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Petra Kvitova Leads the Czech Republic to Fed Cup Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Peter Gojowczyk beat Farrukh Dustov 7-6 (2) 6-3 to win the Slovak Open in Bratislava, Slovakia

Vitalia Diatchenko beat Chan Yung-Jan 1-6 6-3 6-4 to win the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger in Taipei, Taiwan

Tereza Smitkova beat Kristina Mladenovic 7-6 (4) 7-5 to win the Open GDF Suez de Limoges in Limoges, France

 

FED CUP

Final

Czech Republic beat Germany 3-1 in Prague, Czech Republic

 

SAYING

“Angie played so well and I’m just glad that I did it.” – Petra Kvitova, after beating Germany’s Angelique Kerber to lead the Czech Republic to the Fed Cup title.

“I gave everything I had today and in the end Petra was better. I think she deserved to win, but we both played at a really high level. It was for sure one of the best matches this year for me.” – Angelique Kerber, following her loss to Petra Kvitova in the Fed Cup final.

“I get pretty angry when I lose, so I’m going to have to learn how to slap myself out of it.” – Milos Raonic, after losing to Roger Federer 6-1 7-6 (0) in his opening round-robin match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

“This award means a lot to me. I try to play as fairly as I can. This is a classy sport and I try to represent it as well as I can.” – Roger Federer, after receiving the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award from Stefan Edberg.

“It’s about being honest and respecting everyone around you, such as the ball kids and the umpire.” – Stefan Edberg, explaining what sportsmanship means to him.

“I’m not just Top 100 now, but I won a tournament – a big one.” – Vitalia Diatchenko, after winning the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger.

“I don’t feel like a loser today because I fought until the last minute. I tried my best out there, and I leave with no regrets.” – Chan Yung-Jan, following her loss to Vitalia Diatchenko in Taipei, Taiwan.

“I don’t know how much longer she’ll play, but I think these records will keep her playing. For a while, she was goofing around and not serious about playing. She probably missed out on a couple of years. Now, wow, those years look important. You think you’ll win two or three, but you get injured, or someone plays well to beat you. It’s not that easy. I think her first challenge is to get to 22.” – Billie Jean King, on Serena Williams increasing her Grand Slam tournament titles from her current 18.

“It’s a challenge today because it’s a lot harder than it was then. Margaret (Court) won 11 of those just being in Australia. Most of the time none of us went down there. No fault to her, but the Australian didn’t mean anything in those days, quite frankly. And we didn’t have the money to bop down to Australia.” – Billie Jean King, on Margaret Smith Court’s record 24 Grand Slam tournament singles titles.

 

SUPER TEAM

With Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova leading the way, the Czech Republic captured its third Fed Cup title in four years, beating Germany 3-1. The Czechs won the first three singles matches, clinching the Cup, before Germany’s Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki beat the Czech pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-4 6-3 in the dead doubles rubber. The final singles match was not played. The Czechs also won the Cup in 2011 and 2012. The former Czechoslovakia won the title five times in 1975-1988. Kvitova began the two-day competition by beating Andrea Petkovic 6-2 6-4 before Lucie Safarova gave the Czechs a commanding 2-0 lead with a 6-4 6-4 win over Angelique Kerber. Kvitova closed out the victory when she beat Kerber 7-6 (5) 4-6 6-4 in a match that was three minutes short of three hours. “It was really up and down from the beginning of the match and there was always a big fight for every single point,” Kvitova said. The left-hander closed out the battle on her fourth match point when Kerber hit a backhand into the net.

 

SAY IT AIN’T SO

A prosecutor says Italian tennis player Daniele Bracciali has partially admitted to match-fixing. Investigator Roberto Di Martino told The Associated Press that Bracciali “admitted a few things and denied a few things” when he met with authorities. Bracciali and his occasional doubles partner, Potito Starace, were accused of corruption after the Italian media printed intercepted Internet conversations claiming the two sold matches. Five Italian players – including Bracciali and Starace – have been suspended by the ATP World Tour for betting. The others were Alessio Di Mauro, Giorgio Galimberti and Federico Luzzi. Di Martino would neither confirm nor deny reports that a former Swedish player, Tomas Nydahl, is also under investigation for recruiting players to fix matches. In other match-fixing cases in tennis, three players have been banned for life: Daniel Koellerer of Austria, David Savic of Serbia and Andrey Kumatsov of Russia.

 

STARS

When the ATP World Tour awards were handed out, Roger Federer’s coach joined the Swiss star at the special ceremony. That’s because Federer won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the 10th time. But it was the first time he was handed the trophy by Edberg, his coach.  Federer also was voted the ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite Presented by Moët & Chandon for a record 12th straight year. That trophy was presented to Federer by ATP Executive Chairman & CEO Chris Kermode.

Other winners were Great Britain’s Andy Murray, American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan, Borna Coric of Croatia, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut and David Goffin of Belgium.  Murray received the Arthur Ashe humanitarian award; the Bryan twins captured the doubles award for a sixth straight year; Coric, a 17-year-old, was named Star of Tomorrow as the youngest player ranked in the Top 100; Bautista Agut was selected the most improved player, and Goffin was named the comeback player of the year.

 

STELLAR TOURNAMENT

Russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko is loving these final days of 2014. She won the biggest title of her career when she captured the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger, besting Chan Yung-Jan in the title match 1-6 6-3 6-4. “The first set was very bad,” Diatchenko said in an understatement. “When I lost it I said, ‘OK, let’s just play a good game now.’ I wasn’t playing my best tennis in the beginning, but when I relaxed like that, I could play much better, and I’m so happy how I was able to turn it around after that in the second and third sets.” Winning in Taipei, Taiwan, may have been her brightest result, but not the only time she has provided a glimpse of her future in the women’s game. She reached her first WTA Premier-level quarterfinal in Moscow, where she upset Dominika Cibulkova. Before this, all of Diatchenko’s nine career titles came on the International Tennis Federation’s Women’s Circuit. Diatchenko was seeded sixth in Taipei, while Chan was a wild-card entry into the event.

Chan didn’t leave Taipei empty-handed. She and her younger sister, Chan Hao-Ching, captured the doubles title, beating Chang Kai-Chen and Chuang Chia-Jung 6-4 6-3. The Chan sisters never faced a break point in the match.

 

SPLITSVILLE

After a season that has seen her rise to fourth in the world, Simona Halep has split with her coach. “My collaboration with Wim Fissette will come to an end following a mutual agreement,” the 23-year-old Romanian star wrote on her Facebook page. “It was a good and beautiful year. I want to thank him and wish him good luck in the future.” Halep began working with her Belgian coach in January. Fissette had previously coached Kim Clijsters and Sabine Lisicki. This year Halep became the highest ranked Romanian in WTA history after reaching the French Open final, where she lost to Maria Sharapova in three sets. She won WTA titles in Doha and Bucharest. According to Romanian media, Hall of Famer Ion Tiriac is helping Halep find another coach for next season.

 

SURGERY – HEART

After undergoing a procedure to correct a heart condition, Melanie Oudin says she will have eye surgery later this month. “I don’t think my luck could get any worse,” the 23-year-old American said. “I just can’t wait for 2014 to be over. A heart thing this week, and then an eye thing after that. I have lots going on.” Oudin made a big splash in 2009 when she reached the quarterfinals at the US Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon. In an interview, Oudin said she had been experiencing occasional “episodes” of an accelerated heartbeat, usually during or right after matches.  She said she was diagnosed last month with a form of arrhythmia. She also said she needs surgery for “a growth in my eye from the sun, being out in the sun so much.” She has been ranked as high as 31st in the world but is currently ranked 165th.

 

SURGERY – APPENDIX

Rafael Nadal said having his appendix removed was a “simple, ordinary surgery.” The Spanish ace left the Barcelona hospital two days after undergoing surgery. He gave no timetable for his return to tennis, saying he will start training when he has recovered fully. Doctors said Nadal could return to full training after about a month of post-operation recovery. The Spaniard had tried to play through suspected appendicitis, treating his ailment with antibiotics before undergoing the surgery.

 

SPLIT MENDED

After winning the US Open in 2013, Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka decided to end their successful doubles partnership. Now they are reuniting for 2015. “We both know that together we have the best chance to win something and that it doesn’t make sense to start anything new,” Hradecka said. Together, they won two Grand Slam tournament titles, helped the Czech Republic win the Fed Cup and captured the silver medal at the London Olympics. Following their split, Hlavackova teamed with fellow-Czech Lucie Safarova while Hradecka played doubles with Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands. Neither pair did particularly well.

 

SUKOVA HONORED

Helena Sukova of the Czech Republic has been given the 2014 Fed Cup Award of Excellence by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation (ITF). “The Czech Republic has a rich and successful Fed Cup history, and Helena played an integral role in building that history,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti in presenting the award. “As a dedicated competitor for her home country for 13 years, Helena personifies the spirit of international competition. In appreciation of her contributions to the sport of tennis and to the Fed Cup, we are proud to present her with the Fed Cup Award of Excellence.” Helping to present the award was Jane Brown Grimes, a 2014 Hall of Famer and president emerita of the International Hall of Fame. Sukova was a member of the Czechoslovakia Fed Cup team a record 13 years, helping her nation win four Fed Cup titles in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1988. She won 14 Grand Slam tournament titles in women’s doubles and mixed doubles, and held the world number one doubles ranking for 68 weeks. She was ranked as high as fourth in the world in singles and reached the US Open final in 1986 and the Australia title match in 1989. Sukova retired in 1998, but has stayed involved in tennis in various capacities. She earned a doctoral degree as a psychologist at Palacky University and since February 2011 has served as vice president of the Association of Sport Psychologists.

 

STAYING PUT

Boris Becker will remain as the coach of Novak Djokovic. “We have a written agreement, even if for sportsmen like us a handshake is enough,” the 43-year-old German said. “Our partnership has been crowned with success these past 12 months and I’m delight to continue our work with the whole team.” Becker began coaching Djokovic in December 2013. Since then, the Serb has won six titles, including his second Wimbledon, and is close to finishing the year as the world number one player.

 

SELECTED

Two-time US Open champion Pat Rafter has been appointed Tennis Australia’s new director of performance. The former world number one will report directly to Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley. “It’s a challenge I am really looking forward to,” Rafter said. “There is so much I can learn, but also a lot I think I can contribute. I feel the time is right to step into this role and help us take the next step.” Rafter is already Australia Davis Cup captain.

 

SECOND TIME

Andrea Petkovic has won her second Fed Cup Heart Award. Her latest recognition came for her performance during Germany’s semifinal victory over Australia in April. She previously received the honor in 2011. A check for USD $10,000 was presented to Petkovic and will be donated to her chosen charity, Help for Kids with Cancer Frankfurt. A total of five Heart Awards have been presented this year. Others honored were Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, Simona Halep of Romania, Teliana Pereira of Brazil and Sabina Sharipova of Uzbekistan. The Fed Cup Heart Award recognizes players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their team.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bratislava: Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski beat Norbert Gombos and Adam Pavlasek 6-3 7-6 (3)

Limoges: Katerina Siniakova and Renata Voracova beat Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic 2-6 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Taipei: Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching beat Chang Kai-Chen and Chuang Chia-Jung 6-4 6-3

 

SURFING

London: www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en/

 

Dubai: www.dubaitennis.com

Toyota: www.dunlop-tennis.jp

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$6,500,000 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, London, England, hard

 

WOMEN

$75,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

 

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$220,000 Challenger Tour Finals at Sao Paulo, Brazil, clay

 

WOMEN

$75,000 Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament, Toyota, Japan, carpet

 

DAVIS CUP

World Group Final

France vs. Switzerland at Lille, France, clay

 

Petra Kvitova
Petra Kvitova

Serena Williams Returns In Winning Form – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Milos Raonic beat Vasek Pospisil 6-1 6-4 to win the Citi Open men’s singles in Washington, DC, USA

Serena Williams beat Angelique Kerber 7-6 (1) 6-3 to win the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, USA

David Goffin beat Dominic Thiem 4-6 6-1 6-3 to win the bet-at-home Cup in Kitzbühel, Austria

Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Kurumi Nara 6-3 4-6 6-4 to win the Citi Open women’s singles in Washington, DC, USA

Jarmila Gajdosova beat Lesia Tsurenko 3-6 6-3 7-6 (3) to win the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open women’s singles in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Marcos Baghdatis beat Farrukh Dustov 7-6 (6) 6-3 to win the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open men’s singles in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

 

SAYING

“Every week is a new week and all I can do is try and improve. For me it’s all mental: being there, being positive and being good to myself.” – Serena Williams, after winning the Bank of the West Classic for the third time in four years, beating Angelique Kerber in the final.

“I gave everything I could out there. When she was down she started hitting the ball better. It’s a special thing she has. On the important points, she goes for it.” – Angelique Kerber, explaining how Serena Williams keeps winning.

“I couldn’t have asked, really, for more. I had a chance to break in every single game in that first set. Then I continued to play solid after that. All in all, a very good performance and an important moment for me.” – Milos Raonic, after beating fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil to win the Citi Open.

“He came out strong. He caught me off guard. He played so strong. I wasn’t 100 percent, but it wouldn’t have made much difference.” – Vasek Pospisil.

“It’s just an amazing feeling right now. I don’t believe it. Maybe in a few days I’ll realize what happened today.” – David Goffin, after winning his first ATP World Tour title.

“Frankly, if common sense won in this one, I passed 14 years of tests during my career. Common sense? It makes no sense whatsoever. It’s nonsensical.” – Andy Roddick, who will not be allowed to play doubles at the US Open because of drug rules that affect players who officially retire.

“Depending on the evolution of the injury that will be carefully followed by the doctors, including MRI tests, it will be decided then the return to competition, initially scheduled for the US Open.” – Rafael Nadal’s publicist, announcing a right wrist injury will force the Spaniard to miss two major US Open warm-up events.

“Unfortunately I injured myself … during practice and after checking with my doctors I will have to stay out of competition for at least 2-3 weeks.” – Rafael Nadal.

“Well at least I broke the world record for fastest serve.” – Sabine Lisicki, who hit a record-breaking 131 mph serve in a first-round loss to Ana Ivanovic at the Bank of the West Classic.

“I think it’s time it was broken. It’s a good thing.” – Venus Williams, after Sabine Lisicki hit the fastest serve ever recorded in women’s tennis, breaking the mark held by Venus.

“Thanks to Henri for playing great again. We haven’t had many chances to play together on the (ATP World) Tour level, but we’ve played many Davis Cups and hopefully we’ll get many more attempts to play together. It was fun.” – Jarkko Nieminen, after teaming with Henri Kontinen to win the doubles in Kitzbühel, Austria.

“I get the rule in place, the three-month rule. I feel like there should maybe be an appeal process. Listen, if I’m going to do performance-enhancing drugs and make a comeback, I promise you it’s not going to be for one doubles tournament at the US Open. That’s for sure.” – Andy Roddick, who will not be allowed to play doubles in this year’s US Open because of drug-testing rules and the fact that he officially retired.

“It’s great to still be feeling well enough to be playing on this tour, which is much more competitive than it was 20 years ago. To be looking pretty solid, too, that’s great. It’s been a long journey. I don’t know if at that age I would have envisioned I would still be playing now, but I’m glad I am. Because you get one shot at it, and then you fade to grace when someone else is better. So while I’m here, I’m going to go for it.” – Venus Williams, who played in the Bank of the West Classic, the same tournament where she began her career 20 years ago.

“I went out on my terms, playing high quality tennis. For me it was very good to know that I can still compete against these younger, stronger, fitter players who are playing well. Thanasi’s (Thanasi Kokkinakis) been doing really well lately. It was more of a celebration and enjoyment of a good career.” – Rik de Voest, announcing his retirement.

 

SERENA IS BACK

Playing in her first tournament since she had to retire during a doubles match at Wimbledon, Serena William won the Bank of the West title for the third time, stopping Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the final. But the world’s top-ranked player had to overcome a huge deficit to capture the match in straight sets. “I blinked my eye and I was down 1-5,” Williams said. “Angelique was playing well and I thought ‘What’s going on?’ I tried to relax, not think about anything and just do the right thing.” It worked. Kerber forced the tiebreaker, but Williams ripped off the first five points, winning it 7-1. Then, just like she did in her semifinal win over another German, Andrea Petkovic, the American put her A-game on display in the second set. “When I’m not playing great I know I can make some kind of comeback,” said Williams, who didn’t play well in any of the first sets during the week but always found a way to win. Williams extended her winning streak on the hard courts at Stanford to 13 matches as she captured the event for the third time in four years. “It just says how much I love to play here,” she said.

 

SIXTH TITLE A ROMP

In the ATP World Tour’s first all-Canadian final, Milos Raonic dominated the Citi Open to win his sixth tour title. “I couldn’t have asked for a better way to lead into my most important part of the year,” Raonic said after crushing Vasek Pospisil 6-1 6-4. “I’m fortunate to have played so well at the starting stages. It’s tough after a few weeks away.” The Washington, DC, tournament was Raonic’s first event since reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon, his best Grand Slam tournament showing. It was his first title since last September in Bangkok, Thailand. Pospisil was playing in his first ATP World Tour final, having upset top-seeded Tomas Berdych in the third round and Richard Gasquet in the semifinals. “I felt a little more pressure not to lose because of the situation, and I’m happy with how I handled it,” Raonic said, noting he felt the pressure of the historic moment for Canadian tennis. “All in all a good performance in a very important moment for me.” It was only the second ATP final between players born in the 1990s. At 23, Raonic is one year younger than Pospisil, who was the dominant player when the two played in the juniors. Pospisil teamed with American Jack Sock to win the Wimbledon doubles title last month.

 

SCRUBS NEW YORK TRIP

Australian Open champion Li Na will not be playing in the US Open this year because of a knee injury. Ranked second in the world, China’s biggest tennis star also has pulled out of hard court warm-up tournaments in Montreal, Canada, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Li wrote on her Facebook page that she has “been struggling” with her knee since March “and it is just not where I need it to be in order to play at the highest level.” Li won the Australian Open in January, but suffered a first-round loss at the French Open in May and was eliminated in the third round at Wimbledon in June. “My medical team has advised me that I need to take some time off to rest my knee,” Li said. She also won the French Open title in 2011, the only native of Asia to capture a Grand Slam tournament singles crown.

 

STATUS UP IN AIR

A wrist injury could cause defending champion Rafael Nadal to miss this year’s US Open. The Spaniard has pulled out of two tune-up events, the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, because of the injury to his right wrist. Nadal suffered the injury during practice and is scheduled to wear a cast on his wrist for two to three weeks. His publicist said Nadal felt pain during practice in Mallorca and tests revealed the injury. “I’m extremely disappointed that I am unable to defend my Rogers Cup title this year,” Nadal said. “Unfortunately I injured myself … during practice and after checking with my doctors I will have to stay out of competition for at least 2-3 weeks.” Nadal also is the defending champion at Cincinnati.

 

STREAKING

David Goffin is on a roll. The Belgian wild card won his 20th consecutive match and his first ATP World Tour title by beating hometown favorite Dominic Thiem in Kitzbühel, Austria. “It’s a great day for me, to win an ATP (World Tour) 250,” said the 23-year-old Goffin, whose winning streak began with three consecutive titles on the second-tier Challenger circuit. “You work so much in the fitness room and on the court for a moment like today. You play so many practices and so many matches to have this emotion, so when you win the match point you can’t control it.” Goffin is the first Belgian to win an ATP World Tour event since Xavier Malisse captured the title in Delray Beach, Florida, USA, seven years ago. His winning streak will put Goffin in the top 50 in the rankings after being outside the top 100 just a month ago. His last loss was to Andy Murray in the first round at Wimbledon. Both Goffin and the 20-year-old Thiem were playing in their first ATP World Tour final.

 

SCRATCHED

Japan’s Kei Nishikori has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup in Toronto because of an infected toe. Ranked 11th in the world, Nishikori appeared to have problems moving around the court when he lost to Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the Citi Open quarterfinals in Washington, DC. At the time, he insisted there was no health problem. In announcing his withdrawal from Toronto, the ATP World Tour gave the reason as an infected toe.

 

STOPPED BY DRUG RULES

In a strange twist of drug rules, Andy Roddick won’t be allowed to come out of retirement and play doubles at the US Open this year. That’s because Roddick, once ranked number one in the world, wasn’t in the sport’s drug testing pool for the required three months prior to this year’s final Grand Slam tournament. Roddick said he and his friend Mardy Fish had hoped to fulfill a dream they have had since they were 15 years old. But their plan was halted on a technicality. According to Roddick, Fish was only associating tennis with negative things. To break that cycle, Roddick suggested they play doubles. Fish agreed and Roddick went about trying to get a wild card into the Open. But Roddick learned he was ineligible for a wild card because players who come out of retirement have to be in the drug testing program for at least three month. The US Open begins its two-week run on August 25. Roddick is particularly displeased because by officially filing his retirement papers last year he was dropped from the rankings. If he had simply stopped playing and not retired, Roddick says he would have been eligible for the wild card.

 

SILENT HE ISN’T

Yevgeny Kafelnikov failed to read the entire letter before he told the world about being nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2015. If he had, he would have noticed the last paragraph asked that he “keep this information private” until the official announcement was made during the upcoming US Open. Not only did the Russian “out” himself, he also told the world the other candidates on the ballot will be Amélie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce and Sergi Bruguera, David Hall in the wheelchair category and Nancy Jeffett in the contributor category. The 40-year-old Kafelnikov won two Grand Slam tournament titles and was ranked as high as number one in the world. Mauresmo, currently the coach of Andy Murray, won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006. Pierce captured the singles title at the Australian Open in 1995 and Roland Garros in 2000. Bruguera captured Roland Garros in 1993 and 1994.

 

SVETLANA A WINNER

It’s been a while since Svetlana Kuznetsova ended up with the biggest prize and a title. By beating Kurumi Nara of Japan at the Citi Open in Washington, DC, Kuznetsova won her 14th career title, but only her first since San Diego, California, in August 2010. She won the US Open in 2004 and Roland Garros in 2009. It was the first time the sixth-seeded Russian had played the hard-court warm-up event in Washington, DC.

Nara also came up second best in doubles as she and countrywoman Hiroko Kuwata lost the final to Shuko Aoyama and Gabriela Dabrowski 6-1 6-2.

 

SERB SURPRISE

Jelena Jankovic holds a unique record in women’s tennis. She’s the only player to have beaten both Serena and Venus Williams in the same tournament without having also won a Grand Slam tournament title. The Serbian right-handed knocked off the American sisters on the clay courts in Rome in 2010, being the last player to pull off the rare feat. Only six other players have beat both Williams sisters at the same tournament. Five of the six are already in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, and the sixth – Kim Clijsters, who did it twice – is almost a sure bet to be inducted. In order, they are Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario in Sydney in 1998; Steffi Graf, Sydney, 1999; Martina Hingis, 2001 Australian Open; Lindsay Davenport, Los Angeles, 2004; Justine Henin, 2007 US Open; and Clijsters, at the 2002 WTA Championships and the 2009 US Open. Only Graf beat both sisters by the quarterfinals, a testament to how dominant the two Americans have been in their careers. Graf won 22 Grand Slam tournament singles titles, Henin seven, Hingis five, Sánchez-Vicario and Clijsters four each, and Davenport three.

 

SABINE POWER

Sabine Lisicki is now the holder of the fastest-recorded serve in women’s tennis. The Germany blasted a 131 mph (211 kph) serve during a first-round loss at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, USA. The huge serve came in the 11th game of the first set against Ana Ivanovic, who won the match 7-6 (2) 6-1. The old record of 129 mph (208 kph) was set by Venus Williams at the 2007 US Open. “Well, at least I broke the world record for fastest serve,” Lisicki said. Williams, who is playing the same tournament, said she was happy she no longer held the record. “I’m not out there really trying to serve hard,” Williams said. “I used to, but now, when I really want the point, I try a medium serve somewhere above 110. I try more for placement these days. It take a lot of energy to serve. So if you can take 10 miles off and place it, it’s smarter.”

 

SEVERE AND BIZARRE

When Serena Williams retired under bizarre circumstances from her second-round doubles match at Wimbledon, she didn’t realize the severity of her condition. “It kind of reminded me of when I had my other illness a while ago,” Williams said, referring to her hospitalization in 2011 for a pulmonary embolism. “When you’re in the moment, you don’t realize how sick you are until you step back and you look at everything.” Williams appeared listless and disoriented at Wimbledon. The start of the match was delayed as doctors examined her and took her blood pressure. She then hit four consecutive double-faults while serving in the third game, some of her serves landing before the ball reached the net. The official reason given for the withdrawal was a viral illness, a diagnosis that was challenged by some commentators. Speaking to the media at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, USA, Serena said her doubles partner, sister Venus Williams, urged her to stop. “She was totally like, ‘Serena, walk off the court.’ I think she almost punched me,” Serena remembered, laughing. “And I’m like, ‘No, it’s just half the court. I can do it, I can do it.’” After looking at replays of her performance, Serena said: “It’s weird. It’s like, ‘Is that me?’” Under doctor’s orders, she remained in London until the end of the tournament, then went to Croatia for a working vacation. The Stanford event was her first tournament since Wimbledon.

 

SURGERY STOPPER

Surgery on his right shoulder has caused Tommy Haas to withdraw from this year’s US Open. Currently ranked 26th in the world, the German right-hander is out for the remainder of the year after undergoing his fourth operation on his shoulder. The withdrawal by Haas opened up a spot in the main draw for Marcos Baghdatis, who was the runner-up at the Australian Open in 2006. Baghdatis’ best showing at the US Open was last year when he reached the third round.

 

STRONG PERFORMANCE

The players know that Venus Williams isn’t making it just on her history. For example, check out her second-round match at the Bank of the West Classic when the veteran out-slugged former world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-4 7-6 (1). While Azarenka has struggled this year, she showed off a strong game against Williams. It wasn’t strong enough, however. “Obviously, it’s always great to get a win against a player like Victoria because she’s a champion,” Venus said. “So it feels good. But she also hasn’t been playing as much, so I think she’s still looking for her range. But I think both of us played at a high level, and it just got better as the match went on.” Azarenka agreed completely. “It was a pretty good match, I think the level was pretty high,” Azarenka said. “We both came out with some great points and great fighting. I think Venus came out with a little bit better execution at the important moments.”

 

SUOMALAINEN SUCCESS

It didn’t take long for Henri Kontinen and Jarkko Nieminen to win their first ATP World Tour doubles title. The two Finns needed just 58 minutes to beat Daniele Bracciali and Andrey Golubev 6-1 6-4 to capture the bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel crown. The two also won the 2013 Helsinki Challenger together and team up on Finland’s Davis Cup team. It was Nieminen’s fourth title in eight tour-level finals, while Kontinen is celebrating his first victory. It was also Bracciali and Golubev’s first doubles final as a team. Oh, yes. Finland is the Swedish name for the county; the Finnish name is Suomi, and Suomalianen means Finnish.

 

SET FOR MARATHON

Caroline Wozniacki will be taking a tour of New York City the hard way this November. The former world number one tennis player says she will compete in this year’s New York City Marathon. The 24-year-old Dane will run as a Team for Kids Ambassador along with reigning Boston Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi. “When I cross the finish line in Central Park, it will be one of the most rewarding days of my life, not only because of the personal accomplishment, but also because it will help thousands of kids to get healthy and fit through sports,” Wozniacki said in a press release. She will be a rare non-runner athlete to compete in a marathon while still in her prime. Several others, including Amelie Mauresmo, Lance Armstrong and Apolo Anton Ohno, have run the marathon, but each after they had retired from their respective sports.

 

SAYONARA

Rik de Voest has called it a career. The 34-year-old South African retired after losing to Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-4 in the second round of the Odlum Brown Van Open in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he lives. “It had been a decision I thought about for a while. I knew it was coming and now that it’s here and done, I’ve had some time to accept it,” de Voest told ATPWorldTour.com. “I’ve been playing on tour (for a long time) and I see the game is changing and evolving and becoming more physical. I was struggling to keep up with the demands of a full schedule, combined with the fact that my wife and I had our first child, a little boy in March, and I just wanted to not be travelling as much. I didn’t want to be that guy on court that everyone is saying, ‘Why is he still playing?’ It ended up being here in Vancouver where I met my wife and I decided this would be a good spot to call it a day.” Born in Milan, Italy, de Voest moved to Pretoria, South Africa, at the age of one and eventually settled down in Vancouver. He specialized in doubles, where he won 37 ATP Challenger Tour titles and two ATP World Tour crowns, the China Open in 2007 with Ashley Fisher and Dubai in 2009 with Dimitry Tursunov.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Kitzbühel: Henri Kontinen and Jarkko Nieminen beat Daniele Bracciali and Andrey Golubev 6-1 6-4

Stanford: Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro beat Paula Kania and Katerina Siniakova 6-3 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Vancouver (men): Austin Krajicek and John-Patrick Smith beat Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak 6-3 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Vancouver (women): Asia Muhammad and Maria Sanchez beat Jamie Loeb and Allie Will 6-3 1-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Washington (men): Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau beat Sam Groth and Leander Paes 7-5 6-4

Washington (women): Shuko Aoyama and Gabriela Dabrowski beat Hiroko Kuwata and Kurumi Nara 6-1 6-2

 

SURFING

Toronto: www.rogerscup.com/men/english/home.php

 

Montreal: www.rogerscup.com/women/english/home.php

Aptos: http://seascapesportsclub.com/challenger

Cincinnati: www.cincytennis.com/

Bogotá: www.countryclubdebogota.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$3,146,920 Rogers Cup, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, hard

$100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Aptos, California, USA, hard

WOMEN

$2,139,320 Coupe Rogers présentée par Banque Nationale, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$3,079,555 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

WOMEN

$2,266,250 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

$100,000 Seguros Bolivar Open, Bogotá, Colombia, clay

 

Serena Williams
Serena Wiliams

Del Potro, Kerber Clinch Spots In Year-Ending Tournaments – Mondays with Bob Greene

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By Bob Greene

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-1 3-6 7-6 (3) to win the Shanghai Rolex Masters in Shanghai,China

Angelique Kerber beat Ana Ivanovic 6-4 7-6 (6) to win the Generali Ladies Linz inLinz,Austria

Samantha Stosur beat Eugenie Bouchard 3-6 7-5 6-2 to win the HP Open inOsaka,Japan

Dudi Sela beat Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-1 6-2 to win the Tashkent Challenger 2013 inTashkent,Uzbekistan

Peter Polansky beat Matthew Ebden 7-5 6-3 to win the First Republic Bank Tiburon Challenger inTiburon,California,USA

 

SAYING

“You are ordered not to play against the Israeli player.” – Email sent by Tunisia’s tennis federation ordering its top player, Malek Jaziri, not to play Israel’s Amir Weintraub in the quarterfinals of an ATP Challenger event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

“What is certain is that it was not Malek who decided not to play this match. Malek was taken hostage.” – Jonathan Chaouat, president of the Sarcelles Tennis Club in France where both Malek Jaziri and Amir Weintraub are members.

“It was a really tough match today. I’m very, very happy to win. I thought Genie played very well. She had game point at 5-all in the second set and went for the drive volley and missed it wide, and then I played a very good service game to win the set. That was probably the turning point.” – Samantha Stosur, following her win over Eugenie Bouchard in the HP Open.

“Sometimes when your opponent plays really well, you just have to congratulate them.” – Eugenie Bouchard, after losing to Samantha Stosur in theOsaka, Japan, final.

“There were a lot of turnarounds from both sides, but she played better in the important moments. I feel like I had more chances but just didn’t use them. I hit some errors when I really needed the point. But it was a great match, and though it’s disappointing to lose in a final, I had lots of good matches this week and lots of good wins, and overall it was a very positive week for me.” – Ana Ivanovic, after losing to Angelique Kerber in the Generali Ladies final.

“It’s just important not to worry too much, to be honest. It’s important to keep on doing what I’m doing. Obviously I might get tougher draws as we move along with my ranking not being in the top four anymore. But that’s OK. I don’t really care that much about the rankings if I’m not world number one.” – Roger Federer, after losing to Gael Monfils in the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

“When he’s on the court, he’s still Roger. He can rip it from anywhere. He can do stuff that not many players can do. Maybe it helps a little bit because you know he has had a couple of losses. So it’s less fear, but still, you know, you’re not going, ‘OK, I play Federer, it’s an easy draw.’ No, definitely not.” – Gael Monfils, on playing Roger Federer.

“We are in finals of Davis Cup. Masters Cup in London is also very important for me individually. But for the team and for our nation, having an opportunity to win another Davis Cup title at home is a huge chance. I mean, God knows if we are going to have this good and successful generation again. We are trying to grab every opportunity that we are presented.” – Novak Djokovic, on Serbia winning its second Davis Cup title.

 

SUCCESS IN CHINA

There’s something special about Novak Djokovic when he’s inChina. Although he has dropped to number two in the world rankings, Djokovic has been spotless inChina, winning his second big tournament in two weeks, this time beating Juan Martin del Potro in a third-set tiebreak. He captured the Shanghai Rolex Masters just seven days after he won the China Open inBeijing. In both tournaments, Djokovic successfully defended his titles and extended his winning streak inChinato 20 matches. “My motivation is always there, especially when I’m playing (in the) finals of such a big event,” Djokovic said. “I wanted this title as much as my opponent. That’s what’s going to stay forever.” The Serb had two match points at 6-5, only for Del Potro to come up with big forehands to hold serve and force the tiebreaker. Del Potro, who also was coming off a title the week before – he won inJapan, seemed to tire as Djokovic dominated the tiebreak. “The match was really close and I think Nole played unbelievable points in the tiebreak,” said del Potro, who reached the title match by upsetting Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. “The match was so exciting. I was really close to beating him after beating Nadal.”

 

SANCTIONS POSSIBLE

The Tunisian tennis federation ordered Malek Jaziri not to playIsrael’s Amir Weintraub in the Tashkent Challenger. As a result, the ATP is considering possible sanctions against Jaziri, who cited a knee injury when he withdrew from the second-round match. According to the player’s brother, Amir, Malek Jaziri was under orders from the Tunisian Tennis Federation not to play his Israeli opponent. A spokesman for the Tunisian Sports and Youth Ministry, Ahmed Gaaloul, told Agency France Presse that the Tunisian government had no official position on the matter, adding: “The authorities make no demands either on the federation or the players. The ministry of sports and youth and its minister Tarek Dhiab did not order Malek not to play this game.” However, another sports ministry spokesman, Sadok Touati, told The Associated Press that the federation, after consulting the ministry, sent an email to Jaziri that stated “you are ordered not to play against the Israeli player.” Both Jaziri and Weintraub are members of the Sarcelles Tennis club in France and have known each other for years through their sport. Jonathan Chaouat, president of the Sarcelles tennis club, said Jaziri “explained to me that he could not play the match, and when I asked him where the pressure not to play was coming from, he replied ‘my country.’ What is certain is that it was not Malek who decided not to play this match. Malek was taken hostage,” Chaouat said.

Another Israeli player, Dudi Sela, won the tournament, beating Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia in the final, 6-1 6-2.  It was Sela’s third Challenger title of the year and moves the Israeli into the top 70 in the rankings. “I’m thrilled with my win and the points will help to move into playing major events in the coming year,” Sela said. “I’m also happy that I won the title here after five years. I congratulate Teymuraz for a good week, but he looked tired today.” Gabashvili teamed with Mikhail Elgin to capture the doubles, downing Purav Raja and Divu Sharan 6-4 6-4.

 

STOSUR VICTORIOUS

Just when it looked as if Eugenie Bouchard might win her first WTA title, Samantha Stosur found her game and won the HP Open inOsaka,Japanfor the second time. The Australian survived some tense moments in the second set to capture her second title of the year and fifth of her career. “It’s obviously great to win, but it feels better knowing you really had to fight for it,” said Stosur. “I’m really excited about my second title here, and also the first time to win two titles in a year. It’s just great.” The Australian also won inOsakain 2009 and is the first player to conquer the International-level tournament twice. Bouchard was playing in a WTA final for the first time. “I’m disappointed because I always want to win, but I’ll take the lessons from this and keep working hard,” the young Canadian said. “I definitely tried my best today. I feel like I was playing the right way in the first set, but she raised her level in the second set and started playing much better in the third.”

 

SET FOR ISTANBUL

Not only did Angelique Kerber win her first title of 2013, she also clinched a spot in the season-ending TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships. And she had to battle to get past Ana Ivanovic in straight sets to capture the Generali Ladies inLinz,Austria. “At the end it was pretty close,” Kerber said. “I am very happy to have won because Ana is an exceptional player. I focused on myself, but I should have been calmer about taking my chances for winning the match.” Kerber raced out to a 4-1 lead, only to lose her serve twice as Ivanovic, seeking her third title inLinz, battled back to level the set at 4-4. Kerber broke back and held to close out the opening set. Then things got really tight. Trailing 5-4 in the second set, Ivanovic saved three match points, then had two chances to force a third set before it went into a tiebreak. “At the end I was just focusing point to point and not thinking about the match points I already had,” Kerber said.

By beating Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in the quarterfinals, Kerber clinched the eighth and final spot in the WTA Championships. With Kerber in the field, for the second straight year – and only the second time in the WTA Championships’ 43-year history – each player in the singles draw will represent a different country: Serena Williams (United States), Victoria Azarenka (Belarus), Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland), Li Na (China), Petra Kvitova (CzechRepublic), Sara Errani (Italy), Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) and Kerber (Germany). Maria Sharapova had qualified for the elite field, but had to withdraw because of a shoulder injury.

Twin sisters Karolina and Kristyna Pliskova won their first WTA doubles title, capturing the crown in Linz by besting the top-seeded team of Gabriela Dabrowski and Alicja Rosolska 7-6 (6) 6-4. Not only was it their first title as a team, it was their first doubles title as individuals for the 21-year-olds from Louny,Czech Republic.

STAYING HOME

Andy Murray will be missing the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals. Britain’s top player and reigning Wimbledon champion will skip the London tournament as he recovers from back surgery. He had qualified for the elite eight-player singles field. Murray underwent a minor operation in September to correct a disc problem in his lower back. “I’m really disappointed not to be playing this year,”Murray said. “I love playing in front of my home crowd, it’s a great atmosphere. I’ll be doing my best to qualify again for the tournament next year.”Murray pulled out of the French Open in May because of the injury, then recovered in time to become Britain’s first Wimbledon men’s singles champion since 1936. “It’s unfortunate Andy will be unable to play in this year’s tournament,” said tournament director Andre Silva. “He’s had a historic year on the tour and of course he’ll be missed.”

 

SKIPPING ISTANBUL

A right shoulder injury is keeping Maria Sharapova from playing in the end-of-season WTA Championships in Istanbul,Turkey. “I am very disappointed that I will not be able to play,” said Sharapova, who hasn’t seen action since she lost to Sloane Stephens in the second round of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, in August. “On the bright side, my shoulder has really improved in the last week and I can finally begin my strength rehab before getting back on the court again. I will start my off-season preparations early and use my exhibition matches in the month of December in Bogotá, Mexico City and Thailand to get some matches going.”

 

SPOT IN LONDON

Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro will be playing in his fourth Barclays ATP World Tour Finals this November. He clinched a berth in the men’s season finale by shocking world number one Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Shanghai Rolex Masters. “I’m so, so happy to be back in London for the Finals,” said del Potro, who was a finalist in 2009, losing to Nikolay Davydenko. “Only eight players have the chance to be there, and I’m one of them. The most important thing is the way I qualified. I’ve been playing really well. I’m so glad to show good tennis and I’m looking forward to closing a good year inLondon.” Others already in the elite field include Nadal, Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer. Four singles and five doubles team berths remain up for grabs.

 

SOMETHING UNIQUE

When Juan Martin del Potro shocked Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Shanghai Rolex Masters, it was only the second time this year that the world number one player had failed to reach a final. Nadal lost 6-2 6-4 to del Potro, who beat the Spaniard for only the fourth time in 12 career meetings. The Argentine raced to a 4-0 lead to begin the match, closing out the first set with an ace. Nadal thought he had broken del Potro to level the second set at 2-2. But Hawkeye showed his shot had missed the court and del Potro eventually held to make it 3-1. From then on it was all del Potro, who moved into the final when Nadal said a service return long on match point. It was the first time since 2009 that del Potro had beaten his Spanish opponent. The only other time Nadal has failed to reach a final this year was at Wimbledon, where he was upset in the first round.

 

SHANGHAI SLIP

Roger Federer can’t win for losing. This time, it was to Frenchman Gael Monfils, who ousted the former world number one from the Shanghai Rolex Masters 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-3. With a fourth-round loss at the US Open and a second-round exit at Wimbledon, Federer has slipped to seventh in the rankings. It was only the second time in eight career meetings that Monfils has beaten Federer, who still feels he can qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. “I can still finish strong. I believe that,” Federer said. “There’s not much time left. But if I do qualify for London, that gives me an extra shot there. I usually play well indoors. So I hope this year’s going to be one of those years again.”

 

STATE TOURNAMENT

The New Haven Open is becoming a Connecticut affair. The state is planning to buy the rights to the women’s tournament and keep it from moving to North Carolina. Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy said the Capital Region Development Authority will vote on purchasing the sanction for the WTA event from the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The authority’s board has been actively involved in the negotiations. The USTA had reached an agreement to sell the tournament and move it to Winston Salem, North Carolina. However, the ATP, which holds a men’s event during the same week in August the women play inNew Haven, rejected the plans for a combined men’s and women’s tournament. The state of Connecticut was given a short window to buy the WTA sanction and keep the event at the Connecticut Tennis Center, which was built with state funds. An economic impact study conducted in 2008 found that the tournament generated approximately USD $26 million in regional economic impact, including almost 300 jobs and USD $1.1 million in state tax revenue. The tournament also announced that it has received renewals from its top five sponsors, that Anne Worcester will continue on as tournament director, and that the tournament will keep its name as the New Haven Open.

 

SELECTED

Randy Villanueva, the vice president of the Philippine Tennis Association, has been named treasurer and member of the board of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF). The move came during the ATF’s annual meeting inTehran,Iran. The 38-year-old Villanueva is the youngest ATF board member.

 

SPLITSVILLE I

Paul Annacone is no longer coaching Roger Federer. “After a terrific three-and-a-half years working together, Paul and I have decided to move on to the next cheaper in our professional lives,” Federer said in a statement. “When we started together we had a vision of a three-year plan to win another Grand Slam title and get back to the number one ranking. Along with many other goals and great memories, those two main goals were achieved. After numerous conversations culminating at the end of our most recent training block, we felt like this was the best time and path for both of us.” Since the pair joined forces in July 2010, Federer has won 13 titles, including Wimbledonin 2012. Severin Luthi, who shared coaching duties with Annacone, is now the 32-year-old Federer’s only coach.

 

SAYS IT ALL

In his new autobiography, Boris Becker says his extramarital affair with a model came about because he was “looking for love, a feeling of security,” adding, “when you do not have that at home then you may look for that elsewhere, when the opportunity presents itself.” Becker was the subject of a tabloid frenzy when he cheated on his pregnant wife and fathered a child with the model in the back room of a trendy London restaurant in 1999. Becker said his new book, “Like Is Not a Game,” takes on “those who took the opportunity to judge me and sometimes to condemn me and my family.” The book was drawn from interviews conducted over two years with German journalist Christian Schommers. Becker said it was “a need to express my opinion, my truth, my views.”

 

SPLITSVILLE II

Golfer Rory McIlroy reportedly has ended his relationship with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. Reports are that the 23-year-old Danish star, who once described McIlroy as her “ideal boyfriend” is “absolutely devastated” by the split. One published report said McIlroy decided to end the relationship because he wants to concentrate on his golf in the hope he can regain his world number one ranking.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Linz: Karolina Pliskova and Kristyna Pliskova beat Gabriela Dabrowski and Alicja Rosolska 7-6 (6) 6-4

Osaka: Kristina Mladenovic and Flavia Pennetta beat Samantha Stosur and Shuai Zhang 6-4 6-3

Shanghai: Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo beat David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (2) 6-7 (6) 10-2 (match tiebreak)

Tashkent: Mikhail Elgin and Teymuraz Gabashvili beat Purav Raja and Divu Sharan 6-4 6-4

Tiburon: Austin Krajicek and Rhyne Williams beat Bradley Klahn and Rajeev Ram 6-4 6-1

 

SURFING

Moscow: www.kremlincup.ru

Stockholm: www.stockholmopen.se

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

Luxembourg: www.bglbnpparibas-open.lu

Istanbul: www.wtachampionships.com

Poitiers: www.ifv86.com

Valencia: www.valenciaopen500.com

Basel: www.swissindoorsbasel.ch/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$746,750 Kremlin Cup by Bank ofMoscow,Moscow,Russia

$719,100 IfStockholmOpen,Stockholm,Sweden

$680,028 Erste Bank Open,Vienna,Austria

 

WOMEN

$795,707 Kremlin Cup by Bank ofMoscow,Moscow,Russia

$235,000 BGLBNPParibasLuxembourgOpen,Luxembourg

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

1,496,095 2,086,850 Valencia Open 500,Valencia,Spain, hard

1,445,835 1,988,835, Swiss Indoors Basel,Basel,Switzerland, hard

 

WOMEN

$4,900,000 TEBBNPParibas WTA Championships,Istanbul,Turkey, hard

$100,000 Internationaux Féminins de la Vienne,Poitiers,France, hard

 

Juan Martin del Potro
Juan Martin del Potro

In photos: Na Li defeats Angelique Kerber in Cincinnati

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CINCINNATI – In the women’s final of the Western and Southern Open on Sunday, Na Li summoned her inner strength and battled back from a set and break down to defeat Angelique Kerber, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1.

The title in Cincinnati marked only her first title since winning the French Open 14 months ago, but she was “hungry” for this win in particular.

“Last night I was thinking about how I was in three finals this year but never won a title,” Li admitted. “So I was really hungry for the title today. Also, I was having lunch today and saw Roger after he won, having his photo taken – I really wanted to do the same.”

Although she wasn’t victorious, Kerber has much to celebrate in reflection of the past year. She climbed to a career-high world No. 6 on the WTA Tour this past Monday.

“One year ago [my ranking] was in the hundreds… like No.90 or No.100,” Kerber said. “Now I’m in the finals of Cincinnati, a really big tournament, so there are so many things that have changed in the last year. I prefer this year to last year.”

Catch all the great photos from the Cincinnati women’s final by Ken Munson below.

Photo Credit: Ken Munson. All Rights Reserved.

[nggallery id=51]

Wimbledon road to the semifinals: Victoria Azarenka against Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska versus Angelique Kerber

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By Romana Cvitkovic

The women’s semifinals are set at Wimbledon as Serena Williams is set to take on Victoria Azarenka, while Agnieszka Radwanska will battle against relative newcomer Angelique Kerber. Although Williams is a 13-time Slam champion, her somewhat rusty play this week has evened the playing field and it is any woman’s title. Here’s a look at each player’s road to the semifinals at Wimbledon.

[2] Victoria Azarenka (BLR) vs. [6] Serena Williams (USA)

Serena Williams lead’s the head-to-head 7 to 1, winning the last five times including their sole encounter on grass at Wimbledon in 2009.

Although Williams is a four-time Wimbledon singles champion, it’s been Victoria Azarenka who has been breezing by on the grass this past week. Sure, some of her opponents were overwhelmed by the atmosphere (or possibly, her grunting), but her beating of No. 14 Ana Ivanovic in just 62 minutes solidified her place as a regular Slam contender. No longer a “would be,” Azarenka has acheived what many feared she wouldn’t but hoped she would when she won her maiden title at this year’s Australian Open. Her improved smart play and physical training, control of emotions on-court, and sheer will power put her at an advantage against most players. But Williams is not most players, and Azarenka will surely have her work cut out for her as she tries to reach her first Wimbledon final.

Victoria Azarenka’s Road to the Semifinals:

Quarterfinal: def. Tamira Paszek 6-3, 7-6(4)

4th round: def. #14 Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-0

3rd round: def. Jana Cepelova 6-3, 6-3

2nd round: def. Romina Oprandi 6-2, 6-0

1st round: def. Irina Falconi 6-1, 6-4

 

When Serena Williams steps on a tennis court, all bets are off. She has the ability to return from a year-long hiatus from the sport and still reel back to beat a World No. 1 upon her return. She is one of the ageless tennis wonders that breaks all norms in sports. Her career seems to be defined not only by Slam titles but also by her drama both on- and off-court. This year saw Williams decidedly beat No. 5 Samantha Stosur, No. 2 Azarenka, and No. 1 Maria Sharapova, but lose to the likes of Ekaterina Makarova and Virginie Razzano both at the last two Slams in Australia and Paris, respectively. Williams becomes the first 30-something semifinalist at Wimbledon since 1999 when Steffi Graf was the runner-up. Can Williams go all the way again and make history once more?

Serena Williams’ Road to the Semifinals:

Quarterfinal: def. #4 Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-5

4th round: def. Yaroslava Shvedova 6-1, 2-6, 7-5

3rd round: def. #25 Jie Zheng 6-7(5), 6-2, 9-7

2nd round: def. Melinda Czink 6-1, 6-4

1st round: def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-2, 6-4

 ***

[3] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) vs. [8] Angelique Kerber (GER)

Head-to-head is even at 2-2 for Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska, with their last three meetings going the full three sets.

She may be world No. 3 and riding high from winning Dubai, Miami and Brussels already this year, but Agnieszka Radwanska is in her first Slam semifinal. With her steady game, intricate angles and mixture of slices and lobs, Radwanska grinds down her opponents on-court with carefully constructed points that end in the occasional off-handed winner. Suffering her worse loss at Wimbledon last year by crashing out in the second round, Radwanska has re-energized her game and confidence by reaching the semifinals here. But her match today against Maria Kirilenko that spanned across seven hours and four rain delays, in addition to her still being alive in the Ladies’ Doubles Draw, will surely put both her mental and physical strength to the test in her next match.

Agnieszka Radwanska’s Road to the Semifinals:

Quarterfinal: def. #17 Maria Kirilenko 7-5, 4-6, 7-5

4th round: def. Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-3

3rd round: def. Heather Watson 6-0, 6-2

2nd round: def. Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-1

1st round: def. Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3, 6-3

 

If you’ve never heard of Angelique Kerber before you’re not alone. After a slow start to 2011, the 24-year-old German catapulted to the semifinals of the U.S. Open, defeating seeded players Flavia Pennetta and Radwanska, before losing in three sets to eventual champion Stosur. Ranked 92 in the world coming into that tournament, no one could have guessed that the magic would continue well into the following year. While many players are able to compile week-long streaks, most are never able to back it up week after week. But not Kerber. By winning two tournaments and reaching four semifinals already in 2012, her results show that the U.S. Open run was no fluke. Winning a Slam is a much higher challenge, but why not? Petra Kvitova won her maiden slam at Wimbledon last year, and Kerber may very be next. With her aggressive groundstrokes and dependable serve, Radwanska will be forced to go for a few more winners than usual if she wants to win.

Angelique Kerber’s Road to the Semifinals:

Quarterfinal: def. #15 Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 6-7(7), 7-5]

4th round: def. Kim Clijsters 6-1, 6-1

3rd round: def. #28 Christina McHale 6-2, 6-3

2nd round: def. Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 6-3

1st round: def. Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-1

 

Angelique Kerber Surprises Caroline Wozniacki in Copenhagen — Mondays With Bob Greene

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STARS

Paul Andujar beat Albert Ramos 6-1 7-6 (5) to win the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco

Juan Monaco beat John Isner 6-2 36 6-3 to win the US Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas, USA

Angelique Kerber beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-4 to win the e-Boks Open in Copenhagen, Denmark

Sara Errani beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-2 to win the Barcelona Ladies Open in Barcelona, Spain

SAYING

“This tournament is for Piermario Morosini (an Italian soccer player who died after collapsing during a game). It has been very hard. The images have impacted me a lot. It’s amazing these things can happen. It really makes you think. It brings you back to reality and makes you realize many of the things we complain about in life are just pure nonsense. You have to enjoy every minute of life.” – Sara Errani, who won both the singles and doubles at the Barcelona Ladies Open.

“I think this is the first time that I’m not happy that I won the match. I’m happy and proud that I played the match against such a good player who made history, especially for Croatian people, Croatian tennis.” – Ivan Dodig, who sent Croat Ivan Ljubicic into retirement with a defeat.

“I have to say that I felt like it could end up emotional, but I didn’t expect it to be this emotional. Obviously, it’s the end of something beautiful for me. Now it’s time to do something else.” – Ivan Ljubicic.

“A title isn’t something you always achieve, so each one is so important. Sara and I had a great match today. Flavia and Francesca had a great week and I hope they achieve their best tennis in the weeks to come.” – Roberta Vinci, after teaming with Sara Errani to win the Barcelona Ladies Open doubles.

“I felt like I had nothing to lose. If I lost the match, it’s OK against her. It made me take more chances and I’m glad it worked out.” – Angelique Kerber, after beating top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki for the title in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“You always want to win. Yes, it’s disappointing to lose, but it’s not a disaster. You lose matches sometimes, and today was one of those times. There’s a new match and new tournament coming, so you go on.” – Caroline Wozniacki, after losing to Angelique Kerber.

“This is very special to me. I didn’t think that I could win here twice in a row. It was difficult with the three rain delays. Albert was a bit nervous at the beginning and I played very well during the first set. The second set could have gone in both directions. It wasn’t easy to remain calm in the end.” – Pablo Andujar, on successfully defending his title in Casablanca, Morocco.

“This is a great moment in my career. I’ve worked very hard to be here. I have the clay-court season in Europe now, which is very important for me. This tournament is going to bring me a lot of confidence.” – Juan Monaco, on winning in Houston, Texas, USA.

“I had some things go right in the second set. I saved a number of break points. But I had some things go against me in the third set. He was pressuring me pretty well all day. All in all, it was a good effort and was the best match I played all week. That’s encouraging. I was a little tired, but I didn’t feel it at the end.” – John Isner, following his loss to Juan Monaco for the US Men’s Clay Court Championship.

“The week was great, as I haven’t been in the winners’ circle in a while. It’s a great feeling to get back in it with a good friend like Sam. I hope it’s a stepping stone. I remember when I won my first doubles title; it was a precursor to my first singles title the next weekend. I think it shows I’m starting to play well and getting confidence. I’ll take it anywhere I can get it.” – James Blake, after teaming with Sam Querrey to win the doubles at the US Men’s Clay Court Championships.

“It’s always fun to play with a buddy like James. We hadn’t won a match before, but once we got one win, we got four. We had a lot of close matches. Hopefully we can play again and win another title.” – Sam Querrey.

“This is the first time we played together. The win against the top seeds Cermak and Polasek in the first round gave us a lot of confidence. It also helped us figure out what we needed to improve. Yesterday we had a very tight match and today it was also very hard.” – Dustin Brown, who with partner Paul Hanley won the doubles in Casablanca, Morocco.

“I’m really happy. I’ve played here for a few years now and I finally managed to win the tournament this year. That’s very nice. I got the monkey off my back. The conditions were tough out there and the sun was pretty strong.” – Paul Hanley.

SARA SUPREME

Sara Errani pulled off a rare double in Barcelona, Spain, beating Dominika Cibulkova to capture the singles, and then teaming with Roberta Vinci to beat Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone in an all-Italian doubles final. Having also pulled off the singles-doubles pairing in Acapulco, Mexico, earlier this year, Errani becomes the first player to do the feat twice in the same year since Serena Williams did it at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2009. With her singles title, Errani increased her winning streak on clay to 10 straight matches. And she continued the winning ways for Italian players in Barcelona. This was the fourth straight year an Italian has won the Spanish tournament, with Vinci coming out on top in 2009 and again last year, while Schiavone captured the crown in 2010. Errani dedicated her victory to Piermario Morosini, an Italian soccer player who collapsed and in a game last week. “It really makes you think,” she said. “It brings you back to reality and makes you realize many of the things we complain about in life are just pure nonsense. You have to enjoy every minute of life.”

STEPPING UP

Angelique Kerber in her win over Caroline Wozniacki

Handing Caroline Wozniacki her first defeat in the Copenhagen, Denmark, stop on the WTA tour, Angelique Kerber is making a bid for a spot in the Top 10. Wozniacki was 14-0 at the e-Boks Open going into the title match. Kerber put a stop to that by running her indoor record to 11-0 this year. She won her first WTA title in Paris in February, then posted a 1-0 record in Fed Cup before winning all five matches in Copenhagen. The German left-hander, who entered the Danish tournament ranked 15th in the world, has now won four of her last five matches against Top 10 players, beating Maria Sharapova, Marion Bartoli and Li Na as well as Wozniacki.

SHE’S IN THE HALL

A teen prodigy whose off-field problems also made headlines is the newest member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Jennifer Capriati will be inducted in the 2012 class that includes Gustavo Kuerten, Manuel Orantes, Randy Snow and Mike Davies. “Tennis has been my passion and dedication for my entire life, and to be acknowledged for this passion and dedication is truly icing on the cake,” said the 36-year-old Capriati. She was 14 years old and just out of the eighth grade when she reached the semifinals of the first Grand Slam tournament she played, the 1990 French Open. Sidetracked by drugs and shoplifting, Capriati left tennis following the 1993 US Open. She returned in 1996 and in 2001 won her first of two consecutive Australia Opens. In 2001, she also captured Roland Garros, was a semifinalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open and reached the number one ranking. She retired in 2004 with a career record of 430-176, including 14 singles titles. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is July 14 in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

SWINGING TOGETHER

It was a week that saw new faces when they gave out the doubles trophies. Kimiko Date-Krumm and Rika Fujiwara won their first WTA doubles title together when they captured the e-Boks Open in Copenhagen, Denmark, outlasting Sofia Arvidsson and Kaia Kanepi in the final. It was the third career WTA doubles title for the 41-year-old Date-Krumm, who last won in Osaka, Japan, last year. It was the first WTA title of any kind for the 30-year-old Fujiwara.

Americans James Blake and Sam Querrey had never won as a team in four previous matches. That changed at the US Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas, USA, when Blake and Querrey won their first team title, beating Treat Conrad Huey and Dominic Inglot in the final 7-6 (14) 6-4. The winners converted the only break of the second set to claim the title. Huey has reached the doubles final twice but has yet to win. Inglot was making his first ATP World Tour title match appearance.

At the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco, Dustin Brown and Paul Hanley won as a team for the first time. And they did it the hard way. The duo had to beat three of the four seeded teams to capture the title, starting off with top-seeded Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek in the opening round. Then Brown and Hanley ousted third-seeded David Marrero and Marcelo Melo before downing the fourth-seeded squad of Daniele Bracciali and Fabio Fognini 7-5 6-3. Hanley improved to a 26-21 final record, while Brown lifted his second trophy in three title matches.

SOLO FLIGHT

Serena Williams will play Fed Cup for the United States this coming weekend, but not her older sister Venus. “She just played Miami and Charleston, so she’s trying to gauge now her recovery, how much she can play,” US Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez said of Venus. “She’s, I believe, planning on playing a couple of tournaments now before the French Open.” Venus Williams recently returned to action after being sidelined for more than six months after being diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Sjogren ’s syndrome. Serena, who also played Fed Cup against Belarus in February, will be joined on the American team by Christina McHale, Sloane Stephens and doubles specialist Liezel Huber. The Americans will be playing on clay in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

SPREADING THE WEALTH

It’s not just the winners who have won the latest race to the bank. Prize money at the French Open is going up significantly this year for players who lose in the early rounds. Organizers at Roland Garros say the overall purse for the tournament will go up 7 percent to USD $24.6 million. The singles champions – men and women – will each get USD $1.64 million, an increase of 4.17 percent. First round losers in the Grand Slam tournament will get a 20 percent boost, while more than 300 players who lose between the second round of qualifying and the third round of the main draw will see their prize money increased by between 10 and 20 percent.

SAYONARA

It turned out to be a quick ending to a long career. Ivan Ljubicic retired from the ATP World Tour after he lost an opening-round match at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. The Croatian was beaten by countryman Ivan Dodig 6-0 6-3. “I had the pleasure to play on this beautiful court again,” said Ljubicic, who is a three-time quarterfinalist at the Monte-Carlo Country Club and who lives in Monte Carlo. “I chose this tournament to be my last and I’m very happy that I made that decision.” Once ranked as high as third in the world, Ljubicic won 10 tournaments and was a semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2006 during his 15 years on the tour. In 2004, he won an Olympic bronze medal in Athens, and led Croatia to victory in the Davis Cup in 2005. “As impressive as his achievements were on the court, Ivan will also be remembered for the way he carried himself away from the court,” said ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett. “A true gentleman and ever popular amongst his peers, we thank Ivan for his first-rate contributions to the sport throughout his career, and wish him the very best for the future.” Ljubicic served on the ATP Player Council and was the European player representative on the ATP Board of Directors from August 2008 until January 2009.

STOPPED BY INJURY

A persistent hip injury has caused Ireland’s top player, Conor Niland, to retire from tennis. Last year the 30-year-old Niland became the first Irishman to qualify for the main singles draw at Wimbledon since 1984. He lost a five-set, first-round thriller to France’s Adrian Mannarino. Niland also qualified for the US Open, but had to retire because of illness after only two sets against Novak Djokovic. “I am today sadly announcing my retirement from professional tennis,” Niland said in a statement. “I have been suffering from labral tears in both hip cartilages and this has resulted in pain and restricted movement for the past nine months. … I have considered the possibility of hop surgery, but have been advised of a lengthy recovery time without any guarantee of a successful outcome.” Niland’s last match was a week before his retirement when he helped Ireland defeat Egypt 3-2 in a Davis Cup tie.

SICK CALL

When Belgium meets Japan in this week’s Fed Cup competition, its top player will be Tamaryn Hendler, who is ranked 210th in the world. That’s because Kirsten Flipkens has had to withdraw for the women’s international team competition because she has blood clots in a calf muscle. Belgium’s top two players, Yanina Wickmayer and Kim Clijsters, are also missing from the team. Clijsters has a torn hip muscle and is expected to return to the WTA tour next month. Wickmayer wants to focus on the tour. She felt it was too risky to play on hard courts in Japan this weekend instead of preparing for the clay court season in Europe.

SUCCESSFUL AGAIN

It took a long time for Yasutaka Uchiyama to defend his title. But he did, and successfully. Uchiyama won a USD $10,000 Futures tournament in Tsukuba, Japan, in 2010. Last year, the tournament was cancelled in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011. Now 19, the top-seeded Uchiyama dropped just one set as he claimed his second singles title of the year and a career fourth, defeating Huang Liang-Chi of Taiwan 7-5 6-4 in the final. His latest success has seen the Sapporo, Japan, native rise to a career high ranking of 378th in the world.

SEEKS GRASS TITLE

Returning to where he won his first professional matches, defending champion Andy Murray has committed to playing the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club in London for the next five years. “Ever since I got my first ATP World Tour match-win at the tournament seven years ago, I have always loved playing at The Queen’s Club,” Murray said. “I’ve won the tournament twice, and I’m looking forward to trying to win it many more times in the years to come.” In 2005, an 18-year-old Murray won his first professional matches at The Queen’s Club before losing in the third round against Sweden’s Thomas Johansson. He won the grass-court tournament in 2009 and 2011. Also signed to play in this year’s tournament are last year’s runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and four-time winner Andy Roddick. In 2009, Murray became the first British player to win the AEGON Championships since Henry “Bunny” Austin in 1938.

SAD NEWS

Laurie Pignon, who first covered Wimbledon as a journalist in 1938, is dead at the age of 93. During World War II Pignon was captured during the retreat at Dunkirk in 1940 and became a prisoner of war in Poland. In January 1945 he and his fellow captives were forced to walk from Katowicze, Poland, to Austria during the very cold winter months. The journey took two months. After the war Pignon joined the Daily Sketch newspaper, and became the tennis writer of the Daily Mail of London when the two newspapers merged in 1971. He retired in 1983 but still showed up at The Championships at Wimbledon to visit his former colleagues. His status was such that he became one of the few journalists to be offered membership of the All England Club, and he was a long-serving president of the Lawn Tennis Writer’s Association.

SIGNED

Richard Lewis is leaving his post as chairman of the Rugby Football League (RFL) to become chief executive at Wimbledon. The move will take place at the end of this month. The 57-year-old Lewis replaces Ian Ritchie, who left the All England Club in February after six years to become chief executive of the Rugby Football Union. Lewis will continue as chair of Sport England, a position he took up on a part-time basis three years ago. A former player, Lewis reached a career high world ranking of 68 and represented Great Britain in Davis Cup from 1977 to 1983. Before joining the RFL, Lewis was Director of Tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association from 1998 to 2000.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Barcelona: Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci beat Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone 6-0 6-2

Casablanca: Dustin Brown and Paul Hanley beat Daniele Bracciali and Fabio Fognini 7-5 6-3

Copenhagen: Kimiko Date-Krumm and Rika Fujiwara beat Sofia Arvidsson and Kaia Kanepi 6-2 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Houston: James Blake and Sam Querrey beat Treat Conrad Huey and Dominic Inglot 7-6 (14) 6-4

SURFING

Monte Carlo: www.monte-carlorolexmasters.com
Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com
Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com
Bucharest: http://brd-nastase-tiriac-trophy.ro/2012/
Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de
Fès: www.frmt.ma

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$3,180,000 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Monte Carlo, Monaco, clay
$100,000 Sarasota Open, Sarasota, Florida, USA

FED CUP
World Group Semifinals

Russia vs. Serbia at Moscow, Russia, clay
Czech Republic vs. Italy at Ostrava, Czech Republic, hard

World Group Playoffs

Ukraine vs. United States at Kharkiv, Ukraine, clay
Japan vs. Belgium at Tokyo, Japan, hard
Spain vs. Slovak Republic at Marbella, Spain, clay
Germany vs. Australia at Stuttgart, Germany, clay

World Group II Playoffs

France vs. Slovenia at Besançon, France, hard
Switzerland vs. Belarus at Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, hard
Sweden vs. Great Britain at Borås, Sweden, hard
Argentina vs. China at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

Group II
Round-Robin

Europe/Africa at Cairo, Egypt, clay: Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Latvia, Montenegro, Norway, South Africa, Turkey

Americas at Guadalajara, Mexico, clay: Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay

Group III
Round-Robin

Europe/Africa at Cairo, Egypt, clay: Algeria, Armenia, Cyprus, Egypt, Ireland, Kenya, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$2,179,536 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain, clay
$523,619 BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, Bucharest, Romania, clay
$125,000 Kaohsiung OEC International Tennis Challenge, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, hard

WOMEN

$740,000 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart, Germany, clay
$220,000 Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Fès, Morocco, clay

USA Completes 5-0 Davis Cup Stunner Over Switzerland — Mondays With Bob Greene

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STARS

Angelique Kerber beat Marion Bartoli 7-6 (3) 5-7 6-3 to win the Open GDF Suez in Paris, France

Daniela Hantuchova beat Maria Kirilenko 6-7 (4) 6-3 6-3 to win the PTT Pattaya Open in Pattaya City, Thailand

Jesse Levin beat Steve Darcis 6-4 6-4 to win the YP Challenger of Dallas in Dallas, Texas, USA

Olga Govortsova beat Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3 6-7 (6) 7-6 (5) to win the Dow Corning Tennis Classic in Midland, Michigan, USA

Alexandra Dulgheru beat Mandy Minella 6-3 1-6 6-3 to win the VI Copa Bionaire in Cali, Colombia

DAVIS CUP
(First Round)

World Group

Spain beat Kazakhstan 5-0 at Oviedo, Spain
Austria beat Russia 3-2 at Wiener Neustadt, Austria
France beat Canada 4-1 at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
United States beat Switzerland 5-0 at Fribourg, Switzerland
Czech Republic beat Italy 4-1 at Ostrava, Czech Republic
Serbia beat Sweden 4-1 at Nis, Serbia
Croatia beat Japan 3-2 at Hyogo, Japan
Argentina beat Germany 4-1 at Bamberg, Germany

Group I

Americas: Uruguay beat Peru 3-1 at Montevideo, Uruguay; Colombia beat Ecuador 4-1 at Salinas, Ecuador

Asia/Oceania: Uzbekistan beat New Zealand 3-2 at Tauranga, New Zealand; Korea vs. Korea beat Chinese Taipei 4-1 at Gimcheon, Korea; Australia beat China 5-0 at Geelong, Australia

Europe/Africa: Great Britain beat Slovak Republic 3-2 at Glasgow, Great Britain; Netherlands beat Finland 5-0 at s’Hertogenbosch, Netherlands; Slovenia beat Denmark 5-0 at Velenje, Slovenia

Group II

Americas: Barbados beat Paraguay 3-2 at St. Michael, Barbados; Mexico beat El Salvador 5-0 at Distrito Federal, Mexico; Dominican Republic beat Bolivia 4-1 at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Venezuela beat Puerto Rico 5-0 at Caracas, Venezuela

Asia/Oceania: Philippines beat Pacific Oceania 5-0 at Camarines Sur, Philippines; Pakistan leads Lebanon 2-1 at Jounieh, Lebanon; Indonesia beat Hong Kong 3-2 at Hong Kong; Thailand beat Sri Lanka 3-2 at Colombo, Sri Lanka

Europe/Africa: Ukraine beat Monaco 5-0 at Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine; Cyprus beat Morocco 3-2 at Limassol, Cyprus; Hungary beat Ireland 3-2 at Szeged, Hungary; Latvia beat Egypt 3-2 at Cairo, Egypt; Belarus beat Moldova 4-1 at Minsk, Belarus; Bosnia/Herzegovina beat Turkey 3-1 at Ankara, Turkey; Estonia beat Luxembourg 5-0 at Tallinn, Estonia; Poland beat Madagascar 5-0 at Warsaw, Poland

SAYING

“It’s one of the greatest wins of my life. No, that’s wrong, it’s the greatest win of my life.” – John Isner, after beating Roger Federer in the first-day singles to give the United States a 2-0 lead over Switzerland in Davis Cup play.

“The mission was to go out there and not allow an artist a canvas to work with.” – Jim Courier, United States Davis Cup captain, about John Isner’s upset win over Roger Federer.

“You would like to be in the final in every tournament you play but let’s be realistic. The positive thing is I have the feeling I can play better than this.” – Maria Sharapova, after losing to Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the Paris Open quarterfinals.

“This win is unbelievable for me. I will enjoy it for sure over the next days. And I believe in myself more. I know I can play with the top players.” – Angelique Kerber, after winning the Paris Open.

“I gave everything I had and Angelique did the same. You have to know when to accept defeat, though. It’s what sport is all about. I didn’t fluff my lines when it came to the final and I was simply beaten by a better player.” – Marion Bartoli, after losing to Angelique Kerber in the final in Paris.

“It was the first time I defended a title in my career, but it’s better late than never.” – Daniela Hantuchova, who won at Pattaya City for the second straight year.

“These have been very hard months for me, during which I realized I don’t have the energy I need nor am I prepared to do all I have to do to be where I want to be.” – Fernando Gonzalez, announcing his impending retirement.

John Isner in Davis Cup action

STUNNER

It was only apropos that John Isner close out the United States’ stunning Davis Cup victory over Switzerland. It was, after all, Isner, who provided the big shocker when he beat Roger Federer in four sets in the opening singles. That gave the Americans a 2-0 lead, and they proceeded to clinch the first-round tie when Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish teamed up to stop Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka in the doubles. The Swiss duo had won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Fish had started the rout by beating Wawrinka to being the five-match competition. After the Americans clinched, Federer stepped aside and let Michael Lammer get a chance to play. The United States turned to 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and he got the victory. Then Isner stopped Martco Chuidinelli to complete the 5-0 win.

SWEET VICTORY

Angelique Kerber capped a tremendous week by capturing her first WTA title, besting Marion Bartoli to win the Open GDF Suez. Kerber is the first German to win the Paris tournament since Steffi Graf in 1995. After winning the first-set tiebreak, Kerber raced to a 5-2 lead in the second set, only to have Bartoli win five straight games and level the match. “I got a little bit nervous,” Kerber admitted about the second-set slipup. But she won the first four games in the final set and converted her fifth match point for her first WTA title. During the week, Kerber also defeated third-ranked Maria Sharapova, beating top-10 players for the first time in her career. “I knew I had nothing to lose,” Kerber said of the final. “She was the favorite today.

STOPPED BY INJURY

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is skipping the Qatar Ladies Open because of an unspecified injury. Tournament officials said they have no information on the injury. The tournament’s number one seed is Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who is the WTA’s top-ranked player.

SERBS ADVANCE

Even without the world’s top-ranked player, Serbia grabbed a spot in the Davis Cup semifinals by besting Sweden 4-1. With Novak Djokovic resting up after winning the Australia Open for the third time, Serbia showed its depth when Janko Tipsarevic won both his singles matches and Viktor Troiki and Dusan Lajovic also won. Sweden’s only point came when Johan Brunstrom and Robert Lindstedt teamed up to win the doubles. “It’s never easy to play matches in which are the odds-on favorite, but the players deal with the pressure really well against Sweden,” said Serbian coach Bogdan Obradovic.

STAYING THE COURSE

Daniela Hantuchova has found a spot she loves. She won the PTT Pattaya Open for the second straight year for her fifth career title, the first time she has ever successfully defending a WTA title. But Hantuchova also had a rare lapse. She lost a set for the first time in 10 career matches in Pattaya City.

SAYONARA

Once ranked as high as fifth in the world, Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez says he will retire from the ATP tour after playing at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida, USA, in March. The 31-year-old Gonzalez reached the Australian Open final in 2007, where he lost to Roger Federer, but has struggled with his fitness following hip surgery in 2010. He current is ranked 268th in the world. “These have been very hard months for me, during which I realized I don’t have the energy I need nor am I prepared to do all I have to do to be where I want to be,” Gonzalez said. “I’m retiring from professional tennis but I want to remain close to tennis … After mourning the end of my career there will be nothing better than to work in my foundation” developing the game in Chile.

STEPPING DOWN

Jim Curley’s reign as tournament director of the US Open has ended. Saying “it is time for a change,” Curley has left a post he has held since 2001. He will stay on as a consultant through this year’s US Open, the final Grand Slam tournament of the year which runs August 27 through September 9. Deputy tournament director David Brewer will take over as tournament director and will oversee the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) professional tennis operations.

SPONSOR

The International Tennis Federation has renewed its sponsorship agreement with Wilson Racquet Sports as an international partner of Davis Cup and Fed Cup. Wilson will remain the official ball of Davis Cup and Fed Cup competition for a further five years, starting in 2013 and running through 2017. “The Davis Cup and Fed Cup are iconic tennis institutions, important to the heritage of the sport and to our brand,” said Jon Muir, general manager for Wilson Racquet Sports. “These events help to drive the local participation efforts in many countries around the world, and our brand and business efforts have aligned to support this as well. We are pleased to continue this strong partnership and look forward to bringing the energy of the game to all generations of tennis fans.”

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Cali: Karin Knapp and Mandy Minella beat Alexandra Cadantu and Roluca Olaru 6-4 6-3

Dallas: Chris Eaton and Dominic Inglot beat Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock 6-7 (6) 6-4 19-17 (match tiebreak)

Midland: Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka beat Vesna Dolonts and Stephanie Foretz Gacon 7-6 (4) 6-2

Paris: Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Petra Martic 7-6 (3) 6-1

Pattaya: Sania Mirza and Anastasia Rodionova beat Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan 3-6 6-1 10-8 match tiebreak)

SURFING

Rotterdam: www.abnamrowtt.nl/

San Jose: www.sapopentennis.com

São Paulo: www.brasilopen.com.br

Doha: www.qatartennis.org

Bogotá: www.copacolsanitas.com/

Marseille: www.open13.fr

Memphis: www.memphistennis.com

Buenos Aires: http://copaclaro.com

Dubai: www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com

Monterrey: www.abiertodetenismonterrey.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,590,000 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, hard
$531,000 SAP Open, San Jose, California, USA, hard
$475,300 Brasil Open 2012, Sao Paulo, Brazil, clay

WOMEN

$2,168,400 Qatar Total Open, Doha, Qatar, hard
$220,000 XX Copa BBVA Colsanitas, Bogotá, Colombia, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,155,000 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard
$676,226 Open 13, Marseille, France, hard
$484,100 Copa Claro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

WOMEN

$2,000,000 Dubai Duty Free Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard
$220,000 Memphis International, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard
$220,000 Whirlpool Monterrey Open, Monterrey, Mexico, hard

SENIORS

Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard

Nadal, Murray into semis, Americans sent home

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NEW YORK – Solving the thunderbolts thrown his way by John Isner, Andy Murray became just the seventh man in the Open Era to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year.

The fourth-seeded Murray survived the power game of the 6-foot-9 (2.06m) American 7-5 6-4 3-6 7-6 (2) and earned a spot in Saturday’s semifinals at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center where he will take on defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain, a 6-2 6-1 6-3 winner over Andy Roddick, the last American left in the men’s singles.

Rafael Nadal & Andy Roddick

Roger Federer, seeking a sixth US Open title, will take on top-ranked Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s first semifinal, followed by the Murray-Nadal match.

It is the first time since 1992 that the four top seeds have reached the men’s semifinals. Nineteen years ago, No. 1 Jim Courier, No. 2 Stefan Edberg, No. 3 Pete Sampras and No. 4 Michael Chang played the penultimate match, with Edberg beating Sampras in the final.

The women’s semifinals will be played Saturday evening with top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki against Serena Williams, the favorite to capture her fourth title on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows, while ninth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia meets surprising Angelique Kerber of Germany, a 23-year-old left-hander who is ranked 92nd in the world.

The scheduling of the women’s semifinals continued the controversy that has engulfed the US Open since rain wiped out two days of play earlier this week. Officials put the Stosur-Kerber match on Grandstand Court – the third largest venue at Flushing Meadows – beginning at 6 p.m. (New York time). Wozniacki and Williams are scheduled to begin their semifinal at 8 p.m. in Arthur Ashe, the largest tennis stadium in the world.

Tournament officials said the Stosur-Kerber match was not played in the 23,771-seat Ashe Stadium because of the possibility of the day session with the two men’s semifinals running into the evening.

“We did not want to schedule the two women’s semifinals back-to-back in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday night since the winner of the second match will need to play in the women’s singles final at 4:30 p.m. the following day,” the tournament said in a statement.

Louis Armstrong Stadium, which 10,103, was taken out of play Thursday when water bubbled up through a crack right behind one of the baselines, creating a puddle. The Grandstand seats 6,106.

The men’s final will be played on Monday.

Attempting to become the first British player to win a Grand Slam tournament singles title since Virginia Wade captured Wimbledon in 1977, Murray was able to exploit the mistakes of his opponent and easily take the opening two sets. But Isner, playing the best tennis of his career this summer, began dominating with his serve and big ground strokes.

“Somewhere along in that third set I started to get more comfortable and I started playing better,” Isner said. “I played well in the third and fourth sets. Just didn’t go my way at the end.”

The two battled evenly in the fourth set, with just a couple lapses on Isner’s part and a reflex volley by Murray separating the two.

On one point, Isner hit the service line with his second serve. Thinking it was a double fault, Murray just pushed the ball back over the net. Isner slammed the reply at Murray’s feet, but the Brit stuck out his racquet and hit a perfect half-volley into the open court for the winner.

“How often does he make that shot?” Isner asked. “If I get that point there I like my chances to serve it out. We’d still be out there right now.”

In the fourth-set tiebreak, Isner self-destructed, helped, of course, by Murray’s sharp play.

“I double-faulted at 1-all, but then he just played well,” Isner said. “I missed that gimme volley. That was bad. That hurt. … All I had to do was put it in the court because he was off the court, and I took my eye off of it.”

The netted volley gave Murray a 5-2 lead with two serves to go. Isner never got to serve again.

“It may look like you’re playing defensively or whatever, but it’s not the case,” Murray said. “You can’t take chances against someone that’s serving 140 miles an hour and their second serve is bouncing, you know, like up here, and then he’s mixing it up with 120 miles and hour second serves into your body.

“You’ve just got to try and find as way to win, and I did that.”

Roddick said his four-set victory Thursday against David Ferrer of Spain sapped all of his energy.

“It’s tough playing a lot of matches regularly, but I had zero reserves,” said Roddick, who won America’s premier tennis event in 2003. “I played a four-setter yesterday; I felt like I played six sets.

“Came out today and I just couldn’t. … Just felt like nothingness, which is unfortunate.”

Against Nadal, it’s deadly.

The Spaniard broke Roddick the first two times he served in the match and never looked back.

“I asked him how was he, but he told me ‘I am fine.’ But I think he was tired because of the match yesterday,” Nadal said. “You know how tough it is to play best-of-five two days in a row, and he played against a very difficult opponent like David yesterday.”

 

Everybody’s in action as sun comes out

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NEW YORK – “We just want to play,” said Andy Roddick.

And play they did on Thursday at the US Open.

It was where they played that was the biggest surprise as the rain that washed out play for two days finally subsided.

Andy Roddick

Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion who hadn’t played outside of Arthur Ashe Stadium since 2002, ended up on Court 13 at the outer edges of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. His fourth-round match against fifth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain was to be played on Louis Armstrong Stadium, but was switched when water bubbled to the surface right behind the baseline.

“I played there in 1999. I lost to Scott Lipski in juniors first round,” Roddick said of playing on Court 13. “Year before that, I lost to Fernando González out there first round in juniors.”

He didn’t lose Thursday, pounding his way into the quarterfinals with a 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Ferrer.

Another American, 28th-seeded John Isner, grabbed a quarterfinal berth by ousting No. 12 Gilles Simon of France 7-6 (2) 3-6 7-6 (2) 7-6 (4).

There were surprises in the other two fourth-round matches as defending champion Rafael Nadal stopped Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller 7-6 (1) 6-1 6-2 and fourth-seeded Andy Murray eliminated unseeded American Donald Young 6-2 6-3 6-3.

Because of the rain, the four early winners will have to play four consecutive days if the year’s final Grand Slam tournament is to end on Sunday. In the bottom half of the draw, Friday’s quarterfinals will pit Nadal against Roddick and Murray against Isner.

There were two upsets in the women’s quarterfinals, but not in the upper half of the draw where top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and heavy favorite Serena Williams posted straight-set victories. But ninth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia and surprising Angelique Kerber of Germany will face off for the other spot in the final.

Wozniacki bested Germany’s Andrea Petkovic 6-1 7-6 (5); Williams downed Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-1; Stosur knocked off second-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-3, and Kerber ended the run of Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 6-4 4-6 6-3.

Like Roddick, Wozniacki also was relegated to Court 13, which usually during the second week of the Open is where the juniors play.

“The whole match was tough,” Wozniacki said. “There are different conditions out there, the court is faster. But I won. That’s the most important thing.”

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic was the first man to reach the semifinals, outlasting his Serbian Davis Cup teammate Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (2) 6-7 (3) 6-0 3-0 retired. In Thursday’s night match, third-seeded Roger Federer took on No. 11 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to see who would face Djokovic on Saturday. That match was suspended in the opening set by rain.

The forecast for Thursday was for a four-hour window of good weather before the rain returned later in the day. To catch up, tournament officials began all four fourth-round matches on four different courts.

Then came the problem on Armstrong and the switch to Court 13.

Because of the weather and a backup of matches, officials switched the men’s final to Monday and the women’s final to Sunday.

In other schedule changes, the quarterfinals between Isner-Murray and Roddick-Nadal will be played Friday, with the men’s semifinals set for Saturday day. The women’s semifinals will be played Saturday evening.

The women’s favorite, Serena Williams, is seeded only 28th after being out of tennis for 11 months because of injuries and illness. She has dominated lately, winning the title at both Stanford and Toronto, and could collect a $1 million bonus

Against the 20-year-old Pavlyuchenkova, Williams started slowly, the two trading service breaks for the first six games. By the time she wrapped up the opening set she was beginning to look her usual overpowering self.

“It was a slow start, sand once I lost serve I was determined to break serve so I wouldn’t be down a break,” Williams said. “Then I just kept losing serve in the beginning. Very weird.”

Williams and Pavlyuchenkova briefly took to the court on Wednesday night, but never got beyond their warm-up before rain prompted officials to cancel all play.

Although Stosur is the higher ranked of the two players, she beat Zvonareva for their eight consecutive time in their 10 career meetings. While the Australian was stretched to three close sets in her last two matches, she was dominant against her Russian opponent, needing just 67 minutes to advance to the semifinals, her best showing ever at America’s premier tennis event.

Stosur never faced a break point as he hit 25 winners.

“She was able to hold her serve pretty easy, that’s why she could take a lot of risks on mine,” said Zvonareva, who had runner-up finishes at Wimbledon and the US Open last year. “She was over-playing me a little in every game.”

Kerber had never been past the third round of a Grand Slam tournament before now. Ranked 92nd in the world, she had lost in the first round of her last four major tournaments. Pennetta has never been past the quarterfinals at a major, who has reached this stage three times.

Flavia Pennetta, Donald Young are US Open winners

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NEW YORK – Flavia Pennetta is a believer. She’s also now in the quarterfinals of the US Open.

“I just believe all the time and I just try to play every point,” the Italian said. “Ws working pretty good.”

Flavia Pennetta

“Pretty good” is an understatement. In a see-saw battle, Pennetta outlasted 13th-seeded Peng Shuai of China 6-4 7-6 (6) in a dramatic fourth-round battle on the hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

It’s the third trip to the quarterfinals of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament for the 29-year-old Italian. She’s never gone past the fourth round at the other three majors.

“I like to be here,” said Pennetta, who upset third-seeded Maria Sharapova in the third round. “I just enjoy all the time when I am in New York.”

Seeded 26th, Pennetta’s next opponent will be unseeded Angelique Kerber of Germany, a 6-4 6-3 winner of Romania’s Monica Niculescu.

“She’s in the quarterfinals,” Pennetta said of Kerber. “You are not there because you want to be there. You are there because you beat a lot of good players.”

Pennetta has never lost to the 25-year-old Peng, who hits two-handed off both sides. Yet in their last three meetings before Sunday’s clash, the two battled to a full three sets. It appeared it would happen again.

The Italian right-hander broke Peng in the longest game of the match – an 18-point marathon – that saw Pennetta take the last three points to grab a 6-5 lead.

While serving for the match in the 12th game, Pennetta walked to the back of the court as she felt herself becoming ill. She received a time warning from the chair umpire, Tamara Vrhovec.

“I was feeling really bad,” said Pennetta. “I think it was because it’s really humid today. It’s hot. And also, when you are there, you have a lot of emotion in the court.

“My body just need to breathe and I starting maybe to have the sensation to throw up. But doesn’t, without nothing inside, so it didn’t come out.”

Peng took advantage of Pennetta’s condition and broke her Italian opponent right back, sending it into a tiebreak. Peng raced out to a 5-0 lead, then 6-2, quadruple set point,

Despite struggling with the muggy heat, Pennetta reeled off the next six points to claim her berth in the quarterfinals.

One of the older players in the draw, Pennetta looks at her age as an advantage.

“I know I’m a little bit old for tennis. For life I’m young,” she said, adding that older players have had recent success in the majors.

“Actually we have a good experience, like Francesca (Schiavone of Italy) last year, she won Roland Garros and she was 30, and this year the final at 31. Li Na, she won Roland Garros and she’s 29, also.

“There are some players that can grow up early, and some players they need time. I’m one of them.”

At age 22, Donald Young is no longer the “young phenom.” Now, he’s finally delivering on the promise he showed when he became the youngest player to be ranked No. 1 in the world in juniors.

With a full house on the Grandstand court cheering him on, Young defeated 24th-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 7-5 6-4 6-3 Saturday to gain a berth in the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

“The crowd was great,” said Young. “Without them I wouldn’t have won at all today. I don’t think I would have had a chance because, like I said, I was kind of getting a little fatigued. The energy was kind of going away. They definitely pushed me through.”

Six years ago, Young was the youngest boy to finish a season as the world’s top-ranked junior. Then came a series of disappointing losses.

“It was tough because I wanted to win,” he said. “I was used to winning. When you’re used to winning and you start losing, it doesn’t feel good.

“Then I was looking at myself at 15 playing grown men 25 to 30. If I look back at myself, even at 22, I would hate to lose to someone 15, so I would try a lot harder anyway. And I really can’t see myself losing to someone 15.

“So it was a learning experience. I think those things I did helped me now. It’s better late than never.”

Saturday’s victory was his second over a seeded foe, having knocked off No. 14 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in the five-set second-round marathon.

The left-hander, who gained a spot in the main draw on a wild card, had 46 winners to just 19 for Chela. He now has reached the fourth round of a major for the first time in his career.

“At times I wasn’t winning matches at challengers and I was losing to guys (ranked) 300 in the world. Actually this year I lost to some players 300. To go from losing a first round challenger in Aptos (California) to the Round of 16 of the US Open is great.

“But you have your highs and lows in tennis. I’ve definitely had the lows. Hopefully I’ll have a lot more highs.”

A match in full

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By Thomas Swick
swickt@bellsouth.net

After days of wandering I settled into the Grandstand and watched from the warm-ups to the victor’s autograph session with fans. The match, the last of the day (start time 7:30), was between the Polish player Agnieszka Radwanska and the Polish-speaking German Angelique Kerber. And unless you’re a Polish-speaking tennis fan you probably haven’t heard much about it. So let me tell you.

Agnieszka Radwanska

My seat was in the first row, directly behind the German player’s chair. I had been close to the action on the outside courts, but it was different in the stadium, the grandeur of the setting heightening the intimacy of my location. There were about 400 people in attendance, filling only about one-fifth of the seats – the ones closest to the court, which, along with the gathering darkness, further added to the closeness of the moment.

It is amazing what you notice when you sit so near. Halfway through the first set my eyes picked out the stain of pink on the towel covering the seat of Kerber’s chair (replicating the color of the pattern of her skirt). I was struck, after decades of watching tennis, by how many people are employed by the business of two players hitting a ball back and forth. Counting photographers, cameramen, lines people, ball boys and girls, and the umpire in her chair, I came up with 24. And that was just on the court; it didn’t take into account the broadcasters in the booth and the journalists in the media section (most of whom, like a good number of the fans, were speaking Polish).

At such close range, everything looks faster, even the ball boys as they race to retrieve. It occurred to me that the ball boys’ lightning sprint to an inanimate pose is the physical equivalent, in extremes, of the stadium’s transition from raucous applause to respectful hush. During the breaks between sets, after delivering drinks to the players (Evian for the German, Gatorade for the Pole), they quenched their thirst with water from a cooler.

Kerber won the first set; Radwanska the second. Both players became more vocal in the third (or perhaps, after all the visual stimulation, I was just becoming aware of the noise); the Pole accompanying her shots with what sounded like an energetic huff, the German with more of a pained groan.

Before the second game of the set, Radwanska talked loudly to herself in Polish, frustrated with her game but also, perhaps, the fact that she wasn’t taking advantage of what amounted to home court advantage. It was like watching the Championship of Greenpoint, the Polish neighborhood in Brooklyn.

At one of the breaks, more people filed in, just in time to watch a few moon balls. Then, all of a sudden, Kerber was up 5-3, serving for the match. At 40-40, Radwanska hit a listless lob which Kleber put away to get the advantage.

Then an amazing thing happened. The eventual victor netted her first serve – the serve for the match – and no one applauded or even cheered. It was perhaps the most impressive moment in the whole two hours of energetic rallies and killer (mostly Teutonic) lobs. Throughout the match people had vociferously enjoyed the German’s rare failings, but now, at the near climax, no one saw a reason to gloat over her mistake. Nervous tension? Or Polish politeness? As close as I was to it, I couldn’t tell.