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Surprising Dominika Cibulkova Captures WTA Finals In Singapore – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Dominika Cibulkova beat Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore in Singapore

Andy Murray beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 7-6 (6) to win the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria

Marin Cilic beat Kei Nishikori 6-1 7-6 (5) to win the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Switzerland

Oceane Dodin beat Lauren Davis 6-4 6-2 to win the Internationaux Feminins de la Vienne in Poitiers, France

 

DAVIS CUP

Group 1 Relegation Playoffs

Americas Zone: Dominican Republic beat Barbados 3-2 at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Europe/Asia Zone: Israel beat Sweden 3-1 at Ramat Hasharon, Israel

 

SAYING

“Why do I always get idiots?” – Viktor Troiki, complaining about line calls during his Erste Bank Open match.

“I have no words, coming here for the first time, the biggest tournament of my life. I still don’t know how I won, I put the ball over the net and it went in. It’s the happiest moment of my life.” – Dominika Cibulkova, after winning the season-ending WTA Finals by beating top-ranked Angelique Kerber in the title match.

“I gave everything. I mean, it was a tough year with a lot of matches, so I give everything on court today, the rest (of the) energy I had left.” – Angelique Kerber, following her loss to Dominika Cibulkova.

“I think I played my best tennis today of the tournament.” – Andy Murray, following his straight-set victory over Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the Vienna final.

“I’m really happy with my week. I played good tennis. I fought until the end, and that’s most important for me. It was nice to play five matches in a row like this.” – Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.

“Finishing the year number one is amazing. It’s a dream come true and gives me motivation and inspiration to come out and work even harder next year.” – Sania Mirza, who will end 2016 ranked number one in the world in doubles for the second straight year.

“I let nerves get the best of me, and I think that happens to everyone. Just something that I need to work on. It’s not a bad thing. It happens to a lot of people. People figure it out. Obviously I’m not the best at it at 21. Hopefully there are a couple more years to figure that out.” – Madison Keys.

“I had a lot of matches, a lot of tough matches – but also a lot of great finals, a lot of great memories (that) I received this year. Of course, now I’m ready for the vacation.” – Angelique Kerber.

“You need to understand that in a Davis Cup tie we are given the kind of support I don’t have during the year. That helps. I’m not complaining; that is just the reality.” – Amir Weintraub, after beating Sweden’s top player, Elias Ymer, to begin Israel’s 3-1 victory over Sweden in their Europe/Africa Group Zone 1 relegation playoff tie.

 

SINGAPORE SURPRISE

Dominika Cibulkova had the worst possible start to her first BNP Paribas WTA Finals. But she had a glorious ending, shocking top-ranked Angelique Kerber to post her biggest career victory. The Slovak right-hander lost her first two round-robin matches, and in order to advance to the semifinals needed to beat Simona Halep in straight sets and have Kerber beat Madison Keys in straight sets. Both happened, and Cibulkova ended up her fairytale season by coming from behind to stop Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals before pulling off her final shocker of the week. “It wasn’t easy to go on the court after two losses, but I was mentally very strong and I knew I played well in the first two matches, I was just a little bit unlucky. Then at the end I was lucky.” Or good. Or both.  Cibulkova dominated the title match from the beginning, finding the answer to every problem posed by her German opponent and winning most of their baseline battles. Her only wobble came at the end when Kerber staved off three match points. That’s when she got lucky. On her fourth match point, her shot clipped the net and fell on Kerber’s side.

Cibulkova joins last year’s champion, Agnieszka Radwanska, as capturing the Finals title after winning just one round-robin match. She also is the first player since Petra Kvitova in 2011 to win the season-finale in her first trip to the elite eight event. And her victory advances Cibulkova to a career-high number five in the WTA rankings.

 

SEEKING TOP SPOT

Andy Murray is moving ever closer to the number one ranking currently held by Novak Djokovic. Murray won the Erste Bank Open to pull within just 415 points heading into the final week of the ATP World Tour regular season. If Murray wins the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris this week and Djokovic does not reach the final, the Scot would overtake his Serbian foe. Djokovic would remain in the top spot if he reaches the Paris final. Murray continued the best season of his career by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. But the Frenchman forced Murray to win a second-set tiebreak 8-6. “Jo fought well and started playing a lot better,” Murray said. “He was more aggressive and taking some more chances and making the shots.” Murray’s 14th win over Tsonga in 16 career meeting gave the Scot his career-high seventh title of the year, tying Djokovic. Murray goes into Paris having won 15 consecutive matches, including titles in Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna. His 69 match wins this season is the most on the ATP World Tour. “The last few months have been very good,” Murray said.

 

SWISS CHAMP

Marin Cilic beat Kei Nishikori to win the US Open in 2014. This time the two met in the final of the Swiss Indoors Basel, but the result was the same. The Croatian rode his dominant serve and huge forehand to his 16th career ATP World Tour-level title and second of 2016, having also won in Cincinnati in August. “I knew it going to be important to start well,” said Cilic, who raced through the opening set 6-1 in just 25 minutes. “Obviously it was a big match for me. Being in the final of a 500 tournament against someone like Kei, who has been playing good tennis during the week, I knew it was going to be important to have energy straight away. I was playing well in the first set with my shot-making, and I was serving smart.” Cilic finished with 28 winners, including six aces. Nishikori served his second double-fault of the day on match point. “In the second set I was a little tight,” Nishikori said. “I had a couple set points and couldn’t convert. He played good tennis today.”

 

SANIA ON TOP AGAIN

India’s Sania Mirza has retained her spot as the WTA’s top doubles player for the second straight year. “It’s very, very exciting to finish two years in a row as number one,” Mirza said. “It’s been an incredible year for me again with seven WTA titles, a Grand Slam and ending the year at the WTA Finals in Singapore.” It wasn’t easy, however. Mirza barely edged out Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The American could have wound up with the year-end number one doubles ranking if she and Lucie Safarova had won the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore. But they lost the title match to Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 7-6 (5) 6-3. Mirza won eight titles with three different partners in 2016, capturing her third Grand Slam tournament trophy at the Australian Open with Martina Hingis. Mirza began a new partnership with Barbora Strycova by winning in Cincinnati in August and at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She also won the Connecticut Open in 2016 with Monica Niculescu.

 

SANS RACQUETS

Britain’s Dan Evans was ready to play his opening round of qualifying at the Paris Masters against Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic. But the 26-year-old Evans had to withdraw from the event because his racquets failed to make it to France. “I had to pull out of Paris qs (qualifiers) as my racquet bag never made it to Paris from Birmingham (Great Britain), so basically I had a day trip to Paris,” Evans said. Despite not being able to play in Paris, Evans will end 2016 ranked 60th in the world, his highest end-of-year ranking in his career.

 

SET FOR LONDON

Gael Monfils has qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the first time in his career. The Frenchman joins Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori in the select eight-man singles field. “It feels great to qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time in my career,” Monfils said. “It is a great way to finish my best season on the tour and I look forward to competing against the other best players of 2016. I heard a lot of great things about the event, every match is like a final, and I always love to play on a big stage.” Monfils, however, will miss this week’s Paris Masters. He pulled out of the tournament with a rib injury.

The doubles team of Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram will be making their first appearance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Others who have qualified for the doubles competition include Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez, and Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo.

 

SETS ANOTHER MILESTONE

The Bryan brothers – Bob and Mike – have won 1,000 doubles matches, nearly twice as many as any other team in the Open Era. “Very few players will achieve it,” Nenad Zimonjic of the Bryans’ record. “In the next 100 years, you’ll still be counting on one hand. Their longevity and number of titles will be so tough to break.” The American twins won their first match in 1998, beating Mark Keil and Dave Randall at Atlanta, Georgia, USA.  Their 1,000th match win came over Pablo Cuevas and Viktor Troicki in the Erste Bank Open quarterfinals in Vienna, Austria. Hall of Famers Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde have won the second-most matches as a team, 508. “They force opponents to ‘beat’ them and most of all they believe,” Woodforde said of the Bryans. “Bob has the big lefty serve, Mike has the solid and consistent return. They help each other out at net, they have great reflexes, they can play on the baseline and they can switch sides if necessary.”

 

SAID WHAT? 

Viktor Troicki took a page out of the John McEnroe book on on-court etiquette. The Serb may have even written a new chapter. Trailing Kevin Anderson in the first set of their first-round match at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria, Troicki erupted when a ball off the South African’s racquet was called in. Troicki screamed and paced around the court for over a minute before returning to the baseline to serve. “Why do I always get idiots?” he screamed. “This is incredible. … Why do I always get this? … Why does this always happen to me? I’m going crazy over here. What’s wrong with you?” Despite his irritation with the officiating, Troiki won the match 4-6 7-6 (5) 7-5.

 

SUSPICIOUS

Tennis has resulted in more suspicious betting alerts than all other sports combined, according to the European Sports Security Association (ESSA). The organizations aid 31 of the 37 alerts it received in the third quarter concerned tennis. Soccer was second with three alerts. Suspicious betting patterns can be an indication of match fixing, but can also occur for other reasons, such as injury or inside knowledge by bettors. ESSA represents most of Europe’s largest betting companies.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Basel: Marcel Granollers and Jack Sock beat Robert Lindstedt and Michael Venus 6-3 6-4

Poitiers: Nao Hibino and Alicja Rosolska beat Alexandra Cadantu and Nicola Geuer 6-0 6-0

Singapore: Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova 7-6 (5) 6-3

Vienna: Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo beat Oliver Marach and Fabrice Martin 4-6 6-3 13-11 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Singapore: www.wtafinals.com/

Basel: www.swissindoorsbasel.ch/de-de/

Vienna: www.erstebank-open.com/de/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Paris: www.bnpparibasmasters.com/

Zhuhai: www.wtaelitetrophy.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$4,681,802 BNP Paribas Masters, Paris, France, hard

$125,000 Ea Hua Hin Open Challenger, Hua Hin, Thailand, hard
WOMEN

$2,214,500 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, Zhuhai, China, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$100,000 Internationaux De Tennis De Vendee, Mouilleron Le Captif, France, hard

WOMEN

$115,000 WTA Ea Hua Hin Championship 2016, Hua Hin, Thailand, hard

Dominka Cibulkova Wins Singapore
Dominka Cibulkova Wins Singapore

Stan Wawrinka, Angelique Kerber Are US Open Champions – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

US Open

Men’s singles: Stan Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic 6-7 (1) 6-4 7-5 6-3

Women’s singles: Angelique Kerber beat Karolina Pliskova 6-3 4-6 6-4

Men’s doubles: Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat Pablo Carreno-Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2 6-3

Women’s doubles: Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova beat Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 2-6 7-6 (5) 6-4

Mixed doubles: Laura Siegemund and Mate Pavic beat Coco Vandeweghe and Rajeev Ram 6-4 6-4

Junior Boys’ singles: Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 6-0

Junior Girls’ singles: Kayla Day beat Viktoria Kuzmova 6-3 6-2

Junior Boys’ doubles: Juan Carlos Manuel Aguilar and Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves beat Felix Auger-Aliassime and Benjamin Sigouin 6-3 7-6 (4)

Junior Girls’ doubles: Jada Hart and Ena Shibahara beat Kayla Day and Caroline Dolehide 4-6 6-2 13-11 (match tiebreak)

Men’s Collegiate Singles: Thai-Son Kwiatkowski beat Austin Smith 6-2 6-2

Women’s Collegiate Singles: Danielle Collins beat Ronit Yurosky 6-2 6-4

 

OTHERS

Jerzy Jankowicz beat Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (5) 6-4 to win the Aon Open in Genova, Italy

Kristyna Pliskova won the Dalian Women’s Tennis Open in Dalian, China, when Misa Eguchi retired while leading 7-5 4-6 2-5

 

SAYING

“All the dreams came true this year.” – Angelique Kerber, after becoming the number one player in the world and winning her second Grand Slam tournament of 2016.

“I’m so proud of myself. If someone would tell me (two weeks ago) I’m going to play finals in this tournament, I would take it. No sadness.” –Karolina Pliskova, after losing the women’s singles final to Angelique Kerber.

“Honestly, this is amazing. I came here without expecting, without setting a goal to win it, but every time I stepped on the court I was trying to win every match. I think I played quite a lot of tennis these two weeks. I’m completely empty; I had to bring everything I had today against Novak.” – Stan Wawrinka, winning the US Open for his third Grand Slam tournament title.

“You know, in the matches like this, if you don’t use the opportunities, the other guy comes and takes it. And that’s what he did. That’s why I said he was more courageous, because he stepped in and played aggressive where I was kind of more waiting for things to happen.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Stan Wawrinka in the US Open final.

“It’s amazing to be back here. It is the best feeling ever.” – Caroline Wozniacki, acknowledging her run to the semifinals.

“Caroline likes New York, this city and this court.” – Piotr Wozniacki, Caroline’s father.

“I play tennis because I have fun. I play tennis because I love the sport. If not, I won’t wake up every morning to train.” – Gael Monfils.

“America probably hates me because I beat Venus and Serena.” – Karolina Pliskova, who became the fourth singles players to beat both Williams sisters in the same Grand Slam tournament.

“Honestly, I didn’t know him before. I had never seen him or heard his name.” – Laura Siegemund, talking of Mate Pavic, with whom she won the mixed doubles title.

“It’s the best win of my career.” – Lucas Pouille, on his five-set upset of Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

“My belief in myself is growing.” – Angelique Kerber.

“I was born in Denmark and feel Danish, but I have some Polish blood in me. It’s nice I can take the best of both worlds. Also, I have a big part of the New York crowd with me. It’s a great combination.” — Caroline Wozniacki.

“It’s something that very few people in the world have ever achieved. I mean, how crazy is it to say that you’re the best in the world at something? Doesn’t matter if it’s tennis, football, being a lawyer, whatever it is. It’s really special.” – Caroline Wozniacki, a former world number one.

“I love watching Gael. He’s one of the few players that I will definitely pay a ticket to watch. He’s very charismatic. Plays with a smile.” – Novak Djokovic on semifinal opponent Gael Monfils

“Trophies, fame, money, influence – all these kind of things I don’t believe they are the best values that we all should share. I think happiness is intrinsic, belonging to something and really being fulfilled doing something.” – Novak Djokovic.

“I’m very honored to be on the ballot for International Tennis Hall of Fame induction. The women who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame are great champions who I have always admired. It’s an honor to be considered to be part of that incredible group of athletes, and I’m grateful for this acknowledgement of my career.” – Caroline Wozniacki.

 

STAN THE MAN

Stan Wawrinka used his big ground game to batter top-ranked Novak Djokovic into submission and win his third career Grand Slam tournament title, the US Open. The Swiss right-hander is now 11-0 in his last 11 finals, and added the US Open to his 2015 French Open title and 2014 Australian Open championship. He also bested Djokovic on the red clay in Paris. Djokovic jumped out front on the hard court of Arthur Ashe Stadium, grabbing a 4-1 lead. Although Wawrinka eventually forced a first-set tiebreak, Djokovic ran away with extra session 7-1. It was his last hurrah as Wawrinka’s big game kept Djokovic running from side to side, unsuccessfully trying to come up with an answer. The Serb failed to convert 14 of 17 break points as Wawrinka controlled the play and the key points. “I had plenty of them, break points,” Djokovic said. “It was a terrible conversion of the break points. Just terrible from my side.” A volley winner gave Wawrinka his second championship point, and he converted this one when Djokovic sailed a backhand long.

 

STOP AT THE TOP

In her first match as the world’s top-ranked player, Angelique Kerber proved she was by winning the US Open women’s singles. “It’s just amazing,” the German left-hander said. “I won my second Grand Slam of the year and it’s the best year of my career.” Kerber capped off her Grand Slam run – she was a finalist at Wimbledon – by beating Karolina Pliskova, whom she had lost to in Cincinnati just three weeks ago. “Here, five years later, I’m standing here with the trophy,” Kerber said. “All the dreams came true this year.” Kerber becomes the first German to win the US Open since Steffi Graf in 1996, and the first German to be ranked number one in the world since Graf. Pliskova took the second set to level the match and grabbed the early break in the third set, going up 2-1. But Kerber broke Pliskova twice, the last time at love, to wrap up the title.

 

SISTER’S STRANGE WIN

Karolina Pliskova’s twin sister, Kristyna, won her first WTA title when her opponent was forced to retire while just two points away from victory. Misa Eguchi of Japan was leading 5-7 6-4 5-2 and was up 0-30 on Pliskova’s serve in the Dalian Women’s Open final when she fell heavily while chasing a ball. She received medical attention and had her leg heavily strapped. Eguchi attempted to continue, but buckled under the pain of her injury and was taken off the court on a stretcher, giving Pliskova the title.

 

STRONG RALLY

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova rallied from the brink of defeat to capture the US Open women’s doubles title. The top-seeded French team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic were broken when they served for the match in the second set. The eventual champions won the tiebreak 7-5, then broke serve to begin the third set. They winners held serve the rest of the way to collect their third major doubles title, having won the Australian Open and French Open last year.

 

SUCCESSFUL PAIRING

Laura Siegemund had no idea who Croatia’s Mate Pavic was before they signed up to play mixed doubles together. Now they are champions, beating Coco Vandeweghe and Rajeev Ram. “It’s really kind of a blind date,” Siegemund said of her partner. “Honestly, I didn’t know him before. … I have never seen him or heard his name.” It was the first Grand Slam tournament title for either Pavic or Siegemund, who were unseeded in the 32-team event. “It turned out quite well in the end,” Siegemund said. The US Open also was the first time Vandeweghe and Ram had teamed up. Vandeweghe lost in the Australian Open mixed doubles final in January playing with Horia Tecau.

 

SERENA’S RECORDS

Serena Williams may have left the US Open without her number one ranking or a 23rd Grand Slam tournament title, but she continued to add to her numerous records. By reaching the semifinals, Williams ran her career match winning total to 309. During the year’s final major, Williams moved past Martina Navratilova’s mark of 306 to become the winningest woman, then eclipsed the men’s record of 307 held by Roger Federer.

 

SELECTED FOR HALL

Kim Clijsters of Belgium and American Andy Roddick lead the Class of 2017 nominated to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF). One of six women to be ranked number one in the world in both singles and doubles, Clijsters won four Grand Slam tournament singles – three US Opens and one Australian Open – and two in doubles. She was unseeded in 20099 when she came out of retirement and won the US Open. Roddick’s lone major title came in the 2003 US Open. Others nominated are Monique Kalkman, a Paralympic gold medalist, journalist and historian Steve Flink, and the late instructor Vic Braden.

 

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS

Kei Nishikori of Japan and German’s Angelique Kerber were awarded the US Open Sportsmanship Awards by the USTA. The honors go to the players who best demonstrate excellence in sportsmanship throughout the Emirates Airline US Open Series and the US Open. Eligibility requirements for winners include participating in at least two Series tournaments as well as the 2015 US Open. ”Angelique and Kei each set an incredible standard of professionalism every time they take the court,” said Katrina Adams, USTA chairman, CEO and president. “They’re both class competitors whose success is matched only by their tact, and so we couldn’t be happier to honor each of them with US Open Sportsmanship Awards.” The USTA Sportsmanship Award selection committee is composed of Todd Martin, Lars Rosene, Jon Vegosen, Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez, Chanda Rubin, Joel Drucker, Steve Flink and Matt Cronin.

 

STORIED STAGE

Louis Armstrong Stadium is no more – at least not until it reappears in 201. The stadium named for the legendary jazz trumpeter was the main court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center from 1978 until Arthur Ashe Stadium was opened in 1997. Now the structure – first built for the 1964-65 New York World Fair and named the Singer Bowl – will be torn down and replaced by a 15,000-seat court with a retractable roof. The last tournament match to be played on Armstrong saw American twins Bob and Mike Bryan lose to Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 7-6 (2) 4-6 6-3. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) allowed fans to play on the court before it was shuttered for good.

 

SEASON ENDED

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic has called it a season. The Serbian right-hander said she will skip the remaining tournaments this year so that she will be fully fit for the 2017 season. Seeded 29th at this year’s US Open, Ivanovic lost in the opening round to Czech Denisa Allertova 7-6 (4) 6-1.

 

SEASON FINALE

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan have qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will be held in London Nov. 13-20. Five-time US Open champions, the Bryans this year were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Spaniards Fernando Lopez and Marc Lopez. They have won the season finale four times and are the second team to qualify for this year’s tournament, joining Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.

The French team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, who began playing together earlier this year, has grabbed a spot in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. “It was one of our goals when we started to play together to qualify for the WTA Finals,” Garcia said. “We are always improving and I am looking forward to competing in Singapore again.” Garcia and Mladenovic have reached six finals this year, winning four straight tournaments, including the French Open. They are the second doubles team to qualify for Singapore, behind Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza.

 

SEEKS CHANGE

The president of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) wants to change the way the Davis and Fed Cup competitions are played. “It’s time for a change,” David Haggery told USA Today. “There is real change intended. In the past the players felt like there was no response, like the ITF didn’t care. We need to make informed decisions. There will be positive change and we want to move this competition, the largest annual team competition in the world, ahead.” Players have complained for years about the international team competition schedules. If Haggery gets his way, the final four teams would meet at a neutral site. “You’re limited now with the two-month window as to the kind of stadium and its size that you can take over for a week,” Haggerty said. “We want to bring some clarity to it. Fans from nations can begin to plan. We don’t want to lose that atmosphere. It has to be the crazy fans with their faces painted, screaming and shouting. We want that.”

 

SWITCHING COACHES

Marin Cilic, who won the US Open two years ago, has begun training with a new coach, Jonas Bjorkman. The 27-year-old Croatian recently decided to stop working with Goran Ivanisevic. Bjorkman was known for his volleying skills as a player, winning several Grand Slam tournament doubles titles. The Swede previously worked with And Murray. “I felt that he might be really the person that could help me the most with that, as he was great in singles and also great in doubles and obviously knows the game,” Cilic said. “He’s been working with Andy as well, so that’s obviously another part that is a big plus.” Cilic, seeded seventh at this year’s US Open, was upset by American Jack Sock in the third round.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova currently is without a coach. The Czech left-hander ended her partnership with Frantisek Cermak, announcing the fact after she was a fourth-round victory of Angelique Kerber at this year’s US Open. In January, Kvitova fired coach David Kotyza.

 

SELECTED LEADER

Besides being the top-ranked player, Novak Djokovic is also president. At the players’ annual meeting, Djokovic was elected to head the ATP Player Council. “I gladly accepted it because it’s a calling,” Djokovic said of his new duties. “It’s a responsibility.” Also elected to the ATP Player Council were Kevin Anderson as vice president, Andy Murray, Lu Yen-Hsun, Rajeev Ram, Jamie Murray, Bruno Soares, Marcelo Melo, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Colin Dowdeswell and Claudio Pistolesi. Members of the Council will serve until June 2018.

 

SET FOR CHINA

Caroline Wozniacki is heading to China. The former world number one will play at the 2016 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open along with Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova. Actually, tournament officials announced that all of the WTA’s Top 10 players have entered the field with Wozniacki entering the event on a wild card. The tournament will begin Sept. 23.

 

SEEKING RECORD

The European Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event in Antwerp, Belgium, will be going for a Guinness World Record. Maxime Braeckman, former coach of Xavier Malisse, Kim Clijsters and Kirsten Flipkens, will play 37 matches in a row in an effort to raise more than USD $28,000 for SOS Children’s Villages charity and to promote the sport of tennis in Belgium. SOS Children’s Villages is the tournament’s official charity and Clijsters is an ambassador for the organization. Braeckman will play 37 best-of-three matches in a row. The current Guinness World Record was set by Mike Mitchell of Great Britain, who played 36 matches over 34 hours last year. Braeckman’s record attempt will begin on Oct. 8.

 

SAD NEWS

Journalist Alan Trengove, founder of Australian Tennis Magazine and author of 16 non-fiction books, including half a dozen about tennis, is dead at the age of 87 after a long illness. Born in London to an Australian cobbler, Trengove convinced his family to move to Australia where he worked on a daily newspaper and trained as a professional athlete. Half a century later, he carried the Olympic torch ahead of the Sydney Games. In 1953, he became a sports writer on The Argus, the oldest of Melbourne’s three morning newspapers. Trengove covered Davis Cups and more than 130 Grand Slam tournaments from 1953 to 2010. He was awarded the ATP’s Ron Bookman Award for Media Excellence in 2008 and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1990.

Ben Press, who coached Grand Slam champion Maureen Connolly in her youth and taught movie stars Errol Flynn and Charlton Heston how to play tennis, has died after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. He was 92. While Eleanor “Teach” Tennant is credited with honing Connolly’s game to the level where she became the first woman to win the Grand Slam in 1953, Press taught “Little Mo” early in her career. He won three National Hard Court mixed doubles titles with Jean Doyle Garrett. The heyday of Press’ career came in the 1940s and ‘50s when he played exhibition tournaments throughout Southern California, often competing against legends Bill Tilden, Don Budge, Jack Kramer, Pancho Segura and Pancho Gonzalez. “My one claim to fame,” Press joked, “is that I’ve been beaten by every good player of my era.” Besides Connolly, Press coached Karen Hantze Susman, who won Wimbledon in 1962, and Brian Teacher, the 1980 Australian Open champion.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Genova: Julio Peralto and Horacio Zeballos beat Aliaksandr Bury and Andre Vasilevski 6-4 6-3

Dalian: Lee Yan-Hsuan and Kotomi Takabata beat Nicha Lertpitaksinchai and Jessy Pompies 6-2 6-1

 

SURFING

Szczecin: www.pekaoszczecinopen.pl/2016/pl/

Tokyo: www.jta-tennis.or.jp/jwo/tabid/549/Default.aspx

Quebec City: www.coupebanquenationale.ca/en/home/

Biarritz: www.engie-open-biarritz.fr

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Moselle:  www.moselle-open.com/

St. Petersburg (men): www.spbopen.ru/

Kaohsiung: www.oectennis.com/

Guangzhou: www.guangzhouopen.org/

Seoul: www.koreaopentennis.com/

Tokyo: www.toray-ppo.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$119,582 Pekao Szczecin Open, Szczecin, Poland, clay

 

WOMEN

$226,750 Coupe Banque Nationale, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, carpet

$226,750 Hashimoto Sogyo Japan Women’s Open Tennis, Tokyo, Japan, hard

$100,000 Engie Open de Biarritz Pays Basque, Biarritz, France, clay

 

DAVIS CUP

World Cup Semifinals

Great Britain vs. Argentina at Glasgow, Scotland, hard

Croatia vs. France at Zadar, Croatia, hard

 

World Cup Playoffs

Uzbekistan vs. Switzerland at Tashkent, Uzbekistan, clay; Belgium vs. Brazil at Ostend, Belgium, hard; Australia vs. Slovakia at Sydney, Australia, grass; Canada vs. Chile at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, hard; Russia vs. Kazakhstan at Moscow, Russia, hard; India vs. Spain at New Delhi, India, hard; Germany vs. Poland at Berlin, Germany, clay; Japan vs. Ukraine at Osaka, Japan, hard

 

Group I

1st Round Playoffs

Americas Zone: Dominican Republic vs. Colombia at Santiago De Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, clay

Europe/Africa Zone: Sweden vs. Netherlands at Sweden, clay

 

2nd Round Playoffs

Asia/Oceania Zone: New Zealand vs. Pakistan at Christchurch, New Zealand, hard

Europe/Africa Zone: Portugal vs. Slovenia at Viana do Castelo, Portugal, clay

 

Group II

Finals

Americas Zone: Venezuela vs. Peru at Barcelona, Venezuela, hard

Asia/Oceania Zone: Thailand vs. Chinese Taipei at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard

 

Semifinals

Europe/Asia Zone: Lithuania vs. Bosnia/Herzegovina at Vilnius, Lithuania, hard; Belarus vs. Denmark at Belarus, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$986,380 St. Petersburg Open, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

$583,955 Moselle Open, Moselle, France, hard

$125,000 OEC Kaohsiung Challenger, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, hard

 

WOMEN

$885,500 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo, Japan, hard

$226,750 Guangzhou International Women’s Open, Guangzhou, China, hard

$226, 750 Korea Open Tennis, Seoul, Korea, hard

$100,000 Neva Cup 2016, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka

Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams Are Top Seeds As U.S. Open Begins – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

 

STARS

Pablo Carreno Busta beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-7 (6) 7-6 (1) 6-4 to win the Winston-Salem Open in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

Agnieszka Radwanska beat Elina Svitolina 6-1 7-6 (3) to win the Connecticut Open in New Haven, Connecticut, USA

 

SAYING

“The game has changed.” – Rod Laver, noting he earned USD $16,000 for winning the US Open in 1969 and this year’s champion will pocket USD $3.5 million.

“I had the chance to say to everyone in the perfect moment in the perfect way. Of course it was a big moment – not just for the winning, but for everything.” – Flavia Pennetta, remembering a year ago when she shocked tennis winning the US Open then announcing she was retiring from the sport.

“It’s an amazing feeling. I worked very hard to be here and now I have to enjoy this moment.” – Pablo Carreno Busta, after beating fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut to win his first ATP World Tour singles title at the Winston-Salem Open.

“We know each other for a long time. Also our games kind of suit each other, so you have that confidence. I think it helped we got a couple first easy matches in terms of the way we played. We kind of found our rhythm almost immediately.” – Sania Mirza, explaining how she and Monica Niculescu won the Connecticut Open while teaming up for the first time in six years.

“Serena was the toughest I had to play. When she had to make a difference, she was there. She knew if she was facing match point she would still come back into the game. Her vision of the game also. She was really the best.” – Justine Henin, remembering his battles with Serena Williams.

“Her serve is the best in the history of women’s tennis. Her mental strength and the way she digs really deep to change the momentum is really impressive. She’s really powerful on the court. It makes it pretty difficult.” – Amelie Mauresmo, on Serena Williams.

 

STARS IN CONNECTICUT

The wild card worked out pretty well for Agnieszka Radwanska. The fourth-ranked Pole decided at the last moment to get some last-minute court time before the US Open. She worked the entire week and wound up with her 19th career title, her first Connecticut Open crown, by stopping Elina Svitolina in the final. “Thank you so much to the tournament director Anne (Worcester) for giving me that wild card,” Radwanska said. “I definitely appreciate it and I’ll be back next year for sure.” The top-seeded Pole rushed through the opening set in 29 minutes. After that, it became a little more difficult to shake off her Ukrainian opponent. Radwanska staved off three set points on her serve to send the second set into a tiebreak. In the extra session, Radwanska ripped off five straight points to close out her victory. The win also clinched the Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge for Radwanska, meaning she could double her earnings at the US Open.

 

SPANISH BATTLE

It was on hard court, not clay, but it was two Spaniards fighting for the title at the Winston-Salem Open. Pablo Carreno Busta overcame his countryman Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets to win his first ATP World Tour singles title. “To (beat) Roberto you have to fight because he’s a really tough player,” Carreno Busta said. “He’s a Spanish player like me. It’s not easy to play against another Spanish player.” It was the 25-year-old’s third final; he lost two clay court events. Bautista Agut, seeking his third title of the year, was up a break in the second set before Carreno Busta broke right back to 3-all. In the second-set tiebreak, Bautista Agut hit two double faults as his opponent leveled the match at a set apiece. “I didn’t play well when I was set and break up,” Bautista Agut said. “Tennis is like this, no? When you have the chance and you don’t (take) it, then you lose.”

Carreno Busta became the sixth first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season, joining Nick Kyrgios, Diego Schwartzman, Steve Johnson, Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Paolo Lorenzi.

 

SUSPENDED

Three French players have been suspended by their federation for violating the federation and damaging “the image of tennis” by their behavior at the Rio Olympics. The French Tennis Federation (FFT) provisionally suspended Benoit Paire, Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia. Paire was kicked off the French Olympic team for spending too much time away the athletes’ village, according to media reports. The two women were suspended for “strongly criticizing” the FFT following a mix-up over their clothing. The two, who won the French Open doubles title in June, said they had not been told they had to wear the same colored outfits for the women’s doubles event and had to change shortly before they lost their first-round match to Japan’s Misaki Doi and Eri Hozumi. A final decision on the suspensions will be made on Sept. 24.

 

SINGAPORE-BOUND

The world’s top-two ranked players – Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber, are the first two to qualify for the season-ending WTA Tour Finals in Singapore. Williams has won the title five times but missed last year’s event with an injury. Kerber, who won her first Grand Slam tournament title at the Australian Open in January and was a finalist at Wimbledon in July, will be making her fourth appearance in the special event which is reserved for the top eight-ranked players of the year.

 

STRANGE TRIP

Great Britain’s Laura Robson had a premonition that she would receive a wild card entry into the US Open. But her friends convinced her to take a planned Italian vacation when she finished playing an ITF Challenger in Landisville, Pennsylvania, USA, where she won both the singles and doubles. So off to Italy she goes. “We landed in Italy at 9 a.m., went to Vesuvius and a little bit of Pompeii and went straight back to the airport,” she said. “I dropped my friends off at the villa and I was thee maybe seven hours. I was panicking a bit, but my main priority was just to get back to London and then take the next flight here” to New York City after receiving the wild card into qualifying. Robson won all three of her matches in straight sets to earn a spot in the main draw where her first-round opponent was another Brit, Naomi Broady.

 

SERBIAN FUND RAISER

Jovana Jaksic may not be playing in the women’s singles main draw at the US Open this year, but she has given of herself to New York City’s Serbian community. Jaksic lost to eventual Nadia Podoroska in the second round of qualifying. But she took time to help raise money for Manhattan’s Serbian Church of St. Sava. The church, which suffered a four-alarm fire several months ago, held a benefit at the New Yok Athletic Club to raise money to rebuild. “My Serbian friends organized an auction for raising money to rebuild the church,” Jaksic told WTA Insider. “I was part of it and grateful to be so because I really believe in God. What happened, it was terrible to see the church burn down. But they did an amazing job organizing. I was really thankful to be invited and part of it.”

 

STAYING HOME

Six men and three women have withdrawn from the US Open. Pulling out of the men’s draw were Tomas Berdych, Roger Federer, Ernests Gulbis, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Tommy Robredo and Dmitry Tursunov.

Withdrawing from the women’s field were Sloane Stephens, Margarita Gasparyan and Galina Voskoboeva.

 

SMART PAIRING

Playing together for the first time in six years, Sania Mirza and Monica Niculescu came away from New Haven, Connecticut, USA., with the doubles title. The two beat Kateryna Bondarenko and Chuang Chia-Jung in the Connecticut Open final. It was the first time the two had teamed up since 2010. “I asked Sania in Cincinnati,” Niculescu said about getting together again. “I had an idea maybe she wants to play here. I ask her. When she said yes, I was so excited. It seems we won the tournament, so I’m happy I asked her.” Despite their success, they won’t be together for the US Open. “I play with Barbora Strycova,” Mirza said. “I play with Vania King,” Niculescu added. “That’s why I said I hope it’s not the last time we going to play together.”

 

SURPRISED

Justine Henin admits she is surprised by the consistent longevity of the career of Serena Williams. Although she has won just Wimbledon going into the year’s final Grand Slam tournament, Williams has been in all three finals, losing the Australian Open to Angelique Kerber and the French Open to Garbiñe Muguruza. Henin, twice the US Open winner, lost to Williams in the Belgium’s final Grand Slam final, the Australian Open in 2010. “I have so many memories against Serena,” said Henin. “It was always a tough challenge because she was the best I played for sure. At the moment she is still at her best after so many years. The consistency of Serena has brought a lot of good things to the game.”

 

SUPER EVENT

Five of the greatest players in tennis history – Rod Laver, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe – joined forces to announce a new event. Between them the five have won 60 Grand Slam tournament titles – and since Federer and Nadal are still playing, they could add to that total. Scheduled to be played in late September 2017 will be the Laver Cup, a three-day competition pitting Europe against the rest of the world, playing both singles and doubles. There will be six players on each team, four slots on each side based on ranking with the other two selected as “captain’s choices.” Borg will captain the Europe squad, while McEnroe will lead the “Rest of the World.” Since the Big Four, who have ruled tennis for the last decade, all come from Europe – Federer from Switzerland, Nadal from Spain, Novak Djokovic from Serbia and Andy Murray from Great Britain – Borg’s team appears to be stacked. However, McEnroe pledged the inaugural event “is going to be a lot more competitive that it may appear at the moment.” The first Laver Cup will be held in Prague, Czech Republic.

 

SETTING RECORDS

When Venus Williams steps onto the court at this year’s US Open, she will set the women’s record for most Grand Slam main draw appearances in the Open Era. This would be the 72nd Grand Slam tournament in which Williams has played, snapping the record she shared with American Amy Frazier. Martina Navratilova is third with 67, followed by the “other” Williams, Serena, who will be playing in her 65th major. That also means Serena is second among active players to her older sister.

Neither Williams sister leads the women in playing in consecutive Grand Slam tournaments. That distinction goes to Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic, who is competing in her 52nd straight main draw at a major. Japan’s Ai Sugiyama holds the record for consecutive appearances, playing in 62 straight majors. Italy’s Francesca Schiavone played in 61 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments before losing in qualifying at the Australian Open in January.

 

STRANGE FIGURING

Serena Williams has dominated the women’s game in the past several years, yet is in danger of losing her number one ranking at the US Open, even though the American has reached the title match in the first three Grand Slam tournaments played in 2016. Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who won the Australian Open, reached the Wimbledon final and lost in the first round at Roland Garros, can supplant Williams atop the rankings at the US Open. Williams needs to reach at least the semifinal to stay number one. If Kerber reaches the quarterfinals, then Serena must reach the final to hold onto the number one ranking. If Williams should win her 23rd Grand Slam tournament title, she would remain number one no matter what else happens.

Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza, who beat Williams in the French Open final, and Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska also mathematically have shots at moving into the number one spot at the end of the US Open.

 

STRING OF SLAMS

Feliciano Lopez of Spain is in second place for consecutive Grand Slam tournament men’s singles main draws with 59. Roger Federer’s record streak of 65 ended earlier this year when he didn’t play the French Open. Federer also pulled out of the US Open because of a knee injury.

 

STEPPING UP

There are 10 former US Open junior boys’ champions in this year’s draw: Taylor Fritz, Borna Coric, Jack Sock, Bernard Tomic, Grigor Dimitov, Ricardas Berankis, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Muller. However, since the junior tournament began in 1973, only Stefan Edberg, Andy Roddick and Murray have won both the boys’ and men’s singles titles.

 

SET FOR OPEN

Two former University of Michigan players have earned a spot in the US Open mixed doubles main draw. Emina Bektas and Evan King qualified for the year’s final Grand Slam tournament b winning the US Open National Playoffs – Mixed Doubles Championship held at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. The pair finished their run by edging fellow Americans Malcolm Harrison and Sanaz Marand 7-5 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak). They began their journey by winning the USTA Northern sectional qualifying tournament. A 2013 University of Michigan graduate, King has won five Futures singles titles, three of which have come on the USTA Pro Circuit. He is ranked 365th in the world. Bektas graduated from Michigan in 2015 and has a WTA doubles ranking of 527. She has won two International Tennis Federation (ITF) Pro Circuit doubles titles this ear.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

New Haven: Sania Mirza and Monica Niculescu beat Kateryna Bondarenko and Chuang Chia-Jung 7-5, 6-4

Winston-Salem: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Henri Kontinen beat Andre Begemann and Leander Paes 4-6 7-6 (6) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

New Haven: www.ctopen.org

Winston-Salem: www.winstonsalemopen.com/

New York: www.usopen.org

Genova: www.atpgenova.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN and WOMEN

US Open, New York, New York, USA, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN and WOMEN

US Open Tennis Championships, New York, New York, USA, hard (second week)

 

MEN

$119,195 Aon Open, Genova, Italy, clay

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Angelique Kerber, Andy Murray Both Stumble In Cincinnati – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

 

STARS

Marin Cilic beat Andy Murray 6-4 7-5 to win the Western & Southern Open men’s singles in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Karolina Pliskova beat Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-1 to win the Western & Southern Open women’s singles in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

 

SAYING

“I felt that I played really good tennis today. The serve was a big factor in my game. I was hitting a lot of big serves in important points, and I was definitely in that second set very, very mentally strong.” – Marin Cilic, after beating Andy Murray to win the Western & Southern Open men’s singles.

“I’m very proud of this week. Obviously today it didn’t go how I would’ve wanted. But I certainly didn’t expect to get to the final when I arrived here.” – Andy Murray.

“I was expecting I’m going to play good, but I wasn’t expecting it that easy. I think she might be a little bit tired, or she felt a little bit of pressure on herself.” – Karolina Pliskova, following her upset win in the Cincinnati final over Angelique Kerber.

“I’m really tired. I played the 11th match in 13 or 14 days. I really enjoyed the week. I really tried my best today, but sometimes you have days when it’s not working so good.” – Angelique Kerber.

“As cliché as it sounds, a ranking is really just a number. At the end of the day you have to come out and you have to play your best tennis. That’s what we did, and we feel like that’s why we won the tournament.” – Sania Mirza, who took over the top doubles ranking alone after sharing the spot with former partner Martina Hingis.

“You have to change the rhythm. I didn’t hit as strong as I did first four games and I didn’t miss as I did at the beginning. She was playing really well at the beginning, those four games, but then I had just to change, to play more angles, and then I came back and I think I was the one that was dominating match.” – Simona Halep, following her 7-5 6-1 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska.

“I’ve practiced with him many times, so to some extent I have an understanding of his game, like he has of mine. But it’s different come match time, so I did a little bit of studying. I feel like I took that all in and adapted well.” – Milos Raonic, on Dominic Thiem after beating the Austrian 6-3 6-4.

 

STOPS KERBER

Karolina Pliskova made sure Serena Williams remains atop the women’s rankings by knocking off Germany’s Angelique Kerber. It was the sixth career title for the Czech, but by far her biggest. If Kerber had won, she would have moved past Williams and take over the number one spot in the rankings. “Of course I’m disappointed, but still she played a great match and a great tournament and deserved to win,” Kerber said of her conqueror. Pliskova came into the hard-court event ranked 15th in the world and leads the WTA Tour in aces. Against Kerber, Pliskova pounded seven aces, the last one on match point. Kerber committed 32 unforced errors, most coming from her forehand. “I know she was playing for the world number one,” Pliskova said. “I think you deserve to be number one. But maybe next time.” It was the second straight week that she came up short. Kerber fell to Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig in the women’s final at the Rio Olympics. The result allowed Williams to continue her reign on top of the rankings to 184 consecutive weeks, two weeks away from tying the all-time mark held by Steffi Graf.

 

STUNNER BY CILIC

Marin Cilic found his serve, which was enough to power the Croat over Andy Murray and capture his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, the Western & Southern Open. “The serve was a big factor in my game,” said Cilic, who became only the second active player outside of the Big Four to win both a Grand Slam tournament and a Masters 1000 title. “I was hitting a lot of big serves in important points, and I was definitely in that second set very, very mentally strong.” Cilic, relentless in his baseline game, took the opening set in 41 players. He pulled off the only service break in the 11th game of the second set, then closed out the victory on his first match point. “I felt that I played really good tennis today,” Cilic said. “Andy was starting to play a bit better, but it’s definitely a huge win against him. He’s been on a great run the last couple of months.” Cilic’s victory is just the fifth title by a player outside of the Big Four of Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal since 2010.

 

SWIFT KICK

A swift kick almost caused Andy Murray to be penalized during his semifinal match at the Cincinnati Masters. When a ball came his way, Murray kicked it towards the crowd. But the ball narrowly missed the chair umpire’s head and drew a stern look from the umpire. The ATP rulebook states: “Players shall not violently, dangerously or with anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball while on the grounds of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match.” Murray escaped any penalty and went on to easily down Milos Raonic 6-3 6-3.

 

SOLE POSSESSION

No longer are India’s Sania Mirza and Switzerland’s Martina Hingis teammates. And no longer are they tied for the number one on the WTA doubles ranking. When Mirza and her new partner, Barbora Strycova, beat Hingis and Coco Vandeweghe 7-5 6-4 to win the women’s doubles crown in Cincinnati, the 29-year-old Mirza took over sole possession of the top of the rankings. Hingis and her American teammate won five of the first six games before Mirza and the Czech Republic’s Strycova won the next six games and wrapped up the victory in straight sets. Although Mirza and Hingis have split up, they will team up in October for the year-ending WTA Tour Championships in Singapore.

 

STRONG FINISH

Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo won five of the last six points in their match tiebreak to capture the Western & Southern Open men’s doubles over Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau. It was their fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title together. The Croatian/Brazilian pair improved their 2016 record to 25-11. Neither team dropped serve in the match and both won 7-5 tiebreaks to send it into the match tiebreak.

 

STAYING HOME

Ninth-ranked Madison Keys is skipping this week’s Connecticut Open because of a neck injury. Announcing her withdrawal from the final hard-court warmup event before the US Open, Keys said she felt pain on the right side of her neck while she was hitting a forehand return during a practice session. “I probably hit it late,” she said. “As soon as I finished the stroke, I knew that I did something.” Keys has had trouble with her neck in the past. She has sought medical treatment and hopes to be ready in time for the US Open, which begins its two-week run next Monday.

Two other players withdrew from the New Haven, Connecticut, USA, tournament, although both won titles at Cincinnati. Karolina Pliskova, who upset Angelique Kerber to win the Western & Open women’s singles, withdrew from New Haven with a lower back injury. Barbora Strycova, who teamed with Sania Mirza to win the doubles, pulled out of the Connecticut Open with an illness.

 

STRAIGHT IN – MEN

Juan Martin del Potro, the Olympic silver medalist, was given a wild card entry into the men’s singles draw at the US Open. The 27-year-old del Potro returned to competitive play in February following his third surgery on his left wrist. He was ranked as high as fourth in the world in 2010, but has missed quite a bit of time since then because of surgeries, including on to his right wrist.

Others receiving wild card entries into the main men’s singles draw include Rajeev Ram, Bjorn Fratangelo, Frances Tiafoe, 2016 NCAA singles champion Mackenzie McDonald, 2016 USTA Boys’ 18s national champion Michael Mmoh and USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge winner Ernesto Escobedo. As part of a reciprocal agreement with the USTA, Tennis Australia will award one additional main draw wild card.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) also awarded wild card entries into the US Open qualifying tournament, which will be played this week. Players receiving those wild cards are Sekou Bangoura, Christian Harrison, Vasil Kirkov, Mitchell Krueger, Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Reilly Opelka, Tennyus Sandgren and Ryan Shane.

 

STRAIGHT IN – WOMEN

Two-time NCAA singles champion Danielle Collins and mixed doubles Olympic gold medalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands head the list of direct wild card entries into the US Open women’s singles main draw. A senior at the University of Virginia, Collins won her second NCAA singles title this year. She also won in 2014, after which she received a wild card and played second-ranked Simona Halep in the opening round, winning the first set in a tiebreak. Mattek-Sands, 31, won the mixed doubles gold medal at the Rio Olympics with Jack Sock. Last year, she teamed with Lucie Safarova to win the women’s doubles at both the Australian Open and the French Open, and also won the French Open mixed doubles title with Mike Bryan. Mattek-Sands will be competing in her 15th US Open main draw.

Others receiving wild card entries into the women’s singles main draw are Lauren Davis, 2016 USTA Girls’ 18s national champion Kayla Day, USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge winner Sofia Kenin, Vania King and Virginie Razzano of France. As part of a reciprocal agreement with the USTA, Tennis Australia will award one additional main draw wild card.

Awarded wild card entries into the US Open qualifying tournament are 14-year-old Amanda Anisimova, Francesca Di Lorenzo, Nicole Frenkel, Ellie Halbauer, Jamie Loeb, Raveena Kingsley, Melanie Oudin and Great Britain’s Laura Robson.

 

SICK BAY

After receiving a wild card into the Western & Southern Open women’s singles draw, top-ranked Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament citing a right shoulder injury. That’s the same injury that forced her to withdraw from the Rogers Cup in Montreal last month. “My shoulder inflammation continues to be a challenge,” Williams said, “but I am anxious to return to the court as soon as possible.” She did play in the Rio Olympics, but appeared to be bothered by her shoulder in her third-round loss to Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine.

 

SUFFERING APPENDICITIS

The US Open has already lost one of its top players. Eighth-ranked Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic pulled out of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament after suffering appendicitis. “I am very disappointed to announce I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year,” Berdych wrote on Twitter. “I was just diagnosed with appendicitis in Cincinnati so I will be flying back to Europe for additional checks and treatment. I will need to take some time off to recover fully, but I know I will get back as strong as ever.” Berdych reached the semifinals at Wimbledon this year where he lost to eventual champion Andy Murray.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Cincinnati (men): Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo beat Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 7-6 (5) 6-7 (5) 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Cincinnati (women): Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova beat Martina Hingis and Coco Vandeweghe 7-5 6-4

 

SURFING

New Haven: www.ctopen.org

Winston-Salem: www.winstonsalemopen.com/

New York: www.usopen.org

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$720,940 Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$695,900 Connecticut Open, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

US Open, New York, New York, USA, hard

 

 

Angelique Kerber

 

Monica Puig, Andy Murray Are Golden In Rio – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Rio Olympics

Gold

Men’s singles: Andy Murray, Great Britain

Women’s singles: Monica Puig, Puerto Rico

Men’s doubles: Marc Lopez and Rafael Nadal, Spain

Women’s doubles: Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, Russia

Mixed doubles: Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock, United States

 

Silver

Men’s singles: Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina

Women’s singles: Angelique Kerber, Germany

Men’s doubles: Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau, Romania

Women’s doubles: Timea Bacsinsky and Martina Hingis, Switzerland

Mixed doubles: Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram, United States

 

Bronze

Men’s singles: Kei Nishikori, Japan

Women’s singles: Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic

Men’s doubles: Steve Johnson and Jack Sock, United States

Women’s doubles: Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova, Czech Republic

Mixed doubles: Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek, Czech Republic

 

OTHER

Ivo Karlovic beat Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (5) 6-2 to win the Abierto Mexicano Los Cabos in Los Cabos, Mexico

Janko Tipsarevic beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 1-6 7-5 6-1 to win the China International Challenger in Qindao, China

Daniel Evans beat Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4 to win the Nordic Naturals Challenger in Aptos, California, USA

 

SAYING

“I know that my life is probably going to change a little bit from here on out, but it’s going to change for the better, I know.” – Monica Puig, after winning the gold medal by beating Angelique Kerber.

“She played her best tennis and one of her best matches in her career, for sure. I tried everything.” – Angelique Kerber.

“Today was a long, tiring match. I’m glad I got through it.” – Andy Murray, following his gold-medal marathon men’s singles win over Juan Martin del Potro.

“I just achieved one of my biggest dreams. I’m just so happy I was able to be the first Puerto Rican woman to win a medal at the Games, and not just any medal – the gold medal.” – Monica Puig.

“I can compare this with the Davis Cup finals, where we were a couple of years ago, because I think the nicest, deepest and strongest emotions you can only achieve when you play for your country. … This medal belongs to our whole country.” – Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, who teamed with Lucie Hradecka to win the mixed doubles bronze medal.

“I’m very happy to win, to get a medal, even though third place. It means a lot for me to especially beat Rafa. I knew before playing the Olympics that if I can play good tennis, good, solid tennis, I’d have a chance to get a medal.” – Kei Nishikori, who beat Rafael Nadal to win the men’s singles bronze medal.

“With Serena, I expect to win! I’ve got to be honest.” – Venus Williams, who with sister Serena won three Olympic women’s doubles gold medals but lost in the first round at Rio.

“It’s different when you are winning Grand Slams at 16, you think you have another 10 years, at least, at the top of the game. But now that I know it’s coming towards the end and everything is behind me, today is the way it is.” – Martina Hingis.

“You know I am number two in the world and that means a lot to me and that gives me a lot of confidence. I am trying to enjoy every single moment on court here because it is really special. The Olympics you play for your country. And then the Village, it is a little bit different to the normal hotels with all the athletes from the world, so I am really trying to take the energy when I am going on court.” – Angelique Kerber.

“It’s unbelievable. If I could play in 12 Olympics, I’d play in 12 Olympics. Is there senior Olympics for tennis? There should be. Just so that we can come back. It’s been great. It’s so amazing.” – Madison Keys.

“This is only my second Olympics in 20 years. I skipped the other ones because I wasn’t playing tennis, but this is an experience you don’t forget quickly. It’s just so different to the regular tournaments you play. You play for your partner, you play for your country and this is something that I cherish.” – Martina Hingis.

“It’s amazing. I’m staying in the village and it’s an amazing atmosphere over there, it’s like a big family and I feel the support of the other athletes there. We are watching other sports on TV and they are coming to watch tennis, which is pretty close to the village, which is great. It’s amazing and I wish to have Olympics every year.” – Petra Kvitova.

“I would love to try lots of sports. When I went to school, Sports Day was the best day of the year.” – Samantha Stosur.

“I came here for my first Olympic Games with a very open and positive mind and so far the experience has been really great – sleeping in the village, seeing all the other athletes, having a good time. Of course now it is hard to describe this feeling, ending with a very sad and serious injury.” – Philipp Kohlschreiber, who withdrew after the opening round with a stress fracture in his right foot.

 

STUNNER

“Yes I can,” Monica Puig kept repeating to herself. And she did. Puig beat Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-4 4-6 6-1 to win Puerto Rico’s first Olympic gold medal. “It’s just amazing,” said Puig, who is ranked 34th in the world. “I know my country really appreciates this, and I really wanted to give this victory to them.” Puig’s women’s singles title was a shocker, but it ended a week of stunning victories for the right-hander. On her way to the gold medal she also beat reigning French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain and two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. After the two finalists split sets, Puig raced to a 5-0 lead in the decider. She then failed to cash in on three match points, but Kerber squandered six break point chances in the final game. When the German sailed a cross-court backhand wide on championship point, Puig threw her racquet into the air, fell to the ground and cried tears of joy. “I did hear everybody saying, ‘Yes, you can, yes, you can, yes, you can,’” Puig said. “I kept repeating it inside myself, ‘Yes, I can, yes, I can, yes, I can.’” And she did.

Kvitova beat American Madison Keys 7-5 2-6 6-2 to win the bronze medal.

 

SUCCESSFUL REPEAT

Great Britain’s Andy Murray made history by becoming the first player to win the men’s singles gold medal in consecutive Olympics when he fought off Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro 7-5 4-6 6-2 7-5 in a battle that lasted more than four hours. Murray also captured the singles gold four years ago at the London Games. Del Potro entered the Rio final as a big underdog. But despite being ranked 141st in the world, the Argentine had begun his amazing Olympic run by upsetting top-ranked Novak Djokovic, then beating fifth-ranked Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. Murray, though, was able to come up with the key points as both players struggled with fatigue. He broke del Potro in the 12th game of the match to take the opening set. After del Potro evened the match at a set apiece, Murray won four straight games to close out the third set. Serving to send the fourth set to a tiebreak, del Potro instead found Murray’s quickness and all-court game too much to handle. The Scot cashed in on his second match point to clinch the gold.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori won the bronze medal, beating Spain’s Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-7 (1) 6-3.

 

SWEET FINISH

Life-long friends Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina almost didn’t make it to the Rio Olympics. They finally did, however, and ended up with the women’s doubles gold medal, defeating Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinsky and Martina Hingis 6-4 6-4 in the final. “We were supposed to get here Tuesday morning, but we got here Wednesday, but late,” Vesnina said of the pair’s trip from Montreal, Canada. “We got the last two seats in economy class … We gave up our business tickets.” The Russian pair made their trip to Rio pay off. “We stick together, we knew what we wanted and it’s incredible that we got this gold medal in the end,” Vesnina said.

Hingis was playing in her second Olympics, but her first since Atlanta in 1996. The 35-year-old had been scheduled to play mixed doubles with Roger Federer, but he withdrew from the Olympics with an injury. A day later, her doubles teammate, Belinda Bencic, also pulled out of the Games. Hingis was then teamed with Bacsinszky, a pairing that resulted in a silver medal.

In an all-Czech battle, Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova won the bronze by defeating Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-5 6-1.

 

STREAK ENDS

Playing in their first Olympics, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock denied Venus Williams the chance to become the first five-time gold medalist in Olympics tennis history. Instead, Williams wound up with the silver as she and Rajeev Ram fell to their fellow Americans 7-6 (3) 6-1 10-7 (match tiebreak). The first set took 55 minutes before Mattek-Sands and Sock prevailed. After Williams and Ram ripped through the second set to level the match, the teams played a 10-point tiebreak.

Williams has won four gold medals since her Olympic debut in 2000 and is tied with her sister Serena for the most tennis gold medals. Her five medals ties her with Kathleen McKane, who won five in the 1920s, including one gold.

The Czech Republic’s Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek beat India’s Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna 6-1 7-5 for the bronze medal.

 

STILL GOLDEN

Although Rafael Nadal lost to Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the singles semifinals, the Spanish star left Rio de Janeiro with a gold medal. Nadal’s second Olympic gold came in the doubles, where he and Marc Lopez rallied for a break down in the third set to beat Romania’s Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau 6-2 3-6 6-4. “Amazing experience,” Nadal said, “especially doing that with one of my best friends. Nadal and Lopez have known each other since they were young – Nadal says he was 14, Lopez says Nadal was 12. Nadal, who has won a record nine French Open singles titles, rarely plays doubles on the ATP World Tour, but four of his nine tour doubles titles have come with Lopez. Nadal’s first gold medal came in singles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The silver for Mergea and Tecau is Romania’s first Olympic tennis medal.

Steve Johnson and Jack Sock of the United States won the bronze, beating Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil 6-2 6-4.

 

SMASHING WIN

The 6-foot-11 (2.11m) Ivo Karlovic stood tall in Los Cabos, Mexico. The 37-year-old Croatian won his eighth ATP World Tour title, the Abierto Mexicano Los Cabos, by downing Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (5) 6-2. It was the third time in his last four tournaments that Karlovic has reached the final. He slammed 13 aces but wrapped up the title when Lopez double-faulted on match point.

 

SPLITSVILLE

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza are the top-ranked women’s doubles team. They no longer are a team. While admitting on her official Facebook page that the two have split up, Hingis said they would reunite to defend their title at the WTA Finals. Mirza and Hingis, self-dubbed “Santina,” dominated the women’s tour for more than a year, winning 13 titles over a 165-month span, including three majors – the 2015 Wimbledon, 2015 US Open and 2016 Australian Open – besides the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore last fall. But since their 41-match winning streak was snapped in February, the team has won just one title, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. They have failed to make it past the quarterfinals in their last four tournaments. According to reports, Hingis will now team up with CoCo Vandeweghe while Mirza will partner with Barbora Strycova at the Western & Southern Open and the US Open. She also will team up with Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the Connecticut Open.

 

SICK CALL

Injuries don’t take time off for the Olympics. Both Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany and Romania’s Monica Niculescu withdrew before their second-round matches at the Rio Games. Kohlschreiber said he has a stress fracture of his right foot, while Niculescu said she had injured her lower back. “The doctor said that I really should stop right away and I have to rest and make sure it doesn’t become a really big injury,” Kohlschreiber said. Czech Lucie Safarova retired with stomach pain after dropping the first set in her match against Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens.

 

SECURES WILD CARD

Serena Williams is playing in this week’s Western & Southern Open in a bid to keep her number one ranking. Williams received a wild card entry into the hard-court event in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, a Premier 5 event. The two-time defending champion has a 10-match win streak in Cincinnati and a 21-4 match record in seven previous appearances at the tournament. She has played only three matches since winning Wimbledon in July – losing her third-round match at the Rio Olympics to Elina Svitolina. Angelique Kerber, who won the silver medal in Rio, could take over the number one ranking if she wins the Western & Southern Open and Williams loses before the quarterfinals. Kerber is seeking to become the first German to reach the top ranking since Stefanie Graf and would be only the third left-hander to be ranked number one after Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles.

 

SKIPPING CINCY

While Serena Williams has signed up for Cincinnati, the world’s top-ranked male, Novak Djokovic, has withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open with an injured left wrist. “I have a recurring injury that has taken its toll on my body due to a very busy and active schedule this year,” said Djokovic, who was upset in the first round at the Rio Olympics. “I have played many matches and I have to take some rest in order to heal.” Cincinnati is the only Masters 1000 series event Djokovic has never won.

 

SWITCHING COACHES

Tomas Berdych has a new coach: former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic. “Goran, with his playing and coaching experience, as well as his energy, is a perfect addition to the team,” said Berdych, who fired his previous coach Dani Vallverdu in May. Berdych has led the Czech Republic to two Davis Cup titles but has never won a Grand Slam tournament, losing in the Wimbledon final in 2010.

 

STRESSED

Just before Kristina Mladenovic and Carolina Garcia went on court for their first-round women’s doubles match, they were told they could be defaulted if the players did not wear the same colored clothing. Mladenovic lent a spare outfit to Garcia, who has a different clothing sponsor than her partner. The two then raced through the first set 6-0 before Japan’s Misaki Doi and Eri Hozumi rallied to upset the Frenchwomen in three sets. On Twitter Mladenovic and Garcia said the episode affected them and criticized the Federation Francaise de Tennis (FFT) for not informing them of the rules. “To be at the Olympics, about to start our match, and be completely stressed because the ITF (International Tennis Federation) won’t let us play in different colors,” Mladenovic wrote. “Thanks to our federation, so incompetent, to have ruined a sporting moment so important in the careers of Caroline Garcia and me.”

 

SENT HOME

Benoit Paire was kicked off the French Olympic team for “flouting the rules.” Arnaud di Pasquale, technical director of the French tennis squad, refused to divulge the details of Paire’s indiscretions, but said, “You cannot flout the rules and the jersey like this.” Paire was kicked off the team moments after he had lost his second-round match to Italy’s Fabio Fognini 4-6 6-4 7-6 (5). “This is not the first time he has been warned,” di Pasquale said. “The France team, it is not an open bar. There are rules to follow. … We did not see much of him in the Olympic Village.” Paire was a late addition to the French Olympic team, replacing the injured Richard Gasquet.

 

SAYONARA

The US Open, which begins later this month, was be the final tournament for Eric Butorac. After 13 years on the ATP World Tour, Butorac will play doubles at America’s premier tennis event with good friend Scott Lipsky. “I grew up with my dad being around every day,” said the 35-year-old Butorac, whose highest ranking was 17th in the world in doubles. “I want to be around for my kids the same way. I don’t want my son to have to run up to me any more before I get on a plane and say, ‘Daddy, don’t go.’” Butorac and his wife Maggie have two children. Butorac served eight years on the ATP Player Council, including two as vice president under Roger Federer and a two-year term as president. His future job will be Director, Professional Tennis Operations and Player Relations for the USTA and the US Open.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Aptos: Nicolaas Scholtz and Tucker Vorster beat Mackenzie McDonald and Ben McLachlan 6-2 (5) 6-3 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Los Cabos: Purav Raja and Divij Sharan beat Jonathan Erlich and Ken Skupski 7-6 (4) 7-6 (3)

Qindao: Danilo Petrovic and Tak Khunn Wang beat Gong Mao-Xin and Zhang Ze 6-2 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Cincinnati: www.wsopen.com/

New Haven: www.ctopen.org

Winston-Salem: www.winstonsalemopen.com/

New York: www.usopen.org

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$5,004,505 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,503,250 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

 

Monica Puig
Monica Puig

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEE

MEN

$720,940 Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, hard

WOMEN

$695,900 Connecticut Open, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

 

Rafael Nadal Wins Barcelona To Match Guillermo Vilas’ Record – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

 

STARS

Rafael Nadal beat Kei Nishikori 6-4 7-5 to win the Barcelona Open BancSabadell in Barcelona, Spain

Angelique Kerber beat Laura Siegemond 6-4 6-0 to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany

Cagla Buyukakcay beat Danka Kovinic 3-6 6-2 6-3 to win the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open in Istanbul, Turkey

 

SAYING

“I had goosebumps. It’s simply been a perfect week.” – Angelique Kerber, after repeating as Porsche Tennis Grand Prix champion.

“It happened exactly as I feared it would: God pulled the plug on me.” – Laura Siegemond, a qualifier who beat three consecutive top 10 players before falling to Angelique Kerber in the final in Stuttgart, Germany.

“When you play against players with such a high level, the match is often decided by a few moments. So I feel happy that I handled all these important moments well mentally.” – Rafael Nadal, following his victory over Kei Nishikori in the Barcelona Open final.

“I told myself, ‘Enjoy the time,’ because last year when I was watching the ATP event it was packed because of (Roger) Federer. Today, I knew it would be packed because of me, and I told myself, ‘It’s such a big honor for me to pack a stadium.’” – Cagla Buyukakcay, who became the first Turkish player to win a WTA Tour event when she captured the Istanbul Open.

“As I think everyone could see, I was really tired today. I really wanted to win this one, but it wasn’t enough because my body couldn’t follow my mind. In the end, I’m a bit disappointed, but I wasn’t 100 percent fit today.” – Danka Kovinic, after losing the Istanbul Open singles final. She also withdrew from the doubles final with a hamstring injury.

“I’m overwhelmed and speechless. And that doesn’t happen very often.” – Laura Siegemund, after pulling off her third consecutive upset by beating Agnieszka Radwanska to reach the final in Stuttgart, Germany.

“We feel like we’re starting to play some really great tennis again. This week we put together four qualify matches against some really tough teams.” – Mike Bryan, after he and twin Bob won the Barcelona doubles title for the third time.

“Tennis is not really a traditional Olympic sport. If you ask Roger (Federer), I don’t think he dreamed of winning Olympic gold. He probably dreamed of winning Wimbledon seven times, like he has … Our biggest events are the Grand Slams and are always going to be the Grand Slams.” – John Isner, announcing he will skip this summer’s Game in Rio de Janeiro.

“I know that I can’t play forever, that’s normal, and ever since my twins were born seven years ago I began to question my future. However, my body is feeling good and my family supports me a great deal and are happy to travel the world with me. When my body doesn’t hold up any longer and I’m tired when I’m at home, I’ll stop. However, I don’t think that will happen any time soon. I still really enjoy playing, so you will see me for a few years.” – Roger Federer.

STAGGERING NUMBERS

The numbers are becoming staggering. By winning his 49th clay-court title, Rafael Nadal has equaled the record set by Guillermo Vilas. By beating two-time defending champion Kei Nishikori, Nadal won his ninth career Barcelona Open, equaling his title cache at both Roland Garros and Monte Carlo, the latter coming a week ago. No other player has won a tournament nine times. “I’m very happy because besides this being one of the most important tournaments that I have won, this is another week that I am playing very well,” Nadal said. “These have been two fantastic weeks, weeks I have been striving for for a long time.” Nadal saved seven of eight break chances in the first set while converting the two chances he got. He then bettered his Japanese opponent in several superb rallies in the second set to win the key points. “I was playing against the number six player in the world, and if you don’t play at your best you aren’t going to win,” the fifth-ranked Nadal said. Both players showed off their excellent baseline games. It was just that Nadal came up with the final unanswered shot in most of their rallies. “This is truly special,” Nadal said of his records. “I don’t know if it is repeatable. If I have done it, it is possible, but it will be truly difficult.”

 

SPECIAL WIN

Angelique Kerber has another 2016 tournament title to go with her Australian Open crown. And she did it by winning her second straight Porsche Tennis Classic in Stuttgart, Germany. “It’s amazing to be able to defend my title here,” Kerber said. Kerber’s surprising foe in the all-German final was qualifier Laura Siegemund, who reached the title match after eliminated three players ranked in the top 10: Simona Halep, Roberta Vinci and Agnieszka Radwanska. “I have never felt so much emotion out on the tennis court as I have in the last few days,” Siegemund said. “I haven’t had a day off here and no time to enjoy my results, so I’ll definitely do that now.” A trained psychologist who is working towards her doctorate, the 28-year-old Siegemund reached her first career final without dropping a set. She appeared she would keep it up by winning the first three games. Instead, she won only one more game in the entire match.

 

SHOCKER

When Cagla Buyukakcay captured the Istanbul Cup, she made history by becoming the first Turkish player to win a WTA Tour title. The 26-year-old Buyukakcay had to come from behind to down Danka Kovinic 3-6 6-2 6-3. Spurred on by a partisan crowd, Buyukakcay dominated the second set, then broke Kovinic’s serve in the fourth game of the decider. “It’s an incredible week for me to win the title at home, to break into the Top 100 with this tournament, to play against someone with my crowd,” the winner said. “It was an amazing atmosphere today. I was playing better and better every day, but of course every day is another day, so I didn’t expect to win at the beginning of the week. I’m so excited and so happy for today.” The 26-year-old Buyukakcay lost in straight sets to Kovinic two weeks ago. This time, she saved 10 of 12 break points she faced during the two-hour, 23-minute final.

Kovinic also reached the doubles final with partner Xenia Knoll. But following a lengthy on-court concert, Kovinic was forced to withdraw because of a left hamstring injury. That gave the title to Turkey’s Ipek Soylu and Romania’s Andreea Mitu.

 

STAYING HOME?

There’s a slight chance Andy Murray might skip Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarterfinal tie in Serbia scheduled for July 15-17. With Murray leading the way, Britain last year won its first Davis Cup title in 79 years. The Scot has a hectic schedule with three Grand Slam tournaments – the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open – as well as the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro to go this year. Serbia’s top player, world number one Novak Djokovic, could also skip the Davis Cup tie.

 

STOPPED BY RAIN

Rain washed out both singles and doubles title matches at the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, pushing the ending of the Bucharest, Romania, clay court tournament back to Monday. Home favorites Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau won the opening set of the doubles final 7-5 over Chris Guccione and Andre Sa before the rain began. Tecau was seeking his fourth title on home soil with a fourth different partner. He won with Robert Lindstedt in 2012, Max Mirnyi in 2013 and Jean-Julien Rojer in 2014. By winning the final, Tecau would claim his 300th career match victory. The singles final pitted Lucas Pouille of France against Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. The 22-year-old Frenchman had reached his first ATP World Tour final.

 

SAID WHAT?

A young Russian was disqualified from a tennis tournament for questioning the impartiality of the umpire because of her race. The case has drawn comparisons to Lleyton Hewitt’s comments during a second-round US Open victory over American James Blake in 2001, the year Hewitt won the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. Daniil Medvedev of Russia was disqualified from the Savannah Challenger in Savannah, Georgia, USA, a USD $50,000 event, while trailing American Donald Young 4-1 in the opening set. In the fifth game Medvedev thought he had broken Young with a forehand down the line at 15-40. But it was called wide by chair umpire Sandy French. Medvedev, who had already gone to his chair for what he thought was a changeover, was told to resume play. As he returned to the court, he told the umpire: “I know that you are friends. I am sure about it.” Both French and Young are African Americans. At the end of the game tournament supervisor Keith Crossland came onto the court and, following a lengthy discussion with Medvedev, supported the default call against the Russian for “racist comment.”

At the 2001 US Open, Hewitt, then 20 years old, was twice called for a foot fault in the third set by line judge Marion Johnson. When he lost the game, Hewitt demanded that Johnson be replaced. “I’ve only been foot-faulted up one end,” Hewitt told chair umpire Andreas Egli. “Then, while gesturing towards Johnson and Blake, Hewitt said, “Look at him and you tell me what the similarity is. Get him off the court. Look at what he’s done.” Hewitt has always stressed that his call for the linesman to be removed had nothing to do with the color of his skin. The linesman was changed and Lleyton was cleared by the International Tennis Association (ITA), which found there was no evidence to bring charges against the Australian for making a racist comment. Hewitt went on to win the US Open, his second and last Grand Slam tournament title.

 

STAYING HOME

John Isner won’t be heading to the Olympic Games this summer. America’s top-ranked male player says he will focus instead on the American hard-court season. “It’s a decision I didn’t take lightly,” said Isner, who is ranked 16th in the world. The 30-year-old Isner plans instead on playing at the Citi Open in Washington, DC, from July 16-24 and The BB&T Atlanta Open, which is played Aug. 1-7, the week before tennis begins in Rio. “Logistically it would be pretty much impossible for me to do both,” he said. Unlike recent Olympics, players at Rio will not be awarded ranking points. “We can confirm that there will be no ranking points for men or women at the 2016 Olympic tennis event,” said Nick Imison, an International Tennis Federation spokesman. “However, we believe that players are honored to play the Olympics and that ranking points are not a consideration for their participation.”

 

SIEGEMUND’S RUN

She’s 28 years old, a qualifier ranked 71st in the world who had never won a WTA tournament and only qualified for the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at Wimbledon last year. Yet Laura Siegemund pulled off surprise after surprise at the Stuttgart Open to reach the final. Her first victim was Simona Halep, who fell 6-1 6-2 in the second round of the clay court tournament. “I think it’d be presumptuous to say (the match) was perfect, because there is always something to improve,” Siegemund said of her win over her Romanian opponent. “But that was very good and of course I’m mega happy. I have not expected that it would go so smoothly. I just played point by point. Sure, it’s definitely the biggest win of my career, but now after the match I can only say I have made few mistakes.” Then came Roberta Vinci, a US Open finalist last year. And again Siegemund triumphed, this time 6-1 6-4. Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was next in line – and the next one to fall before the German qualifier, 6-4 6-2. In the title match, she faced her fourth straight Top 10 player: reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber.

 

SANIA MIRZA INFLUENTIAL

Time Magazine has listed Sania Mirza of India among the 100 most influential people in the world. The only tennis player on the list, Mirza made history in 2015 when she became the first Indian woman to achieve a number one ranking in tennis, win a Grand Slam tournament title and a second WTA Finals title. In his tribute to her in the magazine, Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest cricket players of all time, wrote: “The Mirzas probably knew what the future held for their daughter. Her name, Sania, means brilliant.”

 

STRASSE FEDERER

Roger Federer is now a destination. At least Allee Roger Federer is. Switzerland honored its greatest tennis player by naming a street in Biel the Allee Roger Federer. The street will connect the new Swiss Tennis Centre at the Tissot Arena, which will open in 2017, with the Champs-de-Boujean. When he was a junior, Federer trained in the region. “I am very moved,” the 17-time Grand Slam tournament winner said. “I never thought I would see a street named after me. I hope that we will see future champions on the Allee Roger Federer.” It’s not the first time Federer has had a street named for him. In Germany, the city of Halle unveiled “Roger-Federer-Allee” in 2012 after he had won the grass court tournament there five times. He has since won the Halle tournament three more times.

 

SUSPENDED

Majid Abedini of Iran was provisionally suspended after he chased a tournament official off the court at a USD $10,000 Futures event in Antalya, Turkey. Trailing in his qualifying match 6-0 2-0, the 29-year-old Abedini chased the official, who ran off the court and shut the gate behind him. Abedini kicked the gate and beat it with his racquet while screaming at the official. Abedini was defaulted from the match, giving Imran Aswat of Great Britain the victory. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Abedini faces an investigation for a possible “major offense of aggravated behavior” and any long-term sanction will be announced after the investigation is complete.

 

SHARED PEFORMANCES

Barcelona: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers 7-5 7-5

Istanbul: Andreea Mitu and Ipek Soylu beat Xenia Knoll and Danka Kovinic, walkover

Stuttgart: Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic beat Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza 2-6 6-1 10-6 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Munich: http://bmwopen.de/

Estoril: www.millenniumestorilopen.com/en/

Istanbul: http://istanbulopen.kozawos.com/

Prague: www.jtbopen.cz/en/news

Rabat: http://frmt.ma/frmt/

Madrid: www.madrid-open.com/

Busan: www.busanopen.org/new/main.html

Aix En Provence: http://opendupaysdaix.com/

Anning: www.wqbd.com.cn

Cagnes-Sur-Mer: www.opendecagnes.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$586,561 Millennium Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay

$586,561 BMW Open by FWU AG, Munich, Germany, clay

$485,760 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open, Istanbul, Turkey, clay

 

WOMEN

$250,000 J&T Banka Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay

$250,000 GP SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Rabat, Morocco, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$6,417,170 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay

$100,000 Busan Open Challenger Tour Tennis, Busan, South Korea, hard

$100,000 Open Du Pays D’Aix, Aix En Provence, France, clay

 

WOMEN

$5,353,230 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay

$100,000 Anning Tennis Tournament, Anning, China, clay

$100,000 Engie Open de Cagnes-Sur Mer Alpes Maritimes, Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France, clay

 

Maria Sharapova Denies She Was Warned 5 Times About Drug Meldonium – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

(Indian Wells – First Week)

Denisa Allertova beat second-seeded Angelique Kerber 7-5 7-5

Kurumi Nara beat 10th-seeded Venus Williams 6-4 6-3

 

SAYING

“It was enough of a fairytale to come here and play. A win would have been nice, but that means I have to come back, play next year.” – Venus Williams, who lost in her first match at Key Biscayne since 2001.

“I found my game again.” – Eugenie Bouchard, who has won more matches already this year than she did in all of 2015, when she posted a 12-18 record.

“I played to protect. When you get out there you have to play to win. It was unfortunate, but this whole tennis thing it’s definitely a learning process. So I know that I have things to work on, and hopefully going into next week I can get myself together and have a good week next week.” –Sloane Stephens, after losing to Eugenie Bouchard.

“The first set was a little tricky. I kind of had to figure out and figure out my game, and find that inner tiger and, you know, roar.” – Serena Williams, after beating Yulia Putintseva 7-6 (2) 6-0.

“I’m proud of how I have played the game. I have been honest and upfront.” – Maria Sharapova, admitting she had failed a drug test.

“Chris has done an excellent job and shown great leadership since heading up the ATP. The Tour is in great shape and I’m pleased to see that he will serve a second term.” – Roger Federer, on Chris Kermode being named ATP executive director and president to a second three-year term.

 

SHOCKER

Now that she’s a Grand Slam tournament champion, Angelique Kerber is finding out she is a target. The latest to hit that target was Denisa Allertova, who upset the second-seeded Kerber 7-5 7-5 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open. “I just tried to play and just focus on every point, tried moving and playing into the court,” Allertova said. “I don’t know. I just tried to play my best.” Ranked 64th in the world, Allertova had beaten only one Top 5 player before last week. She stopped Simona Halep in Guangzhou, China, last year. And it appeared as if Kerber would easily take out the Czech, breaking Allertova in the very first game. But Allertova used her vicious angles and changing the pace to keep Kerber off-balance. She broke right back then broke Kerber again in the 12th game to grab the opening set. Allertova hit just 12 winners in the second set, compared to 25 in the first, but had just enough to break Kerber twice and wrap up the match in straight sets. “It’s an amazing feeling,” the winner said.

 

SPANISH COMEBACK

Having admitted she failed a drug test, Maria Sharapova hit back at suggestions she had received five separate warnings about changes to tennis’ anti-doping rules. A defiant Sharapova said she had received one clear notice in December titled “Main Changes to the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme for 2016.” “I should have paid more attention to it,” the Russian superstar said. “But the other ‘communications.” They were buried in newsletters, websites or handouts.” The 28-year-old also insisted that she has never faked an injury to try and foil the drug testers. Sharapova has missed quite a bit of time with various injuries during her career. She tested positive for meldonium, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list on January 1. She admitted to taking the drug for the past decade to treat illnesses, a heart issue and a magnesium deficiency. “I didn’t take the medicine every day,” Sharapova said. “I took it the way my doctor recommended I take it and I took it in the low doses recommended.” She said she is eager to have her hearing with International Tennis Federation officials so she can give her side of the story. The highest-paid woman in tennis, Sharapova said she hopes to return to the sport but admits that her career may be in jeopardy.” At least three sponsors have dropped her since her announcement.

Sharapova isn’t the only Russian athlete to test positive for the drug meldonium. Others found to have taken meldonium include figure skater Ekaterina Bobrova, speed skater Pavel Kulizhnikov and short-track speed skaters Semion Elistratov and Ekaterina Konstantinova. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told Russia’s R-Sport agency that law enforcers are already investigating how meldonium had got into the bodies of Russian skaters. According to R-Sport, Dvorkovich said each case would be examined to establish whether competitors were to blame or “provocation by unknown persons.”

 

SPANISH IRE

Doping accusations against Rafael Nadal have been denied by the Spanish government and Olympic committee. Former French Minister for Health and Sport Roselyne Bachelot told French television that Nadal’s seven-month injury hiatus in 2012 was “probably due to a positive doping test.” Nadal’s coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, called Bachelot “an imbecile,” according to Spanish media. The Spanish Olympic Committee said Nadal “has been submitted to innumerable anti-doping controls that he has always passed throughout his long career.” Miguel Cardenal, president of Spain’s Higher Sports Council, said Bachelot’s accusations were “slander of one of the most important athletes in history.”

 

SHORT STAY

Venus Williams’ return to Indian Wells was satisfying but short. The warm greeting by the crowd brought a huge smile to the face of Venus, who was playing the tournament for the first time since 2001. That was when she withdrew with an injury from a semifinal match with Serena, drawing the ire of the crowd aimed at the Williams family. Serena made her return last year and was the reason her older sister showed up at this year’s BNP Paribas Open. The fairytale ending never happened, however, as Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara upset the 10th-seeded Venus 6-4 6-3.

 

SASCHA STRIKE

Sascha Zverev made a strong bid to become the next big player as he knocked off 23rd-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 3-6 7-5 to move into the third round at the BNP Paribas Open. Zverev at 18 is the youngest players still in the contention at the year’s first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. Against Dimitrov, Zverev saved nine of 11 break points in the nearly 2½ -hour battle. “I tried to stay as calm as I could,” Zverev said. “Grigor played well for an hour or so, from the middle of the second set until the middle of the third. He didn’t give me many chances, but I knew I would get my opportunities. And I used them well.” When Dimitrov won the second set to even the match, Zverev smashed his racquet against the court and received a warning from the chair umpire. It was Dimitrov who appeared to have the momentum in the decisive third set, grabbing a 3-1 lead. But Zverev, used heavy cross-court groundstrokes to pull even, then broke his Bulgarian opponent in the 12th game to close out the victory. “Grigor is such a good player. He has so much potential to really do well,” Zverev said. “We will see (this matchup) a lot in the future.”

 

SWISS STOP

The WTA Tour is returning to Switzerland. The Ladies Championships in Gstaad, Switzerland, will replace Bad Gastein, Austria, on the women’s calendar. The clay court event will be played from July 11-18, immediately after Wimbledon. The men’s Swiss Open will follow the next week on the same courts. There last was a WTA event in Gstaad in 1983. The last women’s tournament in Switzerland was the indoor Zurich Open in October 2008, which was won by Venus Williams.

 

STOPPED BY INJURY

Sixth-seeded Carla Suárez Navarro of Spain never got a chance to play in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, USA. “I twist my ankle yesterday and today I tried to warm up, but I’m not 100 percent,” Suárez Navarro said. “So I will try to rest, recover and be ready for Miami. The Spaniard was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany, who lost to Russia’s Daria Kasaktina 7-5 6-3.

 

SHE’S BACK

Eugenie Bouchard is putting 2015 behind her. Canada’s top player was ranked as high as fourth in the world in 2014. But last year she struggled, posting a 12-18 record. Now she’s playing like she did two years ago, knocking off 22nd-seeded Sloane Stephens 7-5 7-5 at Indian Wells. It was the first time Bouchard had beaten a player ranked in the Top 25 since the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open in 2014. And her win over Stephens was her tour-leading 15th of the season. “It’s important to me because it’s kind of on my comeback as I have kind of called this year,” Bouchard said. “It gives me confidence looking forward. You know, I don’t want to look back or don’t want to think about 2014 or 215 really, so this one is important. It’s kind of a step forward, and I just want to keep going.”

 

STAT

Nine German women were in the draw at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, led by Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber. None won a match.

 

SAID WHAT?

Nick Kyrgios is in trouble again. Umpire Damien Dumusois said the Australian had used foul language and docked the player a point. “You used the F word,” Dumusois told Kyrgios, who protested. Then, after briefly taking a seat in the crowd, Kyrgios approached the umpire and said, “I didn’t say anything.” Dumusois replied: “Nick. You know we are strict on the F world … I have a report from an official. I trust him.” Kyrgios lost the second-round match to Spaniard Albert Ramos 7-6 (4) 7-5.

The week before, Kyrgios was embroiled in another spat when Bernard Tomic accused his countryman of feigning illness to miss a Davis Cup tie that Australia lost to the United States.

 

SECOND TERM

Chris Kermode will stay on as executive chairman and president of the ATP. Kermode began his first three-year term in January 2014; the extension runs through 2019. “I’ve taken great pleasure in leading the ATP since 2014, and I’m delighted to continue in my role as executive chairman and president,” Kermode said. “Just as importantly, I look forward to working with the other governing bodies of tennis to continue to protect the integrity of our sport.” Under Kermode’s guidance, a record 4.5 million fans attended ATP World Tour events last year, while more than 1 billion television viewers tuned in throughout the season. Prize money on the ATP World Tour is set to reach a record US $135 million by 2018. Kermode will continue to be based in London.

 

SAD NEWS

Bruno Agostinelli Jr., a former member of Canada’s Davis Cup team, was killed in a motorcycle crash near Toronto. He was 28. A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Agostinelli won the fifth and deciding rubber for Canada at a Davis Cup tie against Peru in 2009. He had played collegiately at the University Kentucky where he was an all-American and named Kentucky’s male athlete of the year in 2009. After his brief stint on the ATP World Tour, Agostinelli was named national coach for under-14 players at Tennis Canada’s national junior training program in Toronto.

 

SURFING

Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/

Guadalajara: www.jalisco-open.com/

Irving: http://irvingtennisclassic.com/

San Antonio: www.sanantonioopen.tennis/

Miami: www.miamiopen.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$7,037,595 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (second week)

$125,000 Irving Tennis Classic, Irving, Texas, USA, hard

$100,000 Jalisco Open, Guadalajara, Mexico, hard

 

WOMEN

$7,037,595 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (second week)

$125,000 San Antonio Open, San Antonio, Texas, USA, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$6,267,755 ATP World Tour Masters Miami, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (first week)

 

WOMEN

$6,267,755 Miami Open, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (first week)

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova

Novak Djokovic, Angelique Kerber Reign Supreme at Australian Open – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

 

STARS

Australian Open

Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-1 7-5 7-6 (3)

Women’s Singles: Angelique Kerber beat Serena Williams 6-4 3-6 6-4

Men’s Doubles: Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat Daniel Nestor and Radek Stepanek 2-6 6-4 7-5

Women’s Doubles: Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza beat Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-6 (1) 6-3

Mixed Doubles: Elena Vesnina and Bruno Soares beat Coco Vandeweghe and Horia Tecau 6-4 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Junior Boys Singles: Oliver Anderson beat Jurabeck Karimov 6-2 1-6 6-1

Junior Girls Singles: Vera Lapko beat Tereza Mihalikova 6-3 6-4

Junior Boys Doubles: Alex De Minaur and Blake Ellis beat Lukas Klein and Patrik Rikl 3-6 7-5 12-10 (match tiebreak)

Junior Girls Doubles: Anna Kalinskaya and Tereza Mihalikova beat Dayana Yastremska and Anastasia Zarytska 6-1 6-1

Men’s Wheelchair Singles: Gordon Reid beat Joachim Gerard 7-6 (7) 6-4

Women’s Wheelchair Singles: Jiske Griffioen beat Aniek Van Koot 6-3 7-5

Men’s Wheelchair Doubles: Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer beat Gordon Reid and Shingo Kunieda 6-3 3-6 7-5

Women’s Wheelchair Doubles: Marjolein Buis and Yui Kamiji beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 6-2 6-2 

Quad Wheelchair Singles: Lucas Sithole beat Andrew Lapthorne 2-6 6-1 6-0

Quad Wheelchair Doubles: David Wagner and Lucas Sithole beat Andrew Lapthorne and Dylan Alcott 6-1 6-3

 

SAYING

“No doubt that I’m playing the best tennis of my life in the last 15 months. Everything is going well privately, as well. I became a father and husband, have a family, so I feel like I’m at the point in my life where everything is working in harmony. I’ll try to keep it that way.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning the Australian Open for a record-tying sixth time.

“I feel like I’ve been here before.” – Andy Murray, accepting his fifth runner-up trophy at the Australian Open.

“She had an attitude that I think a lot of people can learn from: just to always stay positive and to never give up. I was really inspired by that. So, honestly, she’s a really good girl. If I couldn’t win, I’m happy she did.” – Serena Williams, on losing to Angelique Kerber.

“I’m extremely honored to be named alongside legends of the game like Rod Laver. Roy Emerson is not with us, it’s a great privilege to match the record of one of the greatest players to play the game.” – Novak Djokovic

“To my wife Kim, who I’m sure is watching back home now. You have been a legend for the last two weeks and thank you for all your support. I’ll be on the next flight home.” – Andy Murray,

“I look to be the best I can be. Like I keep saying, I don’t look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘You’re number this in the world.’ That’s not how I view my career and my life. I just will go back, keep working hard, keep improving the things that I want to improve and keep enjoying what I’m doing.” – Johanna Konta, after losing her semifinal match to Angelique Kerber.

“I mean, she’s had a great month. She got to the finals in Brisbane. She won here. So, yeah, I was surprised and really happy for her. I’m like, whoa, number two. What’s after two is one, so I guess I better be careful.” – Serena Williams, noting Angelique Kerber’s Australian Open win moved Kerber to number two in the world behind Williams.

“I’ve already played seven matches. Before today I was thinking, ‘OK, today is the final.’ When somebody wins six matches at a Grand Slam, it’s already the final, right?” – Zhang Shuai, after winning her fourth-round match against American Madison Keys.

 

SUPERMAN

It’s becoming habit-forming. Novak Djokovic won his third straight Grand Slam tournament title, capturing his record-tying sixth Australian Open by beating Andy Murray in the Down Under final for the fourth time. “It’s an incredible feeling, especially because of the fact that I managed to make history tonight and equal Roy Emerson’s record of six Australian Opens,” Djokovic said. It also was Djokovic’s 11th major title, tying him with Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg. Roger Federer leads, having won 17 Grand Slam tournament singles titles, while Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras are second with 14 each and Emerson with 13. Murray’s defeat was his fifth in five finals at the Australian Open. “This trophy is even more unique for me tonight and when you have an opportunity to make history it adds to the motivation and incentive before you come out on the court,” Djokovic said. He proved just that when he won the first five games of the match and went on to dominate the world’s second-ranked player. Djokovic also extended his major winning streak to 21 matches. He has not lost a Grand Slam tournament match since being upset by Stan Wawrinka in last year’s final at Roland Garros. The 28-year-old Serbian won 24 more points than Murray – 123-99 – while the Scot committed 65 unforced errors.

 

STUNNER

Angelique Kerber is a believer. She’s also now a Grand Slam tournament champion. “You must be relaxed and you must really believe in yourself,” Kerber said. “This is actually the biggest thing I learned also in these two weeks, to go for it.” It paid off as the Germany shocked overwhelming favorite Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam tournament title. “The mental part, it’s really big,” the 28-year-old German said. “I was able to see it also.” Until now, Kerber had never gone past the semifinals in a major. The left-hander’s confidence soared when she beat two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals. “When I won against Azarenka, that showed me that I really am a good player and I can show it as well on the big courts,” Kerber said. Williams had marched the through year’s first major tournament by not only not dropping a set, but dominating her opponents, including five-time major winner Maria Sharapova. When Williams won the second set to level the match at one set apiece, it appeared the world’s top-ranked woman was reading to tie Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam tournament titles. Instead, it was Kerber winning her first major. “With this win, you have not only fulfilled your big dream, but 17 years after Steffi Graf, also the millions of tennis fans hoping for a German win at a Grand Slam tournament,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The upset also moves Kerber to second in the world in the WTA rankings, just one spot below Williams.

 

SIBLING SUCCESS

Five times Andy Murray has reached the Australian Open final only to lose. Not so his brother, Jamie, who teamed with Brazil’s Bruno Soares to win the men’s doubles by knocking off Czech veteran Radek Stepanek and Canadian Daniel Nestor. It was the first doubles title for the newly formed team playing in its first Grand Slam tournament. In the stands watching his brother was Andy Murray, who filmed the trophy presentation on his cell phone. “Andy, you should be in bed, I don’t know why you’re here taking photos,” Jamie Murray said in his acceptance speech the night before Andy lost to Novak Djokovic in the singles final. The result marked the fifth straight year that a different doubles team had won the title. American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan were the last team to successfully defend the title in 2011. This year’s Australian Open was the first time brothers played in both the doubles and singles finals.

 

STELLAR PLAY

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza are proving to be a winning combination. The two won their first Australian Open women’s doubles title together with a straight-set victory over Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka. Hingis is no stranger on the victor’s stand. It was the 12th Grand Slam women’s doubles title for the Hall of Famer, while the third major for India’s Mirza, all with her Swiss partner in the last year. The pair have now won 36 consecutive doubles matches, including Wimbledon and the US Open. “Thanks to my partner, we have had an incredible year,” Mirza said. “We keep going and it’s great to have all these records with you.” Bothered by her right shoulder, Hingis took a medical timeout at the end of the first set to undergo treatment. The ailment did not appear to bother her in the second set.

 

STREAKING HOME

Andy Murray wasted no time getting out of town after losing for the fifth time in the Australian Open final. But it wasn’t the loss to Novak Djokovic that sent the world’s number two-ranked player scurrying back to Great Britain. Murray’s wife is expecting their first child. He had said that he would pull out of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament if she went into labor. Murray also was rocked midway through the tournament when his wife’s father, Nigel Sears, collapsed at Rod Laver Arena and was rushed to the hospital. Sears is the coach of Ana Ivanovic and was watching her match when he collapsed. He has since recovered and returned home to Great Britain.

 

SET FOR INDIAN WELLS

Venus Williams will join her sister Serena at Indian Wells, California, USA. The older sister is ending her 14-year boycott of the hard-court event. She has not played the Southern California tournament since 2001, when she defaulted a semifinal match to Serena. Fans booed Venus and her father, Richard, when they entered the stadium to watch Serena in the final. The sisters and their father said fans also made racial remarks, the reason for staying away. Serena Williams ended her boycott of the event last year, saying it was time for forgiveness. “We are thrilled that Venus Williams, one of the greatest women’s players in the history of the game, is returning to play,” Indian Wells tournament chief executive Raymond Moore said. “Our fans embraced Serena last year and we expect nothing less for Venus when she returns to compete at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.” Also in the field will be defending champion Simona Halep of Romania, Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza, Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, Russia’s Maria Sharapova and Czech Petra Kvitova.

 

SEEKING SLAM SUCCESS

Now that she’s reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament, Great Britain’s Johanna Konta is hungry for more success. Konta became the first British woman to reach the final four of a Grand Slam event in more than 30 years and only the third in Australia in the Open Era after Virginia Wade and Sue Barker. She began her remarkable fortnight by upsetting Venus Williams, and also knocked out last year’s semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova. Konta lost to eventual champion Angelique Kerber. “I don’t think I missed an opportunity,” Konta said after falling to Kerber. “I played against a better player today who earned her right into a Grand Slam final. … But I’m really taking a lot of positive things from it. I’m really hungry to keep improving and keep enjoying what I’m doing. So that’s where I’m at.”

Konta will skip this week’s Euro-Africa Zone Fed Cup competition because of an intestinal issue. Konta had been due to lead Great Britain’s team in Eilat, Israel. “I have been advised by the doctors that playing there would jeopardize an ongoing intestinal issue that got progressively worse through the Australian Open,” Konta said in a statement. Britain will play Georgia and South Africa in the round-robin phase, with the group winner then having a playoff.

 

SHUAI’S SONG

Zhang Shuai became the fourth Chinese player to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament when she upset American Madison Keys. After almost losing in the last round of qualifying – her opponent, Virginie Razzano, served for the match in the third set – Zhang began her amazing run by shocking the world’s number two player, Simona Halep, 6-4 6-3. Zhang joins Australian Open winner Li Na, Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai as Chinese players who have played in a Grand Slam tournament quarterfinal. Her remarkable run guaranteed Zhang of being China’s new number one player. Prior to this year’s Australian Open, Zhang was 0-14 in Grand Slam tournaments and had lost 20 straight sets at the majors. And she was considering retirement. Things have changed dramatically. “Right now, after this tournament, I need a long break,” she said.

 

STARTING NEW EVENT

Roger Federer’s management firm and a Brazilian businessman are planning to establish the Laver Cup, a Ryder Cup-style team event that will pit the top players from Europe against the best players from the rest of the world. The first event will be held over three days in September shortly after the US Open, except in Olympic years. Laver said he was honored to put his name on the new competition. The Hall of Famer also said he didn’t think it would detract from the Davis Cup, an international men’s team event. “The Davis Cup format was country to country. This is Europe against the rest of the world,” Laver said. “Hopefully the best players will want to participate.” The Brazilian businessman is Jorge Paulo Lemann, who played Davis Cup for Brazil and Switzerland.

 

SITE PROBLEMS?

Gael Monfils has problems with the French Davis Cup team playing a home tie in Guadeloupe. That doesn’t worry French Davis Cup captain Yannick Noah. The former French Open winner pushed for the first-round tie to be played on the Caribbean island, a French possession. “We decided to play on clay for technical reasons. We are going there to try and win,” Noah said. “After that comes the moods of each other, on the court and off it. To go and play in Guadeloupe, for me, is fantastic. People who do not say this is great do not understand. I do not understand the problem.” Monfils, whose father is from Guadeloupe, claimed 80 percent of players “initially did not want to play,” but said he supported Noah. “He is the captain, he decides and we follow,” Monfils said. “I want to play for France and for the shirt, and I will make the effort to go.”

 

SHARAPOVA NAMED

When Russia takes on the Netherlands in a first-round Fed Cup tie, Maria Sharapova will be ready to take the court. Under the rules, Sharapova is required to make one more Fed Cup appearance for Russia in order to be eligible to represent her country at the Rio Olympics in August. Others named to the team were Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ekaterina Makarova and Darya Kasatkina. The Dutch have named Kiki Bertens to the squad along with Richel Hogenkamp, Cindy Burger and Arantxa Rus.

 

SELECTED

When Rod Laver was appointed a companion (AC) Of the Order of Australia along with Lleyton Hewitt and sports administrator Davis Gallop, the only surprise was that Laver hadn’t previously been honored. The left-hander – the only player to win two calendar-year Grand Slams, in 1962 and 1969 – was made a Member of the British Empire in 1970. The Australian honor took much longer. The 77-year-old Laver was recognized for his “eminent service to tennis as a player, representative and mentor, at the national and international level, and as a role model for young sportsmen and women.” The Order of Australia voters should have noted the name of the Australian Open’s main stadium: Rod Laver Arena.

 

SURFING

Fed Cup: http://www.fedcup.com/

Quito: www.ecuadoropenquito.com/

Montpellier: www.opensuddefrance.com/

Sofia: http://sofiaopen.bg/en

Dallas: www.tennischampionshipsofdallas.com/

Midland: www.dowcorningtennisclassic.com

St. Petersburg: http://wta.formulatx.com/en/

Kaosiung: www.taiwanopen.com.tw/EN/

Buenos Aires: http://argentinaopenatp.com/

Rotterdam: www.abnamrowtt.nl/

Memphis: www.memphisopen.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$485,760 Open Sud de France, Montpellier, France, hard

$485,760 Ecuador Open, Quito, Ecuador, clay

$485,760 Garanti Koza Sofia Open, Sofia, Bulgaria, hard

$100,000 Tennis Championships of Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$100,000 Dow Corning Tennis Classic, Midland, Michigan, USA, hard

 

FED CUP

World Group (First Round)

Romania vs. Czech Republic at Cluj-Napoca, Romania, hard

Germany vs. Switzerland at Leipzig, Germany, hard

France vs. Italy at Marseille, France, hard

Russia vs. Netherland at Moscow, Russia, hard

 

World Group II (First Round)

Slovakia vs. Australia at Bratislava, Slovakia, hard

Canada vs. Belarus at Québec City, Québec, Canada, hard

United States vs. Poland at Kailua Kona, Hawaii, USA, hard

Serbia vs. Spain at Kraljevo, Serbia, hard

 

Group I (Round Robin)

Europe/Africa Zone at Eilat, Israel, hard: Pool A: Sweden, Portugal, Ukraine; Pool B: Great Britain, Georgia, South Africa; Pool C: Croatia, Estonia, Israel, Turkey; Pool D: Hungary, Belgium, Bulgaria, Latvia

Americas Zone at Santa Cruz, Bolivia, clay: Pool A: Paraguay, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico; Pool B: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru

Asia/Oceania Zone at Hua Hin, Thailand, hard: Pool A: Japan, India, Thailand, Uzbekistan; Pool B: Kazakhstan, China, Korea, Chinese Taipei

 

Group II (Round-Robin)

Americas Zone, at Bayamon, Puerto Rico, hard: Bahamas, Costa Rica; Guatemala; Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Chile, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Uruguay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,500,755 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, Netherlands, hard

$639,070 Memphis Open, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard

$567,760 Argentina Open, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

 

WOMEN

$685,900 St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

$426,750 Taiwan Open, Kaosiung, Taiwan, hard

 

Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber

Roger Federer, Andy Murray Win On Grass – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene  

 

STARS

Roger Federer beat Andreas Seppi 7-6 (1) 6-4 to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany

Andy Murray beat Kevin Anderson 6-3 6-4 to win the Aegon Championships in London, Great Britain

Angelique Kerber beat Karolina Pliskova 6-7 (5) 6-3 7-6 (4) to win the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain

 

SAYING

“You want to go into Wimbledon with grass matches under your belt. I’m playing better than I did in 2013, but it’s extremely difficult to win these events.” – Andy Murray, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, after capturing Queen’s Club.

“It was an amazing match, and for a final it was perfect. It sounds good to have my name on the trophy next to Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, and I am proud of what I have achieved this week.” – Angelique Kerber, following her winning the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain.

“I did everything I could. So I am not really disappointed to play a match like this in a final.” – Karolina Pliskova, after losing the Aegon Classic final to Angelique Kerber.

“I don’t want to take a big risk for Wimbledon, so I just retired from the match.” – Kei Nishikori, explaining why he stopped play in his semifinal against Andreas Seppi.

“He’s so loved. He gives of himself. It would be 100 percent correct to call Roger the pre-eminent worldwide athlete of the past decade. (Basketball star) LeBron (James) is huge. but internationally not as popular as Roger.” – Chris Evert, speaking about Roger Federer.

“Sometimes you can’t do anything. You have to hope for a bit of luck or that you don’t make a mistake at an important moment. The whole match can change in a moment. Thankfully it went well, though I had a bit of luck in the tiebreak.” – Roger Federer, talking about Ivo Karlovic’s serve.

“I still went out there with the intention of winning. You never go out there just hoping to get through a match. But it was a lot closer than the score suggested. That’s the way I thought anyway. – Laura Robson, whose first match back after an 18-month layoff resulted in a 6-0 6-1 defeat.

 

SWISS MASTERS HALLE

For a record eighth time, Roger Federer captured the Gerry Weber Open grass court tournament. The Swiss great has not won Halle more times than any other tournament. It also was his fourth title of the year, bringing his career total to 86. “It is a special moment for me, to win this tournament an eighth time,” Federer told the crowd. “I have always enjoyed amazing support here all these year. I always enjoy it here and it is one of my favorite events.” The top-seeded Swiss right-hander saved two set points on his serve when he trailed 5-4 in the opening set. He captured the tiebreak 7-1, and then fought off a break point in the fifth game of the second set. Federer missed a chance to break his Italian opponent in the eighth game, but did everything right two games later to close out the victory with a spectacular overhead smash. “2013 was difficult, 2014 was better and now 2015 after this week is even better and I hope I can keep it up,” Federer said. He has won Wimbledon and Dubai seven times each.

 

SIZZLING SCOT

Winning Queen’s Club is becoming a habit for Andy Murray. The Scot swept to a record-equaling fourth Queen’s Club title by stopping South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in the title match. Murray joins a select group who have won the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up event four times, including John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt. It also is Murray’s first grass-court triumph since he won Wimbledon in 2013. “I played better as the week went on,” Murray said. “I came up with some great shots today, and I had to play that way if I wanted to win.” Murray has now won 34 career ATP titles, pulling even with Arthur Ashe, Michael Chang and John Newcombe. Because of rain during the week, Murray had to play two matches on final day. He beat Serbia’s Viktor Troicki 6-3 7-6 (4) before taking a two-hour and coming back on court to capture the crown.

 

SERVING TO WIN

Delighted to be listed with a couple of tennis greats, Angelique Kerber believes she has gained confidence as she prepares for the year’s third Grand Slam tournament. The German outlasted Karolina Pliskova to remain in the WTA Top 10, a spot Pliskova would have assumed if she had won. “I just tried to fight point by point and being able to win this will give me great confidence in my preparation (for Wimbledon), Kerber said. Pliskova, who has served more aces than any other woman this year, powered 11 more in the final, but to no avail. Kerber rallied from a set and a break down, then from 5-6 down in the decider to pull off the victory. It was Kerber’s first grass court title. “I had the feeling Angelique was everywhere, and every lefty is tough on grass,” Pliskova said. “She moves so well and plays flat shots, which is important on this surface. I will go away happy.”

 

STRUGGLING SIMONA

Simona Halep can’t win for losing. The top seeded Romanian was upset at the Aegon Classic Birmingham, Great Britain, by Kristina Mladenovic 2-6 6-0 7-6 (4). “It was an amazing match and a big win for me today,” Mladenovic said. “I don’t know if it’s the best one – I’ve had a few matches where I’ve beaten Top 10 players – but it’s an amazing feeling to beat Simona in this way because she’s such a good player.” An upset didn’t appear to be in the works in the opening set, which Halep dominated. But the Frenchwoman bounced back to post her fifth win over a player ranked in the Top 10. Mladenovic led 5-3 in the final set before Halep fought back to send it into a tiebreak. “I think she was very solid in the first set and I was struggling with my rhythm and the sun,” Mladenovic said. “In the second I just tried to start over again and be aggressive and she perhaps gave me a couple of unforced errors that got me back in the match. But I think it was a great quality match, especially because it’s on grass and it’s always tough to find a rhythm.”

 

SLOW START

Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro got off to a slow start, falling behind 0-3 15-30. After that, though, the Spaniards were unstoppable as they won the Aegon Class doubles crown 6-4 6-4, defeating Czechs Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka. It was their third final of the year, and their first title. “It means a lot because we’ve only played a few tournaments the whole year, so we kind of feel nervous every time we play together,” Muguruza said. “We’re really happy, and it’s even more special because it’s on grass, where we didn’t expect a title.” Suarez Navarro said there’s a reason they are winners. “I think we are both the boss,” she said. “We match up really well together and it worked really well here.”

 

SICK CALL

Kei Nishikori has come up a problem just before he begin play at Wimbledon. The Japanese star suffered a calf injury that forced him to retire during his Gerry Weber Open semifinal match against Andreas Seppi. The 25-year-old was trailing Seppi 4-1 when he retired, hoping that he might recover before the grass court Grand Slam tournament begins its fortnight run. “I felt it yesterday during the quarterfinal (against Jerzsy Janowicz) and I fought through it, Nishikori said. “But there was a little pain this morning and I tried in the match, but couldn’t really move.” Nishikori reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, his best result at the All England Club. He said he was hopeful the injury is not serious. “I’m sure it’s going to be OK. It’s no big deal,” he said.

 

STYLE-SETTER

The cover of Newsweek Europe features Roger Federer, while a story inside ponders whether the Swiss star is the greatest active athlete. Written by tennis journalist Richard Evans, the feature story says Federer has set “a standard no other athlete in any sport has been able to emulate over the past dozen years. For skill and professionalism; for popularity and longevity, this Swiss genius with a South African mother and a broad, inquisitive view of the world has captured the imagination and the loyalty of people all over the globe.”

 

SMASH-A-LOT

Croatian Ivo Karlovic slammed a record 45 aces as he upset third-seeded Tomas Berdych in a Gerry Weber Open quarterfinal match. That broke the old mark of 44 aces hit in a three-set match. “Berdych returns quite well really,” Karlovic said. “That’s why lots of aces are so important.” The 36-year-old Karlovic ended the match with an ace. “I didn’t really know how many aces I’d done,” he said. “But when I heard it was 45 I knew that’s a new record. Hitting aces helps a lot. You can avoid the volleys. I was surprised when I was told on court after the match how many aces I hit.”

 

SHARING THE SPOILS

Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut won the Aegon Championships doubles by stopping Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic. The Frenchmen together had seven aces and saved all three break points they faced. Because rain had delayed play earlier in the week, Matkowski and Zimonjic had to play two matches on the final day. They defeated Daniel Nestor and Leander Paes 6-3 7-6 (8) in a semifinal before falling to the Frenchmen in the title match. It was the first ATP World Tour title for Herbert and Mahut, who lost in the final at the Australian Open in January. “It was a dream,” Herbert said. “Everything we did was working. We know that if we play well, it will be difficult for our opponents, so we just focused on what we could do.”

 

SECOND TIME A CHARM

Playing together for just the second time, Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram finished up the week by winning the Gerry Weber Open doubles. Klaasen and Ram created 11 break point chances while facing just one as they beat Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea in the title match. “We started the match a little bit slowly,” Ram said.  “But after that we played very clean. We communicated well and we were ready for our opportunities.”

 

SICK BAY

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga pulled out of the Nottingham Open with an abdominal injury. The 12th-ranked Tsonga has not played since losing to Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals of the French Open. He was injured in Paris and has withdrawn from tournaments scheduled in the last two weeks. Missing Nottingham casts doubts on his participation as Wimbledon.

 

STAYING HOME

Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has withdrawn from Wimbledon because of a recent operation on his left wrist. The Argentine has played only four matches this year. He underwent surgery in the United States last week. Marinko Matosevic of Australia replaces del Potro in the men’s singles draw.

 

STEPPING INTO THE FIRE

It had been almost a year and half since Laura Robson had played professional tennis. After finally recovering from a left wrist injury, Robson finally returned to the women’s tour at the Aegon International Eastbourne, gaining a wild card spot in the qualifying. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on her side. Her first-round opponent just happened to be Daria Gavrilova, the top seed in qualifying. Gavrilova crushed Robson 6-0 6-1, but it wasn’t quite as bad as the score indicates. In five of the 12 games she lost, Robson had game points or pulled to deuce. Before her injury-induced layoff, the Englishwoman had been ranked as high as 27th in the world. “I’ve definitely felt worse, but I’ve also felt better,” Robson said. “To be honest, I think in a way it was a victory to just finish a match and be back on court, back playing tournaments, and I’m very happy.”

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Birmingham: Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro beat Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-4 6-4.

Halle: Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram beat Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 7-6 (5) 6-2

London: Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic 6-2 6-2

 

SURFING

Nottingham:www.lta.org.uk/major-events/aegon-open-nottingham/

Eastbourne:www.lta.org.uk/major-events/Aegon-International-Eastbourne/

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com/index.html

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$562,340 Aegon Open Nottingham, Nottingham, Great Britain, grass

 

WOMEN

$665,900 Aegon International Eastbourne, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (first week)

 

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

French Open Women’s Picks – Will Maria Sharapova Again Win The Title?

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The women’s side of the French Open looks wide open this year, with plenty of potential winners. William Hill’s Lee Phelps has been at the top four in the betting and their odds for his free pick.

The Women’s French Open is wide open this year with eight clay-court tournaments played and only one woman has won twice: Angelique Kerber at Charleston and Stuttgart.

Let’s look at the favorites in the betting to see if we can pick a winner.

Serena Williams

Williams started the season superbly, winning her sixth Australian Open. Her trademark speed and power has taken her to a 25 and 1 record so far. Williams reached the semi final round of Indian Wells before being forced to withdraw due to injury. But she returned a couple of weeks later to win the Miami Open.

Williams hasn’t quite been as dominant on clay, though. She reached the last four of the Mutua Madrid Open, where she fell to Petra Kvitova in straight sets.

The World No. 1 then withdrew from her Round of 16 match against Christina McHale in the Italian Open due to another injury. She has actually withdrawn in three of her last six tournaments, raising concerns about her ability to last the fortnight.

Her consistency at Roland Garros is another worry, with her 2013 win surrounded by early exits in 2012 and 2014.

Maria Sharapova

Those two years were won by Sharapova and she made the final in 2013 too, so she has plenty of course and distance form on these courts.

The slower pace on the clay court complements Sharapova’s aggressive baseline game well. She has the patience to wait for the killer shot too and has already bagged a clay win this season in Italy, with a semi final loss in Madrid too.

Simona Halep

Halep’s 2014 clay season was superb with a 12 and 2 record, losing in the French Open final to Sharapova and at Madrid to the same player. So far this season it’s three wins and two losses. The defeats came against Carla Suarez Navarro, who is ranked eight in the world and more worryingly Alize Cornet who is 29 in the WTA rankings.

She is certainly used to winning this season, away from clay she has picked up wins in Dubai and at Indian Wells, as well as a quarter final appearance at the Australian Open and a semi final on clay in Rome.

Victoria Azarenka

Finally let’s look at the world number 27’s chances. Following her 2013 semi final appearance when she lost to Sharapova, 2014 was a disappointing year, having to withdraw from the slam with a foot injury.

Her return to the surface has seen her meet Serena and Sharapova in Madrid and Rome, losing to both.

I think she’s undercooked here going into such a big tournament.

Tennis picks

There are enough worries about Williams’ fitness for me to pass her over for the win here. For my tennis picks, I’m with Sharapova to lift the title at 6.0 (5/1) on the tennis odds, given that she has won two of the last three and been to three successive finals in Paris.

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova

Kei Nishikori, Angelique Kerber Win Clay Court Titles – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Kei Nishikori beat Pablo Andujar 6-4 6-4 to win the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in Barcelona, Spain

Angelique Kerber beat Carolina Wozniacki 3-6 6-1 7-5 to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez beat Jiri Vesely 7-6 (5) 7-6 (11) to win the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy in Bucharest, Romania

Rajeev Ram beat Jason Jung 6-1 6-2 to win the Zurich Jalisco Open in Guadalajara, Mexico

 

SAYING

“I knew that (Pablo) Andujar has a good backhand and my plan was to move the ball around a bit. It worked well in the last few games and then with the final shot I closed my eyes and it went in.” – Kei Nishikori, who successfully defending his Barcelona Open title.

“I think Nishikori deserved to win the first set, but not the second. But when you play against players of this caliber, that are capable of getting into a great rhythm, if you don’t take your chances you end up losing.” – Pablo Andujar, after losing to Kei Nishikori in the Barcelona Open final.

“A few days ago I said clay is actually not my favorite surface, but right now I think I will change my mind. I’ve played very well on clay the last few days and weeks. I feel good that I have had so many matches on clay, and now I’m looking forward to the next tournaments before Paris.” – Angelique Kerber, following her win over Caroline Wozniacki in Stuttgart, Germany, and her second straight tournament title.

“It was small things today that made the difference. I had 5-3 in the third set and 30-all, and it could have gone both ways, but she took her chances and it went her way.” – Caroline Wozniacki, who lost to Angelique Kerber in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final.

“I’m my own favorite player.” – Grigor Dimitrov, laughing when answering a question.

“It was complicated for me to close the match. I was feeling nervous, a lot of things crossing my mind, but in the end I was happy to win. It is the first time in my career that I’ve won two titles in a year.” – Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, after winning in Bucharest, Romania.

“I’m at the beginning of my career and a success here in Bucharest would have meant more for me, but that’s life. I will clearly be here next year and hopefully I will have better luck then.” – Jiri Vesely, following his loss to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

“We managed to get out of trouble this week, maybe too many times,” admitted Draganja. “We were a little bit lucky, but the serve was always helpful in these moments and it worked this week.” – Marin Draganja, who teamed with Henri Kontinen to win the doubles in Barcelona.

 

SPARKLING PERFORMANCE

For the second straight year Kei Nishikori has come away from the Barcelona Open as champion. This time the top-seeded Japanese captured the crown by fighting off Spain’s Pablo Andujar. “I didn’t think about winning the tournament at the start of the week because of the strength of the players here, especially the Spanish, but now I am very happy,” Nishikori said of his ninth career title. It was a baseline battle from the start with the two trading service breaks. Time and again Nishikori found himself being dragged out of position by the hard-hitting Andujar, but Nishikori broke his opponent in the 10th game to win the first set. Andujar stepped up his game, won the first two games of the second set and survived a break point to go up 3-1. Nishikori wasn’t to be denied, however, and when the Spaniard double-faulted to give Nishikori match point, the top seed rifled a backhand down the line to finish the day. “I think the second set was extremely tough and I don’t really know how I won it to be honest,” Nishikori said. “Pablo was very aggressive, he kept moving the ball and made me run up and down all the time. I also tried to be aggressive and I think that’s why I won the important points, but I’d say he played better than me. … I think this victory on clay and in such a difficult tournament gives me a lot of confidence to face the upcoming competitions. It’s just an amazing feeling to win a title. I have to come back to Barcelona.”

 

STUTTGART TITLE

“I am mega-proud to have won here in front of a home crown,” Angelique Kerber gushed after she rallied to defeat Caroline Wozniacki and win in Stuttgart, Germany. The victory extended Kerber’s winning streak to 11 matches and two straight titles. “I fought hard until the end and drained all my reserves of energy,” Kerber said of her three-set triumph. On their way to the final, Kerber had upset top-seeded Maria Sharapova while Wozniacki knocked off second-seeded Simona Halep. The two then saved the drama for the decisive third set. Wozniacki took a 3-1 lead before Kerber won the next two games to pull even. Wozniacki again moved ahead and, at 5-3, 30-15, was two points from victory. Kerber then won the final four games and the Porsche sports car that goes to the champion. With her wins over second-ranked Sharapova and fifth-ranked Wozniacki, it was just the second time in her career that Kerber had beaten two Top 5 players in the same week. Sharapova’s loss was the first time the Russian had tasted defeat in Stuttgart in her fourth appearance.

 

SEEKS AND GET REWARD

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez has a philosophy about his tennis and life itself. “When you work hard there is always a reward, not only in tennis but in life in general.” The 31-year-old Spaniard became the first player over the age of 30 to win the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy since Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela did it in 2010 at the age of 30 years, 7 months. “I feel like I’m doing the right things to improve my game and my ranking,” Garcia-Lopez said after edging Jiri Vesely in two tiebreak sets. Vesely had set points in both sets before the Spaniard won the first tiebreak 7-5 and the second 13-11 on his sixth match point. Garcia-Lopez had victories in the week over Marcos Baghdatis, Lukas Rosol and Gael Monfils. The 21-year-old Vesely was playing in his first tour-level clay court final and seeking his second ATP World Tour title.

 

STRETCHING THE OUTCOME

Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen are finding that winning is a difficult thing. A very long and difficult thing. The Croatian-Finnish pair beat Jamie Murray and John Peers in an 11-9 match tiebreak to win the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell doubles title, the third team crown of the season. The final was their third straight contest in which they had to win a match tiebreak, edging second-seeded Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez in the quarterfinals and fourth-seeded Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares in the semifinals. “We started very hot,” Kontinen said. “We didn’t miss a ball in the first three or four games. It was almost too good. We started feeling like we had it on our racquets, but they hung in there in the second set and had more chances to break us. It was a tough match tiebreak like a couple of the other matches, but I’m happy to pull through and lift my game at the most important times. … We’re improving as a team. It’s a short time we’ve played together and I feel we’re getting better and doing the right things.” Draganja and Kontinen are tied for the ATP World Tour lead with three titles in 2015. The other team to have won three times this year are the top-ranked tandem of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.

 

STRIKING AGAIN

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova are friends. That’s what also makes them champions. The teamed up to beat Caroline Garcia and Katarina Srebotnik and win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The Mattek-Sands/Safarova tandem captured the Australian Open doubles crown earlier this year. “I can’t give away all our secrets, because they’re working really well, but me and Lucie are really good friends, and that’s a big part of doubles success,” Mattek-Sands said. “The communication out there, having fun, getting through the ups and downs easier – that’s all I’m going to give you.” The champions broke serve three times and fought off the only break point they faced to get past the second-seeded Garcia and Srebotnik. “It feels awesome,” Mattek-Sands said. “Kata and Caroline had a great week. They were crushing teams until now, and they’re always tough opponents. But me and Lucie played well and had a great week, too.” With the victory, Mattek-Sands and Safarova have taken over the top spot in the Road To Singapore doubles leaderboard, the year-long journey to the doubles event at the USD $7 million BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, which takes place in October. “It’s amazing. It’s such a nice event,” Safarova said after the victory. “I’m just so happy to play again with Bethanie. We have a great time on the court and off the court, and it’s just a pleasure.”

 

STARRING AT HOME

They had to save five match points to do it, but Marius Copil and Adrian Ungur became the first Romanian pair to win the doubles title in Bucharest since 1998. Copil and Ungur outlasted Nicholas Monroe and Artem Sitak 17-15 in the match tiebreak after staving off four of the seven break points they faced. The two had entered the tournament with a wild card. “It’s our first ATP (World Tour) final and our first victory,” Ungur said. “I will never forget it. It was so hard with many ups and downs. At one point, I did not know who would win, us or them. The atmosphere was great, even better than Davis Cup. We are very happy and we hope that it won’t be our last trophy together. I dedicate this title to my mother, because today is her birthday.” It was their first final as a team. “I’m glad that my first ATP (World Tour) title was conquered at home,” Copil said. “The crowd was great. I never felt so much love on court. It was a special Sunday, with so many emotions.”

 

SPLITTSVILLE

Martina Navratilova and Agnieszka Radwanska are no longer working together. Navratilova said it was because she has been unable to dedicate enough time to the job. “I am stepping down as Agnieszka’s part-time coach,” the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion said. “I think I underestimated the time it would take to make this a good and proper situation for both Agnieszka and me.” The ninth-ranked Radwanska hired the 58-year-old Hall of Famer last December with the aid of reaching the latter stages of more big tournaments. Radwanska lost in the 2012 Wimbledon final, the only time she has reached the title match in a Grand Slam tournament. “I just wanted to thank Martina for her time and efforts over these last few months,” Radwanska said on her Twitter account. “It was a great experience, but we both agreed that as Martina could not commit 100 percent to the project then it was not going to work as a long-term partnership.” Navratilova won a total of 59 Grand Slam tournament singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles.

SURPRISE

When John Isner arrived home in Tampa, Florida, USA, following a day of practice, he was in for a surprise. His house was packed with friends and family wishing him a happy 30th birthday. The group included tennis players Mike Bryan and Tomas Blake, ice hockey star Brenden Morrow of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Isner’s parents, who drove from North Carolina for the occasion with his dog Magill. Also in attendance was former ATP pro Agustin Moreno, who was an assistant coach at the University of Georgia when Isner played there. Isner becomes the eighth player in the Top 20 who is 30 years old or older.

 

SELECTED

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the winner of the Jugador 10 APT-Segura Viudas prize at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona 1899. The award is presented annually during the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell by the APT (Association of Tennis Journalists) to the player who not only shows good personal qualities on the court, but also away from the court. “When I was growing up I was taught that it’s more important to behave properly than to win,” Tsonga said as he accepted the award from Manuel Serras, president of the APT. “Children that are following tennis can be influenced by our behavior.” The award presented to Tsonga was designed and created by artist and former journalist Duaita Prats.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Barcelona: Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen beat Jamie Murray and John Peers 6-3 6-7 (6) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Bucharest: Mariuz Copil and Adrian Ungur beat Nicholas Monroe and Artem Sitak 3-6 7-5 17-15 (match tiebreak)

Guadalajara: Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram beat Marcelo Demoliner and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 7-5 4-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Stuttgart: Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova beat Caroline Garcia and Katarina Srebotnik 6-4 6-3

 

SURFING

Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de/prod/pag/tennis.nsf/web/english-home

Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/es

Bucharest: http://brd-nastase-tiriac-trophy.ro/2015/

Munich: http://bmwopen.de/

Estoril: www.millenniumestorilopen.com/

Istanbul: www.istanbulopen.org/

Marrakech: www.lallameryemtennis.com/

Prague: www.jtbopen.cz/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$465,655 BMW Open by FWU AG, Munich, Germany, clay

$465,655 Millennium Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay

$465,655 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open, Istanbul, Turkey, clay

 

DAVIS CUP

Group IV Asia/Oceania Zone, round-robin, at Isa Town, Bahrain, hard: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Pacific Oceania, Singapore, United Arab Emirates

 

WOMEN

$226,750 Grand Prix de SWAR LA Princesse Lalla, Marrakech, Morocco, clay

$226,750 J&T Banka Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

 $4,550,540 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay

$100,000 Busan, South Korea, hard

 

WOMEN

 $4,414,030 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay

$100,000 Empire Slovak Open 2015, Trnava, Slovakia, clay

 

Kei Nishikori
Kei Nishikori

Jack Sock Wins First ATP World Tour Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Angelique Kerber beat Madison Keys 6-2 4-6 7-5 to win the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina

Jack Sock beat Sam Querrey 7-6 () 7-6 (2) to win the Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay court Championship in Houston, Texas, USA

Martin Klizan beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2 6-2 to win the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova beat Camila Giorgi 6-4 6-3 to win the Katowice Open in Katowice, Poland

 

SAYING

“It feels incredible. Clay is my favorite surface. It feels surreal. It feels incredible, and to have friends and family here to share it with me feels even better.” – Jack Sock, after winning the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, his first ATP World Tour title.

“I feel great. Madison is a great player and she played very well today. so I think both of us are champions.” – Angelique Kerber, after beating Madison Keys in the final of the Family Circle Cup.

“If you can’t be first, I guess it’s OK to be second.” – Madison Keys.

“It’s something special. I still can’t believe it. It will take a long time for me to believe it.” – Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, after winning her first WTA title at the Katowice Open.

“To come through all that after all these years, for my family and the sacrifices we put in, it all seems worth it today. And no one can take it away from me. I’m going to be number one in the world. Even 50 years from now, I’ll go down as the former World Number One, and that’s something very, very special.” – Sania Mirza, who this week became the first woman from India to be ranked number one in the world in doubles.

“I knew to beat her I’d have to be fearless. I saw this as a great opportunity.” – Lauren Davis, after upsetting Eugenie Bouchard at the Family Circle Cup.

“She never changed. Whatever her ranking and whatever her game was, she was always the same. For me, humble is just when somebody I guess stays the same throughout their whole career no matter how much she achieves. If they are down, injured, if they are on top of world, if they always are nice, always the same, always approaching people the same way and very respectful, for me, that is the part of being humble. She’s always been that way, and I really appreciate that and respect that. Not only in players, just in human beings in general. Yeah, it’s really, really nice to see that you can be successful with this attitude as well.” – Andrea Petkovic, congratulating Carla Suárez Navarro on becoming the 111th player to be ranked in the WTA Top 10.

 

SLUGFEST

In an all-American baseline battle of hard-hitters, 22-year-old Jack Sock came away with his first ATP World Tour title, besting Sam Querrey to win the Fayez Sarofim & CO. US Men’s Clay Court Championship. Sock is the sixth American to win the Houston event, which he did in one hour and 45 minutes. “Jack’s tough,” Querrey said. “He has a big forehand and on heavy clay like that, he’s a tough guy to beat.” Until now, Sock has made his mark in doubles, teaming with fellow American Melanie Oudin to win the US Open mixed doubles in 2011 and with Canadian Vasek Pospisil to capture Wimbledon last year. Sock beat four seeded players on the road to victory, including second-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round, fifth-seeded Santiago Giraldo in the quarterfinals, third-seeded Kevin Anderson in the semifinals and Querrey, who was seeded eighth. “I feel I competed well and took care of my serve very well,” Sock said. “On this surface against these players and the tough field that it was, to only get broken a handful of times is not easy.” Houston was his third final in his last three tournaments. He and Pospisil won the doubles at Indian Wells and were runners-up to Bob and Mike Bryan in Miami. It was the first time in Houston since 2003 and the third time overall that two Americans faced each other in the final. It also was the first all-American final in any tournament since 2011, when Mardy Fish beat John Isner in Atlanta.

 

SPARKLING PLAY

Playing a sparkling defensive game, Germany’s Angelique Kerber defeated Madison Keys to capture the Family Circle Cup. It was Kerber’s fourth career WTA title. Racing from side to side, Kerber retrieved nearly every blistering shot that Keys produced, patient to wait for the American to make a mistake. She broke Keys three times in the opening set, before the 20-year-old American battled took the second to level the match, then grabbed a 4-1 lead in the third set. But Kerber won six of the next seven games, serving out the final game at love to secure her fourth career title. “You know, it was never my favorite surface,” Kerber said of the green clay. “But it’s changed in the last year. I knew that I can play also on clay and it’s good also for my (overall) game because I’m playing defensive and being aggressive.” In their only other meeting, Keys squeezed past Kerber in a three-setter on grass at Eastbourne, Great Britain.

 

SHE’S NUMBER ONE

After teaming with Martina Hingis to win the Family Circle Cup doubles, Sania Mirza became the first woman from India to be ranked number one in doubles. It was the third title for Hingis and Mirza in as many tournaments, winning also at Indian Wells and Miami. In the past 12 months, Mirza has won seven WTA doubles titles. She partnered with Cara Black to win in Oeiras, Tokyo and the WTA Finals this year. She and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands teamed to win Sydney, Australia, earlier this year before she formed her partnership with Hingis. Mirza also won her third Grand Slam mixed doubles title last September at the US Open with Brazil’s Bruno Soares.

 

SLOVAKIAN CHAMPION

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova won her first WTA title by beating Italy’s Camila Giorgi in the Katowice Open final. Giorgi had upset home favorite Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals and was favored in the title match. Giorgi also was runner-up last year when she squandered a match point against France’s Alize Cornet. Schmiedlova, ranked 67th in the world going into the tournament, recovered from an early break of serve to win four straight games to close out the first set in 47 minutes. She also rallied from 3-1 down in the second set. “This tournament is very special to me,” Schmiedlova said. “Last year I won my first WTA main draw match here, and this year I won my first WTA title here, so I definitely want to come back.”

 

SO HAPPY

Amelie Mauresmo won two Grand Slam titles, was ranked number one in the world and is currently the coach of Andy Murray. Now she’s about to become a mother. “Baby will be here in August! #pregnant So happy,” Mauresmo announced on Twitter. The announcement came two days before Murray married his girlfriend Kim Sears. Also captain of the French Fed Cup squad, Mauresmo did not identify the father. In 1999 she announced she was gay. The Twitter message was accompanied by a photo of a baby’s pair of blue trainers next to an identical pair of adult shoes.

 

STARS IN CASABLANCA

Slovakia’s Martin Klizan thought of his grandfather, who died last week, and the victims of a road accident in Morocco when he accepted the winner’s trophy at the Grand Prix Hassan II tournament. Klizan defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver to win his third ATP World Tour title. “I would like to dedicate the trophy to my grandfather, who passed away last week, and also to those who died in an autobus crash in southern Morocco (on Friday),” Klizan told the crowd in the post-match ceremonies. He broke Gimeno-Traver’s serve to begin the match, then saved four break points in the fourth game as he built a 5-1 advantage. Klizan broke his opponent’s serve in the third game of the second set and went up 5-2. He fended off three break points as he served out the match. Gimeno-Traver was playing in his first final, and until this year had never won a match in Casablanca in his two previous appearances in 2011 and 2013.  “It’s an amazing feeling right now,” Klizan said. “Every time I am in Morocco, I have played a lot on Centre Court and seen the list of all the names. I wished to be a champion and today I am. I am very proud and excited now.” Klizan’s previous titles came in St. Petersburg in 2012 and Munich last year.

 

SHOCK

Eugenie Bouchard’s 2015 season is getting worse. This time it was American Lauren Davis who shocked the Canadian at the Family Circle Cup. A semifinalist last year, Bouchard was the top seed on the green clay courts at Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Instead, it was Davis who was the aggressor, hitting 18 winners to just five unforced errors. Bouchard, on the other hand, had 12 winners and 33 unforced errors. “I’d never beaten her before, so I came out knowing I had nothing to lose,” Davis said after the 6-3 6-1 win. And she loved the slow surface. “I think clay really works for me, because I’m pretty fast,” the American said. “I can slide really well and I can make a lot of balls, so it really works for me.” Bouchard, on the other hand, was philosophical about the loss. “I obviously hate losing but I’m not going to be too hard on myself,” she said. “I know I’ve not been feeling like myself on the court, so it’s just a matter of taking some time now, not playing a tournament, and just taking some time to train and get back to feeling like myself on the court. I definitely felt a little bit slow today, overpowered, which is never usually the case. Usually I’m the one who’s dominating. So it was definitely just not good. Whatever happened was just not good.”

 

SURPRISING WINNERS

Ricardas Berankis and Teymuraz Gabashvili weren’t even in the draw when the Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championship began. The wound up the week as champions, and that makes Berankis the first player from Lithuania to win any type of tennis title. Berankis and Gabashvili entered the Houston main draw when Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock withdrew. They outlasted their first-round opponents Federico Delbonis and Dusan Lajovic in a marathon match tiebreak 19-17. After that they didn’t drop a set, including an upset over five-time champions Bob and Mike Bryan in the quarterfinals. In the title match they beat Treat Huey and Scott Lipsky 6-4 6-4. “We decided to team up for doubles and got in as alternates,” Berankis said. “This week I was so happy the way I was playing. And thanks to Teymuraz for all his help on court because he did an unbelievable job. The teams we beat we are proud of: the Bryans, Lindstedt/Melzer and today Lipsky/Huey. For me, it’s a great feeling and to have a trophy for the first time ever on the ATP World Tour means a lot to me.”

 

SICK CALL?

Ekaterina Makarova won her first Family Circle Cup match, then pulled out of the tournament. Shortly after beating Zhang Shuai 5-7 6-3 6-2, Makarova withdrew from the WTA event, claiming GI illness. In last week’s rankings, Makarova rose to eighth in the world, a career high.

 

SWISS MISS

Martina Hingis will play on the Swiss Fed Cup squad for the first time since 1998 as she tries to qualify for the Rio Olympics where she could team up with Roger Federer. The 34-year-old Hingis will play against Poland this week in the World Group playoffs. Hingis won five Grand Slam tournament singles titles and was ranked number one in the world before she retired in 2003. She returned to the WTA tour, but hasn’t played singles since 2007. When she made her second comeback in 2013 and has since risen to fourth in the world in doubles. She won the Australian Open mixed doubles title with India’s Leander Paes in January and has won the women’s doubles in her last three tournaments, teaming with India’s Sania Mirza. Last month, Federer said Hingis had approached him about playing mixed doubles in Rio and that he had given it “some thought.” In order to be eligible for the Olympics, a player must be available to compete in Fed Cup or Davis Cup.

 

STILL HURTING

Frenchman Richard Gasquet pulled out of this weeks’ Monte Carlo Masters because of ongoing back pain. Gasquet has been suffering from Maigne’s syndrome, a lower back pain that can radiate between the ribs and groin, since last season’s Miami tournament. After sitting out most of last year, the 28-year-old exacerbated the injury in his March comeback at Indian Wells, California, USA. He is expected to return to the ATP World Tour at the Barcelona Open later this month.

 

SO CLOSE

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt is so close to becoming the seventh player in the Open Era to win at least 100 matches each on hard courts, grass and clay. He served for his 100th clay court win at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, but ended up losing to Japan’s Go Soeda 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-3. The match ended on a Hewitt double-fault. The 34-year-old Australian had received a wild card entry from the tournament. It’s assumed he will try to get into one of the European clay-court events this spring in pursuit of his century trifecta.

 

SWINGING AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Caroline Wozniacki got to trade volleys with US President Barack Obama during the 2015 White House Easter Egg Roll festivities. Besides Wozniacki, other tennis players and officials who joined the First Family for the White House Easter Egg Roll were CoCo Vandeweghe, Vicky Duval, Frances Tiafoe and United States Tennis Association president Katrina Adams.

 

STARTS PRO CAREER

Frances Tiafoe has turned pro and changed his name. “This is what I’ve always wanted to do,” the 17-year-old said. “I’ve always wanted to be a professional tennis player. Tiafoe became the first tennis player to sign with Jay-Z’s Rock Nation agency. A native of Riverdale, Maryland, USWA, Tiafoe beat France’s Maxime Tabatruong 6-1 6-2 to win a USD $15,000 Futures tournament in Bakersfield, California, USA, last month. After he signed, Tiafoe’s agent corrected the spelling of his first name. For years it had been spelled “Francis.” Apparently his name was misspelled on an entry form early in his career and no one had bothered to correct the mistake.

 

SAFINA RETURNS

Once upon a time Dinara Safina was ranked number one in the world. The Russian will now be the link between the Mutua Madrid Open organization and the female players. Safina won the Madrid Open in 2009. Now she will draw on her experience to listen to and serve the needs of the female players taking part in the event. Safina officially announced her retirement at the tournament last year. She played in three Grand Slam tournament finals and won the women’s singles silver medal at the Beijing Olympics. In all, she won 21 singles titles and nine doubles crowns before ending her career due to a series of back problems.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Casablanca: Rameez Junaid and Adil Shamasdin beat Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 3-6 6-2 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Charleston: Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza beat Casey Dellacqua and Darija Jurak 6-0 6-4

Houston: Ricardas Berankis and Teymuraz Gabashvili beat Treat Huey and Scott Lipsky 6-4 6-4

Katowice: Ysaline Bonaventure and Demi Schuurs beat Gioia Barbieri and Karin Knapp 7-5 4-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

Monte Carlo: http://montecarlotennismasters.com/

Bogota: www.copaclarocolsanitas.com/

Napoli: www.atpnapoli.com/

Sarasota: www.sarasotaopen.org/

Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de/prod/pag/tennis.nsf/web/english-home

Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/es

Bucharest: http://brd-nastase-tiriac-trophy.ro/2015/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

 

MEN

$3,605,210 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Monte Carlo, Monaco, clay

$116, 791 Capri Watch Cup, Napoli, Italy, clay

$100,000 Sarasota Open, Sarasota, Florida, USA, clay

 

WOMEN

$226,750 Claro Open Colsanitas, Bogota, Colombia, clay

 

FED CUP

 

World Group

Semifinals

Czech Republic vs. France at Ostrava, Czech Republic, hard

Russia vs. Germany at Sochi, Russia, clay

 

World Group Playoffs

Italy vs. United States at Brindisi, Italy, clay

Australia vs. Netherlands at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, clay

Poland vs. Switzerland at Zielona Gora, Poland, hard

Canada vs. Romania at Montreal, Quebec, Canada, hard

 

World Group II Playoffs

Serbia vs. Paraguay at Novi Sad, Serbia, hard; Slovakia vs. Sweden at Bratislava, Slovakia, clay; Japan vs. Belarus at Tokyo, Japan, hard; Argentina vs. Spain at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

 

Group II

Asia/Oceania Zone at Hyderabad, India, hard: India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Pacific Oceania, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$2,112,310 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain, clay

$465,655 BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, Bucharest, Romania, clay

$100,000 Jalisco Open, Guadalajara, Mexico, hard

 

WOMEN

$665,900 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

 

Jack Sock
Jack Sock