Caroline Wozniacki Back In Winner’s Circle - Mondays with Bob Greene

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Caroline Wozniacki beat Alexandra Dulgheru 4-6 6-2 6-1 to win the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Timea Bacsinszky beat Caroline Garcia 4-6 6-2 6-4 to win the Abierto Monterrey Afirme in Monterrey, Mexico

DAVIS CUP

First Round

World Group

France beat Germany 3-2 at Frankfurt, Germany

Great Britain beat United States 3-2 at Glasgow, Scotland

Australia beat Czech Republic 3-2 at Ostrava, Czech Republic

Kazakhstan beat Italy 3-2 at Astana, Kazakhstan

Argentina and Brazil tied 2-2 at Buenos Aires, Argentina

Serbia beat Croatia 5-0 at Kraljevo, Serbia

Canada beat Japan 3-2 at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Belgium beat Switzerland 3-2 at Liége, Belgium

Group I

Americas Zone: (First Round): Dominican Republic beat Barbados 3-2 at St. Michael Barbados; (Second Round): Uruguay beat Colombia 3-2 at Montevideo, Uruguay

Asia/Oceania Zone: Korea beat Thailand 3-2 at Nonthaburi, Thailand; New Zealand beat China 4-1 at Auckland, New Zealand

Europe/Africa Zone: Russia beat Denmark 4-1 at Urengoy, Russia; Austria beat Sweden 3-2 at Örebro, Sweden; Slovakia beat Slovenia 5-0 at Bratislava, Slovakia; Romania beat Israel 5-0 at Sibui, Romania; Poland beat Lithuania 3-2 at Plock, Poland

Group II

Americas Zone: Venezuela beat Costa Rica 5-0 at Caracas, Venezuela; El Salvador beat Puerto Rico 3-2 at Humacao, Puerto Rico; Mexico beat Bolivia 3-1 at Merida, Mexico; Chile beat Peru 5-0 at Santiago, Chile

Asia/Oceania Zone: Chinese Taipei beat Lebanon 5-0 at Kaohsiung City, Taiwan; Philippines beat Sri Lanka 5-0 at Pasig, Philippines; Indonesia beat Iran 5-0 at Palembang, Indonesia; Pakistan beat Kuwait 3-2 at Colombo, Sri Lanka

Europe/Africa Zone: Turkey beat South Africa 3-2 at Mersin, Turkey; Belarus beat Ireland 5-0 at Dublin, Ireland; Portugal beat Morocco 4-1 at Cruz Quebrada, Portugal; Finland beat Monaco 3-2 at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Monaco; Bosnia/Herzegovina beat Zimbabwe 4-1 at Harare, Zimbabwe; Hungary beat Moldova 4-1 at Gyor, Hungary; Luxembourg beat Madagascar 3-2 at Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; Bulgaria beat Latvia 4-1 at Jurmala, Latvia

SAYING

“To play for my country, the deciding match – the fifth rubber, to play against a top 20 player, being down 2-1 and winning it in five – it’s incredible.” – Aleksandr Nedovyesov, after giving Kazakhstan a first-round Davis Cup victory over Italy.

“It’s crazy but I try to think the crowd is for me. It’s never easy playing away but I was really enjoying the match today.” – Kei Nishikori, after beating home favorite Milos Raonic in a Davis Cup tie in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

“It seems when I get a little bit tired I play better. I couldn’t have served any better today. It’s been a draining week emotionally. This is really a highlight of the year.” – Vasek Pospisil, whose straight-set fifth-rubber win over Go Soeda gave Canada a victory over Japan in their first-round Davis Cup tie.

“It was an incredible experience. Playing in front of a home crowd is a bit more pressured, especially today, but I managed to fight my way through the first set and played really well after that.” – Andy Murray, who beat John Isner 7-6 (4) 6-3 7-6 (4) to clinch Great Britain’s Davis Cup victory over the United States.

STRETCHING IT OUT

It was the longest Davis Cup singles match in history. And when it finally was over, Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer had outlasted Brazil’s Joao Souza in their World Group first-round tie in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It took 11 match points before Mayer closed out the 6-hour, 42-minute marathon with a 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) 5-7 5-7 15-13 win over Souza. The fifth set alone lasted 2 hours, 30 minutes. “We are a team, you need to have faith,” Mayer said in a tearful post-match interview. The previous longest Davis Cup singles match was America’s John McEnroe’s win over Mats Wilander of Sweden in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in 1982, which lasted 6 hours, 22 minutes. But that was before the tiebreaker era. Since tiebreakers were introduced to Davis Cup, the longest singles match was Austria’s Horst Skoff’s win over Wilander in 1989, a battle that took 6 hours, 4 minutes. The Mayer-Souza slugfest was even longer than the record for a clay-court match on the ATP World Tour, a 6-hour, 33-minute marathon that saw Fabrice Santoro edge fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement over two days in the first round of the 2004 French Open.

The longest tennis match in history remains American John Isner’s win over Nicolas Mahut of France in 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days at the 2010 Wimbledon. The longest Davis Cup match was a doubles played in 2013 when Tomas Berdych and Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic defeated Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli and Stanislas Wawrinka in 7 hours, 2 minutes.

Mayer’s victory only pulled Argentina level with Brazil at 2-2. The decisive fifth match between Federico Delbonis of Argentina and Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci was suspended because of bad light after Delbonis won the opening set 6-3.

SUCCESS IN MALAYSIA

A trip to Malaysia was just what Caroline Wozniacki needed. The former world number one won her first WTA title of the year, the BMW Malaysian Open, by stopping Alexandra Dulgheru in the final. Dulgheru started strong, breaking Wozniacki twice to take the opening set 6-4. That woke the Dane up. “She tried to play aggressive and take the ball early,” Wozniacki said of her opponent. “But I knew she had a tough match yesterday, so I just kept playing my game and kept trying to put pressure on her. I think I stepped it up in the second and third sets, and it paid off.” She began with an 11-point streak to begin the second set, then grabbed a 5-0 lead in the third. It was Wozniacki’s 23^rd career WTA title and the eighth straight year she has won at least one tournament crown.

SECOND BANANA

It was the team’s second-ranked player who powered Canada to a first-round Davis Cup victory over Japan. Vasek Pospisil won the doubles with Daniel Nestor then posted a straight-set win over Go Soeda 7-5 6-3 6-4 in the decisive fifth rubber to send Canada into a quarterfinal matchup against Belgium. Pospisil had the chance to become the hero when Japan’s Kei Nishikori evened the score at 2-2 with a thrilling 3-6 6-3 6-4 2-6 6-4 victory over Milos Raonic. A native of Vancouver, British Columbia – site of the tie – Pospisil scored one service break in each set, all he needed. He then ended the three-day competition with his 14^th ace of the match. It was the second time that Pospisil had clinched a tie for Canada. In the World Group playoff round in 2011, Pospisil defeated Amir Weintraub to give Canada a 3-2 win over Israel.

SHOCKER

Kazakhstan won both reverse singles to stun Italy in Davis Cup World Group first-round tie. After the country’s top player, Mikhail Kukushkin leveled the tie with his 7-6 (8) 6-0 6-4 win over Andreas Seppi, 28-year-old Aleksandr Nedovyesov delivered the performance of his life to out-battle Fabio Fognini 7-6 (5) 3-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 and complete the shocker. Ranked 130^th in the world and making his Davis Cup debut, Nedovyesov was a surprise choice, replacing Andrey Golubev in the decisive fifth rubber. Golubev is ranked in the top 100. “It was decision made by the whole team. By the captain, by the president (Kazakhstan Tennis Federation).” Nedovyesov said. “There were different opinions, which were split. To be honest with you, the decision was made literally one minute before the deadline. Fognini also was a replacement, playing for Simone Bolelli. But Fognini is ranked 22^nd in the world and has a recent career win over Rafael Nadal. “Fognini was a little bit better from the baseline and I was struggling to get into the point,” Nedovyesov said. “I knew it was going to be very difficult to get him out of position from the baseline and that was what I was trying to do. I was trying to play a little bit more aggressively and this paid off in the fourth and fifth sets.” Like on the game’s final point when Nedovyesov served his only ace. “That was an incredible feeling,” he said. “I was waiting for the Hawkeye. I was saying to myself, please make it touch the line. Please make it touch the line. It was so close. But when the referee said ‘Game, set and match Kazakhstan,’ it was a dream come true.”

SICK CALL

Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova is looking forward to the grass court season. That’s because she will miss the clay court events after undergoing surgery to repair her left Achilles. “I have been having difficulties with my Achilles on and off for several years now,” Cibulkova said. “As the inflammation in my Achilles hasn’t improved and after consulting my team and my doctor, I have decided to do a routine surgery. It is never an easy decision to make and I will be disappointed to miss a number of upcoming events, but fixing my chronic injury is more important at this stage. … I am looking forward to making a full recovery in the near future with the goal of being 100 percent ready for the grass court season.”

SLIPPIN’ AGAIN

Bernard Tomic finally showed the game, confidence and consistency to lead Australia over a subpar Czech Republic squad in a first-round Davis Cup World Group tie. Tomic’s 7-6 (4) 6-3 7-6 (5) win over Lukas Rosol in the first reverse singles gave Australia an insurmountable 3-1 lead in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Tomic also won his first-day singles, 6-4 6-3 7-6 (5) over Jiri Vesely. “I was playing confident and consistent, and that was the key in today’s match,” Tomic said. “Everybody’s got something different about them and I suppose with me its composure and I think I know how to use it. I’ve played as well as I am now before, but not as consistently.” The victory puts Australia into the World Group quarterfinals for the first time since 2006.

SHE’S BACK????

There may be life on the tennis circuit for Marion Bartoli after all. The 2013 Wimbledon champion has hinted that she is at least considering a return to the WTA Tour. After she surprisingly won her only Grand Slam tournament title, she pulled off another shock by announcing her retirement from the sport just six weeks later, citing the wear and tear on her body. Last summer, when she returned to Wimbledon as a member of the media, not as defending champion, the Frenchwoman said: “I don’t miss every morning waking up and not being able to lift my arm, my whole body being terribly sore, travelling, packing and unpacking. But I really enjoyed every second of my tennis career. I fulfilled my dream. It’s an absolute privilege to be a Wimbledon champion.”

STAYING HOME

Saying she is fatigued, reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has decided not to play at Indian Wells this week. “Unfortunately I have been feeling exhausted on the court in recent weeks and unable to compete at 100 percent,” the Czech left-hander said. “I will be taking some time out in order to rest and restore my energy levels for the rest of the season.” The 24-year-old Kvitova has frequently complained of suffering from breathing and virus issues over the course of her career. She has won 15 singles titles, including her first Wimbledon in 2011. “I am extremely disappointed to have to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, one of my favorite tournaments on the calendar,” Kvitova wrote on her website.

Also pulling out of the California tournament was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Frenchman has not played this year because of ongoing pain in his forearm.

STAR-STRUCK

Marcelo Rios is hoping an investigation will give him his only Grand Slam singles title. Officials in Chile have backed a request by the world’s former number one player to have the International Tennis Federation (ITF) investigate whether Petr Korda committed a doping violation at the Australian Open in 1998. That’s when Korda beat Rios 6-2 6-2 6-2 in the final. Korda tested positive for a banned steroid later that year at Wimbledon, but wasn’t penalized for it until after he retired in mid-1999. Rios has said he wants to receive the title if it’s proven that Korda violated doping rules. It was the only Grand Slam final Rios reached in his career. Rodrigo Valdebenito, a spokesman for the Chilean federation, said: “Chile Tennis Federation will support Marcelo because he’s the best player in Chile’s history.” Valdebenito also said the federation would request the probe in the coming months.

SIGNED AND DELIVERED

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India may or may not play tennis, but he now has two winning racquets. He was presented the signed racquets by Leander Paes and Martina Hingis in a ceremony in New Delhi, India. The two had used the racquets to win the 2015 Australian Open mixed doubles title. It was the 15^th Grand Slam tournament title for each player, although Hingis has won five major singles crowns. All of Paes victories have come in doubles.

SASCHA GONE

No longer will Serena Williams has Sascha Bajin to hit to. The world’s top-ranked woman has ended her long-term partnership with Bajin, her hitting partner. They had been together for eight years. Bajin is expected to join the camp of Victoria Azarenka. In announcing the split on Twitter, Williams jokingly told Bajin and Azarenka not to have too much fun. In response, Bajin thanked Williams, writing “what a ride it was.” Williams won her 19^th Grand Slam singles title in January without Bajin. Instead, during the Australian Open she was hitting with Jonathan Dasnieres de Veigy.

SOME COMEBACK

It wasn’t easy for Liang Chen and Wang Yafan to get out of their quarterfinal match at the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur. Six times Han Xinyun of China and Junri Namigata of Japan had match point against the Chinese duo. Six times Liang and Wang fought them off and eventually won 4-6 6-1 15-13. Liang and Wang went on to capture the doubles title, beating the third-seeded pair of Yuliya Beygelzimer and Olga Savchuk of Ukraine 4-6 6-3 10-4 in the final.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Kuala Lumpur: Liang Chen and Wang Yafan beat Yuliya Beygelzimer and Olga Savchuk 4-6 6-3 10-4 (match tiebreak)

Monterrey: Gabriela Dabrowski and Alicja Rosolska beat Anastasia Rodionova and Arina Rodionova 6-3 2-6 10-3 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/

Irving: http://irvingtennisclassic.com/

International Tennis Federation: www.itftennis.com

ATP World Tour: www.atpworldtour.com

WTA: www.wtatennis.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

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