Mondays with Bob Greene
STARS
Roberto Bautista Agut beat Jack Sock 6-1 1-0 retired to win the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand
Victor Troicki beat Grigor Dimitrov 2-6 6-1 7-6 (7) to win the Apia International Sydney men’s singles in Sydney, Australia
Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Monica Puig 6-0 6-2 to win the Apia International Sydney women’s singles in Sydney, Australia
Alize Cornet beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-1 6-2 to win the Hobart International in Hobart, Australia
SAYING
“For me, 16 years later, who would have thought I would have another opportunity to become number one again? It was a dream and now its reality.” – Martina Hingis, who this week becomes co-number one in the WTA Doubles Rankings with her partner Sania Mirza.
“Novak deserves like a little star next to his name right now because he’s been doing extremely well.” – Roger Federer, talking about Novak Djokovic.
“Not a lucky first round, I think, for me. For him either.” – Rafael Nadal, noting his first-round Australian Open opponent is fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who lost to Nadal in a five-setter in the 2009 Australian Open semifinals.
“For me, my child is more important to me, and my wife is more important to me, than a tennis match.” – Andy Murray, saying he would return to London immediately if his wife went into early labor with their first child.
“I’m having an out-of-body experience. I don’t feel like I’m here.” – Jack Sock, heard telling medics before retiring because of illness while trailing 6-1 1-0 in the ASB Classic title match.
“There wasn’t really too much I could do. I definitely ran around the court and tried to get every single ball I could back.” – Monica Puig, after losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-0 6-2 in the Sydney International women’s final.
“I guess I was just a bit more lucky at the end, but this is the game of tennis. Sometimes you have luck and sometimes you don’t.” – Viktor Troicki, after winning the Sydney International men’s singles for the second straight year.
“We had to take our chances. You don’t see much light in a dark tunnel, but then we had one or two opportunities here and there, and with one little chance we were able to turn the match around.” – Martina Hingis, after she and partner Sania Mirza rallied from 6-1 5-2 down to win their 30th consecutive doubles match and 11th title in 12 finals.
SANIA & MARTINA
Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza have Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova in their sights. Hingis and Mirza extended their winning streak to 30 consecutive matches when they came from behind to nip Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the Apia International Sydney women’s doubles final. That’s the longest winning streak on the WTA tour since Novotna and Sukova won 44 in a row in 1990. Garcia and Mladenovic appeared close to ending the string when they led 6-1 5-2. But Hingis and Mirza won five straight games to level the match at one set apiece, then took the match tiebreak 10-5. “At 6-1 5-2 the only thing we could say to each other was that it was only one break,” Mirza said. “That’s the only positive you can find from a situation like that. We tried to hold our serve for 5-3 to give ourselves another chance. Then we had a huge game at 5-3 and the momentum went in our favor.”
With their latest victory, Hingis joins Mirza as co-world number one on the WTA Doubles Rankings. It is the first time Hingis has been ranked number one since Indian Wells in 2000. “I think it’s another chapter in my career, definitely,” Hingis said. “But I’ve felt we’re the number one team for a while now. It was just a question of time.”
SOCK SICK
Roberto Bautista Agut won his third ATP World Tour title when his opponent, Jack Sock, retired with flu-like symptoms. Bautista Agut was leading 6-1 1-0 when Sock called it quits. The 26-year-old Spaniard won both of her previous titles in 2014 when he was voted most improved player on the ATP tour. He reached the final by coming from a set down to upset Frenchman Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals. Sock had upset eighth-ranked David Ferrer in the semifinals. “I’m sorry to the fans,” Sock said. “I wanted to come out and at least attempt.”
SUPER SVETLANA
It was like old times for Svetlana Kuznetsova as she won her 16th career title, crushing Monica Puig in the Sydney International women’s singles final. The 30-year-old Russian pounded out eight aces while breaking Puig’s serve five times. “I don’t remember all my 16 finals right now, but I went out there and I felt like it was not even necessary to hit the ball that hard, because even if I put a ball back she wouldn’t get to the winner,” Kuznetsova said. The victory marked a strong week by the winner. Kuznetsova upset second-ranked Simona Halep in a rain-interrupted semifinal, then came back a few hours later to beat Puig. “It was not the easy schedule for me with doubles matches, with rain delays, with tough match with Simona this morning and last night,” Kuznetsova said. Halep was leading 5-4 when play was suspended. Puig had a much easier time reaching her second WTA final. She advanced when Belinda Bencic retired with an illness after losing the opening set 6-0. “I retired today because I was throwing up all morning and feeling sick,” Bencic said.
Two other players retired from the women’s draw at Sydney because of illness. Defending champion Petra Kvitova withdrew from the tournament with a gastrointestinal illness before her first match, while Angelique Kerber won her first match, then pulled out with a stomach bug.
STRONG PERFORMANCE
Alize Cornet used her strong and consistent game to stop Eugenie Bouchard and gain her fifth career WTA title at the Hobart International. The Frenchwoman dominated her Canadian opponent 6-1 6-2. Bouchard, trying to regain the game she displayed two years ago when her ranking soared as high as fifth in the world, lost her serve seven times. It was Cornet’s first tournament title since she won at Katowice in 2014.
SPANISH CONQUEROR
Belgium’s David Goffin beat Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-4 6-2 to win the Kooyong Classic, an exhibition event leading up to the Australian Open. After breaking Lopez in the ninth game, Goffin closed out the opening set in 33 minutes. The Belgian took the first three games of the second set before moving in front 5-1. Lopez saved five match points to hold to 2-5 before Goffin secured the title, serving his seventh ace in the final game. “It was a fantastic week for me,” Goffin said. “This is the best way to prepare for the Grand Slam.”
In the playoff for third place, Spain’s Pablo Carreno-Busta defeated Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-4 3-6 10-3 (match tiebreak).
SICK – REALLY SICK
Bernard Tomic said he really was sick when he retired from his quarterfinal match at the Sydney International. Tomic drew fire when he told the umpire his focus was on the Australian Open rather than the lead-in tournament. “I got a good draw in Melbourne, it’s just come out,” said Tomic, who is ranked 17th in the world. “I’m looking to Melbourne.” Tomic was once dubbed “Tomic the Tank Engine” in his native Australia after being accused of giving up in a match. The right-hander was losing 6-3 3-0 to Teymuraz Gabashvili when he retired from the Sydney match. Tomic later insisted he was ill. “You know, other players did pull out that week, who were also ill,” he said. “Unfortunately with me, given my bad reputation in the past, things have happened. … It’s unfortunate it had to be like this. I said the honest truth. That’s the most important thing, that I was sick.”
SERBIAN WINNER
This time it wasn’t Novak Djokovic who came away with a title. Instead, it was another Serbian player, Vicktor Troicki, who edged Grigor Dimitrov to win the men’s singles at the Sydney International. “What a match,” Troicki said after successfully defending his title. “We really fought until the end.” The victory extended Troicki’s winning streak at Sydney’s Olympic Park to 12 matches. Dimitrov overpowered Troicki in the first set, then saw his game fall completely apart. The Bulgarian had three double-faults in losing his opening service game, then completely fluffed a between-the-legs trick shot. “It’s been a while since I was in a final,” Dimitrov said. “I’m pretty disappointed.” He should be. On match point, Dimitrov pushed an easy volley into the net. Troicki took advantage, hitting a crosscourt winner that nipped the sideline when he reached match point.
SPECIAL WIN
Playing in the city of his birth, Michael Venus teamed with Mate Pavic to win the doubles at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. “I was a little bit surprised we played that good today,” Pavic told the crowd after the two teamed to defeat Americans Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky 7-5 6-4. “Mike was a bit emotional today because he played a final in front of all of you guys.” Venus became the first New Zealander to win an ASB Classic title since Marcus Daniell partnered with Horia Tecau in 2010. Venus and Pavic didn’t drop a set the entire tournament. With the crowd shouting “Go Kiwi,” Venus served out the match. The two improved to 19-12 lifetime on the ATP World Tour and 2-2 in finals. They also won last year in Nice, France.
SUPER CHAMPION
Novak Djokovic has received yet another honor. The Serb was selected by Eurosport fans as their Athlete of the Year for 2015. Djokovic received 28.6 per cent of more than 300,000 votes from international sports fans on Eurosport.com’s websites. Besides winning three of the four Grand Slam tournament titles and his fourth straight Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title, the Serbian right-hander finished the year ranked number one in the world for the fourth time in five years.
SWITCHING SPORTS
Milos Raonic will be switching sports for a good cause. Raonic will put on a pair of basketball sneakers on February 12 to represent Team Canada at the All-Star Celebrity Game held during the National Basketball Association’s All-Star Game weekend in Toronto, Ontario. Also on the team will be seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady, former pro Rick Fox and Canadian basketball star Natalie Achonwa. They will be coached by Canadian recording artist Drake, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash and Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista. Taking on Team Canada will be Team USA, coached by Kevin Hart and featuring actors Michael B. Jordan and Anthony Anderson, comedian Nick Cannon , former NBA players Chauncey Billups and Muggsy Bogues, and WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne.
SAYS WOMEN BORING
Margaret Court won a record 24 Grand Slam tournament singles titles with an attacking serve and volley game. Now, she says, the women’s game has become a “little bit boring with just hitting up and down all the time” and she prefers the men’s game instead. Now 73 years old, Court said she finds the men’s matches are exciting because Novak Djokovic and others come to the net more often. “I hope it goes back more to the artistry side of volleying,” she told BBC. “Billie Jean (King) and I were much more aggressive, I think, than a lot of players today.” Court won the Australian Open 11 times, including seven years in a row. In 1970, she won the Grand Slam, capturing all four major titles. While she laments the women’s game, Court is delighted with the world’s top-ranked woman, Serena Williams. “Williams is a great player, more with her than other girls it is her power,” Court said. “She has a great serve.” The Australian said her record of 24 Grand Slam tournament titles is likely to be broken by the 34-year-old Williams.
SRICHAPHAN CUT
Remember Paradorn Srichaphan? The former Thai tennis star missed making it on the professional golf tour when she was cut from the Asian Tour Qualifying School. The 36-year-old Srichaphan, who was ranked as high as ninth in the world on the ATP World Tour, was playing Q-School for the first time after earlier attempts to become a professional golfer had failed. He needed to finish in the top 40 in Hua Hin to gain his Asian Tour card. But he shot a one-over-par 72 in the first round and an 81 in the second, smashing his hopes as he finished tied 220th of 242 players. Only the top 110 made it through to the final two rounds. Paradorn retired from tennis in 2010 after injuring his wrist while racing motorbikes. “I love sports and I want to prolong my sporting career,” Srichaphan said. “That was why I decided to switch to golf.”
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Auckland: Michael Venus and Mate Pavic beat Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky 7-5 6-4
Hobart: Han Xinyun and Christina McHale beat Kimberly Birrell and Jarmila Wolfe 6-3 6-0
Sydney (men): Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 6-3 7-6 (6)
Sydney (women): Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza beat Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 1-6 7-5 10-5 (match tiebreak)
SURFING
Melbourne: www.ausopen.com/index.html
ATP World Tour: www.atpworldtour.com/
WTA Tour: www.wtatennis.com/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
MEN & WOMEN
Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia, hard (first week)
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN & WOMEN
Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia, hard (second week)
