STARS
John Isner beat Olivier Rochus 6-3 7-6 (7) to win the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, USA
Polona Hercog beat Johanna Larsson 6-4 7-5 to win the Collector Swedish Open Women in Båsted, Sweden.
Roberta Vinci beat Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4 1-6 6-4 to win the Poli-Farbe Budapest Grand Prix in Budapest, Hungary
Kenny de Schepper beat Ivan Navarro 2-6 7-5 6-3 to win the Open Disputacíon Cuidad de Pozoblanco in Pozoblanco, Spain
Pauline Parmentier beat Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 1-6 6-4 6-4 to win the $100,000 Open GDF SUEZ de Biarritz in Biarritz, France
DAVIS CUP
World Group
Quarterfinals
Serbia beat Sweden 4-1 at Halmstad, Sweden
Argentina beat Kazakhstan 5-0 at Buenos Aires, Argentina
Spain beat United States 3-1 at Austin, Texas, USA
France beat Germany 4-1 at Stuttgart, Germany
Group I
Americas Zone, 2nd round: Ecuador vs. Canada at Guayaquil, Ecuador, clay; Brazil beat Uruguay 5-0 at Montevideo, Uruguay
Asia/Oceania Zone, 2nd round: Australia beats China 3-1 at Beijing, China; Japan beats Uzbekistan 4-1at Kobe, Japan, hard; playoffs: New Zealand beat Philippines 5-0 at Taranaki, New Zealand, hard
Europe/Africa Zone, 2nd Round: Italy beat Slovenia 5-0 at Arzachena, Italy; South Africa beat the Netherlands 3-1 at Potchefstroom, South Africa; Switzerland beat Portugal 5-0 at Berne, Switzerland
Group II
Americas Zone, 2nd round: Peru beat Dominican Republic 3-1 at Lima, Peru; Paraguay beat Venezuela 3-1 at Asuncion, Paraguay; playoffs: El Salvador beat Netherlands Antilles 3-2 at Santa Tecia, El Salvador; Puerto Rico beat Haiti 4-1 at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Asia/Oceania Zone, 2nd round: Korea beat Pakistan 4-0 at Gimcheon, Korea; Thailand beat Indonesia 4-1 at Nonthaburo, Thailand; playoffs: Hong Kong beat Syria 4-1 at Hong Kong; Pacific Oceania beat Iran 4-1 at Guam
Europe/Africa Zone: 2nd round: Great Britain beat Luxembourg 4-1 at Glasgow, Scotland; Hungary beat Belarus 3-2 at Godollo, Hungary; Bosnia/Herzegovina beat Estonia 3-2 at Tuzla, Bosnia/Herzegovina; Denmark beat Latvia 3-2 at Fredericksburg, Denmark; playoffs: Ireland beat Tunisia 3-2 at Dublin, Ireland; Cyprus beat Bulgaria 3-2 at Sofia, Bulgaria; Morocco beat Lithuania 5-0 at Vilnius, Lithuania; Monaco beat Greece 3-2 at Thessalonica, Greece
Group III
Africa Zone at Cairo, Egypt: Egypt and Madagascar promoted to Group II in 2012
SAYING
“I didn’t always live carefully. I didn’t always pay tennis the respect it deserved. I didn’t know myself and I didn’t realize that my troubles were of my own making. … I fell in love with tennis far too late in my life, but the reason I have everything I hold dear is because tennis has loved me back.” – Andre Agassi, on his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
“My hero has always been Billie Jean King. In 2007, equal prize money at all Grand Slams. It was a special moment.” – Peachy Kellmeyer, when asked who was her hero and what was the greatest achievement she had participated in.
“I grew up out there in front of everybody.” – Andre Agassi.
“If we’re lucky in life, we get a few moments where we don’t have to wonder if we made our parents proud. I want to thank tennis for giving me those moments.” – Andre Agassi.
“Rock bottom is an interesting place. I moved in and spent some time there. Going from 141 back to number one was not an accomplishment. It was the reflection of an accomplishment. It was a symptom of good choices.” – Andre Agassi.
“There is nothing louder than 23,000 silent New Yorkers.” – Andre Agassi, who received an 8-minute ovation when he gave a retirement speech at the 2006 US Open.
“I surprised myself when I won matches, let alone tournaments or this.” – Andre Agassi, speaking at his enshrinement into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
“For us, this is a historic match.” – Albert Costa, Spanish captain, on Spain’s first Davis Cup victory in the United States.
“Spain is probably the deepest team out there right now in men’s tennis. Playing Spain home or away is going to be tough, with or without Rafa.” – Jim Courier, United States Davis Cup captain, noting the absence of Spain’s top player, Rafael Nadal.
“It feels really great. I know that Serbia was a huge favorite to win with Robin Soderling not here and Novak (Djokovic) coming, but I’m happy to have helped my country once again get through to the semifinals.” – Janko Tipsarevic, who led Serbia to a Davis Cup victory over Sweden.
“We have a soul that is second to none and with the team event coming up, I can promise you we will do everything in our power to win it all again.” – Novak Djokovic, telling a Belgrade crowd of 10,000 that Serbia will try to repeat as Davis Cup champions.
“But now I just didn’t allow myself to get to that position anymore, because it’s just not worth it. It’s sport. You win; you lose,” Djokovic said Monday. “And I have played good (against Federer). I didn’t have anything to regret, because the (other) player was better that day. So I just needed to sleep, get some rest and come here and perform my best. And I have done that.”
“I just served excellent. I was just fortunate to have that weapon. I was in a groove all of my matches. It’s huge. I was very lucky to have that serve and it carried me to the championship.” – John Isner, who served 22 aces in his victory over Olivier Rochus to win the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Championships.
“I had a feeling that I could win the tournament. It was of course very tough … but I’m the winner here. It’s an amazing feeling.” – Polona Hercog, after beating Johanna Larsson in the Swedish Open final to win her first WTA singles title.
“If I’m fit, I will play for sure.” – Andy Murray, saying he will continue to play for Great Britain’s Davis Cup team.
“I just want to make sure that last statement is recorded.” – Leon Smith, Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain on Andy Murray’s promise to play for the team again.
“I’m outclassed in my own home.” – Andre Agassi, noting his wife, Steffi Graf, has won many more Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic medals than he has.
SHINING SHRINE
The two newest members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame have been inducted into the shrine. In an on-court ceremony Andre Agassi and Peachy Kellmeyer joined the sport’s brightest stars. Agassi won eight Grand Slam tournament titles in his career and was ranked number one in the world for 101 weeks. In June 2003, at the age of 33, Agassi became the oldest player to hold the number one singles ranking, a position he held for 12 weeks. He also won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was a member of two United States Davis Cup-winning teams. He is married to another Hall of Famer, Steffi Graf.
Fern Lee “Peachy” Kellmeyer was the first person hired when the WTA, then known as the Women’s Tennis Association, was formed in 1973. During her career she had led the WTA’s operations, player and tournament relations and has been at the center of all major policy decisions. She currently serves as WTA Operations Executive Consultant. Kellmeyer played on the men’s tennis team in college and filed a successful lawsuit that led to college women being treated equal with men in terms of scholarships.
SERB POWER
Serbia didn’t need Novak Djokovic to win its latest Davis Cup tie. The defending champions captured their World Cup quarterfinal by crushing Sweden 4-1 with the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion playing only in doubles where he teamed with Nenad Zimonjic. That was the only point the Serbs lost as Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troiki won both of their singles matches.
SERBIAN HERO
When Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic returned to his native Serbia, some 10,000 fans were there to help his celebrate his rise to the number one spot in the tennis rankings. The 24-year-old was greeted by a deafening roar when he arrived in an open-top bus, which took hours to reach the Serbian parliament square from the airport. Traffic on the main highway ground to a halt as fans got out of their cars to salute Serbia’s most popular athlete. Later, Djokovic was joined by his entire family as they paraded on a giant stage where rock bands entertained the crowd.
STUFF OF CHAMPIONS
French Open champion Li Na has announced plans to recognize her hometown fans in Wuhan, China. Li will headline a two-day tennis extravaganza on December 17-18, joined by Sabine Lisicki, who beat Li at Wimbledon. Also participating in the event will be Pete Sampras and Carlos Moya. “I am so delighted that this Li Na & Friends event can take place in my home city of Wuhan, and am so thankful that Pete, Sabine and Carlos happily agreed to come to China.”
SERENA DROP
Serena Williams is in unfamiliar territory on the women’s rankings. With her fourth-round loss to Marion Bartoli, Williams fell 150 places in the world rankings to 175th, her lowest spot since 1997. The 29-year-old American had not played in 50 weeks since injuring her foot following her 2010 Wimbledon championship.
SWITCH IN TIME
Just like old times. When an injured Jimmy Connors was unable to take on John McEnroe in a World TeamTennis match, Bjorn Borg stepped into the breech. Borg’s Philadelphia Freedoms are scheduled to play McEnroe’s New York Sportimes on July 14 at Randall’s Island in Manhattan. Connors hurt his knee. Borg will be playing his first WTT match in 17 years. Borg and McEnroe are featured in a recent documentary highlighting their rivalry. Former world number one Martina Hingis will also play for the Sportimes. Ticket sales will benefit the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, providing scholarships and coaching for New York City area youth.
SHOWING THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
ESPN will have exclusive United States television rights to live action from Wimbledon beginning next year. The sports cable company signed a 12-year agreement with the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. ESPN will present Wimbledon on its multimedia array of platforms, including both ESPN and ESPN2 simultaneously the second Monday through Wednesday. This will allow for expanded coverage of the Round of 16 and live telecasts of all quarterfinals. ESPN will televise the semifinals and finals. ESPN on ABC will broadcast a three-hour highlights show on the “middle Sunday” of the tournament, and will replay the finals on a same-day basis. Through 2023, the television schedule will increase to more than 140 hours, including full live national coverage of the semifinals and finals. ESPN3.com’s schedule will expand to 750 hours, also with the semifinals and finals presented live.
SIGNIFICANT INCREASE
Prize money on the ATP World Tour will increase significantly over the next three years. Money will be increased for all tournaments, with ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events leading the way with a 9 percent increase in each of the next three years. As part of the agreement, prize money at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will increase 30% over the next three years from $5 million to $6.5 million. Additionally, the player bonus pool, which is payable to the world’s top 12 eligible players, will be increased by 33 percent from USD $6 million to USD $8 million in 2014.
STAYING HOME
Lindsay Davenport has a very good reason for skipping the World TeamTennis Pro League this summer. The former world number one is pregnant and was placed under travel and activity restrictions by her doctor. Davenport had been scheduled to play in her first match last week in Newport Beach, California, USA. Davenport teamed with Martina Hingis to win the ladies invitation doubles title at the recently concluded Wimbledon.
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Pacific Oceania continues to make history. For the first time, Pacific Ocean won four of the five matches in its Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone tie against Iran. Never before had Pacific Oceania team won more than three matches in a single tie. The winning team clinched the tie after two days, taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead by winning both singles matches on Friday and Saturday’s doubles. The only loss came when Cyril Jacobe filled in for the team’s top player, Michael Leong, who had back pains after Friday’s victory. Jacobe lost to Iran’s top player, Shgahin Khaledan, 6-4 6-4.
SEEKING MONEY
In a bid to save her foundation, Andrea Jaeger has put her southern Colorado ranch up for sale. Originally listed for USD $12 million, proceeds from the sale of the 45,000-square-foot ranch and its 38 acres will go to Jaeger’s Little Star Foundation, a non-profit organization for children stricken by disease and poverty both in the United States and around the world. “When I started the foundation in 1990, our mission was to improve the quality of life of all children in need, but we quickly became known for our work on behalf of children with cancer,” said Jaeger, who retired from tennis in 1987 after suffering a career-ending shoulder injury.
STRIDING TO THE ALTER
According to a television report in Lahore, Pakistan’s top tennis player, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, is getting married. The bride is Faha Makhdum, who lives in Great Britain and has worked for the Pakistani High Commissioner in England. The 31-year-old Qureshi has become a heart throb of thousands of girls in Pakistan after his recent successes on a tennis court. Makhdum has a masters degree in therapeutic counseling.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Båstad: Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat Nuria Llagostera Vives and Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-3 6-3
Biarritz: Alexandra Panova and Urszula Radwanska beat Erika Sema and Roxane Vaisemberg 6-2 6-1
Budapest: Anabel Medina Garrigues and Alicja Rosolska beat Natalie Grandin and Vladimira Uhlirova 6-2 6-2
Newport: Matthew Ebden and Ryan Harrison beat Johan Brunstrom and Adil Shamasdin 4-6 6-3 10-5 (match tiebreak)
Pozoblanco: Michail Elgin and Alexander Kudryavtsev beat Illya Mrchenko and Denys Molchanov, walkover
SURFING
Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/
Sopot: www.bnpparibaspolishopen.pl
Hamburg: http://bet-at-home-open.com/
Baku: www.bakucup.az/
Atlanta: www.atlantatennischampionships.com/
Poznan: www.porscheopen.pl/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
MEN
$566,000 Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany, clay
$566,000 SkiStar Swedish Open, Båstad, Sweden, clay
$151,000 BNP Paribas Polish Open, Sopot, Poland, clay
$125,000 ATP Challenger, Bogota, Colombia, clay
$100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Aptos, California, USA, hard
WOMEN
$220,000 XXIV SANAI Open, Palermo, Italy, clay
$220,000 Nürnberger Gastein Ladies, Bad Gastein, Austria, clay
FED CUP
World Group II Playoffs: Japan vs. Argentina at Kobe, Japan, hard
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
$1,425,000 bet-at-home Open German Tennis Championships, Hamburg, Germany, clay
$531,000 Atlanta Tennis Championships, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, hard
$120,800 Poznan Porsche Open, Poznan, Poland, clay
WOMEN
$220,000 Baku Cup, Baku, Azerbaijan, clay
