STARS
David Nalbandian beat Marcos Baghdatis 6-2 7-6 (4) to win the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC, USA
Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-7 (7) 6-3 to win the Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego, California, USA
Caroline Wozniacki beat Klara Zakopalova 6-2 7-6 (5) to win the e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open in Copenhagen, Denmark
Robin Haase beat Flippo Volandri 6-2 7-6 (8) to win the San Marino CEPU Open in San Marino
Daniel Gimeno-Traver beat Adrian Mannarino 6-4 7-6 (2) to win the Open Castilla y Leon in Segovia, Spain
Dudi Sela beat Ricardas Berankis 7-5 6-2 to win the Odlum Brown Vanopen in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
SAYINGS
“I felt I played good all week. I’d been practicing well, but I didn’t expect to win my first tournament back.” – David Nalbandian, who, playing in his first tournament since April, won the Legg Mason Tennis Classic with a victory over Marcos Baghdatis.
“I think I did choke for the very first time in my life. I never had this choke before. I don’t know why it happened. Here I couldn’t make a ball. My knees were shaking.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, who botched four match points, including two double-faults, before finally winning the Mercury Insurance Open.
“It’s always disappointing when it’s a long, very tough match. I think it’s much easier to lose 6-1 6-1 and have no chance. But if it’s a match like this, it hurts.” – Agnieszka Radwanska, who lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in San Diego, California, USA
“I was feeling like I was still sleeping. Maybe I’m not going to come next year. If you like the tournament, if you like the place, then you always want to come back. But if you get an experience like that, we will see.” – Tomas Berdych, after losing to Xavier Malisse. Berdych complained about having to play the first afternoon match after playing a late match the night before.
“Oh, boy, I’m looking forward to it. We had some great matches together, but it’s been a long time and he hasn’t played for more than 15 years so I think we need to discuss a few things, both on and off the court.” – John McEnroe, after being told Ivan Lendl will make his senior circuit debut in Paris in October.
“It’s a big thing to say, ‘Look, there’s no American in the top 10.’ That’s certainly not something I take lightly. But it’s not that surprising when you look at the way the game has changed and the global nature of the game.” – Patrick McEnroe, general manager of player development for the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
SUPER TEAM
In a rare pairing, the world’s top two men players will take to the court as a doubles team. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and number two Novak Djokovic are teaming up at Toronto. The ATP said it believes this is the first time the men holding the top two spots in the ranking have partnered for doubles at a tournament since 1976 when number one Jimmy Connors paired with number two Arthur Ashe. The Connors-Ashe duo lost in the final at Washington, DC, in July 1976 and in the quarterfinals at North Conway, New Hampshire, USA, in August 1976. Nadal has won six career ATP doubles titles, including at Indian Wells, California, USA, in March, when he played with Marc Lopez. Djokovic has won one doubles crown, at Queen’s Club in London this past June, when he teamed with Jonathan Erlich.
SPECIAL MEETING
While twins Mike and Bob Bryan along with Sam Querrey were at the White House to play QuickStart tennis, they had an unexpected visitor – President Barack Obama. “These guys are the best doubles players in the world,” the president said of the Bryan brothers. “I read a great article about you in Sports Illustrated.” The president also talked briefly to Querrey. “I didn’t expect to meet the president today. We stayed a little longer and he showed up out of the blue,” Mike Bryan said. Querrey agreed. “It was very exciting to meet him. He thanked us for coming out and hitting with the kids. It was an honor to meet him and pretty exciting that he just popped in like that,” Querrey said. The stars hit with 100 local children as part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign and the United States Tennis Association’s QuickStart program.
SCINTILLATING PERFORMANCE
Talk about pressure. Caroline Wozniacki is Denmark’s top player, and the inaugural e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Wozniacki proved to be up to the task, capturing her second title of the year and eighth of her career by downing Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-2 7-6 (5) in the final. The Dane needed five match points to win, but she closed out the victory in 78 minutes.
STRONG RETURN
After missing most of the past year, David Nalbandian needed a wild card to get into the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. He wound up the week with a title and the role of being a strong contender for the US Open crown. Ranked 117th in the world, Nalbandian became the first player ranked outside the top 100 to win an ATP title this year when he stopped Marcos Baghdatis 6-2 7-6 (4) to capture the Washington, DC, event. It was Nalbandian’s 11th career title, but his first in the United States. The Legg Mason was Nalbandian’s first tournament since April; He had been sidelined with a bad left hamstring. That injury came when he returned to the tour after undergoing hip surgery and missing nearly 10 months. The Argentine was ranked as high as number three in the world and was a Wimbledon finalist in 2002.
SIDELINED AGAIN
Knee pain is keeping Venus Williams from playing in the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. In a statement, Williams said she returned to her normal practice schedule and began to feel pain in her left knee. She said her medical advisers recommended she not play until she is pain free.
Samantha Stosur has also pulled out of the Cincinnati tournament, citing an arm injury that has bothered her since her first match at the Stanford Classic. After losing in the quarterfinals to Italy’s Flavia Pennetta at the San Diego Open, Stosur went to the hospital where she was advised to rest her arm. “It’s like a really strong, heavy ache when it starts and I can’t get rid of it until I get off the court,” Stosur said. “I can’t work out what’s going on.”
STRONG FIELD
The Hopman Cup is getting some heavy hitters. Tournament director Paul McNamee said reigning Australian Open champion Serena Williams and former number one Justine Henin will play in next January’s competition in Perth, Australia. Also signed for the 22-year-old tournament are Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic, Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt and Frenchman Gael Monfils. It will be Henin’s first appearance in Perth, while Williams will be playing in the Hopman Cup for the third time, having won the event on both of her previous visits.
STREAK OVER
Never before has there been no American man ranked in the top ten in the world since the rankings began in 1973. That is until now as Andy Roddick has fallen from number nine in the world to number 12. The last four Americans playing in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC, USA – Roddick, John Isner, Mardy Fish and Ryan Sweeting – all lost in the third round. Only four other Americans were in the draw, Sam Querrey being ousted in the second round and Rajeev Ram, Kevin Kim and James Blake all losing their opening matches. American men are in their longest Grand Slam title drought since the Open Era began in 1968. No American has won a men’s singles crown since Roddick captured the US Open in 2003. “I don’t think the US has anything to panic about. There are so many good players,” said Xavier Malisse of Belgium. “There are so many young kids knocking on the door, too, so it’s just a matter of time, I think, and good guidance.”
SUPER SENIOR
After spending 16 years away from tennis, former world number one Ivan Lendl will compete on the ATP Champions Tour. And he picked a special city for his senior circuit debut: the Jean Luc Lagardere Trophy in Paris on October 1-3. Now 50 years old, Lendl won his first Grand Slam tournament title at Roland Garros when he came from two sets down to defeat John McEnroe in 1984. He added two more French Open crowns before retiring in 1994. Besides Lendl and McEnroe, others who will compete in the senior event include two other former French Open champions, France’s Yannick Noah and Sweden’s Mats Wilander.
STRAIGHT IN
Proving that the US Open is really open to all players, Alexandra Mueller has earned a berth in the qualifying for the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. Mueller beat Alina Jidkova 6-0 6-3 to best 372 other women and capture the inaugural US Open National Playoffs, good enough for a spot in the qualifying tournament. The 22-year-old Mueller, from Abington, Pennsylvania, received a wild card into the 2004 US Open qualifying and has won three United States Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit titles this year. This will be her first trip to Flushing Meadows since receiving a doubles wild card entry in 2007.
SPONSORSHIP REWARDED
The Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Award for ongoing contribution to tennis will be given to Mercedes-Benz at the 30th annual “Legends Ball” on September 10 in New York City. The Cullman Award honors an exceptional company that shares Joe Cullman’s enthusiasm for tennis and has made a significant contribution to society at large. Over the past 16 years Mercedes-Benz supported professional tennis with hundreds of tournaments around the world. “The wise investment that Mercedes-Benz has made in tennis has been integral to the growth of the sport around the world,” said Christopher E. Clouser, chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum (ITHF&M). “They have been and continue to be avid supporters of tennis. For that we are proud to honor them alongside the other great champions and legends of the game.” Others being honored at the “Legends Ball” will be Martina Navratilova and the Hall of Fame Class of 2010 – Todd Woodbridge, Mark Woodforde, Gigi Fernandez, Natasha Zvereva, Owen Davidson, Brad Parks and Derek Hardwick. The “Legends Ball” has been held annually since 1980, bringing the tennis world together to celebrate the history of the game and honor some of the sport’s great contributors. The evening also raises money for the ITHF&M.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Copenhagen: Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Groenefeld beat Vitalia Diatchenko and Tatiana Poutchek 6-4 6-4
San Diego: Maria Kirilenko and Zheng Jie beat Liza Raymond and Rennae Stubbs 6-4 6-4
San Marino: Daniele Bracciali and Lovro Zovko beat Yves Allegro and James Cerretani 2-6 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak)
Segovia: Thiago Alves and Franco Ferreiro beat Brian Battistone and Harsh Mankad 6-2 5-7 10-8 (match tiebreak)
Vancouver: Trent Conrad Huey and Dominic Inglot beat Ryan Harrison and Jesse Levine 6-4 7-5
Washington: Mardy Fish and Mark Knowles beat Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek 4-6 7-6 (7) 10-7 (match tiebreak)
SITES TO SURF
Segovia: www.teniselespinar.com/
Toronto: www.rogerscup.com/men/english/home.php
Cincinnati: www.cincytennis.com/
Montreal: www.rogerscup.com/
Algarve: www.grandchampions.org
Knokke: www.optimaopen.be
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
ATP
$2,430,000 Rogers Cup, Toronto, Canada, hard
$100,000 American Express TED Open, Istanbul, Turkey, hard
WTA
$2,000,000 Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, hard
SENIORS
Vale Do Lobo Grand Champions CGD, Algarve, Portugal, hard
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
ATP
$2,430,000 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Cincinnati, Ohio, hard
WTA
$2,000,000 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, hard
SENIORS
The Optima Open, Knokke, Belgium, hard
