A pair of ATP 500 hard-court events and a clay 250 wrapping up the South American swing highlighted ATP action this week.  Here is your reel of early-week headlines.

Malek Jaziri reaches first career ATP quarterfinal in Dubai

The 30-year-old Tunisian reached his first career ATP quarterfinal in Dubai as a wildcard.  Jaziri survived the first round with a three-set win against Igor Sijsling, in which he saved five match points, before defeating Somdev Devvarman in straight sets a round later. He bowed out to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarters, but it was still a surprisingly strong week for the Tunisian grinder who normally plays the Challenger circuit.

Tomas Berdych, Alexandr Dolgopolov, and Thomaz Bellucci continue run of good form

Tomas Berdych has extended his winning streak to 10 matches after adding three more wins in Dubai, as was expected by most observers.  The most notable of those victories came with a routine straight-sets result over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.  Berdych meets Philipp Kohlschreiber next, and he will be a strong favorite to reach the final, where he might give Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer a real run for their money.  Berdych has played especially well this year and appears to be a man on a mission.

After a miserable 2013 campaign, Alexandr Dolgopolov has finally rediscovered some of his former top-15 form by posting a 7-1 record in his last 8 matches.  His only loss in that span came on clay in the Rio final to Rafael Nadal, which is one of the best possible losses a player can suffer. Dolgopolov switched from the clay of Rio to the hard courts of Acapulco in short order.  He has reached the semifinals there after quality wins over Vasek Pospisil and Ivo Karlovic.  It’s good to see him playing well again, since he is one of the most entertaining shot-makers in the sport.

Thomaz Bellucci is another player who was struggling for quite some time.  He had an extended ATP main-draw losing streak dating back to last summer until the Rio Open last week.  But he has now reached consecutive ATP quarterfinals at home in Brazil, defeating Santiago Giraldo in three sets at both events.  All four of his wins over the past two weeks have come in three sets, as did his one loss in Rio to David Ferrer.

Elite players del Potro and Ferrer suffer injuries, while Murray trudges through matches

Juan Martin del Potro continued his fight with chronic wrist injury problems as he was forced to retire in his opening-round clash in Dubai.  It is an injury that has already given him trouble this year.  Del Potro was sidelined in 2010 with a right wrist injury that required surgery, and now the left wrist is giving him problems that may also require surgery.  The Tower of Tandil has had stretches of play where he is one of the top three or four players in the world, but the chronic wrist issues have certainly hampered his career and could even end it prematurely.

Fellow elite player David Ferrer suffered a less serious injury to his leg in the Acapulco quarterfinals that forced his retirement from the match after leading by a set against Kevin Anderson.  The injury still illustrates the Spanish veteran’s aging body and the fact that he plays such a heavy schedule.  Both del Potro and Ferrer are assets to the ATP, so it would be a shame to see them sidelined for any length of time.

Still recovering from back surgery, Murray didn’t suffer any new injuries but did trudge through the early rounds of Acapulco.  He played some very poor tennis for stretches in matches against Pablo Andujar in the first round and Gilles Simon in the quarterfinals.  Still, Murray won both of these matches in three-set fashion, and the third sets were not especially close.  The Wimbledon champion has endured a below-average season thus far and has yet to reach a final in three ATP tournaments.  But he is still alive in Acapulco and has to be the favorite to win that event from the semis onwards.

Early-round upset of the week: Federico Delbonis d. Nicolas Almagro 3-6 6-3 6-2 (Sao Paulo second round)

Argentine clay specialist Federico Delbonis ousted three-time Brazil Open champion and tournament No. 2 seed Nicolas Almagro in three sets.  The 23-year-old already has wins over Roger Federer and Tommy Robredo, and now Almagro, who is usually excellent in South America, is added to the list.  The Spaniard has struggled with his mental fortitude this year and appears likely to drop out of the top 20, at least for a time.  Delbonis has reached the quarterfinals now and has a chance to have a top-notch result this week.

Early-round match of the week: Guido Pella d. Leonardo Mayer 7-6(4) 6-7(3) 7-6(4) (Sao Paulo first round)

Pella defeated his Argentine countryman Mayer in three tiebreaks, yet this was a match of baseline clay-courters rather than the big servers who usually play so many tiebreaks.  A match point was saved by Pella in the third set at 4-5 on serve, and Mayer led 4-2 40-0 in the final set.  But he collapsed from there, including two double faults in that 4-2 game.  The match wasn’t the highest quality, but it was certainly dramatic.