Borna Coric

France, Croatia To Battle for Davis Cup Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

September 17, 2018 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Hsieh Su-Wei beat Amanda Anisimova 6-2 6-2 to win the Hana-cupid Japan Women’s Open in Hiroshima, Japan

Pauline Parmentier beat Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 to win the Coupe Banque Nationale présentée par IGA in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Guido Andreozzi beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4 4-6 6-3 to win the Pekao Szczecin Open in Szczecin, Poland

DAVIS CUP

World Group Semifinals

France beats Spain 3-2 at Lille, France

Croatia beats United States 3-2 at Zadar, Croatia

World Group Playoffs

Argentina beats Columbia 4-0 at San Juan, Argentina

Great Britain beats Uzbekistan 3-1 at Glasgow, Great Britain

Austria beats Australia 3-1 at Graz, Austria

Sweden beats Switzerland 3-2 Sweden at Biel, Switzerland

Serbia beats India 4-0 at Kraljevo, Serbia

Canada beats Netherlands 3-1 at Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Czech Republic beats Hungary 3-2 at Budapest, Hungary

Japan beats Bosnia/Herzegovina 4-0 at Osaka, Japan

Group I Relegation – Second Round

Americas: Ecuador beats Barbados 4-0 at St. Michael, Barbados

Asia/Oceania: Korea beats New Zealand 3-2 at Gimcheon, Korea

Group I – Relegation – First Round

Europe/Africa: Ukraine beats Portugal 3-1 at Bucha, Ukraine; Russia beats Belarus 3-2, at Moscow, Russia

Group II – Third Round

Americas: Uruguay beats Mexico 3-1 at Montevideo, Uruguay

Asia/Oceania: Lebanon beats Thailand 3-2 at Nonthaburi, Thailand

Europe/Africa: Poland beats Romania 3-2 at Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Finland beats Egypt 3-2 at Cairo, Egypt

SAYINGS

“I gave my best today, so I’m a happy champion.: — Hsieh Su-Wei, after winning the Hana-cupid Japan Women’s Open, her third career title.

“It was amazing. I won two titles this year, it’s just incredible.” – Pauline Parmentier, who won in Quebec City, Canada.

“This is the most special day of my life, by far, playing here with this crowd. … They were into the match. They were loud. They won the match with me. I was playing, but if they were not there I would have lost in four sets for sure because my head was deep in the water.” – Borna Coric, who clinched the Davis Cup semifinal victory for Croatia over the United States.

“It’s quite possible it could be the last match of my career on tour. And what a way to finish.” – Julien Benneteau, who teamed with Nicolas Mahut to win the doubles and clinch France’s Davis Cup semifinal win over Spain.

“It feels amazing. It’s another feeling than I have ever had before. I don’t think it’s sunk in quite yet, but it is for sure the best tennis moment in my life.” – Jonathan Mridha, who rallied from a two-set deficit to beat Sandro Ehrat and give Sweden a World Group playoff victory over Switzerland.

“I prepared pretty well for it and I was playing well in practice, but my level’s just not good enough anymore.” – Daniel Nestor, who ended his 25-year career with a loss in doubles for Canada’s Davis Cup team.

“I’m extremely proud. … I was pretty nervous coming into this match. The team got me ready for this next one and I wanted to prove something to myself and everyone that I could turn it round.” – Cameron Norrie, whose victory gave Great Britain a Davis Cup win over Uzbekistan after he had suffered a major upset in his first singles match.

“I had a couple of dips, in the second and the fourth. That can happen, but it is what it is. I’m young and I’m going to learn from that. In the fifth, it could have gone either way. He raised his level. I raised my level. Hats off.” – Frances Tiafoe, who lost a five-set battle to Borna Coric as Croatia won its Davis Cup tie against the United States 3-2 to advance to the final.

“It’s always good to play against a young girl, because they all play different than the time I was playing. They try to be more aggressive, try to volley more, try to open court, they try to improve better and better. It’s always good to play against them to learn something. You learn what to improve, what to do better. I’m happy that I’m still hanging there and playing my best tennis.” – Hsieh Su-Wei.

SET FOR CUP FINAL

France will be seeking its second straight Davis Cup title in November when it takes on Croatia, which is playing in its second final in three years. France has reached consecutive finals for only the second time since the Challenge Round was abolished in 1972. Croatia won its only title in 2005. The final will be held November 23-25 in France.

Americans Mike Bryan and Ryan Harrison won the doubles in a fifth-set tiebreak. Then substitute Sam Querrey upset Marin Cilic in four sets in the first reverse singles to deadlock the tie at 2-2. That set the stage for Coric to stop Tiafoe, making his Davis Cup debut, 6-7 (0) 6-1 67 (11) 6-1 6-3. “To have a rookie perform the way that Frances did in the fifth match is very impressive,” USA captain Jim Courier said. “What Sam did, turning his match around, was kind of mind-boggling. … I couldn’t be prouder of these guys. They laid it all out there, fought hard, played as well as they could. We had one great win and one great fight.” Cilic and Coric won their two singles matches in straight sets on the first day of the tie.

Julien Benneteau came out of retirement and joined Nicolas Mahut to win the doubles and clinch France’s Davis Cup semifinal victory over Spain. Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Marcel Granollers won the two reverse singles to narrow the score to 3-2. “This is the best tennis I’ve seen from my team in three years,” a delighted Yannick Noah, the French captain, said. “I didn’t have a beer for a week. I deserve my beer.” The doubles victory came after Benoit Paire and Lucas Pouille won their Friday singles.

SIX-YEAR SPAN

It took six years, but Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei is finally a winner again. She converted five of six break points to crush 17-year-old American qualifier Amanda Anisimova in straight sets. It was Hsieh’s third career title, but her first trip to a final in six years. She won two tournaments in 2012, in Kuala Lumpur and Guangzhou, China. This year the unorthodox Hsieh has posted upsets over Garbiñe Muguruza at the Australian Open and top-ranked Simona Halep at Wimbledon. She has overcome an ankle injury that bothered her for more than a year, but says a mental change has also helped. “Maybe because I did not put too much pressure this year,” she said. “I was more enjoying it – trying to run (down) every ball, trying to do this and that and lob, trying to run and hit a big one and sometimes I made it. I was enjoying doing all the shots and playing without pressure.”

SECOND TITLE

Once Pauline Parmentier makes it to a final, she’s unbeatable. The Frenchwoman won her second title of the year, beating American qualifier Jessica Pegula. Parmentier also won in Istanbul in April, and has won all four times she has reached a tournament final. This is the first time in her career that the 32-year-old has won more than one tournament in a year. Seeking her first title, Pegula jumped out to a 3-1 lead before Parmentier eventually led 6-5. Serving for the set, she fell behind 0-30 before winning four straight points. The Frenchwoman won the first four games in the second set and served out the match four games later.

SERENA’S MOUTH REDUX

Serena Williams wasn’t the only one to make a mistake last week. An item about her in last week’s Monday with Bob Greene had several unforced errors. Thanks to Robbie Mendelson, here’s the correct version.

It wasn’t the first time Serena Williams has been penalized in a women’s match at the US Open, or the second time. In 2009, Belgium’s Kim Clijsters won their semifinal 6-4 7-5 when Williams was assessed a point penalty for arguing with a linesperson. The penalty came on match point and Clijsters went on to win the title. In the 2011 final against Australia’s Samantha Stosur, Williams was assessed a penalty for verbal obstruction early in the second set for yelling while the ball was still in play. Stosur won 6-2 6-3.

STRAIGHT TO THE BANK

With her US Open victory, Naomi Osaka collected a check for USD $3.8 million. That was just the first of her many trips to the bank. Since her win, Osaka has signed a new endorsement clothing deal with Adidas that will pay the 20-year-old USD $8.5 million a year, according to The Times of London and believed to be the richest deal in women’s tennis. The first player from Japan to win a Grand Slam tournament singles title, Osaka is also expected to sign a big deal with Nissan.

SAYONARA

Daniel Nestor wanted to finish his career with, hopefully, a Davis Cup tie-winning doubles victory. Canada won the tie against the Netherlands, but Nestor and partner Vasek Pospisil suffered a four-set doubles loss to Matwe Middelkoop and Jean-Julien Rojer. “I wanted to play one more season and this match was one of the most important of the year for me and, obviously, I wanted to play better,” the 46-year-old Nestor said. Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov won their opening round matches, and when Raonic won the first reverse singles match, it gave Canada an unbeatable 3-1 lead. Nestor has played in 53 Davis Cup ties, more than double that of any other Canadian. “When it was announced that we were playing in September in Toronto I was really looking forward to it,” Nestor said. “I wanted to win this match. The other tournaments I sent to, playing these events one last time was fun, having my family with me, but this match was important for me. But I’m just not good enough anymore.”

SAY IT AIN’T SO

Alexis Ohanian has joined in condemning a cartoon of his wife, Serena Williams, that appeared in an Australian newspaper. “I am truly perplexed to learn this editor of the Australian newspaper behind the blatantly racist & misogynistic cartoon of my wife is a ‘Male Champion of Change.’ Is this supposed to be satire, too?” Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, tweeted. The drawing by cartoonist Mark Knight showed Williams stomping on her tennis racket with a pacifier near her feet during a US Open match. Many have compared to cartoon to those from America’s Jim Crow era. The newspaper editor, Damon Johnston, and Knight have defended the drawing. “A champion tennis player had a mega tantrum on the world stage, and Mark’s cartoon depicted that,” Johnston said. “It had nothing to do with gender or race. This was about a bad sport being mocked.” The racquet abuse came during the US Open final against Japan’s Naomi Osaka. The cartoon shows Serena’s opponent to be a blonde with a ponytail. Osaka is black whose mother is Japanese and father is Haitian.

SENIOR SUB

After Australia lost its opening two singles matches, Lleyton Hewitt took off his captain’s hat and helped his country to a Davis Cup doubles win against Austria. Hewitt teamed with John Peers to beat Austria’s Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer 6-1 6-4 3-6 7-5. It was Hewitt’s first Davis Cup appearance since 2016. “It’s a lot of fun,” the 37-year-old former world number one said. “There was a lot of pressure, but it’s a great honor any time to play for Australia.” The win proved to be not enough, however, as Dominic Thiem beat Alex de Minaur 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-4 to give Austria an unbeatable 3-1 lead and its first Davis Cup win over Australia since 1989. The final rubber was not played.

SUPER SWING

After suffering one of the biggest chokes in Davis Cup history, it probably was only right that Cameron Norrie won the clinching match for Great Britain. Dan Evans began the three-day, five-match competition against Uzbekistan by beating Denis Istomin. Then Norrie reached match point against Jurabek Karimov in the third set before the 434^th-ranked Karimov rallied for a 0-6 5-7 7-6 (6) 6-2 6-2 victory. The 20-year-old Karimov has never played a single ATP Tour-level match, instead spending his short career on the third-tier Futures circuit. “I’ll try to forget that as soon as possible but it hurts a lot because I am not playing for myself, I’m playing for the team,” Norrie said. “I competed as hard as I could and I have another chance to get the ‘w’ on Sunday.” Norrie did just that. His 6-2 6-2 6-0 win over 516^th-ranked Sanjar Fayziev gave Great Britain an unbeatable 3-1 lead.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Hiroshima: Zhang Shuai and Eri Hozumi beat Miyu Kato and Makoto Ninomiya 6-2 6-4

Quebec City: Asia Muhammad and Maria Sanchez beat Darija Jurak and Xenia Knoll 6-4 6-3

Szczecin: Karol Drzewiecki and Filip Polasek beat Guido Andreozzi and Guillermo Duran 6-3 6-4

SURFING

St. Petersburg: www.spbopen.ru/

Metz: www.moselle-open.com/

Kaohsiung: www.oecopen.com/

Guangzhou: www.guangzhouopen.org/

Tokyo: www.toray-ppo.com/

Chengdu: www.chengduopentennis.com/

Shenzhen: www.shenzhenopen.cn/

Orleans: www.opendorleans.com/

Tiburon: http://tiburonchallenger.com/

Wuhan: www.wuhanopen.org/

Tashkent: www.tashkentopen.uz/en/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$1,241,850 St. Petersburg Open, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

$648,466 Moselle Open, Metz, France, hard

$150,000 Kaohsiung OEC Open, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, hard

WOMEN

$799,000 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo, Japan, hard

$250,000 Guangzhou Open, Guangzhou, China, hard

$250,000 Korea Open, Seoul, South Korea, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,183,360 Chengdu Open, Chengdu, China, hard

$800,320 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China, hard

$148,200 Open d’Orleans, Orleans, France, hard

$100,000 Wells Fargo Tiburon Challenger, Tiburon, California, USA, hard

WOMEN

$2,746,000 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, Wuhan, China, hard

$250,000 Tashkent Open, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard

Borna Coric Shocks Roger Federer in Gerry Weber Open Final – Mondays with Bob Greene

June 25, 2018 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Borna Coric beat Roger Federer 7-6 (6) 3-6 6-2 to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany

Marin Cilic beat Novak Djokovic 5-7 7-6 (4) 6-3 to win the Fever-Tree Championships in London, Great Britain

Petra Kvitova beat Magdalena Rybarikova 4-6 6-1 6-2 to win the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain

Tatjana Maria beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-4 7-5 to win the Mallorca Open in Mallorca, Spain

Sergiy Stakhovsky beat Oscar Otte 6-4 6-4 to win the Fuzion 100 Ilkley Trophy men’s singles in Ilkley, Great Britain

Tereza Smitkova beat Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (2) 3-6 7-6 (4) to win the Ilkley Trophy women’s singles in Ilkley, Great Britain

SAYING

“(I am) just really surprised. … I had not even dreamed of this.” – Borna Coric, after beating Roger Federer to win the Gerry Webber Open.

“I actually thought I played maybe my best match of the week today. It just didn’t go my way.” – Roger Federer, after losing the Gerry Weber Open final to Borna Coric.

“It was an extremely tough match. No breaks for me until that last (return) game. I definitely feel relieved that I won it and what a great week.” – Marin Cilic, following his win over Novak Djokovic in the Fever-Tree Championships final.

“It’s a tough loss for me today, obviously. But I have to see it from a positive side. I haven’t played a final at any event in almost a year, so this felt great.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Marin Cilic in London.

“Can I win Wimbledon? Well, why not?” – Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, after winning a Wimbledon warm-up event in Birmingham, Great Britain.

“I was impressed with him. He was always a tick better in the end and he took his chances.” – Roger Federer, complimenting Borna Coric.

“I think Roger’s motivational level is just slightly better and higher on Grand Slams, and you can see that throughout so many years that he’s been showing the best tennis at Grand Slam levels.” – Marin Cilic, about Roger Federer.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a contender, you know, for a (Wimbledon) trophy or anything like that. I have to keep my expectations very low considering my results in the last 12 months.” – Novak Djokovic.

“No, it’s not fair. That’s what we like about it.” – Venus Williams, when asked if it was fair to the other players for her and her sister, Serena, to play doubles together.

SHOCKER IN HALLE

Borna Coric’s surprising triumph in Halle, Germany, snapped Roger Federer’s 20-match winning streak on grass, ended the Swiss star’s reign as number one in the world and denied Federer a 10^th Gerry Webber Open title. “In the tiebreak I think I was just a little bit lucky, to be honest,” Coric said. “I saved two set points, and one of them I was actually just really, really lucky. I needed some luck today – but that’s tennis.” It was the first loss for the 36-year-old Federer since he returned to tour after skipping the clay-court season and winning last week at Stuttgart, Germany. The defeat also meant Rafael Nadal will return to the top of the world rankings. Coric was playing in his first grass-court final and won just his second career ATP World Tour title. “I think I was serving the best I have in my whole life,” Coric said. “I was feeling very confident and hitting the spots I wanted to hit, which isn’t very usual for me. Hopefully I can continue to serve like that now.” After the two traded sets, the 21-year-old broke Federer in the sixth game of the decider when the Swiss sliced a backhand long. It was all Coric, who also beat second-seeded Alexander Zverev in the opening round, needed. He finished with 11 aces. It was the Croatian’s first win over Federer in three career meetings.

STOPS NOVAK

Top-seeded Marin Cilic staved off a match point before downing Novak Djokovic in three sets and winning at Queen’s Club for the second time. Djokovic took the opening set and had a match point in the second-set tiebreak before the 29-year-old Croatian won in two hours, 56 minutes, the longest final in the tournament’s history. “It was a special win for me because last year I had match point and didn’t convert it,” Cilic said. “It was a tough match. No breaks for me until the final set.” Djokovic won the hour-long first set, then losing just one point on his first serve in the second set, appeared ready to wrap up the title in the ninth game. But Cilic hit a huge serve out wide to save match point, then rallied from 1-4 down in the tiebreak, winning the last six points, to level the match. Two years younger than Djokovic, Cilic grabbed the only break in the final set to win his first title of the year. “Overall, I had a great time here this week,” Cilic said. “I have waited six years to get my hands on this trophy.” The last time Djokovic was in the final at Queen’s Club, he lost to Rafael Nadal.

When Novak Djokovic beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 7-5 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s Club, it was the Serb’s 800^th match win. It also was his first ATP World Tour 500 series event since 2010. Djokovic is only the 10^th man in the Open Era, since 1968, to reach 800 match wins. Jimmy Connors leads with 1,256 match victories. “I will play as long as I feel like playing,” Djokovic said. “Hopefully I can have many more years because I truly enjoy playing this sport.”

STELLAR SEASON CONTINUES

It’s easy to figure out why Petra Kvitova is so happy these days. “I couldn’t imagine to have five titles this time of the year, so I’m pretty happy already,” the Czech left-hander said. She got her fifth when she successfully defending her title at the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham. “I didn’t really expect to win here,” she said. “I just played match by match, being very happy to be on the grass and the tennis court.” Grass fits her big game perfectly, but Magdalena Rybarikova made Kvitova work for the big trophy. The Czech finished with 34 winners to just 18 for Rybarikova. Kvitova also won 70 percent of the points on Rybarikova’s second serve. “I think today was a great final to kind of fight,” said Kvitova, who raced out to a 5-1 lead in the final set. “We played over two hours, so it was a great final to watch, I think, I hope.”

STUNNER

Tatjana Maria made her first trip to a WTA singles final pay off. The German rallied from 0-4 down in the second set to sweep past third-seeded Anastasija Sevastova in straight sets and became a champion for the first time. “It was amazing, the support from the first day,” Maria said in the presentation ceremony. “All the German fans, also everybody, it was really amazing, and I felt it a lot, also today for me.” The title victory was only her second win over a player ranked in the Top 20. She broke Sevastova four times and won 61 percent of the points off of the Latvian’s second serve. “It’s a great event, it’s a really nice place,” Maria said. “You really enjoy every day, so I’m really happy I could win it here.”

SEEDING AT US OPEN

The US Open is changing the way it seeds the players, taking into consideration mothers who returning after giving birth. It doesn’t hurt that Serena Williams will be playing the US Open for the first time since becoming a mother. “It’s the right thing to do for these mothers that are coming back,” said Katrina Adams, president and chairwoman of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) does not protect player’s rankings when they take time off because of pregnancy as they do when the player is injured. Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam tournament singles titles, has seen her ranking slide from number one in the world to 183^rd since she took off to give birth to daughter Alexis Olympia. The four Grand Slam tournaments are able to change seedings, although they usually stick to the rankings.

SHE’S THE CAPTAIN

Amélie Mauresmo is the new captain of France’s Davis Cup team, replacing Yannick Noah. Mauresmo becomes the first woman to take the role in France and just the sixth woman to coach a Davis Cup team. The French tennis federation also announced that Julien Benneteau will captain the French Fed Cup team after his retirement later this year. He also replaces Noah. A former world number one and winner of Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2006, Mauresmo coached the Fed Cup team for three years, winning six of nine ties and leading the team to the final in 2016. She became the first woman to coach a leading male when she was hired by Andy Murray in 2014. She has also coached Michael Llodra, Victoria Azarenka and Marion Bartoli. As a player, Mauresmo won the Fed Cup in 2003 and a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She retired as a player in 2009.

SUGGESTIVE GESTURES

Nick Kyrgios was fined almost USD $17,500 after BBC cameras caught the Australian making suggestive gestures with his water bottle during his semifinal loss to Marin Cilic at Queen’s Club. Tournament supervisor Lars Graff said the fine was for “inappropriate behavior.”

SICK CALL

Tomas Berdych, who was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2010, will miss this year’s tournament because of a back injury. “I am disappointed to inform you that I was forced to pull out of the Wimbledon championship,” Berdych wrote on Twitter. “I have been struggling with back pain for a couple of months now and I have tried every possible treatment and medical solution in order to be able to keep on competing. Unfortunately, things have not got better and my attempts to be ready and healthy for the grass season were not successful.” Berdych lost in 2010 to Rafael Nadal.

SKIPPING EASTBOURNE

Spain’s Feliciano Lopez has withdrawn from this week’s Nature Valley International in Eastbourne, Great Britain. He won consecutive titles at Eastbourne in 2013 and 2014. The 36-year-old Lopez reached the quarterfinals at Stuttgart and the quarterfinals at Queen’s Club before deciding to rest this week to prepare for Wimbledon.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Birmingham: Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic beat Elise Mertens and Demi Schuurs 4-6 6-3 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Halle: Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo beat Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev 7-6 (1) 6-4

Ilkley (men): Austin Krajicek and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan beat Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 6-3 6-3

Ilkley (women): Asia Muhammad and Maria Sanchez beat Natela Dzalamidze and Galina Voskoboeva 4-6 6-3 10-1 (match tiebreak)

London: Henri Kontinen and John Peers beat Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 6-4 6-3

Mallorca: Andreja Klepac and Maria José Martinez Sanchez beat Lucie Safarova and Barbora Sfefkova 6-1 3-6 10-3 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Eastbourne: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/nature-valley-international/

Antalya: www.antalyaopen.com/

Southsea: www.lta.org.uk

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com/index.html

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$721,000 Valley International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

$497,255 Turkish Airlines Open, Antalya, Turkey, grass

WOMEN

$731,000 Nature Valley International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

$100,000 Fuzion 100 Southsea Trophy, Southsea, Great Britain, grass

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

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

Borna Coric Caps Croatia’s Comeback Davis Cup Win Over USA – Mondays with Bob Greene

July 18, 2016 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

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

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

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

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

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

DAVIS CUP

World Group Quarterfinals

Great Britain beat Serbia 3-2 at Belgrade, Serbia

Argentina beat Italy 3-1 at Pesaro, Italy

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

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

Group I 2^nd Round

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

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

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

Group II, 2^nd Round

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

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

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

Group II, 1^st Round Playoffs

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

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

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

Group III Round-Robin

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

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

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

Group IV Round-Robin

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

SAYING

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SWISS SURPRISE

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

SPANISH TRIUMPH

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

SUPER EFFORT

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

SWINGING WIN

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

SQUEAKER

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

STANDING TALL

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

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

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

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

SHARAPOVA SIDELINED

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

SKIPPING RIO

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

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

SLOVAK PAIRING

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

SET FOR FINALS

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

STEPPING DOWN

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

SERVING UP ACES?

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

SPECIAL DAYS

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

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

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

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

SHARED PERFORMANCES

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

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

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

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

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

SURFING

Washington: www.citiopentennis.com/

Kitzbühel: www.generaliopen.com/

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

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

Stanford: www.bankofthewestclassic.com/

Båstad (women): www.ericssonopen.org/

Rio de Janeiro: www.itftennis.com/olympics/home.aspx

Toronto: www.rogerscup.com/

Montreal: www.couperogers.com/en/

Biella: http://ifaggiclub.it/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$1,877,700 Citi Open, Washington, DC, USA, hard

$574,464 J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open, Gstaad, Switzerland, clay

$574,464 Generali Open, Kitzbühel, Austria, clay

$574,464 Konzum Croatia Open, Umag, Croatia, clay

WOMEN

$687,900 Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, California, USA, hard

$250,000 Citi Open, Washington, DC, USA, hard

$250,000 Ericsson Open, Båstad, Sweden, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN AND WOMEN

Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hard (first week)

MEN

$4,691,730 Rogers Cup, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, hard

$100,000 Thindown Challenger, Biella, Italy, clay

WOMEN

$2,513,000 Rogers Cup, Montreal Quebec, Canada, hard

Borna Coric Gets Recognition From Forbes: This Week In Tennis Business With Kevin Craig

January 8, 2016 by Admin

by Kevin Craig

@KCraig_Tenis

Borna Coric Named in 30 Most Influential Athletes Under 30

After finishing 2015 as the youngest player inside the Top 50, Borna Coric has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list of most influential athletes. The list also includes the likes of Steph Curry, Sergio Aguero, Cam Newton, Jordan Spieth, and Russell Wilson, matching Coric with many already world-class athletes. Coric, who is the fourth youngest athlete on the list, has already reached a career high ranking of No. 33 in the world and beaten Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, yet he still has an entire career ahead of him to contend for slams and the No. 1 overall ranking. Novak Djokovic was named to this list in 2012, so Coric can look at that and use it as inspiration for his young professional career.

University of Central Florida to Offer Professional Tennis Management Degree

The University of Central Florida will open a professional tennis management track within their hospitality management program that will focus on preparing students for jobs within the tennis industry. This initiative is part of a collaboration with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and its National Campus that will open in Lake Nona in late 2016. According to the Orlando Business Journal, the USTA National Campus is expected to produce more than 150 jobs by the end of 2018 that will have an average annual salary of $100,000. Students that take part in this degree program will have the opportunity to take part in tennis related internships, including possible openings at the USTA National Campus, and be prepared for various jobs within the tennis industry.

Lleyton Hewitt Launches Tennis Fitness Pro App

Lleyton Hewitt and his fitness trainer, Nathan Martin, have recently developed an app in which they reveal Hewitt’s secrets for fitness success. Martin, a member of Hewitt’s coaching staff since 2005, was inspired by the TV show Shark Tank, according to Richard Evans at The Advertiser. The app includes more than 100 videos showcasing the exercises and workouts that Hewitt has gone through during his time with Martin, leading him to many titles on the ATP tour. Martin’s wife, Giselle, was also a fitness instructor for players on the WTA tour, including the likes of Martine Navratilova and Sam Stosur, allowing her to play a pivotal role in the development of the app. The app even includes a section in which aspiring tennis players can “Challenge Lleyton” by doing a certain set of exercises as quickly as possible and seeing how their time matches up with Hewitt. Martin is excited about the app and hopes to display the amount of difficult work that Hewitt has gone through during his illustrious career.

Indian Wells, Queen’s, Doha, and St. Petersburg Win Tournament of the Year

The ATP has announced the winners of the tournaments of the year of 2015, and they include the BNP Paribas Open, the Aegon Championships, the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, and the St. Petersburg Open. Each category of ATP tournaments is awarded a winner with two being awarded for the 250 category, where Doha and St. Petersburg win for the first time. 2015 was the first year that the Aegon Championships was played as a 500-level event, and was able to win in its debut year at that level after having won in 2013 and 2014 at the 250-level. The BNP Paribas Open won for the second straight year after winning its first title in 2014. The awards, determined by the votes of the players, inspire tournaments around the world to continue bettering their facilities and management, especially the tournaments that won. Raymond Moore, tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open, told the ATP that the tournament aims to improve every year and winning the award only increases their goals for the next year.

Underwater Tennis Stadium Nearing Reality

Krzysztof Kotala, who announced his plans for an underwater tennis facility in early 2015 has recently announced that he has been in contact with possible investors to help his idea become reality. According to Arabian Business, Kotala is currently coming up with the final designs for the project, but has been talking with backers from the United States. Kotala hopes to build the facility off the coast of Dubai, but is aware of the challenges that face him. Sarah Fray, director of engineering and technical services at the Institution of Structural Engineers in London, informed Arabian Business of the many challenges and difficulties, ranging from the construction of the facility to worrying about boats dropping their anchors on top of the glass structure.

PowerShares Series Announces 2016 Schedule

The 2016 edition of the PowerShares Series is set to begin in April with Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, and James Blake playing in Chicago at the UIC Pavillion. The rest of the circuit will go to various big cities across the United States, including St. Louis, Portland, Orlando, and New York. The PowerShares Series will also tag along with various ATP and WTA events in Charleston, Newport, Winston-Salem, and New Haven. Tickets are currently on sale for the first two events in Chicago and Charleston, with the rest of the ticket information set to come out at the end of January. For more information, go to the PowerShares Series website at www.powersharesseries.com

Andy Roddick, Bryan brothers Set to Play John Isner’s Charity Event

John Isner has announced via his Facebook page that Andy Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan will be participating in his annual charity event on February 4^th in Charlotte. The event is intended to support the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the organization that was able to help save the life of Karen Isner, John’s mother. The institution helps to treat all types of cancer and is ranked in the top 10 nationally in cancer research funding. The event will include clinics for adults and children in the afternoon, then head into an autograph session before the exhibition gets underway at 7:30pm. Tickets for the event are available at http://www.isnercharitychallenge.com/.

New Zealand’s Top Men’s Singles Player Resorts to Crowd Funding

Finn Tearney, the highest ranked men’s singles player from New Zealand, is set to begin 2016 by looking for financial support via a crowd funding site. Tearney, who increased his ranking more than 1200 spots in 2015, actually receives zero funding from Tennis New Zealand, according to the New Zealand Herald. Tennis New Zealand itself receives little funding, forcing their main objective to be focusing on a few juniors with high levels of talent. Tennis New Zealand does provide money to the players that take part in Davis Cup ties, but Tearney has yet to crack the squad due to the four spots having been locked up by more experienced players, three of which are inside the Top 100 in doubles. Without the necessary funding, like any player ranked outside of the Top 250 or so, it is a struggle to find consistent coaching or travel from tournament to tournament, making it difficult to increase a player’s ranking.

Isner, Berdych, Many Others Change Clothing Sponsors

The start of the 2016 tennis season has brought many new clothing deals with it as John Isner and Tomas Berdych are the two most notable with new deals. Fila announced that they have recruited Isner to wear their brand, while Berdych will be teaming up with Adidas. Isner’s multiyear deal with Fila comes after seeing him wear the Lacoste brand for many years. Benoit Paire is now the highest ranked player wearing Lacoste, currently sitting at No. 19 in the world. Berdych made headlines in the past three years with his many unique outfits that H&M provided for him, but it appears those will be left in the past with his new clothing sponsorship. Many others on the tour, according to VAVEL Tennis, will be wearing new brands as well as David Goffin and Julia Goerges are joining Asics, and Elina Svitolina is signing on with Nike.