Swiss Topple Serbia, Britain Beats USA In Davis Cup Play – Mondays With Bob Greene

By Bob Greene

STARS

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Sara Errani 3-6 6-2 6-3 to win the Open GDF Suez in Paris, France

Ekaterina Makarova beat Karolina Pliskova 6-3 7-6 (7) to win the PTT Pattaya Open in Pattaya City, Thailand

 

DAVIS CUP

First round

World Group

Czech Republic beat Netherlands 3-2 at Ostrava, Czech Republic

Japan beat Canada 4-1 at Tokyo, Japan

Germany beat Spain 4-1 at Frankfurt, Germany

France beat Australia 5-0 at La Roche sur Yon, France

Great Britain beat the United States 3-1 at San Diego, California, USA

Italy beat Argentina 3-1 at Mar del Plata, Argentina

Kazakhstan beat Belgium 3-2 at Astana, Kazakhstan

Switzerland beat Serbia 3-2 at Novi Sad, Serbia

Americas Zone Group I: Ecuador beat Venezuela 3-2 at Guayaquil, Ecuador; Dominican Republic beat Uruguay 4-0 at Santo Domino, Dominican Republic

Asia/Oceania Zone Group I: China beat New Zealand 3-1 at Tianjin, China; India beat Chinese Taipei 5-0 at Indore, India

Europe/Africa Zone Group I: Poland beat Russia 3-2 at Moscow, Russia; Slovenia beat Portugal 3-2 at Kranj, Slovenia; Ukraine beat Romania 3-1 at Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine; Slovak Republic beat Latvia 5-0 at Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Americas Zone Group II: Barbados beat Chile 3-2 at Bridgetown, Barbados; El Salvador beat Paraguay 3-2 at Asuncion, Paraguay; Peru beat Bolivia 3-2 at Trinidad, Bolivia; Mexico beat Guatemala 3-2 at Guatemala City, Guatemala, hard

Asia/Oceania Group II: Philippines beat Sri Lanka 3-1 at Colombo, Sri Lanka; Kuwait beat Indonesia 3-2 at Mishref, Kuwait

Europe/Africa Zone Group II: South Africa beat Monaco 3-2 at Centurion, South Africa, hard; Lithuania beat Norway 5-0 at Oslo, Norway; Finland beat Bulgaria 3-2 at Helsinki, Finland; Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Greece 3-1 at Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Belarus beat Ireland 4-1 at Minsk, Belarus; Moldova beat Egypt 4-1 at Chisnau, Moldova; Luxembourg beat Morocco 3-2 at Rabat, Morocco; Denmark beat Cyprus 4-1 at Copenhagen, Denmark

SAYING

“When I lost seven games in a row I don’t really know what happened. Maybe I was a little stressed because I was missing some shots and she was so solid. Also, I was serving so well throughout the tournament and there were times today where I was struggling on serve. But I knew it was from my side, so if I just focused and kept fighting I could get it back.” – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, after beating Sara Errani to win the Open GDF Suez title.

“The pressure is always on me to win both singles matches. This time I was able to help win three matches.” – Kei Nishikori, who led Japan’s Davis Cup victory over Canada.

“I pulled a stomach muscle. I hurt it on a serve in the second set. There was no way I could continue against a player like Kei in that condition.” – Frank Dancevic, after retiring from his match against Kei Nishikori, giving Japan an unbeatable 3-1 lead over Canada.

“The most important thing is that I won the match in straight sets.” – Roger Federer, who trailed 2-5 in the second set before downing Ilija Bozoljac in their Switzerland-Serbia opener.

“My head dropped a bit after I squandered a golden opportunity to level the match and he punished my resultant errors ruthlessly. But I can take some positives from this match because I played pretty well at times.” – Ilija Bozoljac.

“I think she played better than me the whole match. The last two matches I won from two match points down and from 0-3 in the third, so I just tried to stay in the match in the second set and just tried to fight, because I thought it might happen again. But in the end it didn’t.” – Karolina Pliskova, after losing the PTT Pattaya Open final to Ekaterina Makarova.

“We’ve got to take time to enjoy this win, we’re in the quarters again. In our next tie we play in Switzerland. The last time we played them we won 5-0 here in Astana and they might be willing the same revenge on us, but we’ll be up for the challenge.” – Doas Doskarayev, Kazakhstan Davis Cup captain.

“I had to serve well. I had no choice today, because Maria has one of the best returns on the tour. We played a few years ago and she broke me a lot of times, so that was a key for her to win again today, and I just tried to serve the best I could today. It was working well, so I’m very happy with it.” – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, after upsetting Maria Sharapova in the semifinals of the PTT Pattaya Open.

“I started the match really well, but as the match continued I wasn’t doing the things that really helped me in the first set. I wasn’t being aggressive, I wasn’t in the court. She was playing with a lot of confidence in the match and I gave her that opportunity to step in and play her game.” – Maria Sharapova, following her semifinal loss to fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

SWISS TOPPERS

Between them the two stars of Switzerland’s Davis Cup team have won 18 Grand Slam tournament singles titles and one Olympic doubles gold medal. And Serbia was playing without its top players, including Novak Djokovic, Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki. Switzerland easily clinched the first round victory with reigning Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka and Roger Federer taking the opening day singles and Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer winning the doubles. With Wawrinka and Federer skipping the reverse singles, Dusan Lajovic and Filip Krajinovic gave Serbia the final two points. On the first day, Federer rallied from a 2-5 second-set deficit to down Ilija Bozoljac 6-4 7-5 6-2 before Wawrinka overpowered Lajovic 6-4 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7).

SIXTH TITLE

It was a great week for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The Russian knocked off four seeded players during the week and in the final rallied from behind to beat Sara Errani for her sixth WTA career title, the Open GDF Suez in Paris. In the final, Errani won seven straight games to rally from a 3-1 deficit in the first set and lead 2-0 in the second. But Pavlyuchenkova steadied her game to end an amazing week that saw her beat three Top 10 players, including fifth-ranked Maria Sharapova, ninth-ranked Angelique Kerber and Errani, who is ranked seventh in the world. It was Pavlyuchenkova’s first Premier-level title, her first five titles coming at International-level tournaments. After Errani’s seven-game streak, Pavlyuchenkova immediately responded with a seven-game string of her own to take command of the match, hitting 48 winners to just 18 for Errani. “I’m still very happy I could make the final,” Errani said. “… I was a little bit more tired than normal in the match today because of yesterday. It was very tough to recover. But it was still a very good week for me.”

STAYING THE COURSE

Ekaterina Makarova withstood the bombardment provided by her opponent and wound up with her first tournament title in almost four years, the PTT Pattaya Open. The Russian’s only other title was on grass at Eastbourne in 2010. “I had to focus on my return to make the points,” Makarova said after beating Karolina Pliskova. “I’m really happy as it’s my second title.” Pliskova slammed six of her 10 aces in her first service game. As it turned out, 20 of the 21 games went to the server, the only service break coming in the eighth game of the opening set. “I was a little bit angry in the tiebreak because she served really well twice and then returned one just on the line, and then it was 5-all again,” Makarova said. “Then I missed an easy ball and it was set point. Luckily she hit her first double fault of the match then.”

SUCCESSFUL START

Japan is in the Davis Cup quarterfinals for the first time after defeating an injury-hit Canada 4-1. Not only did Canada go into the first-round tie without its top player, Milos Raonic, but Frank Dancevic was forced to retire with an injury while trailing Kei Nishikori 6-1 1-0, giving Japan an unbeatable 3-1 lead. Go Soeda then completed the tie with a 6-1 6-1 win over Canada’s Peter Polansky. The tie’s biggest surprise came in the doubles when Nishikori and Yasutaka Uchiyama upset Canada’s Daniel Nestor, one of the best doubles players in the world, and Dancevic 6-3 7-6 (3) 4-6 6-4. Raonic withdrew from the tie with a foot injury. Vasek Popisil, who was originally scheduled to play doubles with Nestor, also was out with an injury suffered at the Australian Open. Dancevic, who pulled a stomach muscle in the second set against Nishikori, said: “I played a lot this weekend. I don’t play much doubles on the tour. If this wasn’t Davis Cup, I probably would not have even stepped on the court today.”

SPECIAL PERSON

The WTA’s first employee, Fern Lee “Peachy” Kellmeyer, will be inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame later this year. She will be the first inductee from the sport of tennis to receive the honor. “What a surprise and honor,” Kellmeyer said. “If I haven’t learned anything in this lifetime, it is that no one gets anywhere alone and I have been one lucky lady to have others there to help me along the way. It’s extra special, also, to be honored in my hometown.” At the age of 15 Kellmeyer became the youngest woman at the time to compete in the US Nationals – now the US Open – at Forest Hills. She went on to play number one at the University of Miami, becoming the first woman to play on a Division I men’s team. Kellmeyer was the first employee and director of the WTA in 1973 and still serves the organization as an Executive Consultant of WTA Operations. The WTA Player Service award is named after her – the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award – and she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall Of Fame in 2011.

SKIPPING FED CUP

The Czech Republic will take on Spain in a first-round Fed Cup tie this week without its highest-ranked player, Petra Kvitova. Ranked sixth in the world, Kvitova announced on the team’s Facebook page that a virus will keep her out of the clay court event in Seville, Spain. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova will take Kvitova’s spot on the roster, joining Lucie Safarova, Klara Zakopalova and Andrea Hlavackova.

SHOUT DOWN

It made no difference that Germany easily won its Davis Cup World Group tie against Spain. The team’s captain, Carsten Arriens, was still booed and jeered by fans in Frankfurt, Germany. The booing came just one day after Arriens was considered a hero for his decision to partner Tommy Haas and Philipp Kohlschreiber in the doubles. They made a perfect team, winning the doubles and clinching the tie. But the fans were upset when only one of the dead rubbers was played on the final day. Kohlschreiber, who won a singles match on the opening day, pulled out of his reverse singles with a shoulder injury he suffered at the Australian Open. That gave Feliciano Lopez a walkover, Spain’s only point in the tie. Haas and Florian Mayer also were ruled out of playing the reverse singles because of injuries. That left only Daniel Brands, who beat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (5) 6-4. The Spaniard afterwards admitted he had “zero motivation” for the match. “I could understand the crowd’s reaction, but I was surprised it was that bad,” Arriens said. “It was a very difficult situation because they were all injured and there was nothing I could do. It’s truly not what we wanted, but Tommy’s fitness was questionable the whole week and even the doubles was in the balance. And ‘Kohli’ had two long matches, which cost a lot of power, and he also has to contend with a painful arm. I really do not know what I would have done if it had been 2-1. I just hope that the great Friday and Saturday will be remembered by all the fans.”

SINO SNUB?

All of China is proud of Li Na’s latest victory, capturing the women’s singles title at the Australian Open, her second Grand Slam tournament crown. But there has been grumbling in the world’s most populous country about their tennis star. “I would say most people (in China) were just happy to see her win, although state media probably was a little disappointed that she didn’t mention her country” in her victory speech, said Liz Carter, assistant editor of Foreign Policy/Tea Leaf Nation, who monitors Chinese media. “I didn’t see any reaction among regular people of displeasure or criticism.” But what did upset many in China was a cash bonus of $132,000 Li received from the government when she returned home. The official Xinhua news agency, calling the event “embarrassing” and “money-worshipping, cited Xiao Huanyu, a sports professor in Shanghai, as saying” “The government deems sports achievement a kind of political achievement. Therefore it needed to hand out the bonus to ‘show its face’ even though Li Na’s triumph had little to do with the government.”

SIGNS NEW COACH

Tommy Haas has a new coach. The 35-year-old right-hander has hired fellow German Alexander Waske with a specific goal in mind. “We have set the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals as our mutual objective.” Haas almost made the year-end championships more than 12 years ago when he finished in the Top 10 for the first time. In 2012, Haas was named the Comeback Player of the Year. “I want to win titles again this season,” Haas said. “That of course requires physical fitness, and also in this area Alex is a meticulous worker.” When he played on the ATP Tour, Waske was ranked as high as 16th in the world in doubles. He had Haas teamed to win the 2005 ATP World Team Championships.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Paris: Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke beat Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic 6-7 (7) 6-4 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Pattaya: Shuai Peng and Shuai Zhang beat Alla Kudayavtseva and Anastasia Rodionova 3-6 7-6 (5) 10-6 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

Montpellier: www.opensuddefrance.com/

Zagreb: www.zagrebindoors.com

Viña del Mar: www.royalguardopen.cl

Dallas: www.challengerofdallas.com

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Rotterdam: www.abnamrowtt.nl/

Memphis: www.memphistennis.com

Buenos Aires: http://copaclaro.com

Doha: www.qatartennis.org

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$577,845 Open Sud de France, Montpellier, France, hard

$577,845 PBZ Zagreb Indoors, Zagreb, Croatia, hard

$426,605 Royal Guard Open Chile, Viña del Mar, Chile, clay

$100,000 Challenger of Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA, hard

 

FED CUP

First Round

World Group

United States vs. Italy at Cleveland, Ohio, USA, hard

Spain vs. Czech Republic at Seville, Spain, clay

Slovak Republic vs. Germany at Bratislava, Slovak Republic, hard

Australia vs. Russia at Hobart, Australia, hard

World Group II

Canada vs. Serbia at Montreal, Quebec, Canada, hard; Sweden vs. Poland at Boras, Sweden, hard; France vs. Switzerland at Paris, France, hard; Argentina vs. Japan at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

Europe/Africa Zone Group I at Budapest, Hungary, hard; round-robin with two nations advancing to World Group II playoffs in April: Pool A: Belgium, Croatia, Luxembourg, Netherlands; Pool B: Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Romania; Pool C: Austria, Israel, Ukraine, Slovenia; Pool D: Belarus, Bulgaria, Portugal, Turkey

Americas Zone Group I at Lambare, Paraguay, clay: round-robin with one nation advancing to World Group II playoffs in April: Pool A: Mexico, Paraguay, Venezuela; Pool B: Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Asia/Oceania Zone Group I at Astana, Kazakhstan, hard: round-robin with one nation advancing to World Group II playoffs in April: Pool A: Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Thailand; Pool B: China, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Uzbekistan

Asia/Oceania Zone Group II at Astana, Kazakhstan, hard: round-robin with one nation advancing to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 2015: Hong Kong China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, Vietnam

Europe/Africa Zone Group III at Tallin, Estonia, hard: round-robin with two nations advancing to Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 2015: Armenia, Botswana, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Madagascar, Malta, Moldova, Namibia, Norway

 

DAVIS CUP

First round

Asia/Oceania Group II: Thailand vs. Hong Kong China at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard; Vietnam vs. Pakistan at Da Lat City, Vietnam, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,846,010 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, Netherlands, hard

$568,805 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard

$488,890 Copa Claro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

WOMEN

$2,440,070 Qatar Total Open 2014, Doha, Qatar, hard

 

Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer
Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer

Li Na, Stan Wawrinka and the 2014 Australian Open Wrap – Mondays with Bob Greene

By Bob Greene

 

STARS

Australian Open

Men’s singles: Stanislas Wawrinka beat Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3

Women’s singles: Li Na beat Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (3) 6-0

Men’s doubles: Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt beat Eric Butorac and Raven Klaasen 6-3 6-3

Women’s doubles: Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 6-4 3-6 7-5

Mixed doubles: Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor beat Sania Mirza and Horia Tecau 6-3 6-2

Boys’ singles: Alexander Zverev beat Stefan Kozlov 6-3 6-0

Girls’ singles: Elizaveta Kulichkova beat Jana Fett 6-2 6-1

Boys’ doubles: Lucas Miedler and Bradley Mousley beat Quentin Halys and Johan Sebastien Tatlot 6-4 6-3

Girls’ doubles: Anhelina Kalinina and Elizaveta Kulichkova beat Katie Boulter and Ivana Jorovic 6-4 6-2

Men’s Wheelchair singles: Shingo Kunieda beat Gustavo Fernndez 6-0 6-1

Women’s Wheelchair singles: Sabine Ellerbrock beat Yui Kamiji 3-6 6-4 6-2

Men’s Wheelchair doubles: Stephane Houdet and Shingo Kunieda beat Gordon Reid and Maikel Scheffers 6-3 6-3

Women’s Wheelchair doubles: Yui Kamiji and Jordanne Whiley beat Marjolein Buis and Jiske Griffioen 6-3 6-7 (3) 6-2

Quad Wheelchair singles: David Wagner beat Lucas Sithole 3-6 7-5 6-3

Quad Wheelchair doubles: Andrew Lapthorne and David Wagner beat Dylan Alcott and Lucas Sithole 6-4 6-4

OTHERS:

Peter Gojowczyk beat Igor Sijsling 6-4 7-5 to win the Heilbronn Open in Talhelm, Germany

 

SAYING

“I still think that I’m dreaming. It’s a strange feeling. I’ve seen so many finals. I always try to watch the final of Grand Slams because that’s where the best players are playing. Before today for me, it wasn’t (even) a dream. I never expected to play a final. I never expected to win a Grand Slam. And right now I just did it.” – Stanislas Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open champion.

“Finally I got her. Last two times was very close.” – Li Na, holding the Daphne Akhurt Memorial Cup given to the Australian Open women’s singles winner.

“I’m so proud of you, and it’s only the beginning.” – Carlos Rodriguez, Li Na’s coach, to the Australian Open champion.

“It has been a very emotional two weeks – I’m sorry to finish this way. I tried very, very hard. This year was one of the more emotional tournaments in my career.” – Rafael Nadal, who injured his back during the men’s final.

“I was surprised how well I started the match. In the beginning he was good, he was fit, he wasn’t injured. And I was playing amazing tennis.” – Stanislas Wawrinka, after beating Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open men’s final.

“It was my first Grand Slam final and I’m just proud with the way I handled it. It wasn’t easy against her because she was playing extremely well. So I’m quite happy.” – Dominika Cibulkova, after losing to Li Na in the women’s title match.

“So thanks for him give up everything just traveling with me to be my hitting partner, fix the drinks, fix the racquet. So thanks a lot, you are a nice guy. Also you are so lucky, find me.” – Li Na, thanking her husband, Shan Jiang, during on-court ceremonies after she won the Australian Open singles title.

“He’s an amazing champion, he never gives up. I’m really, really, really, really, really, really happy.” – Stanislas Wawrinka, after upsetting defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

“These are kind of matches that you work for, you live for, you practice for. Unfortunately somebody has to lose in the end. This year it was me. I lost to a better player.” – Novak Djokovic, following his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka.

“It’s not easy playing such a champion … but she is also just a human. I just went out there swinging.” – Ana Ivanovic, after upsetting top-ranked Serena Williams in a fourth-round match.

“I don’t want to blame anything. I feel like Ana deserves all the credit. I feel she played unbelievable today. I think she went for her shots. It’s not like I gave her the match.” – Serena Williams, when asked if a back injury was responsible for her upset loss to Ana Ivanovic.

“When we were starting the match and they were talking about all her Grand Slam titles, it was quite impressive. But I didn’t think much about the occasion and who I was playing, because it can get overwhelming.” – Ana Ivanovic, on her thoughts before her match against Serena Williams.

“It’s tough. I will be genuine about it. It’s never easy (but) it’s moments like this that ultimately shape you and make you who you are.” – Maria Sharapova, following her 3-6 6-4 6-1 fourth-round loss to Dominika Cibulkova

“I was so lucky.” – Rafael Nadal, after getting past Grigor Dimitrov in a quarterfinal, 3-6 7-6 (3) 7-6 (7), 6-2.

“I’m a bit shattered. It’s tough losing that match, my first (Grand Slam) quarterfinal. I came out expecting nothing less than to win.” – Grigor Dimitrov, after losing to top-ranked Rafael Nadal.

“It’s not the end of the world, but I’m not happy with what I did today.” – Victoria Azarenka, after losing in the quarterfinals to Agnieszka Radwanska.

“It’s frustrating. We like coming down here and starting the year hot. I don’t think we played terribly, just the margins are really small. We’re a front-running team and (if we won the tiebreak) we probably win that in straight sets. But all credit goes to those guys. They served tough.” – Mike Bryan, after he and brother Bob were upset in the third round by Eric Butorac and Raven Klaasen, 7-6 (9) 6-4.

“It’s been by one point and one break, that’s it.” – Tomas Berdych, following his semifinal loss in which Stanislas Wawrinka won 143 points and Berdych 142.

“She’s brave. She’s young. She has nothing to lose. I think she’s a very great player with a bright future.” – Ana Ivanovic, explaining her quarterfinal loss to 19-year-old Eugenie Bouchard of Canada.

“I wouldn’t say I exceeded my expectations, but I’m happy with how I did. I always want to do better. To me it’s not a surprise. I’ve been working hard my whole life to do this – play at Grand Slams and do well. It’s not an overnight thing.” – Eugenie Bouchard, after her semifinal loss to Li Na.

“I miss the game, but I don’t miss the stress of it. I feel like I walked away at the right time.” – Pete Sampras, a 14-time Grand Slam tournament singles winner who presented the trophy to the men’s champion.

 

STAN THE MAN

With his first Grand Slam tournament title, Stanislas Wawrinka proved he belongs. Wawrinka beat defending champion and second-ranked Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and top-ranked Rafael Nadal in the final to capture the Australian Open men’s singles title and become Switzerland’s top player, jumping ahead of Roger Federer. “I never expected to win a Grand Slam,” Wawrinka said. “I never dreamed about that because for me, I was not good enough to beat those guys.” But the 28-year-old did beat everyone he faced Down Under and became the 36th man in the Open Era to win his first major title in his maiden final. Playing an aggressive brand of tennis, Wawrinka took the opening set and was up a break when Nadal hurt his back. Despite that, however, Nadal won the third set before Wawrinka closed out the victory. “It was bad luck what happened to me today, but he really deserved it,” Nadal said of his conqueror. By winning his first major title in his 36th Grand Slam appearance, Wawrinka is behind only Goran Ivanisevic in most Grand Slam appearances before winning. It also was the first time in his career that Wawrinka had recorded three consecutive wins over Top 10 players.

 

SUPER JOB

In her third trip to the final Down Under, China’s Li Na finally came away as the Australian Open women’s singles champion. The 31-year-old became the oldest woman to capture the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup as she won her second Grand Slam tournament title, her first coming at the French Open 2011. “At last I made it,” Li said. “Not like the last two times, always feeling one more step. But this time I did it, so I’m really so proud of myself.” Li lost in 2011 to Kim Clijsters and to Victoria Azarenka last year, both times after winning the first set. This time she struggled to a first-set tiebreak, where she jumped out to a 5-1 lead. But it was a relaxed Li who zoomed through the second set by pounding winners off both sides. Cibulkova beat four Top 20 players en route to the final, including former champion Maria Sharapova.

 

SOMETHING SPECIAL

In winning the Australian Open men’s title, Stanislas Wawrinka became the first man to defeat the top two seeds at a Grand Slam tournament since Sergi Bruguera did it at Roland Garros in 1993. It was also only the ninth time it has happened in the Open Era. In 1993, Bruguera beat Pete Sampras (ranked No. 1) and Jim Courier (No. 2). At the 1991 Wimbledon, Michael Stich beat Stefan Edberg (1) and Boris Becker (2). At 1990 Wimbledon, Edberg beat Ivan Lendl (1) and Becker (2). At Wimbledon in 1989, Becker beat Lendl (1) and Edberg (2). At Roland Garros in 1985 Mats Wilander beat John McEnroe (1) and Lendl (2). Wilander did the same thing at the 1983 Australian Open, beating McEnroe (2) and Lendl (1). On his way to the 1976 Australian Open title, Mark Edmondson beat Ken Rosewall (1) and John Newcombe (2), and Manuel Orantes captured the 1975 US Open with victories over Guillermo Vilas (2) and Jimmy Connors (1).

With his win, Wawrinka will rise to a career-high third in the world in the Emirates ATP Rankings and will usurp Roger Federer as Switzerland’s top player for the first time. Federer has slipped to eighth in the world after losing in the semifinals at Melbourne. Federer had held the top Swiss ranking since 2001.

Wawrinka is the first player outside the Top 4 to win the Australian Open since 18th-ranked Thomas Johansson captured the year’s first Grand Slam tournament title in 2002, and he is the first player to win his maiden major title by defeating a World number one player since Juan Martin del Potro upset Federer in the 2009 US Open final.

 

SIGNED BUT PLAYING?

Serena Williams has entered the Indian Wells, California, tournament this year for the first time since 2001, when she vowed never to return. It was in 2001 when older sister Venus withdrew with an injury just 20 minutes before she was to play Serena in the semifinals. Serena went on to win the tournament as fans booed them. Serena recently said she was considering returning to Indian Wells after she watched a movie about the late South African president Nelson Mandela. Venus Williams is not on the list of entries released for the BNP Paribas Open, which will be played March 3-10. Other women who have entered include Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, while leading the men’s entries are defending champion Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer.

 

SWAT-MEISTER

Roger Federer is continuing to rewrite the record books. By reaching his 41st Grand Slam quarterfinal, Federer has equaled a record set by Jimmy Connors. His 6-3 7-5 6-4 win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put Federer into the Australian Open quarterfinals for the 11th straight year. He ended up reaching the semifinals before losing to Rafael Nadal.

 

SURGE TO VICTORY

Just when it appeared they would not repeat as Australian Open winners, Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci rallied to win the women’s doubles and retain their co-world number one ranking. Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina had beaten the Italian pair in their last two meetings. And in the doubles final, Makarova and Vesnina took a 5-2 lead in the decisive third set. “It was very strange, very difficult,” Errani said. “We went from 2-0 up in third set to 5-2 down in the third set, and we weren’t really playing very well at that time. But from there we knew we had to keep going and we were able to make it.” Errani and Vinci won the next five games to capture their 17th doubles title as a team and their fourth Grand Slam tournament title together.

 

SET FOR PLAY

Five teams will be home to the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), which is scheduled to begin this season. According to Mahesh Bhupathi, a doubles specialists from India and co-founder of the league, cities that will be host to the new league will be Bangkok, Singapore, Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur and a city in the Middle East. The players’ draft for the league will be held March 2 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The league will play November 28 through December 20. Australian Lleyton Hewitt, a former number one, confirmed that he will play.  Bhupathi said every team will have six to 10 players and there will be a USD $10 million team salary cap. The league’s structure will be similar to the World TeamTennis league held every July in the United States.

 

SAYS WHO?

Ana Ivanovic listened while the announcer told the crowd about her opponent, Serena Williams. “When we were starting the match and they were talking about all her Grand Slam titles, it was quite impressive,” said Ivanovic, who had never won a set against Williams in four previous meetings. A five-time Australian Open champion, Williams was also introduced as the winner of 17 major singles titles, playing in her 70th match at the Australian Open, an Open Era record, and the fact that she had won 78 of her 82 matches in 2013. “I didn’t think much about the occasion and who I was playing, because it can get overwhelming,” Ivanovic said. And she wasn’t overwhelmed. In fact, she won the fourth-round match, beating the top-seeded Williams 4-6 6-3 6-3. “I think she’s done so much for the sport, and she’s still doing it,” Ivanovic said in praise of Williams. “She’s such a great athlete and a great person to have on tour. We want her because it pushes us.”

 

SITTING TARGETS

Both defending champions – Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka – were bounced from the Australian Open in the quarterfinals, Djokovic to eventual champion Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6 6-4 6-2 3-6 9-7 and Azarenka to Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1 5-7 6-0. It was the first time in the Open Era that both defending champions have lost in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The last time the two defending champions lost in the quarterfinals at any Grand Slam tournament was at Roland Garros in 1997 when Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Steffi Graf were both eliminated. It also happened at the 1991 US Open with Pete Sampras and Gabriela Sabatini being ousted, and at Wimbledon in 1974 when Jan Kodes and Billie Jean King both lost.

 

SQUEEKER

Rafael Nadal lost the Australian Open men’s final to Stanislas Wawrinka. But the Spaniard almost didn’t get to the final. Earlier in the year’s first Grand Slam tournament he was almost eliminated by 22-year-old Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. “I was so lucky,” Nadal admitted after squeezing past Dimitrov 3-6 7-6 (3) 7-6 (7) 6-2 in a quarterfinal match. “I’m a bit shattered,” Dimitrov said. “It’s tough losing that match, my first (Grand Slam) quarterfinal. I came out expecting nothing less than to win.”

 

SHARED TITLE

Playing in just their third tournament as a team, Sweden’s Robert Lindstedt and Poland’s Lukasz Kubot won the men’s doubles crown, defeating the surprising duo of American Eric Butorac and South African Raven Klaasen. “I think everybody could see after the match what it means to me,” Lindstedt said. “I cried like a schoolboy. It means the world to me. I even messed up the speech and everything.” The champions had never won a match together before the Australian Open. As individuals, they both won their first Grand Slam tournament doubles title. Lindstedt had lost three consecutive Wimbledon finals. “It’s a childhood dream come true, and I’m probably not going to believe it until I finish my career,” Lindstedt said. “It means absolutely everything to me.” Butorac and Klaasen were playing their sixth tournament together and made huge waves as they battled into the final. They started with a first-round victory over Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter, then upset defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan before surprising Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.

A 31-year-old, Kubot became the first Polish man to win a Grand Slam tournament doubles title since Wojtek Fibak at the 1978 Australian Open. The 36-year-old Lindstedt is the first Swedish player to win a major doubles title since Simon Aspelin teamed with Austria’s Julian Knowle to win the US Open in 2007.

 

SHOWING UP

Marion Bartoli is considering playing at Wimbledon this year. But she is not planning on defending her title. Bartoli said she may play in the invitational legends’ doubles event, “so I will play the second week,” the 29-ye3ar-old Frenchwoman said. Bartoli retired suddenly just weeks after winning Wimbledon last year. She was in Melbourne for the Australian Open doing commentary for French television. “I’m still so passionate about tennis,” she told a news service. “Unfortunately I can’t play anymore because of my body, but the passion is still inside, definitely.” Bartoli said her shoulder is the reason she stopped playing. “The shoulder is basically damaged forever and I can’t serve anymore,” she said. While she loves the game, she has no regrets about her decision to retire. “Don’t expect me to cry or have tears in my eyes,” Bartoli said. “I have the luxury to say I walked out of the game as t4he Wimbledon champion, and believe me, that’s not happening to everyone.”

 

SHOVE

Spain’s David Ferrer played down the fact he shoved a line judge during his quarterfinal loss to Tomas Berdych. “It was nothing,” Ferrer said. After losing the first two sets, the Spaniard had just broken Berdych to take a 4-2 lead in the third set. Ferrer wiped his face with a towel and started to toss it onto a courtside chair. A line judge was in the way, so Ferrer pushed him, causing the man to stumble a few steps. “It was a nervous moment, but nothing,” Ferrer said about the incident, which prompted a negative reaction from the crowd. “I said ‘Excuse me’ to him after that. Nothing special.”

 

SOWETO OPEN

The Soweto Open tennis tournament is off again because of a lack of sponsorship. The department of sport and recreation, which sponsored the revived tournament at the Arthur Ashe Complex in Jabavu, South Africa, last year, will not bankroll the Soweto Open in 2014. “The department of sport have informed us that the hosting of the current Chan (African Nations Championship) tournament … had drained their finances and they were unable to carry on sponsoring the Soweto Open,” said Bruce Davidson, the South Africa Tennis Association’s media consultant. The tournament for both men and women was considered pivotal in the development of tennis in South Africa. The Soweto Open was first held in 2009, but was not played in 2012. Government money enabled it to be revived in 2013. “There is simply no sponsor to foot the bill, no matter how important it is to ensure the future of the sport in the country in a wider sense,” Davidson said.

 

STAYING HOME

Great Britain’s top women’s player, Laura Robson, will missed the team’s Fed Cup tie in Hungary because of a wrist injury. Replacing Robson will be 22-year-old Jocelyn Rae, who will join Heather Watson, Johanna Konta and Tara Moore. Great Britain has been drawn against Hungary, Latvia and Romania in the Europe/African Group Zone I competition in Budapest. The Fed Cup will be held February 4-9.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Talhelm: Tomasz Bednarek and Henri Kontinen beat Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski 3-6 7-6 (3) 12-10 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

Paris: www.opengdfsuez.com/

Pattaya City: www.pentanglepromotions.com

Montpellier: www.opensuddefrance.com/

Zagreb: www.zagrebindoors.com

Viña del Mar: www.royalguardopen.cl

Dallas: www.challengerofdallas.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

WOMEN

$710,000 Open GDF Suez, Paris, France, hard

$250,000 PTT Pattaya Open, Pattaya City, Thailand, hard

DAVIS CUP

First round

World Group

Czech Republic vs. Netherlands at Ostrava, Czech Republic, hard

Japan vs. Canada at Tokyo, Japan, hard

Germany vs. Spain at Frankfurt, Germany, hard

France vs. Australia at La Roche sur Yon, France, clay

United States vs. Great Britain at San Diego, California, USA, clay

Argentina vs. Italy at Mar del Plata, Argentina, clay

Kazakhstan vs. Belgium at Astana, Kazakhstan, hard

Serbia vs. Switzerland at Novi Sad, Serbia, hard

Americas Zone Group I: Ecuador vs. Venezuela at Guayaquil, Ecuador, clay; Dominican Republic vs. Uruguay at Santo Domino, Dominican Republic, hard

Asia/Oceania Zone Group I: China vs. New Zealand at Tianjin, China, hard; India vs. Chinese Taipei at Indore, India, hard

Americas Zone Group II: Barbados vs. Chile at Bridgetown, Barbados, hard; Paraguay vs. El Salvador at Asuncion, Paraguay, clay; Bolivia vs. Peru at Trinidad, Bolivia, clay; Guatemala vs. Mexico at Guatemala City, Guatemala, hard

Asia/Oceania Group II: Sri Lanka vs. Philippines at Colombo, Sri Lanka, hard; Thailand vs. Hong Kong China at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard; Kuwait vs. Indonesia at Mishref, Kuwait, hard

Europe/Africa Zone Group II: South Africa vs. Monaco at Centurion, South Africa, hard; Norway vs. Lithuania at Oslo, Norway, hard; Finland vs. Bulgaria at Helsinki, Finland, hard; Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Greece at Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, carpet; Belarus vs. Ireland at Minsk, Belarus, hard; Moldova vs. Egypt at Chisnau, Moldova, hard; Morocco vs. Luxembourg at Rabat, Morocco, clay; Denmark vs. Cyprus at Copenhagen, Denmark, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$577,845 Open Sud de France, Montpellier, France, hard

$577,845 PBZ Zagreb Indoors, Zagreb, Croatia, hard

$426,605 Royal Guard Open Chile, Viña del Mar, Chile, clay

$100,000 Challenger of Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA, hard

FED CUP

First Round

World Group

United States vs. Italy at Cleveland, Ohio, USA, hard

Spain vs. Czech Republic at Seville, Spain, clay

Slovak Republic vs. Germany at Bratislava, Slovak Republic, hard

Australia vs. Russia at Hobart, Australia, hard

World Group II

Canada vs. Serbia at Montreal, Quebec, Canada, hard; Sweden vs. Poland at Boras, Sweden, hard; France vs. Switzerland at Paris, France, hard; Argentina vs. Japan at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

Europe/Africa Zone Group I at Budapest, Hungary, hard; round-robin with two nations advancing to World Group II playoffs in April: Pool A: Belgium, Croatia, Luxembourg, Netherlands; Pool B: Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Romania; Pool C: Austria, Israel, Ukraine, Slovenia; Pool D: Belarus, Bulgaria, Portugal, Turkey

Americas Zone Group I at Lambare, Paraguay, clay: round-robin with one nation advancing to World Group II playoffs in April: Pool A: Mexico, Paraguay, Venezuela; Pool B: Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Asia/Oceania Zone Group I at Astana, Kazakhstan, hard: round-robin with one nation advancing to World Group II playoffs in April: Pool A: Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Thailand; Pool B: China, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Uzbekistan

 Asia/Oceania Zone Group II at Astana, Kazakhstan, hard: round-robin with one nation advancing to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 2015: Hong Kong China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, Vietnam

Europe/Africa Zone Group III at Tallin, Estonia, hard: round-robin with two nations advancing to Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 2015: Armenia, Botswana, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Madagascar, Malta, Moldova, Namibia, Norway

Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka

Stan Wawrinka Stuns Rafael Nadal To Win Australian Open, Eerily Fortold by John McEnroe

by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher
Talking with media about the Australian Open Friday night on the floor of Madison Square Garden before the New York Knicks – Charlotte Bobcats NBA basketball game, John McEnroe was not completely dismissive of Stan Wawrinka’s chances of upsetting world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the men’s singles final.

“He’s got better than a puncher’s chance” said McEnroe of Wawrinka, 0-12 in matches and 0-26 in sets against the tenacious world No. 1 Nadal entering Sunday’s men’s singles final.

“I give him a one in ten or two in ten chance of winning,” McEnroe continued, before he eerily foreshadowed, “If the guy sprains an ankle, he wins.”

It wasn’t an ankle that did in Nadal, but an ill-timed back injury that allowed Wawrinka to become one of the most unlikely men’s singles champions at a Grand Slam event with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Nadal.

After Wawrinka came out swinging, playing near perfect tennis to take the first set and a 2-0- lead in the second, Nadal writhed in pain from his back, causing him to exit the court for an extended injury timeout. Nadal was not able to serve above 100 miles per hour and could barely move with the ferocity that he is known for. Painkillers and heat cream applied on changeovers improved Nadal’s condition to an extent, helping him secure the third set as Wawrinka struggled mentally. However, the Swiss was able to gather himself and closed out the four-set victory.

“I am still not sure I f I am dreaming or not,” Wawrinka said to the crowd after being presented with the Norman Brookes championship trophy. “ I will see in the morning.”

Seeded No. 8, Wawrinka is the longest-shot to win the Australian Open since No. 16 seed Thomas Johansson won in 2002 and the longest shot at any major since unseeded and 44th ranked Gaston Gaudio won the 2004 French Open.

After upsetting world No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, Wawrinka became the first player to beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds at a major since Sergi Bruguera at the 1993 French Open and became the first player to beat both Nadal and Djokovic en route to winning a major title.

Nadal was on the verge of writing another impressive chapter in tennis history, favored to win the title and win a 14th major singles title that would have tied him for second-place all-time with Pete Sampras, who was in Melbourne to present the men’s singles trophy. A tournament win in Australia for Nadal would have also given him the distinction of winning a “double career Grand Slam” – joining Rod Laver and Roy Emerson as the only men to win all four major singles titles at least twice.

“I’m very sad at what happened but that’s life,” said Nadal in his post-match press conference. “It’s a tough one to accept…That’s part of life. Part of sport…it’s not the end of the world.”

Of his back injury, Nadal said, “I felt a little bit from warm-up … and then I started to feel worse. I tried hard. The last thing I wanted to do was retirement. I hate to do that, especially in the final.”

With the victory, Wawrinka will move to No. 3 in the ATP rankings, moving him ahead of his gold-medal-winning Olympic doubles partner and 17-time major singles champion Roger Federer.

 

Wawrinka
Wawrinka

Two Quirky Shots Cost Novak Djokovic In Upset Loss To Stan Wawrinka In Australian Open Quarterfinals

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

In professional tennis where matches are decided by the slimmest of margins, two crucial shots on the last two points of the match were the difference in Novak Djokovic’s 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 upset loss to Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

With the three-time defending champion Djokovic serving down 7-8 in the final set, the Serb hits a strong body serve that Wawrinka is able to negotiate back with an awkwardly struck cross-court inside-out backhand that lands just over the net. Rushing to the net to retrieve the shot, Djokovic attempts a sharply-angled cross court drop shot, but misses it wide, giving the No. 8-seeded Wawrinka match point. Djokovic then, for the first time in the match, attempts a surprise serve-and-volley tactic and fails miserably, floating a shoulder-high forehand volley wide, giving Wawrinka the upset victory.

ESPN2 tennis analyst Darren Cahill discussed the last two points of the match at its conclusion, describing Wawrinka’s serve return at 30-30 as hitting “more frame than string” producing a “wicked spin” that may have affected Djokovic missing the angle winner attempt. Of Djokovic’s match point, Cahill said “the serve-and-volley, that was maybe a bit of a panic move.”

There was much on the line for the No. 2-seeded Djokovic, who saw many impressive streaks come to an end with the loss, including:

  • His 28-match winning streak since he lost the U.S. Open final to Rafael Nadal
  • His 25-consecutive match victory streak at the Australian Open since he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2010 quarterfinals
  • His streak of reaching the semifinals of 14 straight semifinals at major championships
  • His streak of 13 straight wins over top 10 players
  • His 14-straight victories over Wawrinka

The match comes exactly one year and 22 hours from when the same two players engaged in another epic match on Rod Laver Arena in the fourth round where Djokovic prevailed 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 12-10 and analyzed here: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/8865

Steve Flink, tennis historian and author of the book “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time,” available here http://www.amazon.com/The-Greatest-Tennis-Matches-Time/dp/0942257936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390314557&sr=8-1&keywords=the+greatest+tennis+matches+of+all+time described Wawrinka’s upset as “a mighty accomplishment.”

“For him to topple Djokovic this time after 14 losses in a row against a six time major champion going for a fourth Australian Open title in a row was a mighty accomplishment,” said Flink. “The match touched greatness but it was not an epic….It was a terrific match but not an all time classic because the level of play fluctuated considerably, particularly Djokovic’s performance. He played an excellent first set and then raised his game and returned much better late in the fourth set and early in the fifth, but he was strangely vulnerable in many ways. Wawrinka, however, was outstanding in the second and third sets and very gritty in fighting back from a break down in the fifth.”

Wawrinka advances into the semifinals of a major championship for a second-straight event after losing to Djokovic – also in five-sets – in the US Open semifinals last September. He will have a strong chance at reaching his first major final as he will face No. 7 Tomas Berdych in the semifinals after the Czech defeated No. 3 seed David Ferrer in the quarterfinals.

Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka