STARS
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (5) 7-5 to win the Internazionali BNG d’Italia in Rome, Italy
Mikhail Youzhny beat Marin Cilic 6-3 4-6 6-4 to win the BMW Open in Munich, Germany
Albert Montanes successfully defended his Estoril Open men’s singles title, defeating Frederico Gil 6-2 6-7 (4) 7-5 in Estoril, Portugal
Sam Querrey beat John Isner 3-6 7-6 (4) 6-4 to win the Serbia Open in Belgrade, Serbia
Anastasija Sevastova beat Arantxa Parra Santonia 6-2 7-5 to win the Estoril Open women’s singles in Estoril, Portugal
Conor Niland beat Thiago Alves 5-7 7-6 (5) 6-3 to win the Israel Open in Ramat Hasharon, Israel
Davis Cup Africa Zone III at Marrakech, Morocco: Morocco and Tunisia promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 2011
SAYINGS
“It was really an unbelievable tournament for me. What can I say? It’s incredible.” – Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, after beating Jelena Jankovic to win in Rome.
“She really killed me with all those drop shots, and I killed myself falling all over the place.” – Jelena Jankovic, after losing to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the final at Rome.
“I completely choked. I really should have won. I wasn’t unlucky. It was all on me. I think I had an apple in my throat.” – Serena Williams, after losing to Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals.
“To beat both Williams sisters in two days is really amazing. I’m really proud of myself. It doesn’t happen too often.” – Jelena Jankovic, after beating Venus Williams in the quarterfinals and Serena Williams in the semis at Rome.
“I still want to win a Grand Slam, so I have exactly the same feelings. Yes, I’m still putting myself under the same pressure.” – Dinara Safina.
“From all the experiences I’ve had, losing doesn’t seem so scary any more because I’m really having fun on the court again/” – Ana Ivanovic, who reached the quarterfinals at Rome.
“This is not a happy time in my life. But I am used to fighting against adversity and I have all the strength to go forward.” – Juan Martin del Potro, after undergoing surgery on his right wrist.
“If you win against these top players, as I have the last couple of months, then you get your confidence and you realize you can be up there. My dream is to be top 10, and it’s a lot about believing in yourself.” – Lucie Safarova, after beating former world number one Maria Sharapova in a first-round match at Madrid, Spain.
“I’m a tennis buff – I play tennis on Saturday and Sundays – and I walk a lot.” – Dave Bing, mayor of Detroit, Michigan, USA, and former National Basketball Association (NBA) star guard, on how he gets his exercise now.
SPUTTERING
It’s not the start to his clay season that Roger Federer wanted, but the world’s number one player isn’t all that concerned. An error-laden Federer lost to Spain’s Albert Montanes in the semifinals of the Estoril Open in Portugal. He also lost his first match of the clay-court season in Rome. “I’ve played three matches on clay. I would have liked more, but Montanes knows the surface well and I struggled the whole way through,” Federer said. Appearing on Portuguese television, Federer said he is not worried about his chances to win a second straight French Open.
SICK, THEN A STUMBLE
Justine Henin’s rapid return to the top of the tennis heap hit a snag in Madrid, Spain. The Belgian had reached the final in each of her first three tournaments since ending her retirement, capping it by capturing the title in Stuttgart, Germany, a week ago. But, saying she has been ill, Henin was ousted in the first round of the Madrid Open by France’s Aravane Rezai 4-6 7-5 6-0. “When I came back from Stuttgart I wasn’t feeling well at all,” Henin said after the defeat. “I just tried to come and see how I felt, but to practice and play a match is a different story. Madrid has been a difficult experience this year and I hope that next year will be better.”
Henin wasn’t the only former world number one player to lose an opening round match in Madrid. Lucie Safarova ousted Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-3, breaking the Russian’s serve four times. “It’s a struggle trying to find the rhythm,” said Sharapova, who was playing her first tournament since an elbow injury forced her out of the Sony Ericsson Open in March.
STOPPED
Beating both Williams sisters wasn’t enough to give Jelena Jankovic the Italian Open title. After disposing of Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, then Serena Williams in the semis, Jankovic lost to unseeded Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the final at Rome, 7-6 (5) 7-5. A left-hander, Martinez Sanchez used drop shots and a deft touch around the net to win her first Tier I title and third WTA Tour title overall. Jankovic was seeking her third title at the Foro Italico. Instead, she sprawled repeatedly while trying to chase down the shots of her Spanish opponent.
SAM’S THE MAN
Sam Querrey became the first American since 2003 to win a European clay-court title when he captured the Serbia Open 2010 in Belgrade, Serbia. Of course, if Querrey had lost, John Isner would have become the first American since 2003, etc., since the United States Davis Cup teammates faced each other in the final. Isner led 6-3 5-4 and served for the match. “I feel great,” the 22-year-old Querrey said. “It would feel better if I didn’t have to beat my buddy out there and it was someone else, but it’s still exciting.” Querrey also beat Isner in the final at Memphis, Tennessee, in March. The last American to win a clay court match in Europe was Andy Roddick at St. Poelten in 2003.
SONY FIRST
By winning her first career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title, Anastasia Sevastova became the first player from Latvia to capture a singles trophy on the women’s circuit since Larisa Neiland won in Schenectady, New York, USA, in 1993. By reaching the final of the same tournament in 1994, Neiland was the last Latvian woman to play in a title match until Sevastova bested Arantxa Parra Santoria 6-2 7-5 at the Estoril Open in Portugal. It was also Parra Santonia’s first career singles final on the tour. And to make the week complete, Sorana Cirstea and Anabel Medina Garrigues won their first doubles title as a team.
STANDING TALL
China’s top player, Li Na, is donating all of her prize money from the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open to earthquake relief efforts in Yushu, China. The earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale, killed at least 2,200 people with 70 still missing. More than 12,000 people were injured in the April 14 quake. “I was in Munich, not China, when the earthquake happened, but I saw the news,” Li said. “I couldn’t do anything then, but I decided right away that I would try my best to help them by doing this. When I go back to china after Wimbledon, I will visit Yushu.” Li is the first Chinese player – man or woman – to be ranked in the top 10 in the world, although she currently is ranked 15th in the world.
SURGERY
US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro is back home in Argentina after undergoing surgery on his right wrist. The surgery could sideline del Potro for the rest of the summer, meaning he would miss the French Open, Wimbledon and possibly the US Open. He also will miss Argentina’s quarterfinal Davis Cup tie against Russia in July. Ranked fifth in the world, del Potro hasn’t played since losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January. He underwent the surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Yanina Wickmayer, who reached the women’s semifinals at the US Open, has undergone surgery to remove a bone spur from her right elbow. Wickmayer’s agent, Oliver R. van Lindonk, said in an e-mail that the Belgian had the operation in Belgium and hopes to be ready to play in the French Open.
SEEN AGAIN
A blast from the past. Anna Kournikova and Martina Hingis will pair up again at Wimbledon. The two will play together in the legends’ doubles event at the All England Club. Hingis is now 29 and Kournikova is 28. Together, they won two Grand Slam tournament doubles titles, the Australian Open in 1999 and again in 2002. Hingis retired for the second time in 2007 when she was suspended for two years for testing positive for cocaine following a match at Wimbledon. She denied taking the drug but did not appeal the ban, which ended in September 2009. Kournikova, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 1997, has not been a regular on the women’s tour since 2003.
SEEPING INTO SOCIETY
Viewers might duck when Ivo Karlovic’s huge serve appears to come right out of the screen. It could happen as the Madrid Open is the first tennis tournament to be broadcast to the general public in 3-D. The men’s and women’s finals will be shown live in 3-D in three movie theaters in three Spanish cities: Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga. Tournament organizer Ion Tiriac said the Madrid Open has “chosen to take tennis to another dimension, the third dimension that is seeping into society.”
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SUFFERING
Dinara Safina says she no longer has back pain when she plays. But the former world number one player says her back problems affect her training regimen. “I am not allowed to do any more jumps or do anything that causes me a lot of pressure on the spine,” said Safina, who was known for her conditioning. The lower back injury caused Safina to retire from her Australian Open match in January. She returned to the WTA Tour at Stuttgart, Germany.
Breathing problems caused Novak Djokovic to pull out of his own tournament. The second-ranked Djokovic said allergies were to blame for his respiratory troubles. He retired from his quarterfinal match at the Serbian Open in Belgrade, Serbia, after losing the first set 6-4 to Filip Krajinovic. The move allowed Krajinovic, an 18-year-old fellow Serb, to reach his first ATP semifinal. Djokovic also withdrew from the Madrid Open, citing illness and allergies.
US Open champion Kim Clijsters has pulled out of the Madrid Open, saying her left foot injury isn’t healing fast enough. The latest scan on her foot confirmed she suffered two tears while playing Fed Cup for Belgium against Estonia. The injury is the major setback since Clijsters returned to tennis following a brief retirement, marriage and the birth of her child.
STRANDED
The Prague Open will be folding up after this year’s edition. Tournament director Vladislav Savrda said financial problems are the reason the WTA Tour event will be held for the final time July 12-18. Organizers lost their major financial partner. Savrda said he has been negotiating the sale of the tournament with the WTA board of directors. The tournament returned to the WTA calendar in 2005 after a seven-year hiatus.
SKIN CANCER
Hall of Famer John Newcombe had a growth removed from the right side of his nose after his doctor discovered the cancer had spread under the skin. “It’s a cancerous growth so he had to cut … and I finished up having to have 64 stitches,” said the Australian tennis great. Newcombe won seven Grand Slam tournament singles titles and reached the world’s number one ranking. He expects to attend Wimbledon in late June. “It’s just a small little white thing you can hardly see it,” he said.
SPORTIMES HIGHLIGHT
Generations will clash when US Open champions John McEnroe and Andy Roddick collide in a World TeamTennis (WTT) battle on July 14. McEnroe is a three-time US Open winner, while Roddick captured America’s premier tennis event in 2003. The two will face each other for the first time in New York City when the Sportimes play host to the Philadelphia Freedoms. McEnroe is captain of the Sportimes and playing in his 10th WTT season.
SUGIYAMA ROLE MODEL
Ai Sugiyama will represent tennis as an Athlete Role Model at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which will be held in Singapore in August. The YOG tennis event, for players aged 18 and under, will take place August 15-21 at the Kallang Tennis Centre. The 34-year-old Sugiyama, who retired at the end of 2009, always took great pride in representing Japan. A four-time Olympian, she was a member of her country’s Fed Cup team for 12 years, more than any other Japanese player in history.
STYLISH GALA
To benefit the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum (ITHF), the Legends Ball will be held September 10 at New York’s Cipriani 42nd Street. Considered the premier social event of the US Open, the event honors a host of luminaries, including the Class of 2010 Hall of Fame inductees, Gigi Fernandez, Natasha Zvereva, Todd Woodbridge, Mark Woodforde, Owen Davidson, Brad Parks and Derek Hardwick. The ITHF will also recognize several other people and organizations for their contributions to the sport.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Belgrade: Santiago Gonzalez and Travis Rettenmaier beat Tomasz Bednarek and Mateusz Kowalczyk 7-6 (6) 6-1
Estoril (men): Marc Lopez and David Marrero beat Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers 6-7 (1) 6-4 10-4 (match tiebreak)
Estoril (women): Sorano Cirstea and Anabel Medina Garrigues beat Vitalia Diatchenko and Aurelie Vedy 6-1 7-5
Munich: Oliver Marach and Santiago Ventura beat Eric Butorac and Michael Kohlmann 5-7 6-3 16-14 (match tiebreak)
Ramat Hasharon: Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram beat Alexander Peya and Simon Stadler 6-4 6-3
Rome: Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta beat Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-4 6-2
SITES TO SURF
Madrid: www.madrid-open.com/default_en.aspx
Bordeaux: www.atp-primrosebordeaux.com/
Sao Paulo: www.grandchampionsbrasil.com.br
Dusseldorf: www.arag-world-team-cup.com/
Nice: www.opennicecotedazur.com/
Warsaw: www.pwo.polsat.pl/
Strasbourg: www.internationaux-strasbourg.fr/
Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
ATP
$3,775,000 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay
$113,000 BNP Paribas Primrose, Bordeaux, France, clay
WTA
$4,000,000 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay
DAVIS CUP
Europe Zone III, Athens, Greece, hard (round-robin, two groups): Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, San Marino
SENIORS
Grand Champions Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil, hard
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
ATP
ARAG ATP World Team Championships, Dusseldorf, Germany, clay
$500,000 Open de Nice Cote d’Azur, Nice, France, clay
WTA
$600,000 Polsat Warsaw Open, Warsaw, Poland, clay
$220,000 Internationaux de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, clay