trophy watch: no nipples were harmed in the making of this ceremony

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continues his hot streak, following up a title in Bangkok (beating Nole Djokovic) with an impressive 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory against defending champ David Nalbandian at the BNP Paribas Masters Paris — the ATP season’s final stop before the top 8 players head to Shanghai.

Tsonga took out Stepanek, Nole, Roddick, and Blake in previous rounds. His opponent, the Argentine, stayed with a pattern of peaking year-end (he won Paris last year) by overcoming phenoms Juan Martin Del Potro, Andy Murray, and Paris mainstay Kolya Davydenko before falling to Tsonga.

Tsonga wore a green adidas crew for his matches and this aqua Eiffel Tower-themed tee for the trophy ceremony. Unlike last year’s nipple nightmare, the trophy ladies came out in amazing headdresses that only the Parisian ateliers could churn out. Still, not everything is well: tourney organizers still need to work on that trophy. (Bring back the tree!)

Nadia Petrova has racked up her second title of 2008 with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Bethanie Mattek in the Quebec Challenge. For those interested, Mattek wore a black long-sleeved top.

La Monf switches to Prince in 2009

Breakdancer Gael Monfils might not be making as much noise as compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga these days, but he’s still being pegged as one of the sport’s future stars. Racquetmaker Prince recently signed the Frenchman to play with the company’s new line of racquets, slated for release in spring 2009.

He first picked up the new sticks prior to the ATP event stop in Vienna and has notched two top 15 scalps and a finals appearance since.

Prince has been mum about what’s behind this new technology, only saying that it “breaks the laws of physics.” Even Monfils didn’t give us much to work with. “I knew as soon as I hit the first ball with it, there was something different, something better,” he said via a press release. “It is hard to explain, but the holes and the technology made a difference. It just felt right.”

We’ll let you know as soon as we hear more about the new racquets.

(photo courtesy of Prince)

whatever happened to pleated shorts?

Swede Lennart Bergelin (second from left) with buddies at Roland Garros in May of 1948.

Bergelin, one of Sweden’s best tennis players who worked as a personal coach to tennis legend Bjorn Borg, has died at the age of 83 after a short illness, Swedish media reported on November 4, 2008. R.I.P.

(photo by Getty Images)

TSF wants Californians to vote “No” on Proposition 8, the state’s anti-gay marriage measure

The looming presidential election is leaving me a little anxious. While Obama is clearly leading in the polls, the experience of the Bush/Gore disaster from 2000 has taught me not to take anything for granted.

And in California, where Obama’s victory is a given, the spotlight has moved to Proposition 8, a ballot measure which would amend the state constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman.

I don’t even care about getting married, but that isn’t what is at stake here. This is a fight about civil rights.

I’ll leave it to the likes of the Los Angeles Times and writer Prince Golmovilas to make a case for why you, Californians, should vote to defeat Proposition 8 (and when you’re done, we can gab about how cute the girls are looking in Doha!).

Something tells me readers of this blog would vote No on 8 anyway. So really, just make sure to go out and vote tomorrow — if you haven’t done so already.

hus, little baby… buy your underwear stateside

An update on the U.S. presence of Bjorn Borg (the brand): men’s underwear from the f/w ’08 line is now available at Scandinavian goods importer [hus] in the West Village and at LASC in West Hollywood. BB will eventually expand into other menswear — sorry, ladies — when the SoHo store opens later this month.

More looks: I’ll have scans from the lookbook posted later this week.

(photo of [hus] window display for TSF by Matt/Ranting Details)

tattoo watch: name that ass back tattoo

After a few idle months, the TSF tattoo blotter got its latest entry thanks to the photography of Carlita at the Mutua Madrilena Masters in Madrid.

So, whose tat is this? Find out