Petra Kvitova Wins Wuhan, Qualifies For Singapore - Mondays with Bob Greene

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Petra Kvitova beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-3 6-4 to win the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open in Wuhan, China

Kei Nishikori beat Julien Benneteau 7-6 (4) 6-4 to win the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Andy Murray beat Tommy Robredo 5-7 7-6 (9) 6-1 to win the Shenzhen Open in Shenzhen, China

Sergiy Stakhovsky beat Thomaz Bellucci 6-2 7-5 to win the Open d’Orléans in Orléans, France

SAYING

“I’ve had a great second part of the season. It all started a little bit at the French Open, and from there I just kept improving. I think early on I was expecting too much of myself, and it was really difficult to take the loss in my first round in Australia, but I kept working hard, and now I’m here.” – Petra Kvitova, after beating Eugenie Bouchard to win the Wuhan Open.

“She’s beaten me in two finals this year, so I will have to figure out what to do to beat her now.” – Eugenie Bouchard.

“Today was obviously an incredibly tough match … and I got lucky at the end of the second set. I fought hard and I tried my best, and thankfully managed to turn it around.” – Andy Murray, after staving off five match point to win in Shenzhen.

“It’s tough to accept when you are so close.” – Tommy Robredo, after losing to Andy Murray.

“It wasn’t my best tennis, but it’s good to win like this.” – Kei Nishikori, following his Malaysian Open victory.

“Kei was simply too good in the key moments, especially at the end of the first set. I had some chances, but against these kinds of players they are small chances and you have to take them. I tried to play my best and I almost did it.” – Julien Benneteau, after losing to Kei Nishikori in Kuala Lumpur.

“I think I always allowed her to get another ball back and to make me play another ball. Then obviously that didn’t help me, because I was making more mistakes.” – Maria Sharapova, after being ousted by Timea Bacsinszky in Wuhan, China.

“I saw Maria’s match. She tried very hard. Unfortunately she lost, but it’s the tennis. At this time a lot of girls are playing so well, and the level, it’s so close, and just a few points make the difference.” – Petra Kvitova, on Maria Sharapova’s loss to Timea Bacsinszky.

“Li Na has been the most influential tennis player of this decade.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA chairman and CEO, before an on-court ceremony at the China Open in Beijing honored the recently-retired Li.

STRONG PERFORMANCE

Just like the Wimbledon final, Petra Kvitova dispatched Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets to capture the inaugural Wuhan Open. The Czech left-hander needed just 80 seconds to capture her third WTA title of the year and 14^th of her career. In July, she beat Bouchard in the title match to claim her second career Wimbledon title. This is turning into the season Kvitova has been hoping for, but hadn’t expected after she suffered a first-round loss at the Australian Open in January. “From the beginning my season was really tough,” she said. “If somebody told me at the Australian Open that I would win Wimbledon and still be fighting for Singapore, I’m not sure I would have believed them.” Despite the loss, Bouchard was not too unhappy with her performance. “I felt like I played really well this week and the crowd really made me feel at home,” the Canadian told the crowd. “Also, this was the first year of this tournament, but it felt like you’ve been doing this for 100 years.”

The Wuhan tournament was held in Li Na’s hometown, but the Chinese superstar announced her retirement from the sport just before the tournament began. It was a no-show that Kvitova noticed. “I know everybody wished to have Li Na here standing with us,” she told the audience after capturing the title, “but we will remember her with this trophy. I’m just glad she’s happy now, I hope she’s going to be happy for the rest of her life.”

SO LONG

It had been a long time between titles for Andy Murray. The Brit won the Shenzhen Open in China, his first trophy since capturing Wimbledon more than a year ago. And it was far from being an easy victory over Spain’s Tommy Robredo. The two-time Grand Slam tournament winner trailed 6-2 in the second-set tiebreak – quadruple match point – before reeling off four straight points to pull even. Robredo reach his fifth match point before Murray eventually took the tiebreak 11-9, sending the match into a decisive third set. There, it was all Murray, who broke Robredo three times in the set. The Spaniard also appeared to be slowed by injury as he failed to chase down balls. “Tommy had a great tournament, he probably deserved to win the match today,” Murray said. “He had the opportunities in the second set, but sometimes that happens in sport. I just tried to fight to the end.”

SLAM NO FLUKE

Playing in his first tournament since reaching the US Open final, Kei Nishikori showed that his Grand Slam tournament results were not a fluke. The top seed became the first Asian to win the Malaysian Open by stopping Frenchman Julien Benneteau in two tightly fought sets. “It was a really tough start because he was playing so aggressive,” Nishikori said of Benneteau. “I was waiting for my opportunity. I had so many break points and I couldn’t take them. In the last game, he got a little bit tight and I took my chance. After that, I played much better and I think he was getting a little bit tired in the second set.” Benneteau was seeking his first ATP World Tour title. Instead, he lost his 10^th consecutive final, including at Kuala Lumpur for the third consecutive year. “I’m disappointed with the loss, but very happy with the level of my game,” Benneteau said. “It’s hard to keep that level of intensity in every point and every game. I need to improve this to be more consistent.”

SEEKING PLAYING TIME

After missing more than three months with his latest injury, Rafael Nadal has returned to the ATP World Tour, playing at the China Open. Pain in his right wrist forced Nadal to the sidelines after he suffered a fourth-round loss to Australian Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon. At the time, Nadal was ranked number one in the world. “I am fine,” the 28-year-old Spaniard told reporters when he arrived in Beijing. “I am much better. The thing is the injury, the evolution of the injury, was a bit slow and took a little bit of time. But that’s it. I just feel the wrist a little bit when I am starting, when I start to play every day, but then it disappears. I’m in good conditions to compete again.” Nadal won the Beijing tournament in 2005, and is playing the China Open for the fourth time. Because of the injury, he was unable to defend his crowns at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati, as well as the at the US Open.

SUPERSTAR TRIBUTE

Chinese fans are showing their deep appreciation for the exploits of recently retired superstar Li Na. Her hometown fans in Wuhan paid tribute to her last week, and this week she is being honored at the China Open in Beijing. “This will be a great opportunity for the fans in Beijing to pay respect to a tennis legend who has inspired a nation and done so much for the game around the world,” said WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster. Li won nine WTA titles, including two Grand Slam tournaments. She became the first Chinese player to win a WTA title, the first to win a Premier-level title, the first to compete in singles at the WTA Finals, and the first to crack the Top 20, the Top 10, and the Top 5 on the WTA Rankings. A three-time Olympian, Li played Zheng Jie in the first all-Chinese WTA singles final at Oeiras, Portugal, in 2006.

SERENA SICK

Serena Williams had to be helped from the court when she retired because of illness during her second-round match at the inaugural Wuhan Open. Spectators watched as the world’s top-ranked player had her temperature and blood pressure checked on the court before she retired while leading Alizé Cornet of France 6-5 in the opening set. It was Serena’s first match since she won her 18^th Grand Slam tournament title at the US Open. “I’m sorry to all the fans in Wuhan that I had to retire from my match against Alizé today,” Williams said. “I felt dizzy and nauseous in the first set and unfortunately couldn’t continue. The tournament organizers have done an amazing job preparing the facilities for this year’s event and I really hope to come back to the Wuhan Open in 2015.” The retirement meant Cornet becomes the first player to win three matches against Serena in a season since Justine Henin did it in 2007. Cornet also beat Williams at Dubai in February and in June at Wimbledon.

The new WTA tournament in Wuhan – Li Na’s hometown – attracted almost all of the top 20 women players. But Li retired just before the tournament began and five of the seeded players lost on opening day, including fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska and ninth-seeded Ana Ivanovic.

STUNNED

Why should Maria Sharapova be any different? The reigning French Open champion was bounced from the Wuhan tournament by a qualifier, Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland. The Russian was just joining a number of other top players who made early trips to the sideline of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, including Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska and Ana Ivanovic. Li Na, the local favorite, never began the tournament, announcing her retirement just days before the event began its one-week run. Bacsinszky was ranked 37^th in the world in 2010 before a series of injuries saw her ranking tumble to 578 two years ago. Currently she is 61^st in the world. Sharapova fell 7-6 (3) 7-5. “There were a lot of, you know, times in the match where I did everything right for the first few balls and then didn’t execute in the points,” Sharapova said. It was the biggest win of Bacsinszky’s career.

SINGAPORE QUALIFIER

With her victory at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, Petra Kvitova became the fourth player to qualify for the season-ending BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Players who qualified earlier for the select field include Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep. The eight top singles players earn berths in the unique field. It is Kvitova’s fourth trip to the season finale. She won the title in 2011, fell in the round-robin stage of the event in 2012 and last year reached the semifinals. “It was really difficult to take the loss in my first round in Australia, but I kept working hard, and now I’m here,” Kvitova said.

SENIOR TEAM

Having to play only half the court is working wonders for Martina Hingis. The Hall of Famer returned to the WTA tour this season, but HAS limited her play to doubles only. Hingis, who turns 34 this week, teamed with 32-year-old Flavia Pennetta of Italy to win their first WTA doubles title as a team, capturing the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open by beating Cara Black and Caroline Garcia. The winners led 6-4 5-3 and had four match points in the second-set tiebreak, but Hingis and Pennetta rallied to take the tiebreak 12-10 and force a third set. Hingis and Pennetta weren’t to be denied, however, capturing the crown 6-4 5-7 12-10 (match tiebreak). “We got a little bit tight in the end of the second set, but that’s normal in a final,” Pennetta said. “It was just amazing to play doubles with Martina again. She’s a great partner and a great person.” It was the fifth time Hingis and Pennetta have played together this year, but the first time they have wound up with the winner’s trophy. It was Hingis’ 39^th individual WTA doubles title and Pennetta’s 16^th.

SNIT OVER COACH

Rafael Nadal’s coach has stirred up a storm of protests by criticizing the selection of a woman as captain of Spain’s Davis Cup team. Toni Nadal, Rafa’s coach and uncle, told a radio station: “It is preferable that (the captain) is someone with a background in the world of men’s tennis. Gala Leon, who once played on the WTA tour, was named Davis Cup captain to replace Carlos Moya. Toni Nadal’s comments have been labeled sexist by Spain’s leading political parties. “The truth is that the men’s game isn’t the same as the women’s game on the tactical level, not that one is better than the other,” Toni Nadal said. “I have nothing against her, I don’t know what her capabilities are, and I hope she does her job well, but in theory she is a person that doesn’t know men’s tennis, because men’s tennis isn’t the same as women’s tennis.” Feliciano Lopez, who has been a member of Spain’s Davis Cup team for years, defended Toni Nadal from charges of sexism, but said that he and the other players would adapt to having a woman as a coach. “What Tony wanted to say is that it would be strange having a woman in the changing room, but that won’t be a problem since it will only mean getting used to it, just like when men coach women’s teams,” Lopez told Spanish state television. While Spain has never had a female as Davis Cup captain, the Spanish Fed Cup team had a male captain, Miguel Margets, from 1993 until 2011, when Arantxa Sanchez Vicario took his place. Margets led Spain to four Fed Cup titles from 1993-1996.

SIGNPOST

No longer ranked in the top 10 in the world, Juan Monaco is still racking up victories. The Argentine claimed his 300^th ATP World Tour-level win at the Shenzhen Open when he downed Vasek Pospisil 7-5 2-6 6-3. “It’s amazing, 300 victories is a lot,” Monaco said. He won his first match on home soil in Buenos Aires in 2004 against Nicolas Lapentti. Monaco is the seventh player from Argentina to win at least 300 matches. Guillermo Vilas leads the Argentine players with 929 match wins. Monaco is the 26th active player – and the sixth this season – to win at least 300 career matches on the ATP World Tour. The leader is Roger Federer with 979.

SWITCHEROO

When Rafael Nadal withdrew from the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), Roger Federer stepped up as a replacement. Nadal, who had been scheduled to play for the Indian franchise, cited “health problems” as the reason he will not play. “When you are talking of profile as high as Rafa Nadal, there was probably only one name that could have helped ease the pain, and for us fortunately Roger was available and we made it happen,” said IPTL founder Mahesh Bhupathi. Federer joins retired American Pete Sampras, winner of 14 Grand Slam tournament titles, in the Indian franchise of the four-team event, scheduled to be played from Nov. 28 to Dec. 13. The Philippines, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates are home to the other teams in the league. Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki have also confirmed their participation.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Kuala Lumpur: Marcin Matkowski and Leander Paes beat Jamie Murray and John Peers 3-6 7-6 (5) 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Orléans: Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa beat James Cerretani and Andreas Siljestrom 5-7 6-4 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Wuhan: Martina Hingis and Flavia Pennetta beat Cara Black and Caroline Garcia 6-4 5-7 12-10 (match tiebreak)

Shenzhen: Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau beat Sam Groth and Chris Guccione 6-4 7-6 (4)

SURFING

Beijing: www.chinaopen.com.cn/en/index.shtml

Tokyo: www.rakutenopen.com/

Mons: www.ethiastrophy.be/fr/accueil

Sacramento: www.sacchallenger.com/

Shanghai: www.shanghairolexmasters.com

Rennes: www.openderennes.org