

GER

Kevin Anderson

RSA

Marin Cilic

CRO

5

Marin Cilic

CRO

5

Fantasy Tennis: 2017 Women's Afro-Europa Cup - Actual Competition

Karolina Pliskova

CZE

3

Timea Babos

HUN

Karolina Pliskova

CZE

3

Petra Kvitova

CZE

Petra Kvitova

CZE

Laura Siegemund

GER

Petra Kvitova

CZE

Carla Suarez Navarro

ESP

Caroline Wozniacki

DEN

6

Garbine Muguruza

ESP

Carla Suarez Navarro

ESP

Ons Jabeur

TUN

Caroline Wozniacki

DEN

6

Caroline Wozniacki

DEN

6

Petra Kvitova

CZE

6

Angelique Kerber

GER

1

Angelique Kerber

GER

1

Lesia Tsurenko

UKR

Angelique Kerber

GER

1

Anastasija Sevastova

LAT

Anastasija Sevastova

LAT

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni

CRO

Angelique Kerber

GER

1

Barbora Strycova

CZE

Jelena Ostapenko

LAT

Jelena Ostapenko

LAT

Jelena Ostapenko

LAT

Valeria Bhunu

ZIM

Svetlana Kuznetsova

RUS

8

Svetlana Kuznetsova

RUS

8

Angelique Kerber

GER

1

Elina Svitolina

UKR

4

Dominika Cibulkova

SVK

5

Ana Konjuh

CRO

Elina Svitolina

UKR

4

Elena Vesnina

RUS

Elena Vesnina

RUS

Kiki Bertens

NED

Elina Svitolina

UKR

4

Caroline Garcia

FRA

Johanna Konta

GBR

7

Kristina Mladenovic

FRA

Caroline Garcia

FRA

Sandra Samir

EGY

Johanna Konta

GBR

7

Johanna Konta

GBR

7

Elina Svitolina

UKR

4

Simona Halep

ROU

2

Dominika Cibulkova

SVK

5

Alize Cornet

FRA

Alize Cornet

FRA

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

RUS

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

RUS

Roberta Vinci

ITA

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

RUS

Timea Bacsinszky

SUI

Dominika Cibulkova

SVK

5

Agnieszka Radwanska

POL

Timea Bacsinszky

SUI

Chanel Simmonds

RSA

Dominika Cibulkova

SVK

5

Dominika Cibulkova

SVK

5

Fantasy Tennis: 2017 Men's Afro-Europa Cup Top 32 Seeds

Here are the top 32 players invited to compete in the 2017 Men's Afro-Europa Cup.  Twenty-eight players from Europe will be invited while the remaining four will come from Africa.  Only three players per country is allowed.

1.  Andy Murray (GBR)

2. Novak Djokovic (SRB)

3. Stan Wawrinka (SUI)

4. Rafael Nadal (ESP)

5. Marin Cilic (CRO)

6. Dominic Thiem (AUT)

7.  Gael Monfils (FRA)

8. Roger Federer (SUI)

9. David Goffin (BEL)

10.  Tomas Berdych (CZE)

11. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)

12. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)

13. Roberto Bautista Agut (FRA)

14. Lucas Pouille (FRA)

15. Ivo Karlovic (CRO)

16. Alexander Zverev (GER)

17. David Ferrer (ESP)

18. Gilles Mueller (LUX)

19. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)

20.  Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)

21. Mischa Zverev (GER)

22. Martin Klizan (SVK)

23. Viktor Troicki (CRO)

24. Joao Sousa (POR)

25. Paolo Lorenzi (ITA)

26. Daniel Evans (GBR)

27. Kyle Edmund (GBR)

28. Fabio Fognini (ITA)

29. Malek Jaziri (TUN)

30.  Kevin Anderson (RSA)

31. Mohamed Safwat (EGY)

32. Lloyd Harris (RSA)

Fantasy Tennis: 2017 Women's Afro-Europa Cup Top 32 Seeds

Here are the 2017 Women's Afro-Europa Cup Players. This fantasy tournament is by invitation only and is held after the Australian Open.

Only three players per country is allowed

1. Angelique Kerber (GER)

2. Simona Halep (ROU)

3. Karolina Pliskova (CZE)

4. Elina Svitolina (UKR)

5. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)

6. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)

7. Johanna Konta (GBR)

8. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)

9. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)

10.  Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)

11. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)

12. Garbine Muguruza (ESP)

13. Elena Vesnina (RUS)

14. Petra Kvitova (CZE)

15. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)

16.  Anastasija Sevastova (LAT)

17. Barbora Strycova (CZE)

18. Caroline Garcia (FRA)

19. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI)

20.  Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP)

21. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO)

22. Kiki Bertens (NED)

23. Laura Siegemund (GER)

24. Roberta Vinci (ITA)

25. Ana Konjuh (CRO)

26. Timea Babos (HUN)

27. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR)

28.  Alize Cornet (FRA)

29.  Ons Jabeur (TUN)

30.  Chanel Simmonds (RSA) 348

31. Sandra Samir (EGY) 470
  32. Valeria Bhunu (ZIM) 674

French Open 2017: La Decima for Nadal or Bust

Deja vu in men's tennis continues in the French Open as Rafael Nadal contests his 10th title - La Decima. Earlier this year, Roger Federer shocked everybody in the Australian Open, when he added that grand slam title to his already full cabinet of trophies.

Well, Rafa has to really fight for it because the guy on the other side of the net has a 3-0 win loss record in grand slam finals - and as everyone knows, Stan Wawrinka is the foil that disrupts the dreams of the Big Four (Novak, Roger, Rafa, Andy).

He is the only one (for now) who has really stood up to these four pillars of men's tennis- and I won't be surprised if he pulls it off.

It's going to be lonely though as most of my friends here in FB and in the gym are big Rafa fans, so I'll be the only one quietly cheering for Stan - one of the more outlandish players on the men's tour.

French Open 2017: Women's Tennis Has a New Superstar!

OMG! What can I say? Women's tennis has a new superstar!

This is one of the most amazing runs I've seen in any of the grand slams - and Jelena Ostapenko has defeated many pedigreed players to win this tournament.

She was very aggressive and fearless in each of her matches and even when she was one set 3-0 down in the finals, she still maintained that fighting spirit which you rarely see when the other player has become so dominant - and Simona Halep is no pushover player, because she has been here before.

It would be interesting to see how she progresses in the other grand slams - but this win will definitely embolden many players in the tour - to aim for that grand slam title - no matter who's on the other side of the court.

French Open 2017: A New Queen of Clay Will Be Crowned

I slept at past 2 AM last night as I spent five hours in front of the telly to watch the grand slam semi-final in the women's side.

That rarely occurs because, usually, when it's Serena or Maria playing, it would usually just take an hour and a half at most for each of them to dispatch their opponents.

However, this French Open is going to be special since we are sure of crowning a player winning her maiden grand slam title! That's pretty exciting!

And, it's the old guard vs. the new guard - the 20 year old Latvian Jelena Ostapenko and former finalist here, Romanian Simona Halep.

It's going to be a hard fought match if both played the way they did today. It's a winner takes all situation and for Halep, a possible #1 ranking.

As for me, I'll be cheering for Jelena. I just love the way she plays - fearless, bombastic, fiery.

Sometimes that's not a good idea to be on court but it's fun to see players who wear their hearts on their sleeves.

French Open 2017: The Future of Men's Tennis (Dominic Thiem) Meets his clay court Majesty (Rafael Nadal)

The first semi-final match later today is the exciting match between Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem. If there is a player who is going to spoil Nadal's run to a tenth French Open title, it is Dominic, and it would be very interesting how Thiem dismantles Rafa in a court where he is considered king.

Well, that was the Rafa of the old and the latest Rafa has some chinks in his armor. One advantage he has though is that he is well-rested because of the retirement of Carreno Busta in their match earlier.

However, Thiem is also riding on a high after a three-set dismantling of last year's champion Novak Djokovic. So I just hope both players bring their A-game tomorrow as the future of tennis meets his clay court Majesty.

French Open 2017: Halep and Pliskova Looking forward to a Second Grand Slam Final

Among the last four women in Roland Garros this year, Simona Halep of Romania is the most pedigreed, having reached the finals here a few years ago, in probably one of the best finals of any grand slam I've seen in the women's side.

With no Maria in sight, it is really for Simona to lose this title, and she almost did today, as she trailed in-form player, Elina Svitolina one set down and 5-1 in the second set - and yet she still won in a breathtaking turnaround!

I do hope she still has some wind in her sails because her opponent, Karolina Pliskova is a very accomplished player herself, reaching the finals of the US Open last year, and has defeated Serena in the grand slam stage at that same tournament.

I like the styles of both players but I am cheering for Simona this time. She won me over as a fan after her performance here in 2014. She almost upset Maria but when Maria is in form, it is very difficult to win over her.

It would be interesting to see a Halep-Bacsinszky final.

French Open 2017: Timea the Swiss vs. Jelena the Latvian

The French Open will have a first time winner on Sunday and it has come down to the final four - all very good clay courters - and all taking advantage of the absence of some of the marquee players.

Not to take away anything from these ladies, but they did sweep aside former #1 players (Wozniacki) and grand slam winners (Stosur, Kuznetsova) to get to where they are.

I have heard of Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia for sometime now but I never saw her play because cable TV only shows matches where Serena or Maria plays - and unless you play them - you will never air on tennis cable TV here in Asia.

She has a very good chance of making it to the final because I don't think she has any nerves to deal with! Anyhow, the semi-final stage is another beast altogether so it would be interesting to see if she would be as fearless as she was during her match against Caro.

Timea is no stranger to the semi-final stage of RG, so I am not at all surprised about her run. She was able to tame the beast which is the French crowd, who were prevented from supporting Kiki because of the blustering wind and the rain delays, not allowing the Frenchwoman any chance to rev them up.

It would be interesting to see the aggressive play of Ostapenko against the steady accurate play of Bacsinszky. As for me, I am more of a Timea fan since I was cheering for her when she played Serena here in the semi's two years ago (she lost).

Petra Martic: 2017 French Open Women's Breakthrough Player

Croatian Petra Martic, currently ranked #290, is the 2017 French Open Breakthrough Player.  She fell down the rankings due to injury, and was absent from the grand slams for more than a year.

However, she has made a lot of progress this fortnight, by making it through qualifying, and then, going as far as the fourth round! 

This is her second appearance in the fourth round in Roland Garros after 2012.

Elite Women's Team Awardees for the FRENCH OPEN

The host France has never won this award until this year! Kristina Mladenovic, Alize Cornet and Caroline Garcia form the team that wins this award this year! They all have reached the fourth round! 

2017 - FRANCE - Kristina Mladenovic, Alize Cornet, Caroline Garcia 2016 - UNITED STATES - Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Shelby Rogers, Madison Keys 
2015 - RUSSIA - Sharapova, Makarova
2014 - RUSSIA - Kuznetsova, Sharapova
2013 - UNITED STATES - Sloane Stephens, Jamie Hampton, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Serena Williams
2012 - RUSSIA - Kuznetsova, Sharapova
2011 - RUSSIA - Kirilenko, Sharapova, Makarova, Zvonareva, Pavlyuchenkova, Kuznetsova
2010 - RUSSIA - Petrova, Dementieva, Kirilenko

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2009 - RUSSIA - Kuznetsova, Safina, Sharapova
2008 - RUSSIA - Kuznetsova, Dementieva, Zvonareva, Sharapova, Safina
2007 - RUSSIA - Sharapova, Chakvetadze, Kuznetsova, Safina
2006 - RUSSIA - Myskina, Kuznetsova, Safina, Sharapova
2005 - RUSSIA - Sharapova, Kuznetsova, Bovina, Petrova, Dementieva, Likhovtseva
2004 - UNITED STATES - Davenport, Williams, V., Capriati, Williams, S.
2003 - UNITED STATES - Davenport, Williams, V., Williams, S., Capriati, Rubin
2002 - UNITED STATES - Williams, V., Williams, S., Rubin, Seles, Capriati
2001 - UNITED STATES - Capriati, Shaughnessy, Williams, S.
2000 - UNITED STATES - Rubin, Seles, Williams, V.

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1999 - UNITED STATES - Williams, V., Fernandez, Seles, Capriati, Davenport
1998 - UNITED STATES - Williams, S., Williams, V., Seles, Rubin, Davenport
1997 - UNITED STATES - Arendt, Davenport, Raymond, Fernandez, Seles
1996 - UNITED STATES - Fernandez, Davenport, Seles
1995 - SPAIN - Martinez, Sanchez-Vicario, Ruano Pascual 
1994 - GERMANY - Graf, Huber, Hack
1993 - SPAIN - Martinez, Sanchez-Vicario
1992 - SPAIN - Martinez, Sanchez-Vicario
1991 - UNITED STATES - Whitlinger, Fernandez, Capriati
1990 - UNITED STATES - Capriati, Fernandez, Grossman

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1989 - BULGARIA - Katerina Maleeva, Manuela Maleeva
1988 - UNITED STATES - Navratilova, Garrison
1987 - WEST GERMANY - Hanika, Kohde-Kilsch, Graf
1986 - UNITED STATES - Evert, Casale, Fernandez, Rinaldi, Navratilova
1985 - UNITED STATES - Evert, Phelps, Gadusek, Spence, Navratilova
1984 - UNITED STATES - Evert, Benjamin, Bonder, Garrison, Brown, White, Horvath, Navratilova
1983 - UNITED STATES - Evert, Jaeger, Rush, Rinaldi, Jordan, Austin, Navratilova, Horvath