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Women's Look Forward: Barcelona, Copenhagen
We've joked in the past that Copenhagen is the Carolina Wozniacki event -- it will be around as long as she is, then it will die. But it's more true than usual this year. She is the only Top Fifteen player in a field where only seven players are even in the Top Fifty.

No doubt some of that has to do with the fact that it's a hardcourt event stuck in the middle of the clay season. Still, it's just plain weak. Wozniacki is the #1 seed. Angelique Kerber, who is having a great year, is #2. But #3 seed Jelena Jankovic is in a horrid slump. Veterans Monica Niculescu and Kaia Kanepi are #4 and #5; rising starts Mona Barthel and Ksenia Pervak #6 and #7. Sofia Arvidsson, perhaps the most prominent Scandinavian player other than Wozniacki, is #8. There really aren't many noteworthy unseeded players, although another fast-rising youngster, Timea Babos, could face Kanepi in round two.

Barcelona, which is played on clay, is stronger even though it doesn't have any Top Ten players -- two of its seeds are in on wildcards, which doubtless helped. That includes #1 seed Francesca Schiavone. Julia Goerges is #2. Dominika Cibulkova has the #3 seed, with Roberta Vinci #4. Flavia Pennetta is our other wildcard; she is #5. Petra Cetkovska is #6. Sara Errani is #7, meaning that four of the seeds are Italian. Polona Hercog is #8, although she will obviously have to hurry in from Charleston.

This event has some pretty good unseeded players. Hercog will have to open against Sorana Cirstea. Pennetta starts against Bogota winner Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino. Cetkovska will have to start against Shahar Peer. And Errani will begin against Irina-Camelia Begu.

The Rankings

Last year at this time, it was Fed Cup week, so very few points are coming off. And both the week's events are Internationals, so there won't be that much coming on. That means, not too surprisingly, no movement in the Top Ten; Caroline Wozniacki can't earn enough to make any difference. We might see a move at #11; Francesca Schiavone could overtake Andrea Petkovic. And Angelique Kerber, Julia Goerges, and perhaps Dominika Cibulkova are fighting for at most two spots in the Top Fifteen, currently held by Kerber and Ana Ivanovic. Roberta Vinci is too far back to make the Top Fifteen, but she might climb a little. The only other player in the Top Twenty who might move is Jelena Jankovic, who could gain a spot or two.