Jelena Ostapenko

Jelena Ostapenko Wins Title In Linz

February 4, 2024 by Admin

Jelena Ostapenko is the new queen of Linz! The world No. 12 convincingly won the premiere of the WTA 500 tournament in Upper Austria in Sunday’s final involving the top two players. The 2017 French Open winner and No. 1 seed from Latvia defeated No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-3 in only 70 minutes at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. “I played in the final here five years ago and didn’t get the winner’s trophy, but this year’s trophy is much nicer anyway,” joked the 26-year-old from Riga holding the new Swarovski trophy. When arriving in Linz, Ostapenko revealed that she collects Swarovski figurines and that she had her eye on the iconic one-off. And it really was a happy ending in the city on the Danube.

“A big thank you to Sandra and her team, they spoil us and always look after us so well. I hope to be here again next year,” said Ostapenko during the trophy ceremony to great applause. For the third consecutive day, there was a capacity 2,500 crowd in Linz’s Design Center. In addition to the trophy adorned with 8,100 crystals, she also took home prize money totalling 123,480 euros. The defeated Alexandrova was gracious in defeat saying: “Congratulations to Jelena, she played great. Thanks to the fans, it was great fun to play in Linz again.” The world No. 21 lives not far away in Prague and is a regular at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz where she was the runner-up in 2018 against Camila Giorgi.

On Upper Austria Day, the local singer-songwriter Ina Regen provided the musical backdrop to the final, while tennis legend Ana Ivanovic was honoured in advance on Centre Court and interviewed by Tournament Ambassador Barbara Schett. The 2008 and 2010 Linz winner, who had already completed a photo shoot in the “Schlossmuseum” earlier in the day, also tossed the coin before the singles final together with Upper Austria’s Governor Thomas Stelzer. Other guests of honour included Markus Achleitner, Upper Austrian Councillor for Economic Affairs and Sports, Klaus Luger, Mayor of Linz, and Karin Hörzing, Deputy Mayor of Linz.

They saw a match that was typical for Ostapenko with her high-speed power tennis. The Australian Open doubles runner-up had only dropped one set in her three previous encounters – in her opening match on Thursday evening when she, despite jet lag and being a match point down, clinched the 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7) win against the young Danish star Clara Tauson just after midnight. “That’s what makes a champion, that you still fight your way through. After that I realised that I could win this tournament. And now I have the trophy!” It will take pride of place in her living room in Riga. “The trophy is so beautiful. I don’t have to hide it. I’ll put it in a place where I can always see it,” said the Latvian with a liking for interior design.

In the Upper Austria Ladies Linz doubles final, the Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini took on the No. 1 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) and Ellen Perez (Australia). With Errani’s experience and Paolini’s carefree attitude, the unseeded duo finally claimed the doubles title with a 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 win. All four doubles players were full of praise of the atmosphere in Linz. Melichar-Martinez was particularly grateful saying: “Thanks to Sandra! She is probably the best tournament organiser on the whole tour!”

At the final award ceremony, tournament director Sandra Reichel was symbolically presented with the “Aces for Bees” donation by Kathrin Kühtreiber-Leitner, borad director of Oberösterreichische Versicherung. 346 aces were hit during the tournament, but Oberösterreichische rounded it up to 700. This means that 700 honeycombs will be handed over to beekeepers in Upper Austria. This campaign is part of the sustainability philosophy of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, which was once again certified as a “Green Event” this year.

WTA Tour Too Quick To Overly Promote Aryna Sabalenka Ascension To World No. 1

September 4, 2023 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennsPublisher

Iga Swiatek was knocked off the No. 1 ranking on the WTA Tour computer Sunday night at the U.S. Open when she was defeated by former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the fourth round.

The loss for Swiatek, the defending U.S. Open champion, will vault Australian Open champion Arnya Sabalenka to become the world No. 1 in the September 11, 2023 rankings following the U.S. Open.

Swiatek’s loss to Ostapenko occurred around midnight on Sunday night and the WTA Tour issued a lengthy press release, including graphics, that hit my email inbox at 12:32 am Monday morning promoting Sabalenka’s ascension. The press release was issued before Swiatek, the defending U.S. Open champion, even appeared in the U.S. Open media room to discuss her loss at 12:44 am.

The press release, as you can read below, featured quotes from Sabalenka about becoming No. 1 in the world as well as from WTA CEO Steve Simon. Did the WTA quickly interview Sabalenka at midnight Sunday night about her new status as world No. 1? And, in this hour time period, also get a quote from Simon and have time to write the press release and create the graphic ? It would seem obvious that the press release was pre-written, with the quotes, anticipating that Swiatek would lose the No. 1 ranking, which would seem a bit disrespectful to Swiatek. Issuing the press release so shortly after the Swiatek loss would, to me, not be wrong if it was just a simple news advisory stating that the ranking change would happen. However, including the flowery congratulatory quotes from Sabalenka and Simon at the last minute and so late at night immediately after the Swiatek loss shows that this press release was already in the can waiting to press “send” the second Swiatek loses. It would have been best to save the flowery quotes from Simon and Sabalenka until the day she actually assumes the No. 1 ranking, and out of respect to Swiatek.

The WTA press release can be found below…

Andy Murray Wins Title Since Getting New Hip – Mondays with Bob Greene

October 21, 2019 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Belinda Bencic beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2 6-1 to win the VTP Kremlin Cup women’s singles in Moscow, Russia

Andrey Rublev beat Adrian Mannarino 6-4 6-0 to win the VTB Kremlin Cup men’s singles in Moscow, Russia

Denis Shapovalov beat Filip Krajinovic 6-4 6-4 to win the Intrum Stockholm Open in Stockholm, Sweden

Andy Murray beats Stan Wawrinka 3-6 6-4 6-4 to win the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium

Jelena Ostapenko beat Julia Goerges 6-4 6-1 to win the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open in Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Yasutaka Uchiyama beat Steven Diez 6-1 6-3 to win the Yinzhou International Men’s Tennis Challenger in Ningo, China

Peng Shuai beat Zhu Lin 6-2 3-6 6-2 to win the ITF W100 Shuzhou in Shuzhou, China

SAYING

“I just want to try and be competitive. I want to feel like when I’m on the court I’m not getting smashed, that I’m making it difficult for them and competing as best I could.” – Andy Murray, after winning the European Open title.

“He’s an amazing champion, he’s part of the Big Four, he’s one of the top players to ever play this sport. He’s won everything possible on the tennis court. He’s a big champion, always a fighter. He’s coming back already from hip surgery. (To play) at that level, it’s something amazing.” – Stan Wawrinka, who lost to Andy Murray.

“It makes it even more special that I booked my ticket at the last possible minute. This match had so much pressure and I was so nervous. Now I’m over the moon to win today and achieve this dream.” – Belinda Bencic, who won the Kremlin Cup after clinching the final spot in the season-ending WTA Finals Shenzhen.

“I am definitely super happy and just really proud.” – Denis Shapovalov, who won the Stockholm Open for his first ATP Tour title.

“Dealing with different emotions is what I will miss the most. Those butterflies in your stomach before and after the match, there’s nothing like it.” – Janko Tipsarevic, in a video highlighting his career which was played following his last match in Stockholm, Sweden.

“The Belgians were really loud, actually. We had a great atmosphere. It really helps for the doubles when you have Stan Wawrinka against Andy Murray in the final coming up after our match. It was pretty packed and we really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was unbelievable, and we played one of our best matches this year.” – Andres Mies, who teamed with Kevin Krawietz to win the European Open doubles.

“Obviously the Big Three, they’re still playing really well. But I think sooner or later we’re going to dethrone them. So, we’ve just got to stay patient.” – Denis Shapovalov.

“All the eight players deserve to be there because it shows we had the most consistent seasons. This was also a big goal after all my injuries to have a really consistent goal and to reach Shenzhen is a huge bonus and a reward for an amazing season.” – Belinda Bencic, after becoming the last players to qualify for the elite eight-player, season-ending Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen.

“(Marion Bartoli is) supporting me so much and bring so many positive things, and just trying to keep me as positive as possible. Sometimes I can go negative if things don’t go my way, but these two weeks she’s been helping me so much and I’m glad to have her by my side.” – Jelena Ostapenko, who has posted a 9-1 win-loss record, including the Luxembourg Open title, while being coached the last two weeks by the former Wimbledon champion.

“We are going to have a third baby, which makes it three kids under the age of four. While I’ve been off tennis for the last couple of years, my family has got bigger. So maybe I need to get back on the road.” – Andy Murray.

SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY

When Andy Murray won the European Open, he cried. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘I am going to win tournaments’ or ‘I am going to beat guys like Stan (Wawrinka) and (world number 13 Matteo) Berrettini (whom he overcame in Beijing three weeks ago).’ So, this has come as a surprise to me and my team.” And what a surprise. It has been less than seven months since Murray returned to a tennis court after having his right hip replaced. Less than two months ago, Murray was beaten by Matteo Viola, who was ranked 240^th in the world at the time. As Joe Salisbury, a British doubles specialist, said Sunday, “Everyone thought he was gonna be retired at the start of the year.” This time, though, Murray beat Wawrinka for his 46^th career ATP title. And it wasn’t easy. Wawrinka, who has won three Grand Slam tournament titles, the same as Murray, took the opening set and was five points away from a straight-set win. In the sixth game of the second set, Wawrinka’s level dipped and Murray pulled even to send it into the decisive set. Wawrinka was up a break twice in the third set, but Murray immediately broke back both times. And when Murray slammed a forehand well-off target on the first match point, it was the former top-ranked Murray who cried tears of joy. Murray will take a break until the Davis Cup finals next month while he waits for the birth of his third child.

SPARKLING SWISS

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic celebrated after her semifinal victory because for the first time she had clinched a spot in the season-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen. Yet she still showed off her power game in the Kremlin Cup final where, after dropping the first set, Bencic lost just two more games to batter Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and post her fourth career title. “I had no pressure going into this match,” Bencic said. “We were so happy yesterday, celebrating (Shenzhen) and this is the cherry on the top.” The Swiss star got into the tournament with a wildcard, then beat three former Top 20 players to win in the crown in Pavlyuchenkova, Kristina Mladenovic and Kirsten Flipkens, as well as Polona Hercog. “I was actually prepared to play qualifiers. It was so good to be handed a wildcard, because if I didn’t, I would have played three matches in qualies,” Bencic said. Pavlyuchenkova started strongly, striking nearly half of her 24 winners for the match in the first nine games. Then it was Bencic’s turn. She broke Pavlyuchenkova in the first game of the second set and later won nine straight games. At Shenzhen, the 22-year-old Swiss star will join Ashleigh Barty, Karolina Pliskova, Simona Halep, Bianca Andreescu, Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina in the USD $14 million event.

SECOND CROWN

Andrey Rublev celebrated his 22^nd birthday in style. The Russian made the Kremlin Cup his second career title, clobbering Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. “I grew up with this tournament. I spent my whole childhood at the Kremlin Cup. I will remember this tournament and this win for many years, and I’ll hopefully be playing this tournament for many years down the road,” Rublev said. He had never won a match at his hometown tournament before this week. Against Mannarino, Rublev was able to keep play to extended baseline rallies where he could then pick the perfect time for a winner. The Russian broke his opponent in the opening game and eventually took the opening set. Trying to get back in the contest, Mannarino made a number of unforced errors and Rublev closed out the victory in 63 minutes. It was the second straight year Mannarino has lost the Kremlin Cup final to a Russian. Last year’s champion was Karen Khachanov.

SNARES FIRST TITLE

At the age of 20, Denis Shapovalov of Canada has been considered a star of the future. The future arrived for Shapovalov at the Intrum Stockholm Open when the left-hander won his maiden title by stopping Filip Krajinovic in straight sets. “This tournament started the year my mom was born, so it has got a great history and it is amazing to be the first Canadian to win it,” Shapovalov said. “I have seen all the amazing names up on the board, so it will be nice to see my name up there as well.” The champion fired 16 aces and lost just two points on his first serve while saving the only breakpoint he faced in the 84-minute contest. “I told myself as long as I keep taking care of my serve, I will be OK,” Shapovalov said. “I had a lot of deuce games on his serve and I wasn’t able to convert. I just kept fighting and stayed patient. Sooner or later I was able to get the break.”

SHE’S BACK

After a two-year hiatus, Jelena Ostapenko is back in the winner’s circle. The Latvian claimed her third career WTA singles title when she defeated defending champion Julia Goerges in the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open final. “Of course, it’s great to finish the season with winning a title, especially in the last tournament,” said Ostapenka, who won Roland Garros in 2017. “I enjoyed this week so much, and I think I played really well today. I just like to finish the year this way.” Ostapenka hadn’t won a title since Seoul, Korea, in September 2017. But this wasn’t a one-shot deal. She reached t4he final the week before Luxembourg. “Especially after making the final last week, I was much more confident in coming to this tournament,” the winner said. Ostapenko has been working with former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli during the last two weeks as she compiled a 9-1 win-loss record.

SAYS I DO

Rafael Nadal has now joined the other members of the Big Four. He’s married. The Spanish star married his partner of 14 years, 31-year-old Xisca Perello, at a castle in Mallorca. Juan Carlos I, the king of Spain from 1975 to 2014, was believed to be among the reported 350 guests at the private ceremony. The 33-year-old tennis star met his wife through his younger sister Maribel, a childhood friend of Perello. The other Big Four members, all married and with children, are Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

SEEKING GOLD

Bidding to claim the only major prize he has not won, Roger Federer announced that he will compete for Switzerland at next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games. “I’ve been debating with my team for a few weeks now, months actually, what I should do in the summer time (of 2020) after Wimbledon and before the US Open,” Federer said. He won the doubles gold medal along with Stan Wawrinka at the Beijing Games in 2008, but the only time he has reached an Olympic singles final, at London in 2012, he lost to Great Britain’s Andy Murray 6-2 6-1 6-4. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Spain’s Rafael Nadal, ranked first and second in the world respectively, have both already said they will compete at Tokyo.

SHOWS HEART

If nothing else, Janko Tipsarevic’s heart was on display at the Intrum Stockholm Open. The Serb staved off nine match points, most of them with clean winners, before falling to Yuichi Sugita of Japan in their dramatic quarterfinal. Sugita have few problems capturing the first set 6-2. At 4-4 in the second set, Tipsarevic saved four match points on his serve at 4-5, the crowd rising in applause when he whipped a forehand winner to even the score at a set apiece. He wasn’t done. Tipsarevic saved four more match points at 5-6 with three forehand winners and a smash. A ninth match point came and went when Sugita sailed a backhand long. Cramping in his left leg, Sugita struggled to bend his knees as Tipsarevic forced a tiebreak with yet another forehand winner. The Serb won the first two points in the tiebreak before Sugita went on a five-point run. After Tipsarevic netted a forehand, Sugita finally converted to close out the 6-2 4-6 7-6 (4) victory on yet another error by the Serb. Tipsarevic, who will retire after next month’s Davis Cup Finals in Madrid, received a standing ovation from the Stockholm crowd. A video tribute then played on Centre Court that highlighted the greatest moments of his career. “If I were to choose one of the ways to finish my career, it would be like this, leaving everything on the court,” Tipsarevic told the crowd. “I will remember this moment for the rest of my life.

SIGNED FOR PARIS

Roger Federer says he will play Roland Garros next year. “I will play the French Open. I probably won’t play much before that because I need some time away from it (tennis) and I need some time with the family,” the 38-year-old Swiss great said. A 20-time Grand Slam tournament champion, Federer returned to Roland Garros this year after a three-year absence, falling to eventual winner Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.

STEPS UP

The United States Tennis Association has announced Michael Dowse as its new CEO and executive director, replacing Gordon Smith, who is retiring. Dowse has been president of Wilson Sporting Goods since 2013 and also has worked at Nike. He will start his new post on January 1.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Antwerp: Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies beat Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 7-6 (1) 6-3

Luxembourg: Coco Gauff and Catherine Mcnally beat Kaitlyn Christian and Alexa Guarachi 6-2 6-2

Moscow (men): Marcelo Demoliner and Matwe Middelkoop bet Simone Bolelli and Andres Molteni 6-1 6-2

Moscow (women): Shuko Aoyana and Ena Shibahara beat Kristen Flipkens and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-2 6-1

Ningbo: Andrew Harris and Marc Polmans beat Alex Bolt and Matt Reid 6-0 6-1

Stockholm: Henri Kontinen and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares 6-4 6-2

Suzhou: Jiang Xinyu and Tang Qianhui beat Ankita Raina and Rosalie Van Der Hoek 3-6 6-3 10-5 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Vienna: https://www.erstebank-open.com/

Basel: https://www.swissindoorsbasel.ch/de/index.php

Brest: http://www.openbrestarena.fr/

Zhuhai: https://www.wtaelitetrophy.com/

Paris: https://www.rolexparismasters.com/

Shenzhen: http://www.shiseidowtafinalsshenzhen.com/home

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$2,696,460 Erste Bank Open, Vienna, Austria, hard

$2,449,490 Swiss Indoors, Basel, Switzerland, hard

$101,556 Open Brest Credit Agricole, Brest, France, hard

WOMEN

$2,419,844 Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy, Zhuhai, China, hard

$100,000 ITF W100, Suzhou, China, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$8,344,520 Rolex Paris Masters, Paris, France, hard

$135,400 Shenzhen Longhua Open, Shenzhen, China, hard

WOMEN

$14,000,000 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China, hard

Defending Champion Jelena Ostapenko, Venus Williams Fall on First Day – Mondays with Bob Greene

May 28, 2018 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

French Open

First Week

Kateryna Kozlova beat fifth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 7-5 6-3

Wang Qiang beat ninth-seeded Venus Williams 6-4 7-5

OTHERS

Marton Fucsovics beat Peter Gojowczyk 6-2 6-2 to win the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open in Geneva, Switzerland

Dominic Thiem beat Gilles Simon 3-6 7-6 (1) 6-1 to win the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon in Lyon, France

Johanna Larsson beat Alison Riske 7-6 (4) 6-4 to win the Nürnberger Versicherungscup 2018 in Nürnberg, Germany

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-7 (5) 7-6 (3) 7-6 (6) to win the Internationaux de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France

Hiroki Moriya beat James Ward 6-2 7-5 to win the Loughborough Trophy in Loughborough, Great Britain

SAYING

“I didn’t expect anything from this match. It’s just an amazing feeling.” – Kateryna Kozlova, after upsetting defending champion Jelena Ostapenko on the first day of Roland Garros.

“I feel that now everyone is here, it feels that the tournament is completed. Everyone is here just to show that tennis is really nice and also that everyone can win it. And these girls are coming back, Vika, Serena, with the kid, which is amazing. Makes it a little bit different and also special.” – Simona Halep, noting this year’s Roland Garros women’s draw includes Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, the first time all three are in a Grand Slam tournament since the 2016 Australian Open.

“I’m super happy. I fought really, really hard for this title. … It’s my tenth title, which is a great number.” – Dominic Thiem, who won in Lyon.

“Congratulations for the match, for the tournament and for everything you’ve achieved on clay. Beating Rafa in Madrid, that’s impressive.” – Gilles Simon, after losing to Dominic Thiem in the Lyon final.

“Until the end, it was tough to believe I could win this match, because to me it felt like I was always behind. It’s unbelievable. I think it’s maybe the longest match I’ve had on the tour, and to have a final like that is impressive.” – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who needed 3 hours, 35 minutes to beat Dominika Cibulkova and win in Strasbourg.

“Coming and standing with the trophy out there on Center Court is a great feeling. It makes that I can still do this and believe in myself, and especially before a Grand Slam, it’s very important.” Johanna Larsson, after winning her second career WTA title.

“The good thing in tennis is that every week there’s a new chance.” – Peter Gojowczyk, after losing the Geneva final to Marton Fucsovics.

“The guy’s missed one first serve in about two hours.” – Thanasi Kokkinakis, after losing to Jurgen Zopp of Estonia 6-7 (4) 6-1 6-2 in the second round of qualifying for Roland Garros.

“Tennis is not the most important thing for me anymore, because it’s my son. And I am not the most important thing anymore either, it’s my son.” – Victoria Azarenka

STUNNER

It didn’t take long to fall from grace. One year after winning Roland Garros, Jelena Ostapenko was a first-round loser on the red clay in Paris. The straight-set loss to Kateryna Kozlova makes Ostapenko the second reigning women’s champion to be ousted in the first round of the French Open the next year – 2005 winner Anastasia Myskina was the first – and only the sixth at any major in the Open Era. Ostapenka committed 48 unforced errors, more than twice as many as Kozlova. And the winner was able to convert 7 of 16 break points, including on the final point of the 90-minute match. During the first set, Kozlova was treated by a trainer for a blister on the back of her right foot. “Actually, I have three blisters, but one was the worst, with blood,” Kozlova said. “When you are playing the match, sometimes you are not feeling the pain. … I tried to stay focused.”

SHOCKER

China’s Wang Qiang turned in the first upset at this year’s Roland Garros when she knocked off ninth-seeded Venus Williams on the first day of the two-week tournament. Wang had lost to Williams in the first round in Paris last year, and again in the second round at Wimbledon one month later. This time, though, the 26-year-old made only 14 unforced errors to go along with 19 winners. Williams, who lost to her younger sister Serena in the French Open final in 2002, had 28 winners but committed 35 unforced errors. Wang was impressive right from the start, finally converting her sixth break point in the opening game. Williams immediately broke back as the two battled evenly until a double fault gave Wang a 5-4 lead. The Chinese player held to take the opening set. Wang broke Williams in the 11^th game of the second set, then held to close out the upset. Williams also lost in the first round at the Australian Open in January. This is the first time in the 37-year-old’s career she has lost in the first round in consecutive majors.

STRONG RUN-UP

Dominic Thiem completed his run-up to Roland Garros in winning form. The Austrian rallied from a set and a break down to overcome home favorite Gilles Simon in the Lyon final to earn his 10^th career ATP World Tour title. It also was his 200^th tour-level match win. “I really enjoyed being here,” said Thiem, a semifinalist at Roland Garros the last two years. “France has a very special place in my heart. I’ve always played great tennis here and I hope I will always play great tennis here.” Thiem saved two break points that would have given Simon an almost insurmountable double break. The eventual winner consistently used a backhand slice to wait for the right moment to strike. Thiem’s eighth clay-court title comes just weeks after he ended Rafael Nadal’s 50-set clay-court winning streak.

SURPRISE WINNER

When Marton Fucsovics captured the Banq Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, he became the first Hungarian in nearly 40 years to win an ATP World Tour title. The last Hungarian man to win a tournament was Balazs Taroczy in 1982. “I really love Switzerland,” the 26-year-old champion said. “Last year I played my first ATP quarterfinal in Basel and now I won my first title here, so it’s really special for me.” Fucsovics dominated from the start and never faced a break point in his win over Peter Gojowczyk. He lost just two points on his first serve, closing out the win on his first championship point, thanks to help from chair umpire Fergus Murphy. The Hungarian’s serve was called wide, but Murphy overruled the linesperson, giving Fucsovics his sixth ace of the day and the title. “It was great to reach the final in Geneva, even if it’s on clay, which is not my best surface,” Gojowczyk said. “It was also not my best day today.”

STRASBOURG SURVIVOR

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is a survivor. She’s also a champion. Pavlyuchenkova needed three hours, 35 minutes to outlast Dominika Cibulkova and win the Strasbourg International in three tiebreak sets. “It’s a final, so definitely I was saying to myself, ‘I’m going to give everything out there, and even if she wins, then that’s because she’s better,’” Pavlyuchenkova said. “So, even until the last point, I gave everything I had.” In winning her 12^th WTA titles, Pavlyuchenkova ended with 13 aces and 73 winners. Cibulkova had 34 winners but stayed level with her Russian foe until the very last points. Pavlyuchenkova won 136 points, two more than her opponent. Cibulkova has two match points in the 10^th game of the final set, but Pavlyuchenkova barely held for 5-5. In the third tiebreak of the match, the two battled to 6-6 before Pavlyuchenkova won the next two points to grab the big trophy.

SWEDE FINISH

After needing to rally from a set down in both her quarterfinal and semifinal matches, the Nürnberger Verischerungscup 2018 final was a straight-set win for Johanna Larsson. The victory over American Alison Riske was Larsson’s first WTA singles title in three years and only her second career singles crown. In both sets, the Swede had to come from behind. Riske got an early break before Larsson rallied to send the opening set into a tiebreak, where she won the last four points. The American then took a 4-1 lead before Larsson ripped off the next five games for the victory. “When I held for 4-2, I could see some signs that she was a little bit tired,” Larsson said, “and that gave me a lot of energy to fight back.” The Swede has had her best career results in doubles and had won consecutive singles matches just twice this season. “I feel unbelievably happy,” Larsson said. “Before this week, I arrived here with not that much confidence.”

The winner almost doubled up on titles, as she and Kirsten Flipkens came within one set of winning the doubles title. They fell to Demi Schuurs and Katarina Srebotnik in a match tiebreak. It was Larsson’s third match of the day as she and Flipkens won their rain-delayed semifinal after her singles triumph.

STREAK ENDED

A run of 76 consecutive Grand Slam tournament appearances has ended for American twins Bob and Mike Bryan. Bob Bryan’s injured hip is the reason he will miss Roland Garros. The brothers had not missed a tournament since the 1999 Australian Open. During that stretch, they won 16 Grand Slam tournament men’s doubles titles, including two on the clay in Paris, in 2003 and 2013.

Mike Bryan will play doubles at Roland Garros, teaming with fellow American Sam Querrey.

SISTERS DOING IT

Sisters Serena and Venus Williams will be after their third Roland Garros women’s doubles championship this year. The Americans received a wild card entry into the tournament, which they won in 1999 and 2010. As a team, the sisters have won 14 Grand Slam tournament doubles titles but have played only twice at Roland Garros since their last title, losing in the first round in 2013 and the third round in 2016.

STRONG EFFORT

Although he has played just one ATP World Tour-level match this year, Bernard Tomic will be in the Roland Garros men’s singles main draw for the eighth consecutive year. The 25-year-old Australian did not drop a set as he qualified for the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. Tomic drew fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios as a first-round opponent.

Among other qualifiers for the men’s singles main draw was Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, who was once ranked as high as 10^th in the world. Gulbis has not won a tour-level match since the US Open last August when he beat Alessandro Giannessi before losing to eventual finalist Kevin Anderson.

SICK BAY

Eugenie Bouchard’s French Open ended before it began. The Canadian retired while trailing Dalila Jakuopovic of Slovenia 6-0 2-1 in qualifying. Now 24, Bouchard reached the Wimbledon final in 2014, the year she was ranked fifth in the world. She currently is ranked 167^th.

SHE’S IN AGAIN

Eight years ago, Francesca Schiavone won the Roland Garros women’s singles title. This year, the 38-year-old Italian had to qualify for the women’s singles main draw. Schiavone beat Evgeniya Rodina in the final round of qualifying 6-0 6-1 to book her 19^th appearance in the main draw on the red clay in Paris.

Schiavone didn’t stick around long. She lost her first-round match to Slovakia’s Viktoria Kuzmova 7-6 (2) 7-6 (2).

SHORT STAY

Mohamed Safwat’s stay in his first Grand Slam tournament was brief. The first Egyptian man to compete in a Grand slam tournament since Tamer El Sawy at the 1996 US Open, Safwat is just the fourth Egyptian man to compete at a major in the Open Era, following Ismail El Shafei, El Sawy and Ahmed El Mehelmy. Safwat gained a spot in the main draw at Roland Garros as the lucky loser replacement for Serbia’s Viktor Troicki, who withdraw due to lower back pain. Safwat played in opening match of this year’s tournament, where he lost to fourth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 6-1 6-4 7-6 (1)

SWITCHING BACK?

Remember when Nicole Vaidisova and Radek Stepanek got married? Well, they did it again. The two players were first married when she was 18. They divorced in 2013. The Czech duo got married again last week. Vaidisova was ranked as high as seventh in the world, while Stepanek, now 39, was as high as eighth in the world. She retired for the second time in 2016 due to injuries. He ended his 21-year career last year and briefly coached Novak Djokovic.

SIX-HOUR SPAN

Ilie Nastase was arrested twice in his native Romania in a six-hour span. His first arrest came on suspicion of driving a car while drunk and refusing to take a breathalyzer test. The second arrest for going through a red light on a scooter. His driver’s license had been suspended after the first arrest. Bucharest chief police traffic officer Victor Gilceava said the former US Open and French Open champion had an alcohol blood level of 0.55 mg, enough over the limit for the former tennis star to face a maximum five-year prison sentence.

SUSPENDED

Two players from Argentina have been charged with rules violations by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU). Federico Coria was charged with failing to report being offered a payment to lose a set in a match in Sassuolo, Italy in 2015. The TIU statement said Coria had also been offered money to lose a number of matches during the year. “Although Mr. Coria did not accept any financial incentive or take action to comply with the corrupt approaches, he failed to inform the Tennis Integrity Unit, which constitutes a break of the program,” the statement said. A day earlier, 25-year-old Nicolas Kicker was found guilty of match-fixing by the TIU. Sanctions against both will be announced later.\

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Geneva: Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic beat Ivan Dodig and Rajeev Ram 3-6 7-6 (3) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Loughborough: Frederik Nielsen and Joe Salisbury beat Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara 3-6 6-3 10-4 (match tiebreak)

Lyon: Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock beat Roman Jebavy and Matwe Middelkoop 7-5 2-6 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Nürnberg: Demi Schuurs and Katarina Srebotnik beat Kirsten Flipkens and Johanna Larsson 3-6 6-3 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Strasbourg: Mihaela Buzarnescu and Raluca Olaru beat Nadia Kichenok and Anastasia Rodionova 7-5 7-5

SURFING

Paris: www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/

Prostejov: www.czech-open.cz

Surbiton: www.lta.org.uk/surbitontrophy

Bol: https://bolopen.com/en/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

Roland Garros (French Open), Paris, France, clay (First Week)

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

Roland Garros (French Open), Paris, France, clay (Second Week)

$148,371 Moneta Czech Open, Prostejov, Czech Republic, clay

$148,371 Surbiton Trophy, Surbiton, Great Britain, grass

WOMEN

Roland Garros (French Open), Paris, France, clay (Second Week)

$125,000 Croatia Bol Open, Bol, Croatia, clay

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

The Aegon International In Eastbourne Provides Late Wimbledon Testing Ground For Top WTA Stars

June 19, 2017 by Admin

The Aegon International at Eastbourne is one of the most historic events on the WTA Tour.

It is the premier women’s Wimbledon grass-court preparatory event held at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club since 1974. The great Martina Navratilova, arguably the greatest grass-court tennis player of all time, won the event an amazing 11 times.

The 2017 tournament, that starts June 26 and leads into the start of Wimbledon, will provide a late testing ground for the world’s top players as they prepare for the world’s premier tennis tournament while attempting to secure a prestigious WTA Tour title. Seven of the world’s top 10 are competing at Eastbourne which will provide for fierce competition and high quality play.

Leading entries include world No. 1 and 2016 Wimbledon finalist Angelique Kerber of Germany and world No. 2 and 2016 U.S. Open finalist Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.

Kerber is in, perhaps, the poorest of form of any world No. 1, struggling with her confidence having not won a tournament since last year’s U.S. Open. Now, to boot, she is suffering with a hamstring problem that forced her to withdraw from the grass-court prep event in Birmingham, which will not help her chances at Eastbourne, or at Wimbledon.

Pliskova is a trendy pick to excel on the British grass with her booming serve and groundstrokes being well-suited for the fast grass-court surface. She was not expecting great results on the clay at the French Championships but reached the semifinals, where she was one match away from securing the No. 1 ranking from Kerber. Grass courts may be what lift her to the WTA Tour world No. 1 ranking in a few weeks time.

Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia is the defending champion at Eastbourne, having beaten Pliskova last year’s final. Her confidence is still riding quite high after winning the year-end WTA Tour Championships in Singapore, but she is yet to break-through and win a major championship. No player has repeated as champion in Eastbourne since Justine Henin in 2006 and 2007.

Many eyes are on Johanna Konta, the top British player, who is enjoying a break-out season, having won earlier this year in a Miami, one of the top events in tennis outside of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Playing on her familiar grass courts – and buoyed by local fan support – she could not only go deep at Eastbourne, but also at Wimbledon as well.

Curiously, the 38^th and final direct entry into the tournament is Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, who shocked the tennis world with her triumph at Roland Garros. What is surprising about Ostapenko is clay is not even her favorite surface and she adores grass, where she won the Wimbledon junior title in 2014.

Other top contenders in the star-studded field include 2015 Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2015, Svetlanta Kuznetsova of Russia, the 2004 champ who will turn 32 during the event and still playing great tennis, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, the former world No. 1 and 2009 champ who is solidly back in the Top 10, and Aga Radwanska, who won the Eastbourne title in 2008 and reached the final again in 2015.

An Inspiration To Latvians, No Pressure Ostapenko A Wimbledon Threat Too

June 12, 2017 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Jelena Ostapenko’s upset win at the French Open is the biggest story in the history of tennis in the nation of Latvia. Ostapenko is the first player from the small Eastern European country, once part of the Soviet Union, to win a major singles title.

I only know a few people from Latvia – one of them is Martins Podzus, who was the singles runner-up in 2016 at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships in Vero Beach, Florida, the USTA Pro Circuit “Futures” event for which I serve as co-tournament director. Another is Agnese Rozite, the former University of Mobile tennis player and St. John’s women’s assistant coach who I met via New York City tennis networking circles with her company Bijou Tennis and with whom I have had many entrepreneurial tennis conversations.

I emailed them both to get some perspective on Ostapenko’s win in Latvia. To my surprise, Rozite, replied quickly saying she was with Ostapenko in Paris, having flown to Paris to support her after her semifinal win and sitting in her player box during the final.

“Her win is a really big thing in Latvia,” Rozite wrote. “Even people who know nothing about tennis now know about the importance of her achievement. Her match was televised on a big screen next to the Freedom Monument and that’s as special as it gets in Riga, Latvia. A lot of people knew about her before as she has received numerous sporting awards, but this is worthy of a special medal from the government!”

Rozite is seven years older than the 20-year-old Ostapenko but remembered her as a feisty young player when she was just getting started in the game.

“I do remember, when she was very young, around seven or eight playing with her mom at the same club I trained at sometimes,” Rozite wrote. “She was just a little girl, talented of course back then already, but nobody was thinking that Latvia can raise a Grand Slam tournament champion. It has always seemed that only bigger countries can do it, so now everybody in Latvia believes that they can achieve greatness as well. I think that’s just so inspiring for all the kids playing in Latvia.”

Ostapenko had 54 winners and 54 unforced errors in her final-round win over Simona Halep and Rozite had an interesting observation on this. “Her winners are just insane,” she wrote. “When she is ‘on’ there’s nobody that can beat her. Even with equal amount (and a crazy big amount) of winners and errors she can still come on top of of the elite players, and to me – that’s just shows how good she is.”

Rozite also had dinner with Ostapenko and her mother after the final, saying that the new star of women’s tennis was still receiving many calls and messages from fans and friends. There wasn’t much conversation about her tennis or the championship, Rozite joking “She said all of her thoughts to all the media about everything 10 times already!”

Rozite predicted even more success for her friend and countrywoman saying she will not be a flash-in-the-pan player and not even a “One Slam Wonder.” In fact, Rozite anticipated that Ostapenko will be a threat to win another major as early as Wimbledon. If not this year, Rozite feels that more great success will come for Ostapenko at the All England Club on the Wimbledon grass.

“She won junior Wimbledon just three years ago, so she certainly feels confident going into it,” she said. “Also, I don’t think her personality ‘feels’ pressure, but maybe her success hasn’t sunk in yet. However, I do think focusing on the next tournament is helpful, especially on such a different surface. She handles pressure like nobody else. I truly believe she will have many more titles and this is just a beginning!”

Rafael Nadal Wins His 10th French Open, Jelena Ostapenko Her First – Mondays with Bob Greene

June 11, 2017 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

French Open

Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal beat Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-3 6-1

Women’s Singles: Jelena Ostapenko beat Simona Halep 4-6 6-4 6-3

Men’s Doubles: Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus beat Donald Young and Santiago Gonzalez 7-6 (5) 6-7 (4) 6-3

Women’s Doubles: Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova beat Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua 6-2 6-1

Mixed Doubles: Gabriela Dabrowski and Rohan Bopanna beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Robert Farah 2-6 6-2 12-10 (match tiebreak)

Boys’ Singles: Alexi Popyrin beat Nicola Kuhn 7-6 (5) 6-3

Girls’ Singles: Whitney Osuigwe brat Claire Liu 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-3

Boys’ Doubles: Nicola Kuhn and Zsombor Piros beat Vasil Kirkov and Danny Thomas 6-4 6-4

Girls’ Doubles: Bianca Andreescu and Carso Branstine beat Olesya Pervushina and Anastasia Potapova 6-1 6-3

Men’s Wheelchair Singles: Alfie Hewett beat Gustavo Fernandez 0-6 7-6 (9) 6-2

Women’s Wheelchair Singles: Yui Kamiji beat Sabine Ellerbrook 7-5 6-4

Men’s Wheelchair Doubles: Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer beat Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid 6-4 6-3

Women’s Wheelchair Doubles: Marjolein Buis and Yui Kamiji beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 6-3 7-5

OTHERS

Jiri Vesely beat Federico Delbonis 5-7 6-1 7-5 to win the Unicredit Czech Open in Prostejov, Czech Republic

Yuichi Sugita beat Jordan Thompson 7-6 (7) 7-6 (8) to win the Aegon Surbiton Trophy men’s singles in Surbiton, Great Britain

Aleksandra Krusnic beat Alexandra Cadantu 6-3 3-0 retired to win the Bol Open in Bol, Croatia

Jasmine Paolini beat Tatjana Maria 6-4 2-6 6-1 to win the Open Féminin de Marseille Trophée les Terrasses du Port in Marseille, France

Magdalena Rybarikova beat Heather Watson 6-4 7-5 to win the Aegon Surbiton Trophy women’s singles in Surbiton, Great Britain

SAYING

“It’s really incredible. To win La Decima is very, very special. I am very emotional. The feeling I have is impossible to describe.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning his 10^th French Open title.

“I have nothing to say – you were too good.” – Stan Wawrinka, to Rafael Nadal after losing the Roland Garros final to the Spaniard.

“I have no words. It was my dream.” – Jelena Ostapenko, after beating Simona Halep to win the French Open women’s singles.

“I was very close to take the first Grand Slam and also number one in the world. This one hurts a lot maybe because I realize more what is happening. Three years ago, it was something new, so now I know. Hurts a lot, and I need time just to, I don’t know, to go away.” – Simona Halep, who lost the French Open final for the second time.

“I think we didn’t start off great today, but we kept pushing, kept working hard together, and we finally got through. … For me, it was always a personal goal to win a Slam. And it’s still sinking in, to be honest.” – Rohan Bopanna, after he teamed with Gabriela Dabrowski to win the mixed doubles.

“We are taking it one match at a time. Really, we kind of enjoy our practice days. We enjoy our off days. We’re playing singles, doubles. I played mixed doubles here. I think the moment is enough, actually.” – Bethanie Mattek-Sands, after teaming with Lucie Safarova to win the women’s doubles.

“I’m proud of the tournament I had. I did well considering I was one tiebreak away from getting to the final when I came in really struggling. So, I have to be proud of that.” – Andy Murray, after losing in the semifinals to Stan Wawrinka.

“Of course, I’m disappointed. I’m a competitor and it really annoys me not to be in the final.” – Timea Bacsinszky, after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals.

“Such a big event. It can happen.” – Elina Svitolina, acknowledging she had “a little bit of nerves” in losing a 6-3 5-1 lead and her quarterfinal match to Simona Halep.

“I’m just happy with the way I celebrated my birthday.” – Jelena Ostapenko, after winning her French Open semifinal on her 20^th birthday.

“I’m not ashamed to say that she played better. She was braver. She had more courage. She was more successful.” – Timea Bacsinszky, after losing to Jelena Ostapenko.

SPANISH ORO

His 10^th French Open title was one of his easiest. Rafael Nadal crushed Stan Wawrinka just like he did every other opponent this year on the red clay of Roland Garros to become the first player in the Open Era to win the same major 10 times. The Spanish left-hander lost just 35 games in the fortnight and only six in the final, he most lopsided victory since another Swiss player, Roger Federer, was held to just four games in the 2008 final. “It’s difficult to compare with other tournaments, but the nerves and adrenaline I feel, it’s like no other place,” Nadal said of the Paris arena. Wawrinka, seeking to win his fourth Grand Slam title and second French Open, had no answers for the overpowering game that Nadal produced. At 32 the oldest man to play for the title in 44 years, Wawrinka staved off our break points in the fourth game to hold serve. It turned out to be his last hurrah. “I play my best at all events,” Nadal said, “but the feeling here is impossible to describe. … This is the most important event in my career.” He has shown it. Over his career he is 79-2 at the French Open and 102-2 in all best-of-five set matches on clay.

SURPRISE ON CLAY

It was on Jelena Ostapenko’s racquet to win or lose. Forget the losing. Two days after turning 20, Ostapenko shocked Simona Halep to capture the French Open and send everyone else to the record books. She became the first player from Latvia to win a Grand Slam tournament title, the first unseeded player to capture Roland Garros and the lowest-ranked champion in French Open history. She is the youngest French Open winner since Iva Majoli in 1997 and the first player to win her first tour-level title at a Grand Slam event since Gustavo Kuerten in Paris that same year. In perhaps the biggest coincidence of all, Kuerten’s victory came on the day Ostapenko was born. “It was my dream always,” said Ostapenko, who rockets from 47^th in the world to 12^th in the rankings. “When I was a child I was watching. It’s amazing to play here. I just enjoy it so much.” Although it was Ostapenko who controlled the points throughout the day, it was Halep who seemed to be close to her first major title, leading 6-4 3-0. But that’s when those booming shots off Ostapenko’s racquet started finding the lines and the passing lanes. “I am sick in the stomach with emotions, but hopefully I can win this one in the future,” said Halep, who has twice lost the final at Paris. This time, it was Ostapenko’s big game that proved to be the winner. “I was always playing aggressive and hitting the ball when I have a chance,” Ostapenko said earlier in the tournament. The final proved to be no different.

STANDING TALL

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova continued their winning streak on the clay of Paris. It was their third straight major women’s doubles title, their second at Roland Garros and their fifth Grand Slam title overall. Not bad for a team that began playing together just two years ago. Mattek-Sands is currently ranked number one in doubles, with her Czech partner holding the number two spot. They also won the US Open last year and the Australian Open in January. If they win Wimbledon, they will hold all four major titles at the same time. “It’s funny, because we don’t even kind of think about it that way,” Mattek-Sands said. “It’s kind of tough to even look back and to the future to what you could do and what you have done. But we’re really excited for grass. We’re looking forward to Wimbledon. We love playing on grass. We are going to be ready there, too.”

SURREAL

They took the long route, but Michael Venus of New Zealand and American Ryan Harrison won the French Open men’s doubles title by outlasting another unseeded team, Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez and American Donald Young. “You always dream of winning a Grand Slam every time you’re playing as a kid,” Harrison said. “You idolize people you see winning Grand Slams. You picture yourself in those moments, so it hasn’t really sunk in yet. It feels a little surreal.” Venus and Harrison are the first doubles team in Roland Garros history to win a deciding set in every match since the doubles event was shortened to best-of-three sets in all rounds in 1990. The 29-year-old Venus is the fifth New Zealander to win a Grand Slam title and the first man to do so since Onny Parun won the doubles at Roland Garros in 1974.

SHARING A TITLE

Gabriela Dabrowski became the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam tournament title when she teamed with India’s Rohan Bopanna to capture the Roland Garros mixed doubles. It was their third tournament together, having teamed up at last year’s US Open. They reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January. On the red clay in Paris, they saved two championship points before defeating Colombia’s Robert Farah and Anna-Lena Grönefeld of Germany. It was the first major title for both the 37-year-old Bopanna and his 25-year-old partner. Bopanna is only the fourth Indian player to win a Grand Slam title, following Sania Mirza, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.

STUNNER

There’s no other way to put it: The defending champion Novak Djokovic was stunned by Austria’s Dominic Thiem in the French Open quarterfinals. Djokovic, ranked number two in the world at the time, suffered his earliest loss in Paris in seven years, 7-6 (5) 6-3 6-0. It was his first straight-sets loss at a major in four years. It follows his second-round exit at the Australian Open in January. “All the top players go through this,” Djokovic said. “I will get through it and learn the lessons and figure out how to get out of it. It’s a big challenge, but I’m up for it.” Thiem lost to Djokovic in straight sets in the French Open semifinals last year. “It’s a dream to beat Novak for the first time and reach the semifinals at Roland Garros again,” said Thiem, who then lost in straight sets to Rafael Nadal in the penultimate round.

SWEET VICTORY

She’s only 15, but she’s a champion. Whitney Osuigwe became the fifth American to win the girls’ French Open title when she defeated Claire Liu in only the second all-American girls’ final at Roland Garros. “It was one of my goals, but I didn’t really have any expectations,” Osuigwe said when asked if she had expected to win a junior Grand Slam title at such a young age. “I just kept working hard and knew the results would come.” It was a big change from the last time the two met. That was at the Easter Bowl in April when Liu beat Osuigwe 6-1 6-1. “I beat her, like, fast at Easter Bowl, but that was on hard,” said Liu, who is two years older than her opponent. “And I knew she would learn from that match. So, I was expecting her to play well, and she did.” Despite her age, Osuigwe has already turned pro. “It’s a decision I have made. I have been doing well this year. I think it was the right one,” the Florida native said. Only three other Americans have won the French Open girls’ singles: Anne Smith, Bonnie Gadusek and Jennifer Capriati.

Alexei Popyrin won the boys’ singles by defeating Nicola Kuhn of Spain. The 17-year-old is the first Australian to win the boys’ title at Roland Garros in 49 years.

SKIPPING WIMBLEDON

Citing an injured left thigh, Maria Sharapova has decided to skip the grass-court season, including Wimbledon. The former world number one announced on her official Facebook account that “an additional scan” showed that the muscle tear she got at the Italian Open last month will not allow her to return to competition yet. Now, she plans to return to tennis at the hard-court tournament in Stanford, California, USA, which beings on July 31. Sharapova recently returned to the tour after a 15-month ban for doping. Because her current ranking is so low, she is unable to gain direct entry into main draws and has been participating in tournaments via wild-card invitations. She had been planning of entering Wimbledon qualifying this year.

STOPPING ANDY

Andy Murray’s struggle to win Roland Garros ended yet again. This time it was in the semifinals where he fell to Stan Wawrinka in an epic 6-7 (6) 6-3 5-7 7-6 (3) 6-1 battle that lasted four hours, 34 minutes. In last year’s semifinals, it was Murray who beat Wawrinka. “Last year he was much more aggressive but last year he was stronger,” Wawrinka said of Murray. “Today I think he’s less confident. He played a bit less fast. He was a little more hesitant, and that gave me a bit more time to actually install my game. You know, when you start hesitating, you don’t necessarily make the right picks.” The two battled evenly through the first four sets, but the fifth was all Wawrinka, who took a 5-0 lead before losing his serve to Murray. Wawrinka broke right back for his place in the final.

SIGNED

Petra Kvitova will play the Connecticut Open in August in her preparation for the US Open. The two-time Wimbledon champion returned to tennis at the French Open less than six months after suffering a serious injury to her left hand when she was cut by an intruder at her home in the Czech Republic. The left-hander lost to American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the second round at Paris. Kvitova won the New Haven, Connecticut, tournament in 2012, 2014 and 2015.

SEEKS CHANGES

If the International Tennis Federation (ITF) board gets its way, Davis Cup matches will be reduced to best-of-three sets. In another change, the women’s Fed Cup World Group will be expanded to 16 teams in an effort to simplify its structure. “Davis Cup and Fed Cup are two of the most iconic team competitions in sport, but there is no doubt change is needed to ensure that we maximize their full potential,” said ITF president David Haggerty. ITF member will be asked to approve the changes at the annual general meeting in August. The aim is encouraging more top players to participate. In another change, the finalists in both competitions will be guaranteed the choice of hosting their first-round ties the following year. “While still needing AGM approval, we are confident that our national associations will see that to vote for these reforms is to vote for the long-term future of our competitions and our sport,” Haggerty said.

SPECIAL K SUIT

Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis is in a different type of court these days. The cereal giant Kellogg has sued the tennis player for using the nickname “Special K” commercially. Kokkinakis and doubles partner Nick Kyrgios have been dubbed the Special IKs by media and the public, and the 21-year-old wants to use the moniker as a branding campaign for clothing and tennis wear. But the US-based multinational has held an Australian trademark for its Special K breakfast cereal for more than 50 years, and has launched court action to stop Kokkinakis. “Kellogg will continue to defend our very strong and iconic Special K brand – which is known and loved by many Australians,” the company said.

SPLITS

Milos Raonic has decided to go on without Richard Krajicek as his coach. The Canadian and the 1996 Wimbledon champion began working together last December. “My coach, Richard Krajicek, and I have decided to part ways,” Raonic said on his Twitter account. “This decision has been a mutual one.” Raonic is still working with longtime coach Riccardo Piatti.

Tomas Berdych said he will no longer be working with 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic. “I enjoyed the ride and we will remain great friends,” Berdych, who also works with Luka Kutaniac, said on social media. Berdych and Ivanisevic began working together last August.

STAN HELPER

The former coach of two players who reached the world number one ranking is joining Stan Wawrinka’s team. Paul Annacone will join the three-time Grand Slam tournament champion during the grass-court season. Annacone is a former coach of Roger Federer and Pete Sampras, both Wimbledon champions. Wawrinka, who lost this year’s French Open men’s final to Rafael Nadal, has won all of the majors except for Wimbledon.

SIBLING’S DAD

The father of Serena and Venus Williams is going into the American Tennis Association’s Hall of Fame. Richard Williams will be honored for his contribution to coaching his two daughters, who have won 30 Grand Slam tournament singles titles between them. He will be the first inductee into the Hall of the ATA, which is celebrating its 100^th anniversary of promoting and supporting African-American tennis players. “Williams will be recognized for his success as a coach to his Compton-born daughters, who have received numerous accolades for their successes in the Summer Olympics and Grand Slam tournaments,” the ATA said. “For about 20 years, the sisters have steadily been credited as top-of-the-line tennis players, with Serena leading as number one. When paired together in doubles tournaments, the two are practically undefeatable and have won 22 out of 23 titles.” Williams will be recognized during the ATA’s Centennial Celebration Gala on August 2.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bol: Chuang Chia-Jung and Renata Voracova beat Lina Gjorcheska and Aleksandrina Naydenova 6-4 6-2

Marseille: Natela Dzalamidze and Veronika Kudermetova beat Dalma Galfi and Dalila Jakupovic 7-6 (5) 6-4

Prostejov: Guillermo Duran and Andres Moteni beat Roman Jebavy and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo 6-7 (5) 7-6 (5) 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Surbiton (men): Marcus Daniell and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi beat Treat Huey and Denis Kudla 6-3 7-6 (0)

Surbiton (women): Monique Adamczak and Storm Sanders beat Chang Kai-Chen and Marina Erakovic 7-5 6-4

SURFING

Stuttgart: http://www.mercedescup.de

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

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

Caltanissetta: www.tennisclubcaltanissetta.it/

Manchester: www.lta.org.uk/aegonmanchestertrophy/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

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

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

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

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

WOMEN

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

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

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