| FORT WORTH, TX, USA – Caroline Garcia and the doubles team of Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova were crowned champions today at the 2022 WTA Finals, with all three players winning the prestigious season-ending tournament for the first time in their careers. Garcia was making her second appearance in singles at the WTA Finals, and defeated Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(4) 6-4 in the championship match to lift the WTA Finals Billie Jean King Trophy. She is the second Frenchwoman to win the WTA Finals, joining Amelie Mauresmo who triumphed in 2005. “Today was an amazing final and this season has been an incredible journey,” Garcia said. “A lot of people made this possible for me and have made it a spectacular experience, making me a better player and a better person,” she added. |
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| Kudermetova and Mertens went undefeated to capture their debut WTA Finals crown, defeating top seeds and reigning champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 6-2 4-6 11-9 in the title match to lift the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Doubles Trophy. “The energy was there all week and I’m incredibly proud, we just kept believing,” said Mertens following their win. Kudermetova added: “To go back home with the trophy, as a champion, is such a nice feeling.” Click here to read more on how Garcia, Mertens and Kudermetova won the 2022 WTA Finals. |
caroline garcia
Caroline Garcia Topples New No. 1 Simona Halep In Beijing – Mondays with Bob Greene
Mondays with Bob Greene
STARS
Caroline Garcia beat Simona Halep 6-4 7-6 (3) to win the China Open women’s singles in Beijing, China
Rafael Nadal beat Nick Kyrgios 6-2 6-1 to win the China Open men’s singles in Beijing, China
David Goffin beat Adrian Mannarino 6-3 7-5 to win the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan
Evgeny Donskoy beat Marius Copil 7-6 (0) 7-5 to win the Kaohsiung OEC Open in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Cameron Norrie beat Darian King 6-1 6-3 to win the Stockton Challenger in Stockton, California, USA
Maximilian Marterer beat Bradley Klahn 7-6 (3) 7-6 (6) to win the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey, Mexico
SAYING
“It was such an amazing two weeks. It went so fast I have the feeling I started these tournaments yesterday or two days ago.” – Caroline Garcia, after adding the China Open women’s singles title to the crown she won the week before at the Wuhan Open.
“Today, I think my serve worked well, and I was returning a lot of balls, putting a lot of balls inside, then taking the advantage from the baseline a little bit more often than him. I was a little bit more aggressive and that was the key.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning the China Open.
“I obviously didn’t react professionally. Obviously, that’s why I got a warning. But I mean, that didn’t really matter today. He played well, I played terrible.” – Nick Kyrgios, after losing to Rafael Nadal.
“It’s important for me to stay fresh physically and mentally with potentially the ATP Finals ahead and then playing for Belgium in the Davis Cup final. I am ready to fight and I want to keep winning.” – David Goffin, following his second title in successive weeks.
“It’s been a difficult and frustrating year. I obviously wish I could have focused on tennis more rather than chasing help all the time.” – Milos Raonic, who pulled out of yet another tournament, this time with a right calf injury.
“Tennis is very demanding. When I came on tour 15 years ago the 100th-ranked player was not so difficult to beat. Now they are very good, so it’s a big difference.” – Richard Gasquet
“I’ve had success at China Open in the past, so it’s always nice to come back and relive the past memories, and create new ones by winning the trophy once again.” – Martina Hingis, who teamed with Chan Yung-Jan to win the China Open women’s doubles, their ninth title of the year.
“It’s a third title for us this year. Not as many as last year, but I feel like we’re playing even more solid. To get another one in the bag is great.” – Henri Kontinen, after partnering with John Peers to win the China Open men’s doubles.
“In being selected for Japan in the Davis Cup a few weeks ago, I improved and learned to believe in myself. It helped me with my confidence. So this week I was able to believe in myself at important points and didn’t get tight.” – Ben Mclachlan, who with Yasutaka Uchiyama became the first all-Japanese team to win the Japan Open doubles in 12 years.
“It hasn’t really sunk in. We have been the challengers all week and today as well, but I noticed that they were feeling the pressure. and at that point we were able to play well and push our way to a victory. It showed us that if we play at our best, we can beat anyone.” – Yasutaka Uchiyama.
SIXTH TITLE OF 2017
Chalk up yet another trophy for Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard won his sixth title of the year, the China Open, by demolishing Nick Kyrgios. The Australian was able to win just three games in the lopsided contest. “I played, in my opinion, a great level of tennis,” Nadal said after capturing his 75th career title. “Of course, I think one of the best matches of the year.” Kyrgios was upset with a call in the opening game and appeared unable to let it go after that, earning a warning and then a penalty point. “I don’t know, I just got super frustrated,” Kyrgios said. Nadal had break chances in six of Kyrgios’ seven service games. The 22-year-old Australian had to stave off five break points just to hold serve to begin the match. He lost his serve for the first time in the sixth game when he netted a drop shot, then hit consecutive double faults to give Nadal the opening set. Nadal would break Kyrgios twice more in the second set and close out the victory after 92 minutes. “Every title later in your career is more special than when you were younger,” said Nadal, who also won the China Open in 2005.
SPANKS NUMBER ONE
Simona Halep is the new number one player on the WTA tour. But it is Caroline Garcia of France who is a champion for the second straight week. Garcia defeated her Romanian opponent to add the China Open to the Wuhan Open title she collected the previous week. “It was six matches in a row in Wuhan and five in a row here in five days,” Garcia said. “After every match I tried to forget about it and refocus on the present and on the next match. So, I actually can’t remember how my tournament went.” It went well – very well. The two battled evenly until Garcia broke Halep in the 10th game to grab the first set. The second set was closer. Garcia was down love-40 on her serve before holding to go up 4-3. Garcia prevailed in the tiebreak to advance to ninth in the world rankings. Halep refused to let the defeat spoil her week. “I couldn’t sleep very well” after winning her semifinal and ensuring the world number one ranking, Halep said. “It was very good (getting to the top ranking). It was very good step, important step. But still inside I was too happy. … I just felt a little bit over inside because of the happiness.”
SECOND STRAIGHT
David Goffin loves the winning feeling. So much so, he has done it two weeks in a row. This time, the fourth-seeded Belgian captured the Japan Open, beating Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in straight sets. The 26-year-old Goffin was dominant from the start, taking a 3-1 lead in the opening set. After Mannarino moved in front 4-2 in the second set, Goffin broke back in the seventh and 11th games to grab his fourth career title and second of the season. “It’s a really special trophy for me, as I won the tournament last week and now have again today,” Goffin said. “It’s a special feeling at a tournament I like. I have a lot of happy memories in Tokyo. It’s difficult to describe my feelings.” Mannarino has yet to win in four ATP World Tour finals. But the 29-year-old Frenchman pulled off the biggest victory of his career in the semifinals when he upset top-seeded Marin Cilic. “David played really well,” Mannarino said. “The quality of the game was really good, but I wasn’t good enough compared to him.”
SERVING FOR PUERTO RICO
Every time Nick Kyrgios serves an ace, Puerto Rico will be the beneficiary. The Australian has pledged USD $50 for the storm-laced island every time he blasts an ace. The 22-year-old had first said he would give USD $10 for each ace toward emergency relief on the island following Hurricane Maria. But in a tweet, Kyrgios wrote: “You know what? I’m upping my offer … to $50 per ace. Let’s help Puerto Rico.” In his first match after announcing his pledge, Kyrgios pounded 11 aces in beating Germany’s Mischa Zverev at the China Open.
SUSPENDED
Great Britain’s Dan Evans has been suspended for one year after testing positive for cocaine. Currently ranked 108th in the world, Evans failed the drug test at the Barcelona Open in April. He went public with the result in June. The 27-yearp-old’s ban began with the positive test, meaning he will be eligible to play again on April 24, 2018. The International Tennis Federation (ITF), in a statement, said it “accepted Mr. Evans’ account of how the cocaine got into his system and that he bears no significant fault or negligence for the violation.” Evans said the cocaine got into his system via a permitted medication that he had stored in the same pocket of his washbag in which he had previously kept the cocaine. Evans reached the fourth round at the Australian Open in January and reached a career-high 41 ranking earlier this year.
STOP AT THE TOP
This time it was Simona Halep who came away with the victory and the top spot in the WTA world rankings. Halep avenged her French Open final defeat by beating Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in the semifinal of the China Open. That win boosted Halep to the world number one spot, replacing Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza and becoming the first Romanian to head the rankings. “It’s very emotional, I think it’s the first time I cried on court,” Halep said. “It’s amazing that I could do this. … It’s my special day.” Halep had come close to topping the rankings on three different occasions earlier this year, but each time lost the match that would have clinched the top spot. WTA CEO Steve Simon and tour president Micky Lawler presented Halep with a memento after the match as she became the 25th player in WTA history to rise to the world number one ranking.
SPANIARD BANNED
The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said Spain’s Samuel Ribeiro Navarrete has been banned for eight months and fined USD $1,000 for “betting-related corruption offenses.” The TIU said an investigation revealed the player made 28 bets on matches between January and March 2013, although none of the bets were on matches in which he played. The 24-year-old Spaniard reached a career-high singles ranking of 72 in July 2016. Four months of his eight-month ban is suspended on condition he commits no further breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program.
SHOCKED BY SHOOTING
Great Britain’s Laura Robson was attending the Las Vegas concert where a gunman opened fire, killing 58 and wounding nearly 500. The player tweeted: “I’m okay. We were right there … sounded like fireworks at first, then everyone started running. Scary ****. My friend who was deeper in the crowd has been helping people who were shot. We’re all in shock.” Robson teamed with Andy Murray to win the silver medal in mixed doubles at the 2012 London Olympics.
SINO SUCCESS
Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako was on hand to see the first all-Japanese doubles team in 12 years to win the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. Ben Mclachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama defeated Jamie Murray of Great Britain and Brazil’s Bruno Soares in straight sets for their first ATP World Tour team title. The New Zealand-born Mclachlan has a Japanese mother. The winning team received a wild card into the tournament. Mclachlan was playing in his first ATP World Tour event. The last all-Japanese duo to win in Tokyo were Satoshi Iwabuchi and Takao Suzuki in 2005.
SICK CALL
Milos Raonic has suffered yet another injury. The Canadian, who has withdrawn from five events this year and pulled out of two others, retired from his second-round Japan Open match against Yuichi Sugita after dropping the opening game. “I picked up a strain to the (right) calf,” Raonic said. “It’s hard to know the extent of it … It happened when the score was deuce. I felt a sharp pain at the back of my leg. I will head home now and get medical attention.” Raonic just returned to tennis after missing seven weeks after having surgery on his left wrist. He beat Viktor Troicki in his Japan Open opener before facing Sugita. Following his win over Troicki, Raonic complained that the tennis tour was too demanding. “I believe out of those of us that finished top five last year, I’m the only guy still trying to play this year, and none of the five played the US Open,” the Canadian said. “Maybe it’s testament to some kind of reform being needed for the sake of players’ careers and being able to provide a certain caliber of tennis for spectators.”
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has pulled out of this week’s Shanghai Masters because of a knee injury. Ranked 18th in the world, Tsonga is set to lead France in next month’s Davis Cup final against Belgium. Tsonga said he first felt pain in his knee in mid-September at the St. Petersburg Open. The injury also caused Tsonga to miss last week’s China Open.
Garbiñe Muguruza retired during her China Open first-round match against unseeded Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic. The Spaniard called it quits while trailing 6-1 2-0. Going into the tournament ranked number one in the world, Muguruza called a medical timeout after losing the first two games of the second set. After having her pulse taken, she retired from the match, her fifth retirement this year. “It’s very tough,” Muguruza said. “I got a virus in Wuhan. I couldn’t perform today. … I want to feel like giving the last chance, going on the court, just hit (a) few balls, see how I’m going to feel, try to turn things around. I don’t want to retire before the tournament starts.”
SET FOR CHANGES
Changes in Davis Cup play will occur next year in a bid to make the international team competition more attractive to top players. The changes will be applied only to matches in Zonal Groups I and II, the tiers below the World Group. The best-of-five-matches competition will be held on two days instead of three: Group I ties will be played on Friday and Saturday, with Group II ties on Saturday and Sunday. The change is on the second day when the doubles and two “reverse” singles will be contested. And Group I and II matches will be best-of-three sets instead of best-of-five. David Haggerty, president of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), said the changes could eventually be applied to World Group matches if the trial is deemed a success.
STADIUM MOVE?
The Miami Open is getting closer to moving from Key Biscayne to the stadium where the Miami Dolphins play. “I do think it’s imminent,” Key Biscayne Mayor Mayra Peña Lindsay said of an agreement for the tournament to leave its longtime home. “But it hasn’t been officially made.” The tournament, a major hard-court stop on both the men’s and women’s tours, will apparently be played at the Crandon complex on Key Biscayne next year, with the possibility of the event moving to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in 2019. IMG, which owns the tournament, wanted to spend USD $50 million to upgrade the Crandon complex, but lost a court decision that would give the tournament space to expand.
SELLING TROPHIES?
Boris Becker is reportedly selling his Wimbledon trophies to raise money to pay off his debts. Three months ago, the three-time Wimbledon champion was declared bankrupt over money owed to a bank. Becker now faces having his homes and personal property repossessed. Two German magazines, Stern and Bunte, claim the British bankrupt declaration was merely the start.
SOCIAL ACTIVISM
UCLA alumni Arthur Ashe will have a scholarship named for the late tennis star at the Los Angeles school. Thanks to gifts from his widow, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, and the Arthur Ashe Learning Center, an Arthur Ashe Scholarship will be awarded to students who exemplify the ideals Ashe displayed as a UCLA student. The scholarship will be awarded based on merit and need. In addition, the Arthur Ashe Legacy Fund will administer programming and exhibit materials highlighting Ashe’s contributions in four main areas: sport and tennis; service and citizenship; health and wellness; and youth and education. “This is a truly special moment for UCLA, and we are grateful to have been entrusted with Arthur Ashe’s towering legacy,” said Patricia Turner, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education. “The scholarship and exhibit materials are tangible reminders of his transformative impact on the world.”
SANS INTIMIDATION?
Hall of Famer Chris Evert says Serena Williams may lack some of her trademark intimidation when she returns to tennis. Williams, who gave birth to a daughter in September, has said she plans on defending her Australian Open title in January. Evert thinks things could be different for the woman who has won 23 Grand Slam tournament singles titles. “I think this whole year the level has gone up because Serena hasn’t been dominant and the other players have all felt that they had a shot at it, at the number one ranking,” Evert said. “I think that because of that challenge, they have improved in the physical and the mental part of it because they’ve all had a shot at it and they’ve pushed each other, and that’s why there have been so many different winners. So, I think the level will have improved by the time Serena comes back.” Since Williams beat her sister Venus in the Australian Open final, there have been four players who have held the number one ranking: Angelique Kerber of Germany, Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain and Simona Halep of Romania.
STAYING AROUND
Rafael Nadal wound up winning the China Open, but he almost didn’t win his opening match. Frenchman Lucas Pouille pushed Nadal to the limit before the Spaniard narrowly won 4-6 7-6 (6) 7-5. Trailing 4-6 in the tiebreak, Nadal won four consecutive points to level the match at one set apiece. The Spaniard finally broke Pouille in the 11th game of the third set, then held serve to gain the victory. “He played well, I think,” Nadal said of his French opponent. “Very aggressive. He’s serving well. For me was little bit difficult in the beginning. Then I started to play better. But, still, I didn’t have the control of the match for almost all the time.”
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Beijing (men): Henri Kontinen and John Peers beat John Isner and Jack Sock 6-3 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)
Beijing (women): Chan Yung-Jan and Martina Hingis beat Time Babos and Andrea Hlavackova 6-1 6-4
Kaohsiung: Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana beat Jonathan Erlich and Alexander Peya 6-4 1-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)
Monterrey: Christopher Eubanks and Evan King beat Marcelo Arevalo and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 7-6 (4) 6-3
Stockton: Brydan Klein and Joe Salisbury beat Denis Kudla and Mikelis Libietis 6-2 6-4
Tokyo: Ben Mclachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama beat Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 6-4 7-6 (1)
SURFING
Shanghai: http://en.shanghairolexmasters.com/
Tashkent: www.tennis.uz/
Hong Kong: www.hktennisopen.hk/en/
Linz: www.ladieslinz.at/
Tianjin: www.tianjinopen.com/
Moscow: http://kremlincup.ru/
Antwerp: www.europeanopen.be/en/
Stockholm: www.stockholmopen.se/
Luxembourg: www.bglbnpparibas-open.lu/main_en.html
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
MEN
$8,092,625 Shanghai Rolex Masters, Shanghai, China, hard
$150,000 Tashkent Challenger, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard
$100,000 Northbay Healthcare Men’s Pro Championship, Fairfield, California, USA, hard
WOMEN
$226,750 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, Hong Kong, hard
$226,750 Upper Austria Ladies Linz, Linz, Austria, hard
$227,750 Tianjin Open, Tianjin, China, hard
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
$823,600 VTP Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard
$774,740 European Open, Antwerp, Belgium, hard
$774,740 Intrum Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden, hard
$125,000 Yinzhou International Men’s Tennis, Ningbo, China, hard
WOMEN
$702.900 VTP Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard
$226,750 BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, hard
Andy Murray Wins Record Fifth Title at Queen’s Club – Mondays with Bob Greene
Mondays with Bob Greene
STARS
Andy Murray beat Milos Raonic 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3 to win the Aegon Championships in London, Great Britain
Florian Mayer beat Alexander Zverev 6-2 5-7 6-3 to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany
Madison Keys beat Barbora Strycova 6-3 6-4 to win the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain
Caroline Garcia beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-4 to win the Mallorca Open in Mallorca, Spain
Dominic Thiem beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7 (2) 6-4 6-4 to win the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany
Nicolas Mahut beat Gilles Muller 6-4 6-4 to win the Ricoh Open men’s singles in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
SAYING
“To win here for a fifth time means a lot to me.” – Andy Murray, who became the first man to win five times at Queen’s Club.
“Congratulations to Andy for winning this tournament for a fifth time, but I’m sure it’s not nearly as special as having your first Fathers’ Day as well.” – Milos Raonic, after losing to Andy Murray in the Aegon Championships final.
“Playing a final is always special, but this was different. … I know winning a title doesn’t happen every week.” – Nicolas Mahut, after winning the Ricoh Open for the third time.
“For now, this is my best season. When you win your first title, you never know if you’ll win another. It was a dream to win my first, and now I have three, plus the French Open in doubles. The work I’m doing with my team is definitely paying off.” – Carolina Garcia, after winning the Mallorca Open.
“I played really good tennis in all my matches. Against Roger obviously it was a great highlight. Unfortunately, it had to end like this. But it happens. This is tennis. You can’t change it now.” – Alexander Zverev, who beat Roger Federer in the semifinals in Halle, Germany, only to lose the final to Florian Mayer.
“It was great to be back here and playing in Spain, and especially in my first tournament (since winning the French Open) it was even more special. Hopefully next year it will be better.” – Garbiñe Muguruza, after losing her first match on grass at the Mallorca Open.
“She’s no flash in the pan. She’s had to do it in her time, but now she’s ready.” Chris Evert, noting that Madison Keys could be a factor at Wimbledon.
“It was nice of Ivan to stick around for the presentation.” – Andy Murray, joking about his new coach, Ivan Lendl, who left immediately after Murray won at Queen’s Club for a record fifth time.
“It feels absolutely unreal because I came here without any expectations basically, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the most special title for me.” – Dominic Thiem, who won the Mercedes Cup, upsetting Roger Federer on his way to the final.
“It’s much better. I served normally last week, served a lot of aces and also quite a few into the net because I haven’t found my rhythm yet. But at the end it was quite good. I was happy.” – Roger Federer, talking about his back, which forced him to miss the French Open.
“I love hardcourts. A lot of people think my favorite surface is grass, but actually I grew up on hardcourts, so I prefer that. I feel right at home one it.” – Venus Williams.
SETS QUEEN’S CLUB MARK
For the fifth time in his career, Andy Murray has won at Queen’s Club. That snaps a record of four titles he shared with Boris Becker, Roy Emerson and John McEnroe. But there were shaky moments. With McEnroe as one of his coaches, Canadian Milos Raonic won the opening set and took a 3-0 lead in the second. Murray, though, wasn’t to be denied. A blistering cross-court service return in the fifth game allowed Murray to finally break Roanic’s moment. After that, it was the Scot who was in charge the rest of the way, winning his first tournament since Ivan Lendl returned as his coach. “This tournament has loads of history … it’s a pleasure to play in front of someone like John (McEnroe) … and any time you can do something a bit better than someone like him, it’s an amazing feeling,” Murray said during the presentation ceremony. The tournament has been played since 1890. Murray’s previous titles came in 2009, ’11, ’13 and ’15.
SIZZLING
Florian Mayer picked the right time to get hot. Ranked 192nd in the world, Mayer defeated his German compatriot Alexander Zverev to win the Gerry Weber Open. The 32-year-old is the lowest-ranked champion in the 24-year history of the Wimbledon warm-up event. “I would say it’s the biggest win in my career to win a 500 event here in Germany on grass,” said Mayer, who was ranked in the Top 30 before his career was interrupted by an adductor injury. His second career title – he won Bucharest in 2013 – was clinched on his fifth match point. “I had a hard time with so many injuries and not playing tournaments,” Mayer said. So it’s a special moment now for me to come back and win a 500 tournament. It helps a lot to be back in the Top 100 also.” Both finalists pulled off big upsets in the semifinals. The 19-year-old Zverev knocked off defending champion Roger Federer while Mayer stunned seventh-ranked Dominic Thiem. “It was a positive week,” Zverev said.
SHOWING HER POWER
Madison Keys is happy, which could spell trouble for the rest of the players on the WTA tour. The American had no problems defeating Czech veteran Barbora Strycova to capture the grass-court Birmingham title. “I love this surface, so the longer I am on it, the happier I am,” Keys said after collecting her second WTA trophy. Seeded seventh, Keys put on display her best match of the week against the unseeded Strycova, who was playing in her second Birmingham final in three years. The 21-year-old champion made more errors in the second set, allowing Strycova to use her tenacity and stamina to threaten to turn the match around. But while Strycova had three break points early in the second set and a fourth break point in the eighth game, Keys simply overpowered her opponent to come away with the victory.
SUPER TEENS
Germany’s Alexander Zverev joined a small list of young players who could be the next group to dominate tennis when he upset Roger Federer at the Gerry Weber Open 7-6 (4) 5-7 6-3. The 19-year-old Zverev is the first teenager to defeat Federer since then-19-year-old Andy Murray pulled off the feat 10 years ago in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Zverev also is the first teen to knock off a Top 5 opponent since 18-year-old Borna Coric stopped Murray in Dubai last year. Coric was a year younger when he beat Rafael Nadal in Basel, Switzerland, in 2014, and Nick Kyrgios was 19 when he upset Nadal at Wimbledon the same year. Federer failed to reach the final in Halle for the first time in 11 consecutive appearances. The Swiss star was bidding for an unprecedented ninth title.
SELECT COMPANY
When he captured the rain-interrupted Mercedes Cup, Dominic Thiem became only the 29th man in the Open Era and the ninth active player to win titles on three different surfaces in the same year. His grass-court win in Stuttgart, Germany, followed a clay court title in Buenos Aires, Argentina; a clay-court win in Nice France, and a hard-court trophy in Acapulco, Mexico. Thiem captured his seventh ATP World Tour crown by stopping Philipp Kohlschreiber. When their match was halted by rain on Sunday, Kohlschreiber was leading 3-2 in the first-set tiebreak. “I didn’t play that well on grass over the past two years, and this tournament was so strong,” Thiem said. “I’m the winner here, I really cannot believe it.” On his way to the final, Thiem upset Roger Federer. He has won an ATP World Tour-best 45 matches this season.
SPECIAL WIN
Nicolas Mahut has a love affair with the Ricoh Open. The Frenchman stopped Gilles Muller of Luxembourg in a rain-delayed final to win the grass-court tournament for the third time. He last won the ‘s-Hertogenbosch title in 2013, the same year he won another grass-court event in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. “Getting the trophy is the most important thing,” Mahut said. “Winning the tournament (singles title) as the world number one in doubles is really special.” Mahut, who entered the tournament with a wild card, won his 60th career grass-court match in the rain-delayed final.
STEPS UP
By reaching the final of the Aegon Classic Birmingham, Madison Keys grabbed a spot in the WTA Top 10. She had been ranked 16th in the world going into the grass-court tournament. There have been 118 different players who have achieved a Top 10 ranking since the WTA rankings were introduced in 1975, and 27 of those have been Americans. But Key is the first American to reach the Top 10 since Serena Williams did so 17 years ago on April 5, 1999. Other Americans to break into the Top 10 in the last 25 years were Venus Williams in 1998, Chanda Rubin in 1996 and Lindsay Davenport in 1994. Since Serena and Venus are already in the Top 10, the entry into the select group by Keys makes it the first time since September 2005 that three Americans are in the WTA Top 10. That was when Davenport was ranked second, Venus seventh and Serena ninth.
SEPPI MILESTONE
When Andreas Seppi upset David Ferrer 6-3 6-4 at the Gerry Weber Open, it was his 300th match win. “For me, I never thought at the beginning of my career to go so far,” the 32-year-old Italian said. “I’m pretty happy to do it here in Halle (Germany). It’s a special tournament for me, especially beating Ferrer after being 0-9 in head-to-head. It was for sure a great day for me.”
SELECTED TOGETHER
It was not the return home Garbiñe Muguruza was hoping for. Playing her first match since winning the French Open, Muguruza was upset 6-3 6-4 by Kirsten Flipkens at the Mallorca Open. “I think it was very tough,” the Spaniard said, noting she couldn’t get comfortable on the grass court after capturing the clay-court Grand Slam event. “I barely had time to actually practice and enjoy the tournament. I wanted to play Mallorca so much and I tried, but then I went to the court and obviously I couldn’t find my rhythm.” Muguruza won her first major title in Paris by upsetting top-ranked Serena Williams in the final.
STRAIGHT IN
Lleyton Hewitt retired at the Australian Open in January, didn’t he? Apparently not in doubles. The former world number one and 2002 Wimbledon champion will return to the All England Club to play doubles with fellow Australian Jordan Thompson. Five other doubles teams received wild card entry into the main draw, including Kyle Edmund and James Ward, along with 2012 doubles champion Jonathan Marray and Adil Shamasdin.
Wimbledon officials also announced six of the eight men to receive wild cards into the singles main draw. They are Dustin Brown, Radek Stepanek, Liam Broady, Brydan Klein, Alexander Ward and James Ward.
SIGNED UP
In order to prepare for the Rio Olympic Games, Venus Williams will play the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, USA, which begins one week after Wimbledon. It will be Venus’ third appearance in Stanford in the last decade. “The Olympics is such a highlight, but at the same time it’s important to play tournaments so you can continue with success on the tour,” Williams said. “Also for me, it’s making sure I have a little bit of a break. This year I’ve been very successful. I will be starting out with Bank of the West, then playing one more event, then heading off to Rio is my plan.” The elder Williams sister is also entered in the Rogers Cup in Montreal. The Olympics tennis event is scheduled to be held from August 6-14.
SURFACE SWITCH
Switching from clay to grass? No problem. Just ask Caroline Garcia, who won her second title of 2016, the inaugural Mallorca Open where she stopped Anastasija Sevastova in the final. “I’m glad to win any tournament. It doesn’t matter what surface,” Garcia said. “When I arrived here it was my first tournament on grass this year, so I wasn’t expecting to go this far or win the trophy. It’s a great achievement after a long and difficult week, so I’m happy to be the winner.” She did it by besting Sevastova, who was ranked 36th in the world before injuries and illnesses forced her to briefly retire. The Latvian returned to the Top 100 earlier this year. All of that didn’t bother Garcia, who broke serve four times in the 85-minute finale. “It gives me a lot of confidence to head to Wimbledon with a title,” the Frenchwoman said. “I’d never played on grass with a lot of pleasure, but I think this week it changed a lot. Grass is a very difficult surface for everyone, but now that I’ve won one, maybe I’m a favorite (at Wimbledon), but a far-away favorite.”
STRAIGHT TO THE BANK
Austria’s Alexander Peya joined a select group when he teamed with Poland’s Lukasz Kubot to win their semifinal doubles match at the Gerry Weber Open. It was Peya’s 300th tour-level doubles win. In 2013, Peya was ranked a career-high third in the world in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings. The pair lost the title match to Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram.
SENTENCE APPEALED
Maria Sharapova’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) seeking to have her two-year drug suspension thrown out or reduced has been put on a fast track. The CAS is expected to issue its decision no later than July 18. An independent tribunal appointed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) found that Sharapova had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation and suspended her for two years.
SANIA TOPS LIST
Sania Mirza has been selected as the Best Dress Sportsperson. In the survey conducted by an online ethnic marketplace, Craftsvilla.com, to celebrate World Ethnic Day and the crafts of India, Mirza received 62.9 percent of the votes. The online polls were open to customers of Craftsvilla.com from May 20 to June 5. Badminton star Saina Nehwal was second with 18.8 percent of the votes, followed by squash player Deepika Pallikal.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Birmingham: Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova beat Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3 7-6 (1)
Halle: Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram beat Lukasz Kubot and Alexander Peya 7-6 (5) 6-2
London: Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat Chris Guccione and Andre Sa 6-3 7-6 (5)
Mallorca: Gabriela Dabrowski and Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez beat Anna-Lena Friedsam and Laura Siegemund 6-4 6-2
SURFING
Eastbourne: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/Aegon-International-Eastbourne/
Nottingham: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/aegon-open-nottingham/
Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
MEN
$724,528 Aegon Open Nottingham, Nottingham, Great Britain, grass
WOMEN
$731,000 Aegon International Eastbourne, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN and WOMEN
Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (first week)
What the French Open says about the sexes
By Thomas Swick
swickt@bellsouth.net
The French Open seems to be proving what women have been saying for centuries: Men are so predictable.
The women’s draw at Roland Garros has been a bracketologist’s nightmare, with the early departure of the top three seeds: Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva. Clijsters, admittedly, was coming back from time off (necessitated by the increasingly common dance floor injury). But she was beaten by a woman, Arantxa Rus, who possessed a ranking of 114 in the world and the imposing physique of a runway model. (A word of advice to the young Dutchwoman: Stay out of the clubs.)
Maria Sharapova survived a second-round scare from a 17-year-old, Caroline Garcia, who promptly went and played in the juniors tournament. In the quarterfinals, the #6 seed Na Li defeated, naturally, the #4 seed Victoria Azarenka.
Even the advance of the 2010 women’s champion, Francesca Schiavone, has been unexpected. Very few people watching last year’s final thought, as they did watching Rafael Nadal: “See you here next year.” The happiness we felt for the then 29-year-old Italian was very much tied to the fact that it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Or so we thought.
The men, by contrast, have been all status quo. In the quarterfinals, Nadal prevailed easily over Robin Soderling, the only man ever to beat him at Roland Garros (and the man he defeated in last year’s final). Perhaps the biggest revelation in this match was McEnroe’s announcement, during the one-sided second set, that his father had just sent him an e-mail saying he was sitting in Soderling’s box.
Nadal will meet Andy Murray in the semifinals, a man who won his last three matches playing on an injured ankle (not the result of dancing). While in the other semifinal, Roger Federer will play not a Maltese teen or a journeyman Jordanian but the hottest player in the world, Novak Djokovic. The top four are in the semis and all’s right with the world.
This is not to say the men’s matches have been devoid of surprises. During the Murray-Troicki match a ball boy ran onto the court, mistakenly thinking the point was over. The drop shot, thanks in large part to Murray, has returned with a vengeance. And in probably the biggest shock, the only player yet to lose a set is not Nadal or Djokovic but the gracefully-aging man from Switzerland.
Countless deductions will be made about the chaos on the women’s side and the order on the men’s. But one thing is certain: It’s good for the game. Among casual tennis fans, there are two types: Those who complain that it’s always the same faces, and those who complain they don’t recognize any of the names. This year’s French offers something for both.
Musings and Observations from the first week at Roland Garros
By Thomas Swick
Well, it was a fun first week at the French Open, except for the losers and Rafael Nadal.
Though I wish Caroline Garcia had tweeted during an Andy Murray match that “the guy playing on Suzanne Lenglen right now is someday going to be No. 3 in the world.”
It was hard to watch the young Frenchwoman deflate after her brilliant start against Maria Sharapova. When she was up 4-1 in the second set, Martina Navratilova noted that “she gets so much clearance over the net that you don’t feel nervous when she hits the ball.” Immediately afterwards Garcia starting hitting long, so I guess it wasn’t technically a jinx.
You watch a match like that – Garcia lost the next 11 games – and you wonder how much of it is one player’s determined refusal to lose and how much the other’s paucity of belief in her ability to win. The best tennis, of course, results when two players with the former meet, though there are plenty of matches between players who share the latter. The crowd greeted Sharapova, the one who didn’t fold, with boos and jeers in a stunning display of loutishness that rightly received the censure of Navratilova.
Something similar, in terms of an irresistible force meeting a suddenly moveable object, happened in the Nadal-Andujar match, when Andujar lost the third set, and the match, after holding a 5-1 lead. The crowd, though less vociferously, once again showed its displeasure with the fighter.
Almost all of the men looked tough. You watched the ball ripped back-and-forth across the net and you couldn’t believe it was landing on clay. The game has become so high-powered that it almost transcends surfaces.
But it wasn’t just power. The first week showed once again that there is no player more beautiful to watch than Roger Federer when he’s winning easily. Even when he’s wearing red shoelaces. Nobody hits such a perversely angled forehand. Of course, it’s hard to imagine his one-handed backhand standing up against poundings from Nadal and Djokovic. It’s like pitting a bow and arrow against a blaster rifle. (Which explains why Federer, for all his other accomplishments, may be the last one-handed No. 1.)
And there were two scary moments in the first week that had nothing to do with firepower. Sabine Lisicki, after her match with Vera Zvonareva, was carried off the court on a stretcher. (Apparently it was nothing more serious than cramps, and profound disappointment.) On her website she announced that she had recently been diagnosed with gluten-intolerance, which means she will now be on a wheat-, rye- and barley-free diet. Considering what it’s done for Djokovic, she may not be the only one.
The rangy Serb continues to be one of the worst dressed and most idiosyncratic players on tour. His bag check – a fairly predictable feature of the Tennis Channel – turned up a toy racket, a driver’s license folder that held a picture of a saint, a bracelet containing individual portraits of saints, and a seashell on which a picture of his patron saint had been painted. He also extracted a Serbian cap, which he immediately put on, and a Serbian flag. God and country.
These are the little things you discover by watching hours of tennis on TV, especially early in a tournament, when lopsided matches necessitate small talk among the commentators. We learned last week that one of John McEnroe’s children is studying creative writing at Columbia and may soon get his first book published. Sharapova, somewhat less auspiciously, is coming out with a candy called Sugarpova. (It sounds as if it will make you energized, but will it also make you shriek?) And Cliff Drysdale, after a montage of scenes from Paris, wondered aloud: “Are the French really more romantic than the rest of us?” No one in the booth ventured an answer, and, unfortunately, viewers were not asked to weigh in.
The second scary moment in the first week, at least for the male players, came during the on-court interview with Nadal after his first-round, five-set victory over John Isner. “C’etait trés difficile,” Nadal told the interviewer, who then asked if he wished to continue in French. He declined, perhaps wanting to save his best for the final.
U.S. Women Flunk Australian Open Test
In a two-day blur that certainly will dishearten USTA coaches and executives, the 12 American women in the main draw of the Australian Open was quickly down to two — No. 4 Venus Williams and Vania King.
And King next plays No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki. Research was underway trying to determine the last time, if ever, the U.S. had as few as one woman player in the third round of a Grand Slam.
You could excuse some of these losses, which sent very inexperienced U.S. players against seeds. But there also was Coco Vandeweghe’s 6-2, 6-1 defeat to No. 83 Alize Cornet. Vandeweghe came into the Open with apparent confidence, having buzzed through three qualifying matches and using her heavy hitting to put an identity on her game.
There were good signs late last week, when three American women qualified — Irina Falconi, Jamie Hampton and Vandeweghe. And you could argue that few of the U.S. women were facing players ranked below them, so they weren’t expected to win. But somewhere among a 2-10 record in the main draw, the USTA had hoped for some upsets.
This was the U.S. lineup, with rankings: No. 5 Venus Williams, No. 48 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, No. 64 Melanie Oudin, No. 76 Varvara Lepchenko, No. 88 Vania King, No. 101 Jill Craybas, No. 110 Christina McHale, No. 115 Alison Riske, No. 116 Vandeweghe, No. 132 Hampton, No. 184 Falconi and No. 443 Lauren Davis, who won a playoff in the U.S. for an Australian Open wild card. That’s 11 of the U.S.’ top 13 women.
The U.S. still has Venus Willliams and, probably, Serena Williams, if she doesn’t suddenly retire after months off with a foot injury. But right now there is no depth.
Williams easily reached the second round and is expected to make it to the second week, and King won without too much difficulty. But it would be a shocker if she upset Wozniacki.
Mattek-Sands went out to No. 139 Arantxa Rus. Oudin lost to Klara Zakopalova. Lepchenko had the worst defeat, beaten by 17-year-old Caroline Garcia of France, who was playing her first Grand Slam. Garcia is ranked No. 275.
Craybas, near the end of her career, was beaten by 30th ranked Andrea Petkovic. McHale went out to No. 62 Carla Suarez Navarro. Riske lost to 23rd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. Falconi was put out by No. 24 seed Alisa Kleybanova and Davis was completely mismatched against No. 5 seed Sam Stosur.
Several of the U.S. women are playing doubles at the Aussie Open, which will give them more big-stage experience. But they’ve flunked in the singles draw.