STARS
Angelique Kerber beat Marion Bartoli 7-6 (3) 5-7 6-3 to win the Open GDF Suez in Paris, France
Daniela Hantuchova beat Maria Kirilenko 6-7 (4) 6-3 6-3 to win the PTT Pattaya Open in Pattaya City, Thailand
Jesse Levin beat Steve Darcis 6-4 6-4 to win the YP Challenger of Dallas in Dallas, Texas, USA
Olga Govortsova beat Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3 6-7 (6) 7-6 (5) to win the Dow Corning Tennis Classic in Midland, Michigan, USA
Alexandra Dulgheru beat Mandy Minella 6-3 1-6 6-3 to win the VI Copa Bionaire in Cali, Colombia
DAVIS CUP
(First Round)
World Group
Spain beat Kazakhstan 5-0 at Oviedo, Spain
Austria beat Russia 3-2 at Wiener Neustadt, Austria
France beat Canada 4-1 at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
United States beat Switzerland 5-0 at Fribourg, Switzerland
Czech Republic beat Italy 4-1 at Ostrava, Czech Republic
Serbia beat Sweden 4-1 at Nis, Serbia
Croatia beat Japan 3-2 at Hyogo, Japan
Argentina beat Germany 4-1 at Bamberg, Germany
Group I
Americas: Uruguay beat Peru 3-1 at Montevideo, Uruguay; Colombia beat Ecuador 4-1 at Salinas, Ecuador
Asia/Oceania: Uzbekistan beat New Zealand 3-2 at Tauranga, New Zealand; Korea vs. Korea beat Chinese Taipei 4-1 at Gimcheon, Korea; Australia beat China 5-0 at Geelong, Australia
Europe/Africa: Great Britain beat Slovak Republic 3-2 at Glasgow, Great Britain; Netherlands beat Finland 5-0 at s’Hertogenbosch, Netherlands; Slovenia beat Denmark 5-0 at Velenje, Slovenia
Group II
Americas: Barbados beat Paraguay 3-2 at St. Michael, Barbados; Mexico beat El Salvador 5-0 at Distrito Federal, Mexico; Dominican Republic beat Bolivia 4-1 at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Venezuela beat Puerto Rico 5-0 at Caracas, Venezuela
Asia/Oceania: Philippines beat Pacific Oceania 5-0 at Camarines Sur, Philippines; Pakistan leads Lebanon 2-1 at Jounieh, Lebanon; Indonesia beat Hong Kong 3-2 at Hong Kong; Thailand beat Sri Lanka 3-2 at Colombo, Sri Lanka
Europe/Africa: Ukraine beat Monaco 5-0 at Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine; Cyprus beat Morocco 3-2 at Limassol, Cyprus; Hungary beat Ireland 3-2 at Szeged, Hungary; Latvia beat Egypt 3-2 at Cairo, Egypt; Belarus beat Moldova 4-1 at Minsk, Belarus; Bosnia/Herzegovina beat Turkey 3-1 at Ankara, Turkey; Estonia beat Luxembourg 5-0 at Tallinn, Estonia; Poland beat Madagascar 5-0 at Warsaw, Poland
SAYING
“It’s one of the greatest wins of my life. No, that’s wrong, it’s the greatest win of my life.” – John Isner, after beating Roger Federer in the first-day singles to give the United States a 2-0 lead over Switzerland in Davis Cup play.
“The mission was to go out there and not allow an artist a canvas to work with.” – Jim Courier, United States Davis Cup captain, about John Isner’s upset win over Roger Federer.
“You would like to be in the final in every tournament you play but let’s be realistic. The positive thing is I have the feeling I can play better than this.” – Maria Sharapova, after losing to Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the Paris Open quarterfinals.
“This win is unbelievable for me. I will enjoy it for sure over the next days. And I believe in myself more. I know I can play with the top players.” – Angelique Kerber, after winning the Paris Open.
“I gave everything I had and Angelique did the same. You have to know when to accept defeat, though. It’s what sport is all about. I didn’t fluff my lines when it came to the final and I was simply beaten by a better player.” – Marion Bartoli, after losing to Angelique Kerber in the final in Paris.
“It was the first time I defended a title in my career, but it’s better late than never.” – Daniela Hantuchova, who won at Pattaya City for the second straight year.
“These have been very hard months for me, during which I realized I don’t have the energy I need nor am I prepared to do all I have to do to be where I want to be.” – Fernando Gonzalez, announcing his impending retirement.
STUNNER
It was only apropos that John Isner close out the United States’ stunning Davis Cup victory over Switzerland. It was, after all, Isner, who provided the big shocker when he beat Roger Federer in four sets in the opening singles. That gave the Americans a 2-0 lead, and they proceeded to clinch the first-round tie when Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish teamed up to stop Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka in the doubles. The Swiss duo had won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Fish had started the rout by beating Wawrinka to being the five-match competition. After the Americans clinched, Federer stepped aside and let Michael Lammer get a chance to play. The United States turned to 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and he got the victory. Then Isner stopped Martco Chuidinelli to complete the 5-0 win.
SWEET VICTORY
Angelique Kerber capped a tremendous week by capturing her first WTA title, besting Marion Bartoli to win the Open GDF Suez. Kerber is the first German to win the Paris tournament since Steffi Graf in 1995. After winning the first-set tiebreak, Kerber raced to a 5-2 lead in the second set, only to have Bartoli win five straight games and level the match. “I got a little bit nervous,” Kerber admitted about the second-set slipup. But she won the first four games in the final set and converted her fifth match point for her first WTA title. During the week, Kerber also defeated third-ranked Maria Sharapova, beating top-10 players for the first time in her career. “I knew I had nothing to lose,” Kerber said of the final. “She was the favorite today.
STOPPED BY INJURY
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is skipping the Qatar Ladies Open because of an unspecified injury. Tournament officials said they have no information on the injury. The tournament’s number one seed is Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who is the WTA’s top-ranked player.
SERBS ADVANCE
Even without the world’s top-ranked player, Serbia grabbed a spot in the Davis Cup semifinals by besting Sweden 4-1. With Novak Djokovic resting up after winning the Australia Open for the third time, Serbia showed its depth when Janko Tipsarevic won both his singles matches and Viktor Troiki and Dusan Lajovic also won. Sweden’s only point came when Johan Brunstrom and Robert Lindstedt teamed up to win the doubles. “It’s never easy to play matches in which are the odds-on favorite, but the players deal with the pressure really well against Sweden,” said Serbian coach Bogdan Obradovic.
STAYING THE COURSE
Daniela Hantuchova has found a spot she loves. She won the PTT Pattaya Open for the second straight year for her fifth career title, the first time she has ever successfully defending a WTA title. But Hantuchova also had a rare lapse. She lost a set for the first time in 10 career matches in Pattaya City.
SAYONARA
Once ranked as high as fifth in the world, Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez says he will retire from the ATP tour after playing at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida, USA, in March. The 31-year-old Gonzalez reached the Australian Open final in 2007, where he lost to Roger Federer, but has struggled with his fitness following hip surgery in 2010. He current is ranked 268th in the world. “These have been very hard months for me, during which I realized I don’t have the energy I need nor am I prepared to do all I have to do to be where I want to be,” Gonzalez said. “I’m retiring from professional tennis but I want to remain close to tennis … After mourning the end of my career there will be nothing better than to work in my foundation” developing the game in Chile.
STEPPING DOWN
Jim Curley’s reign as tournament director of the US Open has ended. Saying “it is time for a change,” Curley has left a post he has held since 2001. He will stay on as a consultant through this year’s US Open, the final Grand Slam tournament of the year which runs August 27 through September 9. Deputy tournament director David Brewer will take over as tournament director and will oversee the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) professional tennis operations.
SPONSOR
The International Tennis Federation has renewed its sponsorship agreement with Wilson Racquet Sports as an international partner of Davis Cup and Fed Cup. Wilson will remain the official ball of Davis Cup and Fed Cup competition for a further five years, starting in 2013 and running through 2017. “The Davis Cup and Fed Cup are iconic tennis institutions, important to the heritage of the sport and to our brand,” said Jon Muir, general manager for Wilson Racquet Sports. “These events help to drive the local participation efforts in many countries around the world, and our brand and business efforts have aligned to support this as well. We are pleased to continue this strong partnership and look forward to bringing the energy of the game to all generations of tennis fans.”
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Cali: Karin Knapp and Mandy Minella beat Alexandra Cadantu and Roluca Olaru 6-4 6-3
Dallas: Chris Eaton and Dominic Inglot beat Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock 6-7 (6) 6-4 19-17 (match tiebreak)
Midland: Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka beat Vesna Dolonts and Stephanie Foretz Gacon 7-6 (4) 6-2
Paris: Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Petra Martic 7-6 (3) 6-1
Pattaya: Sania Mirza and Anastasia Rodionova beat Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan 3-6 6-1 10-8 match tiebreak)
SURFING
Rotterdam: www.abnamrowtt.nl/
San Jose: www.sapopentennis.com
São Paulo: www.brasilopen.com.br
Doha: www.qatartennis.org
Bogotá: www.copacolsanitas.com/
Marseille: www.open13.fr
Memphis: www.memphistennis.com
Buenos Aires: http://copaclaro.com
Dubai: www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com
Monterrey: www.abiertodetenismonterrey.com/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
MEN
$1,590,000 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, hard
$531,000 SAP Open, San Jose, California, USA, hard
$475,300 Brasil Open 2012, Sao Paulo, Brazil, clay
WOMEN
$2,168,400 Qatar Total Open, Doha, Qatar, hard
$220,000 XX Copa BBVA Colsanitas, Bogotá, Colombia, clay
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
$1,155,000 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard
$676,226 Open 13, Marseille, France, hard
$484,100 Copa Claro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay
WOMEN
$2,000,000 Dubai Duty Free Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard
$220,000 Memphis International, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard
$220,000 Whirlpool Monterrey Open, Monterrey, Mexico, hard
SENIORS
Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard