nicolas almagro

Player fields announced for 2012 Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs in Atlanta: This week in tennis business with Justin Cohen

November 28, 2012 by Justin Cohen

By Justin Cohen

Wild Cards Announced for 2012 Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs

The USTA announced on Tuesday that former Top 30 player Bethanie Mattek-Sands (Rochester, Minn.), former US Open junior champion Jack Sock (Lincoln, Neb.) and two-time reigning NCAA singles champion Steve Johnson (Orange, Calif.) are among the players competing in the 2012 Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs, held December 14-16, at Life Time Athletic & Tennis at Peachtree Corners in Norcross, Ga., a certified USTA Regional Training Center. Eight men and eight women will compete in the fourth annual Wild Card Playoffs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with each winner earning a singles main draw wild card into the 2013 Australian Open. The USTA secured the opportunity through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia, where the two national tennis federations exchanged wild cards for the 2012 US Open and 2013 Australian Open. The men’s field also includes Bradley Klahn (Poway, Calif.), Rhyne Williams (Knoxville, Tenn.), Denis Kudla (Arlington, Va.), Tennys Sandgren (Gallatin, Tenn.), Christian Harrison (Shrevport, La.) and Daniel Kosakowski (Huntington Park, Calif.). The women’s field also includes Irina Falconi (Jupiter, Fla.), Mallory Burdette (Jackson, Ga.), Madison Keys (Rock Island, Ill.), Julia Cohen (Philadelphia), Maria Sanchez (Modesto, Calif.), Alison Riske (Pittsburgh) and Alexa Glatch (Newport Beach, Calif.). To help kick off the fourth annual Australian Open Wild Card Playoff, 2012 Olympic men’s doubles gold medal winners and 12-time Grand Slam doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan will play a unique exhibition, the “Battle of Georgia,” taking on five select doubles teams from the state each in a first-to-four-games exhibition match on Friday, December 14, at Life Time.

Western & Southern Open Sells More Than $400,000 in Gift Cards during Cyber Monday Promo

In a record-setting holiday promotion for the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, tournament fans purchased $40,750 worth of tournament “Court Cards” from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on November 26, 2012. The one-day promotion offered tournament Court Cards at a 10 percent discount. A Court Card is redeemable for tickets at the tournament box office, and food, beverage and merchandise at the Lindner Family Tennis Center during the event. The Western & Southern Open is one of only five professional tennis events in the world (outside of the grand slams) to feature top-level men’s and women’s tournaments playing concurrently at the same venue during the same week. The event is played in Mason, OH, 20 miles north of Cincinnati. Interesting facts from the Cyber Monday promotion included: An order was placed an average of every 8.5 minutes, 320 total Court Cards were purchased, the most popular denomination of gift cards ordered was $100, an average of $1,698 of card value was ordered every hour and cards were ordered from 19 different states. The 2013 Western & Southern Open will be held from August 10-18.

Li Na, Wozniacki Headline BNP Paribas Showdown in Hong Kong

World class tennis returns to Hong Kong after a two-year absence as a pair of Top 10 stars of women’s tennis will be joined by two legends of the men’s game for the BNP Paribas Showdown on March 4 at the AsiaWorld-Arena. Li Na, Asia’s first Grand Slam champion, will take on two-time year-end world No. 1 and Grand Slam finalist Caroline Wozniacki while eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl will renew his rivalry with John McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, during the event in Hong Kong. The BNP Paribas Showdown will be produced by StarGames, Inc., in conjunction with the Hong Kong Tennis Association. It marks the first time the AsiaWorld-Arena has played host to such an international tennis event. BNP Paribas, a leader in banking and financial services and the world No. 1 tennis partner, will support this event as title sponsor. Additional event sponsors include Fiji Water, Getty Images, Wilson and PURE Fitness and Yoga. “Once more, BNP Paribas is proud to bring the best of tennis to Asia by supporting this outstanding sporting event, as it does with the same acclaimed tennis event in New York. We are excited to share our passion and enthusiasm for tennis with the fans in Hong Kong” said Paul Yang, Chief Executive Officer for BNP Paribas Hong Kong. “The BNP Paribas Showdown gives the bank a perfect opportunity to accelerate the growing awareness of our brand in Asia and it reaffirms our commitment and loyalty to this region and to this sport.” The matches will take place the same night as an event with the same name is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City as part of the first annual “World Tennis Day.” Serena Williams will play Victoria Azarenka in the first match in New York, followed by Rafael Nadal against Juan Martin del Potro.

McEnroe, Haas Sign On for 2012 Necker Cup

Seven-time Grand Slam Champion and tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe has agreed to play in the first annual Necker Cup, joining world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the Bryan Brothers and other current and past ATP players in the Premier Tennis Travel hosted pro-am on Sir Richard Branson’s private island, Necker Island, in the British Virgin Islands. Additionally, Necker Cup organizers at Premier Tennis Travel have announced that current ATP veteran, former World No. 2 and 2012 Comeback Player of the Year Tommy Haas has signed on to play in what is being billed as the world’s most exclusive pro-am. A former Australian Open and Wimbledon semifinalist, Haas has won 14 career ATP singles and doubles titles, as well as a silver medal in the 2000 Olympic Games. Amateurs can book a spot in the Necker Cup Pro-Am by calling (001) 800-376-0975 or by visiting www.NeckerCup.com.

Former ATP Chief Mark Miles Lands New Role as CEO at IndyCar’s Parent Company

According to an article written by Matt Cutler on SportsBusiness.com, experienced sports industry executive Mark Miles has been named CEO of Hulman & Co, parent company of the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) and the sport’s media and technology partner IMS Productions. In the sports world, Miles served as CEO of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of men’s tennis, from 1990 to 2005. Before that he led Indianapolis’ staging of the 1987 Pan American Games, while he also served as chairman of the board for the city’s hosting of the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl last year. Miles added: “I’m excited about joining the team and contributing my lifetime learning from international professional sports, large-scale major sports events and business environments. I have worked for companies with global profiles and brands, and I’m happy to continue that on behalf of the Hulman-George family and its significant business interests.”

Wilson Unveils New Racket Series for 2013

Building upon the success of one of its most popular rackets among Next Gen tour players, Wilson Racquet Sports is unveiling the next evolution of the Blade™ racket series for 2013, engineered for hard-hitting players that want to maximize control, spin and feel. The new rackets take control to the next level and feature Wilson’s proprietary Amplifeel™ handle technology for optimal feel, as well as an enhanced modulus graphite construction for added control. A new sleek black and silver cosmetic, inspired by tour players, rounds out the revamped product family. “I had a great time testing the Blade 98,” said Milos Raonic. “The increased level of feel and control gives me exactly what I am looking for in 2013. It looks and feels great for my game.” The Blade 98™ is now available in an additional 16×19 (318g) spin-enhancing string pattern. Milos Raonic leads the charge of Blade 98 players, and newest Wilson team member, Gael Monfils, switched to Wilson to play with the new racket. Wilson Next Gen players Laura Robson, David Goffin and Elina Svitolina are already adding wins to their career records. Included in the group are the Blade 93™, Blade 98 and Blade 104™. Used by 75 percent of Wilson’s Next Gen team, the rackets will be available at retail December 1.

Murray, Hewitt, Raonic Headline 2013 Brisbane International Field

World No. 3 and defending US Open Champion Andy Murray and former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt headline a strong player field at the 2013 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. Five Top 20 players have signed up for the Australian Open tune-up event including No. 13 Milos Raonic, No. 16 Gilles Simon, 2012 Brisbane runner-up and World No. 18 Alexandr Dolgopolov, as well as No. 19 Kei Nishikori. Other set to compete in Brisbane in January include Marcos Baghdatis, Tommy Robredo, Australian No. 1 Marinko Matosevic, David Goffin, Martin Klizan, Radek Stepanek, Jurgen Melzer, Florian Meier, Jarkko Nieminen and Paul-Henri Mathieu. This year’s tournament will take place from December 30, 2012 – January 6, 2013.

Bryan Brothers help Eric Butorac Raise $50,000 During Charity Event in Minnesota

With the help from fellow ATP players Bob and Mike Bryan, Nicholas Monroe, Brian Battistone and Michael Yani, doubles specialist Eric Butorac was able to raise more than $50,000 during his fourth annual charity event, Eric Butorac’s Minnesota Tennis Challenge on November 17 in Eden Prairie. “It feels so great to give back to the Minnesota tennis community,” Butorac says. “It is the place where I enjoyed most of my tennis development and hope that many others can share the same opportunities that I had.” Hosted by Wayne Bryan at Life Time Athletic in Eden Prairie, the charitable cause raised more than $50,000 for inner city tennis programs in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Proceeds benefited the Fred Wells Tennis & Education Center, Inner City Tennis, Saint Paul Urban Tennis and the Rochester Boys and Girls Club. The event saw 1,000 people turn out for the festivities, featuring a clinic, doubles Pro-Am, VIP reception, a doubles match between Butorac/Monroe and the top-ranked Bryans, and an auction and gala.

Ryan Harrison Invitational Raises Funds for Wounded Warriors Project

Ryan Harrison and fellow Americans Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Ryan Sweeting, Scott Lipsky and Christian Harrison came together recently in Shreveport, Louisiana to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project in the first annual Ryan Harrison Invitational. “I could not be happier with the way things went this first year of the Ryan Harrison Invitational,” said the 20-year-old Harrison. “I am so grateful for what our troops do to preserve our freedom and rights here in the United States and around the world and I am glad that we could all come together to help raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. They sacrifice so much for us.” Several hundred people turned out for the charity event, which featured a gala, kids clinic and exhibition. The gala on Saturday night, which included dinner, dancing, a meet and greet, as well as a singing performance by Ryan’s younger brother Christian, raised approximately $20,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Juan Carlos Ferrero to Coach Nicolas Almagro Part-Time

According to a report on TENNIS.com by Matt Cronin, the recently retired Juan Carlos Ferrero will coach fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro on a part-time basis. Ferrero told journalists during the Davis Cup final that he does not want to travel full-time, but will accompany Almagro to the ATP event in Acapulco in February.

Dimitrov to be Coached by Swedish Team

World No. 48 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria will now be coached by the Good to Great Tennis Academy in Sweden, which is run by former ATP players Magnus Norman, Nicklas Kulti and Mikael Tillstrom. Dimitrov was most recently coached by Patrick Mouratoglou at his academy in Paris. Tillstrom will accompany Dimitrov at the Australian tournaments in January 2013.

Federer to skip Miami Masters, Monte Carlo, Paris Bercy in 2013

As Roger Federer typically does around the Thanksgiving holiday, he releases his tournament schedule for the upcoming season. In 2013, Federer will skip the Miami Masters in March, a tournament he has played every year since 1999. The 17-time Grand Slam Champion will also skip Monte Carlo and is not scheduled to play in his hometown event in Basel. The Swiss will begin tournament play in 2013 at the Australian Open, and then play ATP 500 tournaments in Rotterdam and Dubai, followed by the Indian Wells Masters. He will then take seven weeks off before returning on clay in Madrid, then play the week after that in Rome and head to Roland Garros. He will again play the grass court warm-up tournament in Halle (his only ATP 250-level event) before heading to Wimbledon. During the North American summer, Federer will play Canada, Cincinnati, and the US Open. In the fall, he is only scheduled to play Shanghai before the ATP World Tour Finals (assuming he qualifies), which means he will skip the Masters in Paris/Bercy again.

Jan Kodes: Czechs Have 50-50 Chance To Win Davis Cup Against Spain

November 14, 2012 by Admin

By Jan Kodes

Jan Kodes of the Czech Republic, the 1973 Wimbledon champion, 1970-71 French Open champion and the 1971 and 1973 US Open singles runner-up, is the author of the book A JOURNEY TO GLORY FROM BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN, a one-of-a-kind coffee table book that documents the history of tennis in the Czech Republic. The book features an incredible array of historic and never seen before photos and many anecdotes and stories about Czech players including Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl and many others. It is available for 24 percent off here: http://www.amazon.com/Jan-Kodes-Journey-Behind-Curtain/dp/0942257685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320242085&sr=1-1 Kodes was a member of the only Czech team to win the Davis Cup back in 1980. He also lead the Czechs to its first appearance in the Davis Cup final in 1975.

The up-coming Spain vs. Czech Republic Davis Cup final this weekend in Prague should be a heavy test for Czech players Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek.

The team has selected a fast indoor surface in its attempt to win the Davis Cup trophy for the first time since 1980 and for only the second time in history. Back in 1980, at the indoor ice hockey stadium on a rubber carpet supreme court, the Czech team won the Davis Cup for the first time, 4-1 over Italy. That Czech team was made up of Ivan Lendl, Tomas Smid, Pavel Slozil and myself.

The Spaniards have arrived in Prague without Rafael Nadal and therefore I rate the chances of the Czechs of winning the Cup at 50-50. This is the fourth Davis Cup final for the Czech team. We lost to Sweden on a fast indoor court in Stockholm by a 3-2 margin, where I lost to Bjorn Borg in the match that clinched the win for Sweden. In 1980, the Czech team beat Italy 4-1 where Lendl powered our team to victory and Smid beat Adriano Panatta in five sets in the opening match. In 2009, Tomas Berdych and the Czech team were beaten 5-0 by Spain on clay in Barcelona.

Who will win this time? The Spanish doubles team of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez just won the ATP World Tour Finals in London! David Ferrer has had a great season winning seven ATP singles titles and Nicolas Almagro, who reached top 10 this year, likely playing in the second singles position. For sure this will be an open tie and the Czechs must believe in Berdych to win both of his singles matches. Radek Stepanek, the Czech big fighter star, might surprise on the opening day. Can he beat Ferrer? This could be a key match too!

Both Czech players had to play all three days so far during their run, but they were also a little lucky. Against Serbia in quarterfinals, Novak Djokovic did not show up and with Argentina in Buenos Aires in the semifinals, Juan Martin Del Potro give up the tie after winning his opening match.

The Czechs have a strong chance to win at home and must take it just like the Czech women did in winning the Fed Cup also in Prague. The Czechs have had many several solid performances in getting to the final and are deserving of being Davis Cup champions. However, they have to play great tennis for one more weekend!

Francesca Schiavone ends drought, finally wins again — Mondays with Bob Greene

May 28, 2012 by Bob Greene

By Bob Greene

STARS

Agnieszka Radwanska beat Simona Halep 7-5, 6-0 to win the Brussels Open in Brussels, Belgium

Nicolas Almagro beat Brian Baker 6-3 6-2 to win the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur in Nice, France

Francesca Schiavone beat Alizé Cornet 6-4 6-4 to win the Internaionaux de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France

Serbia beat the Czech Republic 3-0 to win the Power Horse World Team Cup in Düesseldorf, Germany

Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-3 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia men’s singles in Rome, Italy

SAYING

“Today was one of those matches you want to keep in your mind for the rest of the season, because I couldn’t have played much better. Today was amazing. I am happy with my form, my tennis and my team. We will aim to keep working hard, so I play, in future, as I did today.” – Nicolas Almagro, after winning in Nice, France.

“It was a great week. Every time you go onto court you want to win. I am a competitor, I hate losing. But it has been an unbelievable week. I hoped to qualify at the start of the week and win a match or two before going to Roland Garros. Obviously I did much better than that.” – Brian Baker, a qualifier who lost in the Nice final.

“It’s a great feeling and I want to keep going this way. I’m happy again. I’m feeling the sensation of fighting and feeling the pain, and enjoying my game again.” – Francesca Schiavone, who won in Strasbourg, France.

“In principle, I will stop after the US Open. That’s the tournament where I have had my greatest triumphs and it is therefore very special to me. The (Arthur Ashe) stadium is about 45 minutes from our house in the United States and so my in-laws can be there.” –Kim Clijsters, announcing her pending retirement from tennis.

“We both played very solid. I was a bit lucky at the end of both sets. In the second set, his string broke on a very important point, but I felt I deserved to win. I was the better player today in the crucial moments of the match.” – Janko Tipsarevic, after helping Serbia capture the World Team Cup.

“I knew he was a bit more tired than me. I was using that and at the end I played good. I also want to thank Janko. He won all of his matches and he helped me a lot today with the pressure. I also want to thank Nenad and Miki. It was great.” – Viktor Troicki, a member of Serbia’s World Team Cup champions.

“It’s a huge accomplishment just to be here. The biggest challenge was to learn how to live with it and that the key is to be here and to try my best right now.” – Venus Williams, who was off the WTA Tour from the US Open until Miami, Florida, in March after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome.

“It’s the second title with (my daughter) Micaela now. Her birth put the tour and my career into perspective. I’m playing for my family now. It’s not more pressure, but it’s more fun. I’m happy to be traveling the world with the two people I love, Michelle and Micaela. I’m happy to make memories with them.” – Bob Bryan, who teamed with brother Mike to win the doubles in Nice.

“You can’t fake it out here. I move horrendously out here. My first step is just so bad on this stuff. I feel like I’m always shuffling or hopping or not stopping or something. My footwork on this stuff is really bad.” – Andy Roddick, after losing his first-round French Open match to Nicolas Mahut.

“I think its harder getting back than actually getting there in the first place. I had to work really hard. I feel like myself again and I’m enjoying competition. I’m just enjoying being out there and challenging top players and to be challenged as well. I think that’s what it’s all about.” – Ana Ivanovic, explaining her rollercoaster career since winning the 2008 French Open.

“When I walk on the court I don’t think whether I am young or old. The only thing I try to do is play well.” – Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 Roland Garros winner who won his first-round French Open victory over Jonathan Dasnieres De Veigy.

“I went to practice today and mistakenly took Venus’s racquet bag. Thank goodness we use the same amazing racquet! Thanks Vee.” – Serena Williams.

“It’s a great feeling, just very nice. I love this tournament. Even before I won I always enjoyed coming here. It’s special atmosphere here, I’m really enjoying it.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova “ – Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2009 French Open women’s champion.

“I have nothing to lose. I have no points to lose. Last time I lost in the third round. If I was to lose in the first round, I would lose 90 points, so that’s peanuts. It’s not my favorite surface at the moment. Trust me, I’ll have more pressure at Wimbledon.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, following his first-round French Open victory.

“The first year they had it, there were only a few matches and it didn’t feel like the tournament had really started, it didn’t feel like it was happening with fewer players around. But now with a full schedule, it really feels like the first day of the event.” – Samantha Stosur, on beginning the French Open on a Sunday.

“It’s nice to be on a real clay court again and actually feel like you can play more clay court tennis. I think one of the things that’s probably annoyed a lot of people is that you’re on a clay court but you can’t play real clay court tennis.” – Samantha Stosur, the latest player to criticize the blue clay court used in the Madrid, Spain, tournament.

SCHIAVONE SUCCESSFUL

It has been a while since Francesca Schiavone has held the winner’s trophy. When the Italian beat Alizé Cornet in the final of the Internationaux de Strasbourg, it was her first title since she captured Roland Garros in 2010. In fact, it was the first time she has been in a final since the French Open a year ago, when she lost to Li Na. At Strasbourg, Schiavone didn’t drop a set en route to her fifth career WTA title, all but one coming on clay. “In this tournament, in the most important moments, I was there,” Schiavone said. “It has been a long time since I’ve felt that.” Cornet was playing in her first final since she won her only career title at Budapest in 2008.

SEES THE END

The US Open has been the high point of the career of Kim Clijsters. It will also be her farewell. Belgian news agency Belga reported that the 28-year-old Clijsters has confirmed that she will retire at the end of this year’s US Open. Clijsters retired the first time for more than two years, during which she was married and gave birth to a daughter. When she returned to the WTA tour, she captured America’s premiere tournament and became the first wild card entry to win a Grand Slam women’s singles title. She repeated at New York’s Flushing Meadow in 2010 – her third US Open crown – and added the Australian Open in 2011. Throughout her career she has been hampered by injuries, and had to pull out of the current French Open, a tournament she has never won although twice reaching the final. She plans on playing Wimbledon next month and the London Olympics – the tennis competition will be played on the Wimbledon grass courts. “The Olympic fever is starting to build,” Clijsters said.

SIXTH ROME TITLE

It took an extra day, but Rafael Nadal won the BNL Internazionali in Rom for the sixth time. The men’s final was delayed a day by rain, and when he finally took the court, the Spanish star knocked off top-ranked Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-3. The win was Nadal’s second in a row over Djokovic after suffering a seven-match losing streak to Serb, all coming in finals. Even though Nadal won, both players said the match would not impact on their French Open fortunes. “The match today was quite close, even if he won in straight sets,” Djokovic said. “I made unforced errors and I don’t think he played extremely well. I will go to Paris with confidence.” Nadal agreed. “I didn’t consider myself that good. I can do better,” he said. “You cannot expect to be perfect and your opponent is not going to be perfect all the time. When you are losing finals like I did last year, and one this year, you have to keep control of your emotions.”

SERBIA REIGNS

For the second time in four years Serbia has come out on top at the Power Horse World Team Cup in Düesseldorf, Germany. Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki, who were part of the 2009 title-winning team, helped Serbia blank the Czech Republic 3-0 in the final. Tipsarevic beat Tomas Berdych 7-5 7-6 (8) before Troicki rallied to stop Radek Stepanek 2-6 6-4 6-3 to clinch the team title. Tipsarevic then teamed with Nenad Zimonjic to complete the clean sweep for Serbia.

SIGHT ON OLYMPICS

Venus Williams is keeping her eye on the London Olympics. After sitting on the sidelines from the US Open until Miami, Florida, USA, two months ago, the 34-year-old American is trying to be in a position to win a fourth and possible fifth Olympic gold medal. She won the singles in Sydney, Australia, in 2000 and captured the doubles gold medal with her sister Serena in Sydney and the 2008 Games in Beijing, China. Because of her illness, her ranking slipped to 134th in the world. Each nation can have a maximum of four tennis players at the Games, but none with a ranking over 56th in the world. After quarterfinal finishes in Miami, Charleston and Rome, Venus is currently ranked 53rd – the third highest-ranked American behind Serena and Christine McHale. Ranking places at the end of Roland Garros, where Williams didn’t play last year and therefore has no points to defend, will decide the Olympics lineup. “My main goal is the Olympics. If I reach that then I will be home free – you might not see me again,” Venus said. In Paris, Venus won her first-round match, coming from behind to beat Paula Ormaechea of Argentina 4-6 6-1 6-3.

SUPER SPANIARD

Nicolas Almagro successfully defending his Nice Open title by beating American qualifier Brian Baker 6-3 6-2 in the final. It was Almagro’s second tournament win of the year and the 12th of his career. The 27-year-old Baker played in his first ATP final after missing almost six years and undergoing five surgeries, including three hip operations and one on his elbow. He returned to tennis last July, playing Futures events. “Baker lost the final today, but he is back, he is playing very good,” Almagro said of his opponent. “I think if he plays as he did this week, then he will win many, many tournaments.”

SIBLING SUCCESS

Brother Bob and Mike Bryan continued their winning ways at the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur, beating Olivier Marach and Filip Polasek. It was the third ATP World Tour title of the season for the American twins and their 78th career tour-level title. “We’re obviously very happy we came,” Mike Bryan said. “We’ve been playing well on the French Riviera the last few years. Our level improved with every match and we feel confident going into Roland Garros. We were up and down in the first set. We were down a break, so it was nice to fight back. I think we served well the whole week, especially today.”

SO CLOSE, SO FAR AWAY

Forgive Simona Halep if she feels she got trampled on the way to a title. The Romanian led 5-4, up a break and serving for the opening set in the final of the Belgian Open. That’s when Agnieszka Radwanska shifted into another gear. Radwanska ripped off the next nine games, including the final 10 points, to earn her third victory of the season, adding Brussels to the titles she earned in Dubai and Miami. Ranked third in the world, Radwanska now has 36 match wins this year, most on the WTA Tour. Halep has yet to win a title and is now 0-3 in WTA finals.

STANDING STILL

Spectators will get a rare chance to see Rafael Nadal being absolutely still. Actually, it’s not the Spanish tennis star, who is known for his mobility around the court, but a life-size statute of him that was unveiled at Madame Tussauds was museum in London. The wax figure shows Nadal preparing to carve a backhand slice. It took a team of 20 stylists, sculptors and artists working together for four months to complete the figure.

SLICK STAT

ATP World Tour statistics guru Greg Sharko notes that Rafael Nadal was perfect this year in winning three clay court tournaments before Roland Garros. Nadal won all 30 sets while capturing titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome. That’s the best the Spaniard has ever done, although last year he was 20-0 in clay court match play entering the French Open. But he won just two clay court events last year prior to Paris.

SWITCHING LABELS

Novak Djokovic has ended his contract with Italian clothing company Sergio Tacchini International. The top-ranked Serb will now don Uniqlo clothing on and off the court after signing a five-year deal with the Japanese firm. Owned by Asia’s biggest clothing retailer, Fast Retailing Co., Uniqlo also sponsors Japan’s top male player, Kei Nishikori. According to the company, Djokovic will have design input into his own outfits.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Brussels: Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sania Mirza beat Alicja Rosolska and Zheng Jie 6-3 6-2

Nice: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Olivier Marach and Filip Polasek 7-6 (5) 6-3

Strasbourg: Olga Govortsova and Klaudia Jans-Ignacik beat Natalie Grandin and Vladimira Uhlirova 6-7 (4) 6-3 10-3 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Paris: www.rolandgarros.com

International Tennis Federation: www.itftennis.com

ATP World Tour: www.atpworldtour.com

WTA Tour: www.wtatennis.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN and WOMEN

Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (first week)

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (second week)
$113,614 UniCredit Czech Open, Prostejov, Czech Republic, clay

WOMEN

Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (second week)

Del Potro’s Latest Title Has French Flavor — Mondays With Bob Greene

February 27, 2012 by Bob Greene

STARS

Agnieszka Radwanska beat Julia Goerges 7-5 6-4 to win the Dubai Duty Free Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Jurgen Melzer beat Milos Raonic 7-5 7-6 (4) to win the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Juan Martin del Potro beat Michael Llodra 6-4 6-4 to win the Open 13 in Marseille, France

David Ferrer beat Nicolas Almagro 4-6 6-3 6-2 to win the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Timea Babos beat Alexandra Cadantu 6-4 6-4 to win the Whirlpool Monterrey Open in Monterrey, Mexico

Sofia Arvidsson beat Marina Erakovic 6-3 6-4 to win the Memphis International in Memphis, Tennessee, USA

SAYING

“I’m sorry I beat three French players in this tournament.” – Juan Martin del Potro, who won the Open 13 in Marseille, France, after beating Frenchmen Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra during the week.

“I just like indoor hard courts a lot. And there’s a different kind of atmosphere here, too. It feels like home. I have my own parking spot because I won here. Normally I play better when I’m having more fun somewhere.” – Sofia Arvidsson, who won in Memphis for the second time in three trips to the final, making it her best event by far on the WTA tour.

“I don’t know what’s happened to the weather here. I love it here, but it was very cold and it was windy out there, and it’s been a bit crazy with the dust too. I have been eating kilos of dust when I’ve been training. It’s not the same as some of the desserts.” – Jelena Jankovic, on the conditions in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“It’s strange that at the age of 24 I am considered old. It’s a great challenge for us players who have been around for a while. They are pushing us to get better, and I still believe that I can.” – Ana Ivanovic, referring to the rise in 2011 of Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova and other younger players.

“I played a really good match today, I kept my head in the game. I knew it was tough. He’s probably the best server on tour at the moment. Sometimes you just walk left to right without doing anything, but I felt like when the ball was in play and when I had my chances, I played really solid.” – Jurgen Melzer, after beating Milos Raonic to win the men’s singles in Memphis.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s too far out of my grasp. It’s like somebody dangling a piece of cake in front of my face and then taking it away at the last second. I’ll definitely be back.” – Milos Raonic, after losing the final at Memphis for the second straight year.

“I’ve been extremely close. I’m working hard, making all the right decisions and hopefully down the road I will pick up a few more. Did I miss some big opportunities? I think I put it more down to that than actually not playing as good (as previous years). At times I think I was even playing better. I’ve had some tough losses over the last couple of years, which have denied me a few Slams, I believe.” – Roger Federer, saying he could still win another Grand Slam tournament, something he hasn’t done since the 2010 Australian Open.

“I would like to come back and be one of those top players and be really successful again. I could make a list of the tournaments I want to win, but first of all I want is an Olympic Games medal. To wear it around my neck, shining, that would be special.” – Jelena Jankovic.

STROKIN’

Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro celebr — Juan Martin Del Potro (GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Juan Martin del Potro’s latest tournament title had a huge French flavor, and not just because the tournament was played in Marseille, France. The Argentine captured his 10th career ATP crown by beating local favorite Michael Llodra 6-4 6-4 at the Open 13. It was del Potro’s third consecutive victory over a Frenchman. After downing Russian Nikolay Davydenko in his first match, Del Potro began his French run by stopping Richard Gasquet, and then knocked off Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before eliminating Llodra. The 2009 US Open champion, del Potro was devastating on serve, conceding only 13 points and never facing a break point in the title match. “Beating Davydenko, Gasquet and Llodra is a great performance,” said del Potro, who annexed his first indoor title in his fourth final attempt. “It shows how I have improved.”

SUCCESS

Timea Babos is finally a champion. The Hungarian won her first WTA title by beating Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-4 6-4 in Monterrey, Mexico. The 18-year-old Babos dominated when serving, not allowing a single break point. Until the week before Monterrey, Babos had won only one match in a main draw. But she reached the semifinals at Bogotá, Colombia, before capturing the Monterrey Open title.

STOMPIN’

Not even a broken toe could slow down Jurgen Melzer. The Austrian won his fourth career title and first since 2010 by beating Milos Raonic in the final of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis. “If anybody would’ve said last Friday, especially in the morning after seeing the doctor, that I’ll be holding the trophy next Sunday, I would’ve called him a fool,” Melzer said. “But sometimes, you know, life plays games like that. Maybe it took a little bit of the pressure off in the beginning.” Melzer broke his right bit toe when he caught his foot in a hotel bedspread in the dark. A doctor discovered the break on an X-ray on Feb. 17. The Austrian returned to practice two days later and had to survive three-set tiebreakers in his first two rounds at Memphis. He showed no signs of discomfort as he won his first title since capturing Vienna in 2010. “If I play like this to win a tournament, I’ll break a toe any day,” Melzer said. It was only Raonic’s second loss of the year, his first being to Lleyton Hewitt in the third round of the Australian Open. The Canadian now has a 15-2 mark.

SURVIVOR

Agnieszka Radwanska survived her opening-round match, rallying from a 5-3 deficit in the third set to beat qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak. The rest of the week belonged to the Pole, who won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and rose in the rankings to fifth in the world. After her tight first-round battle, Radwanska lost only one more set, that being the second set against Jelena Jankovic before she ripped off a 6-0 third set.
During the week Goerges eliminated former number two Svetlana Kuznetsova and former number one Caroline Wozniacki before falling to Radwanska 7-5 6-4.

SPANISH STAR

Manuel Orantes, who upset Jimmy Connors to win the 1975 US Open, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July. The Spanish star of the 1970s and 1980s is the third member of the Class of 2012 to be announced, but the only inductee in the Master Player Category. It was previously announced that tennis administrator Mike Davies has been elected in the contributor Category and Randy Snow has been elected in the Recent Player Category for his achievements as a wheelchair tennis player. The Induction Ceremony will be held July 14 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. Orantes, now 62, was ranked as high as number two in the world. He won 33 singles titles and 22 doubles titles while finishing runner-up to Bjorn Borg at the 1974 French Open. He was a Davis Cup stalwart for Spain, compiling a record of 60 wins and 27 losses. In 2009, Orantes was presented the Davis Cup Award of Excellence by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation.

SIDELINED

An ankle injury forced top-ranked Victoria Azarenka to pull out of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Even though the Australian Open champion injured his left ankle during a semifinal match at the Qatar Open, she was able to capture that tournament. But the 22-year-old, who has won 17 straight matches to begin this season, rested for a few days, hoping the ankle would heal. During the break, the Belarusian went home to spend some time with her family.

SPEAKS OUT

Agnieszka Radwanska has a problem with world number one Victoria Azarenka. The 22-year-old Pole said she was “angry” and had lost respect for Azarenka, alleging that the Belarusian’s behavior in Doha, Qatar, had not been good for the image of the game. Radwanska was referring to Azarenka hobbling and wincing between rallies during parts of their semifinal match. But during the rallies Azarenka had no problem moving as she took a straight-sets victory. Radwanska also took the time to criticize the shrieking of Maria Sharapova. She described it as “pretty annoying” and “just too loud.” Radwanska then said: Of course everybody can make some noise. This is tennis. But I think it’s just too loud. I don’t think it’s very necessary to scream that loud.”

SLIPPING

Andy Roddick is having a hard time getting started this year. The one-time world number one lost his first-round match to Xavier Malisse 7-6 (8) 7-5 at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. Roddick was the defending champion at the Memphis, Tennessee, USA, tournament. It’s the earlier exit Roddick has made from the Memphis tournament in 12 appearances as he dropped to 27th in the ATP world rankings. Seeded second in the tournament, Roddick has been slowed by hamstring and ankle problems this season. He failed to capitalize on two set points in the first set and was broken in the last game of the match by the 31-year-old Belgian.

SINGULAR EFFORT

Memphis, Tennessee, is the lone WTA indoor tournament held in the United States these days as the women’s tour has grown world-wide and, for the most part, played outdoors. What a huge change. Twenty years ago, the 1992 WTA Kraft Tour played indoor tournaments in Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Oakland, California; Nashville, Tennessee; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Virginia Slims Championships in New York City.

SIXTH IN TITLES

Lisa Raymond continues to write her name in the record books. With Liezel Huber as her partner, Raymond won the doubles title at Dubai for the first time. It was Raymond’s 77th WTA doubles title as she passed Jana Novotna for sixth in the Open Era. The veteran American now trails only Martina Navratilova, Rosie Casals, Pam Shriver, Billie Jean King and Natasha Zvereva, all inductees of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Together, Raymond and Huber continue to dominate the women’s tour. The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title was their seventh as a team and third is as many weeks.

SONY SIGNUP

Venus William is seeking to play her first tournament since last August when she enters the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, in March. The elder Williams sister, who received a wild card into the hard-court event, hasn’t played singles since withdrawing from the US Open before her second-round match because of an autoimmune disease. Venus did team with Liezel Huber to win a doubles victory that capped a Fed Cup shutout for the United States against Belarus. Venus Williams has won the singles at Key Biscayne in 1998, 1999 and 2001. She was a finalist in 2010 and missed last year’s tournament with an injury.

Tournament officials also gave wild cards into the men’s singles to Fernando Gonzalez and David Nalbandian.

SOFIA’S HOME

You can’t blame Sofia Arvidsson for loving Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The Swede won the Memphis International title for the second time – her only career titles on the WTA tour. And it was the third time she has reached the final of the indoor tournament. She won the title in 2006 and was runner-up to Maria Sharapova in 2010. Arvidsson’s only other trip to a final was at Québec City in 2005, where she was runner-up to Amy Frazier. Sofia has won twice as many matches in Memphis that at any other – 18, with the next-highest being Québec City, where she has won nine matches. “I just love this place. It’s my second home,” Arvidsson said. “The fans here are great and the tournament takes such good care of the players, so it makes us all feel good.” In this year’s final, Arvidsson lost the first two games before beating Marina Erakovic 6-3 6-4. Erakovic was playing in her second final, and has yet to win a title.

SABATINI HONORED

Argentina’s Gabriela Sabatini received her Hall of Fame ring during the Copa Claro tournament in Buenos Aires. The one-of-a-kind ring is being presented to Hall of Famers at tennis events around the world over the next several years. Christopher Clouser, chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, presented the ring to Sabatini in an on-court ceremony. She won the US Open in 1990, defeating Stefanie Graf, and teamed with Graf to win the Wimbledon women’s doubles in 1988. As a member of the Argentine Olympic team in 1988 and 1996, Sabatini won a silver medal in 1988.

SPEAKING HER MIND

Caroline Wozniacki says she has lost respect for Martina Navratilova after the Hall of Famer said on television that the Dane had never deserved to be atop the world rankings. “I would never say Martina was number one when there was no-one playing,” Wozniacki said, “or that she was the best when no-one was playing. That would be disrespectful.” During a news conference at the Australian Open Navratilova said, “Clearly nobody feels Wozniacki is a true number one.” The 55-year-old Hall of Famer also criticized the ranking system that placed Wozniacki at number one for 68 weeks, saying it places too much emphasis on the quantity of wins rather than their quality. “She was unbelievable,” Wozniacki said of Navratilova. “She won so many Grand Slams, her touch was unbelievable. Martina Hingis was unbelievable as well – for me my favorite player. But I think they should respect players that are playing now as well. Because they know how hard it is. You don’t just wake up and say OK I want to win this tournament, and it just happens like this. At that point, you are like, they should just think a little bit.”

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Buenos Aires: David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco beat Michal Mertinak and Andre Sa 6-4 6-4

Dubai: Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond beat Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina 6-2 6-1

Marseille: Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Dustin Brown and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6 6-3 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Memphis (men): Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor beat Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 4-6 7-5 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Memphis (women): Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka beat Vera Dushevina and Olga Govortsova 6-3 6-4

Monterrey: Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci beat Kimiko Date-Krumm and Zhang Shuai 6-2 7-6 (6)

SURFING

Dubai: www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/
Delray Beach: www.yellowtennisball.com
Acapulco: http://abiertomextenis.com.mx
Kuala Lumpur: www.bmwmalaysianopen.com
Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,700,475 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard
$1,155,000 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco, Mexico, clay
$442,500 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard

WOMEN

$220,000 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco, Mexico, clay
$220,000 BMW Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard

SENIORS

Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$4,694,969 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (first week)

WOMEN

$5,536,664 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (first week)

Tomas Berdych: You Big Wimp!

January 22, 2012 by Charles Bricker

Tomas Berdych, you big wimp. Come on. Or, in the trendy words of some of the more hard-boiled women politicians out there, “Man up.”

Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic gest — Tomas Berdych

Big Bird got slammed in the upper arm at close range by Nicolas Almagro during a four-set, three-tiebreak win over the Spaniard in the fourth round at the Australian Open on Sunday and, incredibly, fell to the ground. If this was soccer, he’d have been shown the yellow card for taking a dive.

Yes, yes, I know. I’m not walking in Berdych’s size 15 shoes, and the guy who hit me on the side of my head with a point-blank volley in a Florida USTA district team match in Daytona Beach a couple years ago doesn’t wing it with Almagro’s pace.

But Berdych’s got a few inches and pounds on me and I never hit the ground. Furthermore, when I had lost this doubles match, I extended my hand, which is more than Berdych did, and for his petulance, he was booed off the court by a crowd that seemed ready to throw him on the barbie.

This was hardly the first time a player had plastered an opponent with a shot, and watching this minor drama unfold took me back to the WCT Finals in Dallas in 1989, where Ivan Lendl left some yellow fuzz on John McEnroe’s shirt. I’ll get back to that memorable act in a moment, but first let’s replay Berdych vs. Almagro.

I’m not aware of any bad blood there and, while Almagro has the look of one tough guy, he’s actually muy simpatico, along with the rest of the Spanish players. Berdych had hit an approach shot and was now closing on the net, where he next hit a little touch backhand volley that came down short and near Nicolas’ right sideline.

Almagro, on the run, got there on schedule, a few inches behind the service line, and cracked one pretty hard at Berdych. Almagro then leaned on the net with hand up, which I interpreted as a genuine apology. Apparently, Berdych disagreed.

Tomas never got his racket up, and I’m not faulting him for that. But getting hit in that sort of situation is part of the game. I’m not recommending you deliberately try to hit your opponent, but if that’s the shot you think you have to hit to win the point, so be it. It ain’t Chinese checkers out there.

Now, 12 years ago, when Johnny Mac and Lendl were at the top of the game and there was a fair amount of grouchiness among the two of them and Jimmy Connors, Lendl hit a service return in the WCT championships that McEnroe, serving-and-volleying, had to half-volley, backhand side. The ball popped up and Ivan the Terrible, with one of those delicious buggy-whip forehands, drove the ball into McEnroe’s chest. No question there was malice aforethought.

As Lendl turned away to go back to the baseline, he lifted his racket for a contrived “sorry.” McEnroe, meanwhile, now on his knees, glowered at Lendl. Of course, the audience loved it. By comparison, this incident Sunday doesn’t even half-rise to the same angry level.

One final thought. When the Williams sisters were teenagers, and before they turned professional, father Richard had a drill which prepared them for anyone who wanted to hammer them with point-blank shots.

He would put one daughter, then the other, at the service line and order their latest hitting partner, who was male, to stand near the net and slam shots right at them. The message was simple. Get your racket up or get a mouthful of ball.

Are you listening, Tomas?

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com.

Serena Williams in, Sharapova out as US Open reaches halfway point

September 5, 2011 by Bob Greene

STARS

(US Open, First Round)

Flavia Pennetta beat third-seeded Maria Sharapova 6-3 3-6 6-4

Serena Williams beat fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka 6-1 7-6 (5)

Alexandra Dulgheru beat fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova 7-6 (3) 6-3

Simona Halep beat sixth-seeded Li Na 6-2 7-5

Juan Carlos Ferrero beat seventh-seeded Gael Monfils 7-6 (5) 5-7 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-4

Christina McHale beat eighth-seeded Marion Bartoli 7-6 (2) 6-2

Janko Tipsarevic beat ninth-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-4 5-0 retired

Julien Benneteau beat 10^th-seeded Nicolas Almagro 6-2 6-4 6-3

SAYING

“I just have cramping in my leg. That’s all. I don’t know. There are no questions. I already finished my press conference in English. I talked half an hour. I just have cramping in front and behind. That’s why I was so painful. That’s all.” – Rafael Nadal, explaining his cramping and sliding out of his chair to the floor during the English portion of his post-match news conference following his third-round victory over David Nalbandian.

“First two sets were ideal. I could not play better. I mean, I was getting a lot of balls back, I was ending the points when I needed to, I was making a lot of winners, my serve was OK, return was great. I felt fantastic on the court. There is not much I can say when everything seems fun and when you’re playing such good tennis.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning his second-round match 6-0 6-0 6-2.

“I hate losing. I’m the worst loser in the world. I’m still working on that. But, you know, that kinda keeps me motivated and keeps me going.” – Serena Williams, after losing just three games in her first two matches.

“You’re supposed to have a few nerves. If you don’t, you don’t care. So I do care a lot. That’s maybe why.” – Roger Federer, admitting he was a little nervous before his second-round win over Dudi Sela.

“Before I come to the court, I never think like I was Grand Slam champion. French Open is like three month already. I mean, is enough time to forget. Now is hard court season. You have to focus on hard court. You can’t only think about what you do on clay court. If you think about clay, you have to think about next year, not this year.” – Li Na, French Open champion, after losing her first-round match.

“Sometimes I feel like it’s a great experience for me to be in this position. I’m having a ton of fun with it. But sometimes I feel like I’m playing with house money a little bit just because I just would never have imagined two years ago, in 2009, not even having to come back here [following knee surgery], to be in this position. So it’s great. It’s just great.” – Mardy Fish, following his first-round victory, on playing the 2011 US Open as the top-ranked American.

“They can say what they want. I’m the type of player I am. I’ve won a lot of tournaments. I’m number one in the world, and of course I can still improve. There are a lot of things to my game I can still improve, but everyone can.” – Caroline Wozniacki, responding to critics who say she needs to develop a big shot to win a Grand Slam tournament.

“I think everyone’s light turns on at their own time. I’m starting to feel like mine is turning on. Not everybody does it when everybody expects it to be done. I wish it could have been earlier. It’s starting to come now and I’m excited about it.” – Donald Young, who is finally winning matches on the ATP Tour seven years after reaching the number one ranking in the juniors

SWISS MASTER

Switzerland’s Roger Federer continues to write his name in the record book. By reaching the fourth round, Federer increased his Grand Slam tournament match wins to 226, making him second in the Open Era behind Jimmy Connors, who had 233. Federer is trying to set an Open Era record by winning his sixth US Open title. He currently shares the record of five with Connors and Pete Sampras. The Swiss master is bidding to become the first man to win six or more titles at two different Grand Slam tournaments, and to become the fourth man in history to win six or more US Championships or US Opens. Bill Larned, Richard Sears and Bill Tilden all won seven titles.

Federer has won at least one Grand Slam tournament title every year since winning his first at Wimbledon in 2003. This year, he lost to eventual winner Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open, was runner-up to winner Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and lost in the quarterfinals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Wimbledon.

In winning his five US Opens, his victims in the final were Lleyton Hewitt in 2004, Andre Agassi in 2005, Andy Roddick in 2006, Novak Djokovic in 2007 and Andy Murray in 2008. In those five victories combined, Federer lost just two sets.

SO GLOBAL

Sixty-seven countries have players in this year’s US Open, including Burundi, Netherlands Antilles, Bahamas and Guam, counting all of the competitors. The nation with the largest contingent in the men’s and women’s singles draw is, not surprisingly, the United States, with 29 players – 15 women and 14 men. But Russia has the largest group in women’s singles with 16. There are five men from Russia, giving the country a total of 21, the same size as France, which is represented by 14 men and seven women. Spain is next with 19 – 13 men and six women.

Burundi’s lone representative was Hassan Ndayishimiyo, who lost his first-round match in junior boys’ singles qualifying. Daniela Schippers, in the junior girls’ singles qualifying, also lost her first match. Other countries that had players only in the juniors include Mexico, Bolivia, Egypt, Philippines, Korea, Ecuador, Madagascar, Peru and Paraguay.

Among those countries with just one player in the competition were Denmark (who’s lone competitor was the world’s top-ranked woman, Caroline Wozniack), Cyprus, Finland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Tunisia, Georgia, Greece and New Zealand.

Conor Niland and Louk Sorensen qualified for the men’s singles, marking the first time in tennis history that Ireland had two players in the main draw at a Grand Slam tournament. Neither made it out of the first round. Niland retiring from his match against top-ranked Novak Djokovic because of food poisoning. Sorensen retired because of cramping during his first-round match against “lucky loser” Rogerio Dutra Da Silva of Brazil.

Jean-Rene Lisnard became the first player from Monaco to win a Grand Slam tournament match when he moved into the second round with a 7-6 (5) 6-2 6-4 win over Belgium’s Olivier Rochus. That was as far as he went.

Three Japanese were in men’s singles draw, the most from that country in a Grand Slam tournament since Roland Garros in 1974 and the first time at the US Open since 1972. All three – Kei Nishikori, Go Soeda and Tatsuma Ito – played only one match.

Three men from Colombia were also in the men’s singles, the first time since the 1977 Roland Garros that Colombia has had three men competing at a Grand Slam event and the first time at the US Open since 1976. Alejandro Falla was the only one to win his first-round match before losing to Tommy Haas in the second round.

SAY BYE-BYE

There were 14 retirements in the opening week of the US Open, a Grand Slam tournament Open Era record. And that doesn’t include the walkovers or lucky losers. Ten men retired from their matches in the first six days, with three complaining of injuries to their right shoulder. Two others – Nicolas Mahut and Marcel Granollers – pulled an abdominal muscle. Kei Nishikori complained of a sore lower back, Frank Dancevic said he had pulled a hamstring, Marinko Matosevic rolled his ankle, and Louk Sorensen had cramps.

Only four women retired in the first week – Japan’s Misaki Doi with cramps, Japan’s Ayumi Morita with an injured right shoulder, American Jamie Hampton with heat illness and Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer with lower back pain.

SEE YOU IN LONDON

Andy Murray and Roger Federer became the third and fourth players, respectively, to qualify for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, which will be held in London, Great Britain, November 20-27. The two join Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the elite eight-player singles field. The 30-year-old Federer will be making his 10^th straight appearance in the season finale, where he is a five-time champion. He won successive titles in 2003-04 when the tournament was held in Houston, Texas, USA, and in 2006-07 in Shanghai, China. He is the third player to qualify for the season finale for 10 or more consecutive years, joining Ivan Lendl (12) and Pete Sampras (11). Murray will be making his fourth straight trip to the Finals. The top three teams in the 2011 ATP Doubles Team Rankings have also qualified for the year-end finale: Bob and Mike Bryan, Michael Llodra-Nenad Zimonjic and Max Mirnyi-Daniel Nestor. All six players are past champions in the season-ending tournament.

SITE TO SEE

The US Open has a new show court. Gone are old courts 17 and 18, which in the second week of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament were used primarily for practice. The new Court 17 is a sunken gem with full television capabilities, state-of-the-art video screens and will include the Chase Review electronic line calling system. While bench seating was installed so that it could be used this year, future plans call stadium-style seats. The court was built as an amphitheater and will seat more than 2,500, making it the fourth-largest court at the US Open.

SET FOR DELRAY BEACH

Two former world number ones – Andy Roddick and Ivan Lendl – will participate in the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. Roddick will join the ATP field, while Lendl will compete in the ATP Champions Tour field for the 2012 event, which runs February 24 to March 4 in Delray Beach, Florida, USA. Besides the ATP and seniors fields, the 20th anniversary of the event will also include a 10-and-under championships among other events. Joining Lendl in the seniors field will be Mats Wilander, Pat Cash, Michael Pernfors, Aaron Krickstein and Jimmy Arias.

STAR TURN

Pancho Gonzalez, twice a winner of the US Nationals, is the 2011 inductee into the US Open Court of Champions. A tennis pioneer, Gonzalez was 12 years old when he taught himself how to play tennis. He won the US Championships in 1948-49 and also won two matches to help the United States defeat Australia to capture the 1949 Davis Cup title. When tennis became open in 1968, Gonzalez, then 40 years old, reached the semifinals at Roland Garros and the quarterfinals of the inaugural US Open. The following year, he played Charlie Pasarell at Wimbledon in a five-hour match that spanned two days and led to the advent of the tiebreak. He also became the oldest player to win a professional tournament when he captured the Des Moines Open just shy of his 44^th birthday.

SELECTED

Rick Welts, president and chief executive officer of the Phoenix Suns, and the Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center of Boston, are the 2011 recipients of the USTA ICON Awards. The award honors individuals and organizations that have made a positive impact on diversity and inclusion in tennis and society, but also emphasize the United States Tennis Association’s commitment to fairness and equality. Previously known as the Breaking Barriers Awards, earlier honorees include Arthur Ashe, baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, former USTA president Judy Levering, and AT&T Mobility’s CEO Ralph de le Vega.

The USTA also paid tribute to the career of Billie Jean King by introducing the inaugural Billie Jean King Legacy Award. The first recipient of the award was David N. Dinkins, the former mayor of New York City.

SPONSOR

Novak Djokovic is the newest Brand Ambassador for Audemars Piguet watches. Djokovic, who is ranked number one in the world, joins a Brand Ambassador team that includes Michael Schumacher, Leo Messi, LeBron James, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and golfers Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy.

SURFING

New York: www.usopen.org/

Genova: www.atpgenova.com

Biella: www.federtennis.it

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/

Szczecin: www.pekaoopen.pl

Tashkent: www.tashkentopen.uz/

Quebec City: www.challengebell.com/

Ningbo: www.tennis.org.cn

Sofia: http://tclevski.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN and WOMEN

US Open (first week), New York, New York, USA, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

US Open (second week), New York, New York, USA, hard

$122,000 AON Challenger, Genova, Italy, clay

WOMEN

US Open (second week), New York, New York, USA, hard

$100,000 XII Torneo Internazionale Regione Piemonte, Biella, Italy, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$153,000 Pelkao Szczecin Open, Szczecin, Poland, clay

$100,000 Ted Open, Istanbul, Turkey, hard

WOMEN

$220,000 Tashkent Open, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard

$220,000 Bell Challenge, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, hard

$100,000 ITF Women’s International Challenge, Ningbo, China, hard

$100,000 Allianz Cup, Sofia, Bulgaria, clay

DAVIS CUP

(September 16-18)

World Group Semifinals

Serbia vs. Argentina at Belgrade, Serbia, hard

Spain vs. France at Cordoba, Spain, clay

World Group Playoffs

Romania vs. Czech Republic at Bucharest, Romania, clay; Russia vs. Brazil at Kazan, Russia, hard; Israel vs. Canada at Ramat Hasharon, Israel, hard; South Africa vs. Croatia at Potchefstroom, South Africa, hard; Chile vs. Italy at Santiago, Chile, hard; Japan vs. India at Tokyo, Japan, hard; Belgium vs. Austria at Antwerp, Belgium, hard; Australia vs. Switzerland at Sydney, Australia, grass

Group I

Americas 1^st round playoffs: Ecuador vs. Mexico at Guayaquil, Ecuador; Asia/Oceania 2^nd round playoffs: Philippines vs. Chinese Taipei at Lapu-Lapu, Philippines; Europe/Africa 2^nd round playoffs: Finland vs. Poland at Espoo, Finland, hard; Slovak Republic vs. Ukraine at Bratislava, Slovak Republic, clay

Group II

Americas 3^rd round: Paraguay vs. Peru at Asuncion, Paraguay, clay; Asia/Oceana 3^rd round: Korea vs. Thailand at Gimcheon, Korea, hard; Europe/Africa 3^rd round: Great Britain vs. Hungary at Glasgow, Scotland, Great Britain; Denmark vs. Bosnia/Herzegovina at Hillerod, Denmark, hard

Mardy Fish takes Atlanta, Vera Zvonareva takes Baku and Serena Williams uses rank protection – Mondays with Bob Greene

July 25, 2011 by Bob Greene

STARS

Gilles Simon beat Nicolas Almagro 6-4 4-6 6-4 top win the bet-at-home Open German Tennis Championships in Hamburg, Germany

Mardy Fish beat John Isner 3-6 7-6 (6) 6-2 to win the Atlanta Tennis Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Vera Zvonareva beat Ksenia Pervak 6-1 6-4 to win the Baku Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan

Rui Machado beat Jerzy Janowicz 6-3 6-3 to win the Poznan Porsche Open in Poznan, Poland

Mathilde Johansson beat Petra Cetkovska 7-5 6-3 to win the ITF Roller Open in Petange, Luxembourg
Irina-Camelia Begu beat Laura Pous-Tio 6-3 7-5 to win the BCR Open Romania Ladies in Bucharest, Romania

Atlanta Tennis Championships - Day 7 — Mardy Fish

SAYING

“In hindsight, I should have served and volleyed on the second serve. He got it in play and I went for too big of a backhand and missed it by a lot. He played the point well and the next two points he served two really good serves.” – John Isner, who had two match points in the second-set tiebreak before losing the Atlanta Tennis Championships final to Mardy Fish.

“When you’re in that position, it’s almost over. I was lucky to get out of it. I struck some returns and put some balls in play. I played some good points from then on.” – Mardy Fish, who won the last four points in second-set tiebreak, forcing a third set, which he won.

“I’ve lost five finals in my career – two to Mardy (Fish), two to Sam (Querrey) and one to Andy (Roddick), and arguably could have won every single match. This is the second where I’ve had match points and the other ones I’ve been one or two points away. I don’t know what it is. … I keep coming up a little short when I play a friend.” – John Isner.

“Every single opponent was tough. Right now women’s tennis is at a very high level and very competitive, and I know if I don’t have my full concentration or I don’t give my best there is no chance I will win a match.” – Vera Zvonareva, after winning the Baku Cup singles title.

“I’m so happy for this week. Finally some results came out for me and I’m very glad Tatiana and I did this title.” – Mariya Koryttseva, who teamed with Tatiana Poutchek to capture the doubles title at Baku, Azerbaijan.

“I feel very, very good. I had to win so many tough matches this week. Today, the final was really hard to win. I had to play my best tennis and I’m proud to win this tournament.” – Gilles Simon, after beating Nicolas Almagro in the final at Hamburg, Germany.
“I’m happy with my level of tennis on clay all year. I was champion at three tournaments and reached two finals. When you’re in a final, you want to win, but today was impossible because he was better than me in the important moments.” – Nicolas Almagro, after losing the Hamburg, Germany, final to Gilles Simon.

“When you’re in a final, you want to win, but today was impossible because he was better than me in the important moments.” – Nicolas Almagro, after losing in the final in Hamburg, Germany, to Gilles Simon.

“It’s a very good feeling (to win my first ATP World Tour title). I had five chances before, I missed them; so it’s definitely good to finally get the title. I hope it’s not going to be the last one. The whole week we played very solid, very good doubles.” – Alexander Peya, who teamed with Oliver Marach to win the doubles in Hamburg, Germany.

“This year my goal was to make it into the top 100, but I changed it now. I’m in the top 50 and I have to change it again!” – Irina-Camelia Begu, after winning an ITF event in her native Bucharest, Romania.

SCENE STEALER

John Isner camethisclose to beating Mardy Fish and winning the Atlanta Tennis Championships. But just like last year, Fish pulled out the victory, besting his fellow American 3-6 7-6 (6) 6-2. Isner was at double match point, 6-4 in the second set tiebreak. But Fish won the next four points, forcing a third set, which is then easily won. “I was lucky to get out of it,” said Fish, who beat Isner in the final a year ago. “It feels great to win here again and start off the summer like I did last year.” His sixth career title, it’s the first time Fish has successfully defended a championship. “I want to stay in the top 10 for as long as I can and keep bettering my career high ranking and do things I’ve never done before,” Fish said. “Today is one of them as I had never defending a title before, so it’s another milestone for me.” The defeat snapped Isner’s eight-match winning streak. “The match was in my hands,” he said. “I was up a set and a break. It’s as simple as that.”

SMOOTH SAILING

After a slight bump in the quarterfinals, Vera Zvonareva had little problem wrapping up her latest title. It was in the quarterfinals where Anna Tatishvili took the second set and battled the eventual champion for more than three hours before falling 7-5 6-7 (4) 6-2. After that, it was smooth sailing for Zvonareva, who captured her second WTA title of the year and the 12^th of her career, beating Ksenia Pervak 6-1 6-4 in the final of the Baku Cup. Pervak was playing in her first WTA final. By reaching the title match, the left-hander will be in the top 50 in this week’s rankings. “Maybe I didn’t play my best tennis this week, but I still fought ever hard and played every match from the first point to the last,” Zvonareva said. “It’s a great feeling to win at the end of the day.”

SIMON SUCCESSFUL

It’s been a long time between French champions on the clay courts of Hamburg, Germany. When Gilles Simon won his second ATP World Tour title of the season, besting Spain’s Nicolas Almagro 6-4 4-6 6-4, he became the first Frenchman to win the title since Henry Leconte 25 years ago. “I feel very, very good. I had to win so many tough matches this week,” Simon said. It was the first clay-court title for the fifth-seeded Simon since he won at Bucharest, Romania, in 2008. The 26-year-old also won in Sydney, Australia, in January and now has captured nine ATP World Tour titles. Almagro was seeking his fourth clay-court title of the season. “I’m happy with my level of tennis on clay all year,” Almagro said. “I was champion at three tournaments and reached two finals.”

SPECIAL RANKING

She may be ranked 172^nd in the world, but that’s not going to keep Serena Williams from competing at the US Open. A three-time winner of America’s top tennis tournament, Serena was granted direct entry into this year’s field by using her special injury-protected number one ranking. Because she was sidelined more than six months by a series of health issues, Serena had the right to use her special ranking to enter up to eight tournaments, including one Grand Slam event. Alona Bondarenko also gained entry via a special ranking.

With both Serena and her sister Venus Williams aboard, the United States Tennis Association announced the provisional US Open field will include 97 of the top 100 women, including two-time defending champion Kim Clijsters, Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and French Open champion Li Na. Other former champions in the women’s singles will be Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova. Misaki Doi of Japan, ranked 105^th in the world, was the 104^th and last player accepted directly into the women’s field of 128.

Novak Djokovic will be seeking his third Grand Slam men’s singles title of the year at the US Open, where the field includes defending US Open champion and French Open winner Rafael Nadal along with five-time US Open champion Roger Federer. Among the world’s top 101 men to receive direct entry includes former US Open winners Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro. Marc Gicquel of France, who is ranked 101^st in the world, is the last player accepted directly into the men’s field of 128. Three men used protected rankings to gain direct entry: Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, Tommy Haas of Germany and Ivo Karlovic of Croatia.

The 2011 US Open will be played August 29-September 11 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn USD $1.8 million with the ability to earn an additional USD $1 million in bonus prize money based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series.

SMASHING PERFORMANCE

Irina-Camelia Begu believes in doubling up. And because of that, the 2011 BCR Open Romania trophy stays in Bucharest. A native of Bucharest, Begu defeated Laura Pous-Tio of Spain 6-3 7-5 to capture her second International Tennis Federation (ITF) USD $100,000 tournament. Then she teamed with fellow Romanian Elena Bogdan to win the doubles, just as she did when she won her first ITF tournament in Cali, Colombia, earlier this year. At Cali, she also stopped Pous-Tio in the singles final. “I think she was a little scared of me,” Begu said of Pous-Tio, whom she also beat in Budapest, Hungary, in a first-round meeting. “And the audience really helped me in this match.”

The doubles final was one of the most closely contested battles of the year. The teams split their first two sets in tiebreakers, Italy’s Maria-Elena Camerin and Turkey’s Ipek Senoglu winning the first 7-0. The Romanians then took the second tiebreak 7-4 before capturing the match tiebreak 16-14.

It was the third straight match tiebreak for the losers. Camerin and Senoglu beat Ioana-Raliuca Olaru and Erika Sema 10-7 in the match tiebreak in the quarterfinals, then topped Maria Kondratieva and Sophie Lefevre 10-4 in the semifinal match tiebreak.

STARS OF WTT

Two doubles stars – Leander Paes of the Washington Kastles and Liezel Huber of the St. Louis Aces – have been named the World TeamTennis Most Valuable Players. Arina Rodionova of the Kastles and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Aces were named WTT Rookies of the Year, while Murphy Jensen was named WTT Coach of the Year in his third season at the helm of the Kastles.

SAYS I DO

The 2000 Olympic gold medal winner and former world number three, Elena Dementieva, has a new title: Mrs. The retired Russian star married her long-time boyfriend, hockey pro Maxim Afinogenov, at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Moscow, Russia. The ceremony was held on the roof of the hotel and pigeons were released during the celebration. Fellow player Vera Dushevina caught the bride’s bouquet while other players at the wedding included Dinara Safina, Vera Zvonareva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Vesnina, Ekaterina Makarova, Maria Kirilenko, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Igor Andreev. The newly-weds received video messages from Roger Federer, Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki.

SET FOR CARLSBAD

Three young German stars will battle for the title in the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open when it begins its one-week run July 30 at the La Costa Resort and Spa. “All three of these dynamic rapidly-rising players have a very entertaining style,” Mercury Insurance Open tournament director Raquel Giscfre said of Andrea Petkovic, Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki. “They are starting to make an impact in women’s professional tennis and are on the verge of achieving great things in the sport.” All three have won tournaments this year, and Lisicki reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. Petkovic is the highest ranked of the trio at 11^th in the world. Two-time defending US Open champion Kim Clijsters and Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova both withdrew from the Mercury Insurance Open because of injuries.

SAYONARA

The dream has ended for former Wimbledon and US Open finalist Mark Philippoussis. “I don’t really have any interest in returning to the ATP,” the Australian told the Boston Herald. “I’d love to play some events. I’m very interested in playing some events, but I’m very happy playing senior events.” After having success when he first joined the seniors, Philippoussis talked opening about rejoining the ATP tour. Now, at the age of 34, he’s decided his future lies with the senior tour. Only a few months ago he was again dropping hints that a return to the ATP would be right up his street. “I’m having a lot of fun. It’s a great group of guys,” he said. “It’s laid back. It’s got a great vibe, and I’m just really enjoying doing that. I’m not really into the traveling. I’ve done so much of it over the years. I’m not really happy traveling.” This month Philippoussis has been playing World TeamTennis with Boston.

SPLITTSVILLE BOUNCE

Just days after dumping his childhood sweetheart, reigning US Open golf champion
Rory McIlroy is dating the world’s top-ranked woman, Caroline Wozniacki. According to reports, the 22-year-old golf hooked up with the 21-year-old Wozniacki on the final day of the British Open golf championships. They reportedly were spotted kissing after an intimate dinner in London. The golfer’s management confirmed he had split from Holly Sweeney, saying the breakup was “amicable.” Sweeney, who had dated McIlroy for six years, said he had dumped her. McIlroy and Wozniacki met at the world heavyweight boxing title match between David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko in Germany on July 2.

SHE’S THE TOPS

It apparently doesn’t matter that Serena Williams has only played two tournaments in the past 12 months. The tennis star has been voted the most popular female sports star in a Harris interactive poll among American sports fans. The poll was taken in June, just about the time Williams played a WTA tour match for the first time in 11 months. Two other inactive tennis players made the top 10. Anna Kournikova finished sixth in the balloting and Martina Navratilova was seventh. Venus Williams was second behind her sister in the poll, while Maria Sharapova finished fourth, giving tennis players half of the 10 spots.

SORRY

The BBC has apologized for inadvertently airing an advertisement for the first time. The 30-second commercial was shown on BBC Two during last month’s coverage of Wimbledon. The advertisement urged viewers to “log on now and get your tickets today” for the ATP World Tour finals, the men’s season-ending tournament that will be held in London in November, and also contained numerous references to Barclays Bank. The private television network, ITV, reportedly complained to the BBC about the transmission, demanding to know whether the advertisement was part of a financial arrangement between the BBC and the ATP, a suggestion that the broadcaster vehemently denies. “It was broadcast once. It was a mistake and it should not have been broadcast,” a BBC spokeswoman said. “Steps were immediately taken to ensure it was not broadcast again. This was not part of any deal with Wimbledon, the ATP or the Lawn Tennis Association.”

SHE’S BACK

Martina Hingis will participate in a pro-am event August 1 held in conjunction with the Mercury Insurance Open, a WTA tournament in Carlsbad, California, USA. Now retired, Hingis won the Australian Open singles three straight years, 1997-1999, and also won Wimbledon and the US Open singles in 1997. She won nine Grand Slam tournament doubles titles, and in 1998 became just the fourth woman to win a calendar-year Grand Slam in doubles.

SPECIAL HONOR

Doubles star Leander Paes has been elected honorary life member of the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA). Jai Singh Gill, CLTA president, said Paes was unanimously elected for the position and the tennis star has accepted. CLTA patron-in-chief Rajan Kashyap said Paes has a very long and fruitful association with the organization. “Leander had won his first ITF Junior tennis title in Chandigarh in 1989 here, and after that he did not look back. Paes went on to win the Junior Australian Open and Junior Wimbledon and other major titles,” Kashyap said. Currently, Paes is one of the top doubles players in the world.

SHOWING IT ALL

CBC Sports has agreed to a new five-year contract with Tennis Canada to carry the Rogers Cup. The new deal gives CBC exclusive English-language coverage of the semifinals and finals of both the men’s and women’s editions of the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. Multi-platform coverage of the tournaments, which take place during the same one-week period each summer in Montreal and Toronto, will be seen on CBC Television, digital channel bold and streaming online at CBCSports.ca. “The Rogers Cup brings the top tennis talent in the world to Canada year in and year out, and we are thrilled to be the home of this tournament for the next five years,” said Jeffrey Orridge, CBC’s executive director of sports properties.

SET TO CLASH

The Washington Kastles wrapped up an unbeaten regular season with a dazzling display of power, shot-making and teamwork Thursday, trouncing the Philadelphia Freedoms, 25-11, before a spirited capacity crowd that braved the sweltering heat.

The Kastles improved to 14-0, becoming only the second squad in the 36-year history of World Team Tennis to compile a perfect mark in regular season play. The other team to do so was the 1994 Newport Beach Breakers (then known as the Dukes).

SALUTED

Announcer Dick Enberg and the Campbell Soup Company, along with this year’s Tennis Hall of Fame inductees – Andre Agassi and Peachy Kellmeyer – will be honored at The Legends Ball in New York City on September 9. The Legends Ball is an annual social event and fund-raiser put on by the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. Enberg will be presented with the Eugene L. Scott Award, which honors an individual who embodies Scott’s commitment to communicating honestly and critically about the game and who has had a significant impact on the tennis world. Previous recipients of the award include John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe and his wife Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, and Martina Navratilova. The Campbell Soup Company will be presented the Joseph F. Cullman 3^rd Award, which is given in honor of the man who served as president and chairman of the Hall of Fame from 1982-88, and was responsible for elevating the organization to worldwide recognition. The award recognizes a company that shares Cullman’s enthusiasm for tennis and has also made a significant contribution to society at large.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Atlanta: Alex Bogomolov Jr. and Matthew Ebden beat Matthias Bachinger and Frank Moser 3-6 7-5 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Baku: Mariya Koryttseva and Tatiana Poutchek beat Monica Niculescu and Galina Voskoboeva 6-3 2-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Bucharest: Irina-Camelia Begu and Elena Bogdan beat Maria-Elena Camerin and Ipek Senoglu 6-7 (1) 7-6 (4) 16-14 (match tiebreak)

Hamburg: Oliver Marach and Alexander Peya beat Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek 6-4 6-1

Petange: Johanna Larsson and Jasmin Woehr beat Kristina Barrois and Anna Lena Groenefeld 7-6 (2) 6-4

Poznan: Olivier Charron and Stephane Robert beat Franco Ferreiro and Andre Sa 6-2 6-3

SURFING

Astana: www.ktf.kz

Los Angeles: www.farmersclassic.com/

Gstaad: www.creditagricolesuisseopengstaad.ch/en/

Umag: www.croatiaopen.hr/tenis/home.aspx

Stanford: www.bankofthewestclassic.com/

Washington: www.midatlanticwtc.com/

Segovia: www.teniselespinar.com

Kitzbühel: www.bet-at-home-cup.com/de/

Washington: www.leggmasontennisclassic.com/

Vancouver: www.vanopen.com

Carlsbad: www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$619,500 Farmers Classic, Los Angeles, California, USA, hard

$563,400 Crédit Agricole Suisse Open Gstaad. Gstaad. Switzerland, clay

$563,400 ATP Studena Croatia, Umag, Croatia, clay

$125,000 President’s Cup, Astana, Kazakhstan, hard

WOMEN

$721,000 Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, California, USA, hard

$220,000 Citi Open, Washington, DC, USA, hard

$100,000 President’s Cup, Astana, Kazakhstan, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,165,500 Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Washington, DC, USA, hard

$563,400 Bet-at-Home Cup, Kitzbühel, Kitzbühel, Austria, clay

$122,323 ATP Open Castiolla y Leon, Segovia, Spain, hard

$100,000 Odlum Brown Van Open Presented by Ivesco, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hard

WOMEN

$721,00 Mercury Insurance Open, Carlsbad, California, USA, hard

$100,000 Odlum Brown Van Open Presented by Ivesco, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hard

Wozniacki takes Brussels, Petkovic wins Strasbourg and Almagro victory in Nice – Mondays with Bob Greene

May 23, 2011 by WTM

STARS

Germany beat Argentina 2-1 to win the Power Horse World Team Cup in Düsseldorf, Germany

Caroline Wozniacki beat Peng Shuai 2-6 6-3 6-3 to win the Brussels Open by GDF Suez in Brussels, Belgium

Nicolas Almagro beat Victor Hanescu 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-3 to win the Open de Nice Cote d’Azur in Nice, France

Andrea Petkovic beat Marion Bartoli 6-4 1-0 retired to win the Internationaux de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France

Mark Philippoussis beat Carlos Moya 7-5 6-7 (3) 10-4 (match tiebreak) to win the Seguros Bolivar Tennis Champions in Bogotá, Colombia

Bahamas and Venezuela were promoted to Americas Zone Group I for Fed Cup 2012 in competition held at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Andrea Petkovic Strasbourg 2011 — Andrea Petkovic

SAYING

“I’ve never been the overwhelming favourite going into the French Open because of Rafa’s great record here over the years. Last year here I was the defending champion. The year before, and the years before that I was trying to win Paris for the first time. I’ve always had that big cloud hanging over, and the ‘Am I ever going to win the French Open question.’ But that’s been answered. This year, maybe (people) expect more from Rafa and Novak, and that could be a good thing for me and more pressure for them.” – Roger Federer, on having rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic being the favourites to win Roland Garros.

“It’s always a strange feeling when somebody retires. We’re all rushing for the points and titles through the year, but you feel happy and sad at the same moment. I felt so sad for Marion, but also I was playing well and I wanted to finish this match normally.” – Andrea Petkovic, who won Strasbourg when Marion Bartoli retired from the match with a left thigh injury.

“The time for recovery (before Roland Garros) is really short, because I am playing on Monday. I’d say it’s time to pray for a miracle. But I guess having a dad as a doctor is very helpful. He is the most important person for me to talk to and find out if I can play. Hopefully I can get through my first match on Monday, just fight through it, and then I can hope for another day of recovery. Hopefully I’ll be alright to continue after that.” – Marion Bartoli, who retired from the Strasbourg final with a left thigh injury.

“I feel in good shape. I don’t feel tired at all. I am full of confidence.” – Carolina Wozniacki, who needed medical treatment on her left thigh in the third set before winning the Brussels Open.

“I had a great 2009 and winning tournaments became almost a habit, but when I won Fès this year I realized I hadn’t won one for more than a year. I’m enjoying the feeling of winning more because it’s not something I expected, but something I really wanted.” – Andrea Hlavackova, who teamed with Galina Voskoboeva to win the doubles in Brussels.

“Playing together for the first time we didn’t expect to win the title. We’re really happy. We were very relaxed and got the maximum reward.” – Galina Voskoboeva, after teaming with Andrea Hlavackova to capture the doubles title in Brussels.

“There are a lot of things going on in the world to get mad at and a few points in tennis isn’t one of them.” – Heather Watson, saying she has thrown her last racquet on a tennis court in anger.

“The balls are very, very fast, so it’s really difficult to control. Maybe it’s going to favor the servers and the big hitters. But it still is clay and it still is best-of-five. You have to rely on your physical ability, as well.” – Novak Djokovic, talking about the Babolat balls that will be used in the French Open.

“I have been doing everything that I can, so I cannot ask myself more. I am trying and I am doing very well, but one player is doing better than me. The champion in my opinion is not only be able to win every week; it is when they are able to wait at the right moments and I am waiting at every week, trying to find solutions, and we will see what is going on next time.” – Rafael Nadal, talking about Novak Djokovic.

“I love playing tennis and never wanted to stop playing, so this is the perfect opportunity for me. Even though this isn’t the main ATP Tour, it’s something I’m really looking forward to because the standard of tennis is still really good and I know it’s going to be good fun.” – Carlos Moya, making his ATP Champions Tour debut in Bogotá, Colombia.

“I lost my singles match, but I came out strongly for the doubles and it’s great to have a happy ending.” – Philipp Kohschreiber, who teamed with Philipp Petzschner to win the decisive doubles match and lead Germany to victory in the World Team Championships.

“The truth is that when I saw the draw, it wasn’t very good for me, but I knew that with a little luck I’d win.” – Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, after upsetting 19^th-seeded Marin Cilic on the first day of the French Open. Ramirez Hidalgo next will play fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes.

SPLITSVILLE

It didn’t take long for favorites to tumble out of the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. Three seeded players were eliminated on the opening day at Roland Garros. Varvara Lepchenko, who is ranked 85^th in the world, upset 18^th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-3 2-6 6-3. A native of Uzbekistan, Lepchenko now lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and represents the United States. Because her next opponent is Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the winner will be the first woman from the United States other than either Serena or Venus Williams to reach the third round at Roland Garros since 2006.

Ruben Ramirez Hildago, a 33-year-old Spaniard who had lost in the first round in 13 of his 14 previous Grand Slam tournament appearances, knocked off 19^th-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia 7-6 (5) 6-4 6-4. Cilic made 67 unforced errors in the match.

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez overcame 19^th-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel 7-6 (4) 6-1. It was Peer’s third first-round exit in her last four tournaments.

STAYING HOME

The Power Horse World Team Cup title played in Düsseldorf, Germany, is staying home. After losing his singles match, Philipp Kohschreiber teamed with Philipp Petzschner to win the doubles and lead Germany to a record fifth World Team Cup title, defeating Argentina 2-1. The two Philipps stopped Juan Ignacio Chela and Maximo Gonzalez 6-3 7-6 (5) in the decisive doubles battle. Florian Mayer gave Germany the lead by defeating Juan Monaco 7-6 (4) 6-0, before Chela pulled Argentina even with a 6-4 7-6 (4) win over Kohschreiber, setting the stage for the doubles. Argentina was playing in the final for the seventh time. All three of its losses in finals have come against Germany.

SHOWING HER METTLE

Caroline Wozniacki had never won a red clay tournament title until the inaugural Brussels Open. And it comes just in time for the only Grand Slam tournament played on red clay, the French Open. The top-ranked Wozniacki overcame a thigh injury and China’s Peng Shuai to capture the crown, 2-6 6-3 6-3, her fourth title of the year, the most on the WTA Tour. Wozniacki had medical treatment on her left thigh in the third set and played the remainder of the match with tape on her leg. But she said it wouldn’t affect her play at Roland Garros in Paris. “It is fine. There are no big problems. It was a small pain. I just didn’t want it to get bigger,” she said. Peng was more aggressive throughout the match, going for the lines and winners. Wozniacki mostly waited for her opponent to make errors, which she did. It was the fourth WTA Tour final for the 25-year-old Peng – her first Premier-level final. She has yet to win a title. Going into Roland Garros, Wozniacki and Peng lead the WTA Tour with match wins in 2011. Wozniacki’s record is now 38-7, while Peng is 34-12.

SAYS NOVAK MORE IMPRESSIVE

John McEnroe still holds the record – as of now – for the longest match winning streak to begin the season. In 1984, the American won his first 42 matches. But McEnroe believes the 37-match winning streak that Novak Djokovic has put together this year is much more impressive. “Given that there’s more competition, more athleticism and deeper fields now, I’d say his record is even more impressive than mine,” McEnroe said. “Especially given that in 1984 the major in Australia was played at the end of the year, whereas he had to win it (as part of his streak). I was coming into my first Grand Slam of the year at the French, where the streak was broken (in the final against Ivan Lendl). So things are different. Also, he came into the year at number three, an d to be able to dominate (higher-ranked players) the way he has, well, to put it mildly, it’s been quite amazing to see what he’s done and how much more confidently he’s playing.” McEnroe said he is pulling for Djokovic to break his record. “I’m quite excited that he might break my record at the French Open,” McEnroe said. “Records are made to be broken. It’s the definition of mixed emotions. I think I’ve pretty much lost every record that I had but, at the same time, I know that this has been a shot in the arm for our sport.”

SITE NOW KNOWN

Instead of playing in the year’s second Grand Slam tournament in Paris, France, Julie Cohen is seeking dollars and a title this week in Bangkok, Thailand. The American signed up for six events this week while hoping she would play in a seventh. Taking part in the qualifying event for the French Open, Cohen won her first-round match, beating Anais Laurendon of France 6-2 6-2 before losing to fellow American Sloane Stephenson 6-0 6-3. No problem. Cohen, who is ranked 169^th in the world, is the top seed in a USD $25,000 tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, this week after withdrawing from other events in Changwon, South Korea; Grado, Italy; Itaparica, Brazil; Niigata, Japan, and Carson, California, USA.

SECURED SPORT

Novak Djokovic didn’t even wait for the French Open to clinch a spot in the season-ending 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Serbian right-hander did just that with his win over Rafael Nadal in the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia a week ago. The world’s top eight players qualify for the season finale, which will be played November 20-27 in London. Djokovic qualifies for the Finals for the fifth successive year. He won the title in 2008 when it was held in Shanghai, China. Last year, he lost to eventual champion Roger Federer in the semifinals. Djokovic has not lost a match since going into the French Open. He became only the second player to qualify for the season-ending event before Roland Garros since 1990. In 2009, Rafael Nadal also qualified before Roland Garros.

SAYS NO MAS

Lleyton Hewitt pulled out of the French Open at the last moment. The Australian, who has won two Grand Slam tournaments in his career, withdrew from Roland Garros just hours before he was to play his first-round match against Albert Montanes of Spain. The 30-year-old won the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002. He was ranked number one in the world for a total of 80 weeks. Hewitt has not played on the ATP Tour since March after undergoing foot surgery. “Lucky loser” Marc Gicquel of France replaced Hewitt and immediately lost to Montanes 6-4 6-4 6-2.

Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova cited illness when she withdrew from the French Open. Kleybanova had been seeded 23^rd in the women’s draw. Her place in the field was taken by another Russian, Anastasia Pivovarova, a “lucky loser” who lost in qualifying. Last year, Kleybanova reached the third round at Roland Garros, beating 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic in the second round.

SPEAKS UP

Soggy grounds at the University Vermont forced the annual commencement ceremony indoors. So appropriate. The dais was at one end of the university’s indoor tennis courts and the commencement speaker was Billie Jean King, who also was the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree. King said she had “an epiphany” at age 12 that she would dedicate her life to “equal rights and opportunities for boys and girls and men and women.” Her breaking barriers for women athletes was among the reasons she was honored by UVM. In her speech, she recalled going to college in Los Angeles when she had to hold down two jobs to get through school while two male players – Stan Smith and Arthur Ashe – received full scholarships at the University of Southern California and UCLA, respectively. After concluding her remarks, the 67-year-old King grabbed a racquet and hit tennis balls into the crowd.

STEPPING UP

The Brisbane International will become a Premier level tournament on the WTA tour next year, strengthening the start of the women’s tennis season. The upgraded Australian tournament will have increased prize money of USD $655,000 in 2012 and USD $1,000,000 beginning in 2013. The Brisbane International along with the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand; the Medibank International in Sydney, Australia, and the Moorilla Hobart International in Hobart, Tasmania, will give the WTA a strong lead-in to the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open. Last year, WTA attendance was up five percent at Premier events and four percent at international events, while a record 19 players earned more than USD $1,000,000 for the year.

SIGNED UP

David Nalbandian has been awarded a wild card into the main draw of the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club, a grass court warm-up event for Wimbledon. A Wimbledon finalist in 2002, Nalbandian has been sidelined by injuries over much of the past 12 months. “It has been a frustrating time, but my recovery is going well and I expect to be in good shape for the tournament,” the Argentine said. “I enjoy playing on grass, and reaching the Wimbledon final in 2002 was a special moment in my career.” The Queen’s Club is celebrating its 125^th anniversary.

SENIOR STOMPER

Mark Philippoussis is finding the senior circuit is just his speed. The Australian won his third straight ATP Champions Tour event by beating former world number one Carlos Moya 7-5 6-7 (3) 10-4 (match tiebreak). Philippoussis collected the Seguros Bolivar Tennis Champions in Bogotá, Colombia, to go along with his other two senior tour titles in 2011, in Delray Beach, Florida, USA, and Zurich, Switzerland. Moya, making his senior tour debut, was the favorite of the capacity crowd of 4,000. But in the deciding set Champions Tiebreak, Philippoussis raced to a 5-3 lead, then won four of the next five points for a 9-4 advantage and five match points. The hard-serving Aussie only needed one, closing out the match with a cross-court forehand return winner.

SPORTS CELEBRITY

Roger Federer may have slipped off the top perch, but he still is the leading tennis celebrity in the sports world. Federer is 25^th on Forbes’ annual “Celebrity 100” compilation of the most powerful people or groups in the entertainment business. Golfer Tiger Woods is ranked sixth on the list, the highest of any of the 19 athletes who are named. Miami Heat star LeBron James is 10^th and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant is at No. 14. Other tennis players on the list are Maria Sharapova (number 80), Serena Williams (84) and Venus Williams (86). Combined, Forbes said the 19 athletes on the list this year earned a combined USD $647 million. Lady Gaga tops Forbes’ overall rankings, followed by Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber, U2 and Elton John.

SAYS HE’S RETURNING

After a three-year absence, John McEnroe is returning to the AEGON Masters Tennis tournament being played November 30-December 4 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The 52-year-old McEnroe says he is fitter now than he was eight years ago when he won his fourth and most recent title in London. “I’m really excited to be back playing at the AEGON Masters Tennis in London this year,” said the left-hander, who won the title in each of the first three years of the event – in 1997, 1998 and 1999. “The London tournament has always been one of my favorite events of the year; the crowds are really fantastic, the atmosphere is great and the Royal Albert Hall is one of the most spectacular arenas I’ve ever played in.” At the end of last year McEnroe defeated Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Guy Forget to win the title in Paris.

STARRING

Two players from Zimbabwe have been selected by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) for its 2011 national awards for Junior and Community Colleges. Mbonisi Ndimande was named ITA Player of the Year and Admire Mushonga was named ITA Rookie Player of the Year. Both play at Seminole State in Oklahoma. The ITA Player of the Year for women went to Sun Wen of Tyler (Texas) Junior College, a native of China. Katerina Mozolyuk of Santa Monica (California) College was named female ITA Rookie Player of the Year.

Cade Sherman of Jones County Junior College (men) and Gabriela Rodriguez of Pima Community College (women) were awarded the ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship. Sherman was named salutatorian of his senior class and received a Presidential Scholarship from the school. For the past four years Sherman has been an active volunteer in helping mentally and physically handicapped individuals compete in the Annual Special Olympics event held on the campus of JCJC. He will be enrolling at Mississippi State University in August where he will study civil engineering.

Rodriguez is a native of Mexico, where she participated three times in the Junior Olympics. At Pima Community College, she has a triple major – political science, communications and business – while playing number one singles. She is 27^th in the nation in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. She also serves as vice president of the International Student’s Club and is an active member of the University’s Student Government.

SINGERS ON CALL

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) will hold its annual open casting call on Tuesday, June 21, at the Apollo Theater in New York City to select children to perform at Arthur Ashe Stadium during night sessions of this year’s US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The auditions are free of charge and will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time. Children 12 years of age and younger as of September 11, 2011, will be asked to sing “America the Beautiful” a cappella in front of a panel of celebrity judges from the music and entertainment industries.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Brussels: Andrea Hlavackova and Galina Voskoboeva beat Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska 3-6 6-0 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Nice: Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer beat Santiago Gonzalez and David Marrero 6-3 6-4

Strasbourg: Akgul Amanmuradova and Chuang Chia-Jung beat Natalie Grandin and Vladimira Uhlirova 6-4 5-7 10-2 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Paris: www.fft.fr/rolandgarros/

Sao Paulo: www.grandchampionsbrasil.com.br

Prostejov: www.czech-open.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN and WOMEN

Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (first week)

SENIORS

Grand Champions Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (second week)

$152,000 Czech Open, Prostejov, Czech Republic, clay

WOMEN

Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (second week)

Novak Djokovic and Vera Zvonareva Take Home the Crowns – Mondays with Bob Greene

February 28, 2011 by Bob Greene

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-3 6-3 to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

David Ferrer beat Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (4) 6-7 (2) 6-2 to win the Abierto Mexicano Telcel men’s singles in Acapulco, Mexico

Vera Zvonareva beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-4 to win the Qatar Ladies Open in Doh

Russia's Vera Zvonareva (C) holds her ch — Vera Zvonareva

a, Qatar

Juan Martin del Potro beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-4 6-4 to win the Delray Beach International Championships in Delray Beach, Florida, USA

Gisela Dulko beat Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-3 7-6 (5) to win the women’s singles at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico

Mark Philippoussis beat Aaron Krickstein 6-3 6-2 to win the ATP Champions Tour portion of the Delray Beach Tennis Championships in Delray Beach, Florida, USA

SAYING

“This is a difficult, emotional day for me. However, I don’t want it to be a sad day and I would like to still be remembered for everything I did in tennis and for the glory I brought to both Split and Croatia. Everything has en end. For me it was beautiful while it lasted and that is why this is a happy day.” – Mario Ancic, announcing his retirement from tennis.

“Any time I win against Roger (Federer) it’s a great success because he’s such a great player. We all know how mentally strong of a player he is. To be able to win against Roger in straight sets as I did tonight is incredible, but I want to keep on going. I know that I have qualities to do even more, and that’s what I want.” – Novak Djokovic, after beating Federer in the final in Dubai.

“(It was) obviously (a) disappointing end as well to the match. I guess you can’t win them all. I played so well in Doha in the finals, in London in the finals, in Basel in the finals. I guess I had to mess one up. It’s a pity, but, look, Novak played great.” – Roger Federer.

“He plays tennis on his terms.” – Somdev Devvarman, on Roger Federer.

“Caroline is number one and playing very well. I was just fighting for every point and trying to go for my shots. This is definitely a special moment for me, especially after that tough match against Daniela (Hantuchova) and another great one against Jelena (Jankovic).” – Vera Zvonareva, after beating Caroline Wozniacki to win the Qatar Ladies Open.

“I’m always disappointed to lose but I played a great competitor today. Vera played a great match and a great tournament. I’m happy to be in the finals; it was another great tournament for me and I always enjoy being back in Doha. I will be back next year for sure.” – Caroline Wozniacki.

“I didn’t lose because I had the title or the prize money or the car or the points in my head. I had a big enough problem in beating del Potro.’” – Janko Tipsarevic, after losing to Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the Delray Beach International.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to fight with top-10 players, but I’m working very hard and hope to do it soon. I need 20 to 25 matches before I’ll really be ready to play with them, but it’s coming soon.” – Juan Martin del Potro, after winning the Delray Beach International.

“Inconsistency has always been a problem throughout my career – you only need to look at the up-and-down graph of my ranking – but now as I see the years passing by, I really want to get out there and win the matches I should win.” – Mardy Fish.

“I really don’t have one with him. I wish we could. After all this time you would think it would be reasonable.” – Ivan Lendl, when asked if he had and rival John McEnroe were friends and had a relationship with one another.

S’MARVELOUS

For the first time since the US Open in 2009, Juan Martin del Potro has taken home a winner’s trophy. The 22-year-old Argentine, who missed most of last year with a right wrist injury, defeated Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-4 6-4 to win the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. When he won the last point, del Potro thrust his arms into the air and kept kissing his right wrist. “Three months ago I was thinking I’ll be trying to play tournaments,” del Potro said. “Now I won a tournament. It’s great to win a tournament after a year. It was del Potro’s eight career title. And while it had been a long time since he last won, he had displayed his winning game before Delray Beach, reaching the semifinals at San Jose, California, and Memphis, Tennessee, the two prior weeks. Tipsarevic was attempting to win his first title in three career finals.

S’WONDERFUL

It also had been a long time between titles for Vera Zvonareva. Although ranked third in the world, Zvonareva hadn’t taken home the winner’s trophy since Pattaya City, Thailand, a year and two weeks ago. And her 11th career title came with a strong 6-4 6-4 victory over top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the Qatar Open in Doha. Despite playing three-set matches in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, the Russian showed not signs of fatigue against Wozniacki, who had reached the final without dropping a set. Zvonareva broke in the third game and held her serve to capture the first set, then rallied from a break down to wrap up the victory. “Coming into this tournament I wasn’t expecting to end my week like this. It’s great,” Zvonareva said.

STRICKENED

France has lost yet another player from its Davis Cup team. Richard Gasquet is the third Frenchman to withdraw from this coming weekend’s first-round Davis Cup tie with Austria, making captain Guy Forget admit that his country’s chances of winning have been reduced. Gasquet, who suffered a shoulder problem in the semifinals in Dubai this past week, joins Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on the sidelines as last year’s Davis Cup runners-up begin their 2011 campaign. “We know our chances are now a lot less, we need to use that as an advantage,” said Forget, who now will field Gilles Simon, Michael Llodra, Jeremy Chardy and Julien Benneteau.

SPANISH GOLD

David Ferrer went 6-for-7 on break point opportunities to defeat Nicolas Almagro and successfully defend his Abierto Mexicano Telcel title. The defeat ended Almagro’s bid to win three of the four Golden Swing crowns in one season. Last year, the top-seeded Ferrer’s victory in Acapulco, Mexico, denied Juan Carlos Ferrero a chance to win a third title on the clay-court swing. Ferrer’s 7-6 (4) 6-7 (2) 6-2 win over Almagro was his 11th ATP tour title and snapped Almagro’s 13-match winning streak. “I didn’t think I could win here twice in a row and I realize I am having the best season start of my career this year,” Ferrer said. “I hope I can continue like that this season.” Ferrer has started the season with a match record of 14-2, including titles in Auckland and Acapulco, and a semifinal run at the Australian Open.

SPARED

An earthquake that shattered Christchurch forced the International Tennis Federation to halt a seniors tennis tournament in the New Zealand community. At least 148 people were killed in quake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, but all of the participants in the tennis tournament were safe. “While we are, of course, relieved that all the players, captains and officials who were in Christchurch this week are safe, we are mindful of the loss of life and the large number of injuries,” said ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti. While the competition in Christchurch was canceled, the Seniors World Team Championships in nearby Timaru and Ashburton were completed. The ITF canceled the Seniors World Individual Championships, which had been scheduled for Christchurch.

STAYING PUT

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will stay right where it is – next door to a new 293-room hotel. There had been talk of moving the tournament from the Emirates Airline Aviation club, but tournament officials will leave the ATP 500 event where it has been staged since its start in 1993. Construction of the new hotel is a strong reason the tournament is staying put. “Just imagine having all the players under one roof and walking distance away from the tennis courts,” tournament director Colm McLoughlin said of the new Aviation hotel project. “I’m sure the current high profile of our championships will go up another few notches. We don’t know when the hotel will be opened, but for sure we will have all the players and officials staying there for next year’s championships.”

SEPARATED

Retired tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand and Canadian beauty queen Natalie Glebova are separating after three years of marriage. In a statement, the couple said they decided to split last July because work commitments had kept them apart. “Over the past few years, responsibilities and work turned our married life in a different direction. However, we still care for each other and we are still good friends,” the couple said in the statement issued by their publicists. Srichaphan, once ranked ninth in the world, and the former Miss Universe have launched beauty products, diet supplements and a Bangkok restaurant together. They said in the statement they planned to continue to do business with one another. The couple met at the Thailand Open in 2006, a year after Glebova was crowned Miss Universe, and were married in September 2007, the year Paradorn’s tennis career ended because of a wrist injury.

STOLLE “RINGED”

Fred Stolle is the latest member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF) to be presented a commemorative ring. The Australian, whose career featured Grand Slam tournament titles and Davis Cup victories, was presented the ring in a center court ceremony at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. Stolle was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. The one-of-a-kind rings are being presented to Hall of Famers at tennis events around the world over the next several years to mark their achievement of Hall of Fame induction.

STAYING HOME

Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny is quitting Davis Cup play so he can spend more time with his family. The 28-year-old Youzhny, who is ranked 11th in the world, is Russia’s top-ranked player. He told Sport-Express he has stepped down from the international team competition to make way for younger players. Youzhny rallied from two-sets down in the decisive fifth match to beat Paul-Henri Mathieu and lift Russia over France and to its first Davis Cup title. He also was on the team that won the title against Argentina in 2006. Russia plays host to Sweden in the first round of Davis Cup World Group on March 4-6.

STAMP OF APPROVAL

Novak Djokovic is in the groove. The Serb crushed Roger Federer 6-3, 6-3 to continue his mastery over the Swiss maestro and win the Dubai Tennis Championships for the third
time. Federer won three of the first four games in the match before Djokovic rocketed past him. The Serb wrapped up his 20th career title in just one hour, 11 minutes and improved his head-to-head record against Federer to 8-13. Federer has lost his last three meetings with Djokovic, including the US Open semifinals and the Australian Open title match. Federer was seeking his fifth Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title at the Aviation Club.

SAYONARA

Once ranked seventh in the world but since hampered by a series of injuries, Mario Ancic of Croatia has retired from professional tennis. “The decision to end my career was extremely difficult but after consulting experts from Croatia, the US, France and Germany I realized that my body can no longer keep up with the rhythm of today’s tennis,” an emotional Ancic said at a news conference in his hometown of Split. “The last back injury was the last straw.” in making such a decision, the 26-year-old stressed at a press conference in his hometown of Split, on the central Adriatic coast. Ancic led Croatia to victory in the 2005 Davis Cup and, partnered with Ivan Ljubicic, won a bronze medal in doubles for Croatia at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2004. Ancic’s health problems started in 2007 when he was diagnosed with mononucleosis, which sidelined him for six months. He also suffered from shoulder problems and a back injury. While sidelined, Ancic returned to school and graduated from the Split University Faculty of Law.

SOMDEV IMPRESSED

Somdev Devvarman had a close-up look at Roger Federer, and came away quite impressed with one particular part of his game. India’s top player, Devvarman lost to Federer in the Dubai Tennis Championships. But after his 6-3, 6-3 defeat, all Devvarman wanted to talk about was Federer’s serve. “I mean, his serve is absolutely unbelievable,” Devvarman said. “I think his ground strokes, I mean, all of us have seen magic from that, but his serve is unbelievable. It’s so hard to read, you know. It’s not about the pace. I think I played guys that hit a little bit harder. But it’s really tough to read. He really focuses on hitting his sports right. I think once he does that, it’s tough. I think it’s very underrated, how good his serve is.”

STILL STAYING AWAY

Serena Williams still isn’t ready to return to tennis. She withdrew from the Nike Clash of Champions exhibition scheduled for March 8 in Eugene, Ore. She has not played publicly since July. Besides Williams, others scheduled to play are Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Even without the reigning Wimbledon champion, the event will be a success. All 12,000 tickets sold out within 11 minutes, minus a few singles. Although she’s not playing, Williams will be at the event. ”I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to play at the Nike Clash of the Champions as I had anticipated,” Williams said in a statement. “I’m thrilled, however, to still be able to participate in the Family Tennis Festival and in the exhibition as a referee during the mixed doubles.” Ninth-ranked Victoria Azarenka will replace Williams in the exhibition. The 21-year-old from Belarus will play Sharapova in a singles set, followed by a mixed doubles set and then a men’s singles set between the world’s top two players, Nadal and Federer. A portion of the proceeds from the Nike Clash of the Champions will benefit each of the five athletes’ charitable foundations.

STRANGE BREW

In the latest rankings, Alex Bogdanovic tumbled 86 places to 378th in the world, his lowest position in eight years. No problem. Bogdanovic was selected for Great Britain’s Davis Cup squad that will meet Tunisia in a Europe/Africa Zone Group Two tie. With Andy Murray deciding not to play, team captain Leon Smith selected James Ward, who is ranked 212th, Bogdanovic and Jamie Baker, ranked 401. Two of the three will play singles, while Jamie Murray and Colin Fleming will play doubles. Bogdanovic has received eight wild card entries into Wimbledon but has yet to win a match at the grass court Grand Slam tournament. He has lost all six of his live Davis Cup rubbers. The last time Bogdanovic represented Great Britain in Davis Cup was against Austria in September 2008.

SLIPPERY SITE

Russia will be putting the Italian Fed Cup team on ice. When Italy travels to Moscow for the semifinals April 16-17, the tie will be played on a specially built indoor court laid on top of an ice rink. The Russian tennis federation (RTF) said the tie will be the first major tennis event held at Moscow’s 14,000-seat Hodynka arena, which was built in 2007 to stage that year’s ice hockey world championships. The winner of this tie will face Belgium or the Czech Republic, who meet in the other semifinal, in the November final.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Acapulco (men): Victor Hanescu and Horia Tecau beat Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares 6-1 6-3

Acapulco (women): Mariya Koryttseva and Ioana Raluca Olaru beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Arantxa Parra Santonja 3-6 6-1 10-4 (match tiebreak)

Delray Beach: Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram beat Christopher Kas and Alexander Peya 4-6 6-4 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Doha: Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik beat Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova 7-5 6-7(2) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Dubai: Sergiy Stakhovsky and Mkhail Youzhny beat Jeremy Chardy and Feliciano Lopez 4-6 6-3 10-3 (match tiebreak)

TO SURF

Kuala Lumpur: www.bmwmalaysianopen.com/
Monterrey: www.abiertodetenismonterrey.com/portal/
Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/
Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/
Zurich: www.zurichopen.net/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

WOMEN

$220,000 BMW Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard
$220,000 Whirlpool Monterrey Open, Monterrey, Mexico, hard

DAVIS CUP
First Round
(March 4-6)

World Group

Serbia vs. India at Novi Sad, Serbia, hard
Sweden vs. Russia at Boras, Sweden, hard
Czech Republic vs. Kazakhstan at Ostrava, Czech Republic, hard
Argentina vs. Romania at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay
Chile vs. United States at Santiago, Chile, clay
Belgium vs. Spain at Chaleroi, Belgium, hard
Croatia vs. Germany at Zagreb, Croatia, hard
Austria vs. France at Vienna, Austria, clay

Group I – Americas: Mexico vs. Canada at Asuncion, Estado de Mexico, clay; Uruguay vs. Colombia at Montevideo, Uruguay, clay

Group I – Asia/Oceania: China vs. Chinese Taipei at Shanghai, China, hard; Philippines vs. Japan at Lapu City, Philippines, clay; Uzbekistan vs. New Zealand at Namangan, Uzbekistan, clay

Group I – Europe/Africa: Slovenia vs. Finland at Ljubjana, Slovenia, clay; Ukraine vs. Netherlands at Kharkiv, Ukraine, hard; Portugal vs. Slovak Republic at Cruz Quebrada, Portugal, clay

Group II – Americas: Peru vs. Netherlands Antilles at Lima, Peru, clay; El Salvador vs. Dominican Republic at Santa Tecla, El Salvador, clay; Puerto Rico vs. Paraguay at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, hard; Venezuela vs. Haiti at Caracas, Venezuela, hard

Group II – Asia/Oceania: Korea vs. Syria at Changwon, Korea, hard; Hong Kong vs. Pakistan at Hong Kong, hard; Iran vs. Indonesia at Tehran, Iran, clay; Pacific Oceania vs. Thailand at Guam, hard

Group II – Europe/Asia: Great Britain vs. Tunisia at Bolton, Great Britain, hard; Ireland vs. Luxembourg at Dublin, Ireland, hard; Belarus vs. Bulgaria at Minsk, Belarus, hard; Cyprus vs. Hungary at Nicosia, Cyprus, hard; Morocco vs. Bosnia/Herzegovina at Marrakech, Morocco, clay; Estonia vs. Lithuania at Tallinn, Estonia, hard; Denmark vs. Monaco at Kolding, Denmark, carpet; Greece vs. Latvia at Thessaloniki, Greece, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (first week)

SENIORS

BNP Paribas Zurich Open, Zurich, Switzerland, carpet

Hantuchova and Raonic Take Home Titles – Mondays with Bob Greene

February 14, 2011 by Bob Greene

STARS

Robin Soderling beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 3-6 6-3 to win the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Petra Kvitova beat Kim Clijsters 6-4 6-3 to win the Open Gaz de France Suez in Paris, France

Milos Raonic beat Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (6) 7-6 (5) to win the SAP Open in San Jose, California, USA

Nicolas Almagro beat Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 7-6 () to win the Brasil Open in Costa do Sauipe, Brazil

Daniela Hantuchova beat Sara Errani 6-0 6-2 to win the PTT Pattaya Open in Pattaya City, Thailand

Lucie Hradecka beat Irina Falconi 6-4 6-4 to win the Dow Corning Tennis Classic in Midland, Michigan, USA

Irina-Camelia Begu beat Laura Pous-tio 6-3 7-6 (1) to win the Copa Bionaire in Cali, Colombia

SAYINGS

“I can’t stop smiling. I’m happy about it and I hope I can keep it going more than six weeks into the full year schedule and see where I am at the end of the year.” – Milos Raonic, after winning his first ATP tournament, the SAP Open.
“He has good potential and he has one of the best serves, and also on the baseline he plays so aggressive. The moments he needs to play solid, he plays solid, and I think that he can be a Top 20 player very soon. Now he’s going to be [ranked] 50-something, and it’s just the beginning of the year. He has all year to become a good player and I think he can do it.” – Fernando Verdasco, speaking about Milos Raonic.

“Matches start to build on each other. We’ve won a few in a row now. It’s always nice to play on Sunday, and it’s even better to win on Sunday, so we’re happy and hopefully we can keep it rolling for a little bit now.” – Rajeev Ram, who teamed with Scott Lipsky to win the SAP Open doubles title.
“I had many tough matches this week. I had to fight a lot for every match. I was lucky; I had the margins on my side. I think to win tournaments like this, you need to of course play well, but you need a little bit of luck as well.” – Robin Soderling, after winning the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
“I played a good match today. It was difficult of course because he played unbelievable, he didn’t miss many things. I had to play my best tennis to win some games and break him, so it was difficult. At the end he just played better than me.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who lost to Robin Soderling in Rotterdam, Netherlands

“We had a great week. We played four great matches in a row. We beat tough teams as well so I’m really happy about the win. (Next week) in Marseille we are the top seeds, so of course we’ll go there and try to get the title.” – Philipp Petzschner, who teamed with Jurgen Melzer to win the doubles title in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

“Winning the Fed Cup was definitely a highlight, and matches against the Williams sisters and Amelie (Mauresmo) herself also stand out. It was a childhood dream. It was a great experience. I will miss the people, the life. I have no regrets.” – Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, who announced her retirement from the WTA tour.

“It wasn’t a good day for me. There’s too much on my mind this week. I’m not just under pressure as defending champion here, it’s everything and I’m not focused on my game.” – Vera Zvonareva, who lost her semifinal match after refusing to play after being penalized for “abusive language.”

STOPPING FOR GOOD

Stephanie Cohen-Aloro announced her retirement after her last match at the Open Gaz de France Suez in Paris, France. In her final tournament, the Frenchwoman reached the second round in singles as a “lucky loser” and the semifinals in doubles. Her best results on the WTA tour were semifinal finishes at Estoril, Portugal, in 2004 and Barcelona, Spain, in 2008. She peaked at Number 61 in singles. In doubles, she reached on final, at Paris in 2003, when she teamed with Marion Bartoli. She was a member of the French team that won the Fed Cup in 2003. “It was a difficult decision but one I came to progressively,” the 27-year-old said. “My passion for tennis is still there, but my motivation has started to dip a little.”

Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia hits a re — Daniela Hantuchova

STEPPING UP

Kim Clijsters took over the top spot in the WTA ranking this week, supplanting Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. The Australian Open winner was assured of being number one after winner her quarterfinal match at the Open Gaz de France Suez tournament in Paris. Clijsters has won the last two Grand Slam tournaments. She topped the rankings in 2003 and again in 2006. She quit tennis in 2007, got married and gave birth to a daughter, then returned to the sport in 2009. She has won the last two US Opens.

SWEDE RETURN

Robin Soderling successfully defended his ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament title, but it wasn’t easy. “I don’t know how I managed to beat you,” the Swede told Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after the title match. “I think we both deserved to win this final.” Soderling became only the fourth player to successfully defend his title in Rotterdam, Netherlands, joining Arthur Ashe, Stefan Edberg and Nicolas Escude. Retaining a title for the first time in his career, the Swede has won eight career titles in 18 finals. He has twice been runner-up at the French Open . “I played well in the important moments,” Soderling said.

STAYING PUT

Roland Garros in Pari9s will remain the site of the French Open after the country’s tennis federation opted to upgrade the existing site rather than move the tournament outside the city. Three other communities had been bidding to stage the clay-court Grand Slam tournament beginning in 2016. Paris won 70 percent of the votes over Marne-la-Vallee in the final round. In earlier balloting Gonesse and Versailles were eliminated. The upgrade will cost USD $370 million, half of what would have been required to move the tournament. The French Open has been played on the red clay courts of Roland Garros since 1928. Originally covering eight acres of land with five courts, Roland Garros now has 20 outside courts spread over 21 acres. Still, it remains the smallest of the four major tournaments. Wimbledon and Melbourne Park, where the Australian Open is played, each cover close to 50 acres, while the US Open has 34.5 acres of land at Flushing Meadows in New York.

STAR ASCENDING?

By knocking off defending champion Fernando Verdasco in the SAP Open final in San Jose, California, USA, Milos Raonic became the first Canadian to win an ATP tour title since 1995. The 20-year-old, playing in his first final, is the youngest tour winner since Marin Cilic won in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, in 2008 when he was 19. The last Canadian to win a tour title was Greg Rusedski in Seoul, South Korea, in April 1995. Raonic edged Verdasco 7-6 (6) 7-6 (5) in a match that had no service breaks and only one break point. Raonic hit 13 aces and 20 service winners in the victory, hitting one serve at 149 mph. He has had a strong start this year, going through qualifying and winning three matches in the Australian Open. He has risen in the rankings from 156^th at the end of last year to 59^th this week. “It’s been quite a month and a half, but an amazing month and a half,” he said. “I just hope to keep this going.”

SIDELINED

Gael Monfils will miss France’s first-round Davis Cup tie against Austria next month. A left wrist injury caused Monfils to pull out of the SAP Open in San Jose, California, USA, after his quarterfinal victory over Tim Smyczek. A statement on the tournament website said Monfils “has also withdrawn from Memphis, Acapulco and Davis Cup. He will be out for four to six weeks and hopes to return for Indian Wells.” The agile, acrobatic Frenchman, who is ranked 12^th in the world, has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. “It’s been a month and a half that I’ve had this pain,” Monfils said on his website. “I can’t hit my backhand. I tried, but my backhand is very soft. I have a better backhand than I showed here – more powerful.” Monfils’ withdrawal advance Milos Raonic to the final, where he defeated defending champion Fernando Verdasco to win his first ATP title.

SHE SAID WHAT?

Vera Zvonareva was seeking her third straight Pattaya Open title when officiating caused her a lot of angst during her 7-6 (3) 6-4 semifinal loss to Daniela Hantuchova. Zvonareva received what she felt was a series of contentious lines calls, and the Russian spent much of the match mumbling angrily to herself or shouting and gesticulating at the umpire. When she lost her serve at 3-3 in the second set, she began smashing her racquet. She was later penalized for improper conduct, which gave Hantuchova a match point. Zvonareva refused to play and demanded the referee intervene after questioning the umpire, who said she had Zvonareva’s lips and detected abusive language. “I didn’t agree with that,” Zvonareva said. “I talked to myself in Russian. I don’t think she can understand that.”

SPOKESWOMAN

Billie Jean King has signed with the British orthopedics giant Smith & Nephew PLC to be the spokeswoman for the company’s Legion knee implants. King, who won six Wimbledon singles championships and four US Open titles, had double knee replacement surgery last year using the Legion implant. “For nearly four decades I was in a downward spiral of pain and compromise due to my knees,” King said in prepared remarks. “The mental and emotional shift my new knees have provided me has been tremendous. I feel like I’m 20 again, and I’m back on the courts
playing tennis.” In addition to her on-court exploits, King is the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Women’s Sports Foundation and Women’s Sports Magazine. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama in 2009.

SPECIAL PARTNER

Leander Paes believes it was karma that brought him Mahesh Bhupathi back together again as a doubles team following a nine-year separation. The two will continue to play as a team, at least through the French Open in May, Paes said. “We’ve just signed up to play three more tournaments together – the Dubai Open, Palm Springs and Miami. Of course there’s the Davis Cup,” Paes said. “I am sure we’ll play a lot more together. If we are winning and we are enjoying, we’ll take it from there. We’ve won the French Open twice before so it’ll be interesting to play there and see how it goes.” Paes claims reuniting with his former partner happened at the right time. “I think it was a good time to get back together, even though it may have taken nine years,” he said. In those nine years, Paes said the two tried to reunite at least five times. “A lot of my family, coaches and friends have been trying to get us together for years. In fact, a lot of people think we have never tried before. But really, we have. In the last nine years, there have been at least five times that we’ve tried,” he said. “Every time he would ask me to play, I’ve done well with a partner. If you are winning a Grand Slam with someone, it’s tough to break that team,” Paes said. “Every time I’ve asked him, he would be doing well with his partner. The timing in life is very important. Over the years, we’ve both matured a lot; we’ve both grown as individuals. I have to commend Mahesh for a great run at the Australian Open. Our coming together now is really karma. It’s like life coming a full circle.”

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

Rafael Nadal added to his trophy case when he was named Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus Sport Awards. The Spaniard, who won three Grand Slam tournaments in 2010 – Roland Garros, Wimbledon and his first US Open – beat out Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, boxer Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Barcelona footballers Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi for the Sportsman of the Year honor. Olympic gold medalist skier Lindsey Vonn was named Sportswoman of the Year, beating out the likes of high jumper Blanka Vlasic and tennis players Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki. The awards were presented at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi. Spain’s World Cup-winning squad won Team of the Year, while the Spirit of Sport Award went to the European Ryder Cup team for their win at Celtic Manor. Winners are chosen by 46 sports stars that make up the Laureus sports academy.

SWEDE FUND

The Swedish newspaper Affarsvarlden reports that former world number one Stefan Edberg has launched a corporate bond fund. Edberg, who earned more than $20 million in career price money, is a part owner in Case Asset Management, the Stockholm-based boutique that will run the fund. The six-time Grand Slam tournament winner is one of the biggest seed investors in the fund. Edberg and Kristianstad Sparbank together have invested SEK50 million ($7.8 million). Edberg told Affarsvarlden that during the financial crisis he bought bonds from Nordic banks as he believed they would not collapse. The new fund, which launched at the beginning of January, is called Safe Play and targets returns of 5-7% per annum. Edberg’s company, Case Asset Management, was founded in 2004 by Edberg and some leading Swedish investors. 2009 was a good year for the firm as its balanced fund, Fair Play, returned 27 percent, and in 2010 the fund returned 10 percent.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Cali: Irina-Camelia Begu and Elena Bogdan beat Ekaterina Ivanova and Kathrin Woerle 2-6 7-6 (6) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Costa do Sauipe: Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares beat Pablo Andujar and Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6 (4) 6-3

Midland: Jamie Hampton and Anna Tatishvili beat Irina Falconi and Alison Riske, walkover

Paris: Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy beat Vera Dushevina and Ekaterina Makarova 6-4 6-2

Pattaya: Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci beat Sun Shengnan and Zheng Jie 3-6 6-3 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Rotterdam: Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner beat Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic 6-4 3-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

San Jose: Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram beat A Falla and Xavier Malisse 6-4, 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

TO SURF

Memphis: www.memphistennis.com/splash

Marseille: www.open13.fr/

Buenos Aires: www.copaclaro.com/

Acapulco: http://abiertomextenis.com.mx/

Dubai: www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/

Bogota: www.copacolsanitas.com/

Delray Beach: www.yellowtennisball.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,226,500 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard

$782,400 Open 13, Marseille, France, hard

$544,330 Copa Claro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

WOMEN

$2,050,000 Dubai Tennis Championships, Dubai, Qatar, hard

$220,000 XIX Copa BBVA Colsanitas, Bogota, Colombia, clay

$220,000 Cellular South Cup, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard

SENIORS

Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,619,500 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

$955,000 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco, Mexico, clay

$442,500 Delray Beach International Championships, Delray Beach, Florida, USA., hard

WOMEN

$721,000 Qatar Ladies Open 2011, Doha, Qatar, hard

$220,000 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco, Mexico, clay

Around The Corner – Aussie Open Tune-Ups Continue

January 9, 2011 by WTM

By Mike McIntyre

Medibank International – Sydney, Australia

American Sam Querrey has the top seed and enjoys a first round bye. He will face either Alexandr Dolgopolov (who lost to Roddick in Brisbane) or a qualifier in his first match. It will be interesting to watch Querrey this year and see if the 23 year old is ready to take another big step forward. 2010 saw him win tournaments on all three surfaces, so expectations are high.

Gilles Simon looks to be the toughest opponent in Querrey’s section of the draw and the two could face-off in the third round. Simon is a former top-ten player, though he is not seeded in this event after sustaining a lackluster 2010 season.

Ernests Gulbis is the third seed and is also in the top-half of the draw, but somebody remind me when he last accomplished anything worthwhile on the circuit.

Marcos Baghdatis is the defending champion in Sydney and is seeded second this year. He gets the winner of Potito Starace and Julien Benneteau. Look for the Frenchman Benneteau to possibly give him trouble in round two.

Juan Martin Del Potro has a wildcard into the tournament and gets Feliciano Lopez, the eight seed, in a tough first round match. After missing the majority of 2010 with a wrist injury, it is going to be fun to watch a healthy Del P and see if he bounces back this season. It will be nice to see him back near the top of the rankings and giving guys like Nadal and Federer a good run for their money.

Heineken Open – Auckland, New Zealand

World No. 7 David Ferrer of Spain takes the number one position in Auckland and gets a bye in the first round. He will open against either Tobias Kamke or a qualifier in round two. Philipp Kohlscrhreiber the eighth seed looks like potential trouble in the top-half of the draw while veteran Tommy Robredo is also present though unseeded.

In the bottom half clay-court guru Nicolas Almagro is the number two seed while John Isner is the third seed. The tall American returns to Auckland as the defending champion where he won his first ever ATP World Tour title. In the finals a year ago he saved a match point en-route to defeating Arnaud Clement.

David Nalbandian is also present and could cause some damage if he is healthy and fit to start the season. It seems something usually goes wrong with the Argentine in the early-goings of the tennis year, perhaps due to a lack of proper preparation or maybe just due to his chronic misfortune with injuries.

All in all a pretty nice draw in Auckland this year and one of several players involved could walk away with the title.

Kooyong Classic

Though not an official ATP tournament, the Kooyong Classic usually has some top-level talent on display. The annual exhibition offers up some pretty nice prize money to entice tour players to play.

This year they boast a lineup of Jurgen Melzer, Nikolay Davydenko, Gael Monfils, Lleyton Hewitt, Mikhail Youzhny, Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco in the tournament.

The draw has not yet been revealed but winners advance to the championship side while losers are relegated to the consolation section where they still are able to get a couple of matches under their belt prior to heading to Melbourne.

Enjoy the tennis and stay tuned for our Australian Open preview in a week’s time.

Around The Corner: ATP Tour Touches Down in Europe

October 24, 2010 by WTM

By Mike McIntyre

Back over to Europe for three indoor hard court tournaments this week on the ATP World Tour. The big news on the circuit last week was that Roger Federer tied Pete Sampras’ all-time tournament tally with his 64th career win in Stockholm. Only another 45 before he equals Jimmy Connors mark of 109!

This week we have stops in Austria, France and Russia as the season begins to draw to a close.

Bank Austria Tennis Trophy

It’s gimmick time in Vienna as the event has chosen to dust off 43 year-old Thomas Muster with a wild-card into the main draw. The former world number one and French Open champion has been playing a few challenger and futures level events this fall and has a 1-6 record so far in his “comeback.”

Muster opens against enigmatic Ernests Gulbis in the first round. I’m not really too sure what to make of this stunt. Muster is over ten years past being able to play at a high level – why make a return to the tour now?

Mikhail Youzhny of Russia eyes a return — Mikhail Youzhny

Local Jurgen Melzer gets the number one seed and deservingly so. Not only is he the defending champion at this event, but he has had a terrific 2010 that has seen him reach his first career Grand Slam semi-final and also defeat Rafael Nadal for the first time. Melzer gets a first round bye and could face wild-card James Blake in the second round.

Melzer will likely have to face Philipp Kohlschreiber in his section of the draw, and could also see clay-court guru Nicolas Almagro or veteran Xavier Malisse as well.

In the bottom half, Marcos Baghdatis and second seeded Marin Cilic are lurking. Cilic could really use a strong result to close out his season as it has been one great disappointment for him since a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open back in January.

Open Sud de France

Doesn’t it seem like there is an ATP event in France every couple of weeks? The French must really love their tennis and who can blame them? They have an abundance of players in the top one hundred in the world. Their players also have a variety in their game that makes them among the most enjoyable to watch in the sport.

Look over the qualifying draw and you might be surprised to see an A. Agazzi entered. That would be Andrea Agazzi from Italy…no joke.

The main draw boasts number one seed Nikolay Davydenko who appears to be on his last legs of competitiveness since returning from a wrist injury back in the spring. His long-term hold on a top-ten position has reached its end as he has been unable to put together any type of consistent tennis all season. Davydenko gets a first round bye, which will probably actually hurt his chances.

Defending champion Ivan Ljubicic is in the top-half of the draw along with Frenchman Richard Gasquet who is my pick to win the tournament.

In the bottom half we find many other talented locals such as number two seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils. Again, what a great time to be a tennis fan in France. David Nalbandian is also present with a wild-card.

St. Petersburg Open

Russia welcomes Mikhail Youzhny as the top seed and a slew of other lesser known players into the field. It is arguably the weakest draw of the three tournaments and does not offer any first round exemptions.

Youzhny won the event way back in 2004 which speaks to his longevity on the tour. In 2009, Sergiy Stakhovsky emerged as the champion and he is back as the second seed this time around.

Viktor Troicki who just won his first ever tour event in Moscow is in the top-half of the draw, while Jeremy Chardy, Janko Tipsarevic and P.H. Mathieu are in the bottom section.

Enjoy the tennis this week everyone.

nicolas almagro

By Justin Cohen

By Bob Greene

STARS

SAYING

SCHIAVONE SUCCESSFUL

SEES THE END

SIXTH ROME TITLE

SERBIA REIGNS

SIGHT ON OLYMPICS

SUPER SPANIARD

SIBLING SUCCESS

SO CLOSE, SO FAR AWAY

STANDING STILL

SLICK STAT

SWITCHING LABELS

SHARED PERFORMANCES

SURFING

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN and WOMEN

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

WOMEN

STARS

SAYING

STROKIN’

SUCCESS

STOMPIN’

SURVIVOR

SPANISH STAR

SIDELINED

SPEAKS OUT

SLIPPING

SINGULAR EFFORT

SIXTH IN TITLES

SONY SIGNUP

SOFIA’S HOME

SABATINI HONORED

SPEAKING HER MIND

SHARED PERFORMANCES

SURFING

Dubai: www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/ Delray Beach: www.yellowtennisball.com Acapulco: http://abiertomextenis.com.mx Kuala Lumpur: www.bmwmalaysianopen.com Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

WOMEN

SENIORS

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

WOMEN

STARS

(US Open, First Round)

SAYING

SWISS MASTER

SO GLOBAL

SAY BYE-BYE

SEE YOU IN LONDON

SITE TO SEE

SET FOR DELRAY BEACH

STAR TURN

SELECTED

SPONSOR

SURFING

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN and WOMEN

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

WOMEN

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

WOMEN

DAVIS CUP

(September 16-18)

World Group Semifinals

World Group Playoffs

Group I

Group II

STARS

Dubai: www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/
Delray Beach: www.yellowtennisball.com
Acapulco: http://abiertomextenis.com.mx
Kuala Lumpur: www.bmwmalaysianopen.com
Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/