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New French Open Women’s Champion To Be Crowned – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

(French Open – First Week)

Kristina Mladenovic beat fourth-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza 6-1 3-6 6-3

Pablo Carreno Busta beat fifth-seeded Milos Raonic 4-6 7-6 (2) 6-7 (6) 6-4 8-6

Ons Jabeur beat sixth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova 6-4 6-3

Hsieh Su-Wei beat seventh-seeded Johanna Konta 1-6 7-6 (2) 6-4

Caroline Wozniacki beat eighth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 4-6 6-2

Fernando Verdasco beat ninth-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-4 3-6 6-4 6-2

Alizé Cornet beat ninth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2 6-1

Timea Bacsinszky beat 10th-seeded Venus Williams 5-7 6-2 6-1

 

SAYING

“I enjoyed. I suffered, but I enjoyed. And of course, if you win, you enjoy more.” – Pablo Carreno Busta, following his victory over Milos Raonic.

“I had a lot of times where I was controlling the point and had short forehands that I wasn’t very efficient with and just let him stick around in those moments. Then he started to believe a lot.” – Milos Raonic, after losing to Pablo Carreno Busta.

“I was tight before the match. During the match I was also tense, more tight than in the previous games. But I stuck to my game plan till the end of the match, and when I’m focused on my game at the end of the day, I managed to produce good tennis despite lots of emotions.” – Alizé Cornet, after upsetting ninth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska.

“I’m just happy that the clay is over. I’m really happy to play on grass and it doesn’t matter what the results are.” – Agnieszka Radwanska.

“Twenty years ago? Wow. I’ll be honest, there won’t be 20 more. I will be watching in 20 years with all of you guys.” – Venus Williams, when reminded that she had played in her first French Open 20 years ago.

“Life goes on, it’s not a tragedy. In Rome I played fantastic, I won the tournament. Here I played bad, I lost first round. That’s the way it goes.” – Alexander Zverev, after being upset by Fernando Verdasco in a first-round match.

“It feels like history, of course. But me, I like to just stay focused on the victory so I can continue to make history even more. For me, it’s not over. It’s the beginning of my dream.”—Ons Jabeur, after becoming the first Arab woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament.

“It was a disputed match. I lost confidence, and my opponent of course was on home turf, so it created a lot of tension. So of course I’m sad. It’s a very painful defeat here in the French Open.” – Garbiñe Muguruza, after losing to Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic.

“I do it on my own time, I do it on my own dime, my own money. I don’t want anything, I don’t need anything, I want to help him.” – Andre Agassi, on his coaching Novak Djokovic.

“I don’t want to say something that is not true, or yes, but I’m going to say no.” – Francesca Schiavone, who now is not so sure that this will be her last year on the tour.

“I just expect a little more respect.” – Laurent Loki, a French wild card on why he refused to shake hands with Martin Klizan after their match.

“If I hadn’t been live on air, I would have punched him.” – Maly Thomas, a Eurosport television announcer who repeatedly rebuffed French Open qualifier Maxime Hamou’s attempts to kiss her.

“No, I hate sometimes tennis. Is a big relationship. Is a love that you have to love and then you hate sometimes. It’s like when you marry someone.” – Francesca Schiavone, when asked if she has always loved tennis as much as it appears she does now.

“At UCLA we got two people at our matches. And they were donors.” – Jennifer Brady, who led Kristina Mladenovic 3-0 in the final set on Philippe Chatrier Court, Roland Garros’ main stadium, before losing the first-round match 3-6 6-3 9-7.

“I was super tired, so I was excited to let that racquet go and just be done with the match.” – Brienne Minor, a University of Michigan sophomore after tossing her racquet into the air when she won the NCAA women’s singles championship.

 

STOPS SPANIARD

It hasn’t been pretty, but the first week has been perfect for Kristina Mladenovic. Seeded 13th at the year’s second Grand Slam tournament, Mladenovic knocked off the defending champion to move into the second week as she bids to become the first French woman since Mary Pierce in 2000 to win at Roland Garros. “It’s not perfect, there are little problems, but I fight as I can,” Mladenovic told the cheering Stadium Philippe Chatrier crowd. “I served 35 doubles, but it’s good because you give me so much strength.” In her fourth-round 6-1 3-6 6-3 win over Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza, Mladenovic had 16 double faults, bringing her first-week total to 40. Muguruza replied with a bevy of unforced errors as Mladenovic raced through the opening set. The Spaniard tightened up her game in the second set before Mladenovic took control again.  “I was a bit nervous and I got more and more nervous,” Muguruza admitted. “I could not find my game, but I did not do anything wrong It came from her; she was playing well.”

 

SUPPORT TOO MUCH?

Defending champion Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain said the Roland Garros crowd was disrespectful as it cheered on Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic to victory. “I think the audience was really tough today,” Muguruza said after losing. “I can’t really understand. I don’t know how to explain. If you had been in my shoes on the court, I think you would have understood. I don’t know what people were expecting. I’d rather not say anything more.” A French woman has not won a French Open singles titles since Mary Pierce in 2000. During the fourth-round match, the crowd cheered, “Kiki, Kiki,” their nickname for Mladenovic. After she won, Mladenovic told the crowd, “I love you, too.”

 

SWEPT AWAY

Milos Raonic pounded out 25 aces in his fourth-round encounter with clay-court specialist Pablo Carreno Busta. The fifth-seeded Canadian also committed 84 unforced errors to tumble out of the French Open. It was Carreno Busta’s first win over a Top 10 player. “It’s difficult to explain my emotions at the end of the match,” Carreno Busta said. “It was the best victory of my career. Maybe one of the best moments. This match, you dream of when you are young, playing Roland Garros, five sets, four and a half hours. It was really tough, really tough. But I just tried to do my best.” The 25-year-old Spaniard wasted three match points at 5-4 and another two at 7-6 before finally cashing in on his seventh match point.

 

STOPS BRYANS

Sam Groth of Australia and Sweden’s Robert Lindstedt are the latest in a growing list of partners who have stopped the Bryan brothers from adding to their records. Groth and Lindstedt stopped the American twins 7-6 (4) 6-3 in a second-round collision. Bob and Mike Bryan have won a record 16 Grand Slam tournament doubles titles, but none since the 2014 US Open. Since then they have reached three major finals, including the past two French Open title matches, but have now lost before the fourth round in four of their last 10 Grand Slam tournament appearances.

 

STUNNER

Fresh off a victory over Novak Djokovic and a clay court title, 20-year-old Alexander Zverev was seen as a potential French Open champion. Maybe next year. The young German was a first-round casualty of Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, 13 years his senior. Verdasco won 6-4 3-6 6-4 6-2 as Zverev committed 50 unforced errors and the ire of the crowd when he hammered his racquet into submission. “Maybe it was my experience,” said Verdasco, who is playing in his 14th Roland Garros and 56th consecutive major. “You have to be ready emotionally and physically because it can be a long match.”

 

SLIDES INTO TARP

David Goffin’s French Open ended when he injured his right ankle by tripping on a tarp during his third-round match. Seeded 10th, Goffin was serving for the first set against Horacio Zeballos when he raced to his left to reach a deep shot. The Belgian’s momentum carried his sliding right foot into the edge of tarp on Court Suzanne Lenglen. “He had an MRI and the news is reassuring,” said Goffin’s coach, Thierry van Cleemput. “There is no tearing of the ligaments and no bone that’s been broken, either. For the time being, we’re optimistic.”

 

SOME HISTORY

With two victories on the red clay of Paris, Ons Jabeur of Tunisia has made history. Her 6-4 6-3 upset of sixth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova meant Jabeur became the first Arab woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament. She celebrated her win by waving a Tunisian flag. Selima Sfar, a retired Tunisian player, mentor to Jabeur and the only Arab woman to be ranked in the Top 100, said Jabeur’s victory was emotional to her. “Tears came straight to my eyes,” Sfar said. “In a way, I feel like Ons gave meaning to whatever sacrifices I made, or difficult times I had through my journey to make it happen.” In 2011, Jabeur became the first North African woman to win a Grand Slam tournament title of any kind when she captured the junior girls crown. She has represented Tunisia at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, yet understands what being a role model means. “When I win, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I represent the Arab world,’” Jabeur said. “When I lose, I try to be just Ons Jabeur.”

Because the French Open occurs during Ramadan, a month when Muslims cannot eat or drink liquids, including water, from dawn until sunset, Jabeur is allowed to change her calendar. “Unfortunately, I cannot do the Ramadan,” the 20-year-old said. “I’m an athlete. I have to drink and I have to feed myself. … I’m actually going to catch up later by actually doing Ramadan. It’s like a credit system. I’m going to eat for several days because I’m at a tournament, but I will catch up because I will have a credit with God and, hopefully, God will forgive me. So, if I eat for two weeks, well, then I will have to do another two weeks of fasting.”

 

SWAYING

Will she, or won’t she. After announcing earlier this year that 2017 would be her last season on the tour, Francesco Schiavone is now not so certain. “You never know,” the 2010 French Open champion said. “For the moment, I want to live this moment, this year. I have to see how I feel physically. It’s not easy to wake up and run again for six hours and push yourself. But we will see. I think after the US Open I will ask to myself what I want to do.”

 

STADIUM GRANDE

Because her opponent, Kristina Mladenovic, is French, Jennifer Brady played her first-round match on 14,840-seat Court Philippe Chatrier, the main stadium at Roland Garros. “It makes you feel like an ant,” Brady said of the huge venue. “I don’t think I ever played in an atmosphere like that. When she would win a point, it was like somebody had a microphone into my ear. But it didn’t really affect me that much. I really enjoyed it. I embraced it, and it was a lot of fun.” The 22-year-old American led 3-0 in the third set before losing 3-6 6-3 9-7.

 

SINO STAR

Hsieh Su-Wei proved to be too much for Great Britain’s Johanna Konta. The Taiwanese player went to spins and slices, changing direction, speeds and weight of shot to bounce her seventh-seeded opponent from the clay-court Grand Slam event. Konta began as if it would be a quick day, blasting through the opening set 6-1. But Hsieh, hitting double-fisted groundstrokes off both sides, took away the rhythm and forced Konta to hit her replies wide or long. Perhaps fittingly, it was a netted forehand that ended Konta’s stay in Paris. “Thank you for my team,” Hsieh told the crowd. “Merci beaucoup for the match today.”

 

SECOND WEEK

The French crowds have two players to cheer on in the second week of the women’s singles. Besides Kristina Mladenovic, Alizé Cornet also won all her first-week matches at Roland Garros, including a 6-2 6-1 upset of ninth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska. It was only her second career win over the Pole, who had seven of their eight previous meetings going into the French Open. Radwanska had skipped two clay-court events – Madrid and Rome – because of a right foot injury. Cornet won by using Radwanska-type techniques: drop shot, volleys and passes. The Frenchwoman hit high-bouncing forehands with plenty of topspin, pushing Radwanska behind the baseline. Then, whenever Radwanska ventured to the net, Cornet found a passing lane. “On clay court it’s working unbelievably well,” Cornet said of her drop shot. “On the three previous matches, I used it a lot, and even more today because I saw she was standing a little bit far from the baseline and I was feeling – I mean, I had a great hand today with the drop shot.”

 

STUTTGART START

Roger Federer is ready to return. The Swiss star skipped the entire clay season but will begin his Wimbledon grass-court preparation at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, which begins June 14. Federer took six months off at the end of last year to let his injuries heal, then began this season’s campaign by winning the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami – all hard-court events. Besides Stuttgart, Federer will play the grass-court tournament in Halle, German, before the year’s third Grand Slam tournament.

 

SNUBS OPPONENT

The post-match handshake at the net is as much a part of a tennis match as the racquet and ball. Tell that to Laurent Lokoli. The Frenchman lost 7-6 (4) 6-3 4-6 0-6 6-4 to Martin Klizan of Slovakia. The winner went to the net with his right hand extended. Lokoli waved him off with the back of his hand and instead went to the sideline and packed up his belongings. Lokoli claimed he wasn’t being a sore loser, but rather that he didn’t want to shake hands because he felt Klizan was faking an injury during the match. “I just have (a) problem with his attitude,” Lokoli said, “because he wasn’t fair. That’s it.”

 

SMACKDOWN

The French Tennis Federation (FTT) revoked the French Open tournament credential of qualifier Maxime Hamou after the Frenchman tried forcefully to kiss a television reporter during an interview. The 21-year-old Hamou repeatedly tried to kiss Eurosport’s Maly Thomas, who tried to duck and pull away from the player as held her by the neck at one point. In revoking Hamou’s credential, the FTT called the incident “reprehensible” and said it would investigate the case “for improper conduct.”

 

SWITCHING BACK?

Because he wants to play in the Olympics, Aljaz Bedene is considering switching his nationality back to his birth nation Slovenia. According to International Tennis Federation (ITF) rules, Bedene cannot represent Britain in the Olympics because he previously played Davis Cup for Slovenia. He gained British citizenship in 2015, but the ITF refused his request to play Davis Cup for Britain. “That (Olympics) is a dream for every athlete,” Bedene said. “At the moment I’m representing Great Britain, but I do want to play at the Olympic Games. I don’t know what the rules are, really. I haven’t checked. I guess that means playing the Davis Cup for them (Slovenia) as well.”

 

SAD NEWS

Journalist Frank Deford is dead at the age of 78. A writer for Sports Illustrated and commentator for National Public Radio died at his home in Key West, Florida, USA. In 2012, President Barack Obama presented Deford with a medal from the National Endowment for the Humanities, honoring him “for transforming how we think about sports. He also was named to the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. Deford is survived by his wife, Carol, and two adult children, Christian and Scarlet.

 

SURFING

Paris: www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/index.html

Prostejov: www.czech-open.cz

Marseille: www.openfeminindemarseille.com

Surbiton: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/aegon-trophy-series

Bol: http://bolopen.com/en/welcome/

Manchester: www.lta.org.uk/aegonmanchestertrophy

Stuttgart: http://www.mercedescup.de

‘s-Hertogenbosch: http://ricoh-open.nl/

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

Caltanissetta: www.tennisclubcaltanissetta.it/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

French Open, Paris, France, clay (second week)

$142,187 Unicredit Czech Open, Prostejov, Czech Republic, clay

$142,187 Aegon Surbiton Trophy, Surbiton, Great Britain, grass

 

WOMEN

French Open, Paris, France, clay (second week)

$115,000 Bol Open, Bol, Croatia, clay

$100,000 Open Féminin de Marseille Trophée les Terrasses du Port, Marseille, France, clay

$100,000 Aegon Surbiton Trophy, Surbiton, Great Britain, grass

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$791,814 Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany, grass

$744,890 Ricoh Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, grass

$143,253 Aegon Open, Nottingham, Great Britain, grass

$143,253 Citta Di Caltanissetta, Caltanissetta, Italy, clay

 

WOMEN

$226,750 Ricoh Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, grass

$226,750 Aegon Open, Nottingham, Great Britain, grass

$100,000 Aegon Manchester Trophy, Manchester, Great Britain, grass

 

Kristina Mladenovic
Kristina Mladenovic

Novak Djokovic, Simona Halep Are Rogers Cup Winners – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Kei Nishikori 6-3 7-5 to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Simona Halep beat Madison Keys 7-6 (2) 6-3 to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Evgeny Donskoy beat Konstantin Kravchuk 6-3 6-3 to win the Presidents Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan

Federico Gaio beat Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 (5) 6-2 to win the Thindown Challenger in Biella, Italy

 

SAYING

“I don’t need to explain that every athlete dreams of being a part of the Olympic Games. I’m competing in singles and doubles. Hopefully I’ll get at least one medal.” – Novak Djokovic, saying he will be playing in the Rio Olympics.

“I tried just to keep the ball away from her and to make her run. I think I did it pretty well, and she missed shots.” – Simona Halep, after beating Madison Keys to win the Rogers Cup women’s singles.

“The love I have for tennis, the competition, tournaments and of course you, the fans, remains intact. I am as motivated as ever and plan to put all my energy towards coming back strong, healthy and in shape to play attacking tennis in 2017.” – Roger Federer, announcing he will not play the rest of this year in order to completely recover from knee surgery.

“Her first serve was definitely slower than normal. But it was funny. Her second serve was a lot slower, but because of the court it was bouncing a lot higher than normal. So while her first serve was a little easier to return, her second serve was really tough.” – Madison Keys, following her 6-1 6-7 (2) 6-3 third-round Rogers Cup win over Venus Williams.

“Every time I play against Agnieszka it’s 7-6 in the third, or something.” – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, after upsetting Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-7 (4) 6-1 in Montreal.

“In tennis, unless you’re the guy winning the tournaments most of the weeks, which there’s very few guys that are doing that, you’re losing quite a bit. So it’s very important to make the most of those, try to learn, try to be better from those situations. That’s my next objective.” – Milos Raonic, after losing to Gael Monfils in Toronto.

“Jeez, that’s pretty bad. I need to practice a little more.” – Nick Kyrgios, after double-faulting 18 times in a three-set loss to 17-year-old Canadian wild card Denis Shapovalov at the Rogers Cup.

 

STARRING IN TORONTO

Novak Djokovic is back, and it’s like he never left. Playing for the first time since being upset in the third round at Wimbledon, the top-ranked Serb had no problems knocking off Japan’s Kei Nishikori to win the Rogers Cup for the fourth time. He also won the Canadian tournament in 2012, 2011 and 2007. Ivan Lendl holds the tournament record with six titles. “I raised the level of my game as the tournament progressed and today was the best performance of the tournament at the right time, so hopefully I can carry this win and this confidence into Rio as well,” Djokovic said, noting he will be seeking Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro. The victory was Djokovic’s 30th ATP Masters title. The world’s top-ranked player raced through the opening set in just over 30 minutes. Nishikori, ranked sixth in the world, refused to cave in and forced Djokovic to raise his game. “I really enjoy playing tennis and I was looking forward to competing again because I needed that break and that early loss at Wimbledon has allowed me to have an extra week where I can recuperate, spend time with the family and think about something else,” Djokovic said. “As soon as I recharged my batteries I was up and running and I’m really glad to start off the hard court season with a win.”

 

SIMONA HAS HELP

Simona Halep probably didn’t need it, but she had help winning the Rogers Cup women’s singles. Her opponent in the title match, American Madison Keys, produced a bundle of errors as Halep claimed her 14th career singles crown. “It was not my best tennis because I couldn’t play my best tennis,” Halep said. “I cannot hit stronger than her because she’s very strong. I tried just to keep the ball away from her and to make her run.” The tactic worked as Keys repeatedly plowed balls into the net or long. In fact, Halep only had four winners in the match while Keys, playing in her first career hard-court tournament final, finished with 45 unforced errors and had her serve broken five times. “I wish today went a little bit differently,” Keys said. “Sometimes it happens. Just take the positives from that and move on.” It was the second straight year Halep has reached the Rogers Cup final. Last year the Romanian became ill in the third set and was forced to retire, giving the title to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.

 

SEASON ENDED

Roger Federer has called it quits on 2016. That means no Rio Olympics and no US Open as the Swiss star opted to fully recover from the knee surgery he underwent earlier this year. “The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover,” Federer said. “It is tough to miss the rest of the year. However, the silver lining is that this experience has made me realize how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries.” In February, Federer underwent surgery for the first time in his career after tearing the meniscus in his left knee. He skipped the French Open with a back problem before reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon he lost to Milos Raonic in a thrilling five-setter. “I’m extremely disappointed to announced that I will not be able to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Rio and that I will also miss the remainder of the season,” Federer announced on his Facebook page. The 17-time Grand Slam tournament singles champion won the doubles gold medal in Beijing in 2008 alongside Stand Wawrinka. He captured the silver medal by finishing runner-up to Andy Murray at London in 2012.

 

STAYING HOME

Bob and Mike Bryan will not be defending their men’s doubles gold medal at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Saying as “husband and fathers our family’s health is now our top priority,” the American twins announced their withdrawal from the Olympics. The 38-year-old brothers won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London and a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games. In announcing their withdrawal from the Games, the Bryans did not mention the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects and been cited by several athletes who have opted to skip the Summer Games in Brazil. The Bryans have won 16 Grand Slam tournament titles, a record in men’s doubles.

Rajeev Ram has been named by the United States Tennis Association to replace the Bryans on the American Olympic team. Ram, 32, is ranked 25th in the world in doubles and will team with Brian Baker, who is already set to compete in men’s singles.

 

STAYING HOME

Belinda Bencic is the fourth female tennis player ranked in the Top 20 and the second Swiss player to pull out of the Rio Olympics. The 19-year-old Bencic, ranked 16th in the world, said she withdrew from the Games because she is behind in training following a wrist injury suffered at Wimbledon last month. Her withdrawal came one day after Roger Federer withdrew, citing a knee injury. The withdrawals have left Martina Hingis in somewhat of a quandary. She had been scheduled to play doubles with Bencic and mixed doubles with Federer. Hingis is not playing singles in Rio.

Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from Germany’s Olympic team due to fitness concerns. “During my last two ATP matches in Washington and Toronto I did not feel 100 percent, and after several consultations with doctors and my team we have decided that I must withdraw from the Olympics,” the 19-year-old said. Zverev upset Roger Federer at Halle, Germany, before losing to fellow countryman Florian Mayer in the final. “I hope to be back in full form for the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and wish my German teammates all the best in Rio,” said Zverev, who is ranked 25th in the world.

 

STOPS ALL PLAY

All professional tennis tournaments in Turkey have been cancelled until mid-September following the attempted coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) decision affects a total of 15 tournaments on the men’s and women’s Futures circuits in Antalya, Buca Izmir, Erzurum and Malatya. “The Turkish Tennis Federation has been a really strong partner of ours, so this is not a decision we have taken lightly,” said Jackie Nesbitt, executive director of ITF Circuits. “But player safely has to be our priority.” The ITF said it will review the eight-week suspension decision in mid-August.

 

SURPRISE

Nick Kyrgios came up with another problem at the Rogers Cup. This problem was Denis Shapovalov, a 17-year-old Canadian wild-card who upset the 11th-seeded Australian 7-6 (2) 3-6 6-3 in a first-round match. It was just the latest let-down for Krygios, who committed 18 double-faults in the match. At one point during the match Krygios was caught by the court microphones telling a member of the crowd that he did not want to be on court, adding: “I’m going straight home after this.” Shapovalov won the junior boys’ singles at this year’s Wimbledon. “I think the atmosphere really carried me forward today,” Shapovalov said. “It’s tough playing the first time on center court, but by the end of the match I felt like the crowd really liked it when I was getting pumped up.”

 

SHOULDER PROBLEMS

Minutes before she was to take to the court for her opening match against Britain’s Naomi Broady, French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza withdrew from the Rogers Cup, citing a gastrointestinal illness. “I’m pretty disappointed, I practiced a lot for this tournament,” the world’s third-ranked player said. “Since yesterday I have kind of been feeling weird and I spoke with the doctor and everything. I thought today I was going to feel better, but in the last moment I didn’t feel good enough to go on court and give my best.”

 

SALE

For a mere USD $8.9 million you can purchase the gated-community home of Pete Sampras and his wife, actress-singer Bridgette Wilson-Sampras. After buying the house in 2009 for USD $5.9 million, the two renovated and expanded the home, customizing the interiors and adding a swimming pool to the estate. The home is surrounded by mature redwood trees and lawns, while running streams and gardens fill the acre of park-like grounds. The 6,900-square-foot house has a library, theater room and wine cellar. There are a total of six bedrooms and 6½ bathrooms.

 

STOPS SCHOOL’S PLANIS

St. Cloud University’s plan to eliminate the women’s tennis program has been put on hold, thanks to a preliminary injunction issued by US District Court Chief Judge John R. Tunheim. The judge said that the tennis players would suffer irreparable harm if the program is eliminated while the players’ Title IX lawsuit against the university is pending. Five tennis players sued the university and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, alleging Title IX violations and saying the university for years has offered more athletic opportunities for men than for women. In his decision, Tunheim wrote: The Court finds that the status quo should remain the status quo for the duration of this case, or until the Court decides otherwise.” He stressed that his order didn’t mean that the tennis players will win or have won their lawsuit or that St. Cloud State is, or will be, out of compliance with Title IX. In assessing another factor – the balance of harms – Tunheim wrote that the players face more harm than the university. The judge said that continuing the status quo wouldn’t cost St. Cloud State that much because the tennis team brings in more revenue than its operating costs.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Astana: Yaraslav Shyla and Andrei Vasilevski beat Mikhail Elgin and Alexander Kudryavtsev 6-4 6-4

Biella: Andre Begemann and Leander Paes beat Andrej Martin and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo 6-4 6-4

Montreal: Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina beat Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu 6-3 7-6 (5)

Toronto: Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo beat Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 6-4 6-4

 

SURFING

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

Atlanta: www.bbtatlantaopen.com/

Granby: www.challengerbanquenationale.com/

Florianopolis: www.brasiltenniscup.com.br/

Los Cabos: www.abiertoloscabos.com/es/

Aptos: www.seascapesportsclub.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN AND WOMEN

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

 

MEN

$693,425 BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, hard

$125,000 2016 International Challenger Chengdu, Chengdu, China, clay

$100,000 Challenger Banque Nationale De Granby, Granby, Quebec, Canada, hard

 

WOMEN

$250,000 Brasil Tennis Cup, Florianopolis, Brazil, hard

$250,000 Jiangxi Women’s Tennis Open, Nanchang, China, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN AND WOMEN

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

 

MEN

$808,995 Abierto Mexicano Los Cabos, Los Cabos, Mexico, hard

$125,000 China International Challenger, Qindao, China, clay

$100,000 Nordic Naturals Challenger, Aptos, California, USA, hard

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Serena Williams Wins First Title at Cincinnati; Roger Federer Wins His Sixth – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Roger Federer beat David Ferrer 6-3 1-6 6-2 to win the men’s singles at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Serena Williams beat Ana Ivanovic 6-4 6-1 to win the women’s singles at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Lara Arruabarrena beat Johanna Larsson 6-1 6-3 to win the Seguros Boliva Open in Bogotá, Colombia

 

SAYING

“I’m really pleased with the week. Overall, it went from good to great. My game’s exactly where I want it to be.” – Roger Federer, following his victory over David Ferrer.

“I made the final. But I can never beat Roger, he’s too much for me. I’m still lucky to be playing with the best in the world. Roger deserved to win the title.” – David Ferrer.

“This is definitely a level that can take me to the (US Open) title. I still have a lot of work to do. It’s definitely a better level than I’ve played all year, to be honest.” – Serena Williams, after beating Ana Ivanovic to win the Western & Southern women’s singles title.

“I really felt she was really solid today. Not only on her serve, but on the groundstrokes I felt like she was dominating. I did have chances, especially when we started the rallies, but I just couldn’t get the serve back.” – Ana Ivanovic.

“When I finish my career and when I will be sitting at home and talking with friends, I will remember days like this.” – Tommy Robredo, after upsetting top-ranked Novak Djokovic at the Western & Southern.

“I didn’t play well in Toronto, didn’t play well here. Hopefully, it’s going to be different in New York (at the US Open).” – Novak Djokovic, after losing in Cincinnati.

“I had lost a few close matches – matches like that – over the last few months, so it was important for me to come through. You know, it was completely packed crowd from the first point right until the end, as well. So it was a really good atmosphere to get ready for the rest of the tournament, but also the US Open as well. It was very good.” – Andy Murray, after beating John Isner 3-6 (3) 6-4 7-6 (2).

“I knew it was going to be a good match. I mean, I didn’t imagine myself blowing him off the court, and vice versa, I didn’t imagine him blowing me off the court.” – John Isner, after losing to Andy Murray,

“I just kind of close my eyes and serve. When you think about it too much you get kind of crazy.” – Serena Williams, after slamming 12 aces in her victory over Ana Ivanovic.

“I think I got a lesson on how to serve today. Maybe after you retire you can give me some tips.” – Ana Ivanovic, at the post-match awards ceremony.

 

SWISS MASTER

There’s a love affair going on between Roger Federer and the Western & Southern Open. “I don’t know, I just really enjoy myself here,” Federer said after winning the Masters 1000 title for the sixth time. This time the Swiss star beat David Ferrer in a match that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Federer improved his career record to 16-0 against his Spanish opponent, who took advantage of Federer’s lull in the second set. “The third set, he served unbelievable,” Ferrer said. “He played really good and I was a little bit tired. But anyway, with Roger it’s difficult, no?” It’s difficult yes, especially on the hard courts at Mason, Ohio, USA, a Cincinnati suburb. Every time Federer reaches the Western & Southern Open title match, he wins. It was his 22nd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown as he became just the third player in the Open Era to win 80 titles. Federer trails only Jimmy Connors, who finished his career with 109 titles, and Ivan Lendl, who had 94. He also increased his match-win lead this season on the ATP World Tour to 49 victories, five more than Rafael Nadal. It was Federer’s biggest title since he won Cincinnati in 2012, the same year he also won Wimbledon. “I finally got a big trophy for the kids,” said the father of two sets of twins. “I’ve been bringing home some smaller ones. I keep telling them they are still trophies, but this one should satisfy them.”

 

SPARKLING SERENA

Where Roger Federer has made Cincinnati his personal stomping ground, Serena Williams has had problems at the Ohio stop on the WTA tour. No more. The world’s top-ranked woman won her first Western & Southern Open on his sixth try, needing only 62 minutes to subdue Ana Ivanovic. “I love this moment,” she said. “I love holding up the trophy.” Williams played the best match of her summer in besting the much-improved Ivanovic. It didn’t show at the start as Ivanovic broke Serena’s serve to begin the match, then held to go up 2-0. The Serbian right-hander won just three more games as Williams started moving better and dominated with her serve, hitting 12 aces. “It felt like way more,” Ivanovic said. It was the fifth title of the year for the 32-year-old American, who also won in Stanford, Rome, Miami and Brisbane. But she has had problems at the Grand Slam tournaments this year, and Cincinnati is her final tune-up before the year’s final major, the US Open, which begins later this month. “Definitely my best performance of the summer,” Williams said. “Hopefully not the last.” Even with the loss, Ivanovic moved back into the top 10 in the WTA rankings for the first time in five years. “It’s been a great week for me in Cincinnati,” she said. “It’s the biggest final I’ve been in in a while. It feels good to be part of it. There are still a few points in my game that I feel I need to work on for the US Open and also for the end of season. Definitely exciting times.”

 

SIBLINGS STOP STREAK

After starting their partnership in record-breaking style, Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock finally lost. In a highly-anticipated men’s doubles match, brothers Bob and Mike Bryan defeated Pospisil and Sock 6-3 6-2 to successfully defend their Western & Southern Open crown, their 99th team title in their 150th final. Pospisil and Sock had won their first 14 matches as a team, including beating the Bryan brothers in the Wimbledon final. That topped the 12-0 start by Christo van Rensburg and Paul Annacone in 1984-85. This time, the American twins dominated Pospisil and Sock in just 53 minutes.  “It was amazing to walk out to a packed house today,” Bob Bryan said. “It was an incredible atmosphere and once again the Cincy crowds have brought out the best in us. Mike and I were really sharp right from the first ball and are extremely excited about this victory.” The win gave the Bryan brothers a record 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 victories, including five at the Western & Southern Open. “Hats off to Jack and Vasek on their impressive run this summer,” Mike Bryan said. “It’s great for doubles to have another marketable team competing for the biggest titles and we look forward to having more competitive battles against them in the future.”

 

SHOCKER

It wasn’t the first time Tommy Robredo has knocked off the world’s number-one player. But it had been a while since it happened the first time. The Spaniard upset Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (6) 7-5 in the round of 16 at the Western & Southern Open, ending Djokovic’s bid to win the Cincinnati event for the first time and become the first player to win all nine ATP World Tour Masters events during his career. “It’s disappointing that I’m finishing Cincinnati again with a tough loss, but it’s the sport,” Djokovic said. The last time Robredo knocked off the world’s top-ranked player was in 2003, when he beat Lleyton Hewitt at the French Open. This time, the Spaniard snapped a six-match losing streak against her Serbian opponent. “I knew that if I wanted to win I had to go for it and try to hope that he will not play his best match,” Robredo said. “Both things happen and then I could win.” Both things happened.

 

STAYING HOME

Former champion Juan Martin del Potro won’t be at this year’s US Open. The Argentine is still recovering from surgery on his left wrist, which he underwent in late March. He also underwent an operation on his right wrist after winning the US Open in 2009 and missed much of the next season.

 

SEES BONUS AHEAD

For the third time in four years, Serena Williams has clinched the Emirates Airline US Open Series women’s title. That means that if she win the US Open singles title, she would get a USD $1 million bonus. That, of course, would be in addition to the USD $3 million purse that goes to the US Open champion. The world’s top-ranked woman won both the Emirates Airline US Open Series title and the US Open last year, taking home a record USD $3.6 million, including the USD $1 million bonus. Williams is the only woman to win the Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge three times. No other woman has won it more than once.

 

SNAFU

When Elle Quebec ran a very flattering story on Eugenie Bouchard, they made a serious mistake. Accompanying the article on Canada’s newest tennis star were photos of Maria Sharapova. It was Genie Bouchard’s picture on the cover of the 25-year-old Canadian fashion magazine, fortunately, but not on the inside. In its September issue, the magazine admitted, “An error occurred in the publication of the photos accompanying the article about prodigious tennis player Eugenie Bouchard in our August issue. Here are the photos of the athlete that should have appeared in our pages. Our sincerest apologies.”

 

SKIPPING CINCINNATI

The record book is being revised seemingly every time Roger Federer steps onto the court. When Federer won his opening match at the Western & Southern Open, defeating Vasek Pospisil, he added another record to his long list of accomplishments. It was Federer’s 300th career victory in a Masters tournament, the first to do so. Rafael Nadal is second with 281 such wins. “It’s a nice, round number,” Federer said. “I’ve had some more important ones over the one today. Nevertheless, it’s nice to reach such milestones.”

 

SHORT DAY

Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears captured the women’s doubles title at the Western & Southern Open when their opponents had to retire because of a spine injury suffered by Kristina Mladenovic. The winners were leading 6-1 2-0 when Mladenovic and her partner, Timea Babos, stopped the match. “The few games that we played, we played well,” Kops-Jones said. “Unfortunately, one of our opponents was injured. It’s not fun to win that way, but we’ll take it.” Babos and Mladenovic were seeded sixth in the hard-court tournament, while the winning team had been seeded seventh. None of the top four seeded teams made it to the semifinals. “We had a few tough matches this week, even the ones where the scores didn’t appear close,” Kops-Jones said. “We learned a lot just playing a lot of matches. We love playing here. It’s really well-run and is one of the best facilities that we play at.” The winners now have 10 WTA titles as a team. Kops-Jones has won 12 WTA doubles titles and Spears has 14, including winning at Cincinnati in 2005 with Laura Granville.

 

SECURITY CONCERNS

The Davis Cup playoff tie between Israel and Argentina will be played in Sunrise, Florida, USA, in September. Because of security concerns linked to the conflict in Gaza, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) banned Israel from hosting the three-day completion on home soil. The neutral venue in Florida was proposed by the Israel Tennis Association (ITA) and will be played on an outdoor hard court. A total of eight World Group playoff ties will be held September 12-14, alongside the two World Group semifinals between France and Czech Republic in Paris, France, and Switzerland and Italy in Geneva, Switzerland.

Another World Group playoff – this one between Ukraine and Belgium – will also be moved to a neutral site because of security concerns. It was scheduled to have been held in Kiev, Ukraine.

STRAIGHT IN

Australia’s Bernard Tomic, Frenchman Michael Llodra and six Americans have been awarded wild card entries into the men’s singles main draw at this year’s US Open. Joining Tomic and Llodra with wild cards in the 128-player field will be Ryan Harrison, Tim Smyczek, 17-year-old Jared Donaldson, 2014 NCAA singles champion Marcos Giron, 2014 USTA Boys’ 18s national champion Noah Rubin and veteran Wayne Odesnik.

Eight others were given wild cards entries into the men’s singles qualifying tournament, which is being held this week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. They are Americans Collin Altamirano, Ernesto Escobedo, Mitchell Frank, Taylor Fritz, Stefan Kozlov, Mackenzie McDonald and Francis Tiafoe along with Frenchman Mathias Bourgue.

Former world number one junior Taylor Townsend and 2011 US Open junior champion Grace Min head the eight wild card entries into the women’s singles main draw. Other Americans are Nicole Gibbs, Danielle Collins, Madison Brengle and CiCi Bellis. They will be joined by Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova and France’s Amandine Hesse.

Entering the women’s singles qualifying tournament on wild cards are Americans Tornado Alicia Black, Jennifer Brady, Samantha Crawford, Asia Muhammad, Bernarda Pera, Maria Sanchez and Katerina Stewart, as well as France’s Fiona Ferro, who earned her qualifying spot through a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation.

 

SALUTED

Tony Trabert, a two-time singles winner of the US National Championships – now the US Open – and a long-time voice of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament is the 2014 inductee into the US Open Court of Champions. Trabert will be inducted during an on-court ceremony in Arthur Ashe Stadium prior to the men’s singles final on Monday, September 8. A panel of international print and broadcast journalists selected Trabert from the roster of US champions based on their performances at the tournament and their impact on the game of tennis. He won five Grand Slam tournament singles titles, including the US National Championships in 1953 and 1955, and was ranked number one in the world. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970.

 

SENIOR TOPPER

Fittingly, Xavier Malisse of Belgium won his first ATP Champions Tour title at the Optima Open in Knokke-Heist on Belgium’s North Sea coast. Malisse defeated Fabrice Santoro 6-2 6-3 in the final. “This feels great actually,” Malisse said. “I’m very happy to win, and just to play Fabrice because he is a fun guy to play. It’s very different to being on the ATP Tour but I have really enjoyed my time here this week and seeing all the guys again. I am so grateful to the crowd who stayed to watch us and cheer for us today because it’s not the nicest weather to sit and watch tennis.” The Champions Tour, featuring John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Michal Chang and Goran Ivanisevic, will stage its next event in Italy in October.

 

SIDELINED

Eighteen-year-old Victoria Duval won’t be competing at the US Open later this month. But she is on target to return to training sometime in September. Duval has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is scheduled for two more treatments over the next four weeks. The young American was diagnosed earlier this summer by London doctors through biopsies with the form of cancer in its earliest, most curable stages. The finding was confirmed after her first-round qualifying match in Wimbledon, but Duval decided to continue to play, winning two more qualifiers and her first-round match in the main draw over seeded player Sorana Cîrstea. Currently ranked 88th in the world, Duval said in a statement: “I intend to put up my best fight and have a full recovery. I picture myself healthy, stronger and competing again soon with even more appreciation for the game I so love.” Her business representative, Ben Crandall, an IMG executive, said Duval’s timetable for her to return to competitive tennis will be decided after the chemo treatments are complete.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bogotá: Lara Arruabarrena and Florencia Molinero beat Melanie Klaffner and Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-2 6-0

Cincinnati (men): Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock 6-3 6-2

Cincinnati (women): Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears beat Timea Babos an d Kristina Mladenovic 6-1 2-0 retired

 

SURFING

Winston-Salem: www.winstonsalemopen.com/

 

New Haven: www.ctopen.org/

New York: www.usopen.org/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$598,260 Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, hard

WOMEN

$644,900 Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

US Open, New York, New York, USA, hard (first week)

 

 

Serena Williams
Serena Williams

 

Novak Djokovic stops Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams Beats Li Na In No. 1 vs No. 2 Battles – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

By Bob Greene 

 

STARS

Sony Open Tennis

Key Biscayne (Miami), Florida, USA

Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-3

Women’s singles: Serena Williams beat Li Na 7-5 6-1

Men’s doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 7-6 (8) 6-4

Women’s doubles: Martina Hingis and Sabine Lisicki beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Venina 4-6 6-4 10-5 (match tiebreak)

 

OTHER

Gilles Muller beat Denis Kudla 6-2 6-2 to win the Zurich Jalisco Open in Guadalajara, Mexico

 

SAYING

“I played a great match, from the start to the end everything was working really well.” – Novak Djokovic, after dominating Rafael Nadal in the Sony Open Tennis men’s singles final.

“In no other tournament have I lost this many finals, but it’s always a very special tournament to me. The energy and passion from the crowd is unforgettable.” – Rafael Nadal, who was runner-up at Key Biscayne for the fourth time.

“This crowd is amazing. I have so many friends and so many fans here, and I love, love, love playing in this crowd. It just feels really, really good to play at home. There’s really no better feeling.” – Serena Williams, who won a record seventh Key Biscayne title.

“I don’t think I was playing bad. Maybe she just start a little bit better after 5-2 down.” – Li Na, who won only one of the final 14 games while losing to Serena Williams.

“This is incredible for us, especially to win in such a hostile environment. There were a lot of Colombians out there. They were bringing the noise. Juan and Robert should play Davis Cup here because the Colombian fans are loud. They had the flags out.” – Bob Bryan, after he and brother Mike beat Colombian pair Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the men’s doubles final.

“Just couldn’t find my rhythm on the serve, which was surprising. Maybe the (cool, mid-60s) temperature had something to do with it. Haven’t played that many matches in the dark. It’s a bit frustrating, but Kei did well to stay with me. He was more consistent in the second and the third, which are the ones he won. To his credit.” – Roger Federer, following his loss to Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals at Miami.

“Yeah, it was second time to beat him. I was hitting balls deep and striking well. And I was fighting.” – Kei Nishikori, who now holds a 2-1 career record over Roger Federer.

“Despite my results against her, I still look forward to playing against her because you learn so much from that type of level which she produces. There is no reason for me to have any pressure because of my results against her. She’s an incredible champion. That’s the reason she’s at the top.” – Maria Sharapova, after losing her 15th consecutive match to Serena Williams.

“I have always felt when I’m playing at my best, then it’s hard for people to beat me. But I have to get there, and it’s hard to always be at your best.” – Serena Williams.

“Was really playing well and beating (Grigor) Dimitrov, David (Ferrer) and Roger (Federer), I was really excited to play here. But unfortunately I couldn’t move side-to-side. Just tried to warm up today, but I couldn’t move.” – Kei Nishikori, who withdrew with a groin injury from his semifinal match against Novak Djokovic.

“I had a few game plans. I wanted to get out there and see what works the best. He serves and likes to move to the backhand corner. He runs around his backhand, so that he opens the court for his opponent on forehand side.” – Novak Djokovic, on playing Rafael Nadal.

 

SUPER NOVAK

It was no contest when Novak Djokovic took on Rafael Nadal in the Sony Open men’s singles final. And the super Serb, who is ranked second in the world behind Nadal, took no prisoners as he blasted his Spanish opponent to win the Key Biscayne tournament for the fourth time. “I played a great match, everything was working really well,” Djokovic said. “I didn’t give him a chance to come back in the match. I am really excited.” He should be. Djokovic blasted five aces and dominated with his serve and huge ground strokes. It was the Serb who controlled most of the points, moving Nadal from side to side before ripping winners. “He was better than me in everything,” Nadal said. “He was able to find the right spot, the right position. Playing against him is the worst thing that can happen to me because he has a better return than mine, he has a better serve than my one, especially on this surface.” Djokovic moved ahead when he broke Nadal in the fifth game of the opening set, taking a 3-2. He closed out the set by serving a love game, then broke Nadal again to open the second set. “I just started swinging freely and had good percentages on my first serves,” Djokovic said. “He had a hard time reading my serve.” It was Djokovic’s second straight Masters title, having won two weeks ago at Indian Wells, California, USA. It was the second time he had pulled off the Indian Wells-Key Biscayne double, matching Roger Federer as the only two to achieve the feat. It was the Serb’s 43rd tour-level title and 18th at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. Djokovic is now 14th on the all-time title winners list, one behind Thomas Muster. He also passed Andre Agassi for third on the all-time Masters 1000 titles list.

 

SWEET SERENA

Li Na is the reigning Australian Open champion and won at Indian Wells earlier this month. She is behind only Serena Williams in the WTA Tour rankings. So it may not have been a great surprise when she grabbed a 5-2 lead in the first set of the women’s singles final at Key Biscayne. Li was to win only one more game as Williams captured her unprecedented seventh Key Biscayne title. “Oh, I definitely don’t do it on purpose,” Williams said of the slow start. “I don’t know. Maybe I get a little nervous because I want to do so well, and I want to – I just want to win, and then sometimes if you get too nervous you’re not able to play.” Even in defeat, Li thought she played well. “I think it was a pretty good match,” Li said. “I don’t think today I was doing like a wrong game plan or I was playing totally wrong. Yeah, that’s what I think.” Williams increased her Key Biscayne record total. Last year she moved ahead of Steffi Graf, who held the previous record with five. Serena is one of only four players to win the same WTA event seven or more times, joining Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Graf. Asked how she managed to turn the match around after trailing 5-2, Williams said: “At that moment I felt like I had nothing to lose, and I was able to relax. And whenever I relax, I enjoy myself.”

 

SEMIFINAL BAGEL

What if they played the semifinals and nobody showed up. That’s exactly what happened at the Sony Open when the men were to battle the penultimate round. Novak Djokovic was the first to gain a spot in the final without striking a ball when his semifinal opponent, Kei Nishikori, withdrew from the hard-court tournament with a groin injury. A few hours later, Tomas Berdych announced he was withdrawing from his semifinal against Rafael Nadal because of gastroenteritis. Fans at the Key Biscayne, Florida, tournament were left to watch two women’s doubles matches. There was an angry chorus of boos when it was announced that the Nadal-Berdych match would not be played. “Sorry for Kei. Sorry for Tomas. Sorry for the tournament. Especially sorry for the fans,” Nadal said. “It’s very unlucky, very unusual for something that can happen. “I cannot remember that (ever happening).” It hadn’t. This was the first time in the Open Era – since 1968 – that an ATP World Tour event had no semifinal matches.

 

STILL WINNING

Martina Hingis won enough tournaments during her career that she earned entry into the International Tennis Hall of Fame following her retirement. Now she’s back on the WTA Tour – and winning again. Now 33 years old, Hingis teamed with Sabine Lisicki to win the Sony Open women’s doubles title by defeating the Russian pair of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina. Gaining a spot in the draw with a wild card, the Hingis-Lisicki team won the last seven points of the super tiebreaker to capture the trophy. Hingis had been retired for nearly six years when she returned to play doubles in last year, entering five events with Daniela Hantuchova. Following the US Open, Hingis didn’t play against until earlier this month at Indian Wells with Lisicki. The Sony Open was her 38th WTA doubles title, but first since Doha in 2007.

 

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE

When a suspicious package was found at the Sony Open, the tournament was locked down while the Miami-Dade Police Department bomb squad investigated. That meant thousands of spectators were prevented from entering or leaving the sprawling tennis complex. Four-lane traffic in both directions in front of the complex was halted. “Earlier this evening a suspicious package was left unattended at the front gate,” the tournament said in a statement. “For the safety of the public the Miami-Dade police have set up a perimeter and cordoned off the area until the package can be secured. We apologize for the inconvenience but the safety of the public must be placed first.” An all-clear was given some 30 minutes after officials had confirmed the lockdown. Security has been beefed up around major North American sporting events since last year’s Boston marathon bombings left three people dead and wounded 264.

 

SLOVAKIAN MOVER

Match after match, Dominika Cibulkova is proving she belongs with the top players in women’s tennis. The Slovakian has moved into the Top 10 in the rankings after reaching the semifinals of the Sony Open with a 3-6 7-6 (5) 6-3 victory over third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, including staving off three match points. “I knew before the match that this was the match I needed to win to become top 10,” Cibulkova said. “So it was some more pressure, but I’m obviously very happy with the way I handled it today.” But the tournament’s 10th seed had the misfortune of running into China’s Li Na in the semifinals – and losing. Cibulkova also lost to Li in the Australian Open final and in the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, California, USA, earlier in the month.

 

SIBLING PERFECTION

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan won their 96th title as a team, the Sony Open, with a 7-6 (8) 6-4 pounding of the Colombian duo of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. It took only 90 minutes for the Bryans to capture their 28th ATP World Tour Masters level crown and their third at Miami, but first since 2008. It was the third title in five weeks for the brothers and their first Indian Wells-Miami double. The won their second BNP Paribas Open title earlier this month. “This is a match we’ll remember for a long time,” Mike Bryan said. “The crowd support was unreal for both teams. The first set was pivotal and it was huge to save those set points. Bob and I are very excited to play so well and win Miami again for a third time.” Cabal and Farah were the first South American team to reach the Miami final in tournament history. It was their fifth final as a team in 2014, their lone championship coming in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in February. They also reached the final in Brisbane, Vina del Mar and Sao Paulo.

 

SENIOR STARS

The top two players in the WTA ranking have more in common than just playing winning tennis. Both Serena Williams and Li Na are 32 years old, almost ancient in tennis terms. Both have sparkled this year, with Li winning her second Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open in January, and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, earlier this month. In beating Li in the Sony Open final, Williams improved her career record against her Chinese opponent to 12-1. The American has been as dominant in her career against the other top players on the women’s tour. She is 8-0 against third-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska, 14-3 against fourth-ranked Victoria Azarenka and 16-2 against seventh-ranked Maria Sharapova. Williams has lost just twice this year – to Ana Ivanovic at the Australian Open and to Alize Cornet at Dubai. Following their Sony Open match, which Williams won 7-5 6-1, the two were seen giggling. “We’re playing great tennis and we’re number one and number 2, and we’re both the same age,” Williams said. “For me it was just an honor to be there with her. We’re living the same life, and at this stage, to be on top, I don’t think it’s been done before, and I think it’s really awesome. … I feel like we both have his never-give-up fight. It shows that you can still shine at any age.”

 

SIGNED UP

Alex Dolgopolov has joined Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych in the field for the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club, a grass-court warm-up event for Wimbledon. Dolgopolov has beaten three of the four highest ranked player in the world this year in rising from 57th in the rankings at the end of 2013 to 23rd. His highest ranking was 13th in the world, but Dolgopolov says he’s playing better tennis now. This year he holds victories over Rafael Nadal, Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka and David Ferrer. The tournament is scheduled to be played June 9-15.

 

SWEDE APPOINTMENT

Former Swedish tennis pro Ingrid Lofdahl-Bentzer has been appointed vice chairman of the Enshrinee Nomination Committee at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The committee develops the annual ballot of nominees for enshrinement in Hall of Fame, located in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The committee is chaired by five-time major champion Stan Smith and is comprised of 22 individuals from all aspects of the sport, including former players, journalists, historians and administrators. One of the founders of the WTA, Lofdahl-Bentzer was ranked in the top 15 in the world in the 1970s and was Sweden’s top-ranked player. She won five STA Tour titles and was a member of the Swedish Fed Cup team for eight years. She currently serves on the Fed Cup Committee.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Guadalajara: Cesar Ramirez and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela beat Andre Begemann and Matthew Ebden 6-4 6-2

 

SURFING

Charleston: www.familycirclecup.com/

Monterrey: http://abiertomonterrey.com/2014/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Casablanca: www.frmt.ma/

Houston: www.mensclaycourt.com/

Katowice: www.bnpparibaskatowiceopen.com/pl

Bogota: www.copaclarocolsanitas.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

WOMEN

$644,900 Family Circle Cup, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, clay

$500,000 Abierto Monterrey presentado por Afirme, Monterrey, Mexico, hard

 

DAVIS CUP

World Group

Quarterfinals

Japan vs. Czech Republic at Tokyo, Japan, hard

France vs. Germany at Nancy, France, hard

Italy vs. Great Britain at Naples, Italy, clay

Switzerland vs. Kazakhstan at Geneva, Switzerland, hard

 

Group I

Second Round

Americas Zone: Ecuador vs. Brazil at Guayaquil, Ecuador, clay; Colombia vs. Dominican Republic at Cali, Columbia, clay

Asia/Oceania Zone: China vs. Uzbekistan at Tianjin, China, hard; South Korea vs. India at Busan, South Korea, hard

Europe/Africa Zone: Poland vs. Croatia at Warsaw, Poland, hard; Slovenia vs. Israel at Portoroz, Slovenia, clay; Sweden vs. Ukraine at Malmo, Sweden, hard; Slovak Republic vs. Austria at Bratislava, Slovak Republic, hard

Group II

Second Round

Americas Zone: Barbados vs. El Salvador at St. Michael, Barbados, hard; Mexico vs. Peru at Puebla, Mexico, hard

Asia/Oceania Zone: Philippines vs. Pakistan at Manila, Philippines, clay; Thailand vs. Kuwait at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard

Europe/Africa Zone: South Africa vs. Lithuania at Centurion, South Africa, hard; Finland vs. Bosnia/Herzegovina at Helsinki, Finland, hard; Moldova vs. Belarus at Chisinau, Moldova, clay; Denmark vs. Luxembourg at Hillerod, Denmark, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$586,650 Grand Prix Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco, clay

$474,005 Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championship, Houston, Texas, USA, clay

 

WOMEN

$250,000 BNP Paribas Katowice Open, Katowice, Poland, hard

$250,000 Copa Claro Colsanitas, Bogota, Colombia, clay

 

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Fish, Isner Put USA up 2-1 in Colombia; France Clinches Final Berth

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In a day normally reserved for the Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, it was Mardy Fish and John Isner who put the United States into a 2-1 lead over Colombia Saturday with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 victory over Robert Farah and Carlos Salamanca in Bogota.

The United States will need to win one of  Sunday’s two remaining singles matches to win the Play-off Round series and qualify for the 2011 Davis Cup World Group and be eligible to win the Davis Cup title. A win by either Mardy Fish over Santiago Giraldo in the opening match Sunday or Sam Querrey against Alejandro Falla will send Patrick McEnroe out a winner in his finale as U.S. captain.

John Isner and Mardy Fish

McEnroe said that he did not select the No. 1-ranked Bryan twins to their normally pre-ordained Davis Cup doubles team position so he could be more nimble in inter-changing players in the singles line-up, in case the 8,500-feet of elevation negatively affected the health of one of the singles players.

“The altitude had a lot to do with it (absence of Bryans),” says McEnroe. “I felt that we might need a couple of extra singles players. Fortunately, Mardy gives us choices as a great singles and doubles player.”

Fish was the chief instigator on the court, taking command of a majority of the points and shrugging off the enourmous pressure placed on him and Isner to win the match and put the United States into the important 2-1 lead. With the Colombian crowd cheering their team and jeering the U.S. team, Fish would often ignore the crowd noise – and the chair umpire’s calls for “Silencio por favor” – and serve through the noise, choosing to not let the hostile atmosphere affect him.

“I was certainly happy to see Mardy and John played so well,” McEnroe said afterwards. “Mardy volleyed really well today, and John played well for his first match here.”

After losing the first two sets, the Colombians tried to claw themselves back into the match, holding two set points at 5-6, 15-40 on Fish’s serve, before the Americans were able to fight back and force the tie-breaker. Farah came alive in the tie-breaker and moved his team to a 6-2 lead, before barely hanging on as Fish missed a forehand return of serve at 6-5 to force a fourth set.

Fish and Isner proved too strong in the fourth set as they closed out the four-set victory.

Said Farah, a former standout at the University of Southern California, “I just went out and gave my best. Unfortunately, it was not good enough. They (Fish and Isner) played just too good today. I always knew that Mardy Fish is a great doubles player, but I was surprised just how hard John Isner served. I mean there was some balls that I could not even see. Except for losing, I really enjoyed the experience. The environment was just magical.”

McEnroe hinted at potentially changing his singles line-up tomorrow on the final day. Based on Querrey’s meak performance in his straight-set loss to Giraldo on Friday, one might speculate that he might be substituted for with Isner if the fifth and final match is live. If Fish clinches victory for the United States in the fourth rubber Sunday, one might speculate that McEnroe would give 18-year-old Davis Cup rookie Ryan Harrison a shot at playing in the dead-rubber match, a move he also conducted in his first tie as captain in 2001 against Switzerland with another teenage U.S. Davis Cup rookie named Andy Roddick.

In the Davis Cup semifinals, France booked a spot in the final as Michael Llodra and Arnaud Clement sealed France’s 3-0 win over Argentina in Lyon. In Belgrade, the Czech Republic took the important 2-1 lead as Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Novak Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic in four sets. For full score and results, go to www.DavisCup.com

Late-Night Drinking with “Roger Federer” and the US Open’s Feel-Good Story

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By Cynthia Lum

I had wanted to have an early evening last Thursday because I knew that I had to be at the site early for the men’s doubles final on Friday. Good luck! Somehow an early evening turned into an early morning. I was out for drinks with a group of friends, including Darren, the Roger Federer look-alike that USTA consultant Steve Pratt discovered last year. The time definitely got away from us and before we knew it, my watch was reading 4:30 AM!  It was pretty funny while we were having drinks at the W bar, people kept walking past and staring at Darren.  One guy and his wife walked past us six times!  We knew they were all wondering they were really seeing the No. 2 seed, out in a bar at 3 AM. We closed the W bar and moved around the corner to Snafu where Stan Wawrinka’s whole contingent were helping him drown his sorrows over his earlier loss to Mihail Youzhny, so once again, people did a double take when we walked in with “Roger.”

The men’s doubles final was so great, I woke right up! The Bryans and Rohan Bopana Aisam Qureshi. The same teams we had in the final at Farmer’s Classic in Los Angeles. The Bryans are at a place in their careers where they are setting new records. This win made them 9-for-9 in finals this year, and this is their ninth major title, their 65th career ATP doubles title. They broke the Woodies record in Los Angeles this year. I’ve known these guys for 20 years, and you will not find two nicer people so I’m always happy for them.  They are also the only Americans to take home a US Open trophy this year.

For me having the team of Bopanna and Qureshi in the final made it even better. These guys have become the Peace Ambassadors of the tour.  Bopanna, from India and Qureshi of Pakistan are an inspiration to promoting peace between warring countries. The” Indo-Pak Express,” as they call themselves started wearing sweatshirts at Wimbledon with slogans reading “Stop War, Start Tennis” as part of a campaign backed by a group based in Monaco called Peace and Sport.

Along with the unique paring of an Indian Hindu and a Pakistani Muslim, there is also great tennis. The match was a barn burner going to tie-breakers in both sets. Bob Bryan was quoted in the press conference as saying, “This has been the best match we ever played.” “These guys played incredible. We had to step up and match their energy,” said Bob.
With United Nations ambassadors Hardeep Singh Puri of India and Abdullah Hussain Haroon of Pakistan sitting together, fans cheered and gave Rohan and Aisam a standing ovation at the presentation ceremony. In their acceptance speech Qureshi took the opportunity to talk about Islam in his country stating that he wanted to tell the American public that ” Pakistan is a peace-loving country. Everybody loves sports. I think everybody wants peace, as well.” It was an emotional moment, especially in view of the fact that it was the day before the anniversary of Sept. 11.
Aisam went on to say that he was dedicating his efforts to 21 million flood victims in Pakistan, and thanked the Bryans for donating a portion of their winnings to Pakistan Flood Victims.

After the match, the United Nations ambassadors from Pakistan and India presented the Bryans with ceremonial Pakistani garmets called ajraks to thanking them for their generosity.

“A lot of people in Pakistan don’t have homes and are out on the street,” Mike Bryan was quoted as saying, “Sport can bring people together.”

So, on this upbeat note I’ll close for now.

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The US Open – No Longer a Split Personality in Flushing’s Big Tent

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NEW YORK – As the 43rd season of the chase for dollars rolls toward its crescendo in Flushing (who will come out of it most flush?), few tennis junkies are aware that this monstrocity called the U.S. Open was once-upon-a-time a split personality.

Entrace to USTA Tennis Center

It was in a day when something amusingly labeled as “amateurism” held sway, and room-and-board was a prized goal on the tournament circuit.  That was prior to 1968 when the U.S. Championships were divided into separate tournaments: the Doubles in Boston at Longwood Cricket Club, followed by the Singles at Forest Hills (the West Side Tennis Club in New York).

It wasn’t a bad arrangement.  The Flyin’ Bryans would have loved it, a week devoted to doubles (thereafter neglected) with their best-of-5-set matches on center stage.   A plus for the customers was seeing the best men and women frolicking at doubles  on grass courts.  They had to play doubles because it was the only thing scheduled that week.  Doesn’t happen now.  Too bad. It was also a fine opportunity for the Europeans and Latins to work on their grass games prior to the Singles.

But “opens”  and cash payments dawned in 1968. Everything moved to a big tent — the U.S. Open — at Forest Hills.  In 1967 that seemed an unstable notion. Yet unexpectedly it was the last year of the split, thanks to Herman David, the boss at Wimbledon, and USTA President Bob Kelleher, who rammed opens down the unwilling throats of the rest of the world.  Fortunately for the game.

So the star of the folding old ways of the U.S. was the gregarious Aussie JohnNewcombe.  He and compatriot Tony Roche, holders of the record 12 major titles, won the U.S., a prelude to Newcombe beating American Clark Graebner for singles supremacy .  Immediately Newc and Tony turned pro, along with Cliff Drysdale, Roger Taylor, and Nikki Pilic, joining seasoned pros Dennis Ralston, Pierre Barthes and Butch Buchholz in a troupe called WCT  (World Championship tennis) as amateurism fell apart.

Bubbly Francesca Schiavone, 2010 French Open winner, at her first US Open press conference

But what of Boston and Longwood, promoters of international tourneys since 1890?  With the Doubles gone to New York, the USTA decided to continue the tradition of an amateur championship, and located the U.S. Amateur at Longwood.

That set up a never-to-be-equalled feat by a U.S. Army lieutenant named Arthur Ashe, hardly known at the time.  Arthur was on fire as he beat Davis Cup teammate Bob Lutz in 5 sets for the title.

Off the players went to New York and the opening Open.  Lightly regarded, what with Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Pancho Gonzalez, Tom Okker and Newcombe and Roche in the mix, Ashe maintained his flame to burn Okker in 5 sets for the championship.  Ashe, the amateur, got $ 20  day expenses; Okker, the pro, got the $ 12,000 first prize.

It will never happen again — the same guy wearing the Amateur and Open crowns in the same year.  Ashe’s rush to the Amateur had been covered by PBS, the Open by CBS.  Arthur was suddenly The Man  in Demand, turning pro when his Army time was finished, leading the U.S. to 3 Davis Cups, winning Wimbledon in 1975, entering the Hall of Fame in 1985.

As a copyboy for the since-vanished Boston Herald, I covered my first major, the U.S. Doubles, at Longwood in 1955.  Why? Because the established guys on the staff thought covering tennis was below them. But I was thrilled when the sports editor, Eddie Costello, almost apologetically, assigned me — “you’re the rookie, Junior.”

Tony Trabert and Vic Seixas, the U.S. Davis Cup team. were defending the title, having beaten the Aussie kids, Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall, in ’54.  The thrill didn’t last as Boston was struck by Hurricane Diane, flooding the grass courts on which ballboys rowed boats and swam for the benefit of photographers.

By the time the courts were muckily playable again, most players had moved on, believing the tournament would never end.  All-timers  with 20 majors, Margaret duPont and Louise Brough did stick around to win their 10th U.S. title over Doris Hart and Shirley Fry, a clash of future Hall of Famers.

Bud Collins signing autographs

But nobody knew the men’s finalists: Japanese Kosei Kamo and Atsushi Miyagi against American college boys Jerry Moss and Bill Quillian.  Winning in 5 sets, the Japanese provoked a laugh from the veteran groundskeeper, Charlie Chambers.  “All summer Japanese beetles were a problem for me.  Now it’s Japanese guys giving the Americans a problem.”

Clearly pleased, but very modest about taking a U.S. title back to Japan, Kamo and Miyagi didn’t do much at Forest Hills.  But they had a major championship, and I had my first foreign champs.

By Bud Collins