ion tiriac

Nicolas Mahut Wins Singles and Doubles Titles In Newport – Mondays With Bob Greene

July 15, 2013 by Admin

By Bob Greene

15 July 2013

STARS

Carlos Berlocq beat Fernando Verdasco 7-5 6-1 to win the SkiStar Swedish Open inBåstad,Sweden

Fabio Fognini beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 57 6-4 6-4 to win the Mercedes Cup inStuttgart,Germany

Nicolas Mahut beat Lleyton Hewitt 5-7 7-5 6-3 to win the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships inNewport,Rhode Island,USA

Roberta Vinci beat Sara Errani 6-3 3-6 6-3 to win the XXVI Italiacom Open inPalermo,Italy

Simona Halep beat Yvonne Meusburger 6-3 6-7 (7) 6-1 to win the Budapest Grand Prix inBudapest,Hungary

SAYING

“I would like to tell you I’m not tired. I’m tired, but I have the trophy in my bag.” – Nicolas Mahut, who won two matches on the last day to capture the rain-delayed Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.

“If I could’ve had a day off and come back and played the final, I reckon things would’ve been different. All in all, it was a good week.” – Lleyton Hewitt, noting the semifinals and final were played on the same day because of rain delays.

“I was probably eventually going to lose this tournament. It just happened a little earlier than I thought or wanted.” – John Isner, the two-time defending champion after losing to Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals at Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

“A month ago I was playing to make the cut for the qualies (qualifying) at the US Open, I was (ranked) 240 with some points to defend. I told my coach, I have to play great on grass to make the cut for the qualies. A month later I have two titles.” – Nicolas Mahut.

“You have to be patient to get a title. I think the key was the mind-set I had from the first to the last match. Mental toughness was the key.” – Carlos Berlocq, following his SkiStar Swedish Open victory.

“I played an unbelievable match today. I knew I had to – Sara is an unbelievable player.” – Roberta Vinci, after beating her doubles partner, Sara Errani, in the Palermo,Sicily, final.

“It’s a fantastic feeling to win my third WTA title of the year. I just believed in my chances and I’ve taken them. I’m really enjoying my game right now. I hope that I can keep winning.” – Simona Halep, following her win in Budapest,Hungary.

“At the end she was just better and she really deserved to win the title today. I’m still happy because I played a really good tournament. I’m only taking positive things with me from here.” – Yvonne Meusburger, after losing the Budapest final.

“The players from that time on were consulted. It wasn’t about money.” – Cliff Drysdale, remembering what the male players won by boycotting Wimbledon in 1973.

“Myself and (Ilie) Nastase were the only two privileged Romanians.” – Ion Tiriac, noting by playing tennis they were able to travel abroad learn about the rest of the world and what was going on.

“There was no greater fighter who ever lived who played this game.” – Charlie Pasarell, recalling Pancho Gonzalez, who beat Pasarell in the longest match ever played on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

“That was the only time I was nervous.” – Martina Hingis, recalling the 1997 US Open when she beat 17-year-old Venus Williams.

“I never lost an election. Whatever I was a candidate for, I won it.” – Ion Tiriac, when asked how it felt to be elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“It’s the ultimate honor. I’m proud not just for me but for my family.” – Charlie Pasarell, when asked about being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“I did a lot of different sports, but tennis was always a priority.” – Martina Hingis.

“In three finals of Davis Cup he beat me three times.” – Ion Tiriac, talking about Stan Smith, a Hall of Famer who is now president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“How does it feel to have talked your way into the Hall of Fame.” – Mike Szostak, a reporter for the Providence Journal, to Cliff Drysdale, a former top-10 player who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a broadcaster.

SHORT, PERHAPS, BUT OH SO SWEET

Two matches in one day? So what! After all, it was Nicolas Mahut on the court, someone who knows a little something about persevering in tennis. “You know I can play a long time. I can stay a long time on the court,” said Mahut. How right he is. The 31 year-old Frenchman lost the longest match in tennis history, dropping the fifth set to John Isner 70-68 at Wimbledon three years ago in a match that lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes. To capture the rain-delayed Hall of Fame Tennis Championships inNewport,Rhode Island,USA, all Mahut had to do was win two matches that couldn’t last more than six sets. That’s the rule. He took 63 minutes to beat Michael Russell 6-2 6-2 in the semifinals, then needed 2 hours, 19 minutes, to outlast former world number one Lleyton Hewitt 5-7 7-5 6-3 and win his second career title in two months. Not bad for a guy who needed help to even play the tournament. “I was not supposed to play,” Mahut said of gaining a wild-card entry into the tournament. “I wasn’t able to play the (qualifiers). I’m really grateful to (the tourney director) for the wild card he gave me.” Hewitt was one game away from winning, leading 5-3 in the second set, when Mahut began his championship run.

In his semifinal, Hewitt ousted two-time defending champion John Isner 5-7 6-2 6-4. The loss ended Isner’s 13 straight match wins in Newport. Last year, Isner had beaten Hewitt in the Hall of Fame Championships final. “It was a long battle this morning,” Hewitt said.

“It was tough on both of us. In the end, I got the better of John.”

Mahut made the tournament doubly sweet when, on Monday, he teamed with fellow Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin to capture the doubles, defeating the American pair of Tim Smyczek and Rhyne Williams 6-7 (4) 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak).

SWISS HALL OF FAMER

Switzerland’s Martina Hingis led the class of 2013 inductees into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF) in ceremonies at the shrine in Newport,Rhode Island,USA. The 32-year-old was the fourth youngest player to be inducted, following Tracy Austin (30), Bjorn Borg (31) and Hana Mandlikova (32). “Thank you, tennis, you gave me the world,” Hingis told the crowd. “You chose to give me a place here for eternity.” Stan Smith, a Hall of Famer himself who is now president of ITHoF, said: “Having achieved world number one status in both singles and doubles and having won an incredible 15 Grand Slam tournament titles, Martina Hingis is undoubtedly one of the world’s elite players and we are glad to pay tribute to her among the legends of the sport.” Also enshrined were 94-year-old Thelma Coyne Long ofAustralia, who was inducted in the master player category, and Ion Tiriac, Cliff Drysdale and Charlie Pasarell, who were inducted for their contributions to tennis. Another Hall of Famer, Rod Laver, accepted the award for Long, who is currently living inSydney,Australia.

SUCCESS, FINALLY

Italy’s Fabio Fognini finally walked away a winner. The tournament’s fifth seed won the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart,Germany, besting Philipp Kohlschreiber in the title match. It was the third time Fognini had been in an ATP World Tour final, losing his first two times last year, and had never beaten Kohlschreiber in two previous career meetings. Trying to win the tournament in his home country, Kohlschreiber saved four set points in the eighth game of the second set before Fognini pulled even at one set apiece. Fognini took a 4-1 lead in the final set before becoming the first Italian to capture the clay court event in Stuttgart.

SWEET SWEDEN

Call Carlos Berlocq a champion – finally. Playing in his second ATP World Tour final, Berlocq finally walked away with the winner’s trophy, beating eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco. The 30-year-old Berlocq broke the Spaniard’s serve twice in the second set after capturing a grueling opening set that lasted more than an hour. The Argentine’s only other trip to a final came in February 2012 when he lost to Juan Monaco at the VTROpen.

STRAINED RELATIONS?

The finalists at the Italiacom Open know each other quite well. Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani are the WTA’s top-ranked doubles team and are close friends. And when the two usually face each other, it is Errani who emerges the winner. Not this time, however. In the battle of Italians, Vinci lost her serve in the opening game, then broke back twice to earn the opening set. It was all Errani, who won the Palermo,Sicily, tournament in 2008 and 2012, in the second set as she raced out to a 5-1 lead. In the decisive third set, Vinci turned the tables, taking a 4-0 lead, and then held off her sixth-ranked friend to gain her ninth career victory. Vinci’s victory ends a streak of five straight losses to Errani. “I live here and practice here at this club, so winning here is fantastic for me,” Vinci said. “I really didn’t expect to win this tournament, especially with Sara in the final, but I played a really good match. I’ll probably stay five or six days at home now, and then I’m starting my hard court season in Carlsbad(California,USA).”

STREAKING SIMONA

Simona Halep won her third WTA tournament in five weeks by defeating Yvonne Meusburger in the final of the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 21-year-old Romanian, who has a 16-1 won-loss record since the French Open, also captured titlesNuremberg,Germany, andRosmalen,Netherlands. Halep had sailed through the week without dropping a set and appeared to be on her way to a straight-set victory in the final. She built a 6-3 lead in the second-set tiebreaker, giving her triple match point. But Meusburger won eight of the next 10 points to send the match into a third set. Halep took back control to join Virginia Ruzici, Irina Spirlea and Ruxandra Dragomir Ilie as the only Romanian players to win three or more WTA titles.

SHARAPOVA & JIMBO

Maria Sharapova has a new coach. Hoping to stem her disappointing season, the Russian dropped Thomas Hogstedt, her coach of three years, and hired Jimmy Connors, the eight-time Grand Slam tournament champion and former coach of Andy Roddick. Sharapova and Connors have worked together for short stints in the past, but never on a full-time basis. “I am happy to announce that Jimmy Connors will be my new coach,” the 26-year-old Russian announced on her website. “I have known Jimmy for many years and we briefly worked together in 2008 just before the Australian Open. I am really excited about our new partnership and looking forward to the upcoming tournaments.” Sharapova lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open to Li Na, reached the French Open final as defending champion, only to lose to Serena Williams, and then was upset in the second round at Wimbledon by Michelle Larcher de Brito. That was the earlier Sharapova had been eliminated at the grass court major since 2009.

STREAK IS OVER

The Texas Wild ended the longest winning streak in major United States pro sports history by defeating the Washington Kastles in World Team Tennis. Eugenie Bouchard beat Anastasia Rodionova in the decisive match, giving the Wild a 23-18 win. That came a day after the Kastles bested the mark of 33 set by the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers in the 1971-72 season. Before falling to the Wild, the Kastles had not lost in the summer league sinceJuly 22, 2010.

SARDINIA SITE

The Fed Cup final between Italy and Russia will be played on clay inCagliari,Sardinia. The event will be held November 2-3 at the Tennis Club Cagliari. Between them, since 2000ItalyandRussiahave won seven Fed Cup titles – the Italians capturing the women’s team title in 2006, 2009 and 2010, while the Russians were victorious in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. In the 2007 Fed Cup final,RussiabeatItaly4-0 on a hard court in Moscow.

SCANDAL

A Catholic youth movement in Poland has dropped Agnieszka Radwanska for appearing nude in the “Body Issue” of ESPN Magazine. While not explicit, the photo shows the naked 24-year-old Radwanska sitting in a lawn chair by a pool filled with tennis balls. The group, known as Krucjata Mlodych (Youth Crusade), runs a campaign dubbed “I’m not ashamed of Jesus.” It dropped the world’s fourth-ranked player for what they said was “immoral behavior.” Radwanska had appeared in a television commercial sponsored by the group in which she spelled out the word “Jesus” with tennis balls and urged young Poles not to be ashamed of their faith.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Båstad: Nicholas Monroe and Simon Stadler beat Carlos Berlocq and Albert Ramos 6-3 3-6 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Budapest: Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka beat Nina Bratchikova and Anna Tatishvilli 6-4 6-1

Newport: Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Tim Smyczek and Rhyne Williams 6-7 (4) 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Palermo: Kristina Mladenovic and Katarzyna Piter beat Karolina Pliskova and Kristyna Pliskova 6-1 5-7 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Stuttgart: Facundo Bagnis and Thomaz Bellucci beat Tomasz Bednarek and Mateusz Kowalczyk 2-6 6-4 11-9 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Hamburg: http://bet-at-home-open.com/

Båstad (women): www.swedishopen.org/

Bad Gastein: www.gastein-ladies.at

Baku: http://bakucup.az/

Stanford: www.bankofthewestclassic.com/

Atlanta: www.bbtatlantaopen.com

Gstaad: www.creditagricolesuisseopengstaad.ch/

Umag: www.croatiaopen.hr

Astana: http://tennis.wettpoint.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,413,538 bet-at-home Open – German Tennis Championships,Hamburg,Germany, clay

$638,085 Claro Open Colombia,Bogotá,Colombia, hard

WOMEN

$235,000 Collector Swedish Open,Båstad,Sweden, clay

$235,000 Nürnberger Gastein Ladies, BadGastein,Austria

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$546,930 BB&T Atlanta Open,Atlanta,Georgia,USA, hard

$535,623 Crédit Agricole Suisse Open,Gstaad,Switzerland, clay

$535,623 Vegeta Croatia Open,Umag,Croatia, clay

$125,000 Presidents Cup,Astana,Kazakhstan, hard

WOMEN

$795,707 Bank of the West Classic,Stanford,California,USA, hard

$235,000 Baku Cup,Baku,Azerbaijan, hard

Davis Cup 40 Years Ago: Tension and Courage in Bucharest

October 15, 2012 by Admin

By Randy Walker

Forty years ago today marked one of the most courageous Davis Cup efforts of all time to finish off one of the most infamous Davis Cup matches in the history of the event. It was on October 15, 1972 when Stan Smith, now the President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, defeated now billionaire and Ion Tiriac in a five-set tussle to clinch the USA’s 3-2 victory over Romania to win the Davis Cup in Bucharest, Romania.

This Davis Cup final was the first to be played in the non-Challenge Round format, where all teams played out to reach the final with a chance to win the Davis Cup. Previously, since the event started in 1900, the nation that won the championship would only have to defend the title in the final the next year in what was called the “Challenge Round.” Romania was awarded the choice of ground for this historic final, the first time that a Davis Cup championship would be contested outside of the four “Grand Slam” nation’s territories (United States, France, Britain and Australia/Australasia). The Davis Cup final was also played weeks after Islamic terrorists killed Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games and threats were made against U.S. team members Brian Gottfried and Harold Solomon, both Jewish Americans. In addition to the high tension and threat of terror, the U.S. team members had to endure more than just a partisan Romanian crowd, but also partisan linesmen, who had more than a casual tendency to call close line calls in favor of the home team of Tiriac and Ilie Nastase.

The following are how each of the three days unfolded as excerpted from my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY (available at www.TennisHistoryBook.com)

October 13, 1972 – Amid high security and terrorist threat tension, the United Statesand Romaniaopen play in the Davis Cup Final in Bucharest, Romania, as Stan Smith defeats Ilie Nastase 11-9, 6-2, 6-3 while Ion Tiriac defeats Tom Gorman4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. The spirit of the Davis Cup final permeates all corners of Bucharest as posters of Nastase and Tiriac are found everywhere – even bakeries sell giant cakes in the shape of the Davis Cup. Tension and security is high during the series as false rumors are spread that the same assassins who struck during the 1972 Munich Olympics would strike the U.S.team during the final. Smith plays what Bernard Kirsch of the New York Times calls “unexcitingtennis” to beat Nastase in 2 hours, 14 minutes. Says Smith of Nastase, “He knows I’m always bearing down. He’s knows I’m not going to get discouraged and he knows he’s got to play well all the time.” Gorman is bothered by not only fatigue, but questionable line calls from Romanian linespeople, who are accused of favoritism to the home team. Argentinean chair umpire Enrique Morea overrules six lines calls in the match, causing for “do overs.”

Tiriac in Davis Cup — Ion Tiriac competes in the 1972 Davis Cup Final in Bucharest, Romania.

October 14, 1972 – Stan Smith and Erik van Dillen give the United States a 2-1 lead over Romania in the Davis Cup final in Bucharest, Romania, dominating Ilie Nastase and Ion Tiriac 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 in just 68 minutes. After the score is tied at 2-2 in the first set, the Americans reel off 11 straight games to run away with the match. Smith and van Dillen’s run of games solicits the biggest cheers of the afternoon from the small contingent of American fans, which prompts an English-speaking Romanian spectator to yell “Quiet! It’s not a baseball game.” Says Nastase after the match, “We didn’t expect them to play so well.

October 15, 1972 – In one of the greatest Davis Cup matches in history, Stan Smith overcomes “the worst officiating I ever had” and a partisan Romanian crowd to defeat Ion Tiriac 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 in 2 hours, 50 minutes to clinch the Davis Cup title for the United States over Romania in Bucharest. Smith’s victory gives him the distinction of clinching the Davis Cup victory for the fifth straight year (he would also clinch a six Cup-victory for the U.S.in the 1979 title in doubles with Bob Lutz). Smith, the Wimbledon champion, struggles mightily against Tiriac, who calls himself, “the best player in the world who can’t play tennis” as well as the Romanian linespeople, who are suspect in their fairness. “I started to believe they weren’t going to let me win… no matter how well I played,” Smith says following his victory. Writes Bud Collins in The Bud Collins History of Tennis, “Despite numerous pro-Tiriac officiating calls, Smith, knowing he had to hit winners inside the lines, was too good for Ion.” The fifth set is one of the finest sets of tennis ever played by Smith or seen in Davis Cup play as the reigning Wimbledon champion plays near perfect tennis to roll through the decisive set in just 20 minutes to clinch the 24^th Davis Cup title for theUnited States. Writes Bernard Kirsch of the New York Times, “When Smith hit a passing shot for Cup point, he threw his racquet high in the air, went to the net, shook hands with Tiriac and said: “I really lost a lot of respect for you.”

Stan Smith: A True Tennis Legend

December 14, 2011 by WTM

Today, December 14, marks the 65^th birthday of one of the all-time great American tennis players Stan Smith. He won the singles title at the US Open in 1971 and Wimbledon in 1972, but perhaps is best known as a stalwart on the U.S. Davis Cup team, being part of a record seven Cup-winning U.S. teams and winning many courageous matches, most notably against Ion Tiriac to clinch the Cup for the USA in Romania in 1972. Smith has recently been named the new President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Below is the bio of Smith as written by Bud Collins in his famed tennis encyclopedia THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS ($35.95, New Chapter Press, available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257707?tag=tennisgrancom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0942257707&adid=00DNKFKAPYTN814MKBW6&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldtennismagazine.com%2F)

Stan Smith

United States (1946—)

Hall of Fame—1987

One of the great Davis Cup competitors, Stan Smith added the U.S. (1971) and Wimbledon (1972) titles to his laurels, and, with Bob Lutz, was part of one of the preeminent doubles teams. Smith, who overcame teenage awkwardness to become a feared 6-foot-3 foe with crashing serves and volleys, may have hit his zenith on alien clay. That was in Bucharest in 1972 as the U.S. won a fifth consecutive Cup, and he supplied the clinching victory—the insuperable third point—for a fifth time. That’s a Davis Cup record to which he added in 1979, with Lutz, in the 5-0 victory over Italy at San Francisco.

Stan was in on seven Cup-settling victories (1968-69-70-71-72, 78-79), tying him with Bill Tilden (1920-26) for a U.S. high. He also had a smaller share of an eighth Cup in 1981, when he and Lutz took a quarterfinal doubles at Flushing Meadows over Czechs Ivan Lendl and Tom Smid, 9-7, 6-3, 6-2. That was the Cup adieu for Stan and Bob.

A notable sportsman, he had to “concentrate so hard I got a headache,” he said after the three-day ordeal at the hands of a loud partisan crowd and overly patriotic line judges in Bucharest. It was an extended, rocky campaign during which Smith won seven of eight singles and, with Erik van Dillen, all five doubles. Stan scored the clinching point in each of five series and nailed down two of the most dramatic singles victories ever by an American in the finale. Romania, loser to the U.S. in the 1969 and 1971 showdowns, appeared the favorite on home earth, but Smith shocked U.S. Open champ Ilie Nastase on the slow court to lead off, 11-9, 6-2, 6-3, and then out-battled the sly, combative Ion Tiriac in a tense five-set struggle, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-0. Aware that he had to hit outright winners well away from the lines to make sure of the points, Smith did just that to storm through a last-set bagel and send the U.S. safely ahead, 3-1, in the 3-2 victory.

Born Dec. 14, 1946, in Pasadena, Calif., he grew up there and was an All-American at the University of Southern California, where he won the U.S. Intercollegiate singles (1968) and, with Lutz, doubles in 1967 and 1968.

During an 11-year Davis Cup career that began in 1968, embracing 24 engagements, he was on the winning side 22 times, and 16 times provided the clinching point: three times in singles, 13 times in doubles (nine with Lutz, four with van Dillen). He and Lutz won 13 of 14 Cup matches together. As the U.S. ran up a record Cup streak of 17 victories from 1968 to the finale of 1973, Smith was involved in 14, the clincher in 12.

His 1972 Wimbledon triumph over Nastase, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, was one of the outstanding finals, and his 1971 defeat of Jan Kodes at Forest Hills, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5-3), was the first U.S. final to conclude in a tie-breaker. Smith and Lutz won the U.S. doubles four times and the Australian once (1970) and the U.S. doubles four times (1968, 1974, 1978, 1980). In a career spanning the amateur and Open eras, he was one of five centurions, winning at least 100 pro titles overall in singles and doubles. Stan hit the century with 39 singles, 61 doubles, and won $1,774,881 career prize money. Eleven times between 1967 and 1980, he was in the U.S. Top 10, No. 1 four years (1969, 71-72-73). Six straight times from 1970 he was in the world’s Top 10, No. 1 in 1972.

MAJOR TITLES (7)—Wimbledon singles, 1972; U.S. singles, 1971; Australian doubles, 1970; U.S. doubles, 1968, 74, 78, 80. OTHER U.S. TITLES (15)—Indoor singles, 1972; Indoor doubles, 1966, 69, with Lutz; 1970, with Arthur Ashe; Clay Court doubles, 1968, with Lutz; Hard Court singles, 1966-67-68; Hard Court doubles, 1966, with Lutz; Pro doubles, 1973, with Erik van Dillen; 1974, 1977, with Lutz; Intercollegiate singles, 1968; Intercollegiate doubles, 1967-68, with Lutz. DAVIS CUP—1968-69- 70-71-72-73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 15-5 singles, 20-3 doubles. SINGLES RECORD IN THE MAJORS—Australian (5-3), French (23-9), Wimbledon (45-17). U.S. (39-19).