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Watch List: Bouchard faces challenge in Portugal; Haas defending BMW crown

Eugenie Bouchard will have a tough path to her first WTA title at the Portugal Open. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) The Watch List spotlights the must-know
Watch List: Bouchard faces challenge in Portugal; Haas defending BMW crown
Watch List: Bouchard faces challenge in Portugal; Haas defending BMW crown

Eugenie Bouchard will have a tough path to her first WTA title at the Portugal Open. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The Watch List spotlights the must-know storylines for the upcoming week in tennis. The big names are taking a breather this week as they prepare for the meat of the clay season, beginning in Madrid next week. That means there's nothing but opportunity for the likes of Tomas Berdych, Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic, who are competing at the tours' smaller events.

Portugal Open

[Complete men's draw] [Complete women's draw]

Tomas Berdych took a late wild card into the ATP 250 in Oeiras, Portugal, after defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka withdrew. He's the top seed, with Milos Raonic, Marcel Granollers and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez rounding out the top four. Berdych is looking for his third career clay title and first since 2009. Raonic will try to join last week's champions, Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov, as first-time clay winners.

As for the women, No. 2 seed Eugenie Bouchard was a late addition as she continues to look for her first WTA title. Her draw is a difficult one, opening against Alisa Kleybanova, who made the quarterfinals in Stuttgart last week, and she could face Svetlana Kuznetsova as well. Last year's finalist, Carla Suarez Navarro, is the top seed, but she's coming off a retirement in Stuttgart due to a wrist injury. That could open up the top half of the draw, which includes Lucie Safarova -- who seems due for a big win after coming so close so many times this season -- as well as Sam Stosur and the always talented but unpredictable Kaia Kanepi.

BMW Open

[Complete men's draw]

Fabio Fognini is the top seed, and No. 2 seed and defending champion Tommy Haas is playing his first event since Indian Wells. Mikhail Youzhny and Gael Monfils round out the top four. Beyond that, look for Philipp Kohlschreiber to make another run on home soil. The No. 26 is a two-time champion in Munich and made the final last year.

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Published | Modified
Courtney Nguyen
COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.