While the women ended their season in Istanbul, the men continued to ramp up toward the World Tour Finals with indoor tournaments in Basel and Valencia.  These 500-level events showcased three of the top five men while inflicting less enviable fates on some of their leading challengers.  More than anything, perhaps, the week challenged the concept of home-court advantage.

Studs:

Juan Martin Del Potro:  Defending his title in Basel, Del Potro has collected hardware at all three of his tournaments since the US Open.  Only a third-set tiebreak lost to Novak Djokovic in Shanghai has separated the Tower of Tandil from a perfect fall, and another victory over Roger Federer offered a fitting sequel to his triumph over Rafael Nadal in Shanghai.  He also notched his 300th career win in the quarterfinals en route to collecting four titles for the second straight year.  With Andy Murray absent until 2014, Del Potro eyes a chance to end the season in the top four, which would have significant implications for Australian Open seedings.

Feds, big and small:  Another loss to Del Potro at his home tournament may have stung, but Roger Federer has reached so few finals this year (three) that his appearance at that stage merits recognition.  He has won just one small title this year, the grass 250 event in Halle, and two of his four wins this week came in uneven three-setters against overmatched opponents.  Finding ways to win without his best tennis may not be the worst lesson for Federer to learn, though.  He boosted his bid to qualify for the World Tour Finals despite falling to 1-7 this year against the top 10.

While Grigor Dimitrov again failed to serve out a set against an elite opponent, last week’s Stockholm champion should not leave Basel disappointed.  Dimitrov had struggled throughout his career with stringing together strong performances, so a quarterfinal at this 500 tournament in the wake of a breakthrough marked a step forward.  He held three set points against Federer, sporadically threatening the man on whom he modeled his game. 

Unseeded Russians in Valencia:  Two veterans who had enjoyed understated but encouraging summer campaigns departed Spain in style.  Aligned against US Open quarterfinalist Mikhail Youzhny in a semifinal was Dmitry Tursunov, who had won just three matches last year.  A different story this season, Tursunov mustered 31 main-draw victories and eight quarterfinals, six of them in the second half.  Able to contain his compatriot’s power, Youzhny continued his success on this surface by stunning world No. 3 David Ferrer in the final.  Six of his 10 career titles have come on indoor hard courts or carpet, so he could become an intriguing dark horse in Paris.

Seeded Spaniards in Valencia:  Two weeks, two finals for David Ferrer on the verge of his Masters 1000 title defense in Paris.  As with Federer in Basel, one could look at Ferrer’s performance in Valencia as a glass half full or a glass empty.  The skeptics will note that he should have won both of the finals that he lost over the last two weeks against Youzhny and Dimitrov, clearly lesser players in ranking and accomplishments.  On the other hand, stringing together two deep runs lifted Ferrer out of his summer slump and allowed him to regain some confidence before the last two marquee events of the season.

Always overshadowed by Rafael Nadal and Ferrer, Nicolas Almagro extended his long losing streak to the latter.  Fortunately, this defeat did not unfold as painfully as his five-set loss to Ferrer in an Australian Open quarterfinal, and this shot-maker can reflect on the week as a success rather than a squandered opportunity.  Like Ferrer, Almagro has used an encouraging fall to recover from a dismal hard-court summer, ending the season with optimism restored.

Vasek Pospisil:  Many young phenoms wait several months after their first breakthrough for their second, consolidating strong result.  A semifinalist at his home Masters 1000 event in Canada this summer, Pospisil earned his second semifinal in Basel—and nearly more.  The explosive Canadian never had faced Roger Federer before, and most players of his age would find the Swiss star an intimidating presence despite his decline.  Yet Pospisil did not flinch from the occasion, taking Federer deep into the final set on Swiss soil. 

Serving specialists:  Both Basel and Valencia showcased the skills of men who lean heavily on their point-starting shots.  The man who upset Federer on Swiss soil this summer, Daniel Brands, scored a less stunning upset in Basel by dispatching seventh seed Andreas Seppi.  The counterpunching style of former finalist Kei Nishikori could not blunt the relentless attack of Ivan Dodig at the same tournament, nor could Ernests Gulbis solve John Isner in a two-tiebreak encounter at Valencia.  Fittingly, one of the most intimidating servers in ATP history notched the most impressive upset of all.  Ivo Karlovic hammered his way past world No. 6 Tomas Berdych in Basel, defying the gulf in their rankings. 

Duds:

Richard Gasquet:  After a semifinal run at the US Open, Gasquet stood on the cusp of clinching a berth at the World Tour Finals.  His erratic form since that achievement has kept that spot available to other challengers, such as countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.  Sandwiched around Gasquet’s title at a 250 event Moscow were first-round losses at the Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai and at the 500 tournament in Basel.  Able to shine on the lesser stage, he has left plenty of meaningful points on the table this fall as well.

Stanislas Wawrinka:  Earlier this summer, Wawrinka retired in his second match at a Swiss tournament in Gstaad.  He fell short once again on home soil, dropping his Basel opener in the best season of his career.  Wawrinka has competed gallantly in Davis Cup this year, however, so his compatriots cannot hold these shortcomings against him.

Second seeds:  The two Tommies in the No. 2 positions suffered the misfortune of challenging early draws.  Probably weary from his exertions en route to the Vienna title, Tommy Haas fell victim to the flamboyant shot-making of Philipp Kohlschreiber in Valencia.  The only player in the ATP or WTA top 10 not to win a title this year, Tomas Berdych crashed straight into ageless ace machine Ivo Karlovic.  Berdych dropped a third-set tiebreak to an opponent who has made a living out of winning such tight affairs.  Having lost five straight matches in Basel, he might revisit his scheduling for next year.

Fernando Verdasco:  Granted a wildcard to the only Spanish hard-court tournament on the calendar, a Spaniard who can shine on hard courts did not reward organizers for the decision.  Bounced by a Polish qualifier, Verdasco showed few traces of the man who had tested world No. 2 Novak Djokovic on a similar surface in Beijing earlier this fall. 

Gilles Simon:  A lingering back injury may have contributed to the most lopsided hard-court loss of his career.  Simon won just a single game in his Basel opener, so he will hope to finish the season in Paris on a more uplifting note.