The resort here is incredible. Barren desert with mountains as uninviting as anyplace I have ever seen along with palm trees, citrus trees, and flowers everywhere. This resort is apparently the place to stay; most of the pro tennis players stay here for the tournament. Our room looks out on a semi-private pool and a hot tub (the real pool is about a half block walk from here.) According to the resort facts sheet, they have 46 pools here. That's easy to believe as you walk around.

That's a crepe myrtle with me standing under it. It just never stays cold here long enough to freeze them back!

The tennis today was not spectacular, but okay. Ryan Harrison, the new American kids looks very good. The top rated players look predictably better than anyone else. The advantage to attending the early rounds is that you get to see all the players. Unfortunately, you don't necessarily see the best quality matches.

Here are more pictures of players we saw along with some pictures of the grounds.