STARS
Novak Djokovic beat Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-2 to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Martin Klizan beat Simone Bolelli 6-3 6-1 to win the San Marino Cepu Open in San Marino
Steve Johnson beat Robert Farah 6-3 6-3 to win the Cal Open Tennis Championships in Aptos, California, USA
SAYING
“When you’re down 4-0, 5-0, 6-0, the panic starts to set in. I forced a little bit. It was bad already without that. It was really, really tough for me out there.” – Ana Ivanovic, after suffering a 6-0 6-0 defeat for the first time in her career.
“I was playing really consistently with a lot of slice – and she doesn’t like my slice. I think that was the key. I’ve played against her a lot of times, and it was strange to play her when she was playing like this.” – Roberta Vinci, following her 6-0 6-0 victory over Ana Ivanovic.
“In the beginning I was trying to shoot as hard as I could, and I was making a lot of mistakes, so I knew I had to start putting the ball back in the court more. This is tennis. You have to put the ball over the net and back in the court. It looks easy, but sometimes it can be hard to do.” – Li Na, who rallied from a 1-5 third-set deficit to win her semifinal match over Lucie Safarova.
“Closing a match out is always a little bit of a nervous moment. Because she was doing quite a lot of mistakes in the games before, I didn’t put enough pressure, and she used that situation to turn it around. She started to play much better at that moment, and it just started slipping away. She plays very fast and flat. She just knows how to play me.” – Lucie Safarova.
“It feels like she always comes up with her best tennis against me, for some reason.” – Aleksandra Wozniak, after losing to Carolina Wozniacki in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup.
“I don’t think there’s ever going to be another Olympic Games in such a venue. So it’s definitely a very special moment.” – Victoria Azarenka, on playing Olympic tennis at Wimbledon.
“This is seriously so amazing for me.” – Kimberly Yee, after winning the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Girls’ 16s singles title a day after capturing the doubles crown.
SUPER SERB
Making a quick transition from grass to hard court, Novak Djokovic successfully defending his title at the Roger Cup in Toronto, crushing Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-2 in the final. Besides the top-seeded Serbian, a number of other players had little time to recover after competing on grass at the London Olympics. The fact that rain wreaked havoc with the schedule in Toronto didn’t help either. “It’s been a long week, a tough week, especially for the players coming from the Olympics. But I am very glad that I came here,” said Djokovic, who failed to medal in the 2012 Games. Djokovic, who dropped his serve only once in the tournament, also is seeking to repeat as US Open champion and trying to win his second Grand Slam tournament of the year. He won the Australian Open in January.
SQUEAKER
Li Na rallied from a 5-1 third-set deficit to defeat Lucie Safarova in the semifinal so the Rogers Cup, proving the old adage that a match is not over until you shake hands. Li captured the last six games of the match to advance to the Montreal, Quebec, final with a 3-6 6-3 7-5 victory. In the first set Li had 10 unforced errors to just four winners as she kept banging her ground strokes wide, long or into the net. “When I was 5-1 down, I thought if I shot hard four in a row, I’d lose the match. So I had to change a little bit. I was just trying to take it point by point,” Li said. “When I got back to 5-4, my serve game, I think it was more exciting for the fans. They were supporting me a lot. I’m happy I could win the match.” It was the sixth straight time Li has beaten Safarova, but none before as dramatic.
Li took on fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova in Monday’s final. Kvitova advanced with a 3-6 6-2 6-3 semifinal victory over Caroline Wozniacki.
SPANISH ROYALTY
The King of Spain, Juan Carlos and the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, dined together at a restaurant in the Balearic Islands. The presence of two of Spain’s most famous faces caused a stir among a group of mostly foreign tourists. Spokespersons for the royal family told the media that King Carlos had telephoned Nadal to invite him to dinner and to express his support for the tennis great. Nadal has not played since losing in the second round at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
SIDELINED
A freak knee injury has caused Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to pull out of this week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The Frenchman walked into a fire hydrant in Toronto and cut his right knee. The injury required eight stitches. “Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has had to pull out of the Cincinnati tournament because of an unfortunate accident in the streets of Toronto,” Tsonga’s agent said. “Jo … has been told to rest for 10 days. His participation in the US Open is not in doubt.”
Also skipping this week’s tournament is Rafael Nadal because of the sore left knee that also forced him to miss the Olympics. Nadal, who won the French Open for a record seventh time earlier this summer, has not played since losing a second-round match at Wimbledon.
SHUT OUT
The 2008 French Open champion, Ana Ivanovic has seen rocky days since she was ranked number one in the world. But none was rockier than her double-bagel loss to Italy’s Roberta Vinci at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was the first time in her career that Ivanovic has lost 6-0 6-0. The Serb had three game points in the match, but was never able to convert. “I really struggled to find my rhythm out there,” Ivanovic said. “It came as a surprise a little bit because I was practicing really well. I was struggling to find my feet and get two consecutive balls in the court. Against players like Roberta, who don’t make many errors, it’s always going to be tough to win like that.”
SHARAPOVA WITHDRAWS
A stomach virus was the reason Maria Sharapova withdrew from this week’s Western & Southern Open and not defend her title in the Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, tournament. Ranked second in the world, the illness also caused the Russian flag-bearer at the London Olympics to also pull out of the Rogers Cup in Montreal. “I have not been able to recover from the stomach virus I obtained,” Sharapova said. “I look forward to seeing all my great fans in Cincinnati next year.”
SPECIAL EXHIBITION
The Mexican Davis Cup team will help raise money for community tennis programs in Florida when it plays a special exhibition against many of top male players in Vero Beach, Florida, USA. Profiting from the exhibition will be tennis programs offered to children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters, Youth Guidance, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Redlands Christian Migrant Association and the Indian River Tennis Foundation. The event will be held at the Vero Beach Tennis Club on September 8, which will be the day of the women’s final at the US Open. “I’m trying so hard to introduce many of the children of migrant workers and at-risk children, disadvantaged children, etc., to the game of tennis,” said event chairman David Walley. “We have many volunteer mentors working with the children but now, for those who primarily speak Spanish, this event can be an opportunity for them to meet top players who speak their language. Invited to play for Mexico are Cesar Ramirez, Santiago Gonzalez, Bruno Rodriguez, Miguel Gallardo, Daniel Garza, Miguel Reyes Varela, Luis Patino, and Luis Diaz Barriga. The captain of Mexico’s Davis Cup team is Jorge Losado, who won two mixed doubles championships at Roland Garros. The coach of the Davis Cup Team is Marco Osorio. Osorio and Losado are two of the new owners of the Vero Beach Tennis Club. The referee for the exhibition will be Roscoe Tanner, director of tennis at the Vero Beach Tennis Club. Honorary chairmen for the special event are Ivan Lendl, a Vero Beach resident, and Mardy Fish, who also resides in Vero Beach.
SET FOR LONDON
By winning their fourth Rogers Cup title, brothers Bob and Mike Bryan became the second doubles team to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The American twins saved a match point before winning their 21st ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, outlasting Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-1 4-6 12-10 (match tiebreak) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The victory stretched the Bryans’ latest match win streak to nine in a row. They won the London Olympics to complete a career Golden Slam. The brothers have also won at Monte Carlo, Sydney and Nice this year.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Aptos: Rik De Voest and John Peers beat Frank Moser and Chris Cuccione 6-7 (5) 6-1 10-4 (match tiebreak)
San Marino: Lukas Dlouchy and Michael Mertinak beat Stefano Ianna and Matteo Viola 2-6 7-6 (3) 11-9 (match tiebreak)
Toronto: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-1 4-6 12-10 (match tiebreak)
SURFING
Cincinnati: www.cincytennis.com
Cordenons: www.euro-sporting.it/challenger/
Winston-Salem: www.winstonsalemopen.com/
Grapevine: http://texastennisopen.com/
Knokke-Heist: www.optimaopen.be
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
MEN
$2,820,280 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard
$105,000 Friuladria Tennis Cup, Cordenons, Italy,
WOMEN
$2,108,400 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard
SENIORS
The Optima Open, Knokke-Heist, Belgium, hard
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
$553,125 Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, hard
WOMEN
$220,000 Texas Tennis Open, Grapevine, Texas, USA, hard