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Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Daniela Hantuchova 1-6 6-1 6-0 to win the Monterrey Open in Monterrey, Mexico

DAVIS CUP

World Group

(First Round)

Spain beat. Switzerland 4-1 at Logrono, Spain

France beat. Germany 4-1 at Toulon, France

Russia beat. India 3-2 at Moscow, Russia

Argentina beat Sweden 3-2 at Stockholm, Sweden

Croatia beat Ecuador 5-0 at Varazdin, Croatia

Serbia beat United States 3-2 at Belgrade, Serbia

Chile leads. Israel 2-1 at Cuquimbo, Chile

Czech Republic beat Belgium 4-1 at Bree, Belgium

Americas Group I

First Round: Uruguay beat Dominican Republic 4-1

Second Round: Colombia beat Canada 4-1

Americas Group II

First Round: Peru beat El Salvador 5-0; Venezuela beat Bolivia; Paraguay beat. Netherlands Antilles 4-1; Mexico beat Guatemala

Asia-Oceania Group I

First Round: Australia beat Chinese Taipei 5-0; Japan beat Philippines 5-0; China beat Uzbekistan 3-2; Kazakhstan beat. Korea 5-0

Asia-Oceania Group II

First Round: Thailand beat. Pacific Oceania 5-0; Indonesia beat Malaysia 5-0; Pakistan beat Hong Kong China 3-1; New Zealand beat Sri Lanka 3-2

Europe-Africa Group I

First Round: Italy beat Belarus 5-0; Finland beat Poland 3-2; Ukraine beat. Latvia 4-1

Second Round: Austria beat. Slovak Republic 3-2

Europe-Africa Group II

First Round: Lithuania beat Great Britain 3-2; Ireland beat. Turkey 4-1; Bulgaria beat Monaco 3-2; Slovenia beat Norway 5-0; Portugal beat Denmark 4-1; Cyprus beat Egypt 3-2; Estonia beat. Hungary 4-1; Bosnia and Herzegovina beat FYR Macedonia 32-2

SAYINGS

“I didn’t feel very fit yet, but today it was enough. I warmed up and I felt worse than I thought. … But with the flag behind us, it’s tough to not be on court.” – David Nalbandian, who led Argentina to an upset win over Sweden.

“No other country has the standard of tennis we have in Spain. We’ve played well in the home ties and that is crucial. What’s more, we’ve done well in the doubles matches.” – David Ferrer, who helped two-time defending Davis Cup champion Spain to its 19^th straight home tie victory.

“I preferred to stop because it hurt me when I walked.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after retiring with a sprained ankle from his Davis Cup match against Germany’s Simon Greul.

“This is just another hurdle in my career. I have faced many obstacles before and I know what it takes to get back out there and on the top of my game.” – Tommy Haas, after undergoing hip surgery that will cause him to be out of action for several months.

“There was no miracle today. Yes, we tried and had break points, but we had no chance against such a pair.” – Igor Kunitsyn, after he and Teimuraz Gabashvili, playing together for the first time, lost their Davis Cup doubles match to India’s veterans Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes.

SWEDISH STOPPER

David Nalbandian came off the injured list to lift Argentina to a first-round Davis Cup victory over Sweden. Until the day before the tie began, Nalbandian was sidelined with a leg injury. He didn’t play the opening singles, but partnered Horacio Zeballos to lead Argentina to victory in the doubles. Then, after Robin Soderling pulled Sweden level at 2-2 by winning the first reverse doubles, Nalbandian bested Andreas Vinciguerra 7-5 6-3 4-6 6-4 to put Argentina into the quarterfinals of the World Group. Nalbandian had been expected to miss the first round, and with Juan Martin del Potro and Juan Monaco also out with injuries, Argentina was expected to lose to Sweden. Instead, they will travel to Russia in July for the next round of the international team tennis competition.

SPRAIN

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired with a sprained ankle in his Davis Cup match against Simon Greul. But France had already qualified for the quarterfinals before Tsonga took the court against his German opponent. Tsonga retired while trailing 4-6 6-2 1-0. “It should take a few days before returning to normal,” said Tsonga, who is expected to play next week at Indian Wells, California, USA. Tsonga had won his opening singles match against Benjamin Becker, as did Gael Monfils over Philipp Kohlschreiber. France clinched the tie when Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau defeated Kohlschreiber and Christopher Kas in the doubles. France will play Spain at home in the quarterfinals.

SWINGING FOR HAITI

Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Lindsay Davenport will join Justine Henin as tennis raises money for the earthquake victims in Haiti. Roger Federer will team up with Pete Sampras to play Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi in an exhibition doubles match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA. Graf and Davenport will play Navratilova and Henin. Net proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the American Red Cross. Fans also will be able to donate onsite and through text messages.

SURGICAL STOPPAGE

After undergoing surgery on his right hip, Tommy Haas is expected to be out of action for several months. A statement quoted the 31-year-old German saying he was confident he would return to the tour. Haas, who is ranked 18^th in the world, has won 12 titles in his career. He last played in February at Delray Beach, Florida, USA, where he was upset in the opening round.

SAYS NO ISRAELIS

Police in Dubai say no Israeli travelers will be allowed entry into the United Arab Emirates. Lieutenant General Dahi Khafan Tamim, Dubai’s police chief, said the move comes after the killing of a top Hamas official in a Dubai hotel. The assassination is believed to have carried out by Israel’s Mossad spy agency. It is not immediately known if the exclusion will include Israeli athletes competing in international sports events. Last month, Israel’s Shahar Peer reached the semifinals in a Dubai tournament one year after she had been refused entry into the United Arab Emirates.

SUOMI SAVIOR

Henri Kontinen found his winning game just in time for Finland. After losing in the opening day singles and the doubles, Kontinen outlasted Michal Przysiezny in a five-set marathon to give Finland a 3-2 Davis Cup Europe-African Group 1 win over Poland. The Finns trailed 2-1 going into the reverse singles before Jarkko Nieminen leveled the best-of-5 tie by beating Lukasz Kubot 6-4 7-6 (6) 6-7 (4) 7-5. That left it up to Kontinen, who survived 6-3 3-6 6-7 (4) 7-6 (4) 7-5 to advance Finland to a second-round meeting with South Africa.

SINKING LOWER

Lithuania’s Laurynas Grigelis, who has never played a match on the ATP World Tour, won a five-setter against Dan Evans to put Great Britain just one step away from falling into the Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III, the lowest tier of the international competition. Britain next will play Turkey with the loser dropping to the bottom level. Great Britain took a 2-1 lead into the final day, but Ricardas Berankis beat James Ward in the first reverse singles, then Grigelis handed Evans his fourth defeat in Davis Cup play. Grigelis is ranked 521^st in the world, some 269 places below Evans. Great Britain played without Andy Murray, one of the top players in the world. Lithuania only has three world-ranked players, and all are teen-agers.

SWIFT SERVE

Venus Williams has had problems beating little sister Serena when they’ve faced each other across the net, but it’s Venus who leads the way in the fastest serves struck on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Venus had a serve recorded at 124.9 miles per hour (201.0 kph) this year, while Serena is second with an offering of 124.3 mph (200.0 kph). In fact, all 10 of the fastest serves on the women’s tour this year came at the Australian Open. Third is Li Na of China at 121.8 mph (196.0 kph). Venus Williams also has the fastest serve ever recorded on the women’s tour, cranking one at 129 mph (207.6 kph) at the US Open in 2007. Again Serena Williams is second, hitting a 127.0 mph (204.3 kph) offering at Cincinnati in 2006. Third is Brenda Schultz-McCarthy of the Netherlands at 126.0 mph (202.7 kph). There is one proviso in the record book, however. The serve speed data is only collected on show courts at certain events, and wasn’t begun until 1989.

SELECTED

Two doubles teams – Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde along with Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva – are the newest entrants into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The four will be inducted into the Newport, Rhode Island, shrine in July along with Owen Davidson, Brad Parks and the late Derek Hardwick, former chairman of the British Lawn Tennis Association. Woodbridge and Woodforde – the Woodies – won a record 61 ATP doubles titles, including 11 major championships. Fernandez and Zvereva won 38 titles, including 14 Grand Slam tournament crowns. In 1992-93, the pair won six consecutive majors. Davidson was a men’s and mixed doubles specialist, while Parks was a pioneer of wheelchair tennis.

SENIOR SISTER

When a leg injury kept Serena Williams from defending her Billie Jean King Cup title, older sister Venus made sure the crown would stay in the family. Venus defeated Kim Clijsters 6-4 3-6 7-5 to capture the BNP Paribas Showdown, a match she lost a year ago to Serena. “I always feel really confident on match point, so I love getting to that match point,” said Venus, who collected USD $400,000 with the win. “At quadruple match point I felt nice.” In the four-player exhibition, Clijsters beat Serena’s replacement, Ana Ivanovic, before Venus toppled third-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova. King missed the New York City exhibition because she is recovering from a recent double-knee replacement.

SUCCESSIVE SUCCESS

Twice was quite nice for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Because of rain, the 18-year-old Russian had to play her semifinal at the Monterrey Open on Sunday. She beat Anastasija Sevastova, then capped the day by capturing her first WTA title with a 1-6 6-1 6-0 win over Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova. Before the Monterrey, Mexico, tournament, Pavlyuchenkova’s best result on the WTA Tour was a quarterfinal appearance in Brisbane, Australia, in January. She had won three junior girls titles in Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Open in 2006 and 2007, and the US Open in 2006.

SIDELINED STILL

A persistent back problem is keeping Dinara Safina on the sidelines. The Russian pulled out of this week’s tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, because of her back. “Unfortunately, I will not be able to play in Indian Wells this year because of the back injury that’s been bothering me since the end of last season,” Safina said. Ranked second in the world. Safina has not played since she retired from her fourth-round match against Maria Kirilenko at the Australian Open in January. The 23-year-old Safina has pushed her return date back to the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida, in late March.

SWITCH URGED

Fresh off winning its first-round match, New Zealand wants to play its upcoming Davis Cup tie either in New Zealand or at a neutral venue. The two nations are scheduled to meet in an Asia/Oceania Group II semifinal in Pakistan in July. But New Zealand has asked the International Tennis Federation to move the tie because of security concerns. “We spoke to the ITF last December when the draw came out and they said they would not review the situation until both Pakistan and New Zealand got through the first round,” said Tennis New Zealand operations manager Tracy Hall. “As of today we have emailed the ITF asking about the process and what we need to do to have it reviewed.” The ITF moved Pakistan’s first-round match to Hong Kong for security reasons. Pakistan has been a virtual “no-go zone” for foreign sporting teams since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus at Lahore in March last year. Several Sri Lanka players were injured and six policemen were killed in the attack.

SONY ERICSSON SILENCED

In a contract extension through the end of 2012, the WTA Tour will drop Sony Ericsson’s name as title sponsor. When the mobile phone company signed a six-year, USD $88 million deal in 2005, the tour became the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Now, the circuit’s name will just be WTA Tour. Sony Ericsson also will no longer have the title rights for the tour’s season-ending championships. SportsBusinessJournal.com reported the new agreement for nearly three years is worth USD $27 million.

STUMBLING

Jelena Jankovic is still having problems getting her game into gear. Seeded number one at the Monterrey Open in Mexico, Jankovic was upset in her first-round match by Latvia’s Anastasia Sevastova 5-7 6-4 6-4. Jankovic has had problems winning matches since she rose to the world number one ranking. The Serb is currently ninth in the Sony Ericsson WTA rankings.

STAYING HOME

Nikolay Davydenko missed Russia’s Davis Cup tie against India because of a wrist injury. The injury also could force Davydenko to skip the Sony Ericsson Open later this month. Davydenko has not played since he retired from a second-round match at the Dubai Championships last month. “If the injury is serious enough, it may take a few weeks for him to fully recover,” said Russian Davis Cup captain Shamil Tarpischchev.

SPENDING MORE

Nations competing in the 2010 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will receive more than USD $14 million in financial benefits, according to the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The 5 percent increase in benefits from last year recognizes the continued commitment by the ITF’s National Associations and their players to Davis Cup. The money is a combination of prize money and payment to nations in lieu of advertising. In order to further assist nations competing at the lower levels of Davis Cup, the ITF has divided Europe/Africa Zone Group III into separate Europe and Africa Zones to help with travel expenses. This year a total of 133 nations are competing in Davis Cup, the largest annual international team competition in sport.

SPANISH SITE

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s website is now available in Spanish. The new Spanish language version, www.sonyericssonwtatour.es, joins the Tour’s existing official language websites in English and Chinese. The Tour also announced the launch of a new mobile WAP site available to fans through their mobile handsets and dedicated to providing tennis fans around the world up-to-date information and unique women’s tennis content. Both the WAP and Spanish language sites were built and will be hosted by the Tour’s digital partner Perform.

SAD NEWS

Georgina Clark has died. A long-time WTA Tour official, Clark was the first woman to umpire a final at Wimbledon. She joined the Tour in 1981 as a referee and retired in 2005 as vice president of European Operations. It was Clark who got Princess Diana to officially open the WTA Tour’s first European office in 1988. A mother of five, Clark was also a strong amateur player and coach.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Monterrey: Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Vania King 3-6 6-4 10-8 (match tiebreak)

SITES TO SURF

Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.org/

Rio de Janeiro: http://championsseriestennis.com/rio2010/

Zurich: www.zurichopen.net

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$4,000,000 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard

WTA

$4,000,000 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard