Borna Coric Caps Croatia's Comeback Davis Cup Win Over USA - Mondays with Bob Greene

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Martin Klizan beat Pablo Cuevas 6-1 6-4 to win the German Open in Hamburg, Germany

Albert Ramos-Vinolas beat Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-4 to win the SkiStar Swedish Open in Båstad, Sweden

Ivo Karlovic beat Gilles Muller 6-7 (2) 7-6 (5) 7-6 (12) to win the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, USA

Viktorija Golubic beat Kiki Bertens 4-6 6-3 6-4 to win the Ladies Championship Gstaad in Gstaad, Switzerland

Simona Halep beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-0 6-0 to win the BRD Bucharest Open in Bucharest, Romania

DAVIS CUP

World Group Quarterfinals

Great Britain beat Serbia 3-2 at Belgrade, Serbia

Argentina beat Italy 3-1 at Pesaro, Italy

France beat Czech Republic 3-1 at Trinec, Czech Republic

Croatia beat United States 3-2 at Portland, Oregon, USA

Group I 2^nd Round

Americas Zone: Brazil beat Ecuador 3-1 at Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Chile beat Colombia 3-1 at Iquique, Chile

Asia/Oceania Zone: India beat Korea 4-1 at Chandigarh, India; Uzbekistan beat China 3-2 at Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Europe/Africa Zone: Spain beat Romania 4-1 Spain at Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Ukraine beat Austria 3-2 at Kiev, Ukraine; Russia beat Netherlands 4-1 at Moscow, Russia; Slovakia beat Hungary 3-0 at Budapest, Hungary

Group II, 2^nd Round

Americas Zone: Peru beat Mexico 4-1 at Lima, Peru; Venezuela beat El Salvador 3-2 at Santa Tecla, El Salvador

Asia/Oceania Zone: Chinese Taipei beat Philippines 3-1 at Manila, Philippines; Thailand beat Vietnam 5-0 at Nonthaburi, Thailand

Europe/Africa Zone: Lithuania beat South Africa 3-2 at Kaunas, Lithuania; Bosnia/Herzegovina beat Turkey 3-1 at Odmor I Rekreaciju, Bihac; Belarus beat Latvia 4-1 at Minsk, Belarus; Denmark beat Finland 3-2 at Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

Group II, 1^st Round Playoffs

Americas Zone: Guatemala beat Uruguay 4-1 at Guatemala, Guatemala; Paraguay beat Puerto Rico 4-0 at Asuncion, Paraguay

Asia/Oceania Zone: Indonesia beat Sri Lanka 5-0 at Surakarta, Indonesia; Kuwait beat Malaysia 4-1 at Meshref, Kuwait

Europe/Africa Zone: Norway beat Luxembourg 3-2 at Capellen, Luxembourg; Tunisia beat Bulgaria 3-2 at Tunis, Tunisia; Monaco beat Egypt 3-1 at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Monaco; Georgia beat Zimbabwe 3-2 at Tbilisi, Georgia

Group III Round-Robin

Americas Zone at La Paz, Bolivia, clay: Bolivia and Bahamas promoted to Americas Zone II in 2017

Asia/Oceania Zone at Tehran, Iran: Hong Kong and Iran promoted to Asia/Oceania Zone Group II in 2017

Africa Zone at Antanaivo, Madagascar: Madagascar and Morocco promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 2017

Group IV Round-Robin

Asia/Oceania Zone at Amman, Jordan: Jordon and United Arab Emirates promoted to Asia/Oceania Zone Group III in 2017

SAYING

“I played just one final before, in Casablanca four years ago, and sometimes I thought I would never have another chance to win a tournament. But I am playing good tennis this year and I am working hard.” – Albert Ramos-Vinolas, after winning his first ATP World Tour title, the Swedish Open.

“I was very strong, I was confident and I can also say I was determined from the very beginning. It was a beautiful final and it’s also my 13th title. I will never forget this day.” – Simona Halep, following her 6-0 6-0 win over Anastasija Sevastova.

“I’d like to thank all the people that stopped giving me fines for throwing my racquet, breaking racquets.” – Marat Safin, addressing the crowd after becoming the first Russian to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“My beautiful experience was probably the Olympic Games because I could see many people fighting for their countries.” – Justine Henin, who won the gold medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

“Yeah, I’m a bit late, but it was worth it.” – Amelie Mauresmo, who was honored at the International Tennis Hall of Fame ceremonies one year after she was inducted. She missed her induction ceremonies because she was giving birth to her first child.

“I have been truly inspired by so many strong female athletes who return to the very top of their sport after having children, and I plan to do exactly that.” – Victoria Azarenka, announcing she is pregnant.

“It’s not easy to play in a fifth match obviously. I have to be honest. I like that kind of situation. I like it more than playing on the Court 27 somewhere far away from the crowd, the people I just like big stage more, when it’s more important. When I have more pressure, when the expectations are big. I like those occasions.” – Borna Coric, after winning the decisive fifth match and giving Croatia and 3-2 Davis Cup quarterfinal victory over the United States.

“His serve is unbelievable. I was trying to return anyway I could. It was difficult. I was really happy that I was able to do it.” – Ivo Karlovic, after beating Gilles Muller to win the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.

“When I was much younger, I wanted to go out and beat everyone to prove myself, and now it’s just I want to prove that I can still play a little bit so … you look at it through a different lens.” – Andy Roddick, who will play World TeamTennis this season with the New York Empire.

SWISS SURPRISE

It probably was fate that helped put Viktorija Golubic into her first WTA Tour final in Gstaad, Switzerland. It was her game that allowed the Swiss player to come from behind and stop Kiki Bertens in the Ladies Championship Gstaad final. The third-seeded Bertens – ranked 79 spots ahead of Golubic – broke Golubic in the ninth game of the opening set, then held to take the lead. “After that first set I was just trying to get new energy,” Golubic said. “Just kinda try to start from new and think about my tactics. So from there, actually the match started from 0-0 for me.” Bertens had defeated the top seed, Timea Bacsinszky, preventing a first all-Swiss Tour final, and she had beaten Golubic twice earlier this year. Not this time. There were six breaks of serve in the second set and the two traded breaks to begin the third. But it was Golubic that upped her game and triumphed on her first match point in front of her home crowd. “I tried to play aggressive, but I missed a lot of shots and she was just all the time hanging in there,” Bertens said. “She defended well.”

SPANISH TRIUMPH

Albert Ramos-Vinolas won his first ATP World Tour title, the Swedish Open, against a fellow Spaniard. “If you don’t play with focus 100 percent of the time, you won’t beat anybody,” Ramos-Vinolas said. “At the changeover at 5-4 (in the second set), I thought it was normal to lose my concentration when I was serving for my first title. I am very happy because I recovered well and I came back to win the next game.” Playing on the clay at Båstad, Sweden, Ramos-Vinolas must have thought he was back home. He upset another Spaniard, top-seeded David Ferrer, to reach the final. Ramos-Vinolas was playing in his second final and first since 2012.

SUPER EFFORT

Call Simona Halep perfect. The Romanian star was just that as she recorded a rare double bagel to sweep past Anastasija Sevastova and win the Bucharest Open for the second time. “I think I’ve never won 6-0 6-0 in a WTA event,” said Halep, who faced just two break points in the match. “I knew she was a tough adversary and I never dreamt of winning this way. A player that reaches the final has a strong game, feels the game. Today I think I was more solid, I fought every ball, I was aggressive and I managed to finish the points very quick.” The first set took 21 minutes and Halep claimed the title 46 minutes after they began play. The thrashing was unexpected. Sevastova had won three of their four career matches until the Bucharest final. And Halep had struggled in her semifinal against American Vania King, winning 6-7 (3), 6-4 6-3. “She really showed that she’s one of the best players in the world,” Sevastova said of Halep.

SWINGING WIN

Borna Coric capped a surprising comeback as Croatia defeated the United States in their Davis Cup quarterfinal 3-2. Coric beat Jack Sock 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 after Marin Cilic had leveled the tie at 2-2 by downing John Isner 7-6 (9) 6-3 6-4 in the first reverse singles match. The United States had won both opening singles matches before Cilic and Ivan Dodig began the comeback with a four-set victory over twins Bob and Mike Bryan in the doubles. It was the fourth time in 161 tries the United States has lost after winning the first two matches in the best-of-five-matches international team competition. Croatia will play host to France in the World Group semifinals on Sept. 16-18.

SQUEAKER

Ivo Karlovic is a perfect example of that old adage: if at first you don’t succeed. Reaching the final at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships for the third straight year, the 6-foot-11 (2.11m) Karlovic finally came away with the Newport, Rhode Island, USA, title. And it was in typical Karlovic form: three tiebreak sets. The Croat erased three match points and beat Gilles Muller 6-7 (2) 7-6 (5) 7-6 (12) in four minutes under three hours. At 37 years old, Karlovic becomes the oldest winner in the tournament’s 40-year history. It is his seventh career ATP World Tour title. “After all these years when I was losing in the final and now I was finally able to do it,” the champion said. “And I was down a match point. That makes it even nicer.” Karlovic is the oldest ATP World Tour singles champion since Marty Riessen won a tournament in 1979 at the age of 37 years, 9 months. Karlovic, five months younger, blasted 27 aces and won almost 90 percent of his first-serve points. He also double-faulted six times in his first three service games before settling down. The 33-year-old Muller has never won an ATP World Tour title, but has reached five finals, including two this season.

STANDING TALL

There are four new members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF), including Justine Henin and Marat Safin. The two were inducted in ceremonies at the Newport, Rhode Island, USA shrine. “The first day I was in shock,” Safin said of visiting the ITHoF for the first time. “I was like a kid coming to Disneyland. It’s a huge honor to be inducted and be a part of history.” Safin beat Pete Sampras to win the US Open in 2000, a victory he called “a complete surprise. I never played such tennis. I didn’t know what was happening. It’s amazing to play (like that) out of the blue and say, ‘Wow, it’s me.’” He also won the Australian Open in 2005, beating Roger Federer in the semifinals and Lleyton Hewitt in the title match, and is the first Russian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Henin is the first player inducted from Belgium. She captured four French Open titles from 2003-07, the US Open twice and one Australian Open. She also won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Henin, who was presented by Hall of Famer Monica Seles, said she was inspired watching Seles play. “At 6 years old I was in my bedroom jumping up and down like I won the French Open,” Henin said before saying she told her mother that one day she would win at Roland Garros.

Amelie Mauresmo was honored one year after she missed her own induction ceremony. She missed last year while she was giving birth to her first child. The 37-year-old Frenchwoman broke into tears at the end of her speech when she talked about the terror attacks in Paris and around the world.

Inducted posthumously in the master player category were Yvon Petra of France and Margaret “Peggy” Scriven of Great Britain. A prisoner of war during World War II, Petra won the Wimbledon men’s singles in 1946. Scriven played the French championships six times, winning the women’s singles twice – in 1933 and 1934 – the women’s doubles and the mixed doubles.

SHARAPOVA SIDELINED

Maria Sharapova will not be playing in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics or the US Open this year. A ruling on the Russian’s appeal of her two-year doping ban has been postponed until September. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said Sharapova and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) agreed to defer the decision until the fall. The decision had been scheduled to be issued this week. CAS said both parties wanted more time to prepare their case. It also cited “scheduling conflicts.” A five-time Grand Slam tournament champion and former world number one, Sharapova tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January and received a two-year ban from the ITF. She filed an appeal last month, seeking to overturn or reduce the sanction.

SKIPPING RIO

Citing concerns about the Zika virus, several other top players have decided to skip the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Simona Halep of Romania and Milos Raonic of Canada pulled out of the Games after the International Tennis Federation released a roster for the Games with their names on it. “After several talks with doctors and my family, I concluded that the risks are too high for my career and for my health, especially as a woman,” the fifth-ranked Halep said. “Family is much too important for me and I can’t risk not being able to have one of my own after my career in tennis is over.” The seventh-ranked Raonic, a Wimbledon finalist earlier this month, said he decided to stay away from the Games “for a variety of health concerns, including the uncertainty around the Zika virus.”

Also citing concerns about the Zika virus, two players from the Czech Republic, Wimbledon semifinalist Tomas Berdych and 16^th-ranked Karolina Pliskova, say they are also staying away from Rio. In a statement, Berdych said limiting health risks for his loved ones was his “utmost priority.”

SLOVAK PAIRING

It was his second title of the year, but Martin Klizan was more interested in joining another Slovakian player on the champion’s list. “It’s a great feeling, an amazing feeling,” he said after a convincing win over Pablo Cuevas in the final of the German Open in Hamburg. “I’m so happy that my face is going to be on that wall with all these great players. I’m very happy to be next to Miroslav Mecir Sr., who also won this tournament as well.” A right foot injury forced Klizan off the ATP World Tour for 10 weeks in the spring. “It was very frustrating months that I spent without playing tennis, without doing the gym or anything,” he said. “Now I’m very fit and very proud of myself that I won another title.” Klizan dominated to close out the victory in exactly one hour. Mecir won the Hamburg tournament in 1985.

SET FOR FINALS

Wimbledon champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut are the first doubles team to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held in London November 13-20. It will be the second straight year the French team has qualified for the year-ending event. Herbert and Mahut won the first three ATP World Tour Masters events of the year and their second Grand Slam tournament title at the All England Club.

STEPPING DOWN

Lleyton Hewitt has decided he will not coach Australia’s tennis team at the Rio Olympics. It is believed the world former number one player withdrew from the Olympics so he could focus on Australia’s Davis Cup campaign. Team Australia has applied to the Australian Olympic Committee to have Mark Draper replace Hewitt as coach. In additional to his captaincy duties, Hewitt had previously expressed interest in also seeking a wild-card doubles entry at the Games. Hewitt is a three-time Olympian, competing in the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Games.

SERVING UP ACES?

Retirement will be a thing of the past for Andy Roddick this summer. The last American to win a Grand Slam tournament men’s singles title, Roddick will play for the New York Empire in its inaugural season in World TeamTennis (WTT). The Empire will play its home matches at Forest Hills, the original home of the US Open. “I think it was a great move by them, taking a New York team to an iconic venue like Forest Hills,” Roddick said. “And frankly, that was one of the very, very appealing things to kind of come out and try to play this year.” The regular season for the six-team WTT runs from July 31-Aug. 13, with the finals being held Aug. 26 at Forest Hills.

SPECIAL DAYS

There’s been plenty scoring outside the courts on the WTA Tour. Former world number one Ana Ivanovic married German soccer star Bastian Schweinsteiger in a low-key City Hall ceremony in Venice, Italy, then went for a more traditional fairytale wedding the following day. With nearly 200 guests in attendance, the Serbian star and her husband traded vows at Misericordia Church in Venice. They reportedly told guests to arrive at the Munich, Germany, airport with their passports and clothing, but kept their final destination a secret until the last minute. Ana was escorted up the aisle by her father, Miroslav Ivanovic.

Dominika Cibulkova was in a win-win situation at Wimbledon. She was either going to reach the semifinals of the Grand Slam tournament or get married. When she was ousted in the quarterfinals, the 27-year-old Slovakian married Michal Navara on schedule. The two traded vows at St. Martins Cathedral in Bratislava, Slovakia.

While Cibulkova’s wedding plans were well known and Ivanovic’s marriage a surprise, Victoria Azarenka revealed the shocking news that she was pregnant. The sixth-ranked Belarussian said she would step away from tennis while awaiting the arrival of her baby “at the end of this year.” The 26-year-old Azarenka won the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013, but has been hampered the last two years with various injuries. “While recovering from the knee injury that I sustained at Roland Garros, I received news from my doctor that my boyfriend and I are going to become parents at the end of this year,” she announced on both her Twitter and Facebook accounts. “We couldn’t be happier and feel very blessed to begin this exciting journey of building a family together.”

It wasn’t just WTA players tying the knot. American Taylor Fritz married Raquel Pedraza in Rancho Sante Fe, California, USA. Among those in attendance were Steve Johnson and Mardy Fish. Fritz is ranked 64^th in the world after a strong season, including reaching his first ATP World Tour final in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, where he lost to Japan’s Kei Nishikori.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Båstad: Marcel Granollers and David Marrero beat Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner 6-2 6-3

Bucharest: Jessica Moore and Varatchaya Wongteanchai beat Alexandra Cadantu and Katarzyna Piter 6-3 7-6 (5)

Gstaad: Lara Arruabarrena and Xenia Knoll beat Annika Beck and Evgeniya Rodina 6-1 3-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Hamburg: Henri Kontinen and John Peers beat Daniel Nestor and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 7-5 6-3

Newport: Sam Groth and Chris Guccione beat Jonathan Marray and Adil Shamasdin 6-4 6-3

SURFING

Washington: www.citiopentennis.com/

Kitzbühel: www.generaliopen.com/

Umag: http://www.croatiaopen.hr/

Gstaad (men): www.jsafrasarasinswissopengstaad.ch/en/

Stanford: www.bankofthewestclassic.com/