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Wozniacki and Roddick take home Crowns – Mondays with Bob Greene

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STARS

Caroline Wozniacki beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 6-3 to win the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, Qatar

Andy Roddick beat Milos Roanic 7-6 (7) 6-7 (11) 7-5 to win the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Robin Soderling beat Marin Cilic 6-7 (8) 6-3 6-3 to win the Open 13 in Marseille, France

Nicolas Almagro beat Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3 3-6 6-4 to win the Copa Blaro in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Magdalena Rybarikova beat Rebecca Marino 6-2 retired to win the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Loudres Dominguez Lino beat Mathilde Johansson 2-6 6-3 6-2 to win the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota, Colombia

SAYINGS

“I think I was very fortunate. I feel like I got outplayed, I just stuck around and kept trying.” – Andy Roddick, after outlasting Milos Raonic to win the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, Tennessee.

“I’m playing amazing. And getting amazing results.” – Milos Raonic, after reaching his second straight final on the ATP tour.

“It’s a great and enjoyable tournament to play. But for right now it’s a little more difficult because of the security situation. We (players) are a bit scared about this and we’re trying to decide what to do.” – David Nalbandian, on the drug violence in Acapulco, site of this week’s Mexican Open.

“It’s of course a very nice feeling. Winning three tournaments in four tries is something I’ve never been close to before. It’s the best possible start. I’ve won many matches and only lost one, unfortunately in the fourth round in Melbourne. It’s a great start and I really hope it can continue this way.” – Robin Soderling, after winning the Open 13 title in Marseille, France

“From the moment he broke me, the match was over. I had a deplorable attitude. At 30 years of age, I’m not proud of myself.” – Michael Llodra, after losing 6-1 6-4 to Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals at Marseille, France.

“Definitely it wasn’t my day today. I think I didn’t play too good. Too many unforced errors. Probably one of the worse matches in a while from my part.” – Vera Zvonareva, after losing to fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-3 6-2 at Dubai.

“I felt like I’m playing good. I just cannot close it. It’s just one point, a stupid point, but it’s only one. I win like 101 during the match, and I can’t win just final one. It’s funny.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, after beating Francesca Schiavone on her seventh match point.

Caroline Wozniacki

SECURITY FEARS

The ATP has warned players about security concerns at the Mexican Open in Acapulco after a spate of attacks on taxis in the resort city left 12 drivers and passengers dead just days before the tournament was to begin. Acapulco has been the scene of bloody drug cartel turf wars, although little of the violence has happened in tourist areas. Organizers of the largest tennis tournament in Latin America say the Mexican government has pledged that appropriate security measures have been taken for the event. The Mexican Open begins today as a combined ATP and WTA event. Players received e-mails from the ATP about the situation, cautioning them about going out and suggesting they stay near their hotel. It’s also been suggested they arrive as late as possible and leave once eliminated. Defending men’s champion David Ferrer arrived several days ago, while Juan Carlos Ferrero, who lost in the final a year ago, has withdrawn from this year’s tournament citing an injury. Argentina’s David Nalbandian said he is considering withdrawing because of a groin injury and he could use the rest before Argentina’s Davis Cup match against Romania March 4-6.

SACRE BLEU

Raise the Maple Leaf. Get out the words to the song “O Canada.” The North Woods has never seen this kind of week on the tennis court before. And it all happened in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. While Andy Roddick stopped Milos Raonic’s remarkable two-week run, the 20-year-old has become the highest-ranking Canadian in men’s singles since before Greg Rusedski decided to become a Brit. A week before, Raonic became the first Canadian to win an ATP title in 16 years. In the women’s singles at Memphis, Rebecca Marino, trying to become only the sixth Canadian to win a WTA tour event, fell short when she had to retire from the women’s final with a left abdominal strain. A Canadian did bring home the bacon, however, when Daniel Nestor teamed with Max Mirnyi to win the doubles. It was the 72nd tour-level doubles title for the 38-year-old Nestor, the most among active players. “I have to say both Milos and Daniel are great guys and amazing players,” Marino said. “Anytime a Canadian does well, the other Canadian players are very supportive and positive.”

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Both Andy Roddick and Milos Raonic talked about having an off day. The fans in Memphis, Tennessee, certainly didn’t think so. Roddick hit a diving forehand – “the best shot I’ve ever hit in my life, considering the circumstances – on match point to end a scintillating final and win the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships by the slimmest of margins. The match was much closer than the final score of 7-6 (7) 6-7 (11) 7-5 indicates. Raonic said he believes Roddick’s game-winning shot will be one of YouTube’s most-viewed points. “I think it’s nice he had to come up with something that amazing to finish off the match,” the 20-year-old Canadian said. Even in defeat, Raonic won respect. He slammed 32 aces against Roddick and finished the tournament with a record 129. He hit one serve at 150 mph, but it wasn’t enough for his second straight tournament title. Instead, Roddick won his 30th career title and his third in Memphis. Playing in his 50th final, Roddick becomes only the third player to win at least three titles in Memphis since 1976, joining Tommy Haas and Jimmy Connors. When it was over, Roddick talked about Raonic. “He’s as exciting of a talent as we’ve seen in a while,” the veteran American said. “The good news for him is he’s going to be able to learn on the run because that serve is going to win him a lot of matches, even if he goes up and down with his play because it’s one of the biggest serves I’ve seen.”

STEPPING UP

It didn’t take long for Caroline Wozniacki to regain her spot as number one in the world. The Dane moved back on top of the rankings, replacing Kim Clijsters, who spent just one week as number one. Wozniacki wrapped up her trip to the United Arab Emirates by crushing Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 6-3 in the final to win the Dubai Tennis Championships, her 13th career title. Wozniacki is expected to remain in the top spot for at least the next four weeks. It was the third time Kuznetsova has reached the final in Dubai, and her third loss. “I just didn’t play well,” the Russian said. “I did too many unforced errors. She played her basic game and didn’t have to do much.”

STEFAN BACK

Stefan Koubek will play Davis Cup for Austria next month, despite what he said six months ago. The Austrian Tennis Federation said Koubek will replace Andreas Haider-Maurer, who has been laid low by pneumonia. Koubek was a mainstay of Austria’s Davis Cup team for 12 years until he stepped down last year, saying: “I’ve got the feeling I can’t match the performances from my Davis Cup career anymore.” The 34-year-old Koubek won three ATP titles in his career and was ranked as high as No. 20 in 2000. The Austria-France tie will be played March 4-6 in a hangar at Vienna’s main airport.

SPANISH CUP

Rafael Nadal, who has been sidelined by a hamstring injury, is expected to return in time to play Davis Cup for Spain in its first-round tie against Belgium, which will be held March 4-6. The world’s top-ranked player, Nadal has not played since losing in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open last month to Davis Cup teammate David Ferrer. The defeat prevented Nadal from possibly winning a fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament title. Nadal rested his leg for 10 days, and then returned to training at his home in Mall orca. Besides Nadal and Ferrer, others named to Spain’s Davis Cup team are Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez.

SELECTED TO HALL

Former ATP Tour player Alex O’Brien has been inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame, becoming the first native of Amarillo, Texas, to receive the honor. The 40-year-old O’Brien won state singles and doubles titles while in high school, then became a four-time All-American at Stanford, winning the NCAA singles, doubles and team titles in 1992. On the ATP Tour, he earned a No. 1 ranking in doubles in 2000 after claiming the 1999 US Open doubles title. O’Brien played on the US Davis Cup team, won one singles title and was ranked as high as No. 30 on the ATP Tour. He also was on the US Olympic team in 2000 in Sydney, Australia.

STAR-SPANGLED TEAM

After an absence of one year, Andy Roddick is back on the United States Davis Cup team. America’s top player was selected for the squad by new captain Jim Courier, joining Sam Querrey, John Isner and the world’s top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan. “All of the US players are committed to the goal of winning the Davis Cup and our first step is to go to battle in Santiago,” said Courier, who was selected captain in October, replacing Patrick McEnroe. The United States will play its first-round match against Chile March 4-6 on an outdoor clay court at the Estadio Nacional. Roddick is second all-time in US Davis Cup history with 31 career singles sins. He returns to Davis Cup play for the first time since
the 2009 first round.

SAYING “I DO”

Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi and former Miss Universe and Bollywood actress Lara Dutta are now man and wife. The two were married in a ceremony in Mumbai, India, attended only by the family members of both the bride and the groom.  In a second ceremony, held in Goa, the two exchanged vows in the presence of family members and friends from sports and Bollywood circles. The bride was dressed in a white gown and wearing diamond jewelry.

SPEARING POINTS

The WTA and International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced WTA players will receive ranking points at the 2012 Olympic tennis event in London. This will be the third successive Olympics where the women have received ranking points. The agreement will strengthen the women’s field, with nations now eligible for up to four entries in the singles and two entries into the doubles. The maximum number of women players from each country has been raised from four to six. WTA rankings will be used as the basis for determining the 56 direct acceptances in the 64-player singles draw, subject to a maximum of four players per country as well as existing eligibility requirements. Six of the remaining eight singles players will be selected by the ITF’s Olympic Committee, taking into consideration a player’s singles computer ranking and a geographic distribution of nations entered, as well as two Tripartite Commission invitations decided by the IOC, National Olympic Committees and the ITF. The women’s rankings will also be used to determine the 24 direct entries into the 32-pair doubles draw, subject to a maximum of two pairs per country and a maximum of six women players per country in total. Doubles players ranked in the top 10 can receive direct acceptance into the event, providing they have an eligible partner.

SCARY MOMENT

A gastro-intestinal illness caused Anna Chakvetadze to faint during her third-round match against Caroline Wozniacki at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Wozniacki had won the first set and was trailing 3-5 in the second when Chakvetadze fainted on court. The former world number 5 from Russia was standing behind the baseline, preparing to serve, when she crumbled to the court. A doctor, trainer, the umpire and Wozniacki all rushed to help Chakvetadze, and after a seven-minute delay in which her blood pressure was checked, she played one more point before retiring with the score at 6-1, 3-5, 40-15. “It was a shock,” Wozniacki said. “It was scary. She is a good friend of mine, but to see anyone collapse on the other side of the net is not a good sight. It was quite a surprise.”

SITAK DEBUT

Artem Sitak will make his Davis Cup debut for New Zealand in its tie against Uzbekistan in March. The 25-year-old Russian-born Sitak became eligible to play for New Zealand earlier this year. “Artem’s eligibility for Davis Cup is a big boost to our squad and will add a lot of depth and options to our team,” Davis Cup captain Marcel Vos said. Also named to the team were Michael Venus, Rubin Statham and Marcus Daniell. The Asia/Oceania Group 1 tie will be played March 4-6 on clay at Namangan in eastern Uzbekistan.

SWINGING WILD

The crowd loved it, and both players had to smile. It was one point in Caroline Wozniacki’s 7-5 6-3 semifinal victory over Jelena Jankovic. On that point, Jankovic swung at the ball, sending it back over the net. But the racquet slipped out of her hand and sailed 15 feet towards the sideline, leaving the Serb standing helpless in the court. The flying racquet must have interrupted Wozniacki’s focus as the Dane, who only had to put the ball over the net to win the point, over-hit the return, sailing the ball long and losing the point. Wozniacki tried to argue the outcome of the unusual play with the umpire, but there was no way she could convince him that she might have been unfairly distracted by the flying racquet.

SPLIT PERSONALITY?

Is Julie Cohen an amateur or a professional? That’s the question. The 21-year-old Cohen is no longer playing tennis for California University of Pennsylvania. She became an online student at the school while playing on the WTA tour. She had started her college career as a standout at two Division I schools – spending one season at Miami University and another at the University of Florida. She then transferred to California University of Pennsylvania, where the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ruled her immediately eligible to play college tennis. Julia played in four matches early in the season, then played number one singles and number one doubles in the Vulcans’ 5-0 victory over Grand Valley State in the NCAA Division II tournament. That was her last match.  “After the Grand Valley State match, someone reported to PSAC commissioner Steve Murray that she (Cohen) had taken some prize money playing on the pro circuit,” explained California-Pennsylvania athletic director Tom Pucci. “And anytime we have a dispute, we hold the student athlete out until the issue is resolved.” Pucci is uncertain about Cohen’ s future because she still has another year of college eligibility. Currently ranked 161st in the world in singles, Cohen lost in the opening round of qualifying in Bogota, Colombia, last week and was a first-round loser in the Australian Open main draw to Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands. The WTA lists her as an amateur.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bogota: Edina Gallovits-Hall and Anabel Medina Garrigues beat Sharon Fichman and Laura Pous-Tio 2-6 7-6 (6) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Buenos Aires: Oliver Marach and Leonardo Mayer beat Franco Ferreiro and Andre Sa 7-6 (6) 6-3

Dubai: Liezel Huber and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 7-6 (5) 6-3

Marseille: Robin Haase and Ken Skupski beat Julien Benneteau and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 6-7 (4) 13-11 (match tiebreak)

Memphis (men): Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor beat Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-2 6-7 (6) 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Memphis (women): Olga Govortsova and Alla Kudryavtseva beat Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-3 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

TO SURF

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

Dubai: www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/

Doha: www.qatartennis.org/tournaments/index/26

Delray Beach: www.yellowtennisball.com

Kuala Lumpur: www.bmwmalaysianopen.com/

Monterrey: www.abiertodetenismonterrey.com/portal/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

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

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

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

Around The Corner: Marseille, Memphis and Buenos Aires

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By Mike McIntyre

Open 13 – Marseille, France

Fresh off his win in Rotterdam, Sweden’s Robin Soderling looks to continue his impressive form this week in Marseille as the number one seed. This guy has certainly proved he belongs in the top five and the only thing really left for him to achieve at this stage in his career is to win a Slam at some point. With Roger approaching thirty and Nadal’s health always a question, there is no reason why Soderling cannot accomplish this at some point in 2011.

Robin Soderling

Soderling gets a first round bye and will face either Frenchman Nicolas Mahut or a qualifier in the second round. He will have the likes of Jurgen Melzer or Ivan Ljubicic to contend with in the top-half of the draw.

Tomas Berdych is the second seed and still seems to be struggling with his game. Despite making the semifinals of Wimbledon last year, Berdych has not managed to be as consistent week in and week out like Soderling is. The Czech will face either veteran Arnaud Clement or a qualifier in the second round.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a more likely name to emerge from the bottom-half of the draw and lookout for Nikolay Davydenko or Gilles Simon – both unseeded – to also make a run in Marseille. The two former top-ten players face each other in the opening round and then have the “good” fortune of facing seventh seeded Mikhail Youzhny in round two. Getting through that kind of tough start could give them the momentum to go deep in the draw.

A Frenchman has won this event in four of the last five years. In 2010 it was Michael Llodra, who opens this time against Julien Benneteau. With all the big names entered in the draw I think it is a huge long-shot for Llodra to expect similar results this time around.

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships – Memphis, Tennessee

Andy Roddick makes his return to the ATP World Tour for the first time since the Australian Open where he surprisingly lost in the fourth round. He opens against Richard Berankis in a relatively easy opening match and then could face Janko Tipsarevic in round two. Tipsarevic has given him trouble in their past two meetings so this will be no easy draw for America’s top player. Roddick could really use a tournament victory to show others he is still one of the top contenders on the circuit. It wouldn’t hurt to prove that to himself either as he has not won a title since March of last year. Roddick has a lot of ranking points to defend next month and could see himself drop out of the top-ten if he doesn’t bring his best game to the court.

Veteran Lleyton Hewitt is also in Roddick’s quarter and the pair could meet up in the third round. Hewitt, even more-so than Roddick, needs to show he still has some fight left in him. Turning thirty in just over a week, the Australian is ranked 70th in the world and is looking for his first ATP level win of the season.

The first-round match to watch here in Memphis will undoubtedly be that between wild-card Juan Martin Del Potro and sixth seeded John Isner. Standing at 6’6” and 6’9” respectively, these two players will be bringing some serious firepower to the court. Del Potro leads the head-to-head 2-0 but is still not back at 100%. He did take a giant leap forward in his comeback from wrist surgery when he made the semi-finals in San Jose this past week before losing to Fernando Verdasco.

Verdasco leads the bottom-half of the draw as the second seed and will face Canadian Milos Raonic in the first round. The interesting thing about this match-up is that the two have just played each other in the finals in San Jose. It is not often that you see two players meeting in the final of one event only to then meet in the first round of the next one.

Defending champion Sam Querrey is also in the bottom-half of the draw, but much like with Llodra in Marseille, I feel he will be hard-pressed to repeat as champion due to the tough competition. Ranked 17th in the world, Querrey has struggled mightily at the start of the season by losing both of his first round matches in Australia last month. We’ll see if he can get back on track while playing in a spot like Memphis where he has so many positive memories from 2010.

Copa Claro – Buenos Aires, Argentina

The seemingly mandatory clay court event on the tour this week takes place in Buenos Aires where forgotten veteran Juan Carlos Ferrero is the defending champion. Unfortunately Ferrero has not been able to play yet this season as he recovers from wrist and knee surgery and will miss the event this year.

That being said there are several worthy successors to walk away with the title. Top seed Nicolas Almagro loves playing on red clay and just won the Brasil Open against Alexandr Dolgopolov. Almagro has always had trouble putting together back-to-back titles though, so don’t expect another deep run this week. He often follows up a win with a second round loss for some reason. Should he get to round three in Buenos Aires, he will likely get a rematch with Dolgopolov.

David Nalbandian and Tommy Robredo represent the veteran presence in the top-half of the draw and while I would count on Nalbandian to emerge from this section, you can never really count out Mr. Robredo. This guy always seems to have a strong performance just when you think he’s on the verge of disappearing from the radar.

The bottom half of the draw is led by second seeded Stan Wawrinka. While Stan has had a great season thus far, on clay I’d take guys like Juan Monaco and Alberta Montanes as more likely picks in this section of the tourney.

All in all this week has some great matches despite the lack of Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray. Most of the other top players are in action and we also have some great new faces like Dolgopolov and Raonic to continue to keep an eye on. Enjoy the tennis everyone!

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: VENUS WILLIAMS TAKES DUBAI

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STARS

Venus Williams beat Victoria Azarenka 6-3 7-5 to win the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Sam Querrey beat John Isner 6-4 6-3 to win the men’s singles at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Michael Llodra beat Julien Benneteau 6-3 6-4 to win the Open 13 in Marseille, France

Juan Carlos Ferrero defeated David Ferrer 5-7 6-4 6-3 to win the Copa Telmex in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Venus Williams
Venus Williams takes Dubai

Maria Sharapova beat Sofia Avidsson 6-2 6-1 to win the women’s singles at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships & the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Mariana Duque Marino beat Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-3 to win the XVII Copa BBVA Colsanitas in Bogota, Colombia

Karol Beck beat Ilia Bozoljac 7-5 7-6 (4) to win the Gemax Open 2010 in Belgrade, Serbia

SAYINGS

“It’s not the most comfortable feeling to beat the best friend you have on the circuit.” – Juan Carlos Ferrero, after beating top-seeded David Ferrer in the final at Buenos Aires, Argentina

“Coming in here I asked for matches and I got five of them and I got the win, so I’m certainly happy. I felt like I played consistent tennis throughout the week and did the right things against all my opponents. I guess that’s a good week.” – Maria Sharapova, after winning the women’s singles at Memphis, Tennessee.

“Obviously we had issues with everyone getting included. But this year it was great to show a spirit of inclusion and equality. I definitely think her playing has an influence on things outside the tennis. We need government to do the right thing like they did here and people of courage to come here and play, to play so well with focus.” – Venus Williams, on Shahar Peer playing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“Unfortunately I couldn’t manage to win it, which will be my dream. But there will be no complaints. I achieved a lot in this tournament, professionally and mentally and for myself.” – Shahar Peer, after losing to Venus Williams in the semifinals at Dubai one year after she was refused entry into the country.

“I couldn’t lose that game because I was supposed to take part in a Chateau-Latour tasting today with friends, including Amelie Mauresmo, and I was really upset to miss that one. Maybe that’s the reason why I played an almost perfect match.” – Michael Llodra, who made up for missing a wine-tasting evening by upsetting top-seeded Robin Soderling.

“I just played more relaxed. I had nothing to lose.” – Ernests Gulbis, after rallying from a 3-5 third-set deficit to defeat Tomas Berdych 3-6 6-3 7-6 (3) in a quarterfinal match at Memphis, Tennessee, winning the final four points of the tiebreak.

“Yes, you can say that I have had the best of two worlds. But with all honesty I love to play here because this is a Muslim country and I can identify with the place and its people and feel at home.” – Aravane Rezai, a dual citizen of France and Iran, while playing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“My game may not be as consistent as the best players’, but except for (world number one Roger) Federer none of them can say: `Great, I’m going to play Llodra.’” – Michael Llodra.

“Today I played one sloppy game in the third set, and that was it. Sometimes at this level there’s not much in between it.” – Andy Roddick, after losing to John Isner in Memphis.

“Our next goal is to win a Grand Slam. Doesn’t matter which one.” – Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who teamed with Nuria Llagostera Vives to win the doubles in Dubai.

“Between tennis and blackjack, I just hope to break even.” – Andy Roddick, announcing that he will take part in a tennis event at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

“I didn’t play for 14 years because my back was terrible. The arthritis, the torn disc, the torn ligament – it was all in the same area. Walking was difficult. Even standing was difficult. But it’s getting better. It’s not 100 percent, but it’s a lot better than it was. I play three to four times a week, 60 to 90 minutes at a time. And I can train now and not get sore. So I’m getting in better shape, too, and that helps.” – Ivan Lendl, on playing tennis again.

SOUTH AMERICAN SWEEP

Once ranked number one in the world, Juan Carlos Ferrero continued on the comeback trail by winning his second straight South American clay court tournament, this time the Copa Telmex in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A week ago he won the Brasil Open. “This is an amazing feeling,” said Ferrero, the 2003 French Open winner. “When I left home I never imagined I’d have two weeks like these and beat such good players at David (Ferrer).” With the 14th title of his career, the 30-year-old Ferrero has moved back into the world’s top 20.

SECURED SITE

It’s been awhile since Venus Williams played on a remote outside court, and never before in a semifinal match. But when her opponent was Israel’s Shahar Peer, organizers sent the players to a court where security could be tightened. ‘I guess I just want what is best for everyone,” Williams said before the match. “And if this is the best decision, then I support it.” Peer’s semifinal appearance – she lost to the eventual champion 6-1 6-4 – was in contrast to last year when the United Arab Emirates refused to give her a visa to play in the Dubai event. And shortly before the tournament began this year there were allegations that Israel may have been involved in the assassination of a Hamas founding member in a nearby hotel. Only about 1,200 people could watch the match, with some of those having only partial views of the action. And despite the heat, spectators were not allowed to take bottles of water into the stands.

STOPPED BY INFECTION

A lung infection he developed last week has sidelined Roger Federer. The world’s top player withdrew from this week’s Dubai Open due to the infection. Stephen Duckitt, ATP senior manager for Asia and Pacific, said of Federer: “He saw a doctor and he was advised not to play for a fortnight.” It is the second straight year Federer has missed the Dubai event. The Swiss star withdrew from last year’s tournament because of a back injury. Tommy Robredo of Spain replaced Federer in the Dubai tournament. Federer, who has won the Dubai title four times in his career, is expected to return to the ATP Tour in Indian Wells, California, USA, which begins March 11.

SUCCESS

With her win at the Dubai Open, Venus Williams has moved to the top of active players with her 42nd career title. Justine Henin has won 41 tournaments. Venus also joined her sister Serena as being the only two women to have earned more than USD $25 million in prize money in their careers. Next up for Venus is Martina Hingis, who won 43 titles in her career. Martina Navratilova is the all-time leader with 167 singles championships.

STARS FOR HAITI

Four of the best-known tennis players will raise money for the Haiti earthquake relief effort in a special doubles match next month. Roger Federer will team up with Pete Sampras to play Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi in a “Hit for Haiti” match March 12 during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA. Tournament director Steve Simon says he expects a minimum of USD $1 million to be raised. Net proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the American Red Cross, and fans will be able to donate through text messages and onsite contributions.

SWISH

At 6-foot-10 (2.08m), Ivo Karlovic is the tallest player on the ATP tour and known for his huge serve. In his first-round victory over Benjamin Becker at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, Tennessee, Karlovic slammed 32 aces. ATP officials said their research found that the 32 aces was a record for a two-set match. “I had a feeling like I could not miss,” Karlovic said. Becker agreed.

SET TO PLAY

As a former champion, Kei Nishikori has received a wild card entry into this Delray Beach International Tennis Championship. The 20-year-old Japanese star will be playing for the first time since he underwent surgery on his right elbow last year. Nishikori was the youngest player to ever win the International Tennis Championships and was one of four players to capture the title after having to play qualifying.

SENSATION FROM HAITI

Ronald Agenor, known as “The Haitian Sensation” during his 19-year career, will replace Argentina’s Guillermo Vilas in an ATP Champions Tour event at Delray Beach, Florida. Agenor, the best player ever to represent Haiti, reached the French Open quarterfinals in 1989 where he lost to eventual champion Michal Chang.

STRANGE TWEET

The Israeli embassy turned to Twitter to comment on Shahar Peer semifinal run at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Or did it? A tweet issued by the embassy read: “You heard it here first: Israeli tennis player carries out hit on Dubai target.” The tweet linked to a story about Peer’s victory over top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki at the Dubai Championships. But the tweet also raised eyebrows because there were two men disguised as tennis players in the group that assassinated Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior figure from the militant group Hamas, at a hotel near the tennis tournament.

SKIPPING TOURNAMENT

In order to rest up for France’s first-round Davis Cup tie against Germany next month, Gael Monfils will skip the Acapulco, Mexico, tournament. “My coach and I have decided I should not go to Mexico even though I was a finalist there last year. I’ve played many games this year and need some rest,” Monfils said.

STRUCK DOWN AGAIN

David Nalbandian’s return to tennis was cut short when he injured his leg during a second-round victory at the Buenos Aires Open. It was Nalbandian’s first tournament since he underwent hip surgery nine months ago. After beating Potito Starace of Italy in the opening round, Nalbandian eliminated Daniel Gimeno Traver of Spain in a hard-fought 6-7 (5) 6-4 7-6 (7) win. But he suffered a three-millimeter tear in the abductor muscle of his right leg, according to tournament doctor Walter Mira. Nalbandian, once ranked as high as number three in the world, withdrew from the tournament and will need seven to 10 days of complete rest.

SHOES TO FILL

When hometown favorite Mariana Duque Marino won the XVIII Copa BBVA Colsanitas in Bogota, she became the first Colombian to win a WTA Tour singles title since Fabiola Zuluaga captured five crowns from 1999 to 2004, including four in Bogota. “Coming into this season I didn’t think I would win a WTA Tour title, so this has been incredible,” Duque Marino said. “I ran so much. The hard work paid off.” Duque Marino won the last three games of the first set and five of the last six games of the second. “Playing a final is never easy for every reason – physically, mentally. So I’m proud I won today,” she said.

STEPPING UP

For the first time since 2000, the United States Davis Cup team will not be led by Andy Roddick and James Black. Instead, US captain Patrick McEnroe selected John Isner and Sam Querrey to play singles in the first-round tie against Serbia. Doubles specialists Bob and Mike Bryan are also on the team. Roddick and Blake made themselves unavailable for Davis Cup this year. Both Querrey and Isner are currently ranked higher than Blake.

SPAT

Stefan Koubek won’t be playing Davis Cup in Austria’s first-round tie against Slovakia next month, and it’s not of his choosing. The 33-year-old Koubek said the Austrian tennis federation failed to tell him they had decided to go with Jurgen Melzer and Daniel Koellerer in the Europe/Africa Group I tie. Although Koubek has represented his country for the past 12 years, he is currently ranked behind both Melzer and Koellerer.

SHOWTIME

Andy Roddick and Venus Williams are the latest stars to be added to the Caesars Tennis Classic, which will be held April 10 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. Also in the lineup are Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Marat Safin. Roddick will face off against Safin in the exhibition, while Wilander will play Lendl. While Venus Williams will participate in the event as hostess, it has not been determined if she will also play.

STARING AT JAIL TIME

Alla Kournikova, mother of tennis star Anna Kournikova, has been charged with felony child neglect and could face up to five years in prison. Police in Palm Beach, Florida, USA, said the 46-year-old mother left her 5-year-old son home alone while she ran errands. The boy told police he jumped out a second-story window. He was not seriously injured and was found by a passer-by. Alla Kournikova was released from the Palm Beach County Jail after posting a bond of USD $3,000.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Belgrade: Ilija Bozoljac and Jamie Delgado beat Dustin Brown and Martin Slanar 6-3 6-3

Bogota: Gisela Dulko and Edina Gallovits beat Olga Savchuk and Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2 7-6 (6)

Buenos Aires: Sebastian Prieto and Horacio Zeballos beat Simon Greul and Peter Luczak 7-6 (4) 6-3

Dubai: Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 7-6 (5) 6-4

Marseille: Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra beat Mark Knowles and Robert Lindstedt 6-4 6-3

Memphis (men): Sam Querrey and John Isner beat Ross Hutchins and Jordan Kerr 6-4 6-4

Memphis (women): Vania King and Michaella Krajicek beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy 7-5 6-2

SITES TO SURF

Dubai: www.barclaysdubaitennischampionshps.com

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

Delray Beach: www.yellowtennisball.com/online/

Kuala Lumpur: www.malaysianwomensopen.com/

Champions Tour: www.atpchampionstour.com/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Monterrey: www.abiertodetenismonterrey.com/portal/

Ronald Agenor: www.ronaldagenor.com.

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

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

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

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

WTA

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

$220,000 Malaysia Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard

SENIORS

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

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

WTA

$220,000 Monterrey Open, Monterrey, Mexico, hard

DAVIS CUP

World Group

(First Round)

Spain vs. Switzerland at Logrono, Spain

France vs. Germany at Toulon, France

Russia vs. India at Moscow, Russia

Sweden vs. Argentina at Stockholm, Sweden

Croatia vs. Ecuador at Varazdin, Croatia

Serbia vs. United States at Belgrade, Serbia

Chile vs. Israel at Cuquimbo, Chile

Belgium vs. Czech Republic at Bree, Belgium

Americas Group I

(First Round)

Dominican Republic vs. Uruguay at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

(Second Round)

Colombia vs. Canada at Bogota, Colombia

Americas Group II

(First Round)

Peru vs. El Salvador at Lima, Peru; Bolivia vs. Venezuela at La Paz, Bolivia; Paraguay vs. Netherlands Antilles at Lambare, Paraguay; Mexico vs. Guatemala at Mexico City, Mexico

Asia-Oceania Group I

(First Round)

Australia vs. Chinese Taipei at Melbourne, Australia; Japan vs. Philippines at Osaka, Japan; China vs. Uzbekistan at Guangdong, China; Kazakhstan vs. Korea at Astana, Kazakhstan

Asia-Oceania Group II

(First Round)

Thailand vs. Pacific Oceania at Nonthaburi, Thailand; Malaysia vs. Indonesia at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Pakistan at Hong Kong China; Sri Lanka vs. New Zealand at Colombo, Sri Lanka

Europe-Africa Group I

(First Round)

Italy vs. Belarus at Taranto, Italy; Poland vs. Finland at Sopot, Poland; Ukraine vs. Latvia at Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine

(Second Round)

Austria vs. Slovak Republic at Gleichenberg, Austria

Europe-Africa Group II

Lithuania vs. Great Britain at Vilnius, Lithuania; Ireland vs. Turkey at Dublin, Ireland; Bulgaria vs. Monaco at Sofia, Bulgaria; Norway vs. Slovenia at Oslo, Norway; Portugal vs. Denmark at Maia, Portugal; Cyprus vs. Egypt at Limassol, Cyprus; Estonia vs. Hungary at Tallinn, Estonia; FYR Macedonia vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina at Veles, FYR Macedonia