STARS
Victoria Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1 to win the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, USA
Sam Querrey beat Andy Murray 5-7 7-6 (2) 6-3 to win the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA
Nicolas Almago beat Richard Gasquet 7-5 6-1 to win the Allianz Suisse Open in Gstaad, Switzerland
Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Potito Starace 6-4 6-4 to win the ATP Studena Croatia Open in Umag, Croatia
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Elena Vesnina 5-7 7-5 6-4 to win the Istanbul Cup in Istanbul, Turkey
Daniel Munoz-de la Nava beat Steve Darcis 6-2 6-4 to win the Zucchetti Kos Tennis Cup in Cordenons, Italy
SAYINGS
“Sixty-two brings a smile to our face. It’s been an emotional ride, talking about it every day for the past couple of months. To finally do it is incredible.” – Bob Bryan, after he and twin Mike won their record 62nd doubles title as a team.
“For many, many years you’ve been traveling in elite company. Thanks to the victory today, you’re in rarefied air.” – Mark Woodforde, the old record-holder congratulating Bob and Mike Bryan on their new mark.
“The Woodies put a record way out there. Sixty-one was Mount Everest when we started. We love what we do. To get this, one of their many records, is special.” – Mike Bryan.
“I wasn’t going to give it to him. I was going to make him come up with a shot to beat me.” – Sam Querry, who knocked off Andy Murray to successfully defend his Farmers Classic singles title.
“I’ve got to be happy getting to the final and having chances to win. I didn’t play my best tennis. Just tired.” – Andy Murray, after losing the final in Los Angeles.
“This shows that I really believe in myself. It gives me a lot of confidence, especially going into the US Open.” – Victoria Azarenka, after winning in Stanford, California.
“My goal for the rest of the season is to reach the Top 10 and stay there.” – Nicolas Almagro, after winning the Allianz Suisse Open.
“It was my seventh final and the way we won it. It was an unbelievable point and just an incredible feeling. I’ve been a good friend of Jarkko’s for a long time. It was the first time we ever played together after talking about it many times. Now, when we finally played, we played unbelievably together.” – Johan Brunstrom, after teaming with Jarkko Nieminen to win the doubles in Gstaad, Switzerland.
“It was an amazing week. I had a bit of pain in my knee, but I kept motivated and it was great to come through. It was the fourth final I’ve played this year and I’ve won three tournaments, so it’s a great feeling.” – Juan Carlos Ferrero, after winning in Umag, Croatia.
“They are the face of doubles. They’ve pretty much been the number one team for 10 years. When people think of doubles, they think of the Bryans. They are fun to watch. I don’t think any team in history has been as consistent as they have been.” – Daniel Nestor, one of the top doubles players in the world, commenting on the Bryan brothers breaking the doubles record.
“It’s an incredible record, and today it’s more and more difficult to keep winning that many tournaments. … They are the players I have played the most, it’s a great rivalry and we always have tough matches. They are great champions.” – Nenad Zimonjic, about the Bryans.
“Those guys are sure-fire Hall of Famers. … They’ve beaten up on me a few times so I know how good they are.” – James Blake, about the Bryans.
SUPER SIBLINGS
The Brothers Bryan stand alone atop the record book after capturing the doubles title at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA, defeating Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-7 (6) 6-2 10-7 (match tiebreak). It was the Bryans’ 62nd title as a team, besting the record they held jointly with 2010 Hall of Fame inductees Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde. It was the first title Bob and Mike Bryan had won since tying the Woodies in May, and the sixth time they have triumphed on the hard courts in Los Angeles. The 32-year-old twins were appearing in their 100th tour-level final. In the match tiebreak, the Bryans grabbed a 5-0 lead before Butorac and Rojer knotted the score at 7-all. The twins then won the next three points to claim their sixth title of the year. “It’s sweet, feels awesome, hanging out with family and friends after the match. It’s a cool feeling,” said Mike Bryan. In Los Angeles to watch the historic achievement, Woodforde paid tribute to the Bryans on court after the final. “You guys stand together as one,” Woodford said. “I know this 62nd victory has been waiting since May. Our run sort of ended because I elected to retire, but I know you two will continue for years to come. The floodgates will open entirely, so I know 70, 80 will come.”
SAM THE MAN
Sam Querrey just wasn’t going to be denied. The American successfully defended his Farmers Classic title by upsetting top-seeded Andy Murray in the final 5-7 7-6 (2) 6-3. It was Querrey’s fourth straight three-set match and the second time in the tournament he survived being match point down. Murray had a match point in the 10th game of the second before Querrey came up with huge serves and a gambling game. “That’s the highest-ranked guy I’ve ever beat,” the winner said. Querrey also saved a match point in the semifinals against Janko Tipsarevic. “This feels great,” Querrey said after winning his fourth title of the year. “You’re never out of it. You can’t give up.” The 22-year-old became the first player to repeat in Los Angeles since Andre Agassi did it in 2001-02. It also was the first time Querrey has taken a set off Murray in their five career meetings, the last time in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
STANDING TALL
Victoria Azarenka gave herself a birthday present. The Belarusian celebrated her 21st birthday by winning her semifinal match, then wrapped up the weekend by winning her first tournament of the year by crushing Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1. Azarenka broke Sharapova six times and controlled the match with her aggressive service returns and powerful ground strokes. “She gets a lot of balls back, her ball is really heavy and there’s no doubt she’s a great player,” Sharapova said. “She’s always tough to play.” The win capped an impressive week for Azarenka, who entered the tournament with a wild card. She knocked off defending champion Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals and French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur in the semifinals. Azarenka needed only 28 minutes to race through the second set, winning the last 15 points of the match.
STEPPING UP
Liezel Huber has regained the number one spot on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles rankings, moving past sisters Venus and Serena Williams. It’s the second time in her career that Huber has been ranked in the top spot. With the Williams sisters not defending their doubles win at Stanford this year, their doubles points total dropped below Huber. “It’s a very nice surprise,” said Huber, who after learning the news teamed with Lindsay Davenport to win the Stanford tournament, stopping Chan Yung-Jan of Taiwan and Zheng Jie of China in the final. “I’m going to keep working hard, stay focused, try to maintain good health and good form through the rest of the season and we will see how the rankings turn out at the end of the year.” Huber is one of six players in WTA Tour history to hold the number one ranking in doubles for more than 100 weeks. She has increased her total to 135 weeks, trailing only Martina Navratilova (237 weeks) and Cara Black (163 weeks). “Liezel is one of the greatest doubles champions in the history of the Tour,” said Stacey Allaster, chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. “Regaining the number one world ranking is yet another accolade in a tremendously successful doubles career.” Huber has won 42 career doubles titles, including three this year.
SAYS HE’S FATIGUED
Playing and winning two tournaments in two weeks has taken its toll on Mardy Fish. The American withdrew from the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA, because of fatigue and an ankle injury. “I am not in good shape to play,” the 28-year-old Fish said in a statement announcing his withdrawal. “I need to rest in order to compete at a high level.” Fish has won his last two tournaments, including the Atlanta Tennis Championships, where he needed three sets to beat compatriot John Isner in oppressive heat. The win extended Fish’s winning streak to 10 straight matches and increased his match record for this year to 28-11. He suffered the ankle injury during his second-round victory over fellow American Robby Ginepri.
SPLITSVILLE
Andy Murray has said goodbye to his coach Miles Maclagan. A statement on the British player’s website said that “following a review of his coaching needs, Andy has party company” with Maclagan, who has coached Murray for three years. The statement said Murray will review his coaching needs after the US Open, which begins its two-week run at the end of August.
SIGNING UP
Having slipped to third place in the world rankings, Roger Federer has turned to the former coach of Pete Sampras. Federer has hired Paul Annacone for a test period. “I’ve been looking to add someone to my team and I’ve decided to spend some days with Paul Annacone,” Federer said on his website. “As Paul winds down his responsibilities working for the Lawn Tennis Association, we will explore our relationship during this test period.” Annacone is leaving his job as head coach of men’s tennis in Britain.
SKIPPING SAN DIEGO
Having won her first title of the year, Victoria Azarenka pulled out of this week’s tournament in San Diego, California, USA. Her agent said Azarenka sustained a right shoulder injury in her 6-4 6-1 victory over Maria Sharapova.
SENIOR STYLISTS
If the Chinese news agency Xinhua is correct, Andre Agassi will be out for revenge against Gustavo Kuerten. The two retired players – both of whom were once ranked number one in the world – will celebrate Kuerten’s Masters Cup win in Lisbon, Portugal, 10 years ago by playing a charity match. The proposed match will take place in December, and Kuerten hopes to hold it in his hometown of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. However, the city of Rio de Janeiro also has been mentioned, according to Xinhua. Kuerten and Agassi met 11 times during their playing careers, with Agassi coming out on top seven times. But 10 years ago in Lisbon, it was Kuerten who won 6-4 6-4 6-4.
SAMPRAS TO CHINA
Pete Sampras is scheduled to take part in the second annual Chengdu Open. Besides Sampras, the others in the star-studded eight-man field include Pat Rafter, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Pat Cash, Guy Forget, Thomas Enqvist and Michael Stich. The senior event will take place October 21-24 at the Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu, China. The eighth player to participate will be Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan, who will be making his debut on the ATP Champions Tour.
SERBIA PICKS BELGRADE
When Serbia plays host to the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup World Group semifinal, the tie will be held in Belgrade, Serbia. A temporary hard court will be laid inside the Belgrade Arena, which has a seating capacity of 18,200. Serbia used the venue in the first round earlier this year when it beat the United States on clay. That victory put Serbia into the quarterfinals of the international team tennis competition for the first time. Led by Novak Djokovic, the Serbs continued to make history by reaching its first semifinal by clobbering Croatia. The Czech Republic holds a 5-4 head-to-head advantage over Serbia, although the two nations have not played each other since they have sported their current names. The Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia and Serbia was part of Yugoslavia.
The other semifinal will see Argentina take on France at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France. It’s the first time the arena has staged a Davis Cup tie since the historic 1991 final when France beat a United States team that featured Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. France has won all four previous meetings against Argentina, but the two nations have not met since 1982.
STOSUR MISSING?
Australia’s top two players – Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur – will reportedly skip this year’s Commonwealth Games. Stosur, who reached her first Grand Slam tournament final at the French Open in June, will focus on the top WTA Tour tournaments rather than play at New Delhi, India. Tennis is making its debut at the Commonwealth Games this year, but the draw is expected to be quite weak. Britain’s top player, Andy Murray, is also expected to skip the event. The Commonwealth Games will be staged in early October.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Cordenons: Robin Haase and Rogier Wassen beat James Cerretani and Adil Shamasdin 7-6 (14) 7-5
Gstaad: Johan Brunstrom and Jarkko Nieminen beat Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares 6-3 6-7 (4) 11-9 (match tiebreak)
Istanbul: Eleni Danilidou and Jasmin Woehr beat Maria Kondratieva and Vladimira Uhlirova 6-4 1-6 11-9 (match tiebreak)
Los Angeles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-7 (6) 6-2 10-7 (match tiebreak)
Stanford: Lindsay Davenport and Liezel Huber beat Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie 7-5 6-7 (6) 10-8 (match tiebreak)
Umag: Leos Friedl and Filip Polasek beat Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak 6-3 7-6 (7)
SITES TO SURF
Washington: www.leggmasontennisclassic.com
San Diego: www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com
Copenhagen: http://e-boksonyericssonopen.dk/
San Marino: www.atpsanmarino.com/
Segovia: www.teniselespinar.com/
Vancouver: www.vanopen.com/
Toronto: www.rogerscup.com/men/english/home.php
Cincinnati: www.cincytennis.com/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
ATP
$1,165, 500 Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Washington, DC, USA, hard
$110,000 San Marino CEPU Open, San Marino, clay
$110,000 ATP Open Castilla y Leon, Segovia, Spain, clay
$100,000 Odlum Brown Vancouver Open, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hard
WTA
$700,000 Mercury Insurance Open presented by Tri-City Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA, hard
$220,000 e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open, Copenhagen, Denmark, hard
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
ATP
$2,430,000 Rogers Cup, Toronto, Canada, hard
$100,000 American Express TED Open, Istanbul, Turkey, hard
WTA
$2,000,000 Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, hard